Sandra Woo's Blog

Oh how fast time goes by when you’re having fun. Almost three school months have already passed and finals are already here. This semester I’ve taken  5 courses –all of which I can say that I’m quite satisfied with. For those who want to know a survival information about my first semester at UBC, hopefully you will find this useful.

As we are now already nearing the end of the term, there are some key things that personally produced academic results for me in my classes. The first thing to do is to always be engaged during lectures. Being able to feel engaged in classes gives you motivation to listen, understand and better memorize the concepts that were explained which will contribute to better results on assignments and tests.  Another major key element to staying applied in classes is to be organized. It is important that you know your due dates for assignments so that you can maintain a stress free mentality. Last but not least, get a reasonable amount of sleep. I know that many UBC students would laugh at the word “sleep” in all of its ironic glory. However, sleep is important! Even if you’re not getting the amount of sleep you need per day (realistically speaking), at least give yourself a little napping break on the weekend. The least it could do is relieve stress for you — a stressful mind decreases your brain’s ability to work at it’s full capacity.

These are just some of the techniques that  helped me through my first semester. Feel free to comment about some techniques that have helped you in your experiences!

Recently, I’ve been asking myself why I’ve grown so accustomed and addicted to my Iphone.  I purchased my first Apple product nearly about 1.5 years ago and since then, I still haven’t the slightest desire to replace my Iphone with any other cellular product anytime soon (unless it were the Iphone 5, of course). After realizing the spontaneous loyalty I’ve subconsciously developed for my Iphone, I discovered that Apple must be some strong points of difference in comparison to their competition.

1.  Apple was the first of their kind
2. Apple products are available to a wide consumer base
3. Apple products can be accessible to people of all ages
4. Apple uses very clean and organized technology
5. Apple products are visually appealing/stimulating
6. Apple products are fast and efficient
7. Apple products have all types of resources that are useful for everyday life
8. Apple products are compact and have great battery life
9. Apple knows how to utilize their products in order to promote their uniqueness
10. Apple stores make it easier to purchase or fix apple products

In my opinion, these are some of the key points in why I think Apple executes the diversification of their product line. I’ve become a loyal customer to Apple for almost all of these reasons. Therefore, it is easier to connect Apple to their impeccable success in the electronics industry.

Being a person who is indubitably conservative about spending money, Ecoki’s “How to save money in 11 easy ways sustainably” post struck my attention quickly. Little did I know, instead of learning new and easy ways I could save money, the post became just an overview of the current things I do to save money. Here’s my top three favorites from Ecoki’s list along with personal suggestions from me.

Get refills from local coffee shops instead of repurchasing another cup.
My suggestion? If you’re a fellow Sauder Student, bring a mug to school and get yourself some coffee at the Sauder Student Lounge! It’s accessible during school hours, there is a pretty sweet selection and most importantly, it’s free!

Give store branded products a chance
Customers have assumptions that store brand products are low quality. However, many of them are above industry standard quality.    In fact, if you’re skeptical, first replace products where quality concerns you the least. That way you won’t have to lose much in giving a generic brand a try.

Make the Bookstore your last resort
There are many alternate ways you can find textbooks instead of buying them at full price. Do your research on websites and in local community forums before your classes start!
Simply switching the little things in life could make a big difference. As your savings add up, these little initial changes will become routine. And before you know it, you’ll be able to save up for that new game in stores or the new winter collection purse you’ve been eyeing at the mall.

After my usual nightly session of web browsing, I came across an interesting human resources blog post on a business blog called Work Shifting.

A blogger by the name of ajleon expressed the difficulty of  finding and hiring new employees when being an entrepreneur, mainly because it becomes less of a privilege and more of a necessity. He continues to write about how finding the right employees are crucial. However, the ability to find the employees isn’t as troubling as the ability to hire them. One dilemma is that entrepreneurs need to hire employees that will have all the qualities needed to achieve the goals and visions of the business. However, hiring these specific type of quality people usually requires a high paying salary which not all entrepreneurs can afford. At the same time, if an entrepreneur was to hire people low pay rate, it would cause employees to inherit a “clock in, clock out” mentality which would also hinder the business’s chances of success.

Thus, ajleon concluded that the criteria to hiring the “perfect” employee is that they must be curious, helpful and proactive.

I’m coming to the realization that being an entrepreneur is much more intricate than it sounds. Perhaps it’s not always just about having the right qualities, but also about having the right people together working towards achieving the same goals.

According to Forbes magazine’s interview with Susan Wilson Solovic, the author of It’s Your Biz: The Complete Guide to Becoming Your Own Boss,  “Not everyone is cut out to be their own boss. You must have the “right stuff.”

To be an entrepreneur, there are distinct qualities an entrepreneur must possess over an average business man.  First, you must have immeasurable discipline. Since you are your own boss, there won’t be anyone ordering you to meet contract deadlines with all of your major partnerships. Therefore, not only will you need the discipline to work alone, but you will also need to have the confidence to make important business decisions in solitude. Lastly, being an entrepreneur requires a great deal of innovation and critical thinking.
Especially if you are a new entrepreneur, you are the skin, muscle and heart of your business. Being an entrepreneur doesn’t always require and MBA to understand and make sense of what the core lessons in entrepreneurship are.

If you ever get a chance to learn from a successful entrepreneur when they talk about themselves and what they do, you will notice that the reality of who they are as a person is closely aligned with what their business is all about.  Furthermore, you will soon realize that this is the key to their success and this is what gives them the motivation to continue when their plans and dreams are in jeopardy.

So you think you have what it takes? If you’re unsure, take the Canada Business Entrepreneurial self-assessment here.

