|
Professor Yunus Speaks about Social Business at IACA |
The Banker to the poor suggests Growing Social Business at IACA
By Mahadev Desai
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Despite the multi-stop fleeting Atlanta visit, it was heartwarming to learn that the ‘Banker to the Poor' had accepted the last minute invite and agreed to make a presentation at Atlanta Indian's vintage umbrella organization viz. the India American Cultural Organization (IACA). A diverse cross-section of Indian-American communities gave a red carpet welcome to the visiting Nobel Laureate on Saturday, August 28, 2010. The event hosted by IACA was co-sponsored by the Gandhi Foundation of USA, Pujari and Bengali Association of Greater Atlanta.It is notable that GFUSA was the first non-profit Organization to step up to co-sponsor the event.
Once the request was made by IACA's Executive Vice President, Viren Mayani, assisted by Board Member and Southern Polytechnic's Professor, Dr. Gauranga Banik, it was literally 2 weeks before show time. Viren worked intensely to get the sponsorships in place so as not to burden the IACA budget, traveled store to store in search of his new book "Growing Social Business", defined the program which included book signing, a Q & A after Dr. Yunus' presentation and a complimentary welcome breakfast for all attendees, et all, the most important being to work with AdDate.com to upload a flier with all pertinent information, make registration mandatory to track the count for the complimentary breakfast catered by Royal Indian Cuisine as well as reserve attendees' email addresses for further communication. All said and done about 250 some registered and about 225 showed-up on a very early Saturday morning. Shridhar Ranganathan, IACA's Secretary, made the opening remarks and declared the breakfast ready to serve.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Professor Yunus at Carleton University Promotes Social Business |
|
Nobel laureate pitches concept of 'social business'
by Sneh Duggal
The Nobel laureate who used micro loans to help Third-World entrepreneurs work their way out of poverty says its time for the developed world to change the way it does business. Dr. Muhammad Yunus is an advocate of "social businesses" -- companies that address problems such as malnutrition, drug addiction or unemployment.
Social business has a role in Canadian society, said Yunus, who received an honorary law doctorate from Carleton University on Wednesday.
"Social business is not for some African countries having lots of difficulties, it's wherever those difficulties exist," he said. "Whether it's in Canada or the U.S., African countries or Bangladesh, we bring our creative minds to create a social business to solve it." A social business is not a charity, but not a profit-making venture either. Investors are entitled to retrieve only their initial investment. Any profits are reinvested, allowing the business to be self-sufficient.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Grameen Fibreglass: A New Joint Venture Social Business Grameen Telecom Trust and IES Alliance of Bahrain have entered into a joint-venture social business agreement on June 4, 2010. The joint venture will be a fibreglass company in Bangladesh, and it will product fibreglass pipes to improve sanitation and building materials and promote bio-gas use. It will be located in the Grameen Social Business Industrial Park in Kashimpur, Gazipur. Fibreglass production is expected to begin in late 2010. For more information on this social business, see "Grameen Fibreglass in the pipeline", The Daily Star (June 7, 2010). GCL Team Visits Bangladesh and Social Businesses In June 2010, members and staff from the Grameen Creative Lab in Germany visited Bangladesh. During their visit, the GCL team saw several social businesses, including Grameen Danone, Grameen Green Children Eye Hospital, and Grameen Veolia. The team also met with Professor Yunus and the Yunus Centre team. ShARE Students Visit Bangladesh Twelve students from the ShARE student organization visited the Yunus Centre to follow up from their earlier visit in January 2010. The purpose of their visit was to present the findings of their social business research surveys. These surveys, conducted in several countries including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, China, and France, aimed to assess the levels of social business awareness and recognition around the world. International Conference on Knowledge Globalization 2010 in Dhaka, Bangladesh Professor Muhammad Yunus was the esteemed guest of honor at the International Conference on Knowledge Globalization 2010. The conference was hosted by the U.S.-based Knowledge Globalization Institute, Suffolk University, and North South University in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The conference focused on the dissemination of knowledge, and many professors and academics presented original research on a wide range of topics, including corporate social responsibility, water management, globalization, and financial investing. Lamiya Morshed (Executive Director, Yunus Centre) was on a panel discussion about social business principles and its applications. Brazil Comes to Learn about Social Business The Yunus Centre was honored to host a delegation from Brazil's Ministry of Planning, Budget, and Management. The delegation came to learn about social business principles and how these principles can be applied in Brazil. Universities from the U.S. Visit the Yunus Centre During May 2010, the Yunus Centre hosted a number of distinguished universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, Syracuse University, University of Virginia, University of Hawaii, and the University of Alabama. These students and professors came to learn about social business activities in Bangladesh and abroad. These visits were also opportunities for the universities to bring social businesses to their campuses.
|
|
Social biz is the new fusion buzz |
|
The Times of India Can Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) be turned into a profitable business venture? Or, can Mumbai-based Party Hard Drivers (PHD), the first company in the country to specialise in providing drivers by night so that people do not drink and drive, be called “social business’’?
As cathedrals of capitalism tottered on the brink of fiscal chaos following the Lehman collapse, high priests of socialism began pushing their ideology. Now, with the economy reviving, there are once again talks of fusion of the two “isms’’. There is a section of ideators that thinks several philanthropic efforts, if treated as “social business’’, can become profitable and have high welfare impact.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Grameen, Adidas to make low-cost shoes |
Grameen Group and German sports apparel maker Adidas are planning for a joint venture to make low-cost shoes in Bangladesh for the poor.
If the deal gets through, it will be a major footprint in Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus' social business.
As the first step, the two sides have signed a memorandum of understanding and are working together on how to bring the products into market tentatively by year-end, said officials of Yunus Centre, the hub of the Nobel laureate's social business activities.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
