枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

[tiding]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

俺来之前,也是为这个事情颇费思量的.


俺行前早早地就定了两个110V的唐宁牌压力电饭煲,带过来一个用.其他的,俺本来还想带一些小的家用电器过来,后来发现,大一些的电压转换器实在是太重了,不方便携带,也不怎么方便使用.所以,俺只带了两个很小的电压转换器,结果过来后,还没有用上.



但是,俺带了一台110V的松下电话答录机,和110V的DVD影碟机过来.后者非常好用,但前者由于只有一个子机,现在住在HOUSE里,就觉得不敷使用了.这里BOXING的那段时间里,俺见过一拖四的电话只要99.99刀(当然还要加税),所以,觉得这玩意还不如在这里买呢.



其他大功率的用电器,减价时在这里买,比在国内减价时买,贵不了太多...


这里的各种电脑用的配件和接线,鼠标都很贵.俺记得买了一个无线路由器花了49.99刀(还要加税),还是最一般的.LG买了一根6米长的线竟然花了79.99刀(不含税)!



这里没有那种复读机卖,俺是非常喜欢用这个的...


欢迎大家提这样具体的问题.

谢谢，我还不会献花，只是衷心感谢。

 

[aixiaoyu]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

给楼主拜个早年！！

 

[jenniferlee]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

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[FONT=宋体]加拿大大学与中学教育与国内大学中学教育的差别之一[/FONT]-----[FONT=宋体]实战型的作业[/FONT]

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[FONT=宋体]最近，刚刚就读于滑铁卢大学数学与国际贸易专业一年级的俺家亲戚的孩子，正在为一份商科的作业而发愁。他向远在国内的父母求援，但是，他的父母对此也一筹莫展。他的父母紧急地向他们认识的一位目前正就读于复旦大学相关专业三年级的学生求助。结果，这位曾经的复旦附中毕业的高才生所写出的东西，被俺家亲戚认为没有什么参考价值。[/FONT]

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[FONT=宋体]俺把这份作业的内容和要求贴在下面，供有兴趣的[/FONT]TX[FONT=宋体]们了解了解这里的大学相关专业的学习方法和作业内容。[/FONT]


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[FONT=宋体]大家可以看出，这是一份非常具有实战性的作业。简而言之，说的是加拿大一个只有[/FONT]10[FONT=宋体]万人口的小城市的管理者，过去一直由于注重环保而享誉一方，却因为本次金融危机的影响，而受到了空前的财政与管理压力：工厂倒闭，就业人数下降，税收减少。。。正在此时，有一家国际大公司将其作为自己将要新增厂点的考虑目标之一。当然，这样做会大幅改善该市的就业与税收状况。但是，这家企业明确告知：如果要达到该市所要求的环保要求，那么，他们的成本将难以负荷。因此，如果该市坚持要求他们达到一定的环保要求，他们就只能放弃选择该市。为此，市政府的管理者承受了空前的来自社会方方面面的压力,面临着艰难的抉择：是坚持走“绿色环保”的道路，放弃这家大企业入住，还是放弃自己过去的努力，接纳这家大型企业？[/FONT]


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[FONT=宋体]这份作业要求学生们：当他们被作为市政府的顾问去帮助解决这个危机处理问题时，他们将提出怎样的解决方案？同时,这份作业还要求学生按照一定的写作要求来完成作业.[/FONT]


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[FONT=宋体]俺觉得这种类型的教学内容与作业非常好，这种MBA类型的教学内容,容易学以至用.学生们未来可以将他们在学校之所学与工作实际密切地联系在一起。[/FONT]


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[FONT=宋体]加拿大的中学教学内容也有许多与此相近的内容，非常实用，贴近社会生活的实际。[/FONT]


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[FONT=宋体]总体感觉，这里各门课程的教学内容主要是一些基本概念，不会用什么难题去为难学生。但是，这里的教学却强调实用性，帮助学生提高他们解决实际问题的能力。这也是俺们之所以愿意选择加拿大的教育体系的原因之一。[/FONT]


当然,窥斑见貌,通过这样的作业,俺们也可以看出,在这里要能够从大学,尤其是好大学毕业并不容易,与国内的情况正好相反...





ZT------滑大的商科作业之一


Trouble in Kronberg



Kronberg, a city of 100,000 residents, earned the coveted designation in 2007 as a one of the most progressive and intelligent cities in Canada. Among other notable accomplishments, the city had supported several programs to improve the city’s environmental record. In fact, Kronberg was the first city in the province to add stringent environmental requirements to their building code, demanding higher environmental standards on all new commercial buildings constructed. The mayor of Kronberg applauded the proactive, forward thinking of the Building Permits Department and encouraged other departments of the city to pursue similar ‘green’ thinking.



