For this blog post, I will dedicate it to one of my role models, Muhammad Yunus. Professor Yunus is well known for his work with Grameen Bank. His objective was to give loans to poor people under terms suitable to them, and to empower them by educating on how to be financially stable. He was awarded with Nobel Peace Prize in year 2006 for his work to fight off poverty.

I respect Muhammad Yunus because he seems humble and genuinely willing to help the people, not just for his own profit. Also, I believe that throwing wad of cash at poor people does not solve any problems. However, Professor Yunus did not just leave the people with money. He found value in teaching these people with few basic financial principles so that they can survive on their own after recovery. Although I’m still in progress with his book “Banker To The Poor”, it has been one of the most interesting biographies I have read in my life. He is a true, respectable example of a social entrepreneur.

 Social entrepreneurs are individuals who make profit to improve and fix societal problems. Among several social entrepreneurs, perhaps the most dominant and well-known social entrepreneur would be Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS shoes. During Mycoskie’s trip to Argentina, he was struck by many social problems there including poverty, health issues, and most of all, he noticed that there were quite a number of children who did not own proper footwear. He was inspired to help the children in need, and started his own business with $300,000. His mission for TOMS shoes is to donate a pair of shoes to a child for every pair of TOMS sold.

Mycoskie’s 45-employee company has now raised roughly $4.6 million since the launch and donated over 115,000 pairs of shoes to children in need around the world. I strongly support social entrepreneurs and businesses such as TOMS, because it shows that the world of business still has a heart, and it’s not entirely just about money. While TOMS still makes small revenue, they are doing good for the world. In addition, their shoes have become part of a growing trend not only in America, but around the world. Living in a first world such as Canada makes me take a lot of luxuries for granted. However, companies such as TOMS demonstrates to third world countries that North America aren’t just filled with greedy, and selfish people.

Source : http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/04/0403_social_entrepreneurs/26.htm

 Recently, McDonald’s and Target dropped their egg supplier, Sparboe Farms, after finding videos of animal cruelty at five facilities. Some of these included images of farmers swinging chickens by feet, hens crammed in to a tiny cage, and cutting off tips of the beaks of chicks. Both Target and McDonald’s expressed their disappointment and discontinuation of future business relationship with Sparboe Farms.

It is good to see justice being done towards unethical businesses. Personally, as a pet owner I have strong love for animal rights and sustainability in general. I believe that in long run, being sustainable and ethical will help a company grow bigger because it will create a better image in the market. This society is no longer just about making money, and people do not tolerate cruelty. Not only are the eggs produced by Sparboe Farms unethical, but the eggs are also contaminated at cases, and they were also found to be ‘unhealthy’ eggs due to injuries and health issues of the chickens.

Mercy for Animals video site: http://www.mcdonaldscruelty.com

Article Source : http://news.yahoo.com/mcdonalds-target-drops-egg-supplier-224502573.html;_ylt=A2KLJLog18hOo2IAwBdtzwcF;_ylu=X3oDMTRvdmJ1NXQwBGNjb2RlA2dtcHRvcDEwMDBwb29sd2lraXVwcmVzdARtaXQDTmV3cyBmb3IgeW91BHBrZwM0YTI1NmE3OC1kYzA0LTNhZWMtYTE5NS02MzExMzA2YWI2N2YEcG9zAzcEc2VjA25ld3NfZm9yX3lvdQR2ZXIDYTI4MGI4ODAtMTMwMy0xMWUxLTlmNzUtNWE4MGMyNmY3YTU5;_ylg=X3oDMTJyZ3VybmVzBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDNDUzYjM4NjEtYTgzYy0zZmE2LWI0ZDctYWVmY2Y0OGZhYmIxBHBzdGNhdAN1cwRwdANzdG9yeXBhZ2UEdGVzdAM-;_ylv=3

Hilton Hotel implemented a charity system recently, to recycle and donate soaps to poor countries with Global Soap Project. Prior to working with Hilton, Global Soap Project has worked with over 300 hotels. Created in 2009, Global Soap Project “uses a process of sanitizing, melting and remolding discarded soap from hotels throughout the country.”

In addition a similar non-profit organization, Clean the World, has been collecting soaps and toiletries to provide for impoverished communities. According to statistics by Clean the World, hotels across U.S. discards roughly 1million bars of partially used soaps. This is a good way for companies to do some good, without pouring in loads of cash. It is a win-win situation : hotels give away used soaps, which are bound to be thrown out anyway, and organizations will help communities in need. And it does not just end there. By participating in partnerships with  Global Soap Project, Hilton Hotel hopes to achieve reduction of waste by 20% by year 2014. To add, UNICEF stated that using soaps to wash hands can reduce the risk of getting diarrhea among children by almost 50% and respiratory infections by up to 25%. Everyone is happy in this case.

