If  the United Nations was fully funded why would we need the Arc or social enterprise?

Social enterprise is a foundation in which citizens of the world can engage in mutual learning, whereas the United Nations focuses on humanitarian affairs and conflict reduction. While the state of society should be greatly improved if they were to be fully funded, many of its sectors do not get involved with the community directly. Instead, initiatives are based on donating resources, overseeing international law, and leading human rights campaigns to provide awareness, all of which remain impactful in the big picture.

However, social enterprise connects with the global community in a way that the United Nations cannot. For instance, similarly to Osei Duro, a social co-operative called Re-Wrap employs disadvantaged women in India to make reusable cotton cloth bags and scarves. Through providing the community with an ethical workplace, it allows its employees to gain economic independence and avoid potentially dangerous working environments. In addition, Re-Wrap allows for their employees to work remotely to meet the increasing demand for their goods. As a result, these employees are gaining entrepreneurial skills and are able to generate supplementary income for their families, or start their own small business. In return, Re-Wrap is able learn about the local culture and become a part of a growing economic neighbourhood.

The United Nations would not be able to connect with communities the way that Re-Wrap does. In a way, they are micro-financing the future careers of their employees and promoting competency in a variety of skills, instead of simply dropping resources, leaving, and hoping that the community will teach itself how to become sustainable. The effort that social enterprises and the Arc Initiative make towards integrating themselves into the community makes all the difference in maintaining a sustainable change in society.

Canadian online fashion company Wantering has been in rapid expansion since its debut in 2011. To account for their success, founder Matt Freisen has recently introduced offices in both Los Angeles and New York City. However, due to the fact that Wantering is still in its startup stages, he is only able to employ two employees in LA and four in New York. The homebase for the company still remains in Vancouver with seven team members. Freisen sees the importance in routine activities such as having lunch as a group because it “creates a bit of a family atmosphere and a team atmosphere,” within the team. Evidently, it is difficult to build a cohesive company culture where different departments are based at a significant distance from each other, particularly in the case where there are a mere two people working together at one location.

(source: glamour.com)

In the article, various industry professionals weigh in on their opinions towards resolving Freisen’s issues with respect to culture. They recommended gathering the entire company together for workshops, and to one day assemble the team in one location if the finances allow it. Jack Newton of Clio Software suggested to seek employee thoughts on common values. Allowing this to be a collaborative project prevents the company from reaching a state of homogeneity, which is a positive factor. The finalization of values facilitates future hiring and allows future hires to have a solid grasp of what the company stands for, and what they should do to uphold it.

(source: http://www.pecanpartnership.co.uk/what-we-do/culture)

I also suggest Wantering to take a look at their marketing structure, as this section and corporate culture are closely tied. The way in which Wantering markets itself towards consumers should reflect the values of Wantering employees as well. In order to be cohesive, the values of the company should be upheld to the highest standard, as that is not only how the employee views it, but how the public views it as well. At this moment, as long as every office location is aware and actively working towards common values, Wantering should be in no trouble at all in terms of company culture, despite differences in geographical environment.

Southwest Airlines has been a consistent leader in terms of sustainability in the past 44 years. Its growing clientele originates from providing reliable customer service, as well as competitive prices, that would not be found at other airlines. This year, Southwest is launching a new onboard entertainment service with music powerhouse Beats Music. Further satisfying the People category of the triple bottom line (shown below in the form of Venn diagram), Southwest understands consumer needs and aims to meet them to the best of their ability. Demonstrating their care towards people proves that “Southwest connects [their] Customers to what is important in their lives,” and with this information, they “continue to enhance [their] onboard offerings to remain current as [their] Customers’ needs evolve,” (Krone, Southwest CMO). Southwest differentiates itself through not only low prices, but through quality customer and employee care, community development, and environmental innovation.

(source: http://www.chess-llc.com/TBL.aspx)

Their community and environmental initiatives range from the development of a Green Plane, ameliorating fuel efficiency, to LGBT outreach, many of which began near the launch of the company. Following the triple bottom line framework has rendered Southwest Airlines a profitable company for 41 years straight. In addition, according to MarketWatch, it is more successful compared to its competitors at +0.88% change.

 (source: MarketWatch Nov. 5, 2014)

Southwest Airlines is the ideal exemplar for companies who are skeptical towards valuing social/environmental sustainability equally with economic performance. Southwest differentiates itself through not only low prices, but through quality customer and employee care, community development, and environmental innovation. Its legacy will not rest simply at being a means of transportation, but with its winning points of difference.

Southwest Airlines’ business model proves that enterprises who make an effort to connect with the planet and the people will not impede upon profitability, but instead catalyze it.

33 year old Casey Neistat tells stories. He previously worked for HSI productions as a commercial director, but nowadays he makes his living off of freelancing. Him and his brother gained traction through the HBO series “The Neistat Brothers,” but the show ended promptly due to artistic differences. While his brother pursued a career in independent film-making, Casey threw himself into the marketing world.

(source: Casey Neistat for J. Crew)

From his interview with AdWeek, he reveals that he “never tells clients what [he’s] doing explicitly” in order to maintain his voice in his digital content. Nowadays an increasing amount of companies are looking to expand their online media presence, which gives Casey an endless amount of clients, ranging from Nike to Mercedes. Neistat’s creativity flows through each video. His personal brand is built through his non-advertisement related content. His candid style is incredibly distinct, with casual voiceovers and jump-cuts. The public loves it, considering that his most-viewed video is at 13 million views. Companies are slowly beginning to see that consumers want real people associated with their products in order to be convinced.

What Neistat stated about the downfall of Apple advertisements is understandable, however I have still found myself enjoying the new iPad commercials. Featuring the composer Esa-Pekka as the face of their products appealed greatly to myself, as well as other music lovers. Nonetheless, I feel that Neistat spoke a certain truth about the lack of risks that Apple has taken in terms of marketing. It simply does not exude creativity. The belief that “the product will sell itself” is true in terms of sales of the iPhone6, but Apple is no longer an innovative leader in the world of advertising like it was before.

Would Casey’s directorial style fit in with Apple’s minimalist platform? Maybe not, but considering the disparity in Youtube views between Neistat’s branded videos (Nike Fuelband shown below) and Apple’s originals, it might also be time to make a change and evolve with the world of digital media.