shahista kassam's Blog

How can businesses become environmentally sustainable?

As the world of business evolves many of us have forgotten the significance of environmental sustainability.

An article reads, according to the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) the world must “cut the rate of carbon emissions dramatically by 2050 to stop global temperatures from rising more than two degrees Celsius”. This means countries must begin to create strategies that can efficiently help reduce carbon emissions. The article further states, in order to achieve this goal “global carbon intensity needs to be cut by an average of 5.1 percent a year from now to 2050”. Currently there hasn’t been a significant improvement in the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the different countries. Reduction in carbon emission is necessary in order to maintain future emission reductions. However, because of the slow start, even if the target is achieved there will still be a far greater reduction in the future (Chestney).

According to Climate Smart “an average small business in BC reducing emissions can save $400 for every tonne of emissions they cut from their operations”. This highlights that Businesses in British Columbia can create economic growth and environmental efficiency by implementing carbon management strategies that would help cut costs at the same time avoid unnecessary carbon emissions.

 Works Cited

 Chestney, Nina. “Unprecedented World Carbon Emissions Cuts Needed by 2050: PwC.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 04 Nov. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/05/us-carbon-pwc-idUSBRE8A400420121105>.

“Small Business Climate Action Creates Bottom Line and Community Benefits.” Climate Smart. Climate Smart Business Inc., 8 Nov. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <https://climatesmartbusiness.com/2012/11/08/small-business-climate-action-creates-bottom-line-and-community-benefits/>.

Picture Reference:

 “The Ecommerce Authority.” The Ecommerce Authority. Volusion, 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://onlinebusiness.volusion.com/articles/the-future-of-green/>. 

My team and I painting the Mural

HIV/AIDS Mural in Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania

The class on social enterprise recalled memories of high school. I remembered a trip to the Investours where I had the opportunity to explore the idea of microfinance and social enterprise for the very first time. Since then I had developed a great sense of interest towards this concept.

Investours is a non-profit organization in Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania, that aims to fuel entrepreneurs through tourism. These tours allow one to understand life in such poor communities as well as help in investing to develop lives of these entrepreneurs. Fortunately, I had a chance to take one of the tours in which I truly had the experience to see how people worked so hard to make a living for themselves and their families. This made me even more determined to help those less fortunate than me.

Hence, this inspired me to start up a project in school where I recruited seven motivated individuals to paint a mural on a popular road. Through this mural I aimed to change the idea that people with HIV/AIDS were different. Having been exposed to the lives of children with AIDS, I was passionate about raising awareness for this cause. This was a way for me to express my interests through my passion for visual arts.

Works Cited

“Welcome to Investours!” Welcome to Investours! N.p., 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://www.investours.org/>.

Is Technology taking over the World?

Technology is massively evolving over time. It is surprising to see how we humans have so quickly accepted this change and how we greatly depend on technology.

As stated in Dayah Johal’s post “Excess Inventions”, technology is advancing rapidly as different companies create new innovative products and services to build a competitive advantage over their rivals. Excess to such products, services and information make life easier. An example is to be seen in an article that outlines a group of researchers from the University of Oxford that made use of mobile phone technology to automatically send text messages to local water officers and engineers when the water pumps broke down in small towns and villages. This allows many communities in rural parts of Africa to have access to drinking water.

However, technological change can serve as a disadvantage. A recent article by MailOnline talks of a 15-year-old girl named Joyce Winsie Hau, stabbed to death by a 15-year-boy, who was hired by her best friend and boyfriend because Joyce was posting her sexual escapades on Facebook. This clearly shows to what extent technology influences lives of people. This therefore concludes that we must use technology critically and efficiently rather then just relying on it.

Works Cited

Nguyen, Katie. “TechnoTalk – Can Mobile Technology Make Sources of Clean Water More Reliable?” Can Mobile Technology Make Sources of Clean Water More Reliable? Thomson Reuters Foundation, June 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://www.trust.org/alertnet/blogs/technotalk/can-mobile-technology-make-sources-of-clean-water-more-reliable/>.

Ward, Alex. “Teen Assassin Stabs Girl to Death for £16 over Facebook Row… but Only Faces a Year in Jail Due to His Age.” Mail Online. Associated Newspapers Ltd, 24 Aug. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2193113/Teen-assassin-stabs-girl-death-16-Facebook-row–faces-year-jail-age.html>.

Picture Reference:

“Hot Chocolate and Books.” Hot Chocolate and Books. WordPress.com, 27 Nov. 2011. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://hotchocolateandbooks.wordpress.com/2011/11/27/technology-taking-over-the-world-thats-a-good-thing-or-is-it/>.

