Everyday around the world entrepreneurs create a change by following their dreams. Everyone has this entrepreneur side to himself or herself; however, due to a variety of circumstances, sometimes it becomes hard to learn the tools necessary to make this difference. Learning about the Arc Initiative gives a sense of pride; fellow Sauder students are sharing their knowledge of business to give others a chance to make something of their individual passions. Members of the Arc Initiative can fall under the bigger picture of Social Entrepreneurs. Social Entrepreneurs “pave avenues of opportunity for those who would, otherwise, be locked into lives without hope” (SkollWorldForum).

Addressing the topic, if the United Nations were fully funded, the need for the Arc or Social enterprises would not decrease. United Nations works by providing relief to communities and people who need it. The Arc Initiative and Social Entrepreneurs work by empowering people to learn the tools that will allow them to succeed. As these initiatives continue to enable people all over the world a difference is being made which is allowing for future innovators to see these actions and make a difference themselves.

-Gurinder Mahal

Works Cited:

            Different companies provide different types of benefits for their employees; while some may be cutting down these benefits, others are increasing theirs. Peter Cappelli writes a compelling blog on these said issues titled, “Google Adds Benefits, Wal-Mart Cuts Them; Oddly, the Logic Is the Same.” At first this title may raise questions, as it did for me. However, it refers to Wal-Mart cutting the benefits of their part-time staff as a means of cutting down costs due to the part-time staff being easily replaceable. On the other hand Apple increases their benefits to entice trained employees to continue working, thus reducing employee turnover.

            Taking a strong stance against Cappelli, where as he states that the added benefits from Silicon Valley companies such as compensation for female workers to have their eggs frozen, and added animal insurance does not help the company. I believe on the contrary. These added benefits entice employees to stay with the company. Compensation for women having their eggs frozen can actually increase a female’s willingness to put her career as a priority while at the same time not having to give up the chance to have a family. Reality wise, benefits decrease turnover ratios and save money for a company in the long run in the forms of training new employees, and also by having a healthy workforce.

To read the full post by Peter Cappelli click here.

-Gurinder Mahal

Works Cited:

            Reading through the blogs of my peers, I was particular intrigued by the blog by my fellow first year, Christie Chau titled “Levi’s on the Rise”. Levi’s is a jean manufacturing company that way founded in 1853, over 160 years ago. Today Levi’s continues to prosper in the jean industry as a private company. What intrigued my interest in the blog however was that I could relate to the topic, Levi’s.

            Christie writes on the article by Marc Gunther titled “Levi Strauss seeks to slow down fast fashion with sustainable practices.” She stressed how the operations aspect of Levi’s continues to work on their brand promise of providing durable and premium quality products without sacrificing the working conditions of their employees.

            I chose to respond to this article because of my involvement in the Human Resources Management Club (HRMC) here at Sauder, and also due to the presentation by Danielle Van Jaarsveld, someone who I plan to work with in HRMC. Levi’s, as Christie mentions, can be commended on the challenges it overcame to provide their employees with a work atmosphere that the employees look forward to. Levi’s also works to cut back on the resources that they use to have a more sustainable and green business, as mentioned in the article by Gunther. To conclude I commend Christie for picking such a topic because it allowed for me to get a new view on an old company, while also being able to further relate aspects of Ethics and Human Resources, that I have learned in class, to the real world workplace.

If you would like to read further, read Christie’s blog by clicking here, or the full article by clicking here.

-Gurinder Mahal

Works Cited:

Chau, Christie. “Levi’s on the Rise.” Christie Chau’s Blog. UBC Blogs, 24 Sept. 2014. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. <https://blogs.ubc.ca/christiechau/2014/09/24/levis-on-the-rise/>.

Gunther, Marc. “Levi Strauss Seeks to Slow down Fast Fashion with Sustainable Practices.” The Gaurdian. Guardian Sustainable Business, 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/live-strauss-antidote-fast-fashion>.

             Money is power. A phrase many children hear while growing up. Parents may try to deny this to their children however, in the deal with GT Advanced Technologies, Apple made clear that they are the more powerful company and that Apple will be setting all the terms of the agreement.

            GT Advance Technologies is a sapphire production company that supplies the material for a variety of LED lights. Apple initially orchestrated the deal with GT Advance Technologies because LED lights consist of 80% sapphire therefore it would be beneficial for Apple to have a cheap sapphire supplier to minimize production costs in the long run.

