Social Enterprise, or the use of business strategies to maximize human benefit, not profit, has become more and more predominant. Notably, the Arc initiative is taking on the role of providing business knowledge to entrepreneurs in underdeveloped countries. Some might ask, “Wouldn’t a fully funded United Nations be able to do the exact same thing?”. Probably not. Even if the United Nations was fully funded, there would be so much bureaucratic red tape to cut through in order to have the same lasting impact that social enterprise, and the Arc initiative, would have.

So, if the UN was fully funded; not only would funding be wasted on trying to figure out which entrepreneurs should receive their business advice, but the Arc initiative would still have to be in place in order to actually impact uninformed, third-world entrepreneurs. Also, social enterprise can have much more influence than just a single governing body like the UN. This is because social enterprise can be used by ANYONE to impact change!

Business careers have long been perceived as less ethical than other professions due to it’s money handling nature and the resulting scandals involving cash flow. Recently, though, more and more new businesses are focused on creating shared value-that is, not only being profitable for the company but being a positive influence on society or the environment. But, according to Jared Freedman’s blog post about Hobby Lobby’s refusal to fund employee contraceptives; following your personal code of ethics, if they are different from the majority, can lead to a deterioration of one’s business.

While I do agree that it was not a smart business move to not fund morning after contraception for its employees, Hobby Lobby made a decision based on their values and felt that compromising those values could compromise the values they wish their company to portray. As we discussed in class on thursday, the values of a company’s leaders directly affect the values of the company and the overall vibe of the company. Since the first part of Hobby Lobby’s mission statement is “honouring the Lord in all we do by operating the company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles”(Our Company), then opposing free contraception to its employees is in line with their business plan.  If Hobby Lobby changed their ideals, some customers would be confused and potentially leave the company.

In summation, Hobby Lobby made the right decision based solely on their company values and is therefore remaining loyal to the Hobby Lobby brand.

Works Cited

“Our Company : Hobby Lobby – Hobby Lobby.” Our Company : Hobby Lobby – Hobby Lobby. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. <http://www.hobbylobby.com/our_company/>.

Freedman, Jared. “Hobby Lobby – Ethical Consideration by Businesses.” Jared Freedmans Blog. 10 Sept. 2014. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. <https://blogs.ubc.ca/jaredfreedmansblog/2014/09/10/hobby-lobby-ethical-consideration-by-businesses/>.

 “If Johnny stays out with Julie until 7am and gets to class by 8am, how many Red Bulls does he need? Just the one under his seat.” Many Comm 101 students were thrilled to discover free Red Bull energy drinks under their chairs on Thursday. Also swimmers and spectators of this weekends Odlum Brown invitational at UBC were handed Red Bulls during Sunday’s finals session. Red Bull’s marketing strategy for Red Bull Blue edition is very clever; by marketing this product to an early morning class, Red Bull is reaching its target market of young, sleep-deprived students. Although this is an intelligent strategy, there is surmounting evidence that energy drinks can cause lasting, possibly fatal, damage especially to individuals aged under 18-25 (Bleier).

Not only are energy drinks not reviewed by the FDA, but they have been linked to left ventricle strain, increased blood pressure, and abnormal heart rhythm- all of these side effects are thought to increase when combined with physical activity (Ellis). Interestingly, all of these side effects are heart related and can have a dire impact on young people’s life. This is why I believe that marketing for energy drinks should be more strictly controlled. Red Bull and Monster currently advertise to young, athletic people; coincidentally the people most at risk for severe side effects. If the advertisements were restricted so that the content could not reference drinking the energy drink and increased athletic performance in young people, then many hearts could be saved.

Understandably this will not happen without some precedent. Surprisingly, an Eastern Arab Province is taking the lead by removing all energy drink billboards and advertisements and putting up signs by all energy drink refrigerators that state, “No nutritional value”(Al-Sughair). This is a huge step for the fight against unhealthy energy drinks. Canada and the US alike should take not and follow in the Arabs footsteps.

Sources:

Al-Sughair, Sultan. “Warning Signs Placed on EP Energy Drink Fridges.” Arab News. 1 Nov. 2014. Web. 3 Nov. 2014. <http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/653326>.

Bleier, Karen. “Energy Drinks Linked to Adverse Health Effects.” CNBC. 22 Mar. 2013. Web. 4 Nov. 2014. <http://www.cnbc.com/id/100581965#.>.

Ellis, Marie. “Energy Drinks Alter Heart Function, Study Shows.” Medical News Today. 2 Dec. 2013. Web. 3 Nov. 2014. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/269569.php>.