Description: MONTREAL — A McGill University professor says tea lovers may be swallowing billions of tiny plastic particles along with their favourite brew. Source: BNNBloomberg.com Date: Sep 27, 2019 Link: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/premium-tea-bags-leach-billions-of-microplastics-per-cup-study-1.1322338 Questions for discussion: What are the ethical and legal issues related to companies selling this product? What should management at companies that are using… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Ethics & Social Responsibility
The White-Collar Job Apocalypse That Didn’t Happen
Description: Economists once warned that office jobs in the United States would soon follow factory jobs in moving overseas. New research suggests that jobs may be moving to other parts of the country instead. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Sep 27, 2019 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/27/business/economy/jobs-offshoring.html Questions for discussion: What are the results of the study? Why are they… Read more »
Federal officials say Boeing underestimated pilots ability to react to simultaneous warning alerts
Description: The National Transportation Safety Board gave several safety recommendations after investigations into two crashes of Boeing 737 Max jets Source: MarketWatch.com Date: Sep 27, 2019 Link: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/federal-officials-say-boeing-underestimated-pilots-ability-to-react-to-simultaneous-warning-alerts-2019-09-26?mod=mw_theo_homepage Questions for discussion: Summarize the key findings and recommendations. Do you think Boeing management made reasonable assumptions about pilot behavior during an emergency? What lessons should all… Read more »
Walmart to exit e-cigarette category as pressure mounts on vaping
Description: Walmart (WMT) is exiting the e-cigarette category completely as a rash of mysterious deaths linked to vaping draws intense scrutiny. Source: Finance.Yahoo.com – video report Date: Sep 20, 2019 Link: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/walmart-to-exit-e-cigarette-category-as-pressure-mounts-on-vaping-170930026.html Questions for discussion: What are the financial implications for Walmart’s decision? Do you think management is trying to get ahead of a government… Read more »
There’s a ‘great correlation’ between a good company culture and profits, ESG investors say
Description: Several investors have been wary of incorporating environmental, social and governance standards into their strategies. However, two investors think increased attention to ESG will be the best way to improve returns. Source: CNBC.com Date: Sep 19, 2019 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/19/theres-a-great-correlation-between-a-good-company-culture-and-profits-esg-investors-say.html?__source=iosappshare%7Ccom.apple.UIKit.activity.Mail Questions for discussion: “Shareholders are important and will always be incredibly important, but their highest… Read more »
Exclusive: An in-depth look at Facebook’s content police
Description: President Donald Trump and Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren don’t agree on much — but both have condemned Facebook (FB) for how it polices posts and ads on its site. So have concerned parents, human rights advocates, United Nations investigators, and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Source: Finance.Yahoo.com – video report Date: Sep 12, 2019 Link: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/facebook-content-police-exclusive-183828346.html Questions… Read more »
Competing with big tech for coveted workers, Canadian companies tout benefits of working for smaller firms
Description: Homegrown companies promote access to mentoring, opportunity for growth Source: CBC.ca Date: Aug 29, 2019 Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/how-to-woo-a-tech-worker-without-free-lunches-and-foosball-tables-1.5271565 Questions for discussion: How can smaller firms attract tech workers in a tight job market, according to the article? What other factors might appeal to workers?
US Consumers Tolerate Ads if They’re Expecting Them or They’re Incentivized
Description: US digital buyers that were surveyed considered static banner ads (16%), sponsored posts in social media feeds (14%) and sponsored search results (12%) to be the most useful digital ad formats. Overall, however, almost 58% of digital buyers said they didn’t think any digital ads were useful to them. Source: eMarketer.com Date: Sep 11,… Read more »
Vaping Was Called Safer Than Smoking. What Happened?
Description: The growing use of battery-powered e-cigarettes — the activity known as vaping — has provoked one of the most robust debates among public-health specialists in years. The debate has intensified as some users of vaping devices, which have been thought of as safer than lit cigarettes, have come down with mysterious and serious respiratory… Read more »
How Walmart became an unlikely champion of gun safety
Description: New York (CNN Business)In some ways, Walmart’s announcement Tuesday that it will stop selling some guns and ammunition — and ask customers not to openly carry guns in its stores — is just another step in a years-long process of reevaluating its relationship with firearms. Source: CNN.com – video report Date: Sep 05, 2019 Link: https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/04/business/walmart-gun-policy-reactions/index.html Questions… Read more »
