Sunny want to Study ^0^

I was told to study hard in order to get a good job in the future since I was still a child.  The population of China is so large, and people become higher and higher educated.  The entrance examination of universities in China is getting harder and harder.

Now I went out of China and came to Sauder in order to get a good job. However, it seems that the competition is still hard out of school. The unemployment rate is high and the status of people’s education is getting higer, too.

I came into Sauder mostly because I want to get a good job in the future, otherwise I won’t study business. My dream is to become a writer. Which seems so far away from me now. Other interest are mostly related to arts. So if there is no pressure about jobs and future, I would have major in arts.

However, it is hard to predict the future. Nothing can be judged till the last minute. Sometimes people give up future for their dreams, sometimes people give up dreams in order to get future. I am the only child in my family, I want my parents to have a good life in the future.

Looking for ward to see a bright future. Hope everything will be fine. If I can get a chance to do my own business, I believe that I  will do it well! GO GO!!!

According to my classmate Paurl’s blog, the appearance of people can affect their works in their life. I agree with this opinion. After all, it is human nature to be interested in good-looking people.

“First impressions count, we all know this. However, did you know that people only have seven seconds before the future client or boss formulates this impression? Capitalizing on this time is crucial, which is why Catherine Hakim, a sociologist at the London School of Economics argues that erotic capital,“the combination of beauty, sex appeal, skills of self-presentation and social skills” (Globe & Mail) is just as valuable as an education and an applicable skill set, for both men and women, in the competitive job market. Boosting one’s ‘appeal’, Hakim argues, can be done through “smiling… dieting, personal trainers, fashion and even plastic surgery” (Globe & Mail). In fact, studies have shown that 13% of women would consider a procedure to increase their earning potential.

Shallowness is a harsh reality of the incredibly competative corporate world, and really questions employers ethics and morals. Is it right to hire an attractive employee if it helps boost sales? One might argue that they are simply using their attributes to their advantage, and yet others believe it is paramount to evaluate individuals based off their experience and strength of resume. Which is morally, ethically correct? Has physical beauty become a quality one can list on their job application? Maybe.”

1st, the impressions are very important for all of us according to psychology. Before we get to know each other well, we usually judge people based on what they look like and how they behave. If one is trained through to behave genteelly all the time, it is possible that this person will be more popular and successful than the people who seems rude. Moreover, most bosses would like to hire beautiful assistances in order to give the customers a good impression of the company. It is more comfortable to talk to a good-looking girl instead of a fat guy who seems like you own him 100000$ and wouldn’t pay back.

2nd, for business companies like restaurants and cafes, better looking shop gils&guys really affect the income of the company. People always be attracted by friendly and good-looking smiles and will be more willing to come back again. No need to mention if the customer fall in love with one of the good looking waitresses.

3rd, based on what Paul said, the ugly people can improve their out looks by surgery, training and many other ways. So it’s fair enough for everyone. If you are good-looking, you win. If you change yourself from ugly to beauty, you win. Same as competitions in the world: Try, or fail.

Nokia is losing its market share in China these days. Till September of 2011, Nokia still holds 20-30% of the smartphone market, placing them in the top spot as far as China’s smartphones.  However, As a result of  the increasing demands and tight competition in the Smartphone world, Nokia fears that they will be replaced by Apple and the Android phone vendors forever.

With the sales of Apple and Android phones increasing,  Nokia is continuing dropping in customer reach and performance.  As a matter of fact, Standard and Poor has downgraded Nokia’s long-term corporate credit rating from BBB+ to BBB.  And at the end of August, With Apple and Android phones on the rise, Nokia is continuing to drop in customer reach and performance.  As a matter of fact, Standard and Poor has downgraded Nokia’s long-term corporate credit rating to BBB from BBB+.  Apart from that, in the end of last month, Moody’s investors Service also cut Nokia’s debt rating by two steps , nearly halfway to junk status, the third lowest with   jump from A3 to Baa2.

From my experience of using Nokia, neither the speed nor the outlook of the Nokia device gave me a unreplaceable reason to stay using Nokia. Although Nokia was used to be very popular in a period of time in my country, I was never interested in using it after my first Nokia mobile phone died out of my eyes.

Apple is better than Nokia, in many ways. It is a pleasant to use iPhone with its smoothy design and technical secrets coming out all the time. Also iPhone hardly ever made me angry because of speed less regarding to orders. Though it is kind of hard when you start to use iPhone because the system is very different, but once you get used to it, it’s addicted. Moreover, the price of Nokia always decrease quickly which is kind of annoying. Like you bought your phone with 6000$ last month and next month your friend bought the same one with just 4500$.

As for Andriod, I don’t know much about it. But according to research on line, it seems that the system of android is simple and the design is also cute. Compared to iPhone, the price is also an advantage. Till now I haven’t heard any complainment from my friends about Andriod.

In conclusion, it can be seen obviously that Nokia may be gone quickly from the top market of the electronically world as Apple and Andriod took its place with their powerful features.

