Archive for March, 2010

In a new international study just released by KPMG, it was stated that Canada is rated number 2 among 10 countries as a place to locate a business.

When compiling the results of this survey, KPMG took into account taxes, labour and utility costs. The Canadian governments (both federal and provincial) have recently implemented a number of tax reforms and cuts, which has helped Canada’s rank in this study.

How is this going to have an effect on businesses going forward? Glenn Mair, Director of MMK Consulting, says:

“Canada [is] expected to rank first among the G7 in 2014 in terms of low government debt. This helps Canadian businesses now with direct stimulus spending and, in the future, with lower risk of tax hikes, than in countries where government debt is much higher.”

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Statistics Canada just released the results of a survey on self-employment in the recent recession – apparently there was an increase of people who are self-employed by over 4.3% between October 2008 and October 2009.

Surprisingly, this is not solely a result of people being laid off, as paid employment fell by 3.3%. As well, most of those who were laid off were originally working in the manufacturing industry, whereas those who are now self employed are in the services industries.

Another interesting thing to note is that those who were involved in the growth in self-employment were mostly women (58%), even though it was mostly men who were self-employed before October 2008.

Whether we enjoy them or not, we all need to do presentations at some point in our careers. Here are ten quick tips to ensure the presentation goes as smoothly as possible.

1. Practice in front of an audience. Nothing is better than having the opportunity to practice in front of people – they can tell you whether you are talking too fast or too slow, whether you are loud enough, or whether what you are saying makes sense.
2. Have backups of all presentation materials. Imagine you are all set-up for your presentation, and have your presentation material on your laptop, but for some reason your laptop doesn’t communicate with the projector. Do you have a backup of the presentation on a different laptop? On a CD or USB key? If you can’t get any of your digital files to work with the projector, will you be able to do your presentation with digital files?
3. Allow yourself to be nervous. Nerves are a good thing – and most people feel them before a presentation. You can use these nerves as an adrenaline rush to make your delivery of your presentation more enthusiastic.
4. Anticipate the questions your audience will ask you. If you can anticipate the questions you will be asked, you can prepare your answers beforehand. When asked a question, you won’t be left floundering for an answer, but will already have a good idea of what to say in response.
5. Have one strong hook at the beginning to lure the audience in. There’s nothing worse during a presentation than looking out at your audience and realizing that no one is paying attention. A strong opening hook can grab their attention right from the beginning and will make them more attentive throughout the whole presentation.
6. Make short notes for yourself. We can all get sidetracked in the middle of a presentation, or momentarily forget what we are talking about. While having a full copy of your presentation is discouraged (it may cause you to read directly from the paper as opposed to speaking to your audience), having short points that you can take your cue from are always helpful.
7. Keep eye contact with the audience. Not only does this help the audience feel you are communicating one-on-one with them, but it also helps to keep their attention tuned towards you and your presentation.
8. Watch your posture and your body language. Body language can be quite dangerous if not used correctly. Keeping your arms crossed can give the impression that you’re not open to communication from your audience.
9. Have a conversation with your audience. You don’t necessarily have to have an actual conversation, but keep the tone of your presentation conversational. This makes the material you’re covering presented in a much more relatable way.
10. Expect to make mistakes. If you expect to make mistakes, you won’t let the ones that you do make fluster and unnerve you. Everyone makes mistakes, and if you just flow with it, most people won’t even notice that you have actually made a mistake.

In the fourth quarter last year, Canadian labour productivity experience its largest gain since the first quarter of 1998 (1.4 per cent). As well, manufacturing sales were up 2.4 per cent in January – this was unexpected, as economists had been expecting a 0.6 per cent gain. (Source)

So what does this mean for us? It is definitely a good sign, but there is always a chance we expect more of this than there actually is. By just taking a look at what happened in the fourth quarter, one may think that it’s time to start hiring more workers for the expected increase in business – however, if businesses try to grow to the size they were previously too quickly, it may once again result in strains on those businesses. While the growth is definitely something to embrace, stay cautious about getting too far ahead of what your business can handle at its current state.

The 2010 Federal Budget was announced last Thursday, March 4th, and it looks like the government is on track with the Economic Action Plan. Although it will still be some time before Canada sees a full recovery, we are headed in that direction. There are quite a few positives that are worth mentioning to provide a clearer picture of the recovery that Canada has made to date.

• This year, Canada will have the lowest overall tax rate on new business investment in the G7.
• By 2012, Canada will have the lowest statutory corporate income tax rate in the G7.
• Canada’s federal tax-to-GDP (gross domestic product) ratio is at its lowest level since 1961.
• As a result of the expiration of the Economic Action Plan and the measures in this budget, the deficit is projected to decline by almost half over the next two years to $27.6 billion in 2011–12, and by two-thirds to $17.5 billion in 2012–13. In 2014–15, the deficit is projected to be $1.8 billion.
• Finance minister predicts real growth in economy of 2.6% in 2010 and 3.29% in 2011.
• One objective was to maintain or create 220,000 jobs – Action Plan has contributed to the creation of over 135,000 jobs recorded since July, 2009.

Budget Highlights

• Under Year 2 of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, $19 billion has been allotted in new federal stimulus to create and maintain jobs, complemented by $6 billion from provinces, territories, municipalities and other partners;
• Over $4 billion in actions to create and protect jobs. This includes additional Employment Insurance (EI) benefits and more training opportunities to help unemployed Canadians through this difficult period, and help ensure they are equipped to re-enter the workforce and prosper in the future.
• $7.7 billion in infrastructure stimulus to create jobs. This will modernize infrastructure, support home ownership and improve social housing across Canada. This builds on the $8.3 billion investment in infrastructure and housing delivered in 2009–10.
• $2.2 billion to support industries and communities. This will support adjustment and provide job opportunities in all parts of Canada that have been hit hard by the economic downturn. It provides support for affected sectors, including forestry, agriculture, small business, tourism, shipbuilding and culture.
• Providing $3.2 billion in personal income tax relief to support growth and job creation.
• Delivering $1.6 billion to strengthen benefits for the unemployed.

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