Saskatchewan Provincial Trade Policy and the Canada-EU Trade Agreement Briefing Paper April 6, 2009
Posted by infinitystudies in Agriculture, Energy, Environment, International, Places, Research, Trade.add a comment
Prepared by:
Curtis Matwychuk-Goodman
written March 19, 2009
Abstract
Saskatchewan should be considered Canada’s third fastest growing regional economy. Since the turn of the century Saskatchewan’s economy has diversified and expanded in many ways. With a population of slightly more than a million people Saskatchewan has increased economic output and tripled the value of exports in the past twenty years. As Canada begins to negotiate an increased economic partnership with the European Union how will this impact Saskatchewan’s trade profile?
This paper will be divided into three sections. First it will examine the foreign trade profile of Saskatchewan as a province. This section will cover an overview of Saskatchewan’s trade profile including recent economic performance and major trading partners. In addition this paper seeks to elaborate on the policy process of Saskatchewan – specifically examining the role of institutional actors like the political executive, legislature and the bureaucracy, as well as sector considerations and nongovernmental actors.
The second section of this paper seeks to provide a review of the relevant issues of the proposed Canada – European Union trade agreement. In 2007 a Joint-Framework Proposal report entitled Assessing the Costs and Benefits of a closer EU-Canada Economic Partnership was released. This paper will identify major issues affecting Saskatchewan’s international trade interests from Parts II and III of the Joint Study Report.
The final section of this paper will identify Canada’s position on a proposed EU trade agreement. It will identify specific issues and priorities of the Saskatchewan delegation. A short-list of key recommendations will provide insight on target areas to improve trade relations between Saskatchewan and the EU.
Ultimately this paper will provide the reader with a comprehensive background of Saskatchewan’s international trade profile while reconciling such information with the proposed Canada – EU Trade Agreement. In the end the reader will have a clear understanding of how Saskatchewan is involved in the trade negotiations and identify realistic impacts and policy outcomes of their involvement.
Employee – Employer Relationship – CANADA November 23, 2008
Posted by infinitystudies in Business, Human Resource, Intro, Management, alberta.Tags: Canada, contract, Employee, Employer, HR, Human Resource, termination, Workplace
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Under the law an employee can be classified in three different categories: an employee, independent contractor, or an agent. Each of these three employment situations has differing legal rights which ultimately affect the relationship.
An employee is considered to be an individual who has entered into a “master-servant” relationship – where their actions are controlled by the master (employer). This type of employment is government by contract law and specific statutes, meaning conditions and limits can be placed prior to commencing the relationship.
HR – Workplace Romance – Sexual Harassment Law, the Canadian Context November 23, 2008
Posted by infinitystudies in Business, Culture, Human Resource, Management, Research, alberta.Tags: alberta, Canada, HR, Human Resource, Law, Sexual Harassment
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Written by Curtis M Goodman – November 2008
In Canada sexual harassment is considered both a human rights issue and a labour standard issue. A workplace complaint of sexual harassment is governed by human-rights legislation, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender. Employers have a minimum standard of care to provide a safe workplace free from sexual harassment. Each province has specific regulations pertaining to sexual harassment; however, all align with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. It is essential for managers to be aware of possible jurisdictional differences. According to the Alberta Human Rights Commission sexual harassment may occur in a variety of ways:
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- suggestive remarks or jokes of a sexual nature
- compromising invitations
- verbal abuse
- visual display of suggestive images
- leering or whistling
- patting, rubbing or other unwanted physical contact
- outright demands for sexual favours
- physical assault
Bolivia – WTO Negotiating Positions November 14, 2008
Posted by infinitystudies in Agriculture, International, Research.Tags: Agriculture, Bolivia, development, Doha, economy, Politics, Service, Trade, WTO
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The paper will examine Bolivia’s current position within World Trade Organization Doha negotiations in relation to agriculture, development, and services. Through this examination, readers will gain a comprehensive understanding of the major strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing Bolivia’s insertion in the global political economy and how the country performs as a global actor in trade.
*This is PART II of BOLIVIA IN THE GLOBAL POLITICAL ECONOMY: Historical Development 1825-2008.
(more…)
BOLIVIA IN THE GLOBAL POLITICAL ECONOMY: Historical Development 1825-2008 November 14, 2008
Posted by infinitystudies in Agriculture, Bolivia, Culture, International, Places, Research, Trade.Tags: Agriculture, Bolivia, Culture, development, economy, globalization, History, mining, Trade, WTO
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Written by Curtis M. Goodman – November 2008
This briefing paper will cover the historic development of Bolivia’s political economy. It will provide historic context by examining the relevant domestic developments and international influences of major periods throughout Bolivia’s growth: 1825 – 1950; 1951 – 1995; 1995 – present.
The paper will examine Bolivia’s current position within World Trade Organization negotiations in relation to agriculture, development, and services. Through this examination, readers will gain a comprehensive understanding of the major strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing Bolivia’s insertion in the global political economy and how the country performs as a global actor in trade.
This paper draws from a wide-variety of sources. The primary source of information has been the World Trade Organization (WTO) and trade review documents they have produced. The objective nature and accessible information within these documents provide rich context for Bolivia’s current position in the global economy. The information drawn from the WTO is substantiated by numerous academic articles written as far back as the 1950s.
The Overseas Development Institute’s paper, Bolivia’s Participation in International Trade Negotiations, proved invaluable to the discussion of the nation’s current position on WTO negotiations. Furthermore, a number of observations within this paper are based upon the author’s personal experience during a business-visit to Bolivia in 2000. This first-hand experience within the country provided rich insight into Bolivian processes and discussions with Bolivian citizens provided great understanding of the development issues at hand.
