When people think of Aero, Kit Kat, and Snickers, they immediately associate with chocolate and happiness. Claudia Pisarek wrote an article about how Divine Chocolate  buys cocoa at a fair, stable price from the farmers. In reality, cocoa prices are volatile, and Divine is working to give fair wages and support to the farmers while educating them on business opportunities through involvement in the company and community.

This intrigues me, as I am very interested in traveling abroad and participating in social entrepreneurship opportunities, learning about services such as micro finance. Divine mostly operates in West Africa, working towards:

-increased power and representation within the market for the farmers

-social, economic and political empowerment

-enhanced women’s participation in all its affairs

-environmentally sustainable production processes

This organization reminds of Sauder’s Arc Initiative; the organization is going into a foreign, third-world country, and teaching basic stills and techniques for locals to operate successful businesses. This is a field that is both rewarding and eye-opening, and one in which I would thoroughly enjoy the experience and the opportunity to make a difference. With all the inntiatives at UBC like the Arc Initiative and Social Entrepreneurship 101, it is good to see external companies embody responsible purchasing.

On May 26, 2010, Vancouver Science World marketed itself through the creative use of a billboard. Covered in over $6000 worth of gold leaf, the billboard advertised the new treasure exhibit that was soon to open, and even had it its own security guard.

The advertisement was so unique it received video attention from notable news stations including CTV, CBC, and Global.

The advertisement was successful because of its creativity and originality. Science World used a conventional marketing tool in billboards to successfully position their brand. When associating with science world, people thought of a forward-thinking, creative, and educational location that could be enjoyed by all ages. While there are few direct competitors to Science World, the advertisement was still able to attract attention from the local media and differentiate the attraction from other tourist destinations in Vancouver.

I enjoy this advertisement because of it’s differentiability and genius. This add gleams in the light and catches anyones eye. Furthermore it makes me want to see the exhibit at Science World (although I am 2 years late) and thus is a success in my opinion.

Here is a link to the creation the the gold billboard:

The Golden Billboard

A starving man in Indi

year India’s harvests were expected to be record highs; however, the poor will still go hungry. Voice of America states that: “this year’s record production could leave the government with 75 million tons of grain on its hands. With facilities only to store 63 million tons in state-run warehouses, millions of tons could be left out in the open.” Additionally, the government has problems distributing the food, because of the lack for proper funding and organization. This is in dire need of fixing, as 900 million Indian citizens eat less than the government recommended minimums.

Short Video on Child Malnourishment in India

In the state of Uttar Pradesh this issue is taken to an extreme. According to Bloomberg News, “$14.5 billion in food [has gone] missing during the past 10 years,” Business Week says that while there have recently been overflowing reserves located near poverty-filled villages, the food was not being rationed fairly. Instead, the State Food Minister bought the food cheap off the farmers and then sold it to companies at the market price, pocketing the difference. Although there are trials ongoing, no arrests have been made, while there has been no foreign input to push the government into action.

Children hungry in the slums of India

Articles:

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-09-06/indias-poor-starve-as-politicians-steal-their-food#p1

http://www.voanews.com/content/article–in-india-indadequate-storage-could-mean-wasted-food-148848425/370292.html