Customer service…a thing of the past?
Posted by admin in Misc on 12 21st, 2009 | No Comments
I will make this short and sweet, but to get right at the heart of it-does customer service really exist anymore? And if it does, what form should it take, and should the level of service you get depend on how much you spend?
I take into consideration two examples, both of which I’ve been meaning to write about forever. The first, the terrible treatment a close friend of mine received when he bought a very nice motorcycle from a very big motorcycle company, and then got attitude every time...
Outta my way, polar bears!
I just finished writing the Arctic sovereignty piece for CBJ and something stuck out to me that I didn’t elaborate on. So I thought I would do it here.
The polar ice caps are melting at alarming rates. While we don’t know for sure whether climate change is directly our fault, I suspect the way humans have treated the planet since the industrial revolution hasn’t exactly helped.
As I was researching about how countries are scrambling to claim as much territory in the Arctic Sea as...
Back to the drawing board: governments, families and schools need to play nice
Posted by admin in In the news on 09 1st, 2009 | No Comments
Ah yes, it is back-to-school time. You may have read the Globe and Mail’s editorial in its Report on Business section about how Canadian innovation starts in the classroom.
I couldn’t have agreed more with both contributors-senior vice-president and chief economist of Bank of Nova Scotia, Warren Jestin, and vice-president of research and innovation at York University, Stan Shapson-who argue that “fresh thinking about our ‘innovation ecosystem’ is needed for adapting to...
The recession made me fat.
Posted by Jen@CBJ in In the news on 08 10th, 2009 | No Comments
Apparently the credit crunch has affected more than just bank accounts– now it’s after waistlines. A recent German study showed a strong correlation between indebtedness and obesity.
You’d think it would be the other way around (less money, less food), but researchers found 25 per cent of the 949 indebted participants were medically obese, as compared to 11 per cent of the other 8,318 study participants who weren’t.
Over-indebtedness was associated with a 1.97 times higher...
Prepare for the fallout
This week, AIG gets a shout-out for issuing even more bonuses to its executives–sometimes people have to learn the hard way, twice. After public fury over the $165-million paid from bailout funds in March, AIG is back with the handouts. Next week, millions more will make its way around the C-Suite.
No, this isn’t Canadian news, but it’s an issue that Bay Street isn’t totally innocent of either (READ: Nortel). It’s certainly a worthwhile discussion.
Some say executives...
Help Wanted
Posted by Jen@CBJ in In the news on 07 3rd, 2009 | 1 Comment
I just read this article in the Financial Post about the aging workforce in Canada and how the employment gap will affect our industries.
In a brain-storming session, a prominent think tank, C.D. Howe Institute said the changing demographics have to be dealt with because left unchecked, growth in the workforce and economic output will slow. Couple that with higher taxes to account for pension benefits and health-care for Baby Boomers.
The following solutions are what they came up with:
1) ...
Sears stiffs Canadian workers
Posted by Jen@CBJ in In the news on 06 26th, 2009 | 6 Comments
I just read a news story with 35 comments (and counting) from people who are cutting their Sears credit cards or boycotting the store altogether. Here is a sample:
“Snip Snip. That is the sound of my Sears card getting cut up! See ya, take my business somewhere else.”
“…One word: boycott”
“I agree with those who say boycott. My card will be shredded tomorrow and all catalogues will go to the recycling bin at SARCAN…”
Canadian retailer Sears...
Keep it in the boardroom
Posted by Jen@CBJ in In the news on 06 19th, 2009 | 4 Comments
I don’t know if you’ve been watching the public mudslinging between Bell and Rogers lately, but it’s becoming reminiscent of the Liberal versus Conservative commercials during elections. Maybe it’s the Red-against-Blue visuals or the ‘he said/she said’ garbage; in any case, I’m neither interested, nor persuaded.
It was business as usual for both communications giants, until Rogers wanted to grow its home phone business. They decided to lure potential customers...
Pioneering accountability in the digital space
The Canadian Business Journal is proud to call ourselves the first all-digital publication to be audited by BPA Worldwide.
What’s the big deal?
Third-party media auditing shows our advertisers we’re transparent and accountable’ an invaluable quality, especially during a recession when people are looking for certainty.
Let’s face it, when times are tight, one of the first expenses to get scaled back is usually marketing. Media buyers have to be careful how they spend the limited...
The sinkable General Motors
Posted by Jen@CBJ in In the news on 06 2nd, 2009 | 1 Comment
When news came in that 100-year-old General Motors was filing for bankruptcy, I can’t say I was altogether surprised. Though plenty were hoping for the Disney ending, the market had spoken long before the announcement last week.
As I read through various GM obituaries, I came across an interesting comment from Stephen Pope, chief global strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald in London. He said the bitter reality of the bankruptcy “is a bit like the Titanic sinking.” In my opinion, he...
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© 2010 The Canadian Business Journal. All rights reserved.
George Media Inc.
