http://tinyfootprintcoffee.com/2011/04/18/building-sustainability-from-scratch/

One thing that caught my attention in our recent social enterprise class was when James Taney mentioned coffee’s enormous carbon footprint.  I was astounded that such an insignificant item could compete with the carbon footprint of, say transportation.  For instance in the Green Living Blog, the author claims that if you were to drink three large lattes a day over a year this would produce as much carbon as flying half way across Europe.  One social enterprise that has made it their mission to reduce carbon in our atmosphere by providing delicious coffee is Tiny Footprint Coffee.  This may seem counter productive, but for every pound of coffee someone buys from this business, they are helping replant the Mindo Cloudforestin Ecuador – trees that remove 54 pounds of carbon from the atmosphere per year.

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Mindo-Cloud-Forest-05.jpg

 According to The EcoSpheric Blog, if you take into account the four pounds of carbon it takes to produce and transport Tiny Footprint Coffee and the 54 pounds of carbon that the new planted tree absorbs, you are  actually removing 50 pounds of carbon a year by purchasing this coffee!

Although, Tiny Footprint Coffee’s social contribution doesn’t end there.  In addition, the development of the Mindo Cloudforest Foundation– the organization responsible for tree-planting- provides jobs for people in the local communities; therefore, improving their quality of life.  This is an unbelievable example of a social enterprise that is able to make a profit through

http://www.mindocloudforest.org/reforestation-habitat-restoration/

the sale of their coffee, but also have a huge impact on the environmental and social issues in a developing community.  Contrary to popular belief, this company proves that business and environment aren’t always  in opposition.

Before I had decided to apply for business school, I met with various different people working in the field of commerce: some in marketing, some in real estates and even some

http://www.rennie.com/

entrepreneurs.  One of the people that I met with that unquestionably solidified my desire to go into marketing was Tracie McTavish, President of Rennie Marketing Systems.  After speaking with him in Rennie’s Vancouver headquarters, the Wing Sang building, I was blown away by, not only his incredible charisma, but also the unbelievable working atmosphere his company had attained.  After this meeting, my desire to become a part of what Rennie Marketing was all about skyrocketed.

I was astonished how the organizational culture of this company truly had an impact on not just the employees, but also potential customer and anyone who simply entered the building.  For a marketing company that revolves around the creative and out-of-box thinking of their employees, their working environment is key to success.  From the location of the building, to its history, to the display Bob Rennie’s infamous art collections inside the headquarters, their atmosphere is inspirational.

http://intracorp.ca/mc2living/team/rennie-marketing/

But most importantly to the organizational culture of any company is the leadership that sets the tone.  In this case, Tracie McTavish creates an unprecedented tone of laid-back but hard work, of creativity but discipline.  He pushes his employees towards exploration, teamwork, and enthusiasm.

If a boss that claims, “real estate is like a sport here” doesn’t inspire you, I’m not sure what does.

This is the organizational culture that I long to work in.  This is why I am taking a Bachelor of Commerce.

http://pulse2.com/2012/07/19/33across-raises-13-1-million-in-series-c-funding/

After reading Rachel von Hahn’s post, I immediately thought back on the first blog post we wrote about business ethics.  Even though Rachel is directly referencing the class we had on IT systems in her post about 33Across and their use of social networking, I can’t help but wonder how this new technology might not be an ethical way of conducting business.  This company is “compounding real-time data about how individuals respond to what is read, purchased, shared, and recommended online”.

The ethical question here is whether or not the access to this private information should be allowed.  So my question is have these people agreed to release their personal information for the use of this company?  33Across is fully aware about the privacy issuesof their

http://venturebeat.com/2012/07/19/33across-raises-13-1m-series-c/

marketing technology, SocialDNA™ Targeting.  They claim that they only collect data from clients who use their services and it cannot be traced to any specific individuals.  Unfortunately, further reading show that this is not the end of the story.  When entering into interactions with 33Across, one has the option to agree to the release of one’s private, traceable information or not.  If you choose the later, your involvement with the program will be limited.  Meaning that if you wish to fully participate with this company, you must surrender your private information.  It seems that 33Across is aware of the concerns clients have regarding privacy, but are unethically restricted services to those without any.

