Monthly Archives: November 2014

Recently I read a blog post regarding an online encyclopedia which has been the lifeline to many students’ assignments and a source of knowledge for many others: Wikipedia. My views about Wikipedia, their business model, their values, their approach, differs drastically from Lurie’s. Lurie makes the claim that Wikipedia  shouldn’t exist because  “it’s basic operating procedure defies our strongest convictions about incentives, work and community” (Lurie). His argument stems from the view that Wikipedia has limited regulation of their service and that the service does not turn a profit. In opposition to the statements made in Lurie’s post, Wikipedia still does use a top-down approach for managing its anonymous editors, administrators and stewards. As he very opportunely suggests in his post, Wikipedia has many knowledgeable and competent individuals vying for the sought after roles of stewards and rollbackers just to name a few. These individuals apply to work for free. From a business perspective, employee satisfaction seems far from being an issue!

Wikipedia as a service is completely customer orientated. Its success is largely attributed to its ability to offer value propositions which other online encyclopedias are unable to deliver. Most notably is the ability for any user to edit the vast archives of knowledge provided by Wikipedia. Lurie does make the observation that “people find it inherently satisfying to participate”. From another perspective, Wikipedia successfully models a business which has strong customer relationships and partnerships with key resources. Wikipedia is the sixth most visited website on the internet and has stewards who have a long list of impressive credentials. In essence, a company reaches a whole new stratosphere of success when both the company and clients strive towards the same vision and values. Profit then becomes a natural part of the process.

Image taken from here 

Source referenced:

Lurie, Stephen. “The 36 People Who Run Wikipedia.” Medium. Matter, 5 Nov. 2014. Web. 9 Nov. 2014.

There is a growing worldwide effort for improving humanity and becoming an interdependent global community. The United Nations (UN), initiatives such as The Arc Initiative and social enterprises are fundamentally changing the way we understand aid and how we make a difference on a global scale. These various organizations and efforts work collaboratively to improve our world. Theoretically, even if the United Nations was fully funded, efforts such as The Arc Initiative and social enterprises would be necessary nonetheless. Global change is effected by a variety of organizations. The United Nations represents a governing body which determines development goals and methods by which to achieve those goals for the global community. Furthermore, they act as a organization of neutrality and impartiality. In conjunction to the United Nations’ engagements, they rely on projects and social enterprises to produce the desired change from a level of smaller scale.

For example, one of the UN millennium development goals is eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. At a global policy level, the UN is effective in raising global awareness and to incite action on this goal. However, the progress towards this goal is made by projects such as The Arc Initiative and social enterprises. After reading this article, I was thoroughly convinced that the most direct way to effect change is through programs which allow entrepreneurs to advance their business by applying business strategies and tools. From another perspective, social enterprises are effective in creating this change since they balance making a profit and reinvesting the capital into making a better society. Social enterprises are in essence are fostering social stewardship while also maintaining a sustainable business.

Sources Referenced:

Article taken from here

Images taken from here and here

Every firm or company requires some form of organization management. It is essential for the firm to have a system by which the employees adhere to in order work cohesively. Human resources management guides and develops a company specific model for the organization of employees. I recently came across this article which directly addresses the issue of how companies manage their male employees responsibility towards  their family and the social stigma which fatherly roles entail. The article exposes how many men are unable to take paid paternity leave because their company does not offer the option. Although there are government policies which allow men to take paternity leave,  many men are bound by the “pressure and unwritten expectations”(Miller) they are subject to within their companies.

Firms are rapidly realizing that conventional social stigmas are rapidly changing as society evolves at the fundamental level. It is becoming more commonplace for men to take paternity leave as there is an increasing number of households where women are the primary breadwinner. Without a distinctive company culture which is shared by all the employees, policy and suggestions are limited. For example, Miller observes that Ernst & Young encourages men to take paternity leave, however very few men take all the allotted time. From an alternate perspective, this shows that the company has the intention to support their employees. However, the employees are concerned with the consequences of taking the encouraged leave. Companies such as Ernst & Young are making progress in human resources through showing their support for their employees. At a more fundamental level, companies can better build employee relationship and loyalty through establishing a unified company culture.

Source referenced:

Miller, Claire. “Paternity Leave: The Rewards and the Remaining Stigma.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 7 Nov. 2014. Web. 8 Nov. 2014.

Image taken from here