Business

Dear Mr. Sinegal and Mr. Jelinek, Throughout the 90s, my older brother Matthew worked part-time at a grocery store. He was punctual, cared for his customers and he completed his work (clearing grocery carts from the parking lot) with excellence. But, the part-time minimum-wage salary, lack of benefits and toxic work environment prevented this job from becoming a career. When a Costco opened up in our neighborhood (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) in the late 90s; its reputation for treating its employees with dignity preceded it. Matthew applied immediately in hopes of joining the Costco team. A few short months later, Costco took a chance on him. Today, 11 years later, after several promotions, consistent pay increases and with a supportive team around him, Matthew has found his career....
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Dear Mr. Harris, I was very interested to see the June, 2013 issue of Canadian Geographic (to which I have subscribed for years) centered on the theme of "Energy Matters". The subtitle, "13+ things you didn't know about energy in Canada" led me to believe initially that the article would be a broad look at all aspects of energy production and use in this country. To my astonishment, I learned that the content of this article was strictly limited to enumerating the sites and magnitude of energy production in Canada. I was less astonished to see this narrow focus when I learned that the article had been partnered with the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. But then, I learned that the Royal Canadian Geographical Society is being funded by the CAPP in its planned Energy IQ...
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Dear Gordon: I am writing to let you know that we are making a public commitment not to commercialize sterile seed technologies, such as the one dubbed "Terminator." We are doing this based on input from you and a wide range of other experts and stakeholders, including our very important grower constituency. As you know, sterile seed technology is one of a class of so called "gene protection systems." This is a group of technologies, all still in the conceptual or developmental stage, that could potentially be used to protect the investment companies make in developing genetically-improved crops, as well as possibly providing other agronomic benefits. Some would work by rendering seeds from such crops sterile, while others would work by other means, such as deactivating only the...
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Dear Messrs. Idei and Stringer: Kudos to Sony for creating the recent NetMD extension to the Minidisc format! NetMD is a boon to users and is certain to increase the format's success. On behalf of the Minidisc's community of users, may I extend our appreciation. Indeed, the high-speed audio downloading capability and improved computer integration of NetMD highlights a surprising omission in Minidisc: its lack of a facility for taking audio recordings directly from Minidisc to PC. As editor of the Minidisc Community website, this is the single most frequent topic that I am contacted about. Readers are genuinely bewildered; how can Sony's Minidisc, so perfectly suited to digital field recording, be so unsuitable for getting their recordings onto a computer? Anyone wishing to transfer...
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Dear Fellow Americans, Few topics in America generate a more polarized and emotional debate than guns. In recent months, Starbucks stores and our partners (employees) who work in our stores have been thrust unwillingly into the middle of this debate. That’s why I am writing today with a respectful request that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas. From the beginning, our vision at Starbucks has been to create a “third place” between home and work where people can come together to enjoy the peace and pleasure of coffee and community. Our values have always centered on building community rather than dividing people, and our stores exist to give every customer a safe and comfortable respite from the concerns of daily life. We appreciate that...
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Dear World Gold Council Executives; As you very well know, the business environment for gold producers has been extremely challenging over the past few years. While demand for physical gold remains extremely strong, prices on the COMEX have fallen precipitously. This contradictory situation is the single most important obstacle to a healthy gold mining industry. In my opinion, the massive imbalance between supply and demand is not reflected in prices because available statistics are misleading. It is not the first time that GFMS (and World Gold Council) statistics have come under pressure from the investment community. In his now celebrated “The 1998 Gold Book Annual”, Frank Veneroso demonstrated the inconsistencies in GFMS gold demand data and proceeded to show how they grossly...
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Dear Ms. Bartz, I just finished reading your demoralizing letter regarding recent layoffs at Yahoo over at All Things Digital. Although I’m only a Yahoo user, not an employee, I am a heavy user of your Flickr product — a product that I’ve enjoyed and loved for many years now. As such, I watch how Yahoo is run with keen interest, mostly because I’m worried about how your corporate leadership will affect that site which I love so much. For your first year of your reign at Yahoo you gave yourself a grade of B-, this past year you seemed a little more defensive and gave yourself a grade of simply “pass.” You’ve had the you know what kicked out of you, of course, by most of the tech and financial press over the past few years and have come back swinging yourself in odd ways. Telling Mike...
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Dear Tom: I hope you don’t mind the open, public nature of this letter. I tried to find a way to contact you directly, but your email address seems to be guarded with all of the security of Fort Knox. How do you get that arrangement? I ask, because I think it would make my life easier in corporate America if I, too, could shield myself from any concerns, wants, needs or questions that others might have. That might, in fact, make my workday a whole lot easier. So, if you have thoughts on how I might accomplish that, I’m looking to you for guidance. Tom, I didn’t even know you existed until I began to explore Comcast’s website for ways that I might solve my ongoing Comcast issues. You see, I tried to call today to follow up on something your company committed to communicating with...
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Dear Mr. Chairman: We believe the Federal Reserve's large-scale asset purchase plan (so-called "quantitative easing") should be reconsidered and discontinued. We do not believe such a plan is necessary or advisable under current circumstances. The planned asset purchases risk currency debasement and inflation, and we do not think they will achieve the Fed's objective of promoting employment. We subscribe to your statement in The Washington Post on November 4 that "the Federal Reserve cannot solve all the economy's problems on its own." In this case, we think improvements in tax, spending and regulatory policies must take precedence in a national growth program, not further monetary stimulus. We disagree with the view that inflation needs to be pushed higher, and worry that...
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Dear Mr. Schultz, While I have expressed my doubts about the wisdom of encouraging any potentially controversial conversations while in the time-sensitive position of serving customers, I appreciate that your heart is in the right place. People across the country already engage in conversations about life's many challenges and controversies as they develop relationships with baristas, clerks, barbers and mechanics across multiple interactions as those interactions lead to a greater feeling of familiarity and friendship. Sometimes it leads to greater understanding and/or tolerance of different points of view. Sometimes it leads to lawsuits (ask the owner of Arlene's flowers), but I for one appreciate the role the free market has in bringing people together in a diverse society and...
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