In Omneet Madan’s UBC blog, she discusses how Nestlé has created seasonal products

http://in.5thvillage.com/scaero/

for several all their top-selling candy bars.  They have newly designed, Halloween-themed wrappers and names (“ScAero”, “Coffin Crisp”, “Scaries”) that increase the brands’ uniqueness and points of differentiation.  At the end of her blog, she asks three pertinent questions that really stick with the reader: “Now what are you going to buy for your trick-or-treaters this year?  Is it going to be a plain, old Caramilk bar? Or is it going to be the new and improved skeleton covered Coffin Crisp?”  These questions emphasize that when a consumer has to choose between products, they are likely to choose the one with the strongest point of differentiation.

http://blog.postmodernsass.com/2004/12/with-lights-out-its-less-dangerous.html

Not to be left behind, Kellogg’s and Mars, have also implemented seasonal changes in their products.  Kellogg’s has red and green Rice Krispies for Christmas; pumpkin flavoured Pop-Tarts, Pringles, and Eggo waffles; as well as Lucky Charms and Captain Crunch cereal with Christmas shapes in them.  On the other hand, Mars has M&M’s in Christmas, Halloween, breast cancer supporting, and Easter colours.

But what Nestlé is doing that sets them apart is changing more than just the colour or flavour of their product.  Labeling their candy bars with new, witty versions of their original names are catching consumer’s attention worldwide.

For the first three years of my education, I was surrounded by Maria Montessori’s

http://nokomis.spps.org/

educational concepts and beliefs. The time I sent at preschool – as ridiculous as this may sound – were the best years of my education.  I can personally appreciate the change that this social entrepreneur had on all educational systems.  I didn’t realize this at the time, but looking back on what I learned from age three to six, I am astonished.  At age five, I learned how to polish shoes and peel carrots, how to write in cursive and even how to multiply, all of this on my own accord.

http://www.noodle.org/noodlings/k-12/your-childs-education-examining-montessori-waldorf-and-democratic-schools

As a social entrepreneur, Maria Montessori recognized a social problem: children’s experience in the educational system did not allow for personal exploration or sensory manipulation.  Her social mission was to improve the way children were educated, allowing them to choose and carry out their own activities.  Maria Montessori was not simply a social activist or a social service provider: she was a visionary.  She completely transformed the way children are educated, specializing a child’s education for their specific needs, whether gifted or special needs.  Today there are over 20,000 schools worldwide that are carrying on the work done by Maria Montessori a hundred years ago.

As an avid Facebook user, I had not stopped once to question how Facebook made a profit.  This thought had never crossed my mind until I read the article, “Zuckerberg’s rocket, ready for lift-off; Valuing Facebook”, assigned to us for class.  Before this I had barely even noticed, in the same way as billions of other social-networkers hadn’t noticed, the advertisements on the right side of every Facebook page (Figure 1).  Clearly, this advertising campaign isn’t working.

The future for Facebook is to become more than a simple social-networking website:  it will become an online shopping site.  In my opinion, this is one of the least creative and most desperate attempts for Facebook to increase the value of its stocks.  Facebook is joining forces with retailers world-wide such as Victoria’s Secret and Pottery Barn to test out the websites new features.  They will be introducing a “want” and a “collect” button in addition to their already existing “like” button.  This concept was

already attempted by Pinterest and was, by no means, a success.  It is disappointing to see Mark Zuckerberg sinking as low as copying another website’s ideas to increase his profits; I think we all expected something a little more ingenious out of him.

• Luks, Joe. “Facebook testing new features, muscling in on Pinterest: Inside the Want game.” culturemap Houston. N.p., 13 Oct. 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://houston.culturemap.com/newsdetail/10-13-12-facebook-testing-new-features-muscling-in-on-pinterest-inside-the-want-game/>.
• Mitchell, Dan. “A single button could solve Facebook’s revenue problem.” CNN Money. N.p., 11 Oct. 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/10/11/facebook-12/>.
• The Economist. ProQuest, 12 May 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://search.proquest.com/docview/1013524060?accountid=14656>.
• Tam, Donna. “Facebook not big on big ads.” CNET. N.p., 29 May 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. <http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57443035-93/facebook-not-big-on-big-ads/>.
• http://www.colbybrownphotography.com/blog/

Lately, I have been stumped as to how my business team can make our business plan more original. After analyzing Porter’s 5 Forces in last class, it become clear that the restaurant industry is extremely crowded and it is a near impossibility to open a standout steakhouse these days.  When our team attempted to write a value proposition for our company, 1845 Steakhouse, it was clear we had very poor points of differentiation.

http://www.vegaschatter.com/tag/Steakhouses

After much thought, I have decided that the best way to differentiate a steakhouse is to make it steakless.  If I were attempting to break into the steakhouse business, I believe an all-vegetarian restaurant with the vibe and feel of any hip, new-age steakhouse would our most promising option.  No one has attempted to turn a steakhouse meatless, making this the most promising section of the restaurant industry.  In a target audience such of the young, up-and-coming Vancourites who eat-out at the funkiest restaurants, this concept would be extremely successful in either downtown Vancouver or the Kitsilano area.  Living at UBC and going out to dinner at restaurants such as The Naam, Burgoo and The Eatery – the most original restaurants in Kitsilano – I have been inspired to differentiate our steakhouse like never before.

