Monthly Archives: November 2014

Business models such as that used by Salem’s Ethiopia, are the reason we need social entrepreneurs and projects such as the arc initiative. Even if the UN was fully funded, it would be difficult for an organization of this size to help meet the needs of all the communities around the world. Social entrepreneurs bring a breath of fresh-air into the business world, as these individuals are not only concerned about making profit, but also bettering the lives of the people in their communities. It would be important for a fully funded UN to help support such causes. Social entrepreneurs prove that one person can make a change!

Projects such as the arc initiative are also important, as they help guide social entrepreneurs, in less developed countries, with strong business advice. It allows individuals with good business ideas, to talk to other professionals, and understand how they can transfer their idea into a strong business plan, that not only helps their community, but themselves as well. In Salem’s case, she was able to get strong advice on how she could expand her business and that not only helped her business, but also allowed her to offer more jobs to those in her community.

In New Zealand there is a rise in the number of sustainable products younger generations are buying. In the past older generations were the ones driving the sustainability trend, but recently, younger generations have started to consciously choose sustainable products over there counterparts. The need to support sustainable products is starting to grow as coal, gas and oil approach their end as resources. The emissions from these resources are also destroying the environment, and as more people start to realize the importance of finding an alternative solution to meet energy needs, the popularity of sustainable products will grow.

Businesses also have start realizing that making sustainable products are the way forward for them. The demand for these products are rising, and if businesses can capitalize on this trend early on, they are sure to thrive in the future. By creating sustainable products businesses are not only improving their profit margins, but they also help society and the environment, thus improving their triple bottom lines. Businesses that are already sustainable are also more likely to beat out competition who use unsustainable methods in the future. As the need for sustainability rises, the other businesses will have trouble changing their operations, thus leaving sustainable businesses to come out on top.

Coming out of the Ebola crisis, Liberia’s government are now planning to lay-off, 30,000 of their 50,000 employees. Branden Kelly’s blog helped me understand the problems with downsizing at a business scale, but I can only assume that at a government level a downsizing of this magnitude would cause great unrest in the country.

Branden talks about how downsizing can effect morale and productivity in a company, and if the Liberian government were to lay-off about 60% of the workforce, I can imagine their being a huge fall in the countries morale. Above this unemployment in the country will rise from an already unacceptable level.

Although the Liberian government want to cut costs after the recent Ebola epidemic, I feel it is necessary for the government to realize that firing so many workers may not be the best plan of action. Although it would reduce costs in the short-term, Liberia would risk causing huge distrust against the government, as well  as falling productivity as the counties morale plummets. Also in the long-term, having a large unemployment rate won’t help to improve the Liberian economy, as people won’t have any money to spend.

I think Liberia should think of other cost cutting measures, and after the Ebola crisis, a plan to fire so many workers would only cause the country to go into another crisis, this time an economic one.

Reading both Azhar’s blog, and an article on increasing the minimum wage in Wisconsin, left me with similar feelings towards the subject. I agree that the minimum wage does have to increase, especially in states such as Wisconsin, where workers are making less, after inflation adjusted calculations, than they did 25 years ago.

In a state such as Wisconsin, where the minimum wage still leaves workers in poverty, it is a necessity to raise the minimum wage. Workers have to be motivated to work, and if they are in poverty after working long shifts, they can lose all motivation. Above this workers will be tempted not to work at all as benefits may result in the same pay for some people. Lastly, the whole Wisconsin economy, which would then effect the US economy, could be boosted by a minimum wage rise, as workers now have more spending money. Although the minimum wage does mean business costs rise, businesses in the area may want to show their support for a rise in the minimum wage. The businesses will be seen in a ethically positive light, as they will be supporting, getting people out of poverty. Above this it will show customers that the business cares more about their employees than keeping costs low therefore, creating positive publicity for the business.

Dina Kasiri’s blog shows how important it is for a business to plan ahead. A lack of planning for environmental disasters can cause businesses to go out of business. I agree with Dina’s point that it is vital for a business to plan for such events, so that they can come out of these difficult situations with some direction.

Small businesses in New York are realizing the importance of planning, and there has been a large rise in the demand for weather disaster planning. Small companies understand that they can not close down during the winter, just due to bad weather, as it is not financially sufficient for them to do so. That is why coming up with ideas for how they can operate during this weather is becoming of greater importance to them, as they have to continue providing their good and services if they want to avoid closing down. Overall, I feel that planning for weather conditions isn’t just important in countries where bad weather is expected, but also when these conditions aren’t expected. This allows the company to know how to recover from any scenario no matter how unexpected it may be. In countries where weather disasters are common, this type of planning becomes a necessity.