Monthly Archives: November 2014

The question is, if the United Nations was fully funded, why do we need the arc and social enterprise?

Though the United Nations has their own development programme to tackle development problems such as poverty and equality, the world still needs more social entrepreneurs. The skills that are found in social entrepreneurs are different than those of the UN. For example, the UN is a huge organisation that has access to capital, whereas social entrepreneurs are individuals who build themselves through limited capital and resources. These individuals will then have to make measurable returns by allocating their resources efficiently.

These ideas of the arc and social enterprise are opening major pathways to youths across the globe. Anyone can become social entrepreneurs if they have the vision of making social change through innovating, sharing and limited funding. Countries need to cultivate hopeful, ambitious children and young adults because they are at an age where dreaming is central to their life. Hence, anything is still possible in their minds. Ask young adults how they would like to change the world, and we get hopeful, daring answers. Ask people over the age of 20 how they would like to change the world, and we get limited, doubtful answers.

Thus, the world needs more social entrepreneurs. It gives hope to people at an early age and it advocates that limited capital and resources are not problems that should hinder one’s ability to make a difference.

Nestle, Creating Shared Value

Not surprisingly, Nestlé is the first company to come up when I searched for “companies who create shared value”. Drawing from Jessica’s post, I also agree that Nestle shows the concept of shared value perfectly. They are one of the few companies who realize that social problems are as central to the core business as economic problems. So how does Nestlé create shared value?

Realizing that “this” is the largest business opportunity they have

The concept of shared value is contrary to the idea of corporate social responsibility, where doing good is separate from profit maximization. Whereas, the value of decreasing negative externalities through creating shared value is integral for making profits. Nestlé acknowledges that shared value is crucial in creating long term value for shareholders by offering products and services that help people improve their nutrition, health and wellness.

Collaboration with NGOs and government

As Michael Porter says, the key now is to support deeper collaboration with NGOs and government to pull entities together in the name of progress. Nestle is currently partnering with UN Global and the Danish Institute of Human Rights to assess and address human rights impacts in their operations and supply chain.

I believe that Nestlé ’s forward thinking will help the company sustain success in the years to come. Their commitment, progress and objectives to create shared value will put Nestle in front of other companies who are trapped in an outdated approach to value creation. However, being one of the top multinational companies in the world, Nestlé will have to abide to their commitments well since the smallest fault the company does will attract global attention.

The “Millenials” a.k.a Generation Y

Upon realizing that I’m part of the so-called generation Y, I took solace in knowing how our mind works and why it is different from previous generations. The way we think and how we present our values will certainly affect the way we work and want to work in the future. Like it or not, Millennials will change the workplace, as one headline says.

Though we respect strong work ethic, we try to redefine it. For example, deciding our own hours and dressing the way we want are essential motivational factors for us to generate our best work performance. These workplace flexibilities are contrary to old models of work, which are quickly becoming obsolete.

Nevertheless, our social mindset complements our seemingly self-centered and demanding nature, in which extrinsic factors does not simply satisfy us. Our heavy use of social media and smartphones cause us to become more aware of social, health, and political issues that are happening around the world. As cliche as it may sound, we become inclined to the idea of giving back and helping the earth to be a better place through various methods.

With this mindset, I believe that the generation Y will most likely seek workplaces with strong values of giving back to society and individuality at the same time. Working in a place where people share the same values will provide internal satisfaction and a sense of belonging in their field of work. Thus, satisfaction comes from intrinsic factors, which allow growth potential and fulfillment.