Al-karim Lalani

“Uchumi” means economics in Kiswahili, (which is Swahili for non-Kiswahili speakers). Al-karim Lalani named his blog “The Uchumist” which is a hybrid word that stands for “The Economist”. Al-karim Lalani is a student at the University of Stanford, born in Kisumu, Kenya and raised in Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania.

Al-karim calls his blogs, “my diary as an East African Economist” in which he publishes what he “believes are interesting thoughts and occurrences all through the paradigm of economics”. I enjoy following his blogs because we come from a very similar background as Al-karim is my cousin. This helps me relate myself to his writing. I also admire his creative and unique idea of connecting life with economics in his blogs. This makes me think of how everything in life actually rotates around concepts of economics.

“In Search of meaning: The Finite Game of Life” is one of my favorite blog posts in which Al-karim arises the question:

   If life is really a finite game, then is the objective of the game to have the most “successful” life?

In this post Al-karim connects concepts of economics, human behavior and religious views to support his arguments of how one can perceive success in this game of life. He concludes by quoting: “the optimum solution then becomes to produce as much of this ‘positive energy’ or whatever else will remain after us whether that be knowledge, art, experience for others. Such a life sounds more noble than the former”.

Picture Reference:

“Africa’s Global Intellectual Capital |.” Africas Global Intellectual Capital RSS. N.p., 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://agic.co/>.

What is Zara’s secret to fast fashion trend?

Keynote speaker Mahesh Nagarajan made me extremely curious to learn more about the concept of supply chain. I was particularly interested to research further about Zara’s supply chain operations because I personally admire Zara’s style of clothing and the different choices it offers to consumers such as myself.

As stated by the title “Zara’s Secret to Fast Fashion” is a quick, fast and efficient supply chain system. “”Fast fashion” system depends on a constant exchange of information throughout every part of Zara’s supply chain” (Zara’s). This allows Zara to produce new products with the latest styles and designs each week. Being able introduce new products in small quantities leads to having low inventory, which makes the whole system more efficient. This serves as an advantage to Zara over other fashion stores such as H&M.

But, why can’t other retail fashion stores carry out a similar supply chain operation?

This is because communication of information in such a rapid pace is not easy. As quotes by Mahesh “forecasting supply is extremely difficult”.

However, Zara takes a lead by controlling its supply through a well-organized communication system, its investment in technology as well as a strong operation management system. This ultimately helps Zara adapt quickly to new trends with minimum costs allowing its customers to have more choice thus demand more.

Works Cited

 Tiplady, Rachel. “Zara’s Taking the Lead in Fast-Fashion.” BloombergBusinessWeek Global Economics. Bloomberg, 4 Apr. 2006. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. <http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2006-04-04/zara-taking-the-lead-in-fast-fashionbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice>.

 “Zara’s Secret for Fast Fashion – HBS Working Knowledge.” Zara’s Secret for Fast Fashion – HBS Working Knowledge. Harvard Business Review, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. <http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/4652.html>.

Picture Reference:

 “Zara Is Coming To The V&A Waterfront | 2oceansvibe.com.” Zara Is Coming To The V&A Waterfront | 2oceansvibe.com. 2oceanvibe NEWS, 9 Mar. 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. <http://www.2oceansvibe.com/2012/03/09/zara-is-coming-to-the-va-waterfront/>.

energyaware PowerTab

Class of November, 8^th 2012 was one of my favorite lectures in COM101 as it gave me the oppotunity to explore the idea of entrepreneurship, which deeply interested me. Before this lecture, I defined entrepreneurship as starting up a small business with a small idea in mind. However, this class redefined the meaning of what it truly meant to be an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur is one who “organizes a business venture” but who is also willing to accept the risks associated with the ideas. The questions that arise are: what strives one to accept risks? What causes one to be determined? How can one be sure of success in his/her idea? The answer is very simple, its ambition! Ambition motivates one to believe in their ideas and to possibly make them reality.

The two key speakers that visited the class were very inspirational as they brought insights to the concept of entrepreneurship. I was extremely driven by Jenice Cheam talks because I admired how she used her business skills to establish an idea that related to awareness of sustainable environment. Her company “energyaware” has a vision to “connect people to resource conservation”. I was trilled by the idea of making people aware of energy usage through an user-friendly monitoring device.

As stated in Michelle Lee’s blog post to establish a new company is costly and even harder is to convince investors to invest in new ideas. This leads to limited liability of success for such entrepreneurs. However, entrepreneurs such as Jenice Cheam seek to innovate by believing in themselves and their ideas in hope that hard work will pay off.

