Research is crucial in science and history but some people forget that it is also a vital part of business. Much research goes into studying the current market and consumers purchasing power. Entrepreneurs working to start up a new business also have to conduct surveys and studies to identify their start up costs and estimated revenues to see if the project is worth starting. Two cases we discussed in class were Disney’s plan to expand into Europe and Burger Kings plan to go to Russia. These cases proved the importance of research because both of these companies did not have previous knowledge of what the expansion would be like, until they researched it further. The difference in culture, financial information, and the popularity of Burger King and Disney in those countries all had to be carefully studied in order to not make a costly mistake. Unfortunetly, Disney did not do enough market research since they found themselves losing large sums of money to their Europe expansion. When your about to put millions of dollars into a project, thoroughly researching the market is one of the most critical things to do.

Social Enterprises are social mission driven organizations which apply market based strategies to achieve a social purpose. In other words, they take the power of the marketplace to solve critical social or environmental problems. A successful example of a Social Enterprise is the Vancouver based company The Cleaning Solution. The Cleaning Solution creates a domino affect by helping one group of people that also leads to helping a larger group of people. They provide environmentally friendly cleaning services to companies, while also providing meaningful employment to people that have experienced mental illness. This company enables individuals recovering from mental illnesses a chance to get back into the work force and re-build their confidence. This leads to businesses being satisfied with their clean working environment and a better quality of life for The Cleaning Solution’s employees.

The Acuman Fund was incorporated on April 1, 2001 and today is renowned for using entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty. They believe that pioneering entrepreneurs will find solutions to poverty and are focused on offering services such as water, health, housing, and energy at an affordable price. People can get involved by donating, volunteering, and keeping up to date on the latest news. Ways to volunteer could be as simple as spreading the word through the book “The Blue Sweater” by Acuman Fund’s CEO and found Jacqueline Novogratz. By reading and sharing the book with friends you can learn about their work and spread the word about new ways to fight poverty. The volunteer group “Chapter” is for people with a passion and interest in Acuman Fund’s work. They are located all over the world and if there is not one located near you, start your own! There is plenty of work that still needs to be done to end poverty and Acuman Fund’s approach is working towards a solution one step at a time.

Researchers are constantly doing studies on the impact humans have on the environment. With global warming on the rise it is important to be aware of your immense role in saving our planet. One extremely informative website that helps make people aware of the amount of carbon they are omitting, is a very useful tool to make yourself realize the impact each person makes. After visiting this site, http://go-beyond.ca/carbon-footprint-calculator, and calculating my carbon footprint I was able to see the simple things I could change in my daily habits that would make a big difference. Things like commuting by carpool, eating locally produced food, and purchasing more fuel efficient home appliances, can help our world become a lot greener. By living on campus at UBC my carbon emissions through transportation were very small. However, my carbon foot print score still said I produced 4.3 tonnes of carbon each year. Walking and riding your bike is the best alternative to driving or taking the bus. Even small things such as turning off the lights, taking shorter showers, and washing your cloths with cold water can go a long way. Besides energy saving tips, the website contains programs, new items, and recommendations on what appliances to buy to limit your carbon emissions. Check it out, you would be surprised.