Business Summer Academy Blog

ETHICAL DILEMMA: REPUTATION  Read this article: http://www.marketingmag.ca/news/marketer-news/staples-tops-corporate-reputation-survey-2-15757 The 2008 Corporate Reputation Study, completed by Leger Marketing in association with  Marketing  magazine, surveyed 1500 Canadians and found the following companies have the best corporate reputations: 1. Staples 2. Sony 3. Tim Horton's 4. Canadian Tire 5. Panasonic 6. Shopper's Drug Mart 7. Subway 8. Kraft 9. Honda 10. Toyota Whereas, two years previously, in 2006 Canadians voted the following as the companies with the 10 best reputations: 1. Canadian Tire 2. Tim Horton's 3. Sony 4. Sears 5. Kraft 6. Nestle 7. Panasonic 8. Subway 9. McCain Foods 10. Home Depot What do you think gives a company a good reputation? What are the criteria for a good business? What businesses do you think have a good reputation (name three

 WEEK 5: PENINSULA FARMS  Peninsula Farms was a small business in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, that began with one cow.  The Joneses owned the cow and kept her around to maintain their lawn.  The cow produced milk, of course, but the Joneses didn't know how to milk her.  So they learned proper milking techniques.  The cow was producing more milk than they could use, and the surplus was going to waste.  The Joneses researched the local market to find out what kind of milk product they would sell.  They discovered that whole-milk yogurt was in demand.  They then found out how to make yogurt in large batches.  They also studied the health and safety regulations to make sure they were meeting government standards.  The Joneses were so successful that they exceeded the government criteria.  The Joneses then bought more cows -- enough to make Peninsula Farms a profitable business. Government inspectors had always given Peninsula Farms a high rating on their regular inspections.

  The unblinking eye of the boss sees more than you realize Last Updated: Thursday, March 12, 2009 | 11:07 AM ET  By Ian Harvey,  CBC News   Some companies are purchasing software to track the time employees spend on sites such as eBay, Facebook, MySpace and YouTube.   (iStock)   Warning: reading this story at work could be hazardous to your career. Your boss could be watching your keystrokes, logging websites you visit and keeping track of how long you spend there, and looking for keywords in your emails. As if that weren't scary enough, some employers are going even further by demanding prospective employees submit to deep background checks as a condition of employment. Technology is making it much easier for employers to quickly find out things about the people who work for them —or want to work for them. And it's all perfectly legal. 'I think one day everyone will be fingerprinted by their employer.' —Paul Guindon, Canadian Corps of Commissiona

Rememeber to respond to at least two of your peers' comments.  Also, make sure to write your work in a word doc just to make sure you have a back up copy to your work. Canada's Tar Sands In 2005, Canada was second only to Saudi Arabia in crude oil reserves, but almost 97% of Canada's reserve is in tar sands. The Athabasca Oil Sands development in northern Alberta currently produces 1.98 million barrels per day and is forecasted to reach 3.7 million barrels per day by 2020". ( http://www.energy.alberta.ca/oilsands/791.asp ) But removing that oil from the tar sands requires a lot of energy. Currently the tar sands project burns natural gas to heat the steam that removes the oil. The tar sands project is the largest single producer of greenhouse gases in North America. What are some of the harmful effects of the tar sands, and the greenhouse gases they produce? What are some positives to Canadian tar sands? (check out the link below for some ins

The Ethical Dilemma Around Chicken Farms Chicken is a very popular meat, but many feel the chicken production industry can be cruel to the birds. Broiler chickens are the most popular chicken on the market and fast-food menus. These chickens are raised in large, windowless buildings in flocks between 20 000 and 50 000 birds. Feeding, watering, temperature and ventilation are all automatically controlled. Most broiler chicken are slaughtered after just six or seven weeks (a chicken's natural lifespan is around seven years). The farm carefully controls the artificial lighting within the broiler sheds. When the chickens first arrive, the lighting is bright so the chicks can find the food and water. This encourages eating and rapid growth. After a time, the lighting is dimmed in order to prevent fighting between the chickens. The birds have little space in which to move. The space diminishes even further as the chickens grow. Free-range chickens are raised in open pastu

Smoking and nicotine are bad for your health -- that's a fact. So why would an American company create a lemon-flavoured drink laced with nicotine? This 8 oz soda contains the same amount of nicotine as two cigarettes. The company is marketing this drink to smokers who find themselves in places where smoking is prohibited. But nicotine is a highly addictive drug. Those who oppose this product claim that it is the equivalent to putting a drug in a soda can. Meanwhile, supporters say that the lack of second-hand smoke from these drinks will make nicotine use safer for others. Moreover, because the drink is legally classified as a dietary substance rather than as a drug or cigarette, it is not currently subject to the rules that regulate the sale of drugs and cigarettes. The introduction of this product appears to be serving consumer want. Read the following articles to further your knowledge: Canadians may soon be able to drink their nicotine  :  http://www.canada.com/topics/b