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Humankind
is Our
Business
Meet CEO Red. Red has established a for-profit business after inventing a revolutionary technology to produce wind power. After a successful start-up, Red sold shares to investors so he could expand. While Red is passionate about green energy, the company board of directors are only concerned about profits. Red resents that the company is so focused on the bottom line that it places money before social justice and environmental stewardship.
Meet CEO Blue. After success as an entrepreneur, Blue eagerly committed to a non-profit organization working with small farmers in developing countries who need irrigation systems. Although the non-profit has installed some systems, the bulk of all donations are going into the energy costs of those the current systems. Blue is disillusioned. Dependent on donations, the non-profit cannot do the long term planning needed for the success of their mission.
CEO Red and CEO Blue marry. As their child, Yellow, grows up, conversations frequently center around the advantages and disadvantages of for-profit and non-profit organizations. Yellow learns that for-profits are innovative and self-sustaining but their lust for profit comes at a great cost to many people and the earth. The non-profits have commendable social goals but because they are dependent on donations they can only offer band-aid solutions to enduring problems.
As a teenager, Yellow has a revelation while volunteering in a developing country. Yellow knows that Red has over time bought out the investors and is sole owner of the wind turbine business. Yellow knows that Blue's non-profit is still struggling with energy costs. Yellow sees an opportunity for a social business. Yellow writes a business plan up and pitches it to both parents. The wind turbine business will produce for the farmers at cost plus enough profit to be sustainable. Red and Blue immediately recognize Yellow's brilliance and offer the position of CEO of the new company that combines the sustainability of a for-profit and can achieve the goals of a non-profit.
To learn more about the philosophy of a social business visit the Yunus Centre.
Your mission is to passionately pitch your social business plan in a Dragon's Den format. To learn more about what it takes to be an entrepreneur, watch this Discover Education video and take the quiz.
Entrepreneurship. Linx Educational, 2005. Video Segment. 3 April 2011. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>.
Business
plan
outline
here.
In "Creating a World without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism" Muhammad Yunus acknowledges that capitalism has produced not only technological and scientific advances but educational and social ones as well. However, with its focus on the physical dimension of profit, it neglects the other dimensions of being human; the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. He argues:
People are not one-dimensional entities; they are excitingly multi-dimensional. Their emotions, beliefs, priorities, and behavior patterns can best be compared to the millions of shades we can produce from the three primary colors. Even the most famous capitalists share a wide range of interests and drives, which is why tycoons from Andrew Carnegie and the Rockefellers to Bill Gates have ultimately turned away from the game of profit to focus on higher objectives.
Yunus, M. (2007). "Creating a world without poverty: social business and the future of capitalism". New York, N.Y.: Publicaffairs
What is your view of human nature? Are we selfish and one-dimensional? Do we care only about ourselves or are we multi-dimensional and care about others. Use your blog to respond.
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