Canadian Enterprises Research Articles

SELF-ORIENTALISM REPACKAGED: WONG WING FRIED RICE

Globalization has prompted a multicultural retheorization of both consumer and market (Fu et al., 2014; Riefler et al., 2012; Kipnis et al., 2019). In short, the Canadian multicultural market consists of international goods which are authentic, domestic goods purporting authenticity (e.g., orientalizing), and multinational, fusion innovations that are authentic-ish (e.g., self-orientalizing; Hui, 2019; Li, 2020; Stephens, 2021). What results is a fetishistic commercialization of multiculturalism, where brands are packaging ethnicity and race to vie for consumer attention. This paper addresses the latter variety — self-orientalist packaging designed for products born out of (formerly) Chinese Canadian enterprises, namely Wong Wing Fried Rice. Developing an analytical and theoretical approach that can support the identification of racialization, racist typologies are situated in graphic design. Themes derived from the analysis include racism, orientalism, self-orientalism, exoticism, cultural appropriation, among others. Findings reveal how self-orientalist packaging and label design is discursively negotiated as both internalized racism and anti-racist resistance, necessitating a more nuanced approach that reflects the sociopolitical context in which products are branded. The adoption of transversalist tenets, an anti-racist modality outlined by the methodological component of this study, presents one possibility.

Examining Talent Management Practices in a Canadian Not-for-Profit Context: A Theory-Driven Template Analysis

Despite significant interest in the field of talent management (TM), research has been largely confined to talent management in large corporations. Recent reviews have identified two significant gaps in the literature: 1) excessive focus on large for-profit organizations in North American, Asian and European private sectors; and 2) lack of consensus on TM definitions and activities in organizations. This article examines how TM is perceived and practised in a Canadian context. We used a theory-based approach and drew on previous conceptualizations of TM to examine the perspectives of 30 Canadian decision-makers. Using a conceptual model based on Bolander, Werr, and Asplund (2017), we observed that non-profit organization (NPO) decision-makers have a unique inclusive and competitive view of TM. Their view is defined predominantly by humanistic (acquired talent, inclusive, inputs and outputs) and competitive factors (recruitment dependence and skill development). They felt that talent should be inclusive and acquired, and many indicated that they were looking for people who could be trained. Their emphasis was on cultural fit, motivation and ability to grow intellectually and professionally, rather than on just acquiring the key skills needed for certain roles. The results indicate that TM is an organizational activity and needs to be understood and supported by the whole organization. Specifically, an inclusive view of TM requires adaptable organizational systems, such as collective agreements and accounting systems, which record how value is created in the organization. Future research could compare and contrast the views of those undertaking other functions in the organization, such as accounting, with the views of HR managers. Abstract While recognizing the importance of human capital in the success of non-profit organizations, existing research has primarily focused on talent management (TM) in large multinational organizations, mainly those in the private sectors of North America, Asia and Europe. In this article, we adopt a theory-driven approach and build on previous conceptualizations of TM to examine the perspectives of 30 Canadian nonprofit and for-profit decision-makers. Results show that Canadian decision-makers have a unique inclusive and competitive view of TM. Their view is defined predominantly by humanistic (acquired talent, inclusive, input and output) and competitive factors (reliance on recruitment and skill development). This study contributes a new perspective by providing empirical insights from managers of Canadian enterprises and pointing to implications for broader discussion, conceptualization and practice in the field.

Assessing industry differences in marketing innovation using multi-level modeling

PurposeCurrently, the bulk of research on marketing innovation focuses on various firm-level dimensions using relationships from the technological (product and process) innovation literature. Research on industry-level differences in marketing innovation is lacking. Testing relationships form the technological paradigm in the context of the marketing innovation paradigm is also lacking. This paper aims to present empirical evidence on both aspects using a large-scale data set.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses two large-scale datasets, each consisting of approximately 4,000 Canadian enterprises in 18 industries. The data was collected by Statistics Canada in 2009 and 2012 through its nationwide Survey of Innovation and Business Strategies program. Two widely used theoretical frameworks, resource-based view of the firm and the competitive perspective, are used to generate constructs and hypotheses in relation to marketing innovation. The data was analyzed using multi-level logistic regression.FindingsThe findings show that industry-level competition is a much more important driver of marketing innovation than firm-level competition. The authors also show that marketing constructs that are significant in the context of technological innovation are also significant for marketing innovation.Research limitations/implicationsThis study extends the firm-level literature by providing evidence of how industry-level dynamics enhances marketing innovation. The study also provides empirical evidence from Canadian enterprises that complement those from other countries.Practical implicationsA deeper understanding of the drivers of marketing innovation can enable managers to enact innovation strategies that can enhance organizational performance, differentiate themselves and enhance customer engagement and brand image.Originality/valueAs one of the few studies to examine industry-level differences in marketing innovation, the authors show that disaggregating competition into industry-level and firm-level provides a clearer picture of how competition advances marketing innovation. Additionally, this study is the first of its kind to provide empirical evidence on Canadian enterprises, thereby complementing evidence on marketing innovation from other countries. Thus, this study makes a theoretical and empirical contribution to the emerging marketing innovation literature.

