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>.

Recently, there have been a series of American companies that have failed to successfully launch in Canada with the most recent failure being Target Canada. Target was thwarted in its movement across the border due to many tactical errors including opening too many stores too quickly at the higher Canadian prices , and failing to account for the smaller population size and different customer demands. Target’s inadequate first year sales scared many American chains from even attempting to cross the border.

However, I believe that Dutch Bros, a small drive through coffee franchise that started in Oregon, would be the ideal chain to capture Canadian interest. According to Matt Farrell on his blog, Dutch Bros breaks the standard of quiet, drowsy, artsy coffee shops with loud, vivacious, fast moving drive-through stands. The funky and hip nature of Dutch Bros combined with an open space in the Canadian drive through coffee market makes Dutch Bros the obvious choice for Canadian expansion.

But in order to successfully move from the States to the Great White North, Dutch Bros will have to overcome certain obstacles: retail space in Canada is limited and expensive compared to the US, and the cost of labour and doing business is higher in Canada. All of which might drive up their current low prices. Since Dutch Bros is purely drive-through, the retail space needed is much smaller and is more likely to be available in parking lots near  many malls and shopping centres. Also, even thought the costs of production and labour are higher, the current US price for a simple Dutch Bros blend coffee is $1.50. Therefore, the increased cost will not inflate the price so much that it will be above the current standard for a cup of coffee at Starbucks Canada (around $2.50).

These two strategies alone will not guarantee success for Dutch Bros. Yet, if they can start their expansion slowly, gauge the market responses and adapt quickly to change in demand, then the spunky, spirited, and satisfying coffee chain can take the espresso lane to success!

The downfall of the physical book has been predicted for as long as the Mayan’s predicted the end of the world. Since the creation of the e-book, it appears as if real books are disappearing. E-books are simple, they require no storage as they are merely pixels on a screen they are simply instantaneous. There is no longer need to go to the bookstore when your book can be uploaded in minutes. However, book lovers everywhere are protesting that e-books are difficult to share and don’t provide the same comfort that a real book grants. Despite these protests e-books are still gaining popularity with the help of major industry leaders Amazon and Harper Collins.

But book lovers don’t have to start mourning the loss of books just yet. Many publishing houses are boosting their marketing efforts in order to hopefully increase the sales of books. Book trailers, like movie trailers, but for books, aim to reach a wider audience (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsG5IwaTxs4) than traditional book marketing strategies. How exciting! This clever marketing strategy excites readers and helps promote books on a bigger scale than methods previously utilized. Being able to reach a bigger market through posting book trailers online will hopefully usher real books into the modern era.

 Coffee is the nectar that gets many people through the morning, possibly the day. This juice of the gods has recently become easier to access with the invention of coffee pods and new brewers. But this period of peace may be coming to a close. Keurig, currently holding 90% of the north american coffee pod market (Atkins), released the Keurig 2.0, the newest and most technologically advanced pod-brewer. Part of this new technology is the machine’s scanners that recognize whether or not Keurig brand pods are being inserted into the machine.

However, Toronto based Club Coffee has a problem with Keurig’s anti-competitive behaviour. Because Keurig has made it clear to its customers and grocery stores that competitors products will not work, even if they claim to have imitated the Keurig k-pods as Club Coffee has done. This threat to Club Coffee has caused them to launch a $600 million lawsuit against Keurig (Buckner). However, if Club Coffee were to turn this threat to their business plan into an opportunity, then maybe an armistice can be reached between them and Keurig. One way that Club Coffee can turn this into an opportunity is to reach out to other companies producing pod-brewers and partner with them to have their pods be compatible with the brewers. By doing this, they can increase the market for pod-brewers and potentially decrease Keurig’s control of the market. Another advantage of this strategy is they won’t waste time, money, and legal effort in trying to take down Keurig. Instead, by broadening the market, they can appeal to more people-like ones who don’t want to pay the hefty price for Keurig’s latest technology- and broaden the market, thereby decreasing Keurig’s dominion.

Resources:

Atkins, Eric. “Keurig faces $600-million Canadian lawsuit over coffee pods.” The Globe and Mail. N.p., 1 Oct. 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/the-law-page/home-brewing-war-heats-up-with-600-million-lawsuit-over-coffee-pods/article20868827/?cmpid=rss1>. 

Buckner, Dianne. “Keurig’s coffee supremacy challenged by Canadian firm.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 5 Oct. 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/keurig-s-coffee-supremacy-challenged-by-canadian-firm-1.2787075>. 

