Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Sorry, you injuns

An apology is good; money, better

Like the US, Canada’s treatments towards its aboriginal people was equally harsh, cruel and inhuman. But unlike them, Canadian President Stephen Harper (above) made a formal apology to his nation’s natives followed by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd [who also apologized February this year to Australian aboriginals].

Indigenous people, whether they are Canada’s 1 million aboriginals, Mexico’s 6 million indigenous people or over half of Latin American indigenous population, have a similar story of torture, harassment and exploitation.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

GENERAL MOTORS: RESTRUCTURING

GM’s in big trouble with collosal value eroded. Will the rescue team get this American out of troubled waters?

The restructuring includes a closure of four SUV-making North American units in Oshawa (Canada), Mexico, Moraine (US) and Wisconsin (US). Then there was a new motivation voiced over GM’s small car dreams (thank God it’s finally focussing on fuel efficiency!) with plans to unleash a second generation Chevy small car by 2010. This project is part of the new ‘Global Architecture Strategy’. There was also a reference to selling off the oil-guzzling Hummer brand. Analysts are also optimistic about the same as they believe that the move will help GM in projecting a fuel-efficient image; an urgent need.

So, will this move make a difference? Greg surely believes so as he explains, “Talking about perception, I think GM is still a very strong global brand both in Asia & US. And surely, improvement is on the cards with the change waiting to happen...” Further up the value-chain, GM is also gearing-up to redefine the ultra-competitive luxury segment & wants to produce a version of its up-market Cadillac brand based on a Saab platform in Sweden (where 10,000-11,000 workers are to be ticked off). The yet unnamed product will compete head on with the likes of Audi A4 and BMW 3 series. However, this move is questionable, as it comes at a time when a depreciating dollar has actually forced German manufacturers to shift production to US. Additionally GM, it seems is still quite content with its light truck and crossover businesses, which increased by 4% over last year. “After Toyota launched the Tundra and Honda is ready with its Pilot, the light truck market is alive in the US. To be competitive, we at GM are focusing more on quality and reliability, more as ‘fuel efficiency’ in trucks is not a major deciding factor,” added Martin. Right he might be, yet GM needs to forget that non-fuel efficiency and trucks were the real rebels responsible for the near-murder of GM.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.


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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

If not during, then after it...

Money would continue to play a crucial role before or after elections

Money is increasingly becoming an indispensable proposition when it comes to influencing voters in election s anywhere in the world. Even in developing countries like India, where fiscal deficit is a norm, a gigantic Rs.10,000 crore is estimated to be spent during the election this time. One wonders what could have been done by this money if at all the political parties were serious about bringing in development.

Researches show that the two highest spenders in election are the US and Canada. While Canada spent over $300 million in 2008, the US spent over $5.3 billion in the 2008 US presidential election. Collectively all parties in the US raised over $1.64 billion while the US President Barack Obama alone had raised $532 million which adds up to $7.39 per vote. And mind you, a large chunk of money raised by Obama was a result of small donations received from Obama’s fans and not from big fat corporate donations. Even Nigerians understood the mystery behind the politics of money and allowed its Stock Exchange to allocate $630,000 to influence the US election. This bluntly ignored the US election rule that prohibits political parties from receiving contributions from abroad. The domestic corporates were not far behind. The McCain campaign finance is a case in point. However there is very little connection between money spent and voters’ turnout. Huge expenditure does not guarantee high turn-out.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 
IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face
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