Implementation of sustainability management tools: The contribution of awareness, external pressures, and stakeholder consultation

AbstractIn this article, we propose a framework for a better understanding of the factors that can influence the implementation of sustainability management tools—that is, sustainable development policy and sustainability reporting—in small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises. Using secondary data, we studied 431 micro‐ to mid‐sized Canadian enterprises and found that stakeholder consultation plays a central role in company implementation of sustainable management tools. This consultation reduces the perception of internal constraints, particularly regarding relevant knowledge‐gaps. This study also demonstrates the importance of the indirect impacts that external stakeholders exert on small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises and the growing need for management education and training about how to increase the adoption of sustainability management tools.

The Canadian Enterprise of W.H. Smith: An Analysis of Government Policy on International Operations

Bargaining models have been the primary analytical lens for examining Host Country Government (HCG) – Multinational Enterprise (MNE) relations. Bargaining models, however, provide only a limited explanation for the rich interaction between HCGs and MNEs. To better capture the complexity and nuance of firm-state interaction, this research integrates insights from New Institutional Economics into bargaining models. To illustrate the insights possible with this approach, I analyse archival data related to the operations of the British retailer W.H. Smith in Canada. The findings demonstrate how an HCG can protect a nation’s sovereignty, while simultaneously being open to foreign direct investment, and the adverse effect this may have on MNEs.

EU’s International Treaties, the New Investment Court System (ICS) and Human Rights

With Opinion 1/17, the ECJ has declared the compatibility with EU primary law of the mechanism for the international settlement of disputes between investors and States (ISDS), established under the CETA, a free trade agreement between Canada, on the one hand, and the EU and its Member States, on the other. The present article focuses on the challenges raised by the Belgian government on the basis of human rights, in addition to that based on the autonomy of the EU legal order. In relation to the principle of equal treatment before the law, it argues that the Court erred in holding that Canadian enterprises and natural persons that invest within the Union are in a situation that is not comparable to that of Member States’ investors in the same commercial or industrial sector of the EU internal market. It further submits that as a result of the historical evolution of ISDS and the remedies currently available under EU law and the national law of the member states to European and foreign investors alike, the finding that the latter are to have a specific legal remedy against EU and domestic measures might be no longer justified. It finally considers that in the assessment of whether the ICS will be an accessible and independent tribunal, the Court exceeded the level of speculation allowed under Art. 218(11) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) and understated the guarantees generally required from national judiciaries.

Tax-driven wealth chains: A multiple case study of tax avoidance in the finnish mining sector

Abstract This paper contributes to recent discussions of corporate tax avoidance and global wealth chains. Drawing on multiple case studies, we outline the key strategies adopted by Finnish mining companies as they seek to lower their tax burden. After screening the accounts of the companies mining metallic ores in Finland, we provide an in-depth analysis of the tax avoidance arrangements at three of these mines. The mines were operated by two Canadian enterprises that utilized seven different tax avoidance arrangements. The multiple case study approach adopted in this paper is helpful in developing both quantitative and qualitative tax avoidance research, since our findings highlight major deficiencies of datasets commonly used in the dominant quantitative tax avoidance research. Our qualitative approach helps tackle some of the limitations imposed on tax researchers as a result of the considerable secrecy surrounding tax matters. In particular, we argue that the existing tax avoidance research has focused too much on statutory corporate income tax rates even though today, tax minimization relies mostly on specific tax incentives and other loopholes in tax laws. We argue that the arrangements we describe mirror a wider phenomenon where multinational enterprises exert societal power commonly associated with sovereign states. Crossing the disciplinary boundaries of accounting, political economy and tax law, we also contribute to the emerging research agenda on global wealth chains. We call for more attention to the intersections between accounting and tax law for understanding how enterprises can separate their value chains from the intra-firm flows of wealth.

