Writing for The Globe and Mail over the past two years has been a treat for me but I’ve decided it’s time to stop talking about running a business and get back to actually running one again. I’ve recently launched a new software business and will be dedicating my time to it. This is my last column. Thank you, readers, for sharing your time with me… Read More

Source Photo and Text: The Globe and Mail

The danger of market-timing a sale is a post from George O'Neill

Discount giant Wal-Mart Canada Corp. has entered the cyber fray, taking on Amazon.ca. Wal-Mart has big plans, says Gino DiGioacchino, senior vice-president, E-commerce, seen here Dec. 2, 2011.

Retailers are gearing up for an e-commerce battle this holiday season after discount giant Wal-Mart Canada Corp. entered the cyber fray, taking on the burgeoning e-titan Amazon.ca.

The push by a growing numbers of chains to pump up their domestic Internet sales raises the stakes for the entire sector. With consumers racing to find deals and convenient shopping venues in uncertain economic times, major retailers are vying to draw customers and stop them from shopping at established U.S. e-tailers… Read More

Source Photo and Text: The Globe and Mail

Wal-Mart brings ‘endless aisle’ to Canadian cyberspace is a post from George O'Neill

Institute of Corporate Directors CEO Stan Magidson says his members have rejected the idea of mandatory quotas for corporate boards.

Canada’s Institute of Corporate Directors has rejected the idea of mandating quotas for women to beef up diversity on corporate boards, but is calling for companies to adopt voluntary measures to improve board membership.

In a diversity report to be released Monday, the 5,000-member ICD, which represents corporate directors across Canada, says it does not support quotas – which have been adopted in a number of European countries – to mandate more women on male-dominated boards… Read More

Source Photo and Text: The Globe and Mail

Directors’ group gives thumbs down to mandatory quotas for boards is a post from George O'Neill

The Canadian flag flies higher than all others at Research In Motion Ltd. headquarters in Waterloo,

Canadians are still buying BlackBerrys more than any other smartphone, in stark contrast to the mobile whims of their southern neighbours.

Research In Motion Ltd. held 35.8% of the Canadian smartphone market in September, according to new data from market research firm comScore Inc., giving the Waterloo, Ont.-based BlackBerry maker the top spot in its home market. More than eight million Canadians owned a smartphone by early October, the report said, representing 40% of Canada’s mobile market… Read More

Source Photo and Text: Financial Post

BlackBerry remains Canada’s most popular smartphone, for now is a post from George O'Neill

Sharon Vinderine is the founder of PTPA Media.

As most startup owners will tell you, introducing a new business to the market requires giving a lot of thought to key success factors, which often vary by industry.

A common denominator for all of them is credibility. A startup has to figure out how to convince its target audience that it is a worthy supplier. But proving how great you are is not easy. Regardless of your business modeland your target audience, trust is something that needs to be earned in order to build a customer base and brand loyalty… Read More

Source Photo and Text: The Globe and Mail

Brand credibility is key: Here’s how to get it is a post from George O'Neill

Google Inc.’s Chrome internet browser overtook Firefox for the first time globally in November and it continues to narrow the gap on Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

Google Inc.’s Chrome internet browser overtook Firefox for the first time globally in November and it continues to narrow the gap to market leader Microsoft Corp’s Internet Explorer, web analytics firm StatCounter said on Thursday.

“We can look forward to a fascinating battle between Microsoft and Google as the pace of growth of Chrome suggests that it will become a real rival to Internet Explorer globally,” Aodhan Cullen, StatCounter chief executive, said in a statement.

In November Chrome saw its market share roughly doubling from a year ago to 25.7 per cent, while Internet Explorer’s share dropped to 40.6 per cent from 48.2 per cent.

The market share of Firefox — which is popular in Europe — slipped globally to 25.2 per cent from 31.2 per cent.

Apple Inc’s Safari is a distant No 4 on the market with a 5.9 per cent share of all browsing, with No 5 Opera controlling 1.8 per cent of the market… Read More

Source Photo and Text: The Toronto Star

Google’s Chrome overtakes Firefox in browser war is a post from George O'Neill

Research In Motion is introducing a software tool giving corporate customers the option of linking employees’ personal iPhones to the BlackBerry network without compromising security.

The move, announced on Tuesday, acknowledges the deep inroads made by Apple and Google’s Android devices in the global smartphone market, especially among younger users… Read More

Source Photo and Text: The Toronto Star

RIM shares shoot up on plans to open network services to iPhones, Android is a post from George O'Neill

Hello marketers? Please pay attention to professional working women

In a commercial for the 2012 VW Passat, a husband drives his very pregnant wife to the hospital, where he and a paramedic get caught up talking about the new car, forgetting about the woman about to give birth on its pristine seats.

It’s a comical take on how men love to talk about their cars, but as the owner of a Jetta, I cannot say that the ad – although entertaining – speaks to me… Read More

Source Photo and Text: The Globe and Mail

Hello marketers? Please pay attention to professional working women is a post from George O'Neill

Jose Boisjoli, CEO of BRP poses for a photograph outside the BRP design and innovation centre in Valcourt, Que.

Ski-Doo maker BRP Inc. is quietly reviving plans to go public as it whips up double-digit growth in new motorsport hot spots such as Russia and benefits from a retreat by Asian rivals.

The American owners of the Quebec company, formerly known as Bombardier Recreational Products, have a “horizon of two to five years” from now to monetize their investment — likely through an initial public offering, BRP chief executive José Boisjoli said during an interview at the manufacturer’s headquarters in the Eastern Townships… Read More

Source Photo and Text: Financial Post

Ski-Doo maker quietly revives plan for IPO is a post from George O'Neill

Canadian corporations aren’t allowing economic uncertainty south of the border to affect their appetite for U.S. acquisitions, according to a report released Thursday that says the rate of Canadian activity is “making M&A history.”

OTTAWA — Canadian corporations aren’t allowing economic uncertainty south of the border to affect their appetite for U.S. acquisitions, according to a report released Thursday that says the rate of Canadian activity is “making M&A history.”

Canadian firms have been involved in 385 U.S. acquisitions as of Nov. 14 this year, with a total value of more than US$22-billion, “40% of all cross-border deals by value and an all-time record-setting pace by volume,” says consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers… Read More

Source Photo and Text: Financial Post

Canadian M&A activity reaching new heights in U.S. is a post from George O'Neill