” If  the United Nations was fully funded why would we need the Arc or social enterprise”?

During any sort of global issue, the United Nations comes together always to come up with a “solution” to aid the victims. Whether it was care packages for those recovering after a natural disaster, or food and nutrition for the hungry, the UN has been there to help alleviate the pain. If the United Nations was fully funded we would still need social enterprise because it creates a solution for those who are suffering to finding lasting results. By giving someone food and clothing, it can only help them for as long as those resources to last, but to teach someone how to fish sew and use the resources given it creates long term benefit. Social enterprises do just that. When the Arc Initiative helped the Salem boutique fix their production issues, they created a long term solution with real results that helped not only keep the business alive but expand. If the United Nations began allocating more of their money to social enterprises, there would be a lot more positive action done in a shorter period because some great social justice ideas just lack funding.

Source: http://nycparking.spplus.com/Destinations/Nyc-United-Nations-Parking.html

In the post, How to get a career that provides stability, written on the blog of Penelope Trunk, a successful business woman who has four start-ups under her belt, it describes the underlying wish for all generations, which is stability.

Stability, whether it is emotional, relational, or career wise is important to every person. In the article she provides three ways of achieving some sort of stability. The first of which, is being able to improvise. I believe this is a key skill because in our day, many of our jobs are slowly becoming automated, and as that happens, we need to be ready to take on any job that may be left for us. The second idea is to become comfortable with your gut which means to begin to be able to handle ambiguity, (a job that robots can’t take). This is plausible, as it takes human reasoning to be able to deal with these sort of situations. The last point mentioned is to be creative. I believe this is the most important of the three, as creativity can always lead to innovation. Using improvisation, instinct, and creativity, we can create stability in our lives by accepting the things we cannot change.

Source: http://www.gettingagile.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Stability.jpg

Intrigued by the title, I decided to read Rittu’s post, Greenpeace’s Rule Over Lego, which discusses the dissolving of the long partnership between Lego and the gasoline company, Shell (that I was completely unaware of ). This partnership was obviously mutualistic as it takes oil to create plastic for the Lego pieces and Shell gets exposure from the sets displayed in  Rittu’s post.

I completely agree with Rittu and her stance on the issue. Lego is a company that requires oil for its production of plastic so in no way is this reducing Lego’s contributions of hazardous smog to the ozone layer as they can find another supplier quickly. As described in my Micro Economics class multiple times, the idea of corporate social responsibility is a load of cow dung. Lego is trying to watch it’s back to avoid scrutiny from the public and further ridicule from Greenpeace, as it needs to keep its wholesome household name clean so it can keep its sales steady. If Lego was not in it for the profits, they would spend money on research of the use of  alternative sustainable resources instead of continuing to bs their way through this issue.

Source: http://rt.com/business/194800-lego-partnership-shell-greenpeace/

In response to Juliana’s post, Earnest Ice Cream, Seriously Good and Seriously Personal, the theme of customer relationships is quite prevalent. In any business, success is based on not only how many customers they can attract, but the amount of customers they can retain. The value proposition set forth by the company, though it is not stated in the article, is to provide honestly good, home-made ice cream to the consumer. The attention to detail, with the unique flavours, hand written labels and nifty jars only emphasize the couple’s value and passion shared towards the company and their shared love of creating the perfect ice cream. This attention to detail, as well as the fact they used to bike to deliver their ice cream shows the value they place on their customers. From the customer-employee interactions that go on inside the stores to the experience of tasting the quality ice cream, it creates the personal connection between a consumer and a business. For small companies such as this, this customer retention tactic is what allows them the ability to expand as social media can only do so  much when word of mouth will always take it one step further.

Source: http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2013/06/10-best-ice-cream-in-vancouver-earnest-ice-cream/

In the article, Research: How Female CEOs Actually Get to the Top, it describes the lengthy journey that many female CEOs have had to endure to find success. When compared to their male counterparts, female CEOs have to work 30 years to get to the same position achieved by a man in 15 years. As we all know, this is not because a woman is any less capable of completing these tasks. It is because to this day, there is still gender inequality in the workplace. Though the perseverance of these women is displayed through their hard work, commitment and dedication throughout the years, it is disheartening to know that I might have to work twice as hard for a job because of my sex. The article states that men and women have the same level of confidence, it is just that woman lose their self assurance quicker then men. This is completely understandable as women are fighting for the same jobs as the same men who will be picked for their “individualistic” qualities. It is as though women have to endure more and have more experience in the field, in order to prove themselves capable, which to me only makes the woman more qualifies for the position.

