Here is a great video on blogging, purposes and outcomes depending on what you'd like to come out of your Blogging experience

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Labour productivity has been a troubling issue for Canadian economists and policymakers for decades. Many argue that the relative underinvestment in ICT machinery and equipment by Canadian firms is in part responsible for lower productivity levels.The innovation coming from the ICT industry is phenomenal, and has incredible potential to revolutionize the way Canadian firms supervise and manage their employees and operations. 

A great example of the benefits of ICT investment is teleworking.  WORKshift, a teleworking initiative by Calgary Economic Development, the strategy is already working for many firms in the Calgary region.

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"As you know, these are interesting times for economic development and for the organizations engaged in that practice.Therefore, you might be interested in my new book on Managing for Excellence – Outcome-Based Performance for the Economic Development Organization.  I have spent the past 8 years writing this document based on my 37 years of experience in management, extensive research on the topic, and numerous consulting and training engagements related to the management of economic development organizations. At this late point in my career, I have decided that I would like to share what I and others have learned about managing for excellence. " - Dr. David Kolzow

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The key word in the provincial government’s delivery of the budget cuts is to allow economic development decisions to be made “locally.” My next question would then be; where do the funds come from? Local municipal governments would be my assumption, but can communities and municipal governments carry the cost of infrastructure, job creation and economic development? More importantly will they? Where do their priorities lie? Who is responsible for their development policies when it comes to housing issues, municipal infrastructure, and economic development?

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“Entrepreneur’s, “Employee Shared Ownership Plans” (ESOP) and “ succession planning,” three things I think will be key factors in Saskatchewan’s future growth. With the aging Boomer population and many of Saskatchewan small and medium enterprises (SME’s) being without succession plans - What roles can entrepreneurs play in succession planning? What role do ESOP’s play in succession planning?

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How effective do you think 140 characters are? I once came across a brilliant job application in which the cover letter had a 140 character or less requirement. Do you think you could uniquely sell and set yourself apart from thousands of other applicants in the 5-8 seconds it takes to read those 140 characters?

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Every young entrepreneur needs someone to look up to — someone who’s been there, done that, and whose experience provides important lessions.

Thankfully, there are plenty of great brains and business leaders who share those experiences and lessons online. But which voices are the best when it comes to management and leadership? We asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation-only nonprofit organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs, this question:

 "Who are the best bloggers to read for advice on improving your management leadership skills?”

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Are your co-operatives participating in Fair Trade? There is a direct relationship between Cooperatives and Fair Trade, Karra discusses the link between the two and asks Why aren’t more Co-ops participating, if not they should be, and how?

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Great holiday party themes, starting a recycling program, changes to the compensation system, ways to expand the business globally...regardless of the category of idea or the scale, you've probably had a great idea somewhere along the way that never got heard, despite valiant attempts. That's because you were probably thwarted by the "Idea Vampires," those people who reject your brilliant insights, and for any number of reasons. In order to get heard, you have to learn how to work with these people to move your idea from concept to action. Vampires are scary. Idea Vampires use fear to suck the excitement, interest and support out of new ideas. They do it in emails, meetings, and conversations after the meeting. By creating doubts, delays and distractions, they can mortally wound your good idea. Here are some ways to move your ideas forward.

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Karra discusses " How Canadians are Really Doing" a report by the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW). The CIW is based in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo, The Network's signature product is the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW). The CIW measures Canada's wellbeing and tracks social progress. In their report and Infographic, they use a number of indicators to determing if Canadians quality of life is "keeping up" with our economic growth.

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