            This is a classic case of corporate giants strong-arming smaller companies due to the size of their respected legal departments. Apple’s enormous size allowed for it to tie up the entire legal team of GT Advance Technologies with negotiations; thus preventing GT Advance Technologies from making any other deals with other potential clients. Then when Apple threatened to pull out of the deal GT Advance Technologies was forced to accept the terms set by Apple. This technique played to the business ethical side of the executives at Apple, they may have achieved a good deal in this negotiation however Apple’s image has been tarnished into a hostile company which might prevent future profiting deals to occur.

If you would like to learn more about the issue fell free to read to full article by clicking here.

-Gurinder Mahal

Works Cited:

Randewich, Noel. “GT Advanced Says It Fell Victim to ‘bait-and-switch’ by Apple.” The Globe and Mail. SAN FRANCISCO — Reuters, 7 Nov. 2014. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/us-business/gt-advanced-says-it-fell-victim-to-bait-and-switch-by-apple/article21510683/>.

            Uber, a taxi company, which-in five short years since its start-has been causing uproar of massive proportions. Due to my family investments in the local taxi industry, I was intrigued to read Mitch McCllough’s blog on Uber titled, “Controversy of Uber Proportions.” Other than the creative pun, what captivated my attention was how he approached such a controversial topic.

            Uber has been charged with various charges ranging from unqualified and unsafe drivers, to illegally flooding the taxi industry by bypassing the barrier to entry set forth by taxi license plates for cars, chauffer license for drivers, and insurance for the driver and his or her passengers. By evading all of these regulations Uber is able to provide a cheaper service, however they do so by risking the financial and physical security of both the driver and the customers in the car.

            Some of Mitch’s points, which are noteworthy, and notable in this manner, are when he deploys his knowledge of economics on a micro scale to better understand the business model of Uber. He states that by “influencing both supply and demand through pricing schemes” of the Uber cabs, Uber creates a business for themselves. To further Mitch’s views, I believe Uber uses an aspect of disruptive innovation with their app by providing a cheap and fast service that is viewed as convenient for their customers. As this issue develops I will be sure to write another blog with all the updates.

To read Mitch’s Blog post click here, and to read the full article click here.

-Gurinder Mahal

Works Cited:

            Kickstarter, founded in 2009, has been providing a platform for crowdfunding for entrepreneurs and innovators alike. Crowdfunding works by creating funding for a company through a variety of contributors by utilizing online websites on the Internet such as Kickstarter.

            Roo Wyda, a prospering businesswoman, who made her success in the waterproof bedding and underwear industry, is now expanding a new branch of her business into the Rain Gear poncho business for dogs, children, and adults. However, before expanding into the dog retail industry Wyda conducted market research through Kickstarter. She manipulated Kickstarter beyond just crowdfunding and used the feedback section of the program to see if there was demand for Rain Ponchos, and also what improvements there were to be made. Wyda did not achieve her crowdfunding goal but she did successfully save money in the market research she conducted.

            This technique may not be provide guaranteed information but it does “’provid[e] another opportunity to validate”’ (Paul Cubbon cited by Serebrin, 2014). Cubbon, a professor at Sauder School of Business, states that this approach allows for entrepreneurs to gain quick feedback on their products which than prevents production of an item that has no demand. Wyda had shown through her business that Kickstarter is more than just a crowdfunding program; Kickstarter also provides great market research that can be crucial for entrepreneurs.

To read the full article click here.

-Gurinder Mahal

Works Cited:

In the ever-changing technology world getting information from producers to consumers becomes ever easier, however conveying the product successfully is the inverse. The challenge of getting the consumer to recognize the product and accept it as well is what most marketers face. In India marketers are using a competitive advantage attained from Digital Marketing to combat this challenge. You can learn more about digital marketing by clicking here.

In this article the Adobe Digital Marketing Performance Dashboard reviewed India’s marketing techniques and rated them higher than their APAC counterparts. This article discusses how the growing number of Internet users in India has become the target market for Indian Marketers.

This article intrigued me due to the marketing implications of this new strategy in a place where my parents have grown up, thus hitting me close to home. Digital marketing is the use of the Internet to create a consumer friendly interface to attract customers. In class, we have discussed a variety of marketing techniques and attracting the customer through the new use of digital marketing can be considered product positioning. Product positioning is the use of marketing techniques to develop the customer’s perception of a product. As marketers in India use this technique I believe we can learn from this and apply it in our clubs at school to promote events and meetings.

-Gurinder Mahal

To read the article please click here.

In British Columbia, there have been an increasing number of companies that have decided to build new projects here due to a variety of reasons such as natural resources and accesses to the pacific; however, the issue of land claims by First Nations Tribes limits the number of capitalist opportunities that can occur.