In 2008/09, the city had suffered many job losses and plant closures related to the economic downturn. The tax base was declining and the citizens were anxious for local governments to support new job programs.



The environmental programs and by-laws seemed to be readily accepted by many in the community until a large multi-national company decided against selecting Kronberg for an expansion project. They were planning to build a facility for a new hi-tech manufacturing centre and Kronberg was one of three cities on their short list. Local media jumped on the story and reported that the stringent environmental guidelines ‘scared’ away the business opportunity. Company officials confirmed that while they were interested in and committed to the environment, they could not justify the significantly higher costs associated with meeting the new building code in Kronberg. Local labour groups complained bitterly that the jobs that would have been generated by the company were the very ones the community desperately needed. To compound the problem, the Economic Development Department who had doggedly pursued the new business opportunity appeared to also be frustrated with the inflexibility of the new Building code. Meanwhile, environmental groups were outraged at the thought of the city backing down to ‘big business.’ They pressured the city to hold their ground and prove their commitment to progressive and intelligent thinking. These complaints and others dominated the front page news in the local press for weeks.




When pushed for a response, the Mayor stated publicly that the Building Permits Department followed proper process i.e. researched and proposed the standards, held a public meeting for discussion and presented the changes to City Council where they were passed unanimously. As such, it was beyond her jurisdiction to intervene. She referred reporters to John Beckham, the Manager of the Building Permits Department for any further questions and concerns.
Realizing that he had been tossed the ball but not knowing what to do with it, Mr. Beckham reflected on the situation. All of the department heads had been eager to introduce leading edge policies and he had been pleased to be first out of the gate. However, he had done so in a very short amount of time and in relative isolation. He hadn’t held any cross-department meetings and when he reviewed the minutes from the Council Meeting at which the new code was approved, he noticed that the Representative from Economic Development was absent. He pondered his options which included but were not limited to: waiving the new code requirements for this particular company, proposing revisions to the code or doing nothing until the furor blew over.
However, when he received a call from a National news reporter, John felt increased pressure for immediate decision and action.
Your group has been called in by the Kronberg City Council to advise them on this situation. Using the case study method outlined in the lab manual and in labs, analyze this situation and provided your recommendations for dealing with the current crisis and your recommendations going forward.




Adapted by D Pacey from Critical Incidents in Management, J. M. Champion and J. H. James, Richard D. Irwin. Reprinted by permission.










BU111/121 Informal Business Writing Tips

for Case Write-ups


This document provides tips on how to do a case write-up. As a case is a description of a business situation that you need to analyze and make a decision about, it is similar to being asked by your boss what to do in a situation and send him/her a memo with your thoughts. This is the nature of informal business writing, and is why we use it for writing up cases.



These tips are not a substitute for the other readings posted - both Chapter 8 of Impact and the McGraw-Hill e-text on Administrative and Business Communication, nor is it a substitute for talking to your Professor and/or Teaching Assistant and consulting your case guidelines and rubrik regarding style expectations. It simply highlights the problems that students most commonly have when writing informal cases to help guide you in the process.




Format: Informal business writing is not like essay writing




The biggest difficulty most students face is bridging the gap between the case analysis method/thinking process and the case write-up. Below is a list of the elements of the case method in the order they should appear in the write-up. The most critical point to notice is that your thinking leads you to a decision, but in the write-up the decision is stated first and then backed up by your thinking. You have already made the decision; now you have to communicate it.
(In informal business writing the decision is stated first given that the reader is interested and eager to hear what you think. In the majority of cases that you will do, this is the situation. You have been asked to deal with an issue and the reader wants to hear your response. When you are engaged in informal business writing and the reader is likely to be resistant, then you would build up to the decision.)


Memo Heading




Problems/Issues
- faced by the people in the case



Recommendation(s)
- that you are suggesting to deal with the situation


Decision Criteria
- that you used to make your recommendation



Alternatives
- you considered, including your recommended solution



Analysis of your Recommendation (this is the "guts" of your report)

- an explanation of why your recommendation is the best option - how it meets the decision criteria better than the other alternatives.
(Check pages 142-143 of Chapter 8 of Impact provided on the course website for an explanation of the comparison approach to the discussion of findings, ie. your analysis. The comparison/contrast approach to organizing information in a report is also discussed in Chapter 12, pgs. 285-6 of the McGraw-Hill e-text on Business Communication. The link to the text is provided on the course website.)



