Norma Castaneda: Companies are going "Green"

Buildings fundamentally impact people and the health of the planet. In the United States, buildings use one third of our total energy, two thirds of our electricity, one eighth of our water, and transform land that provides valuable ecological resources.

Green design not only makes a positive impact on public health and the environment, it also reduces operating costs, enhances building and organizational marketability, potentially increases occupant productivity, and helps create a sustainable community.

Albania: Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Presidential Address to Congress:
The speech given by our 44th president Barack Obama was awesome it revived us as a society even though it looks as ugly as it does right now, he said it best when he said " we are not quitters." The speech focused on the economy and the assurance that " we will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before." The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which is law already will be focused on energy, healthcare reform and education. The plan will create 3.5 million jobs in the next two years, families who are struggling to pay for college will receive a tax credit for $2,500, and 95 percent of working housholds will receive a tax cut starting April 1. The president also mentioned that vice president Joe Biden will oversee the plan and he also let us know that each cabinet member, mayor, governor will be accountable by him and American people for any wasteful spending, and there is also a website recovery.gov where we can see exactly where and how the money is being spent.
The speech gave me an assurance that we are going to make it, and he also mentioned that for change to come we need to act proactively with him to make it happen, I'm ready!

" Yes We Can" "Yes We Can" "Yes We Can" "Yes We Can" " Yes We Can" "Yes We Can"

Gabriela: SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP [02/24/09 class]

After discussing in detail social entrepreneurship during the last class i went online to find a site dedicated just to social entrepreneurship news and found one! For those who are interested the site is: http://social-entrepreneurship.alltop.com/ This site is a great tool for those who are planning to become social entrepreneurs. It gives out ideas, examples and tips. Everyone should really read this blog at least once a week. It is really inspiring. ENJOY :D

Albania: Tuesday, February 10, 2009

The Role of the Social Entrepreneur:
In this chapter, in the book " How to Change the World..", it discusses how over the past century, researchers have studied business entrepreneurs extensively. The social entrepreneur has recieved little attention in comparison to the business entrepreneur who we analyze every aspect from the orientation to action, to there personal values.

However we do acknowledge the abilities and strengths of social entrepreneur and have named them humanitarians or saints. The ability to shift people's perceptions and behaviors is by skillfully marketing the idea , and marketing the idea is the sling shot to creating change and to push it forward you need individuals who are obessed with seeing change and who year after year find research and will not quit until the job gets done even if they are alone at the beginning stages. The role of social entrepreneur is to be committed to making an impact and having the necessary motivation and energy to see it through.

Tiffany: Does Corporate Social Responsibility Really Pay Off?

This article brings up a few really great points. Companies are using ideas like corporate social responsibility to gain a competitive edge in the market. When we think about organizations that aren't practicing social responsibility, are they actually punished because of it? If they are, then it us probably very weak or else we would hear more about it.
http://www.forbes.com/2008/10/16/csr-doesnt-pay-lead-corprespons08-cx_dv_1016vogel.html



"We increasingly hear that corporate social responsibility has become a business imperative. Newspapers, magazines and books glowingly describe the business benefits of behaving responsibly--and caution managers about the business risks of a poor CSR performance.
Executives are repeatedly informed that by demonstrating concern for the environment, human rights, community development and the welfare of their employees both in the U.S. and abroad, they will make their firms more profitable. Their firms will gain a competitive advantage by appealing to the growing numbers of socially and environmentally oriented consumers, investors and employees.
The belief that corporate responsibility "pays" is a seductive one: Who would not want to live in a world in which corporate virtue is rewarded and corporate irresponsibility punished? Unfortunately, the evidence for these rewards and punishment is rather weak. There is a "'market for virtue," but it is a very limited one. Nor is it growing.
One can certainly find examples of firms with superior CSR performance that have done well, as well as firms with poor CSR reputations that have performed poorly. But there are at least as many examples of firms with good CSR records that have not done well and firms with poor CSR reputations that rewarded their shareholders.
The good news is that firms with superior CSR performance have not performed any worse than their less virtuous competitors. But the disappointing news is that neither have they done any better. For most firms, most of the time, CSR is largely irrelevant to their financial performance."

