The United Nations is what gives hope to those in need. An international governing body to ensure the human rights of every person on this planet. Unfortunately, corruption often leads to ineffective services. United nations initiatives often provide immediate relief, but are some times unable to conquer the bigger problems associated. Both the Arc and other social enterprises provide a solution instead of simply a relief. Instead of stopping the bleeding momentarily, they will teach people how to prevent bleeding in the first place.

To put my analogy in context, we can look at Arielle Uwonkunda’s story. She is using her knowledge to help promote growth in her home country. Instead of simply funding entrepreneurs, she is investing her time and business knowledge to provide opportunities. The capital she is supplying is not just monetary; it comes in business experience too. This investment is due to payoff as now she has various entrepreneurs and businesses working under the Arc’s guidance.

Initiatives like this do more than just send care packages. They strengthen economies and build an infrastructures of success. The extra money in the economy may even allow for increased education and focus of personal health.

The controversy that is the Dasiqox Tribal Park, could be viewed in many different ways. Personally I respect the fact that the First Nations People are attempting to preserve these biologically diverse lands, but I definitely question the motives. If these lands were so very important to them, why did it take this long to claim them? The Williams Lake area is unquestionably an amazing destination and demolition of such a beautiful place would be a tough pill to swallow; however, the estimated 1.1 billion dollar project should also provide a strong argument to the government.  Although already given full approval, Taseko Mines Ltd. was forced to halt their operations in the wake of what happened. To me, this seems like an abuse of power.

The spontaneity of this Tribal Park proves just how difficult it can be to manage a company. Things can change ever so fast, and all one can really do is plan for the worst. By evaluating external threats in the building of the business plan, companies can attempt to make arrangements to avoid disasters like this. In this case Taseko Mines Ltd. would have had to look into Political and Social threats to their operation. However it is easier said than done, and even with large scale projects like this, threats can easily fly under the radar.

The Barclay’s Premier League is easily recognized as one of the most competitive leagues in the world. Whether its fan support, history, or player skill level the Premier league is often unparalleled. As teams fight for the top spot in the standings, there is another fight off of the field that is of equal importance, profitability. A club’s profitability and brand value is what allows it to buy, sell, or loan its assets to attempt to produce a winning team.

Manchester United is not only a club but a brand. In the last 15 years they have reached out to foreign markets and the pay off has been huge. 2005 was the year that they introduced their Chinese based website. This enabled Chinese Manchester United fans to access important team info, create memberships and more importantly, purchase from the online store. The clubs accessibility world wide provides a major point of difference compared to other Premier league teams. This more fulfilling connection to the team motivates fans to buy team gear, watch the games and maybe even make plans to go see a game live!

The extra revenue generated from proper marketing allows Manchester United to adjust the team to its winningest capacity. The reason for their continual success is: whether they win or lose, to the casual fan, Manchester United will always be seen as a notable team. This can be directly attributed to its profitability and brand value.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-471032/Fan-frenzy-halts-United-training-China.html

Value propositions are vital components of any company’s success. The question, “what are we providing to our customers?” must be asked by all management teams. By providing a personality or a message to the product, it creates a much stronger connection with the consumer. Products like the Iphone, have become so powerful simply because they have become more than just a phone. Essentially, it is an image. Some would argue people want the Iphone for what it is rather than for what it does. As a result, customers develop a sense of trust for Apple. This highlights the importance of maintaining a value proposition.

When looking at company failures within the same market, Serinda Kong’s blog on the “Blackberry Comeback” highlights the importance of staying true to value propositions. Originally Blackberry dominated the corporate world.  The minute they attempted to compete with the likes of Apple, their image was lost. Serinda eloquently explains how Blackberry intends to “Thrive and rebuild the company’s relations with the enterprise market.” For a company that has struggled as much as Blackberry has, I believe this is exactly what they need.

In class five we explored the world of accounting. We saw the many ways that companies can use accounting to provide them with positive insight. Providing the numbers, helps companies make vital decisions. Unfortunately many people abuse the system and bring a bad name to all involved.

A recent article posted on the Wall Street Journal, reveals one of the many accounting frauds in the last few years. AgFeed Industries Inc. which is a a Chinese animal-feed and hog-production company, was caught inflating revenue to unjustly improve its stock’s value. Shockingly they were getting away with falsifying their revenue “by $239 million by creating fake invoices for the sale of feed and purported sales of hogs that didn’t actually exist”. 

Selfish choices like these, affect all of the stakeholders. Not only does it bring negative media attention and a bad name  to the company, but it also affects the stock owners as they are paying for an extremely over valued item. For those that invested large amounts of money, fraud cases like this can ruin lives. Thankfully, Securities and Exchange Commission or SEC,  filled a lawsuit in which the settlement ended up being 18 million. This money provided some relief for those who were wrongfully treated throughout the whole process. It never pays to cheat, or be unethical and cases like these provide proof.