” 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