 Works Cited

 “A Definition of Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneur.” A Definition of Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneur. QuickMBA.com, 2010. Web. 8 Nov. 2012. <http://www.quickmba.com/entre/definition/>.

“Energy Aware PowerTab – Energy Aware Technology In-home Displays « Energy Aware.” Energy Aware PowerTab – Energy Aware Technology In-home Displays « Energy Aware. Energy Aware Technology Inc., 2012. Web. 8th Nov. 2012. <http://www.energy-aware.com/>.

“The Founder’s Dilemma.” Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business Publishing, Feb. 2008. Web. 8 Nov. 2012. <http://hbr.org/2008/02/the-founders-dilemma/ar/1>.

 Picture Reference:

“Energy Aware PowerTab – Energy Aware Technology In-home Displays « Energy Aware.” Energy Aware PowerTab – Energy Aware Technology In-home Displays « Energy Aware. Energy Aware Technology Inc., 2012. Web. 8th Nov. 2012. <http://www.energy-aware.com/>.

Are electric cars the future?

A recent article published by the BBC completely shocked me when I read the very first line that stated, “electric cars might pollute much more than petrol or diesel-powered cars, according to new research” (To read further refer to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19830232).

Electrical cars are the most “greenest of the personal transportation industry” and therefore encouraged to be purchased (Barbara). However, the Norwegian University if Science and Technology study found that greenhouse gas emissions rose dramatically if coal was used to produce electricity for the electric cars (Electric). This means that producing electric cars is not only costly but creates greater greenhouse effects than that of producing vehicles that use petrol and diesel. The article further states, “in addition, producing batteries and electric motors required a lot of toxic minerals such as nickel, copper and aluminum. Hence, the acidification impact is much greater than that of conventional car production” (Electric).

Nevertheless it can be argued that although the process of producing an electric car can lead to greater greenhouse emissions, in the long run these cars are much more efficient than a vehicle using petrol and diesel. The question that arises: is it better for one to consider the long term rather then the short term effects of purchasing an electric car?

Works Cited:

 Aaron, Ziv. “About Owning a Hybrid or Electric Car.” Green Living on National Geographic. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2012. <http://greenliving.nationalgeographic.com/owning-hybrid-electric-car-2352.html>.

Barbara. “Goal For The Green.” Advantages and Disadvantages of Electric Cars. N.p., 4 Apr. 2011. Web. 08 Oct. 2012. <http://goalforthegreen.com/2011/04/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-electric-cars/>.

“Electric Cars ‘pose Environmental Threat'” BBC News. BBC, 4 Oct. 2012. Web. 08 Oct. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19830232>.

Picture Reference:

“Energy and Kids.” Energy and Kids. Bulgaria, 2005. Web. 08 Oct. 2012. <http://www.kids.esdb.bg/smart_inventions.html>.

Will Africa be the land of opportunity during this World Crisis?

After reading Rachel Servoz and Emily Yu’s blogs it made me consider looking into the impact of the European Crisis on African counties as I come from Tanzania.

Europe has been a primary consumer of most of the commodities in Africa. The financial debt in Europe has therefore lead to volatility in prices of commodities in many of the African countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. This has affected trade and the demand of commodities in Africa such as oil and copper, the currency leading to higher inflation rates in African countries and the employment rates in Africa.

Yet, “According to World Bank and IMF, Africa has one of the best growth prospects over the coming decade. In 2011, developed countries recorded approximately 2% growth rates, while African nations recorded nearly 5.5% on average” (Maithya). This proves that many of the African countries will be countries of opportunity in the coming years as they learn to become sustainable without aid from the developed world. Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, Nigeria’s Finance Mnister quotes “We have learnt how to manage our economies to produce sustained growth. What needs to be recognized when these decisions are made in Europe, is how they can make more use of the dynamism of the developing world” (Europe).

Works Cited:

 Abdullahi, Shaflu. “African Economies and the Global Debt Crisis :: Holler Africa –Make Yourself Heard!” African Economies and the Global Debt Crisis :: Holler Africa – Make Yourself Heard! Holler Africa, 2005. Web. 07 Oct. 2012. <http://www.hollerafrica.com/showArticle.php?artId=508>.

“Europe Crisis ‘threatens Africa'” BBC News. BBC, 1 Dec. 2011. Web. 07 Oct. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15968984>.