Implementation Plan
- for ensuring the success of your recommendation


Contingency Plan
- to deal with the potential problems/contingencies that may arise and render your recommendation ineffective



This approach could also be referred to as a "What, Why, How" style. Begin with a clear statement of "what" is going on and what you recommend doing about it. Then justify "why" you have chosen this recommendation by comparing it to the alternatives according to the decision criteria you used. And finally, explain "how" to make your recommendation successful in your implementation and contingency plan.



An example and further explanation of the format is provided on the course website as "Format Guide". The example provided in this guide is from the Impact reading by Margot Northey. It is not a case write-up, and is not to be used as a template, but it does demonstrate the nature of informal business writing, and the location where the different parts of your case format would appear are indicated.
Do not underestimate the importance of the contingency plan. It provides an opportunity to make your recommendation and implementation bulletproof. Even the strongest recommendations are not risk-free. Consider what may go wrong when your solution is implemented (including reactions other people may have to the plan) or what may happen if one of the assumptions you have made ends up being incorrect; these are the potential risks that need a backup plan. For example, if you were planning an expansion to a ski resort, one of the risks would be that there is lower than expected precipitation and hence lower than expected revenues for the season to put toward the expansion. A potential contingency plan might be a scaled-back renovation or a longer timeline for the start of the renovation. Look at problems that may make your recommendation more difficult to implement and develop ways to overcome them or at least mitigate them.




Do not simply choose one of the other alternatives as your contingency plan. If you do, you are discounting the merits of your recommended solution and in effect saying "If I'm wrong, choose the other alternative." A strong contingency plan anticipates possible problems and provides plans to address them; sealing the potential holes in your recommendation and increasing the credibility of your report.



Style: Informal business writing should be persuasive, concise and easy to read


Your first task is to persuade the reader that your analysis of the issue(s) and your recommendation to solve it(them) are likely to bring the greatest success. This is the purpose of the case assignment. Fight the urge to show an indepth pros/cons analysis of every alternative simply because you did the analysis to come up with your recommendation. It isn't persuasive - it's boring and unnecessary. You have chosen the alternative that you believe is best; now convince the reader that it is by showing how it meets the criteria better than the other alternatives. The alternatives therefore are only discussed in comparison, not on their own. You are not given grades for getting the "right answer". You are given grades for persuasively arguing that your solution best addresses the issues.



Even if you have a really good solution and you create a persuasive argument, if you don't communicate concisely in business writing you will lose your reader and your argument will lose its punch. Be concise. If you can say something in one hundred words or in ten words, use ten. You have a limited amount of space and you must assume that the reader is a busy person. Don't waste your time and his/her time trying to make your case write-up longer than it has to be. As in the first heading - business writing is not essay writing - this goes as much for style as it does for format. Make your write-up long enough to be persuasive, but no longer. If it is too lengthy, look for information that is less important or redundant and eliminate it.



Your writing must also be easy to read. Effective ways to create a report that is easy to read include:

・ headings and subheadings formatted differently than the main body of text




・ visuals - charts, figures, etc. imbedded into the text or clearly referenced at the end of the report - never include an appendix that you have not directed the reader to within the body of your report




・ bulleted lists - this is not the same as point form - the key is that if you have lists of any type, the best way to present them for business writing is to create bullets that have parallel phrasing (similar grammatical structure, for example all starting with verbs - wake up, have a shower, eat breakfast... - more information on parallel structure is provided in the McGraw-Hill e-text in chapter 4, pg. 98) ​

The key is that if you use these guidelines your writing will be visually appealing. Just think of how different you feel when you have a textbook page to read that is full of pictures, headings, and white space, and when you have a page to read that is top to bottom words with no relief. Readable business writing has plenty of white space created by headings, diagrams, and bulleted lists. Ideally, the reader should be able to visually see what you are saying by just the layout, without reading the fine print.
(Check Chapter 4 of the McGraw-Hill e-text on Business Communication for helpful hints to make your writing more readable:

・ pg. 85, figure 4.1 outlines how the most appropriate style for business writing compares to typical essay writing style





・ pg. 87 provides an excellent suggestion for checking the readability of your writing is provided in the section "Building a Better Style"





・ pg. 88, figure 4.4 provides suggestions on making your writing easier to read





・ pgs. 92-98 provides suggestions for building better sentences​

You can't help but improve the readability of your writing by using these hints. Remember, business writing is very different from essay writing. Even the best essay writers can benefit from these suggestions.)



