My favourite area that we have talked about in class so far is definitely social entrepreneurship. I had no idea that this even existed until class, where we learned about Save on Meats and how they employ homeless people. I was happy to learn that being in business i am not constrained to be a big “soulless” cooperate person, but rather i can make a change somewhere other than the stock market.

I have had experience with volunteering abroad and i have seen the change even a tiny, non-insulated house with no electricity makes. Families can send children to school, save money, or buy food and luxuries. Communities can thrive, going from scarce shacks made of cardboard and sheets with nothing but dirt all around, to small wooden houses with electricity and gardens. The difference in two years is phenomenal.

What i like about social entrepreneurship that is doesn’t just give someone a place to start, it also teaches them to continue on their own and to expand and grow, and to spread that self-sufficiency with their family, friends, and community to grow as a society and improve the well-being of so many.

Jason Sylva blog “How Can Businesses Navigate Asia’s Increasingly Complex Supply Chain Systems?” is about how there are rising difficulty in China’s supply chain. Escalating production and freight costs, government regulations, and trade restrictions all contribute to the “true cost” of products that companies don’t even realize. Companies want to know how they can allocate their resources to better navigate the Chinese supply chain.

What is the consumer effect on the rising costs? Since so many of western products are manufacturing in China, the effect is huge. If companies don’t find a better way to navigate through the supply chain it will mean a rise in costs for western products.

For me, if i’m not going to splurge on a locally-made product i don’t want to spend much on it. Take clothes for example, personally i would rather spend more on a few things then have the basics that i don’t spend much on. But if the rising costs take effect then i will have to choose more wisely (first world problem i know), but still, i’m a “starving student”i don’t have cash overflowing in my pocket. If i’m not buying high quality i don’t want the high-quality price.

In response to Austin Feltham’s blog about social media in the work place, i think that employers cross the line by searching employee’s facebook or other social media website profiles. Everyone has the right to freedom of speech and a social life. The point of social media is to be social with your friends, not to add to your resume. Employees should be able to go out and have a fun weekend with their friends, or post a funny picture with it affecting their job.

Yet there are so many situations where this does happen. Some are understandable, like posting derogatory comments about the employer. or inter-employee feuds. In strict sectors, like government, employees have even been fired for “liking” a comment about the rival.

Is it really fair though? Employees are definitely putting themselves out there on the internet, most times the first thing that comes up on a Google search of a name is a person’s Facebook. So is it the employee’s fault for putting information on the internet? Or should employers not take into account social media when hiring or making cuts in their staff? Or is there no fair way at all?

As a response to Ameera Ladak’s blog post about Target taking over stores like Zellers in Canada. Target is basically just a bigger version of Zellers but the fact that a large American company is coming into Canada and taking over a branch of HBC is unsettling for many Canadians. Having such a powerful neighbor Canada has had to stand its ground many times from intrusion. The fear now of many Canadians is the loss of classic Canadian companies like Tim Hortons being taken over as well.

Of course this is not the case for all. Living next to a Zellers that has recently closed, i am excited to see what everyone is raving about when Target opens. As Ameera said, more people will be attracted to the malls if Target is there but personally i enjoy living by a more “quiet” mall. Target attracting more customers will definitely benefit the rest of the mall (which is also expanding) but will take away from the “quiet residential” areas where many Zellers currently reside.Hopefully the good will outweigh the bad in this expansion and the Canadian economy will benefit from such an influence.

Energy Aware provides a tablet that shows how much energy a power user is consuming as well as how much the energy is costing them. It informs consumers in real-time how much unnecessary energy they are using and encourages them to use less so they can save themselves money, showing that there is an almost instantaneous reduction of 20% when consumers use the energy tablet.

Energy Aware must get the permission of BC Hydro in order to connect to the smart meters used in BC, but from BC Hydro’s point of view, is it a good or bad thing to allow Energy Aware to implement their product? BC Hydro gets money from all the energy consumed, much of it deemed wasteful, but why would they want to let Energy Aware introduce a product could, and most likely would, decrease their profits? Since BC is known as an environmentally friendly province it would be very good marketing for BC Hydro to allow Energy Aware access, they would be putting the environment ahead of their own profits. But they will get business with whatever decision they make, so i don’t see why they would. BC Hydro has not made a final decision on this yet, but when they do we will find out how ethical they really are.

UrtheCast is bringing the world together with their two high-definition video cameras on the international space station. Anyone all over the world can stream this video from their computer or smartphone. The company calls it “a mashup of Google Earth and YouTube” because viewers will be able to “scroll, pan, zoom, and search your way around the Earth video stream, which will reveal everything from natural wonders of the world to buzzing urban centers.”