Women entrepreneurs in Northern Canada: contexts and challenges

Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, Canada's three Northern territories, are characterised as the most northerly permanently inhabited regions in the world, and the least populous regions of Canada. It is not yet clear, what if any gender-related issues stymie the growth of female-owned Northern Canadian enterprises. This study presents a perspective on the contexts of, and challenges facing, female entrepreneurs in Northern Canada. To inform this work, the study draws on previous research, analyses of survey data, and interviews with 11 key informants conversant with entrepreneurship in Northern Canada. Findings are used to advance questions for future research about women's Indigenous (in the Canadian context, Aboriginal) and non-Indigenous (non-Aboriginal) entrepreneurship in Northern Canada.

The influence of the human resources business culture on organizational innovation: Comparative study from Canadian and Russian enterprises based in China

Abstract The paper illustrates adoption of innovation, Competitive Intelligence and Business Intelligence in unit of organizational structure. In practice, occurs a problem of administration, such as position allocation, assignment to positions, as well as arises a question: which of researched organizational structure unit is responsible for adaptation of decision making in cross-cultural environment. In the period of 2012–2014 the authors had been researching problems and experience of organization structure in Russian industrial enterprises based in China. The paper helps to understand, which of the positions (in this article we are talking about positions, related to innovation decision making, BI and CI) in international corporations are optimal for Canadian applicants, and which position are more suitable for Chinese employees. For more detailed review, it was decided to compare Canadian and Russian industrial enterprises, carrying on economical and business activity in China.

The Influence of Organizational Structure On The Business Intelligence Implementation Process (Focused in Canadian And Russian Enterprises Based in China)

The Influence of Organizational Structure On The Business Intelligence Implementation Process (Focused in Canadian And Russian Enterprises Based in China)

Supply Management: Problems, Politics - and Possibilities

Despite a professed commitment to free trade, Canada has retained a staunchly protectionist supply management regime in several agricultural sectors, notably in the dairy industry. Canada’s dairy farms are governed by a byzantine system that prices milk based on intended usage, locks out most foreign products with exorbitantly high tariffs and even determines how much farmers can produce. Everyone suffers. Canadians are forced to pay almost three times as much for four litres of whole milk as Americans, while the farmers are barred from taking advantage of the opportunities and efficiencies a truly free market affords. At the same time, Canada’s insistence on protecting supply management makes it difficult for Canada to open up access to international markets. This means that all other Canadian enterprises that rely on trade (including the farmers in the non-supply-managed sectors who make up by far the majority of Canadian farmers) – all those who would benefit from Canadian participation in trade arrangements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership – are being denied lucrative access to some of the world's largest and rapidly growing markets. The system needs to go. However, it is possible to dismantle it fairly. Australia managed it by offering dairy farmers transition payments over eight years, financed by a temporary retail levy on milk. Consumers now enjoy lower prices and Australia has one of the most dynamic and efficient dairy industries in the world. New Zealand did away with its own tariffs and subsidies even faster, and its dairy sector has become that country’s largest export earner. The potential gains for Canada are very real. At the same time, and, just as importantly, the threats to risk-averse politicians from the dairy lobby are, contrary to widely-held assumptions, negligible. Since 1971, the number of Canadian dairy farms has dropped by a staggering 91 percent. There are now few, if any, ridings where dairy votes could plausibly swing elections – particularly compared to the votes of all those in those same ridings who would benefit from dismantling supply management. This paper assesses Canada’s political, agricultural and economic landscape, highlights the present regime’s absurdities, challenges long-held political assumptions, and draws on lessons learned from the most successful reforms abroad to make the case for liberalizing the Canadian dairy industry. With lucrative free trade agreements being considered, and in particular the prospect of joining (or being refused access to) the Trans-Pacific Partnership, now is the time for the Harper government to reach out to the provinces and farmers, and get rid of supply management for the good of all Canadians.

Web Site Utilization in SME Business Strategy: The Case of Canadian Wine SMEs

This paper reports on empirical reseazch focused on how small- and medium-size Canadian enterprises operating in the wine sector utilize the Internet in their marketing and business strategies to provide information to consumers, create relationships with consumers, and utilize online e-commerce channels to sell more or all of what they produce. Based on a content analysis of the web sites of a randomly selected sample of Canadian wineries, this research found that a very high proportion of SME wineries utilize web sites in their marketing and business strategies. The highest proportion of wineries utilize their sites for providing information, followed by use for e-commerce, and by use of the site for creating and developing relationships with existing and potential consumers. Use of web sites for more sophisticated purposes (e-commerce and relationship building) is significantly related to exporting wine outside of the direct region where the SME winery is located geographically.