A few years ago, I was a huge fan of Subway.  One day, as I was searching for one of these outlets to eat lunch in, I stumbled upon Quiznos instead.  At the time, I felt like these two healthy fast-food restaurants were basically identical: probably in the same way the majority of the consumers viewed these competitors.  But for no apparent reason I have always preferred Subway.  According to Ries and Trout, this is because they were number one in my, the consumer’s, mind – “the easiest way of getting into someone’s mind is to be the first”[i].

Since then, Subway has completely blown Quiznos out of the water[ii], as they consistently improve and expand their advertising, giving customer’s the impression they are the only choice for sub sandwiches.  From the very beginning, Subway coined the healthy fast food industry from their slogan “Eat Fresh” (Figure 1) to their weight loss spokes person, Jared Fogle, to their repetitive, memorable advertising.  Even though the product at Quiznos might taste better or be of a better quality, as confirmed in John E. Edwards’s blog, Subway is immeasurably more popular.  All of this proves Ries and Trout correct when they claim that you must be the first to occupy a product category in order to be number one in it.

Ries and Trout believe it is impossible to reinvent a brand name.  They claim “it is often easier and cheaper to introduce a new brand rather than change the positioning of an existing brand”[i].  But McDonald’s has managed to prove their “single-position strategy” incorrect.

McDonald’s was known worldwide for their mouth-watering fries and lip-smacking hamburgers (Figure 1).  But in 2004 they were hit with a nuclear bomb: Super Size Me.  McDonald’s took a heavy blow as costumers watched Morgan Spurlock devour three meals a day at their beloved restaurant.  He quickly “gets addicted to Big Macs, becomes depressed and lethargic, suffers a loss of libido and incurs liver damage”[ii].  To counter Ries and Trout, McDonald’s initiated changes – introducing of salads (Figure 2), fruit and yogurt their menu, reducing salt content in their fries, and eliminating the supersize option[iii].  After seeing profits plummet due to the movie’s release, McDonald’s altered their junk food image and turned their reputation around.  McDonald’s now serves 56 million customers daily[iv].

FIGURE 2: McDonald’s Advertisement. Denise Hilton Campbell’s blog. WordPress, 23 June 2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://dhcampbell.wordpress.com/>.

FIGURE 1: McDonald’s Advertisement. Life of Lopsided 8. WordPress, 12 July 2009. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://lol8.wordpress.com/2009/07/12/where-got-blow-your-mind-away-2/>.

 

 

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[i] “Positioning as Popularized by Al Ries and Jack Trout.” Quick MBA. N.p., 2010. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://www.quickmba.com/marketing/ries-trout/positioning/>.

[ii] “McDonalds Fights Back Against ‘Super Size Me’ .” Movies Online. New Zealand Herald, n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_863.html>.

[iii] “McDonald’s phasing out Supersize fries, drinks .” NBC News. N.p., 3 Mar. 2004. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4433307/ns/business-us_business/t/mcdonalds-phasing-out-supersize-fries-drinks/#.UFvgb6DU6lI>.

[iv] Halprin, Robert. “McDonald’s Shareholders Are Lovin’ It: Nearly 5% Profit Increase.” The Inquisitr. N.p., 20 Apr. 2012. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://www.inquisitr.com/222848/mcdonalds-shareholders-are-lovin-it-nearly-5-profit-increase/>.

Over the past decade, environmental concern has skyrocketed.  From “An Inconvenient Truth” to Vancouver’s obsession with recycling, everyone is jumping on the eco-friendly bandwagon.  But to profit-driven companies, environmental concern is an insignificant obstacle, disrupting their business’s success.

An oil pipeline is to be built from Edmonton to Kitimat by Enbridge.  It is no surprise that the potential for major oil spills has the first nations and environmental groups outraged.  In response to the rumour that Enbridge had a record of oil spills on other pipelines, Enbridge declared that they had very few in the past and that this was not a reason to reject their proposal.  After more research, the environmentalists discovered that Enbridge actually had a huge oil spill ona pipeline in Michigan just last year.  Once again they tried to cover their tracks, arguing that this spill was a minor issue and was quickly taken care of, but the truth of the matter was “the pipeline rupture ‘caused the largest inland oil spill in Midwest history’ ” (EPA).

Companies are faced with the ethical decision between protecting our environment and making money everyday.  Consequently, when Enbridge chose their profit above all, they made the immoral choice.

http://www.vancouversun.com/spill+report+demanded/7092400/story.html