Source: http://www.oncallinternational.com/blog/business-travel-for-women-6-tips-for-playing-it-safe-on-the-road/

After reading “Like it or not, Millennials will change the workplace”, I feel a sudden happy reassurance that the dynamics of the workplace will change from structured and conservative to flexible and creative. My generation sees the world in a different light, as a canvas ready to be stained with our ideas of innovation. With every Sauder Alumni I see following their dreams, starting companies and creating new technologies, I see ambition, dedication, and confidence brewing within them. It is not to say that this type of student used to be rare, but the idea of following your own agenda is becoming more prevalent. In the article, it describes the stereotype for my generation as being self-centered, and to a certain extent, I do believe that’s true. We are looking for ways to make ourselves happy, to make sure we enjoy life to the fullest, because you only do live once. With the millennials leading the way, businesses will head down similar roads like  Zappos and Google, as the human resources department will grow and will begin focusing more on the well being of their employees, creativity and overall happiness.

Source:http://www.livesigmakappa.com/2014/03/10/get-to-know-a-millennial-i-double-dare-you/

Source: http://www.businessonmarketst.com/wp-content/uploads/Time_Millennial.jpg

In many different workplaces, mostly fast food restaurants, managers just get promoted to their jobs based on the fact that they were able to do their entry level job well over the years. It is assumed that those that can exceed expectations preparing a burger, or taking a customer’s order are ready to take on the task of being a leader.

Source: http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Takeaway-team-s-Olympic-service/story-16170851-detail/story.html

In some cases, often by luck, these workers do possess the skills necessary to maintain a group of individuals, but in reality, most managers lack the proper qualifications to be seen as a leader. Most managers do not respond to situations well and this can affect the overall efficiency of the business. Managers are meant to be able to oversee the overall brand and operations of the business, and this is not a useless task. Though anyone can go through training once given the promotion, I truly believe that there is a certain type of person that a manager ought to be, and in order for a business to run smoothly, there must be a proper hiring process to ensure that managers can be truly deemed as leaders.

reference: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/leadership-lab/why-are-so-many-managers-useless-as-leaders/article20864299/

When I was a young growing second grader, your status on the playground was loosely based on the snacks you had for break. At that time, Jell-O and their chocolate pudding reigned supreme. Fast forward to today and you may sometimes see the wiggly dessert at the hospital cafeteria (if you happen to be so lucky). So while opening a lunch box, one might ask with nostalgia, where art thou Jell-O?

With the coming and going of trends, Jell-O has lost its prominence and Kraft’s dessert marketers are trying to revive it by trying to make it appeal to all age groups, as the fun way to snack. It sounds easy enough, its a wiggly dessert, I can imagine the commercials, “You know what to do with that Jell-O cup!” “wiggle, wiggle, wiggle”, am I right? But in reality, this fight for survival will be tough. Eating Jell-O requires two hands for those on the go and Jell-O prep is time consuming. As Jell-O transitions to a snack, it’ll have more competition and will really have to innovate packaging to make it commuter friendly. Jell-O tubes anyone?

Source: http://mashable.com/2013/02/15/bill-cosby-gifs/

reference: http://adage.com/article/news/kraft-launches-campaign-revive-jell-o/243616/

With the introduction of the new Alberta Premier, Jim Prentice, there are high hopes for progress to be made regarding the Northern Gateway Pipeline. From the opinions of many officials, Mr. Prentice will be better “suited” to deal with the First Nations with his understanding of the issues put forth by the group as well as his experience as the former federal cabinet minister for aboriginal affairs, industry and environment.

Source: http://jpgreenword.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/the-disrespectful-behaviour-of-our-government-towards-first-nations/

This is interconnecting the external factor of societal and cultural trends. The First Nations people believe in the spiritual connections involving stewardship, as it is our job to take care of the land as it provides for us. So this idea of drilling and digging into the land to create crude oil pipelines has a long list of potential environmental dangers that clash with the First Nation beliefs. First off, environmental clean up tactics must be specifically prepared by Northern Gateway Pipeline, deemed viable, and they will have to amp up these projects for the continuation of the project to even be considered without protest. Though it may be expensive, it is one of many conditions that has yet to be properly met.

reference: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/industry-first-nations-share-northern-gateway-pipeline-ally-in-prentice/article20501547/

In the article posted by Harvard Business School, Clay Christensen’s Milkshake Marketing theory is explained. To sum it up in a few words, it is the idea that a product or service should be marketed depending on the job that future consumers will hire it to fulfill. This theory is somewhat contradictory to the usual idea of marketing towards the targeted segment, and I personally believe it to be viable. When I go to Starbucks before my 3:00pm class, I don’t just buy my coffee because I am a pretentious UBC student, I buy it because it does the job of keeping me awake during Math and Econ, and believe me, there are many other students doing the same. This insight creates a market for Starbucks, to market to those students feeling drowsy in the afternoon and need a pick-me-up so they don’t end up failing their first university midterm.

Source: http://www.theslenderstudent.com/tag/starbucks/

Even though I do find truth to it, I do believe there are room for errors such as it is only useful when past data is available. All in all,  “Milkshake Marketing” is a perfectly sound idea, but is not completely superior to the standard targeted segmentation approach.

reference: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6496.html