When I think back on all the concepts that I learned during Comm 101 this term I get quite overwhelmed with the amount of tools that were given to me to use in becoming a successful businessperson. As I prep for my social entrepreneurship class I realize how lucky I am that I was given these tools, something that people in third world countries do not have easy access to.

The Arc initiative is a very unique and different program that brings more to the table than what the United Nations does. Yes, the United Nations provides better living standards and promotes social progress, but what the Arc does is it gives people in third world countries the knowledge they can use to start their own business. Through workshops, the Arc is fuelling entrepreneurship. It gives the people in third world countries those basic fundamentals that I am so lucky to have. This is the opportunity that many people need to lift them onto their feet; the ability to take an idea and organize it well enough to pursue it. I think the Arc Initiative is a really great program because it is something that can help people for a lifetime.

Sources:

http://www.sauder.ubc.ca/Global_Reach/ARC_Initiative/About_ARC

http://skollworldforum.org/about/what-is-social-entrepreneurship/

Vancouver and hockey are two things that just go together. The Vancouver Canucks have previously had some very successful seasons, but last season was a huge upset for the team and the fans. The management and the team had some issues that could have directly led to their terrible season. The team, including the coaches, and management lacked organizational culture. Although, everyone’s intentions were to win games, the belief in which the way to win those games differed for some members.

During the offseason, the Canucks made many changes to their team and their organization. With a new coach in Jim Benning, and Trevor Linden, as president, they addressed many issues in the organization and began to change the culture of the team. One key example is the release of Ryan Kesler, who spent the latter part of last season with the attitude that he no longer wanted to be in the Canuck’s organization. This type of attitude is what brings down the whole organization.

When I think of organizational culture, I think about a team of people who are passionate about doing the best they can to benefit their whole team. We’re a month into the NHL season, and we can already see the positive outcomes with these changes in the organization culture.

Sources:

http://thehockeywriters.com/canucks-need-brendan-morrison-as-character-model/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/globe-on-hockey/canucks-set-to-begin-talks-with-potential-general-managers/article18197903/

There is one very huge factor that motivates businesspeople in today’s society, and that is power. Power however, is not always given out to the right people. The article “27 Psychological Reasons Why Good People Do Bad Things” gives some interesting reasons to why businesspeople do terrible things. One very important aspect is something we discussed in class, rewards. It seems like we tend to reward people for doing something when really we should not be rewarding them at all. I feel like this is very true and it is something that no one really thinks about until it is mentioned. Rene’s blog, Power Hungry, gives a really good example of this is the real world. Jordan Belfort, the wolf of Wall Street, has been given too much attention for his bad actions. I agree with Rene, his bad behaviour was never really punished; he has a movie, a book and countless tours. I believe that as a society, we give people more credit than they deserve. In order to change the way people act; society must change its views on rewards as a whole. Everyone wants power but there is a right way to get it.

When you think of October what first comes to mind? The first thing I think about is Halloween, so obviously chocolate comes to mind. While looking through UBC Sauder alumni, I came across Zimt Artisan Chocolates, a company started by Emma Smith. This company displays a lot of corporate social responsibility. The chocolate is organic, and the packaging is environmentally friendly.

In her blog “Trick-or-Treat… What’s the organic solution?,” Emma gives some ideas (tricks) on how to create an ethical bundle of chocolates for trick-or-treaters. I think her solutions are great because she’s making an effort to create a shared value for everyone (especially chocoholics), even children. To introduce children to the idea of organic foods is uncommon and important for sustaining a healthy environment.

She really thinks about the triple bottom line and the 3 P’s that are involved with it. Her products are environmentally (planet) friendly because they are organic. All the ingredients are grown without herbicides, pesticides, and/or insecticides, which means that there is nothing to harm the Earth. This is good socially (people) because then the farmers do not get exposed to the harmful chemicals. As for the economy (profit), Zimt is a small company based in Vancouver and is looking to expand to Asia and Europe.

Source:

http://www.straight.com/food/zimt-artisan-chocolates-looks-take-its-raw-vegan-confections-beyond-vancouver