“Balance” is perhaps the most important word for people who seek for jobs, because it is so important to be balanced, in which employers call a “healthy lifestyle,” in order to be successful and bring positive impacts to the company.

Is acquiring balance the most important goal in life? Consultant Matthew Kelly disagrees; he states that after twenty-years of work-life balance conversation, most employees who made valiant efforts to achieve the illusive work-life balance that the companies required have failed. He believes that the personal and professional aspects of most people’s lives intertwine. To be balanced is not the ultimate goal, but instead, it is the “ultimate satisfaction” with the way people lead their lives that will differentiate themselves from others.

I agree with Mr. Kelly’s perspective in that it is critical to be satisfied before reaching the balance stage. The extent to which happiness is measured is based on every individual’s personal beliefs and preferences. If people stress too much on the importance of being balanced, then satisfaction might not be achieved in the process of acquiring a balanced lifestyle. Thus, it becomes ironic the fact that people are not happy even if they intends to be balanced. The objective of a “healthy lifestyle” is hence ineffectual.

“I want to have a balanced lifestyle with a smile on my face”

The Globe and Mail

After years of building recognition, the company known as “I Love Rewards Inc.,” has changed its name to “Achievers Inc.” It is an employee rewards and social recognition company. The founder of the company, Razor Suleman, felt that renaming was a “value proposition” necessary to further expand the company into the States. Mr. Suleman wants to ensure that he unifies his company into one brand.

According to Al Ries and Jack Trout, the two famous authors on brand positioning, they argue that changing a company’s name could potentially confuse consumers with other brand names and make them lose the image of the company. The question is now whether “Achievers Inc.,” has done the right thing to change its name to one that the company believes to be more “malleable” in capturing the global outlook. 

However, it is uncertain if consumers will react positively to its new name or will, as Ries and Trout predicted in their theory, be confused with other brand names or forget about what the company is about. Whether Achievers Inc can manage to achieve its purpose of making its brand more recognizable will be under examination for some time.

The Globe and Mail

Additional Information on Positioning

Steve Jobs, Apple’s former CEO, passed away at the age of fifty six on Oct 05 2011, but left an extraordinary legacy behind the technology and business fields. He was claimed to be the “man who brought the world its most popular phone, tablet and virtual record” from his exceptional envision and creativity. Not only did his innovation enlighten the world about the potential capacity technology can bring to us, he also redefined the way human beings interact.

Upon his death, issues arise as to whether consumers will remain loyal to Apple’s products and if the company can continue to shock the world with more unprecedented technology. Tim Cook, the current CEO, faces challenges of being compared to Steve Jobs as well as the extent to how far his ability will stretch to make Apple more prosperous.

Personally, I think it is unlikely that Apple can maintain its popularity for long because what Mr. Jobs contributed for mobile consumer products has been compared to what Henry Ford did for transportation. Perhaps the world needs another decade or two to discover not only a talented and ambitious person, but someone who has the qualities and is not afraid of being different from the rest of the world.

The Globe and Mail

The potentially calamitous effect on the euro zone and the global economy has now entered into a more dangerous stage as euro countries now face the debt of nearly €6, 500 billion while governments show no signs of effective solutions. What makes the issue more challenging is that the weaker sovereigns are unable to cope on their own and the major countries have been “dealing with the emerging crisis so incompetently,” such as tolerating huge imbalances and failing to coordinate banks.

The crisis that euro members face resulted from the inadequacy of budgetary, solvency, and governance. The governments’ failure to run the budget in equilibrium or in surplus caused the nations to overspend, ultimately bearing the public debt. Secondly, the assets were not enough to pay off the entire amount due. In addition, governments’ inability to provide guidance, cohesive policies, and positive decisions deteriorated the crisis to a further extent.

Euro members are not only in a financial meltdown in which any decision can cause further devastating results to their own nations, they also have the burden that any step they take to incur the opportunity cost will vastly influence the global economy as well.

The Globe and Mail

Additional Article on Euro Crisis