“Why would I travel to another country and help build a school? I do not know how to build a school. I am not an engineering student. I am a business student. Would it not make sense for me to travel to another country and share my knowledge on business instead?” – Taylor Davis, second year student at Sauder School of Business.

Over the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to work closely with Taylor Davis, and two other Sauder students as a member of the Arc Initiative home team organizing and planning events for Arc. When I first met Taylor she told me that she found passion in Arc when she was able to travel to Ethiopia to share her knowledge learned at Sauder with local entrepreneurs. It is with this idea that I feel that even with full financial funding of the United Nations, social enterprises such as the Arc would still be needed.

The UN provides relief on a broad basis, dealing with vast populations and major global issues concerning governments, militias, world health, and the global economy. Where as, Arc and other social enterprises provide the means for individual connections that have more potential to go further in the community of those people touched by the connection, than the large initiatives that the UN leads. For instance, Arc creates value in it’s endeavors, and it’s entrepreneurs by getting people involved. Arc gets people inspired, gives people hope that creates an astonishing ripple affect. This idea is reflected in Arielle’s story of how she connected her country and the Arc. Arielle saw an internal need and weakness in Rwanda, and matched it with an opportunity with Arc. Arielle was driven by this idea of the exchange in business skills and knowledge to empower entrepreneurs in developing countries such as her own. Social enterprises provides that drive for people to utilize their skills and share their passions in order to connect people world wide and efficiently contribute to their local economies.

Through my own experience with Arc, I can testify that even if the UN was fully funded and did not  need external donations, social enterprises would still be needed to make global connections, and fill the gaps that the UN can not. Even with not yet having traveled on an Arc trip, I feel  united on a personal level with global change than if I were to donate to the UN, or if it were to be funded completely. If the UN no longer needed funding, it would strip away any possible public interaction there is. 

Social enterprises give people practical tools to use at their free-will and right away. The UN is so large that it is difficult for local people such as entrepreneurs to utilize programs offered by the UN. Therefore, in my opinion, sometimes bigger, is not necessarily better.

Early last week, another student, Vanessa Lee, created a blog post surrounding the idea that women do not have respect in the business world today. Vanessa touches upon the notion that corporate America has not moved into the 21st century in the sense that men in business are not welcoming women as they should. However, I completely disagree with this. Being a woman myself, who has the desire to obtain a position of power in my later life, I feel it is about time that women themselves get caught up into the 21st century. It is crucial for us females to put an end to thinking in the past. For instance, the more time women spend whining and complaining about the fact that we are the minority in business, and as of right now we are, the less time we will spend on doing something about that issue.

Take Jessica Macht for example, an Audit partner at PwC, who graduated UBC with a BA in Economics. She recreated what it meant to be a woman in business by being confident. Men have shone over women for the sole reason that they have a history of being more confident than females. Jessica is one of the few women who is caught up in the 21st century in the sense that she did not linger on the fact that there are few females in business, but instead she worked with confidence and chose to grab opportunities that were presented to her with enthusiasm and certainty. Jessica proved that when you are confident and act accordingly, women can do the same and perhaps even more than men can do.

In my opinion, women are feared by men in the boardroom. As a female, I can speak from personal experience that men walk into meetings with confidence and a natural domineering attitude, however, a woman would come to the same meeting with a well planned out action plan with proof and logic to support it. Men are afraid of this, because they know they have not thought of everything a female might have. It has been noted that schools are now beginning to implement more boys support groups than girls, as they are more worried for the next generation of young boys, as girls are developing a louder voice.

Even though I agree that woman are still unfortunately the minority in business, and it is hindering the possibilities of the market and corporate America, I also feel strongly that women are indeed respected in the boardroom. However, we have just not noticed it enough to utilize the confidence we do possess to shake the business world forever.

Sources:

Lee, Vanessa. “When Will Women Earn Respect in Boardrooms?” UBC Blogs. N.p., 26 Oct. 2014. Web. 3 Nov. 2014. <http://blogs.ubc.ca/vlee/2014/10/26/when-will-women-earn-respect-in-boardrooms/>.

“Free People is a specialty clothing brand featuring the latest trends and vintage collections for women who live free through fashion, art, music, and travel. Free People offers a one-of-a-kind and compelling shopping experience that makes women feel beautiful, confident and connected with their inner being”. This value proposition of the lifestyle brand Free People portrayed on an external blog on blog spot, pin-points the very idea of what Free People is as a brand and as a company.