With respect to your headings and subheadings, it is important they contain "high information". This increases the ability of the reader to visually see what you are saying. Use a newspaper journalism mentality and add informative headings to clearly state the point(s) you are trying to make. If the reader wants to know more detail, he/she will continue, but it shouldn't be necessary. For example, an effective heading in a report for the Joe McBrine case might be New Policy Needed to Handle Future Disability Cases. A very poor title would be Primary Problem. The reader therefore would know what the primary problem is from the title, not just that the next paragraph will tell them what it is. So, be careful not to use any of the Case Format headings in your case write-up.


(More examples of high information headings are provided in the McGraw-Hill e-text on Businesss Communication in chapter 12, pg. 292-3, and referred to as "talking heads".)

Case writing is often thought of as more of an art than a science. Each case is different and every write-up is going to be somewhat different. Please consult the other readings and your Teaching Assistant and/or Professor if you have any questions.


BEST OF LUCK! The effort you put into this will be rewarded down the line, not only in stronger grades, but in separating you in the business world. The value of communicating well can not be overestimated!



•As per Figure 8-7 in Chapter 8 of Impact…
?Use memo heading
?Start with the issue(s) and your recommendation(s)
?Outline how you made the decision ? lay out the criteria you used to make your decision(s)
?Outline what options you considered (and why) ? state the alternatives you considered
?Justify your recommendation based on each of the criteria and how the analysissupports your recommendations vs the alternatives
?Explain how the recommendation should be implementedto ensure its success, and what you recommend be done if certain contingency events occur ? do not choose a discarded alternative
?Use high information headings!

 

[jenniferlee]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

孩子上学中午吃饭的问题



在这里生活,与国内特别不同,尤其表现在孩子的吃饭问题上.


在国内时,一般学校的中饭学校都管了,家长只需要每月按照学校规定交钱即可.但是在这里,是没有人管孩子的饭的.当然,你也可以在学校里买饭吃.俺曾经中午时分在孩子的学校里看到:他们的校长亲自在那里为孩子们发放披萨饼.那饼看上去已经有点凉了,也不怎么可爱,也只能果腹而已,价钱还不便宜.



来到这里后,开始在MIX的社区里,各个族裔的孩子都有,中午孩子们带的午饭就是五花八门的.除了老师们严禁带的"花生和花生酱"之外(有的孩子会过敏),其他带什么吃的都不受限制.



开始时天热,每天中午就是变着花样给孩子做各种汉堡包,一个多月后,孩子吃腻了,就又改吃各种面包夹酱.这里的西人超市有卖各种各样很好吃的可供夹面包的酱,每天孩子就换着夹,然后带到学校去吃.



由于学校没有微波炉,所以,带中国饭基本就不可能.



转学之后,由于这边都是当地人,所以,孩子们中午大多都是吃意大利面的.



俺家儿子也很喜欢吃意大利面,因此,俺现在每天,就是琢磨着,怎么样为他换口味,带不同的意大利面吃.此外,俺也从西人超市里买那种LASAGNE,早上用烤箱烤好后,给孩子装在保温饭包里带去学校吃.LASAGNE是一种用很多的奶酪做出来的意大利千层面,这里的孩子都非常喜欢吃.



幸好学校里每天有两个可以吃饭的时间段:上午10点45分,和中午12点45分,这样,孩子可以在第一个吃饭的时间段,就把他的中餐给吃了,以免中午饭凉了无法吃.可是,这样的结果是:每天3点半放学回家,就已经饿得不行了,必须得为他准备好饭.原来在国内他放学后,会自己去小摊上买吃的,现在只能俺为他做,或者吃点面包什么的充饥.



这里的保温饭盒可选择性不多,其保温性俺也不觉得很好.所以,如果有这么大的孩子的话,大家可以考虑从国内带一个保温性强的过来.

 

[jenniferlee]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

俺给大家拜个早年,希望大家在新的一年平安健康,万事如意!


感谢大家一直以来对俺的支持和帮助!

 

[jenniferlee]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

珍妮对孩子上学的分析真是让人如醍醐灌顶的感觉。前列建议珍妮成立个新移民孩子上学前指导班。我的签证已经下来了，准备6七月份短登多伦多，到时候要多关照啊。

呵呵...没有什么经验可谈,只是自己的切身体会罢了.


快要登陆了,有什么不清楚的只管问,没有问题!


祝福一切顺利!新年快乐!

 

[jenniferlee]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

只要有空就来潜水阅读你的帖子了，美女祝你春节快乐！

谢谢支持!也祝您阖家新年快乐!

 

[园丁师傅]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

Jennifer姐姐早上好！
会去看冬奥会的开幕式吗？

 

[jenniferlee]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

继续冒泡并愿珍妮新年快乐~~

谢谢!