Not only will this expand knowledge of the earth, but it will also help with humanitarian relief efforts, which is one of my favourite points of this entrepreneurial venture. With the camera  going all over the world constantly, it will be able to catch natural disasters and the damage caused by them or a better quality image of groups of people in need.

Some think that this a an invasion of privacy, but people these days are already putting so much information on places like Facebook, and are letting pictures of themselves or there homes go on the internet on Google and Google Earth that this technology should not be seen as overly intrusive. UrtheCast is using the knowledge and creativity to keep society moving forward.

Sportsuchtig is a company that specializes in the sales of baseball and softball equipment and apparel from established manufacturers, such as Easton, Wilson, and Under Armour.

The purpose of this business plan is for Sportsuchtig to obtain a conventional business loan of $700,000 to continue the purchasing of assets of the business, and implementation of key opportunities as part of their growth forecast. Such opportunities include redesign, relocating, and optimization of inventory.

In general, business plans must contain key elements. Sportsuchtig’s business plan contains key financial, managerial, and product market understanding elements that allow Sportsuchtig’s business plan to be considered a strong one.

Financially, the start-up requirements of expenses, assets, investments, and loans are well defined and considered when concerning the profitability of the business. Along with company ownership, the business’ management has been established and sets realistic goals for future managerial opportunities.

The most expanded upon element of the business plan is the company’s understanding of their product line and market segmentation. These two categories are particularly important when it comes to proving the business’ profitability. Proving profitability is a good reassurance for both investors, and the company when concerning the stability of the business’ future both monetarily, and managerially.

Link: Sportsuchtig Business Plan

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act is a set of rules and regulations for banks and Wall Street signed by American President Barack Obama in 2010. The Dodd-Frank reduces counter-party risks among financial institutions by implementing new provisions that require derivatives to be put on clearing housing and exchanges. It also creates a formal resolution authority and an analytical risk regulator. These elements are seen as positive by Robert Kaplan, Professor of Management Practice.

But not everything about these rules is welcomed by Kaplan.  The Volcker rule restricts the ability of banks whose deposits are federally insured from trading for their own benefit. This rule causes big losses by banks in the trading of financial securities, especially mortgage-backed assets. Its aim is to keep high-risk investors from gambling with federally  insured deposits of average banking customers. It is possible that the Volcker rule will reduces the profitable businesses at financial institutions that did not contribute to the recent crisis.

It is also possible that the protections and limitations on consumers will reduce the availability of credit which could slow economic growth. Is the Dodd-Frank really a good idea? Do the benefits outweigh the downfalls?

Small businesses are a huge part of the economy, especially on B.C.’s west coast in Victoria and Vancouver. In the fall of 2002 founders of Sitka Surfboards Rene Gauthier and Andrew Paine expanded started out with a shared passion for making surfboards by opening a small shop in Victoria, B.C.. Soon after they had created a brand name and logo for themselves, the Sitka spruce tree.

From the beginning they had their target market picked out: typical west coast surfer who is interested in local brands and music and natural fabrics while still being fashionable. To this day they still have those values, from hosting parties and concerts for local artists to investing in their community.

Since 2002 Sitka has expanded both geographically and in their products. They now sell clothes, shoes, accessories, surf and skate boards, as well as having a cafe in their Victoria flagship store. They also have stores in Victoria, Vancouver, and New Zealand and they sell their products in stores all over North America.

Sitka doesn’t just sell products; they sell a lifestyle, a lifestyle that is rapidly growing on the west coast and worldwide. People want to be part of the trend and shopping at Sitka is the way to do it.
For more information on Sitka Surfboards visit their website: sitka.ca

”Our motto is truth; our practice is the fearless advocacy of the truth.” That was the opening statement 168 years before the last issue of News of the World, formerly one of Britain’s largest newspapers, in July 2011. The paper, which was mainly tabloid based, had a scandal of its own. It was discovered that staff members at News of the World were hacking phones of more than 4,000 people including politicians, celebrities, actors, athletes, and more. As a company who projects their findings to the world with every issue, it is ethically and morally wrong to purposely and illegally invade ones private space. A company that vows to tell the truth sent a private investigator to hack into the answering machine of a missing school-girl and deleting messages, giving false hope to friends and family of the girls who then believed she was still alive, which she was not.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xjro5j_news-of-the-world-phone-hacking-scandal-the-latest_news?start=73

The employees knew that they were pushing ethical limits but continued with the hacking, which makes one question what morals News of the World promoted within their office. Is the quest for truth really worth the exploitation and corruption of a business?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11195407