Julia Tan's Blog

” If the United Nations was fully funded why would we need the Arc or social enterprise”?

Unlike charities and other non-profit organizations, social enterprises aim to give back to the community by solving social, economic or environmental issues while generating profit. Without social enterprises, a lot of social groups would be supported and social problems would not be addressed. In addition, it is often more impactful if the problems are being addressed by local sources who understand the severity of the situation.

Though the United Nations does aid several social and environmental organizations and groups, there is not enough time in the world for one organization to find solutions for all of the world’s problems, even if they become fully funded.

Because they are also profitable businesses, Social enterprises are more sustainable than non-profit organizations and do not hinder the nation’s economic growth. However, unlike most businesses, their main objective is to benefit and improve the well-being of the people as opposed to maximizing profit. Furthermore, due to the current emphasis on social responsibility, consumers are willing to pay more for positive impacts, such as the Toms One for One slogan.

With the aid of social enterprises such as the Arc Initiative, smaller social enterprises are given the opportunity to learn the skills to run their business while addressing closer-to-home, less well-known social issues.  By educating others and help to serve the greater good, the Arc Initiative and social enterprises are one step closer to making the world a better place.

Photo: http://mbanogmat.com/files/2014/05/socialEnt.jpg

In response to my fellow classmate Luc’s earlier blog post; I find it interesting that he selected a topic that we recently discussed in class. He stated that it was important “to get in contact with a displeased customer as soon as possible after the bad experience between the producer and consumer” and believed that “in the future there will be companies that will provide this service to firms”, thus creating a new standard. However, what if it were a better idea to prevent the situation from happening altogether?

Instead of dealing with the aftermath of poor customer service, companies should implement a customer satisfaction standard within their employees. During the class on Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources, we learned that it was equally important to create a good and positive working environment for the employees, especially the ones working in customer service, as demonstrated by Zappos. By doing so, the better working conditions will reflect on customer service, resulting in happier customers, lower costs, and higher profits. Rewards systems or giving bonuses are generally not as reliable, since workers will work towards the reward instead of being intrinsically motivated and wanting the customer to be happy. An example of attempts to increase employee conditions include several other companies that are letting employees work fewer days or taking breaks so that they will be more motivated on the job.

Having unsatisfied customers is a common issue for every company and can lead to several problems in the long run such as limited customer loyalty, increased costs, and decreased profit. Therefore, I think that companies should focus on preventative measures to increase employee satisfaction, which will positively reflect on the future customer retention and satisfaction rates

Link to the original article: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7058-disappointed-customers.html
Photo: http://www.blr.com/html_email/images/WIR/HRDA/epinion-angry-screaming-phone.jpg

What is the Internet of Things?

It is proposed development that everything such as objects, animals or people will be able to connect to the Internet or transfer data without human interaction.

With the rapid advancement of technology, developers are nearing the date in which the Internet of Things will become a reality. This proposed scenario will greatly impact the way in which the companies run themselves, especially more traditional product companies.

Business Technology Management will soon become an even more important role within the business industry. The large amounts of data being processed with the aid of the Internet of Things, companies will need more people to collect, organize,  and analyze all their information. Currently, the increased amount of Data, also known as Big Data, poses as a challenge for several companies who do not have enough or any workers to process it efficiently. For example, Monster kept collecting employee and customer data, but did not know how to manage it, thus hindering their company growth. Without Business Technology Management who know which methods are best in handling the mass data, the data would just be rendered useless.

In addition the idea of a cloud, a mass storage for all files, will enable companies to increase their value propositions. Instead of creating products that fulfil a current need, but will likely be obsolete in the long run, the instant and vast cloud system will enable companies to create products that will be able to be easily updated to fit changes in consumer needs and current trends.

Photo: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Internet_of_Things.jpg/1280px-Internet_of_Things.jpg

Sustainability is definitely a major issue, albeit not often discussed, especially within the coal and tar sands industry. Finally, after many years of protesting and awareness campaigns, environmental effects from companies and projects are being taken into concern.

Recently, like several other groups, Standard Oil Co.‘s announced their exit from the coal and tar sands industry as well as their plan to phase out fossil-fuel use. The smart move on behalf the Rockefeller family will enable their company to move towards a more environmentally-friendly brand image.  By increasing their Shared Value from cutting fossil fuels, Standard Oil Co. customers and the public will associate them with their sustainability attempt, enhancing their customer loyalty and company image. Also, there is a lot of money to be made in fossil-fuel based industries such as coal, tar, and oil, there will be a much higher risk for companies to remain in those industries in the long run. By projecting this new image, they have removed itself from a non-renewable, declining market and have positioned the company so that they will be able to easily switch to develop energy efficient alternatives. Standard Oil Co. should incorporate the sustainable image into their marketing strategy and to their advantage because it an easy change as well as posing as a huge benefit to the consumer. It is important that the company remembers to integrate it into the current company values and actually address the climate change issues, despite the results not appearing until the long run.