很稀饭你头像的那幅画!感觉和齐白石的一幅画很像,俺的邮票上有的...


新年快乐,我的朋友!

 

[jenniferlee]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

拜个早年了

谢谢!


新年快乐!

 

[jenniferlee]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

Jennifer姐姐早上好！
会去看冬奥会的开幕式吗？

呵呵...想都没有想过呢...


不知道怎么了,前年北京开奥运会时非常激动,现在却无动于衷,觉得与自己关系不大似的.而且,如果就观赏性而言,北京的一定比这里的好看,因为,这里是不会花纳税人很多的钱,去办一个很奢华的开幕式的...

 

[jenniferlee]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

珍妮老朋友，新年快到了，在这里俺提前给你拜个早年，第一次在加国过中国年，祝全家快快乐乐，心想事成!

谢谢呵!


俺忙得都没有时间和嫩聊天啊,对不起!


快要登陆了,有什么不清楚的快问啊!


老朋友新年快乐!

 

[jenniferlee]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

祝姐姐在加拿大的第一个春节愉快，全家幸福，虎年发财！！！

谢谢谢谢!

发财就不要想了,在这里发财几乎是不可能的.但是,幸福却是触手可及的!


也祝福嫩全家新年幸福快乐,一切顺心如意!

 

[jenniferlee]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

谢谢，我还不会献花，只是衷心感谢。

美意心领了!感谢复感动!

新年快乐!

 

[jenniferlee]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

给楼主拜个早年！！

非常感谢!


新年快乐!

 

[依林起舞]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

谢谢!


很稀饭你头像的那幅画!感觉和齐白石的一幅画很像,俺的邮票上有的...


新年快乐,我的朋友!

呵呵,郑老师的一幅小画,信手拈来便成俺的小头像了......

另外珍妮,你可以看看日本象印的保温盒,国内卖大几百块一个的,加拿大应该有得卖而且不会很贵吧~~这个东东很好用,小日本做这个可是一绝,保温效果奇好,到店里仔细找找看.

 

[园丁师傅]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

谢谢谢谢!

发财就不要想了,在这里发财几乎是不可能的.但是,幸福却是触手可及的!


也祝福嫩全家新年幸福快乐,一切顺心如意!

Jennifer说得真好。如果把发财就当成幸福的话，在加国可能就不会太开心了。

 

[pwjnd]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

拜年了,祝 jenniferlee虎年心想事成,收获多多!

 

[千里马]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

[FONT=宋体]大家可以看出，这是一份非常具有实战性的作业。简而言之，说的是加拿大一个只有[/FONT]10[FONT=宋体]万人口的小城市的管理者，过去一直由于注重环保而享誉一方，却因为本次金融危机的影响，而受到了空前的财政与管理压力：工厂倒闭，就业人数下降，税收减少。。。正在此时，有一家国际大公司将其作为自己将要新增厂点的考虑目标之一。当然，这样做会大幅改善该市的就业与税收状况。但是，这家企业明确告知：如果要达到该市所要求的环保要求，那么，他们的成本将难以负荷。因此，如果该市坚持要求他们达到一定的环保要求，他们就只能放弃选择该市。为此，市政府的管理者承受了空前的来自社会方方面面的压力,面临着艰难的抉择：是坚持走“绿色环保”的道路，放弃这家大企业入住，还是放弃自己过去的努力，接纳这家大型企业？[/FONT]



[FONT=宋体]这份作业要求学生们：当他们被作为市政府的顾问去帮助解决这个危机处理问题时，他们将提出怎样的解决方案？同时,这份作业还要求学生按照一定的写作要求来完成作业.[/FONT]

个人看法，这个题目可以很大，涵盖城市管理、环境保护、政策法律、财政预算、公司经营、技术革新等很多方面，如果不是有奇思妙想的话，写全了就要码不少文字和数据，要查阅不少相应的法律法规规定，叹~
解决方案无非是三点：
1 从市政府方面解决 比如全民投票决策、改变局部地区环保等级以容纳该企业、向上一级政府需求合作或政策法律支持、合理合法减低对方公司更多成本以期达到环保要求(个人认为这个是上策)等。
2 从合作方方面解决 比如技术革新的可能性、更换环保产品等。
3 另辟蹊径。利用环保环境优势开展诸如旅游等其他新兴产业、向上一级政府请求经济减压或者优惠政策等。
主要来给姐姐请安，祝虎年虎虎生威、生活幸福、万事如意、多多写作，早日出书

 

[疯人院里的哲学家]

回复: 枫叶之国面面观---一个投资移民眼中的加拿大

祝LZ虎年快乐!万事如意!