Each week, BIV staff will share with you some of the interesting stories we have found from around the web.
Mark Falkenberg, deputy managing editor:
Beyond ushering in more remote work and flexible schedules, the pandemic may be pushing the four-day work week closer to the HR mainstream. – Canadian Business
https://www.canadianbusiness.com/ideas/four-day-work-week-canada/
Canada’s tight labour market is making it hard for employers to follow through on mandatory vaccine requirements, with some softening or reversing their policies to avoid deepening staff shortages. – Reuters
B.C.’s flood disaster points to a loss in stability of our water cycles, or “hydrologic stationarity” – which has deeply scary consequences for our entire civilization, warns Canadian water-policy expert Robert Sandford. – Georgia Straight
Timothy Renshaw, managing editor:
If you need a five-minute break from worrying about the next coronavirus variant and how it is going to be part of another "new normal", consider for a moment these examples of nature's brilliance as provided by National Geographic.
It's best-of-the-year season as organizations, publications, insiders, analysts and assorted self-proclaimed experts roll out their choices of what stood out over the past year in pretty much any arena you might want to consider. Here are two first out of the gate.
•The 10 best science books of 2021, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science/the-ten-best-science-books-of-2021-180979173/
•The 12 most intriguing animal discoveries of 2021, according to National Geographic.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/top-12-animal-discoveries-2021
Glen Korstrom, reporter:
I’m hearing many different pronunciations of Omicron. Good news is that according to an Merriam Webster editor, “there is no wrong answer” on how the word should be pronounced in English. Here’s a good explanation of why. – New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/world/omicron-covid-variant-pronunciation.html
With the SEC forcing all listed companies to open its books to U.S. auditors, and the Chinese scrutinizing the corporate structure of its companies listed in the U.S., ride-sharing company Didi said it planned to delist from the NYSE. Didi has data on Chinese nationals that the Chinese government does not want other countries to see.
Other Chinese company delistings are likely, and that brings up the question of what to do when a Chinese company delists from a U.S. exchange. Many trade as American Depository Receipt (ADR) companies, in which U.S. banks bundle foreign shares into an entity and then sell shares in that venture. Chinese companies could also trade with only a U.S. listing, or with a secondary listing in Hong Kong. This piece outlines what options investors have to be compensated for their shares in the varying scenarios. – Barron’s https://www.barrons.com/articles/what-happens-chinese-stocks-delist-didi-51639012455?st=pfjm60yanlniv17
