Rachel von Hahn

Leah Singer recently explored the question if nonprofits should fear social enterprises in her blog . As we discussed in class, there are distinct differences between the two. Nonprofits work solely through donations and aim to solve problems temporarily in the short run while social enterprises are still somewhat profit based therefore running more like a business with the intention of creating long lasting social change. A quote from The bop Project blog sums it up quite nicely, “Nonprofits usually focus on a NEED. A [social] business must focus on DEMAND”. While social enterprises may seem to be more beneficial to society because of the permanent changes they create, there are still issues that need to be dealt with in a different manner. For the people who cannot demand anything, due to lack of income, nonprofits are still important to help them meet their needs. So back to the question at hand: are social enterprises something nonprofits should fear? I personally don’t think so.  There needs to be a good mix of both nonprofit and social enterprises, not just one or the other.
Image from: http://victorsinclair.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/non-profit-social-enterprise.jpg

Case 2 has finally come to an end and I know I’m not the only one out there who was more than relieved to finally press that submit button. Now that I can breathe easy, I think it’s a good time to reflect on the project.

What I liked

– Having completed a case already, I had a better grasp on what was expected (feedback from Lululemon was helpful to know what changes needed to be made second time round)

– All the information I needed was in one place

– The case presented lots of opportunity for discussion and it was interesting to hear how other people viewed it

– I finally understand why a fishbone diagram can come in handy

What I didn’t like so much

– It wasn’t always easy to figure out which tool would be appropriate (if any) to back up a recommendation

– Some of the wording threw me off. (ie, the year that price increases applied to was sometimes a grey area)

– There were definitely more than three problems to be found within the company, but they all couldn’t be addressed so the thought that I chose the wrong areas to focus on was always in the back of my mind

All in all, I have to say I`m just happy to have it finished and handed in.
(Fingers crossed I’m still happy when the marks come back)

Is it possible to create a tool that can pinpoint a brands the most effective target audience? The company 33Across has been busy capitalizing on the ever growing trend of social networks to come up with groundbreaking marketing technology called SocialDNA™ Targeting. By compounding real-time data about how individuals respond to what is read, purchased, shared, and recommended online, 33Across can help brands better understand their social dimensions. All of this web analysis has proven to boost site traffic, improve SEO (search engine optimization) and enable content producers to get credit for their work. It sounds pretty promising, but one can’t help but wonder if there’s any privacy violations taking place in order to collect the data from individuals. Thankfully, the answer I found was no. The data is collected anonymously, compounded for results and then disposed of (they don’t keep data over 60 days). Right now 33Across is targeting the US market, but it will be interesting to see where they expand to in the future and how further advances in technology will aid not only their company, but the business world in general.

I went shopping the other day with a friend who tried on a shirt and asked, “Does this look like me?”  It was a simple yes or no question but it made me think about personal branding, a topic I’d read about in Jasmine Chan’s blog (which you should go check out). Basically, we’ve all been practicing the art of branding for years, sometimes without even knowing it. Every little thing from how we dress, act and even talk adds (hopefully in a positive way) to our personal brand. By being asked by my friend whether a certain piece of clothing seemed her style was like asking if I thought it agreed with the brand she had created for herself. Isn’t that the same sort of question companies have to ask themselves when trying out new things in the business world? Basically, whether you are part of a billion dollar industry or just a student looking for a new sweater, branding is everywhere. Makes me pretty thankful I get to learn from the best.