Everyday around the world entrepreneurs create a change by following their dreams. Everyone has this entrepreneur side to himself or herself; however, due to a variety of circumstances, sometimes it becomes hard to learn the tools necessary to make this difference. Learning about the Arc Initiative gives a sense of pride; fellow Sauder students are sharing their knowledge of business to give others a chance to make something of their individual passions. Members of the Arc Initiative can fall under the bigger picture of Social Entrepreneurs. Social Entrepreneurs “pave avenues of opportunity for those who would, otherwise, be locked into lives without hope” (SkollWorldForum).

Addressing the topic, if the United Nations were fully funded, the need for the Arc or Social enterprises would not decrease. United Nations works by providing relief to communities and people who need it. The Arc Initiative and Social Entrepreneurs work by empowering people to learn the tools that will allow them to succeed. As these initiatives continue to enable people all over the world a difference is being made which is allowing for future innovators to see these actions and make a difference themselves.

-Gurinder Mahal

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            Different companies provide different types of benefits for their employees; while some may be cutting down these benefits, others are increasing theirs. Peter Cappelli writes a compelling blog on these said issues titled, “Google Adds Benefits, Wal-Mart Cuts Them; Oddly, the Logic Is the Same.” At first this title may raise questions, as it did for me. However, it refers to Wal-Mart cutting the benefits of their part-time staff as a means of cutting down costs due to the part-time staff being easily replaceable. On the other hand Apple increases their benefits to entice trained employees to continue working, thus reducing employee turnover.

            Taking a strong stance against Cappelli, where as he states that the added benefits from Silicon Valley companies such as compensation for female workers to have their eggs frozen, and added animal insurance does not help the company. I believe on the contrary. These added benefits entice employees to stay with the company. Compensation for women having their eggs frozen can actually increase a female’s willingness to put her career as a priority while at the same time not having to give up the chance to have a family. Reality wise, benefits decrease turnover ratios and save money for a company in the long run in the forms of training new employees, and also by having a healthy workforce.

To read the full post by Peter Cappelli click here.

-Gurinder Mahal

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            Reading through the blogs of my peers, I was particular intrigued by the blog by my fellow first year, Christie Chau titled “Levi’s on the Rise”. Levi’s is a jean manufacturing company that way founded in 1853, over 160 years ago. Today Levi’s continues to prosper in the jean industry as a private company. What intrigued my interest in the blog however was that I could relate to the topic, Levi’s.

            Christie writes on the article by Marc Gunther titled “Levi Strauss seeks to slow down fast fashion with sustainable practices.” She stressed how the operations aspect of Levi’s continues to work on their brand promise of providing durable and premium quality products without sacrificing the working conditions of their employees.

            I chose to respond to this article because of my involvement in the Human Resources Management Club (HRMC) here at Sauder, and also due to the presentation by Danielle Van Jaarsveld, someone who I plan to work with in HRMC. Levi’s, as Christie mentions, can be commended on the challenges it overcame to provide their employees with a work atmosphere that the employees look forward to. Levi’s also works to cut back on the resources that they use to have a more sustainable and green business, as mentioned in the article by Gunther. To conclude I commend Christie for picking such a topic because it allowed for me to get a new view on an old company, while also being able to further relate aspects of Ethics and Human Resources, that I have learned in class, to the real world workplace.

If you would like to read further, read Christie’s blog by clicking here, or the full article by clicking here.

-Gurinder Mahal

Works Cited:

Chau, Christie. “Levi’s on the Rise.” Christie Chau’s Blog. UBC Blogs, 24 Sept. 2014. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. <https://blogs.ubc.ca/christiechau/2014/09/24/levis-on-the-rise/>.

Gunther, Marc. “Levi Strauss Seeks to Slow down Fast Fashion with Sustainable Practices.” The Gaurdian. Guardian Sustainable Business, 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/live-strauss-antidote-fast-fashion>.

             Money is power. A phrase many children hear while growing up. Parents may try to deny this to their children however, in the deal with GT Advanced Technologies, Apple made clear that they are the more powerful company and that Apple will be setting all the terms of the agreement.

            GT Advance Technologies is a sapphire production company that supplies the material for a variety of LED lights. Apple initially orchestrated the deal with GT Advance Technologies because LED lights consist of 80% sapphire therefore it would be beneficial for Apple to have a cheap sapphire supplier to minimize production costs in the long run.

            This is a classic case of corporate giants strong-arming smaller companies due to the size of their respected legal departments. Apple’s enormous size allowed for it to tie up the entire legal team of GT Advance Technologies with negotiations; thus preventing GT Advance Technologies from making any other deals with other potential clients. Then when Apple threatened to pull out of the deal GT Advance Technologies was forced to accept the terms set by Apple. This technique played to the business ethical side of the executives at Apple, they may have achieved a good deal in this negotiation however Apple’s image has been tarnished into a hostile company which might prevent future profiting deals to occur.

If you would like to learn more about the issue fell free to read to full article by clicking here.

-Gurinder Mahal

Works Cited:

Randewich, Noel. “GT Advanced Says It Fell Victim to ‘bait-and-switch’ by Apple.” The Globe and Mail. SAN FRANCISCO — Reuters, 7 Nov. 2014. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/us-business/gt-advanced-says-it-fell-victim-to-bait-and-switch-by-apple/article21510683/>.

            Uber, a taxi company, which-in five short years since its start-has been causing uproar of massive proportions. Due to my family investments in the local taxi industry, I was intrigued to read Mitch McCllough’s blog on Uber titled, “Controversy of Uber Proportions.” Other than the creative pun, what captivated my attention was how he approached such a controversial topic.

            Uber has been charged with various charges ranging from unqualified and unsafe drivers, to illegally flooding the taxi industry by bypassing the barrier to entry set forth by taxi license plates for cars, chauffer license for drivers, and insurance for the driver and his or her passengers. By evading all of these regulations Uber is able to provide a cheaper service, however they do so by risking the financial and physical security of both the driver and the customers in the car.

            Some of Mitch’s points, which are noteworthy, and notable in this manner, are when he deploys his knowledge of economics on a micro scale to better understand the business model of Uber. He states that by “influencing both supply and demand through pricing schemes” of the Uber cabs, Uber creates a business for themselves. To further Mitch’s views, I believe Uber uses an aspect of disruptive innovation with their app by providing a cheap and fast service that is viewed as convenient for their customers. As this issue develops I will be sure to write another blog with all the updates.

To read Mitch’s Blog post click here, and to read the full article click here.

-Gurinder Mahal

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