These sparkling waters of Nak’al Koh in the Nak’azdli territory of British Columbia are home to a diverse assortment of the animal kingdom-ranging from humans, fish,and moose, to grizzly and black bears. The people of the Nak’azdli territory are well known for their dependence on the water for food and travel. Yet this coexistence with the land and waters of the Nak’azdli territory are threatened by Calgary based oil pipeline builders, Enbridge. Enbridge wants to dig under this water and the surrounding lands in order to build a 1177 kilo-meter long oil pipeline. Even after the recent Supreme Court Ruling that allowed this territory to be under the jurisdiction of the Aboriginal communities that live there, Enbridge is still attempting to negotiate an agreement that will allow them to build their potentially dangerous pipeline (Home)(Montpetit).

The debate over the Pipeline is long and unfinished, with both sides refusing to budge. Enbridge is convinced that the pipeline will cause little to no environmental damage and provide numerous jobs during the pipeline’s construction. While the aboriginal people of BC are strongly opposed to the destruction of their land for ultimately capitalist reasons (Gill)(ForestEthics)(Hoekstra).

As of now there seems to be no solution that satisfies both parties. However, I believe that the Enbridge pipeline will end up being a national mistake. Firstly, the oil pipelines are notorious for oil spills, which can’t be 100% cleaned up with today’s technology, which will damage the already fragile underwater ecosystem. Secondly, disputes between the government and the Aboriginal people have already been long and, in some cases, still unfinished. especially since the recent Supreme Court ruling, adding another opposer to Aboriginal land rights would just prolong the financial and emotional burden that comes with court proceedings and government decisions. Thirdly, from an evolutionary perspective, while Enbridge may provide jobs for people during its construction, the animals and ecosystem that exists is fragile and any small disruption in one ecosystem can have dramatic effects on the world’s ecosystem. And finally, from a business perspective, although there will be a short term increase in jobs and a potential for long term drops in oil prices-due to the increased speed of transportation that the pipeline will allow- there is still the eventual oil spill and the millions of dollars required to mostly clean it up. Overall the enbridge pipeline may just have to remain a pipe dream.

resources:

“ForestEthics | Dear Enbridge: Economics Aren’t Everything. Northern Gateway Pipeline Would Impact Much More..” ForestEthics.org. N.p., 25 June 2013. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. <http://forestethics.org/blog/dear-enbridge-economics-arent-everything-northern-gateway-pipeline-would-impact-much-more>.

Gill, Ian. “To the Tsilhqot’in, with Gloves | The Tyee.” The Tyee. N.p., 26 July 2014. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. <http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2014/07/26/Tsilhqotin-With-Gloves/>.

Grandia, Kevin. “Who is Actually “Anti-Business” When it Comes to the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline?.” DeSmog Canada. N.p., 29 Apr. 2013. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. <http://www.desmog.ca/2013/04/29/enbridge-northern-gateway-pipeline-worth-risk-bc-s-economy>.

Hoekstra, Gordon. “‘There will be no pipeline’.” www.vancouversun.com. N.p., 16 Aug. 2014. Web. 5 Oct. 2014. <http://www.vancouversun.com/news/There+will+pipeline/10122968/story.html>.

“Home.” index.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Oct. 2014. <http://www.gatewayfacts.ca/>.

“Image.” Image. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. <http://www.vancouversun.com/cms/binary/10122973.jpg?size=620x400s>

Montpetit, Isabelle. “Background: The Indian Act.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 14 July 2011. Web. 5 Oct. 2014. <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/background-the-indian-act-1.1056988>.

Many people define Ivy League Schools as academic institutions, not businesses. However, the Ivy’s are just as much businesses as they are places of study. In fact, Ivy’s have to make many of the same decisions that businesses make; such as, who to accept (hire), how many funds to allocate to each individual, and how to retain these students (employees).

Recently, the Economist released a story about grade inflation among Ivy ( According to the article, Ivy League schools inflating grades in order to keep their average students happy . Yet by doing this, they are isolating the outstanding students-since everyone’s grade is the same, is anyone a star student? Just like a business would make a decision to either promote or decrease inflation of currency in order to control the market, the Ivy League schools are inflating grades in order to keep their existing students placated with their education.

In conclusion, the ethical standards that are typically applied in University grading are not appearing at Ivy League Universities. this is due to the University, as a business wanting to maintain a smaller, more “successful” ( this is relative due to said grade inflation) student body. however, this is ethically lacking in that it takes away grades as a distinguishing factor amongst its students.

Sources:

http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21615616-not-what-it-used-be-grade-expectationsSources:

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