In response to the question; “If the United Nations was fully funded why would we need the Arc or social enterprise?” I would say this; the positive global change generated by ‘people helping people’ would be needed even if groups like the United Nations were fully funded because they are more quickly and efficiently established than when the same types of social global reforms are approached by government entities like the United Nations.

Even if government groups like the United Nations whom are concerned with improving our global society were to receive all the funding they could possibly dream of, they would still have to go through the long and arduous process of creating, voting on, and then POSSIBLY passing a generalized bill which MIGHT benefit society. In contrast, independent entities like the Arc initiative, whom concentrate on improving one small area of our global society at a time and who don’t have to go through tedious legal processes to put their ideas into action, are able to achieve the global change they seek rather quickly by comparison. 

The truth of the matter is, the law is able to accomplish what independent entities are able to do in a fraction of the time and with far more concentrated effort. And that folks, is why even if the United Nations had all the funding in the world, we as a global community would still need things like the Arc and social enterprise to make substantial beneficial global changes. 

 

 

If asked, I guarantee the majority of people living in today’s modern westernized societies would respond to the question; “do you think slavery helped put that fish on your dinner table?” with a resounding no. Sadly however, it’s possible that even today the fish you’re having for dinner or the gravel you put on your driveway, may have come from darker origins.

A while ago in a post about business ethics I mentioned a concept coined by Milton Friedman that states companies should only be held responsible for maximizing their profits. After reading the article “Slavery is a business reality, and it’s up to companies to stop it”, I now believe that if forgoing the respect of basic human rights is what this “ethicality is maximizing profits” attitude produces, such an approach to business ethics is utterly deplorable. 

I firmly believe it necessary and possible for all businesses to maximize their profits while simultaneously following a strong code of ethics and morals. If all businesses adopt an ethical approach which at a minimum respects basic human rights, slavery, as it should be, can be removed from all businesses supply chains’. We as a global community can then continue developing a RESPECTABLE and ETHICAL global business arena. 

Sources:

Reuters, Thomson. “Slavery Is a Business Reality, and It’s up to Companies to Stop It.” The Globe and Mail. N.p. 28 Oct. 2014. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.

It’s common knowledge that the driving force behind most business decisions is increasing profits. However, after new research produced by Dr. Noelle Nelson surfaced in 2012 with the publication in her book “Make More Money by Making Your Employees Happy,” companies may need to start rethinking exactly HOW they widen their profit margins. 

In her book Dr. Nelson suggests that instead of cutting costs wherever possible in attempts to make more money, companies should invest in the “happiness” of their employees. Her research shows that an employee whose company makes them “happier” by having reasonable working hours, providing a low-stress work environment, and offering good health benefits packages is significantly more productive than an employee whose happiness is not a company concern.

I agree with the approach Dr. Nelson suggests because I believe these “happier” employees’ who feel their company genuinely cares for them are more productive due to the fact that they feel their interests are aligned with those of their employers. I believe these “happier” employees are then capable of generating larger profits for the companies they work for because they will also align their personal sense of success with the success of their company. In conclusion, all companies should take note of this new and somewhat counter intuitive approach to handling employees’ if they are looking to maximize their profits.  

Sources:

Nelson, Noelle, Dr. Make More Money by Making Your Employees Happy,. N.p.: MindLab. 2012. Print.

Cooper, Steve. “Make More Money By Making Your Employees Happy.”Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 30 July 2012. Web. 07 Nov. 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

My classmate Fang Fang recently wrote a blog post about her takeaways from the opportunity we had to hear from three Sauder Alumni who’ve started their own businesses. Fang’s post revealed that after hearing from these alumni she believes that in order to find entrepreneurial success it’s necessary to start out small, and develop an idea which meets a specific consumer need.

I agree that the concept of starting out small was an important takeaway from what these alumni had to say because a new venture can’t possibly attempt to scale up before it’s proven it has the ability to succeed on a smaller level. Essentially, all start-ups must ensure they can walk before they try to run. I also agree that meeting a specific consumer need is a vital concept to keep in mind when creating a new business. Without a clear point of difference a business can’t establish a significant competitive advantage, and as such, any new start up is doomed from the outset if it doesn’t first consider how its concept or product can uniquely solve a consumer problem. 

In all, Fang Fang’s blog post offers a nice summary of the most important concepts to keep in mind when starting a small business that the Sauder Alumni we heard from put forth. 

To read more from Fang Fang, find her blog here:

https://blogs.ubc.ca/ffiona/ 

Sources:

Fang Fang’s Blog 

Wouldn’t it be nice if it was possible to predict the likelihood of someone’s managerial success from their personality type? Well truth be told, it may in fact be possible to do just that.