Maithya, Nicholas. “European Debt Crisis: A Look at the Impact on Africa.” ValueWalk.Weneca Media Group, 5 June 2012. Web. 07 Oct. 2012. <http://www.valuewalk.com/2012/06/european-debt-crisis-a-look-at-the-impact-on-africa/>.

Picture Reference:

“Europe and World Crisis By Alexei Talimonov | Politics Cartoon | TOONPOOL.”Europe and World Crisis By Alexei Talimonov | Politics Cartoon | TOONPOOL. Toonpool.com, 2012. Web. 07 Oct. 2012. <http://www.toonpool.com/cartoons/Europe%20and%20World%20Crisis_155770>.

Our children are the future! Is this how we want them to grow?

The class discussion held on the 2^nd of October on how media affects the behavior of consumers and children inspired me to research further on this topic.

Media is a big aspect of the society that projects continues sources of information. Advertisements are everywhere from our television screens to billboards, directly affecting the minds and behaviors of the young and elderly consumers. According to an article by “The Economist” there has been controversial debate on banning advertisements aimed on children.

On one hand, not every child is gullible in believing what it sees and if they are it is the teachers and parent’s responsibility to teach the children of the realities of commercial media. However, on the other hand, it is said that children are naive, therefore easily persuaded by advertisements. Statistics show that “two-thirds of infants and toddlers watch a screen an average of 2 hours a day” (KidsHealth). Television can be an excellent source of educator and entertainer for children, however too much exposure to such media at such a critical time of the human brain development can be very harmful for the children in a long run (KidsHealth). This can interfere with the activities such as being healthy, physically active, reading, playing with friends and most importantly spending time with family. These disadvantages can lead to exposure of negative information that will eventually affect behavior and actions of such kids in the coming future.

Works Cited

“Children, Adolescents, and Advertising.” Children, Adolescents, and Advertising. American Academy of Pediatrics, 2012. Web. 07 Oct. 2012. <http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/118/6/2563.full>.

“KidsHealth.” How TV Affects Your Child. The Nemours Foundation, 2012. Web. 07 Oct. 2012. <http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child.html>.

“Kid Gloves.” The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 04 Jan. 2001. Web. 07 Oct. 2012. <http://www.economist.com/node/464997>.

“MP Links Children’s Advertising and Mental Illness.” BBC News. BBC, 14 June 2012. Web. 07 Oct. 2012. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/house_of_commons/newsid_9728000/9728176.stm>.

Shah, Anup. “Children as Consumers.” Global Issues. Global Issues, 21 Nov. 2010. Web. 07 Oct. 2012. <http://www.globalissues.org/article/237/children-as-consumers>.

Picture Reference 

“Understanding Advertising and Your Children.” The Better Mom. Insight Blog Design, 2012. Web. 07 Oct. 2012. <http://www.thebettermom.com/2012/05/understanding-advertising-and-your-children/>.

What if you were young Radhika?

A business does not have the right to claim themselves as an ethical firm if they follow unethical practices such as the use of child labor.

“Across Africa, there are an estimated 80 million child workers, a number that could rise to 100 million by 2015” (Harsch 1). Most of the African children between the ages of 5 and 14 are involved in the production of agriculture goods in many of the countries in Africa. An example can be seen through a BBC article that states, “1.8 million children in West Africa are at risk of abuse through dangerous child labor” in order to produce cocoa for the food company Nestle (Hawksley 1). The question arises: is it ethical to allow child labor to satisfy the needs of food companies such as Nestle? On one hand, agriculture is the backbone of many counties in Africa. In Tanzania alone the agriculture sector contributes more than 40% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Tanzania 1). Economic growth is therefore essential for these countries in order to compete with the rapidly growing world. On the other hand, every individual has the right of freedom. These young African children have the right to a good quality of life; where they can be educated and represent themselves as future leaders.

Works Cited

Harsch, Ernest. “Child Labour Rooted in Africa’s Poverty.” UN News Center. UN, Oct. 2011. Web. 12 Sept. 2012. <http://www.un.org/en/africarenewal/vol15no3/153chil4.htm>.

Hawksley, Humphrey. “Nestle ‘failing’ on Child Labour Abuse, Says FLA Report.” BBC News. BBC, 29 June 2012. Web. 12 Sept. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18644870>.

“Tanzania National Website.” Tanzania National Website. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. <http://www.tanzania.go.tz/livestock.html>.

Picture Reference:

Harsch, Ernest. “Child Labour Rooted in Africa’s Poverty.” UN News Center. UN, Oct. 2011. Web. 12 Sept. 2012. <http://www.un.org/en/africarenewal/vol15no3/153chil4.htm>.