Posts Categorized: Marketing & Strategy

Mortgage Below 1%

Posted by & filed under Contemporary Business Issues, Marketing & Strategy.

Description: This may never have been seen in Canada before: a mortgage rate below 1%. CanWise Financial’s President, James Laird, stated that the 0.99% figure HSBC placed on offer is “definitely eye catching.” And that may just be the point. Samantha Brookes, the CEO of Mortgages of Canada observed that “banks are being aggressive in trying… Read more »

Employees as Owners

Posted by & filed under Marketing & Strategy.

Description: The Corona virus is just one of the things shaping the economy. Another factor is the sale of businesses by older entrepreneurs as they transition towards retirement. Jon Shell, a co-founder of SaveSmallBusiness.ca, argues that Canada should join Britain and the United States to create employee ownership trusts, a strategy to transfer businesses to… Read more »

Seven Lessons from Entrepreneurs

Posted by & filed under Marketing & Strategy.

Description: A paint store where the owner gets in trouble for taking a day off. A fitness equipment company with sales booming rather than tanking. A gym owner switching to online training. These – and four more – are stories of Canadian business owners dealing with Covid challenges since March. The seven were profiled by… Read more »

The End of Double-Cupping

Posted by & filed under Marketing & Strategy, Student life.

Description: Last week in this blog there was a story on Apple’s move to reduce waste by no longer shipping a charger block with its new iPhone 12 models. This week Tim Horton’s picked up on the theme by announcing it would no longer double-cup your hot beverage. Don’t panic though; the coffee chain will… Read more »

Rapid tests

Posted by & filed under Marketing & Strategy, Student life.

Description: Air Canada has ordered 25,000 Covid-19 test kits that may be able to detect the virus in about five minutes. With the airline industry being battered as the virus dissuades passengers from flying, the test kits may offer a way to convince potential customers to take to the sky once again. A quick test… Read more »

Who Wants a New iPhone?

Posted by & filed under Marketing & Strategy.

Description: Tech writers are claiming that Apple is close to a release of a new iPhone model. Samsung had just announced a new mobile device prior to the current social distancing phenomenon, perhaps giving the Galaxy a leg up on the iPhone. One big question is, when we get to the other side of the… Read more »

No Merger?

Posted by & filed under Financial Reporting and Analysis, Marketing & Strategy.

Description: Canada’s Competition Bureau is warning against the proposed acquisition of Air Transat by Air Canada. The Bureau is concerned that the combination of the two carriers would make things worse for travelers by raising prices and reducing service. The two airlines have over 80 routes with overlap. Date:  March 27, 2020 Source:  thestar.com Link:… Read more »

Bezos to the Rescue

Posted by & filed under Marketing & Strategy.

Description: This week Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man, said he would commit $10 billion of his wealth to a new foundation set up to fight climate change. Amazon has faced criticism for contributing to the climate problem through its many home deliveries and its vast server farms. The new foundation will start issuing grants… Read more »

What’s Killing the Mall?

Posted by & filed under Marketing & Strategy.

Description: You don’t have to look too far in most cities and towns to see a boarded up shopping mall or other retail establishment. But while the traditional theory puts the blame on online shopping, a closer look at the data reveals three other forces have a bigger share of the blame. Big box retailers,… Read more »