In this article, Pynn discusses the “New Prosperity” mine project. This project is set to be First Nation lands and it is running into problems due to hunting claims in the area where the mine is proposed to be.

In particular, I was drawn to this article because of a variety of reasons, one of which being precedent. Precedent is the concept in law that if the courts allow this project, in the future they will have to allow similar projects to occur in the area. This plays into a number of business fundamentals. The mine would also allow for a $1.1 billion project to create taxable income to British Columbia while also creating new jobs.

One major factor that plays in here is ethics. Creating a mine in a region that will affect the majority of the First Nation Tribes in the surrounding area is a very ethical decision. Is it ethically correct to build a mine? Or should they shut down this project. Personally I believe that this is an economic opportunity that should not be passed on, however there is still a long process to go before any decisions are made. In the upcoming future these questions will be answered and I will be sure to continue updating you on this very controversial topic.

The First Nations claims are also effecting the Business Model for the New Prosperity Mine Company. By examining the S and the E of Porter’s PESTLE model we can view the social threats created as well and the environmental threats. The social threats that are being created can create a hostile atmosphere that may effect the Customer Relations segment of their Business Model Canvas as well.

-Gurinder Mahal

To read the full article click here.

Pynn, Larry. “Tsilhqot’in Set to Declare Site of New Prosperity Mine a Tribal Park.” Www.vancouversun.com. The Vancouver Sun, 11 Sept. 2014. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. <http://www.vancouversun.com/news/metro/Unilateral%2Bpark%2Bdeclared%2BTsilhqot%2Bincludes%2BProsperity%2Bmine/10192766/story.html?__federated=1>.

As most companies have taken the traditional path, in the past, to increase profits and revenues, Amazon is trying its’ own approach. Amazon is attempting to decrease the price of ebooks from $14.99 to $9.99 for consumers so that the writers, editors, and Amazon, it-self, can make more money.

This intrigued me because at first it seemed like the exact opposite of what a company should do, however, by applying economic, managerial, and marketing strategies I was able to decode this step taken by Amazon.

The concept of opportunity costs plays into accordance with this plan set forth by Amazon. By decreasing the opportunity cost of ebooks for the buyer, the buyer will then be more inclined to buy more ebooks because it would make them physiologically happier. This is due to Amazon dropping the prices of most ebooks from the current price of $14.99 to $9.99.

Managerial wise, increasing the demand for ebooks is the best option because it reduces almost every cost to $0.00. This occurs due to there no longer being shipping, printing, storing, manufacturing, ext. costs that are associated with printed books; thus maximizing profits.

After taking all of these factors into consideration, it clearly contrasts the traditional view that a higher price is better. Sometimes, like in this case, by decreasing prices you can increase the demand, and thus make a greater profit.

If you are intrigued about this move by Amazon click “here” to read the entire article.

-Gurinder Mahal

Works Cited:

In a growing, environmentally friendly, population, businesses are scrutinized based on the decisions their chair-holders make. These, said chair-holders, must then first analyze their steps and then all of the for-coming results prior to taking any actions. Therefore, business leaders are now compelled to use Business Ethics to make environmentally conscious, yet finically beneficial, decisions.

Business Ethics are ethical, or moral, decisions that one makes, or the entire company makes jointly. Here is an example of how a company used their business ethics to remodel an $11.4 billion dollar bottled water industry. One globally renowned company that has used these said business ethics to boost sales is Coca-Cola.

Coca-Cola is an enormous corporation with many daughter companies, one of which being Dasani. In 2009, Coca-Cola revolutionized the water bottle industry by releasing their new PlantBottle for their water brand Dasani.

The new PlantBottle uses 30% PET resin from sugarcanes, thus making it environmentally friendlier than the standard plastic bottle. The release of this new bottle boosted sales by a staggering 20%. The environmentally friendly bottle allowed for consumer product interest to rise, thus directly increasing revenue for the company. This bottle also created an elegant design, which caught my eye when I viewed it at the supermarket.

Business ethics are employed everyday in every case where a decision is made in a business. Depending on the scenario these ethics can either be harmful, or, as in this case, beneficial for the company. Personally, this marketing strategy expanded me insight on how business ethics are used in corporations and business.

If you are interested in learning more about Coca-Cola’s impacts on the water bottle industry here is an helpful link that I used.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2014/01/30/beverage-companies-go-green-in-hope-to-sell-more-water/

References:

“Beverage Companies Go Green In Hope To Sell More Water.” Forbes. Ed. Trefis Team. Forbes Magazine, 30 Jan. 2014. Web. 11 Sept. 2014.

-Gurinder Mahal