A fellow comm 101 student Rory Court has recently brought the ‘one-for-one’ business model to a new light. In his most recent post, he asks a simple question, “How does the ‘one-for-one’ model affect us at home?” This question brings up another major flaw with current society, and that is the overpowering popularity of wanting to help those beyond the borders rather than those that are within them.

As mentioned in Rory’s post, “it is much too cold to be spending the entire winter outside [in Winnipeg]” thus it would seem like a firm that could provide help for the locals would gain significantly more popularity. But alas the consumer mind does not work in that way. Homelessness and other domestic issues, although more relatable and prominent to consumers, are not issues locals are attracted to deal with.

There is a common misconception that domestic issues have to be dealt with by the local government, rather that an individual or firm. A confusing misconception considering that the fundamental ideologies of many consumerist societies is capitalism. So if the government can’t or won’t deal with domestic issues that are progressively blooming, nor firms. Then really it is all in the hands of the ones with the money, the consumer.

So the key point that should be derived from this discussion is that: firms are not in the wrong for trying to be a social enterprise. As well as being charitable, many firms have to put profit in amongst their main priorities, and unless the consumer agrees with their cause firms will not focus on domestic issues.

References:

How does the “One-for-One” model affect us at home?

Recently, a blogger for the Huffington Post wrote a post about how beneficial it is to have veterans on your team (business). Jessica Glazer (CEO of www.MindHR.com) brings up 9 reasons why she believes that:

Hiring a veteran will be the best business decision you will make.

She certainly brings up many qualities that are undoubtedly very practical for a business, but not all her points (especially those where she had to compare veterans to recents grads) felt had a universal validity.

When looking at students fresh out with a degree in business, you cant say that they will be slow learners, or that veterans will be faster. These students have been soaking in knowledge from birth and are ready to put that knowledge to use in real world scenarios.

In fact many of these points have been made broad and obscure. Assuming that Jessica did not serve, she probably has a very distant view of what it could be like in the line of duty. Experiences may vary and some veterans may be as ill-equipped for the business world as a recent university grad with no ambitions.

There should be no negative conotations derived from this post. It is definitely true that many Veterans could likely be “the best business decision” but it should be noted that they are on the same playing field as a specialised force called Business Grads.

Resources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/jessica-glazer/veteran-hiring-business_b_8511180.html?utm_hp_ref=canada-business

More reading on Jessica Glazer:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/jessica-glazer/

Would you wear ads?

AccuraCast brings up an interesting prediction, made by Juniper Research Group,

for the next step in digital advertising:

wearable advertising spend is estimated to reach $1.5 million in 2015, and it is forecasted to hit an impressive $68.7 million in 2019. (AccuraCast)

What was even more intriguing was the fact that more then half of it would be found in the “Far East and China” There is personal doubt in the credibility of such a statement. For instance There is no knowledge of its current success as smartwatches have only recently become a growing trend.

On the other hand, when putting my personal opinion of smartwatches aside, I see this as the new step in marketing. If developers, marketing managers and consumer focus groups can find an optimal equilibrium for ads on wearable device, then there could be improved efficiency in firm to customer communication for participating firms. Ethics aside, if firms were able to gain access to an individuals activity level and app preference, then they could match the right consumer with the right product making ads enjoyable or useful for users and thus satisfying the firms needs. Win-win situation.

Yet again I return to the blank question of whether you would wear an ad? By that logic, we carry ads in our pocket and do most of our work on ads. Plus the question in itself is almost rhetorical as many prefer wearing branded clothing (a form of advertising). Therefore personally I believe I would.

Would you?

References:

Adam, Christofer. “Wearable Advertising to Reach $68.7 Million – AccuraCast.” AccuraCast. N.p., 17 Apr. 2015. Web. 01 Oct. 2015. <http://www.accuracast.com/news/technology-7471/wearable-advertising-to-reach-68-7-million/>.