Standard Oil Co. made a wise decision to leave the coal and tar industry early and focus on improving their sustainability. Soon enough, other companies will realize the importance of Shared Value and will also follow Standard Oil Co.’s example.

Photo: https://theenergy.coop/sites/www.theenergy.coop/files/styles/full_node/public/slideshow_images/sustainable%20city.jpg?itok=vHJP82cp

Some things you just can’t trade for money. For many, it is important for the government to help stimulate the economy and create jobs for others, but other groups may have a different set of values in mind altering their perception of the government’s job. A good example of this situation can been seen with the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline struggle for approval.

For the Nak’azdli people, it is important for them to be able to pass on the natural environment and traditional ways onto the future generations. Building a such a large pipeline will destroy or displace the habitats of the wildlife as well as pose an increased amount of danger for animals in the event of an oil spill, such as salmon and the endangered Nechako white sturgeon.

Though creating more jobs is important, we should not allow the government to ruin the homes of many indigenous peoples. Like most people, I would not want my home to be taken away from me either. Instead, the government should invest their time and resources in looking for alternative solutions to oil and gas. With this new project, Canada will be able to innovate and potentially find a long term, more sustainable solution for alternative energy. Rather than having people work in oil and mining, those workers can apply their skills in a more environmental and less disruptive cause. By keeping in mind everyone’s socio-cultural views when designing projects, there will be fewer challenges for businesses when following through, unlike Enbridge, who is currently facing several legal issues.

Because they will have a large impact on the company name and process, every stakeholder should be considered, as seen in the First Nations vs. Enbridge altercation in BC.

Photo: http://pipelineobserver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/first-nations-pipeline-protest.jpg

The self-driving car is an idea that Google has apparently been working on for quite some time now. The company strongly believes that the next big thing is for automobiles to neither have a steering wheel or pedals. Currently Google does not have the technology nor solution to the perfect self-driving car, but in ten or so years and the advancement of technology, the idea is likely to become a real possibility for many.  That is, if they find a way around the legal and regulatory challenges imposed on their design.

There are many pros and cons to this idea. For example, having self-driving cars will give Google access a market that many car producers could not reach before: people who dislike driving and those with disabilities. For the first time, those visually impaired will be given the opportunity to have their own car amongst other people with disabilities. It can also be more sustainable by being more fuel efficient for drivers and lastly, people will be able to do other things during the commutes instead of focusing on the road. Self-driving cars should definitely be a viable option in the future.

Along with the benefits of this idea, Google and other self-driving car manufacturers will have difficulty convincing most standard vehicle consumers to switch over to self-driving cars. With the elimination of the driver, many consumers will be anxious about the safety performance of such vehicles. There is the possibility that if self-driving cars take over the car market, there will be minimal amounts of automobile accidents because everything is controlled by computers and software. Intoxicated drivers will no longer have to worry because they are now getting driven on their own. However, I think that it is unlikely that self-driving cars will take over the car market because there are currently many people who enjoy driving and appreciate the customization of their driving experience, such as those who prefer driving standard over automatic. The mix of both self-driving and normal cars will make it difficult for manufacturers to produce the technology to predict each circumstance, and so accidents will continue to occur until we are able to move towards a completely self-driving world.

Markoff, John. “Google’s Next Phase in Driverless Cars: No Steering Wheel or Brake Pedals.” The New York Times.
The New York Times, 27 May 2014. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.

Photo: http://cdn.michiganautolaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Google-driverless-car.jpg

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/new-rogers-shaw-video-streaming-service-to-match-netflix-cost/article20204045/

Surprisingly, two of Canada’s largest communication companies have joined together to create a new service in the television industry. With the declining usage of cable television, I was sure  that both Shaw and Rogers had to find another way to reestablish themselves in the television market. Especially since the appearance of Netflix, more and more users like to watch shows customized to their preferences instead of waiting for it to appear on TV. Especially with the increase in the amount of time people spend on their computers, tablets and phones, this decision will entice customers to Shomi by being able to stream videos, not just from television sets, but from other devices too. There is even the potential of other Canadian Media companies joining Shomi and help to expand the brand. This idea is an intelligent move for both Rogers and Shaw, firstly for combining their resources to create the new video streaming format Shomi and also because this will give both companies the opportunity to reestablish themselves in the television media field.

