Moores Clothing for Men holds an annual suit drive, collecting gently used professional attire from Canadians for unemployed Canadians. In the past four years, 100,000 disadvantaged men have been given a second chance because of Moores.

Learning of this suit drive gave me a heart-warming feeling. To see individuals who had lost hope regain confidence and respect was inspiring. With further thoughts, however, I soon recognized benefits beyond the apparent objective of this event.

Consumers are given a simple way to effectively help the unemployed, and they further benefit from the 50% discount on Moores products that the company offers to donors.

Offering discounts to donors benefits Moores as well. Donors may not necessarily be Moores customers, thus Moores expands its clientele base through such social advertising.  Furthermore, by contributing to a social issue,  the public becomes aware of Moores’ socially-conscious values, and the company receives positive publicity.

On an even greater scale, our society benefits. Canada’s workforce gains individuals who would not have originally become a working member of society. Regardless of the magnitude of each individual’s contribution, they are undoubtedly adding to society’s well-being through their work efforts.

Moores is creating shared value. 

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a6VVncgHcY]

Works Cited

Patriquin, Jessica. “Suit Donations Increase Canadian Men’s Chances Of Securing Jobs.”Newswire. CNW Group Ltd, 2 July 2013. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.

I had never envisioned myself to be a risk-taker or an entrepreneur. 42 changed my mind.  Cathy Han, CEO of 42, ignited my interest in entrepreneurship with the company’s fusion of business and retail using MIS.

We live in a technology age where an endless amount of information is readily available;  value lies in the effective management of data, or big data.   42 has “reinvented” the retail experience by using POS data to pinpoint consumers’ preferences for retailers.  Retailers can then use this information to effectively tailor their services and products.

Showcasing the company and team’s small steps as well as milestones, 42’s blog is an inspiring timeline. Posts on 42’s participation in New York Fashion Week and TechCrunch, as well as feature in Spark realistically provides insight to the success of a company with a lean start-up. Just last month, Cathy Han spoke at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, demonstrating that entrepreneurship expands beyond the scope of one’s own business to that of the international community.  Future posts will undoubtedly continue to record the evolution of retail business, the exponential growth of big data, and the entrepreneurial insights of 42’s journey.

Works Cited

Manyika, James, Michael Chui, Brad Brown, Jacques Bughin, Richard Dobbs, Charles Roxburgh, and Angela Hung Byers. “Big Data: The next Frontier for Innovation, Competition, and Productivity.” Insights & Publications. McKinsey & Company, May 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.

42 – Retail Experience, Reinvented. 42.  N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.

Ikea secures its position in the furniture market using Porter’s cost leadership strategy.  However, in the past several months, the Swedish furniture retailer has lost its position in the hearts of many employees and customers.

Early in the summer, I headed to Ikea for some room décor, and was unexpectedly greeted by people with signs and flyers reading “WE’VE BEEN LOCKED OUT.” Customers were being asked by picketing staff to not shop at, and sequentially patronize, Ikea.  Exceptionally few cars were in the parking lot, and the normally bustling store was relatively empty.

Since May 2013, Ikea Richmond and its employees have been in dispute due to Ikea’s new contract offer. The company states its purpose is “to align the Ikea Richmond store’s wage progression with the rest of Canada,” while employees feel they are being offered “reduced wages and benefits.”

It is perfectly reasonable for a business to maximize profits.  Yet, upon reducing expenses in its cost structure, Ikea is losing employees’ commitment to the company and risking customer relationships with negative publicity. Will Ikea still be maximizing profits with a collapsing business model canvas?