Employees standing outside of Save On Meats

Social Entrepreneurs utilize their businesses to promote an aspect of social change. These special types of Entrepreneurs have a social mission to influence a social purpose. Mark Brand, the new owner of Save-On-Meats in Downtown Vancouver’s East Side, is an example of how Social Entrepreneurs venture out to change the world through their businesses by blending financial and social returns. At Save-On-Meats, Brand employs disabled, homeless and troubled individuals in his food incubating programs, diner and meat shop. Save-On-Meats radiates Brand’s hope for social change in his community, especially in the distressed condition of the Downtown Vancouver East Side area.

Upon watching Vancity’s Stories of Impact video featuring Save-On-Meats, I discovered that this modern categorization of the business world is definitely becoming increasingly in trend with our society. These types of businesses provide numerous opportunities for people who have problems like having no other alternatives but to being homeless or unemployed. When there aren’t any other options, Social Entrepreneurship will be there to open up a bright future for society. It is a concept that will continue to inspire and influence the modern world in positive ways.

For more information about how you can get involved with Social Entrepreneurship at UBC, Check out UBC’s Social Enterprise Club.  

Also, take a look at the Vancouver Social Enterprise Forum to learn more.

Tech Giant, Apple, is worth an astonishing $508 billion dollars as of May 2012. (Zoe Fox, Mashable Business) With products in 160 nations around the world, one would think that they must have an amazing business model to reach a successful industry position.

Yet, according to Cole Dickson’s blog post, Apple is being questioned for accepting violations of human labor laws in their line of production. One of Apple’s lead manufacturers for Ipads, FoxConn, have been feeling the heat from the media. Some accusations include: unpaid overtime hours, forced long work hours, unmanageable living conditions as well as forcing these poor employees to keep their mouths shut. There have even been reports of 18 attempted suicides as of January 27, 2012.

With the billions of dollars Apple makes per year, how could they possibly not allocate more money into protecting the lives of the hard workers that build each one of the billions of products they sell? In the eyes of many consumers, this is unfathomable. It is horrifying that these products are still going to continue being sold while these employees continue in this vicious cycle of intense labor.

<Photo Source: Dvice. FoxConn Factory Explosion. Chengdu, China. Unknown>

Tim Burke from my COMM 101 class wrote a brief summary about companies that advertise towards children. Although his points are valid, I disagree with his views on supporting advertising to children.

When I watched McDonald’s baby advertisement, I observed a couple of main points. As the video starts, the baby is alone swinging in a room in front of a window. I felt like this symbolized that the video specifically to targeted children. The baby is swinging in a chair and begins smiling when he sees the golden arches of McDonalds and cries when he doesn’t. This imagery suggests that the baby, who doesn’t know any better about his personal health, is unable to control his emotions without being able to eat McDonalds. At the end of the video, the maid/mother comes into the room and even smiles while acknowledging his behavior as if it’s completely normal for him to be acting that way.

Maybe it’s true that parents should watch over their child and stop blaming advertisements. However, it’s not always easy for a parent to completely ignore their child’s wants and needs, even if it’s bad for their health like McDonald’s is.

<Photo Source: Google Images. Baby Eating MCdonald’s Cheeseburger. McDonald’s AT. February 10, 2004.>

Over the past decade, accusations have been raised about nutritional values in McDonald’s ever-so-popular food. While the ubiquitous golden arches enjoy their success of their 13,381 locations in USA alone, the USA obesity rate skyrockets — especially in children.

McDonald’s USA has been widely criticized for adding contents like ammonium hydroxide “pink slime” to their burger patties and nuggets to maximize their profits. Little do their loyal customers know, pink slime is known as “finely textured beef,” made up of leftover meat scraps predominately used to produce dog food.

In reconciliation to these accusations, McDonald’s USA came out with their new   “Happy Meal Campaign” to engage children in the benefits of nutrition and leading an active lifestyle. These series of advertisements are promoted through animated cartoon commercials that introduce new characters who support the consumption McDonald’s revamped Happy Meal ; a burger or chicken nuggets, apple slices, kid sized fries and 1% white or fat-free chocolate milk.

However, the motive of this new campaign is what has it’s customers boggled. Did McDonald’s begin this campaign in hopes of creating healthier living standards in USA or are they simply attempting to cover up the criticism received about the real contents of their menu items?

Read more about this here.

Photo Source: Postmedia Province Files. McDonald’s Improved Happy Meal. McDonald’s USA Happy Meal Campaign. March 6, 2012.

Altercations regarding lax international labor standards have been aggravated between various levels of economic development, with minuscule solution. Industrialized countries question the unethical treatment of child workers that are being permitted in developing countries as they create ethical controversy in the marketplace. One major issue, often prominent in developing countries, is child labor.

Child labor typically originates from a complication in the interaction of political, cultural, social and economic values within developing countries. These children, ranging from 6 to 13 years old, struggle to survive through long work hours, chemically hazardous workspaces and even physical abuse.  Considering the ethical implication of child labor versus the global economic benefit that derives from globalization, countries may believe that having capital in the international market is much more important.

However, the pressure for countries to eliminate child labor is a stressor that is slowly affecting the global community. In order to sustain this elimination process, industrialized countries need to further support developing countries by setting guidelines in the marketplace, as well as showing no mercy in accepting produce that is derived from unethical activities.

A map of the world indicating the risks of child labour in various countries.

References:

” New ILO global report on child labour: As efforts to end child labour slow, ILO calls for “re-energized” global action .” International Labour Organization . N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. <http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_126840/lang–en/index.htm>.

“Business and Child Labour.” Shell. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. <www.shell.com/static/envirosoc-en/downloads/management_primers/b