Gabriela: Something to Think About [02/10/09 class]

something to think about....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7850945.stm

Norma Castaneda: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

In the business and society class we talked about charity. Organizations often help society in different ways and for different reasons. Some small organizations may do it for publicity, because they want the company to be known as a charitable organization. Owners of huge organizations such as Bill Gates are also well known for charity. Bill Gates and his wife have the “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation” which enhances health care and reduces poverty and in America to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology. To know more about the “Bill and Melinda Gates foundation” you may visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_and_Melinda_Gates_Foundation

Tiffany:2009 Annual Letter from Bill Gates: The Economic Crisis

In class we talked about different Foundations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has taken on a huge corporate responsibility. They taked on different issues around the world and provide resources that people need to make a difference on a large scale. Bill Gates has a annual letter that addresses many concerns that the foundation will target for the year. Below is an excerpt from the 2009 Annual Letter addressing the Economic Crisis.

"Although it will be difficult to keep aid-related issues on the front page during this crisis, we need to meet the challenge by making sure the success stories are told and making sure that inequity that is out of sight is not out of mind. Only with broad public awareness and voter interest will we keep aid on the positive track it needs to stay on.
I am impressed by individuals who continue to give generously even in these difficult times. I believe that the wealthy have a responsibility to invest in addressing inequity. This is especially true when the constraints on others are so great. Otherwise, we will come out of the economic downturn in a world that is even more unequal, with greater inequities in health and education, and fewer opportunities for people to improve their lives. There is no reason to accept that, when we know how to make huge gains over the long term."

Albania: How to Change the World

The book " How to Change the World, social entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas" by David Bornstein has provided me with a number of insightful lessons, in the beginning of the first chapter it defines and describes the characteristics of a social entrepreneur, which could be a parent, doctor, lawyer, or teacher. A social entrepreneur is an individual who addresses a major problem on a large scale and is relentless in the effort to find a solution, they have powerful ideas which shift behavior patterns and perceptions.
It alo discusses the increase of this field of social entrepreneurship and of non governmental organizations or how the term is favored in the book, the increase of the citizen sector, the citizen sector and NGO's help to foster social entrepreneurship. For instance, in the United States, between 1989 and 1998, the # of public service groups jumped from 464,000 to 734,000 a 60 percent increase.
The reason for this emergence of the citizen sector is that people now a days are becoming aware that change is urgently needed, due to techonological advances people are educating themselves about what is going on in the world, like human rights abuses, tremendous poverty, and the failing education system, and people are taking matters into there own hands and taking action.

Gabriela: Social Entrepreneurship [02/03/09 class]

During the february third class the main topic of conversation was social entrepreneurship. A great example of this would be the Gates Foundation, founded by Bill Gates and his wife Melinda. Their mission statement reads as follows, " Our life that every life has equal value is at the core of our work at the foundation. We follow 15 guiding principles, which help define our approach to our philanthropic work, and employ an outstanding leadership team to direct our strategies and grantmaking." 

The Guiding Principles are the following: 

1. This is a family foundation driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family

2. Philanthropy plays an important but limited role

3. Science and technology have great potential to improve lives around the world

4. We are funders and shapers-we rely on other to act and implement

5. Our focus is clear-and limited-and prioritizes some of the most neglected issues

6. We identify a specific point of intervention and apply our efforts against a theory of change

7. We take risks, make big bets, and move with urgency. We are in it for the long haul

8. We advocate-vigorously but responsibly-in our areas of focus

9. We must be humble and mindful in our actions and words. We seek and heed the counsel of outside voices

10. We treat our grantees as valued partners, and we treat the ultimate beneficiaries of our work with respect

11. Delivering results with the resources we have been given is of the utmost importance-and we seek and share information about those results

12. We demand ethical behavior of ourselves

13. We treat each other as valued colleagues

14. Meeting our mission-to increase opportunity and equity for those most in need-requires great stewardship of the money we have available

15. We leave room for growth and change 

These principles give shape to this organization. To learn more about the Gates Foundation visit the following link: 

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Pages/home.aspx

Gabriela: The Economy [01/27/09 class]

Last class was spent mostly talking about what is going to go on in the class, regarding the syllabus, chapter 1 & 3, and the projects that are to come. Because no major topic was discussed i have chosen to talk about the Economy, specifically on President Obama's new predictions. President Obama warns that " more US banks are likely to fail, as the full extent on their economic losses in the economic crisis become clear." He goes on to say that, " We can expect that we're going to have to do more to shore up the financial system." I invite you to read the BBC link i will post to continue reading in detail what President Obama expects to do himself to better the US economy. 

http://new.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7865165.stm