Founded by brothers Marc and Craig Kielburger in 2008, the social enterprise, Me to We was established to improve communities and benefit the people around them. Me to We sells socially conscious and environmentally friendly clothes, books and music. As well, providing inspirational speakers, leadership training and transformative travel experiences. The success of Me to We is measured by the number of lives it has impacted rather than how much profit it has made. Additionally, half of its profits is donated to Free The Children.

As learned in Class 20, both Marc and Craig Kielburger are social entrepreneurs. They recognized the variety of social problems society faces and established Me to We, partnering with Free The Children to free children from poverty and exploitation. In the past two years, Me to We has donated over $2 million to Free the Children. Besides supporting a specific target, Me to We also aids in global causes. For instance, Me to We has planted 98,000 trees to offset carbon emissions that are released into the atmosphere. Products wise, Me to We has conserved 11,000 kilograms carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere by constructing its CD cases out of 100% recycled cardboard and vegetable-based dye. As a whole, Me to We demonstrates social entrepreneurship, consisting of two social entrepreneurs with a social mission to impact the lives of differing communities through its abilities to serve a social purpose while encompassing financial stability.

A company I consider to be entrepreneurial is Apple Inc. Based on the reading in preparation for Class 19, Apple Inc. encompasses many of the characteristics entrepreneurial ventures should exhibit.

To begin with, Apple Inc. generates a substantial amount of wealth with profits reaching US$25.922 billion. In such a competitive market, Apple Inc. faces inevitable risks particularly from its greatest competitor, Microsoft. Both multinational corporations compete to provide computer operating systems. Because of such tight competition, Apple runs the risk of making a mistake which could cause the company’s downfall. Apple is also involved in substantial innovations that gives a competitive advantage that results in wealth creation. Besides providing computer operating systems, Apple has developed numerous consumer electronics, including the iPod, iPhone and iPad, which have all been successful in the market. Additionally, Apple consistently improves and updates its electronics software. For example, the iPhone has evolved from it’s first generation to the iPhone 4s, which has received much positive feedback and popularity. As a result, Apple Inc. illustrates a prosperous entrepreneurial company.

Google is not a multinational franchise for no reason. According to Google’s co-founder Larry Paige, Google does not just want the employees to have a great job. The company wants them to have a great life. Therefore, Google provides employees with everything they need to be productive and happy on and off the clock. From observable artifacts to espoused values and enacted values, Google fully satisfies its employees.

Based on my knowledge acquired from Class 16, Google’s success is credited to the company’s organizational  culture. As TeamTopHat illustrates in their blog, the variety of Google offices worldwide are named and decorated with what country they represent. By doing so, Google includes its employees in its organizational culture and reduces absenteeism and employee turnover. Furthermore, TeamTopHat discusses Google’s accommodations to its employees – providing bikes and scooters for easy travel between offices, internet accessibility around campus, multiple cafes providing meals and free access to recreational facilities. With such an organizational culture, Google flourishes as a prosperous company, being one of the most popular search engines on the internet. In my opinion, not only are Google employees passionate about their job, but customers are also contented with the results. Google employees’ satisfaction translates into Google customers’ satisfaction.