In his blog post “6 Essential Traits of Highly Effective Managers – Do You Have Them?” Dario Priolo suggests that there are 6 key traits that are present in all successful managers; adaptability, leadership, relationship building, desire to develop others, and a desire to develop ones-self. I completely agree that the presence of these six traits can in fact predict if someone will find success as a manager. Without communication there can be no effective delegation of work, without adaptability a person would crumble at the slightest ‘bump in the road’, lacking leadership a person would be unable to control and command their workforce effectively, in the absence of relationship building there would be no trust between the manager and their employee’s making for a very negative and less efficient working environment, without a desire to improve others there could be no improvements in the output of others, and without a desire to improve the self a person would never see that they may have faults which need to be addressed in order to see improvements in other areas.

Though I agree with all the traits Priolo deems to be identifiers of managerial success, I feel he fails to point out that all successful managers must also be able to forgo their personal wants and act in a manner that benefits more than just themselves.  In all I believe that the six traits Priolo describes in combination with this selflessness, are personality traits which can indeed predict if a person will be a successful manager. 

To read more from Dario Priolo, find his blog here:

http://info.profilesinternational.com/profiles-employee-assessment-blog/?Author=Dario+Priolo

Sources:

Dario, Priolo. “6 Essential Traits of Highly Effective Managers – Do You Have Them?” Web log post. Profiles International. N.p., 09 Dec. 2011. Web. 05 Nov. 2014. 

Dario Priolo’s Blog

In the past few decades the increase in demand for companies to be more “socially responsible” has led rise to the current state of widespread corporate social responsibility we see today. However, after reading “Creating Shared Value” by Michael Porter and Mark Kramer I feel it’s necessary that we consider how beneficial essentially forcing companies into being “socially responsible” with consumer threats and legal crack-downs really is for the global economy.

Porter and Kramer suggest that rather than forcing companies to meet a certain criteria for being “socially responsible”, that the market instead strive toward enabling companies to develop shared value. This single suggestion has the power to destroy the current stigma that a company must give up profit in order to “save-face” with the public, and could transform our global market from one of “trade-offs” into one of mutual gains. If our global economy ever hopes to see substantial overall improvement, big businesses must choose to seek out shared value which has the ability to increases profits, decreases costs and aid those connected to the firms simultaneously.

No longer can we be satisfied with the existing system of forcing companies into compliance with costly new rules and regulations so they might improve their reputations. The time has come for the induction of shared value as the only method for companies to be truly socially responsible. After all, wouldn’t an economy centered on shared value which betters the world as a whole be considered far more responsible than one which revolves around companies constantly trying to “save-face”? You decide, I know I have.

sources:

Porter, Michael, and Mark Kramer. “Creating Shared Value.” Harvard Business Review (2011): n. pag. Waterhealth.com. Jan.-Feb. 2011. Web. 5 Nov. 2014. 

 

As I was reading through the blogs of my fellow classmates, I came across a post by Lucy Stephenson. In her post, Lucy speculated as to what the cause of the drop in sales Tropicana Juices experienced after their re-branded packaging hit stores in 2008 may have been. I couldn’t help but draw a connection between this event and what we recently learned about there being multiple factors that play into consumer purchasing decisions. 

Lucy wrote she believed the reason that “Tropicana sales dropped by 20% after the new packaging was introduced,” was that “consumers [believed] that the change in packaging also [meant] a change in the product”. I agree with this idea Lucy presents because when you consider that all that changed about Tropicana’s juice was the physical appearance of the carton, it follows that once loyal Tropicana consumers might have “jumped ship” because they no longer physically recognized their true ‘juice of choice’. I also feel that other factors such as the poor economic state of America at the time this re-branding took place could have further contributed to the large loss in sales Tropicana experienced.  

Overall, I agree with Lucy’s perspective on what altered Tropicana consumer purchasing habits after the company’s re-branding. However, I also feel that there were several other factors that contributed to the drop in sales Tropicana saw as well. For as we see in the consumer decision funnel, marketing campaigns are only the first of many factors that influence consumer decisions.  

To read more from Lucy Stephenson, find her blog here:

https://blogs.ubc.ca/lucystephenson/

sources:

Zmuda, Natalie. “Tropicana Line’s Sales Plunge 20% Post-Rebranding. News – Advertising Age.” Advertising Age News RSS. N.p., Apr. 2009. Web. 09 Oct. 2014. 