Today one of my prof mentioned a survey about ethics among MBA students in both Canada and the U.S.  It surprised me that before training through MBA courses, there were 40% students believed that ethics is very important in business careers. Guess what’s the result after?  Only 30% percent of them considered ethics in the world of business.

When I was young, I heard there was a saying in my country. The main idea is that the first thing to run a successful company is to be honest and to follow ethical methods. As time goes by, I grow up and saw people and world changing. There seems less friendly people than before. Especially now in Sauder, I even have a feeling that we were born fighting each other in order to get some kind of a goal. Competitions are serious, but the right way for me is to help each other instead of press each other……..

Anyway, I believe ethics is a important point. If I have a chance to build my own business, I’ll run my company in an ethical way.

Also, If everyone run their business in an ethical way, the world of business will become purer, and people can be more relaxed. So, why not.

If  businessmen all become honest, people don not need to consider much about the quality that much when they go shopping any more. So good!!

It is so hard to get a coffee at night in UBC. Especially for students who stay up late study at their residence. Both Timhortons and Starbucks closed early before it’s getting dark. Residence dining halls are supposed to close at 8:30 but usually close before 8:00pm.

Based my own experience, on weekends, when I come back from shopping downtown and walk back with my friends on University Blvd, I feel so cold so that I want to get a cup of hot cameral macchiato from Starbucks. However they are always closed already.

Moreover, the cafes on ubc campus also close early on weekdays. When students finish meeting from HA and go ahead to Timhortons, it is so embarrassed that the door is already locked.

In my opinion, the cafe on ubc campus should extend their working hours especially during winter. Maybe also in summer, too. In order to provide students a better environment, there should be more Timhortons and Starbucks open near students’ residences. It is a valuable investment for a business man to start new cafes on ubc campus.

In a student’s opinion,  the cafes which opens at night with a quite environment which locates close to students’ residence will attract lots of profits in the future. If I have extra stock of money in my bank account, I will try to open a cafe in Starbucks near Place Vanier or Totem park. Since Marine drive is more close to Place Vanier, I’d like to consider more about opening one between Marine Drive and Place Vanier.

Today it was raining heavily on ubc campus. My friend who owns a car stays in starbucks and studies there for the whole afternoon. After that, she bought a cup of coffee and driven home. I went to starbucks to study with her. By the time I got there, my pants were totally wet and I felt super cold. It seems so far to walk from dorm to SUB in such a cold day.

Wander into a Max restaurant in central Stockholm and you’ll find all the usual trappings of a fast food chain: bright plastic furniture, strips of neon lighting, cashiers in matching uniforms.

The illuminated menu board is there too — with one notable difference. Next to every burger, a large number indicates the carbon dioxide emissions associated with its production.

This is the most visible aspect of a sustainability program that has drawn international attention to Sweden’s Max, which claims to be the first restaurant chain to publish carbon emissions data on its menu. Though critics question how much the information compels customers to make climate-friendly choices, the family-owned company believes it is crucial for its current and future success.

“It differentiates us from the competition and makes us more competitive,” said Par Larshans, chief sustainability officer at the firm. “And we are convinced in the long term we will have a change in customer behaviour. It doesn’t happen overnight.”

The program began when CEO Richard Bergfors asked his management team to determine the size and source of the firm’s carbon footprint. The company recruited consultants to analyze every aspect of the chain’s
operations, from the cattle farm to the plate. The results were “an eye opener,” Mr. Berfors said.
“When you think about the environment, you think about packaging, waste, transportation. What we found out was that yes, these have an impact, but by far the most important issue is the beef.”

Ruminant livestock, including cattle, sheep and goats, produce about 80 million tonnes of methane annually or 28 per cent of global methane emissions from human-related activities, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Add that to the emissions produced by abattoirs, the machinery used on cattle farms and the trucks used to transport the meat, and the average cheeseburger leaves a heavy carbon footprint.

At Max, beef production alone accounts for 70 per cent of the firm’s total emissions. Packaging, on the other hand, produces just 1.6 per cent of emissions.
“The easiest thing would be to take away the beef,” said Mr. Larshans. “Then we would be automatically more sustainable but then we wouldn’t have the customer either.”
Max opted to offset all carbon emissions — including those released during the beef production stage — by planting roughly 89,000 trees in Africa each year. It began running its restaurants entirely on wind and solar power, eliminated unnecessary packaging like plastic lids and straws, and invested in ecological milk and coffee. But the chain’s most unconventional tactic has been its effort to entice its customers away from its biggest seller: beef burgers.

It introduced a line of non-beef products and now encourages its customers to choose these over their usual hamburger.

The results have been mixed. The program hasn’t hurt the company’s bottom line — revenue was $220-million (U.S.) last year and is rising at an annual rate of 15 to 20 per cent. However, while sales of the climate friendly products have increased, “people are not changing as much as we want them to,” Mr. Larshans said. Non-beef items account for just 8 per cent of sales at Max.

Still, Larshans is convinced the strategy will eventually pay off. Environmental costs aside, the cattle industry is highly dependent on fossil fuels and as those prices rise so will the cost of beef, he argues.
“We are taking necessary steps to change our business now because in the long run this will be a big problem. It’s better to do it now than to have to do it with a knife against your throat in ten years.”

