What Good is Patriotism?
The scene is framed, the shutter is depressed, and the image of lovely Canadian children waving the old Maple Leaf is captured, a timeless statement of tribal affection and loyalty. For many, this photograph will likely stir positive, even emotional feelings for Canada, its history, and what our country seems to represent among the family […]
Constraint as Liberation
While visiting his family in India, Suchit Ahuja was treated to a master class in frugal innovation. As a PhD student at Smith School of Business, Ahuja was familiar with the concept. Frugal innovation refers to the process of reducing the cost and complexity of a good, stripping down its production, and focusing on its […]
Framing Issues on the Fly
Is it climate change or global warming? Does outsourcing to a developing country lead to sweatshops or opportunities for advancement? Both in the arena of public opinion and the marketplace, firms, political groups, and non-government organizations (NGOs) are perpetually locked in framing and re-framing exercises to try and establish their view of an issue as […]
What Really Explains Why We Waste Food?
If you’re a consumer who wants to reduce the amount of food ending up in the dumpster or recycling bin, there are conscious choices you can make: store food properly, reduce portion sizes, stick to a shopping list. But, as I learned from a conversation with consumer behaviour researcher Monica LaBarge, what happens unconsciously can […]
When A Magazine Loses Its Way: Larger Lessons from the Canadian Geographic Fiasco
Canadian Geographic (CG) magazine and its owner, The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS), are having a very bad month. First, there were hard questions about the curious role of RCGS Chief Executive Officer, John Geiger, during and after the search for John Franklin’s doomed flagship, HMS Erebus. This week, the crowd-funded news site Canadaland revealed […]