Article: http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/post/2011/11/hilton-global-soap-project-recycling/565027/1

The whole world was talking about the release of new iPhone on October 4th. It was only a day after when Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of Apple, died while fighting against pancreatic cancer. Steve Jobs created many revolutionary devices including iPods, iPhones, and iPads.What consumers are questioning now is “Will Apple be the same without Steve Jobs?”. Sure, many economists are expecting drop in stock market, but Apple will be providing the same taste and should be good to go.

For Now.

Although the genius behind Apple products is no longer around, he left 4 years worth of products for Apple. Steve Jobs was fully aware of his health conditions, and worked on future Apple products to ensure the company’s future. Some of his work that he prepared before his death include blueprints for 4 generations of iPhones, iPads, and other iProducts. For Apple fans out there, this is a relief of sigh, since the next four generations of iPhones will carry the work of the same guy who created all the other products they love.

source : http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/227662/20111009/steve-jobs-legacy-continues-apple-boss-leaves-behind-plans-for-four-years-of-iproducts-iphone-iphone.htm

Facebook, founded by Mark Zuckerberg, is a ground breaking social networking site of this generation. What first started as a small networking site among few colleges now expanded to cities all over the world. Facebook users may share as much information as they want on their profile. However, having one’s personal information for the world to see brings up a major concern of privacy. You guessed it right, Facebook has been selling personal data to companies and markets. There are privacy settings which allows users to choose which information may be visible to certain groups of people. Problem is, Facebook has the power to extract consumer’s data anyway. It is not a coincidence when users receive emails about wedding planning when their relationship status changes to ‘engaged’. Although it is not illegal in Germany, Facebook is also known for selling information to employers of big companies so that they can see their future employee’s personal life to determine their suitability for the company.

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2010/tc20100526_720314.htm

Bank of America is one of the government bailout recipients and currently a company being targeted by many protesters at Wall Street. Although Bank of America have firm iron fist, American protesters have a strong weapon. They can move all their money out from BOA to its competitors. So what exactly are they doing that are making protesters angry? Here are some reasons why:

1) They started charging $5 monthly fee for clients to use their debit card for purchases. This may be a dangerous move since BOA has a big influence in banking industry, their actions might a set a trend among other banks.

2)Bank Of America recently announce job cuts of 30,000 employees. This number is more than double of what other American employer has announced this year.

3) Last but not least, Bank of America is giving away bonuses and rewards for executives in a middle of economic crisis. What makes people upset is the fact that the company is blaming on the economy for having to lay off employees and creating new fees, yet they still seem able to manage giving away extra money for executives who already earn multi- million dollar salaries.

It did not come as a surprise when one of many credit unions, Delta Credit Union, is planning on launching ‘Switch Day’ for Bank of America’s clients to switch to their credit union. I personally believe that ‘bonuses’ are a big issue in modern world of business. Sure it seems wrong, but it is hard to stop big banks and companies since ‘everyone’s doing it’ whether or not the economy is flushing down the toilet.

Source : http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/10/08/339747/move-your-money-from-bank-of-america/

Recent flooding at Johnson City, New York caused tragic deaths of trapped animals at a local pet store, Petco. The flooding was caused by remainders of Tropical Storm Lee, however warnings were issued earlier that day regarding the flood. The warnings were declared around 9:00am, and a state of emergency was issued later in the afternoon. To make matters worse, employees at Petco stood by and failed to take action as the waters rose. Marcie Whichard, vice president of animal care and education for Petco, wrote on a blog post, which was later taken down, that the tragedy was caused due to backup in the drainage system. Whichard also mentioned that they were not aware of the flood warnings.

Pictures of an employee from another local pet store, Pet Depot, kayaking with animals from the store have been posted on social networking sites. 

It is clearly stated in New York state law that “if someone is aware of an impending danger to animals and they fail to take appropriate action or directly do something to injure an animal, they can be in violation of the law,” according to Mayor Dennis Hannon. Although animals in pet stores are solely for profit, it is morally impermissible to allow them to drown when the employees, as human beings are capable of making judgments to evacuate the store. In addition, Petco’s responses to this event continues to change, showing lack of responsibility in their actions.

read more on the link below:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44499078/ns/today-today_pets_and_animals/t/police-probe-reported-pet-deaths-store-flood/