I am absolutely captivated by the marketing scheme of which Free People prides itself on. In an interview with Senior Marketing Manager Kathryn O’Connor, readers are introduced to the behind the scenes of Free People’s solely digital marketing campaign. The company strives with many Points of Differences, and in their positioning of marketing tactics. For instance, Free People’s advertising is based on short films which capture beauty, plays with the viewer’s emotions, explores ideal relationships, and incorporates captivating settings and plot lines. Free People stirred up the online fashion industry through disruptive innovation when they released their first short film titled “Roshambo”, a mesmerizing story of a young man who re-connects with an old acquaintance right before he leaves town. I feel that this short film, along with every video that has followed, toys with girl’s dreams, and aspirations of living a life similar, but in such a way that fills the viewer with love, hope and inspiration. This as a marketing strategy is immensely successful. Girls feel connected, a part of something, and when they are a part of the Free People lifestyle, chances are they will be attracted to the clothes as well.

Another point of difference for this innovative company is the way they gather their inspiration for new clothing lines, and movements. Free People is all digital, and therefore uses social media sharing tools and word of mouth to promote their company. However, instead of utilizing third-party social sharing tools like Facebook, Free People uses primary sources such as their own blog site, and their own social media sharing site called FP Me. A place where women can come to connect with others, post pictures of what inspires them, clothing styles they are into, to write blogs of their thoughts, and it offers them many customer benefits. By having such site, Free People is constantly engaging their customers and through them, they gather inspiration that contributes to ideas for the brand. In my opinion, Free People has made it so that customers are not only being inspired and enthralled in the unique and accepting lifestyle of Free People, but they are adding to it in their own way, and making the brand their own.

I believe that Free People has mastered what it means to position the product in the mind of the consumer. It is not only a clothing store. Free People has developed itself through its marketing strategies into a lifestyle, one that is based on the consumers thoughts and own ideas. This ensures total customer loyalty as the products and line becomes their own. I would classify Free People as a marketing icon for this generation.

Sources:

Dixon, Erica. “Value Propostion.” Free People Blog. N.p., 12 May 2013. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. <http://freepeopleblogbyericadixon.blogspot.ca/2013/05/value-proposition.html>.

Free People. “FP Me.” Free People. N.p., 2014. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. <http://www.freepeople.com/fpme/>

Noricks, Crosby. “How Free People Succeeds with Branded and Customer Generated Content.” PR Couture. N.p., 2013. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. <http://www.prcouture.com/2013/04/25/how-free-people-is-succeeding-with-branded-content/>

It was made known in a report on Monday October 13th, by the Pentagon that the proposed idea made in 2007 suggesting that global warming will impact the U.S. military day-to-day decision making is now a present day issue.                             The chief executive of the military advisory board Sherri Goodman raised the important notion that climate change is a risk today, and we need to plan, program and budget for it now, and into the future. Whether that means implementing the impact climate change would have on war games, training exercises and purchasing decisions, due to things such as sea rise level, heat waves and drought. The U.S. military has decided to establish training scenarios which incorporate these events instead of only operating when the optimal situation is assumed.

This new venture then raises the question of how much additional funds will be spent on the military and is it completely necessary. In my opinion, I would say that yes, it is necessary for the U.S. government to have to spend more money on this issue to discover innovative ways to incorporate climate change into national security and defense decisions in order to become sustainable for the future. To me, it seems nearly impossible for the U.S. military to downsize as decisions have already been made in the sense that the U.S. military operates on a global scale in a position of power, and to downsize by spending less, and not evaluating the fact that climate change will alter the way things operate would be naive, and irresponsible of the government. Implementing climate change into day-to-day military decisions takes into the consideration the idea of being socially responsible, innovative and being a social entrepreneur. This is because, people of power have to become aware of the social repercussions it would have on society, contemplate them and act accordingly with every decision made to ensure that we are prepared for the future, and that we will be sustainable while operating.

Therefore, in my opinion, the Pentagon is taking a proper course of action by implementing climate change and global warming into their national security and defense. I am impressed by the way they are looking towards the future, and not only that, but starting now to incorporate these issues. The sooner people realize the fact that we are at risk, the sooner we can do something about it and become socially responsible, the better.

Sources:

Goldenberg, Suzanne. “Pentagon: Global Warming Will Change How US Military Trains and Goes to War.” The Guardian. Guardian News And Media Limited, 13 Oct. 2014. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.<http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/13/ pentagon-global-warming-will-change-how-us-military-trains-and-goes-to-war>.

Institute For Public Research. “National Security and the Accelerating Risk of Change.” Center For Naval Analysis And Solutions. CNA Corporation, Oct. 2014. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. <http://www.cna.org/reports/accelerating-risks>.