Dynamics of Organizational Change in Canadian Enterprises between 1998 and 2003

Dynamics of Organizational Change in Canadian Enterprises between 1998 and 2003

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BioTechniquesVol. 43, No. 6 WebWatchOpen AccessWebWatchKevin AhernKevin AhernSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:16 May 2018https://doi.org/10.2144/000112663AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInReddit Very FishyYou don't have to travel 20,000 leagues under the sea to view over 30,000 species of fish. All you need to do is trawl the waters of FishBase to reel in the big ones, which at this time includes over 44,000 pictures, 40,000 references, 260,000 common names, and 1500 collaborators. Perhaps not too surprisingly, the site also handles an astonishing 24 million hits per month, as well. Indeed, FishBase is so packed with info about our underwater friends that it might more accurately be described as a “databass” than a database. Managing this mother lode of content is the task of a well-designed search engine on the opening page, providing options for searching by common/scientific name, family, location, ecosystem, topic, biodiversity map, and more. There's also a reference database and a searchable glossary to lure you in.@ www.fishbase.orgGetting CulturedYou've got some plant tissue you hope to propagate, but you don't know where to turn for assistance. Help! Thanks to Dan Lineberger at Texas A&M, assistance isn't very far away. His Plant Tissue Culture Information Exchange (PTCIE) site provides useful insights to the topic of plant tissue culture in an easy-to-access format. Topic headings of micropropagation, embryogenesis, protoplasts, chimeras, and biotechnology guide visitors to collections of links, which, in turn, lead to (i) protocols; (ii) commercial labs/suppliers; and (iii) miscellaneous related sites. PTCIE serves plant researchers by delivering on the promise of information exchange.@ aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/tisscult/tcintro.htmlThe Eyes Have ItIf your eyes yearn for beauty, then you'll want to treat them by navigating to this aptly named site. Home to one of the most jaw-dropping collections of science-related images you're ever likely to see in one place, Eyeofscience.com (EOS) is something of a scientific voyeur's delight and a work of art, to boot. At the opening page, a teaser image provides a tantalizing view of the contents inside, and these never cease to amaze, from plant parts to bacteria to insects up closer and more personal than you've ever seen them. Produced using scanning electron microscopy (EM), computer tomography, light microscopy, underwater cameras, and (likely) a dose of Adobe Photoshop, EOS images sizzle and literally “pull” viewers right into the picture.@ www.eyeofscience.comMetabolic Building BlocksIs a cell greater than the sum of the parts composing it? Anyone harboring such a notion might have doubts after reviewing the enormous collection of metabolite data in the Human Metabolome Database (HMDB), hosted by GenomeAlberta, a not-for-profit Canadian enterprise serving the genomics community. Intended for use in clinical chemistry, biomarker discovery, and general education, as well as metabolomics, HMDB's detailed descriptions about abundant (>1 µM) and rare (<1 nM) cellular compounds paint a broad stripe across the stuff of life. After perusing data on 2500 small molecules and over 5500 large ones (proteins and DNA), a visitor could be excused for being overwhelmed. Subsections of the database, such as biofluids (plasma metabolites), tissues, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) search (spectral database), DrugBank, and mass spectrometry (MS) search (mass spectral data) point to specialized collections, whereas Text Query and Chem Query provide broader searching options.@ www.hmdb.caLet's Get ChemicalThe National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) knows data. Boy do they! The USA's measurements and standards organization, NIST, provides valuable information for use in virtually every technical industry. The chemistry site is illustrative of NIST's many offerings, containing links to numerous databases. These encompass vibrational and electronic energies, ionization energy, electron/proton affinity, acidity, and molecular weight data. Data collections include thermodynamic data, infrared (IR)/mass/ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectra, and constants of diatomic molecules. To help users find their way through the many offerings, there's even a hyperlinked guide to the site, complete with detailed instructions.@ webbook.nist.gov/chemistryFiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited BySimulation and experimental research of melt convection on dendrite morphology evolutionActa Physica Sinica, Vol. 60, No. 12 Vol. 43, No. 6 Follow us on social media for the latest updates Metrics History Published online 16 May 2018 Published in print December 2007 Information© 2007 Author(s)PDF download

Explaining Variations in Business Performance Among Immigrant Entrepreneurs in Canada

This paper seeks to explain the self-reported business performance of entrepreneurs who entered Canada through the Business Immigration Programme. The study draws upon a detailed face-to-face questionnaire with 90 entrepreneurs in Vancouver, a third each from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea. As suggested by the mixed-embeddedness model, state regulations provided a significant context for the economic actions of immigrant entrepreneurs. But opportunities were also narrowed by a perceived precariousness in the regional market. Overall, business performance was weak for entrepreneurs, despite significant pre-migration resources. Some factors regarded as encouraging entrepreneurialism were also important in shaping business outcomes. Human capital, though not the scale of investment capital, influenced business success. Consistent with European research, the ethnic enclave economy imposed a penalty on outcomes. Inter-ethnic variation was significant, with Korean-Canadians, who disproportionately sought mainstream markets, by far the most successful of the three groups. In addition they were less involved in transnational business activities, which seemed to compete with, rather than complement, Canadian enterprise.