The program has its critics. Though carbon labeling is a “positive start” it is unclear how much of an impact it’s having on consumer understanding, said Susan Sweet, professor of marketing and strategy at the Stockholm School of Economics. While Max’s menu allows customers to compare the emissions of various burgers, the average person likely wouldn’t understand the real impact of the various emissions levels on climate change, she says.
“
Within their industry they have had a big impact and I think everyone is aware of it,” said Sweet, who has completed a case study on Max. “But I’m not so sure about customers. Without digging deep it can be hard for customers to understand these numbers.”

My Sourse:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-news/global-exchange/globe-correspondents/burgers-fries-co2-count-share-the-menu-at-maxs/article2166988/

MY VIEW：

Nowadays people always focus on how to make money. Making money is not a bad thing to do, but besides

that, we should consider more about the whole environment. The behavior of this restaurant shows that they

have pretty good business ethics. One can say that they are trying to attract more people by this unusual way,

in fact it really attracts people’s eyes. They are advertising in a more environment-friendly way. I never know this

restaurant before, now I’d like to go there if I can. ^0^

Whether it’s a meeting, client presentation or conference, for some companies, growing the business means investing in travel. So how do small businesses work to keep those outgoing costs down while still prioritizing important travel? The following list aims to help small business owners save money on travel where possible.

1. Understand your travel needs. Keep track of your travel patterns. Are you constantly sending employees to the same locations? Are they flying the same air carrier and staying in the same hotels? If so, you may have leverage to negotiate discounts with preferred suppliers based on your travel volume.

2. Consider these five improvements to achieve cost savings of up to 20 per cent. Purchasing travel tickets in advance of the trip can represent an average savings of six per cent. Purchasing restricted or non-refundable airfares could represent an average savings of 4.8 per cent. Using or mandating the use of preferred suppliers could represent an average savings of 5.4 per cent. Being flexible on traveller comfort (i.e. type of room category reserved) could represent an average savings of 4.3 per cent. And, using preferred booking channels and suppliers could represent 1.9 per cent.

3. Establish a travel policy. Formalize a process that your employees can follow when travelling. Your organization should have an annual assessment to include all elements of your travel program – air, car, hotel, parking, expense management, online booking, mobility, credit card, safety and security. It is also important to have an effective incident process in place in the event of a crisis in order to track travellers quickly, establish contact and provide assistance, such as re-booking, emergency re-routing, etc.

4. Enforce travel policy compliance. Communicate your company’s travel policy and educate employees on what is permissible and what falls into the company’s guidelines for acceptable travel spend. You can use various communication tools and channels (portal, e-newsletters, e-mail, expense management, on-boarding new employees, etc.) to communicate the importance of managing travel costs in a growing company. Be sure to clearly explain why following the travel policy will allow your company to be more cost-effective.

5. Leverage buying power. Working with a travel management company offers buying power based on volume to better negotiate preferred supplier rates which results in savings for your company. A travel management company that has a program focused on the unique needs of small and medium size companies can provide various discounts that can be applied immediately while long-term cost savings programs are being established and spending is being measured.

6. Go to the negotiating table. Believe it or not, you have power to set costs for travel-related expenses. Understanding your company’s travel patterns unto itself is beneficial, but knowing what can be done with the data to secure negotiated rate opportunities will offer better pricing on air, car, hotel and more. Working with a travel management company or consultant will help smaller to mid-size organizations that lack time, resources and experience sift through various rates and maximize savings.

7. Consider a travel management company (TMC). TMCs are intimately involved with the entire travel experience, are tracking trends as they occur and have the ability to understand tailored approaches for small companies to save on travel spend. Some key things to look for when considering a TMC are: find a TMC that provides 24/7 desk top data and information accessibility, provides custom analysis, ability to offer service levels to match your needs, dedicated business resiliency resources, proprietary research and development, safety and security, etc.

8. Establishing performance metrics. Develop an action-oriented performance measurement plan. This means managing the buying behaviour of your employees and ensuring they are following your negotiated travel programs. Measuring elements such as Average Ticket Price and comparing these to benchmarks in other like companies will allow you to set additional goals for cost savings and identify plans to reach those goals. For example, advance purchase of airline tickets still statistically results in lower overall ticket prices long term.

9. Consider a corporate online booking tool (OBT). Organizations should consider adopting a corporate (customized to your policy) online booking tool that manages costs, Traveller needs and employees will be more likely to comply with your recommended travel program. An OBT will allow you to easily track travel and reduce travel and expense costs such as reduction of the average ticket price. An OBT can also be used to support and increase travel policy compliance.

10. Formalize meetings and events programs. To minimize costs and maximize efficiency, organizations should include meetings and event management process through a travel management company which will result in additional savings. You can leverage combined volume of preferred supplier programs, technology solutions, companywide compliance policy, etc.

Sherry Saunders, senior vice president and general manager for Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) Canada, has been helping companies manage travel and save money for more than 25 years.

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