Jiayu Du discussed the benefits of abolishing China’s one-child policy on her blog. Personally, I think the effects of this policy might not as good as people think.

This new proposal is mostly spurred by the slowdown in the economy. It is a response to the increasing burden of caring for the elderly in the society and the potential shortages in the working-age population that arises from current low birth rate

A survey conducted by a famous news agency in China showed that only a few couples are willing to have a second child even if the government makes relaxations on the policy. The cause is the high cost of raising a child. To increase the birth rate, the government would better to give the young incentives such as providing baby bonus or reducing the cost of children’s education.

Besides, the potential shortages of the labor also has a positive influence. It induces companies to invest more in automated production and innovation to increase the productivity. Jiayu Du mentioned on her blog that China’s economy is largely driven by cheap labor force. It is a good chance for a transition from “Made in China” to “Designed in China”, though the process may be painful.

The two-child policy isn’t enough. China still has a lot to do.

Article from: <https://blogs.ubc.ca/jiayudu/2015/11/01/one-child-policy-is-over/>

<http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/chinas-new-two-child-policy>

Picture from:

<http://www.pbs.org/newshour/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/China-2014.jpg>

Nowadays, the millennials, as a whole, is playing an increasingly important role both in the workforce and in the market. They are a new generation of employees as well as a distinct segment of customers for companies. Here, I want to examine the impact of the millennials in some aspects of business.

As employees, the millennials are more creative and tech-savvy than older generations. Therefore, they will improve companies’ ability to innovate internally and get work done in a more technological way. To attract and retain the millennials as employees, companies also flatten the organizational hierarchy to satisfy their desire for leadership and transparent work environment.

Recognizing the millennials’ preferences of channels is crucial for companies to conduct customer survey and launch marketing campaigns. According to the research, the millennials are “die-hard fans” of the social media. Sometimes it is more direct and effective for companies targeting on the millennials to advertise on social media platforms. We can see more and more enterprises choose to promote their product or service on Facebook or Twitter rather than spend a large amount of money on TV commercials.

Does companies prepare enough to welcome the boom of the millennials?!

External Blog:<http://blogs.insead.edu/emi/part-3-of-6-blog-series-on-what-millennials-want-from-work-charted-across-the-world-support-them-but-dont-tell-them-what-to-do/>

Image from:<http://tom1st.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/millennials_a7.jpg>

Judging from the wealth it creates, TOMS can be regarded as one of the most successful social enterprises in the world. The business strategy of TOMS is “One for One”. Admittedly, from a business standpoint, it distinguishes TOMS from other shoes maker and helps to attract customers. When considering the social change TOMS promoted-the real objective of a social enterprise, however, we might doubt whether TOMS introduced an effective solution to the social problems it tried to address. Personally, I am opposed to the “One for One” business model because it is made out of good intentions and unintended folly.

On the society level, it arouses ethical problems. When there was no TOMS, the children in villages in Africa might be also happy walking without shoes. Then TOMS came and gave away shoes. The irony fact is that TOMS don’t constantly provide them with free shoes. After they get used to wearing shoes, they will suddenly find that they couldn’t afford to buy new shoes when the old ones are worn-out. Then, what should they do?

On an economic level, TOMs competes with the local small business. There are local shoes makers in Africa who rely on the money earned by selling shoes to support their family. There are local shoes manufactures who hire the underprivileged people in the local communities to work in factories. TOMS “One for One” marketing campaign will be a catastrophe for those vulnerable shoe makers.

In conclusion, I would say that if TOMS wants to go further as a social enterprise, they need to adjust their current business model, though the process might be painful.

Article from:<http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/one-one-business-model-social-impact-avoiding-unintended-consequences/>

Picture from:<https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSDHKz5LFi_jPj5HrzOLhYBIzpWeI_vhifih7E8UhPpZP6-Pd0iPQ>

Money used to be viewed as the most effective motivator at work. However, Laszlo Bock, the SVP of Google’s People Operations once said in an interview, “People don’t stay for the money.” It is especially true with millennials, who has already made up the majority of the workforce. A strong organizational culture is key to motivate millennials.

Google has done extremely well in providing its employees with a motivational workplace, which is in accord with its philosophy “To create the happiest, most productive workplace in the world.” Although Google is famous for its perks, what motivate the employees most is the corporate culture of Google. For example, the employees are given the freedom over how and when work is completed. This allows them to be self-directed, which proved to be powerful in encouraging innovation. Moreover, through social channels and seriously treated surveys, even the voice of a single google employee can be heard. It indicates transparency of the decision process and the trust in the employees.

A successful company always consider its employees to be one of the most valuable assets. To retain today’s millennials as the employees, either a small startup or a large conglomerate should evaluate its corporate culture with caution.

Article from: <http://www.entrepreneurial-insights.com/google-way-motivating-employees/>

Image from: <http://cdn.home-designing.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/google.jpg>

It is undeniable that oil and gas companies should be responsible for the environmental impacts caused by the exploitation and transportation of the oil and gas. Therefore, Obama government’s rejection of Ketstone XL pipeline sounds plausible with regard to the climate change concerns. In my opinion, however, it is not a wise decision.

To begin with, Milton Friedman once said that there is only one social responsibility of business-to maximize profit. In this case, the keystone XL pipeline project neither violates the environmental laws nor has a large impact on greenhouse gas emission. Under the competitive market, there is no reason for the government to prevent companies from making profits if the companies has shouldered their legal responsibilities.

Also, the advantages of the project far outweighs its disadvantages. The project will definitely boost the economy significantly. It will create numerous job opportunities for people in cities along the pipeline route. Moreover, currently a large portion of Canada and the United States’ crude oil is transported to refining hubs in the Gulf Coast by ships, which increases the costs and arouses the energy security issue. The Keystone XL pipeline, however, can solve the problems above perfectly.

From my prospective, Obama administration overemphasized the company’s social responsibility and tried to shift the whole responsibility of sustainability to the individual firms.

Article from : http://www.wsj.com/articles/obama-administration-to-reject-keystone-xl-pipeline-citing-climate-concerns-1446825732

Image from: http://cponline.thecanadianpress.com/graphics/2014/static/cp-keystone-pipeline.jpg