In addition, with the conflict between the CRTC and Netflix, Canadian customers are being prevented from streaming American Netflix. Many consumers find it unfair that American Netflix viewers are able two view twice the amount of titles than what is available on the Canadian service. With the unsettled Netflix viewers because of this issue, Shomi can take advantage opportunity to take away some of their customers. At the same price of $8.99 a month, Shomi will pose itself as a new threat to Netflix TV in Canada. Depending on the number of titles and selection offered from Shomi, this venture can be either a complete success or an utter failure for both Shaw and Rogers.

This is a response to James Sun’s blog post on conflict diamonds.

How far are people willing to go to pay a lower price? Are we willing to sacrifice the lives and working conditions of others just so that we can benefit from them? Is it alright for us to be ignorant when we really know what happens every time we decide to purchase a diamond ring for a lower premium?

However, businesses don’t care. As Friedman stated, the goal of every company is to maximize profit whether or not we realize it, and without it, companies won’t be able to operate. Such incentives are understandable, CEOs will do whatever they have to do in order to keep their business alive. Instead, I think that it is up to the consumer to send a message to the people running the business that we know what they’re doing, that we know it’s wrong, and that we don’t want diamonds if it comes from those circumstances. Since Freeman believes that “it is important to align all the stakeholder’s general interests towards one common goal”, with the consumers being a large stakeholder, the companies will be forced to change their ways. 

I am glad that people are becoming more educated behind the “Conflict Diamond” issue, and that large companies such as Tiffany and Co. are moving away from selling blood diamonds and considering the ethics behind it. I believe since that more people are aware and unsettled by the circumstances of the blood diamond, it was a smart move for Tiffany and Co. to publicly ensure that their diamonds are “socially and environmentally ethical”. In addition, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme is another precautionary action to prevent the entrance of blood diamonds in the diamond market.

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/09/15/microsoft-to-buy-creator-of-minecraft-for-2-5-billion/?_php=true&_type=blogs&src=me&_r=0

Once again, Microsoft ventures out and buys over Mojang, the creators of Minecraft, for $2.5 billion. By understanding that the gaming industry is becoming increasingly popular amongst electronic device users, Microsoft has made a very smart move in closing the deal with Mojang. Mojang itself is already very established with the simple, yet innovative creation of Minecraft. I believe that buying Mojang and the rights to release Minecraft on Microsoft devices will help with the sales and popularity of Microsoft. This is because Minecraft is a game that several people enjoy playing for fun and has recently been introduced to being used in an educational setting. If Microsoft can take advantage of a new target population such as students, parents, and teachers to invest in creative game tools, like Minecraft, Microsoft will be able to further establish their brand while increasing sales.

Mojang itself was very intelligent in the creation of Minecraft. Being easily-accessible opens the market up for people who are both young and old, without alienating groups in the market, like the many games that are rated M and are only sold to adults. In addition, the open world concept is interesting and gives many players the sense of control they feel they need. With the boost in popularity, technology and the growth of the Minecraft universe, Microsoft will also be able to reap their new benefits and watch their company expand. Having the rights to the game is also an asset to Microsoft because all future releases will be under their jurisdiction. Hopefully the addition of Mojang to the software company will help the company prosper and lead to an even more successful Microsoft.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/30/technology/facebook-tinkers-with-users-emotions-in-news-feed-experiment-stirring-outcry.html

Like any individual, you would assume that you are in control of your own decisions, thoughts, and emotions. Although this does not prevent companies such as Facebook from trying to influence them, it begs the question: Is it ethical to tinker with people’s emotions to promote revenue?

Many people rely on Facebook for updates on real life and current events. By moderating the content viewed on their news feed, Facebook has distorted the user’s perception of the site. In order for the content modification to have been ethical, users should have been briefed on the basics of the experiment taking place. Furthermore, by insisting that users have given their consent for the study, Facebook’s popularity amongst their angered users continues to decrease. While an increase in time spent on the service enables Facebook to show more ads, the largest source of the company’s revenue, the decrease in users will decrease corporate profit.

Some people say that Facebook’s manipulation was to make their users happier, but while the survey was held to “[create] a more alluring and useful product,” the goal of the marketing scheme was to increase Facebook’s profits. The Stakeholder Theory states that businesses need to create value in their product with the customers. However, by ignoring the aftermath of what many deem to be unethical, several Facebook users will decide to lessen their time on Facebook, potentially leading the business to decline. Facebook is not the first company to manipulate the user experience, nor the last, but how far do you think a business should go to maximize profit?

Goel, Vindu. “Facebook Tinkers With Users’ Emotions in News Feed Experiment, Stirring Outcry.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 June 2014. Web. 11 Sept. 2014.