This paper is a reflection of my own fascination with Bolivia. Having travelled throughout the country in 2006 I had the opportunity to meet with numerous Bolivians and discuss the state of affairs. In particular my travels were of a business-nature with a primary focus on developing a new mining project near La Paz, Bolivia. I believe my experiences add a greater context to the discussion of Bolivia and contributed to the length of this briefing paper.
Southern Alberta Opium Feasibility Study – $6000/HA vs. $2000/HA Wheat April 26, 2008
Posted by infinitystudies in Agriculture, Health, International, Medicine, Opium, Places, Research, alberta, lethbridge.Tags: Agriculture, alberta, Crop, Feasability, lethbridge, Medicine, Opium, Research
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This project was untertaken by John Martin, Ian Ouerkerk, Curtis Goodman, Kyle Mesic, and James Bishop. Together we make up Suits Associates International* and we are going to investigate the relevant issues surrounding opium production in Southern Alberta – specifically in the Lethbridge area. We feel will be of great interest to you as investors::
What kind of money are we looking at for the people in the area?
Right now there is a group of twenty southern Alberta farmers and businessmen on side with the idea of commercially growing poppies in southern Alberta. The most prominent spokesperon is Glen Metzler, a Lethbridge businessman.
He and other sources have said poppies will pay more per acre than any other crop we’ve grown, perfect for a struggling farming industry – how much can farmers expect to make?
As much as $6000 per hectare! While wheat farming generates about $825 per acre*.
Metzler and his associates (which I’ll come back to in a moment) have teamed up under the title of API labs and plan to begin producing medicinal poppies in our area in the near future. Their plans include a $40 million pharmaceutical plant near Lethbridge, resulting in 150 new jobs in the Lethbridge area and $300 million injected annually into the local economy.
Click on the PowerPoint link for the full presentation:
National Culture: Canadian Subsidiary, France Headquarters – Obstacles to Commerce April 21, 2008
Posted by infinitystudies in Business, Culture, International, Management.Tags: Business, Hofstede, Individualism, Long-Term Orientation, Masculinity, National Culture, Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance
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Hofstede Analysis
To accurately define culture there are three key aspects to understand – the pervasive shared beliefs, norms, and values which guide everyday life. An important distinction to make is the fact that culture does not exist – instead it is constructed by humans, as a tool to identify and explain behaviour (Hofstede, 2002). It is generally understood that business culture is largely influenced by national culture. These organization-specific (or professional) cultures are often discovered or created as members deal with internal and external problems. As the business world continues to adapt to a truly globalized marketplace it is important for organizations to recognize the subtle differences among national cultures and how this impacts operations. The firm Sodexo requires an astute understanding from managers of cultural difference – especially considering they operate in over 80 countries worldwide. The complexity of business interactions can be minimized with better understanding of the “acceptable ways to conduct business in a society” (Cullen/Parboteeah, 2005).
Geert Hofstede has led the way in developing accurate models for measuring and comparing the subtleties of national culture. Originally Hofstede published a report after extensive participant-based research at IBM in the 1980s. His most recent work, released in 2001, added great clarification and empirical evidence to his five dimensions of national culture: Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism, Masculinity, and Long-term Orientation. These dimensions have now been researched in seventy different countries – and have come to be accepted in the international business community as reliable measures of national culture.
Understanding of these five dimensions will give business managers the knowledge to have meaningful and effective interactions between cultures.
Highway Trash – Visually Stimulating? April 18, 2008
Posted by infinitystudies in Environment, Places.Tags: alberta, crowsnest highway, dump, Environment, garbage, grandfather clause, lethbridge
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As one drives down the #3 Highway, passing through the majestic Lethbridge coulees, they cannot help but notice the blatant environmental discrepancy. Here lay a private dump, protected by grandfather clauses – which permit the continued use regardless of current laws. The daily commuter cannot help but notice this mounting pile which fill an area once eroded by the wind and water. Although there are some limitations on what can be dumped at this location, it still presents a visual concern… but is this a bad thing? Should those living in our disposable society be subjected to the evidence of our wastefulness? Does this motivate individual action – or does it allow complacency to set in among the population?
A Short Review of: E=MC2 by David Bodanis April 16, 2008
Posted by infinitystudies in Biography, Book Review, Einstein, Energy, Physics, nuclear.Tags: Albert Einstein, Atom, Book Review, Energy, History, Mass, nuclear, Speed of Light
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e=mc2
A Biography of the World’s Most Famous Equation
Author: David Bodanis
I am always weary when I pick up books with pull-quotes of previous popular critics – like the John Polanyi’s from the Globe and Mail “Exhilarating. E=mc2 is to be treasured.” I cannot help but wonder if the book will live up to such blatant marketing-ploys promising instant enlightenment. The author David Bodanis, an academic at Oxford is able to deliver on those claims. His concise account surrounding the development of popular science’s biggest breakthrough of the 20th century; the preface details his muse of the book as Cameron Diaz – whom queried as to the meaning of e=mc2 in a television interview.
“It got me thinking. Everyone knows that e=mc2 is really important, but they don’t know what it means, and that’s frustrating, because the equation is so short that you’d think it would be understandable.”
Protected: La Paz, Bolivia- Area Picture April 15, 2008
Posted by infinitystudies in International, Places.Enter your password to view comments