Firm Exits as a Determinant of New Entry: Is There Evidence of Local Creative Destruction?

The study posits that the causal links between entry and failure rates also flow from failure to entry. As older firms fail, resources are recycled by new entrants permitting local renewal. Failure levels affect both the intensity of the entrepreneurial search for opportunities and the opportunity landscape facing entrepreneurs. Persistent high failure rates, however, provide signals about the difficulties of succeeding in a particular location. The model is tested using a unique longitudinal panel database made available by Statistics Canada, which encompasses the entry and exit of all Canadian enterprises between 1984 and 1998.

Une situation préoccupante : les investissements canadiens au Brésil dans les années 70 et 80

This article is about Canadian investments in Brazil in the 70's and the 80's. It attempts to explain the relative decline of Canada's position on the Brazilian market. Canada was the 3rd largest investor in Brazil in the 60's. By the middle of the 80's, it ranked 6th. This paper argues that this situation is mainly due to the insufficient development of R-D in Canada and the consequent low level of technological innovation in this country. One significant effect of that is the inability of Canadian enterprises to compete successfully with those of other countries. This is supported by the massive concentration of investments in Brazil by Canadian-owned firms in the more traditional industries (mining, smelting, etc.), the dominant position of Canadian-based affiliates of foreign firms in that process (Canadian investments in Brazil) and their concentration in the most technologically-advanced industries, the over-all technological dependence of the Canadian economy and the low level of funding of R-D activities.

The Recent Evolution of Canadian Inventive Enterprises

While inventive activity is necessary for industrial economies to progress, little is known about the types of enterprises inventing in Canada. The present study examines a typology of Canadian inventive enterprises at the national, subnational, and urban levels and the types of inventions developed in these areas from 1975 to 1989. Canadian patent and industrial directory information shows that Canada's largest enterprises are the most inventive, followed by small and then medium-sized enterprises. Although Canadian enterprises used teams of inventors to develop a considerably larger share of their inventions by 1989, they became discernably more inventive in only one industry after 1981 while concentrating on many process inventions between 1975 and 1989. Geographically, Canada's two largest cities and its core region were adversely affected by the declining inventiveness of this nation's large and foreign-owned enterprises during the 1980s. With respect to Canada's periphery, many of the characteristics typical of Canadian inventive enterprises were not readily apparent in this region, which had a more specialized inventive base than did the core.

Coûts et obligations découlant des régimes de retraite : l'impact d'une modification de norme

Cette etude documente l’impact qu’aurait la comptabilisation directement dans le bilan d’entreprises canadiennes de la situation nette des regimes de retraite a prestations determinees qu’elles offrent a leurs employes. Nos resultats montrent qu’un impact significatif serait enregistre sur le ratio d’endettement, et ce de facon similaire sur toute la periode etudiee, de 1988 a 1993. Le montant de l’ajustement avant impots serait generalement important par rapport a certaines bases de reference proposees par le Conseil des normes de verification de l’Institut canadien des comptables agrees. Dans le cas ou l’on opterait pour le report et l’imputation prospective aux resultats de la contrepartie de l’ajustement necessaire, une augmentation significative du ratio d’endettement surviendrait dans la majorite des cas etudies ; en revanche, si l’on optait pour une imputation retroactive de celle-ci aux benefices non repartis, une diminution significative du ratio d’endettement surviendrait.

Streetcars and Politics in Rio de Janeiro: Private Enterprise versus Municipal Government in the Provision of Mass Transit, 1903–1920

AbstractThis paper examines the relationship of the Rio de Janeiro Tramway, Light and Power Company and the municipal council in the provision of streetcar services in Rio de Janeiro, 1903–1920. Using archival materials collected in Brazil and Canada, it demonstrates that the utilities company lost the contest for control of Rio de Janeiro's mass transit system to the municipal authorities. Although it had the advantages of capital, technology and skill, this Canadian enterprise did not dictate its demands to an acquiescent municipal council. Rather, the municipal council and prefecture managed to extract an expensive streetcar system from the company to service its growing city.