Description: It is alleged that SNC Lavalin, one of Canada’s biggest companies, paid $160 million to son of Libya’s dictator to bag engineering contracts in Libya. Source: CBC Date: January 25 2013 Video and Text Link: http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Business/ID/2329231193/ Questions for Discussion: Do you feel such cases—bribing people to win contracts—are common in international dealings? In your… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Corporate Social Responsibility (pp104-105)
Return of hockey should boost business
Description: Hockey returns after a four month lockout. It is expected that local businesses should see an increase in consumer activity and sponsors will finally see some return on their investments. Source: thestar.com Date: January 18 2013 Text: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1317152–nhl-lockout-return-of-hockey-will-boost-consumer-activity-near-arenas Questions for Discussion: There was a lot of skepticism around whether fans would stay away… Read more »
Push to combat cross-border corruption
Description: Sandy Boucher, a fraud investigator at law firm Grant Thornton, tells BNN that there is a new push among developed economies to enforce litigations on firms dealing in cross-border corruption. Source: BNN Date: November 01 2012 Video and Text Link: http://www.bnn.ca/News/2012/11/1/Miners-face-new-reality-in-corruption-enforcement.aspx Questions for Discussion: Should Canadian companies be penalized for bribing when companies from… Read more »
Work-Life Balance
Description: A recent survey of 25,000 full-time Canadian workers reveal that Canadian employers are making it increasingly difficult for their employees to balance work and life. Canadians are working longer hours and are taking more work home. Source: The Globe and Mail Date: October 26 2012 Link http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/editorials/companies-need-to-do-more-to-balance-employees-work-life-obligations/article4678720/ Questions for Discussion: Why is maintaining work-life… Read more »
Drawbacks of Social Media Advertising
Description: Companies have little control over online advertising. They buy space on online websites to reach their potential consumers. However, they do not control where their advertisements appear. Source: The Globe and Mail Date: October 20 2012 Text: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/social-media-advertisings-big-risk/article4625421/ Questions for Discussion: Discuss how online advertising works? Will you be upset if brands you like… Read more »
The Costs of using Credit Cards in Canada
Description: The Canadian Competition Bureau argued that Canada’s credit card system is a “perverse” place where Visa and MasterCard shoppers charge merchants much higher fees. They argue that Canadian merchants pay among the highest fees in the world for accepting credit cards. The merchants pass some of the higher fees to consumers who end up… Read more »
Glencore Acquiring Canadian Company Viterra
After the abortive takeover attempt by BHP Billiton of Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan, Glencore has a tough task to convince the Canadians on the net benefits of acquiring Viterra. Glencore explains what these benefits are. Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/investment-ideas/streetwise/glencore-explains-net-benefits-to-canada-in-viterra-deal/article2375052/ Questions: Do such global acquisitions need to benefit the Canadian economy? Can these acquisitions not be carried out with… Read more »
SNC-Lavalin on Libya
Like many other entities conducting business in Libya, Montreal-based SNC-Lavalin took action to evacuate employees from the country. The company took an additional step of indefinitely removing Libyan projects, representing close to 7 percent of its revenues, from its order backlog. QUESTIONS: Review the definition for corporate social responsibility in your text. In what ways… Read more »
