BUS 374

  This wee we studied revenue generation, specifically the various ways an organization can raise capital or leverage assets to increase their capital. We learned that the best way to increase the scope of a social innovation is through a business mindset. This means having a sound financial plan, which includes accurate projected Income Statements,  Balance Sheets, and Statement of Cash Flows, and accurate forecasting. We learned about external (conventional finance, social investors, grants and contracts) and internal (leveraging accounts payable, accounts receivable, assets) capital options, and crowd sourcing, and the pros and cons of each.  The reading this week was one of my least anticipated material, as I struggle with financial concepts and numbers due to dyscalculia. However one thing that caught my attention was in the instructions for this week's application assignment. The voiceover stated that "it is pleasant to talk about helping others and changing the wor...

  This week we studied Solution and Impact Evaluation. It is vital to measure the right things, so that youi can truly know that you are reaching the mission you strive for. Measuring the impact is the most difficult metric, but the most important. One way to ensure that all of your efforts are doing the most good is to create and design with a mission statement in mind. This mission statement should be short, concise, and include a verb, a target population, and an outcome (something you can measure). I rather enjoyed Kevin Starr's Lasting Impact video. In it he describes several innovations that seem, on paper, to be a great idea, and solve an important social issue. Educating children. Clean water. However he goes on to point out the ways that these products fail in the real world application, and why, and how the wrong measures are attributed to those failures. I appreciated these real world examples. So much of theory and reading might go over my head, but a straw that ta...

 This week's topic was all about Design thinking. Essentially, design thinking is a problem- solving system for discovering new opportunities in creative ways. It can be utilized by any business and in any profession and by anyone to achieve results. It consists of four basic elements:   Define the problem Consider all the options Refine options (repeat) Choose and execute Another way to look at it is: Empathize (or in other words, observe, engage, and immerser yourself with the population you are designing for) Define, or unpack and synthesize your findings Ideate, or go wide in your solution exploration Prototype your solution, make it real Test and refine your prototype When we do this with empathy for and feedback from the people we are designing for, it is called Human Centered Design.  We read Chapter 9 of How to Change the World, and learned about Erzebet Szekeres and her son, Tibor. Tibor was born in Hungary with multiple disabilities, and because of the cult...

This week we learned about Root Cause Analysis, which was so Interesting! We studied how to determine the causes of the problems in our world using various diagrams and methods including the fishbone diagram, cause and effect diagram, and the 5 Whys tiered approach. These methods are useful for solving Wicked problems, in other words, social  problems that are difficult or impossible to solve, and have an indeterminate scope and scale.  I thoroughly enjoyed the TED talk from Hans and Ola Rosling titled "How Not to be Ignorant About the World". Not only were the Roslings funny, energetic, and engaging, but the content of their TED talk was very surprising. I answered the questions along with the media audience, and while I consider myself a relatively informed person, I was surprised that I, right along with the audience, got every question wrong, because of my personal biases, outdated world view, and the news bias in my country. Implementing the strategies they outline, ...

  This week we studied the Archaeology of social change. We learned how social entrepreneurs have many hurdles to overcome in order to create the changes they hope to make in the world. It takes creative, intrepid, and tenacious people who are driven by altruistic motives to have the fortitude to overcome every roadblock on their way to affecting change. Social Entrepreneurs are not the only changemakers, however. It takes teams of people, from those with the ideas, to those who work for their organizations (social intrapreneurs/implementers) who create change from within, to those who volunteer their time, energy, and resource to promote the cause (volunteers/donors). This last group should encompass "everyone else", as we are all, as God's children, called upon to love and serve the poor, underprivileged and underserved.   One thing that stood out to me was the phrase "follow your blisters" from "What is Your Calling in Life by Jeffery A. Thompson. Joseph...