Month: September 2011

In 2006, Air Canada won the legal case involving airline rival, WestJet, who was found guilty of accessing Air Canada’s internal Web site which contained private data and information about the company.  A WestJet employee was able to access Air Canada’s internal web site through the use of an employee password that he obtained when he use to work for Air Canada.  This password was passed along to the WestJet management team who then had access to Air Canada’s private information such as their fares/times for booking certain flights, flight routes, and Air Canada’s overall performance.

Air Canada and WestJet are rival airline companies who should be competeing for business in a lawful and fair manner.  However, the main ethical issue is that WestJet was illegally spying/snooping in Air Canada’s private information that weren’t theirs to see.  This private information gave WestJet and advantage since they were able to keep an eye on their competitor and used the information to improve their airline.

Foreign clothing retailers such as Topshop and Eileen Fisher are beginning to open their stores to the Canadian market, particularly in Vancouver, since the Canadian market is less competitive compared to the ones in their home country.  As a result, our market is seen as an opportunity for great economic growth.

I think that this is a great opportunity for foreign retailers to expand their businesses internationally.  However it could be risky since the article states that this trend is “prompted not so much by consumer demand, but by foreign retailers on the lookout for greener fields like Canada.”  Although Vancouver is a cosmopolitan city, I wouldn’t consider the majority of Vancouverites or Canadians as materialistic people who can afford to spend money on luxury items (e.g. clothing) every season.  If one compares a mall in Vancouver with one in Los Angeles in any given day,  the malls in Vancouver are infinitely less busy then ones in Los Angeles.  In conclusion, foreign retailers would probably make large profits early on in the Canadian market but their sales will steadily cool off once they are well-established within Canadian society.

http://www.vancouversun.com/life/City+clothing+sector+sees+wave+foreign+competitors/5386156/story.html