Lucy Stephenson’s Blog 

Over the past few years the Taseko Mining Company’s operations in British Columbia have been hugely affected and restricted by the societal/cultural trend of anti-eco.-degradation in the province. This external factor to Taseko’s business goals within BC is largely attributable to the protestations of BC First Nations peoples against any industrial “assaults” on their native lands.

In 1989, the Xeni Gwet’in Tsilhqot’in native people of BC stated with the Nemiah Declaration that there would be no more “mining, flooding or dam construction on [Nemiah Valley’s] principal lakes”. However in 2009, after the discovery of massive copper and gold deposits near Fish Lake (located within the Nemiah Valley), the Taseko Mining Company set about developing a new business model which would violate this very declaration. This new business model was centered on mining these newly discovered deposits and would consequently turn the nearby Fish Lake into a mine-waste reservoir. Here is where the societal/cultural trend of anti-eco.degredation driven by the BC First Nations People came into play.

In the last five years this trend fueled enough political drama to force Taseko into severely altering its business model into one that was much more environmentally conscious. However just recently, a stunning 8-0 Canadian Supreme Court ruling which gave the Tslihqot’in native peoples the lawful rights to the lands they have for so long called home, this initial cultural trend actually resulted in the prevention of the Taseko business model for a new “Prosperity Mine” near Fish Lake from ever becoming a reality. 

This case shows how major societal/cultural trends can have serious impacts on even the largest of corporations business models, and that in BC especially, the issues and concerns of First Nations peoples never go unheard. 

sources:

Gill, Ian. “To the Tsilhqot’in, with Gloves | The Tyee.” The Tyee. The Tyee, 26 July 2014. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.

News, CBC. “First Nations Declare Victory against Taseko’s B.C. Mine.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 01 Nov. 2013. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.

Tieleman, Bill. : BC Environmental Groups Reap Bitter Harvest for Urging Supporters to Join BC Liberal Party. Blog Spot, 09 Feb. 2011. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.

All too often we see companies that experience an incredible surge in popularity and then slowly but surely lose their market share to competition and fade into obscurity. But does this always have to be the case? Could companies instead return from the financial brink back into the consumer’s good graces? In fact, there is hard evidence which suggests a strategic change-up is all it takes to accomplish exactly this.

Take for example the practices of a man named John Chen, and yes, I mean the same John Chen that just so happened to recently be named CEO of the failing tech. giant Blackberry. Twelve years ago Chen stepped in as CEO for another failing tech. company; a soft-ware start-up called Sybase. According to an interview done at the time “Chen’s [new] strategy [for Sybase] was… to look ahead to what the economy needed next, but also to forget about shareholders who [wanted] an instant return, and instead work to satisfy employees and customers”. Although this huge change in strategy didn’t produce any immediate gains, “ten years after [Chen] assumed control, [Sybase] had its best year ever and shares were worth about $26 each”.

The long term success Chen’s shift in strategy produced for Sybase reveals just how important a new and more effective strategy can be to a companies long term prospects. Furthermore, what Chen accomplished at Sybase proves that thoughtful strategic revisions can indeed bring companies ‘back from the brink’.  

sources:

Pittis, Don. “BlackBerry CEO John Chen Has Led Tech Turnaround before.”CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 05 Nov. 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2014.

Cross, Carla. “Team Is No Longer a ‘Four-Letter Word. Change of Strategy.” Management in a Minute RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2014. 

The biggest ‘sink or swim’ factor for companies in any market is the ability to differentiate from the competition and thereby establish a competitive advantage. The “Business Model Canvas”(BMC) developed by Alan Smith is an excellent way for companies in their formative stages to map out exactly what makes them unique. A strong BMC can allow developing companies to identify potential weaknesses in uniqueness and fix such deficiencies before too much time and money are invested into a business that has no long term prospects. In the article “33 Startups That Died Revealed Why They Failed”  by Jamie Kingsbery, there are several examples of companies whom could have kept themselves from failing if they’d only noticed and addressed their lack in differentiability from their competition. 

Another “significant advantage of a solid business model is that it can give [a business] a competitive edge over other companies in [its] industry”.  Once publicly available, well developed business models’ can give a company “a unique reputation in the marketplace”.  This  “unique reputation” creates more buzz around a companies product and attracts even more consumers to come take a look at what they might be missing out on.

As is shown by the long list of 33 failed businesses in “33 Startups That Died Revealed Why They Failed”, a business model can make the difference between financial success and financial ruin.  

sources:

Ingram, David. “The Advantages of a Business Model.” Small Business. Chron, 2014. Web. 16 Sept. 2014.

Kingsbery, Jamie. “33 Startups That Died Reveal Why They Failed.” Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 29 June 2013. Web. 16 Sept. 2014.