Social enterprise is an important part of the Sauder community. The ARC initiative at Sauder combines business with social responsibility, similar to the United Nations. The United Nations is an organization “committed to maintaining international peace and security; developing friendly relations among nations; promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights”.

Even if the United Nations was fully funded, we would still need ARC and social enterprise. Although they are similar, they each offer different things. The United Nations is more on the political side and focuses on the big picture. ARC on the other hand, focuses more on the specifics of the business world in developing areas. Both of these groups are necessary because they target and help different groups of people. For example, the United Nations deals with issues such as Ebola, Syria, the Ukraine, and many others. These problems are very large-scale matters, so it is important that we have the right people solving them. ARC is not on the same level, however it still makes a difference. By teaching students how to use business skills while making change, ARC is instilling the right values into the future leaders of our world.

Sources:

https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=WWD

http://www.sauder.ubc.ca/Global_Reach/ARC_Initiative/About_ARC

Photo Source:

http://kiecocenterorg.ipage.com/demo22/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/SocialEnterprise_graphic2.png

Online shopping is one of the greatest things about the Internet. As Felicia Chong stated in her blog post, Amazon is taking advantage of the growing e-commerce industry. Amazon’s introduction of same-day shipping will further place the company above competitors. I agree with Felicia that a key factor of success with e-commerce is speed and convenience. Instant gratification is something we as consumers have grown accustomed to. Technology is most likely the cause of this. Everything is becoming faster and more efficient at such a high rate that we don’t even remember the “old” technology. For example, Amazon is also experimenting with using drones for delivery. If these drones become the new normal delivery system, mail couriers could become obsolete. This goes with what Felicia said, “With rapid advances in technology and transportation, it is very likely that this competitive advantage will not last.” Technological points of difference eventually become points of parity, so companies will have to be constantly innovating to stay competitive. I think this is very hard to accomplish, which is why most companies don’t last very long. There will always be something new and better to replace the old and inferior.

Source:

https://blogs.ubc.ca/feliciachong96/2014/11/08/amazon-brings-one-day-delivery-to-vancouver/

Photo Source:

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–ReYnkY9W–/188xsi8f17aonjpg.jpg

As a university student, my ultimate goal is to have a stable career after I earn my degree. However, as Jessica stated in her blog, Post-Post Secondary Doesn’t Get Easier, a university degree no longer guarantees us jobs. Jessica made some interesting points in her post, but it was the last paragraph that struck me. She compared students to products who are easily substituted. I found this a very interesting perspective. I agree that we need to differentiate ourselves from others in order to stand out, which will help us to become not so replaceable. Making connections, networking, and gaining work experience are some of the main ways to distinguish ourselves. Going to university isn’t necessarily a point of difference anymore, but the skills we learn and practice are. In my opinion, as degrees and the skillsets for careers become more and more common, people will have greater difficulties finding a good job. My generation is already facing this issue, and it will only continue further. Just as Jessica said, “every minute matters”, if we don’t start preparing ourselves for the work world now, finding a job will be infinitely harder.

Source:

https://blogs.ubc.ca/chiyujessicachen/2014/10/28/67/

Photo Sources:

http://www.writewaydesigns.com/images/NowWhat.jpg

http://campustocareer.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/c21-work-experience-pdf-1.jpg

Starting a business isn’t an easy thing to do. It takes a lot of determination, hard work, and persistence to be successful. Seth Godin explains in his blog how many new businesspeople have “magical thinking” while creating their business. “It’s magical thinking that causes nearly every consumer web startup to fail. And yet it’s magic that’s at the root of customer love,” says Aaron Schildkrout. The person is so strong-minded about their business that they forget to think about being appealing to consumers. This is similar to what Emma Smith and Amielle Lake talked about in class. Emma spoke about having blinders on and thinking her idea would work even though it wasn’t logical. Amielle told us how she pivoted many times before ending up at her final goal. I think it’s easy to get caught up in your project, especially if you’re passionate about it. It’s also hard to be told that you’re doing something wrong. I agree with what Seth said in his blog post, “change is hard”, but it is sometimes crucial for a business to prosper. Change and growth are necessary for a business to expand, even though it may be difficult at the beginning.

Sources:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2014/10/avoiding-magical-thinking.html

http://andrewchen.co/iacs-howaboutwe-co-founder-how-to-avoid-delusional-thinking-in-start-up-growth-strategy-guest-post/

Photo Source:

http://diverseharmony.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Magical-Thinking-Image-RGB-final-11.png

Power is a huge motivator in the business world. It’s often the most powerful and most successful businesspeople that receive the most recognition. Jordan Belfort, famous for being the wolf of Wall Street, is no exception. He earned his fame and fortune through fraud and scams.  As we learned in class, rewards aren’t always fair, and power can be very influential. In Jordan’s case, he was greatly rewarded for his cons, although greed was more of a factor than pressure from his bosses. After Jordan got caught, he served 22 months in jail, which was a very light consequence for the amount of money he stole. In my opinion, Jordan’s bad behaviour was never really punished, and is just another example of our society’s reward system. Jordan, who scammed hundreds of people, is still getting rewarded for what he did. The movie, his book, and numerous tours are getting him even more popularity than when he swindled stocks. He is being rewarded, even idolized for his behaviour despite it being illegal. It’s as Jordan said, “You can get desensitized to your own actions – it’s easy on Wall Street”. Some people will do anything for rewards.

Sources:

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-07/jordan-belfort-the-real-wolf-of-wall-street

http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2013/12/28/meet-the-real-wolf-of-wall-street-in-forbes-original-takedown-of-jordan-belfort/

http://hbr.org/2003/01/power-is-the-great-motivator/ar/1

Photo Source:

http://www.irishexaminer.com/media/images/j/JordanBelfortRDS_large.jpg