Monthly Archives: November 2014

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

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Although the United Nations (UN) is resourceful in uniting the world nations and enacting resolutions for global issues as only a third-party non-governmental agency such as itself can, they do not often prioritize trivial but self-sustaining entrepreneurs in developing communities. The UN has the advantage of being an international organization which has influence over most of the world’s countries, therefore, the goals of the UN are accordingly centered around aligning each nation’s goals with each other in order to minimize conflict externally or internally.

The Arc and other social enterprises play a significant role in the wider global picture as they can fill in the gaps neglected by the UN. These initiatives encourage entrepreneurship to transform dependent communities into self-sustaining communities and economies. Even if the United Nations were fully funded, the need for social enterprises would not be diminished as these enterprises are working individually and personally with communities in order to enact effective and positive social change in the hopes of creating a sustaining economy. The ultimate goals of the UN are fundamentally different than those of social enterprises who believe in using business tools and concepts to create a social change while making one profit and sustaining a business.

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References:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-growth/going-global/production-problems-nearly-unravel-high-end-fashion-label/article14286870/

Upward Arc

http://skollworldforum.org/about/what-is-social-entrepreneurship/

“Trust Karma”

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“Trust Karma”, said Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, at a conference in October for women in computing.

In the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference last month, Microsoft CEO was asked what advice he could give to a woman who was hesitant to ask for a raise. His reply sparked both outrage and immediate backlash on news outlets and the general twitterverse as he said, “It’s not really about asking for the raise, but knowing and having faith that the system will actually give you the right raises as you go along. That’s good karma. It will come back”. In the greater business world and especially the technology sector, there exists a pay gap between the genders that is not only difficult for women to cross but also frowned upon by executives who are dominantly while and male.

Satya Nadella is an influential figure in both the business world and the tech community and I am personally surprised and offended that this comment was made to discourage women from being as assertive as their counterparts are and that they are instead told to “trust karma”. It is unlikely that Nadella himself found himself as CEO of Microsoft by “having faith in the system”. Despite his public apology, I believe that this scandal will serve as a humble reminder for him and other tech executives that the overwhelming lack of diversity must be addressed and dealt with.

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References:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102090245

http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity/2014/10/satya-nadellas-karma-advice-to-women-comes-back-to-haunt-him.html

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/10/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-women-dont-ask-for-a-raise

Vancouver’s Reluctance to Discuss the Housing Crisis

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In Luby Kletas’ blog post, Vancouver’s Expensive Real Estate, she analyzes the causes of Vancouver’s unaffordable housing market and the effects of this on local Vancouverites. I agree with the stated causes and especially with high immigration as this is a phenomenon that is also happening in London, Sydney, and Hong Kong.

The primary cause of this affliction is the high influx of wealthy immigrants who invest on the real estate and thus, inflate the local housing market. However, the decision-makers of Vancouver are not exempt from blame as there is a great need to discuss this issue and what can be done about it. One reason why this topic is generally avoided in political discussions is the use of the word racism to divert attention from the significance of the issue. There are those who argue that by discussing the increase of immigrants and their effect on the housing market, politicians are discriminating and marginalizing the minority group by further drawing attention to the detrimental effects of their arrival.

I do not agree with this sentiment and believe that action from the local government should be enacted quickly and drastically. One way that other cities have tackled a similar issue is by enforcing a tax on properties that are not lived in to prevent investors from simply buying the property and to encourage locals who have a need for the house to have the opportunity to live in it.

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References:

http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2014/06/27/why-vancouver-housing-is-unaffordable-and-what-to-do-about-it/?__federated=1