Characteristics of Successful Social Entrepreneurs

I recently started reading the book: Social Entrepreneurs, How to Change the World. It includes some inspirational models and observations that are very important for social entrepreneurs. Many who follow the business entrepreneurship topics do not know about the existence of this type that incorporates the word ‘entrepreneurship’ with the word ‘social’, which its definition intersects with the idea that technology in the hands of the people are the solution. Social entrepreneur does not measure the return on profits earned by his company. Social entrepreneurship return on investment is measured by the positive social impact reflected on the members of the community, which is most often a result of providing technology and skills in the hands of people so they can solve their problems, and most importantly the resources should come from their environment.

Social entrepreneurs are people who solve social problems on a broad range. They serve large markets with limited resources. The Author mentions that the spark of social change comes from individuals who are passionate and obsessed about social work. They see the problem and come with great solutions and work hard to achieve them. Therefore, social entrepreneurship is the science of applying commerce skills and business management to bring benefits to the community. Did you ever think to invest your money in organisations selling agricultural machines for farmers in installments (with low 2-3% interest) and to follow their performance in their lands, and their commitment to return these premiums in comfortable installments, and to collect the profit of which at the same time achieve the benefit of your community? This is simply the principle of how social entrepreneurship ventures operate.

 

Social entrepreneurship is one of the cornerstones of the task in the remarkable development witnessed by the world in the past three decades. There are some countries that depend entirely on such institutions in the development projects like Bangladesh. In countries such as France Brazil, the number of these institutions is increasing rapidly at fast rate. Historically, these institutions were classified as non-profit institutions or public, and often punctuated by bureaucracies. However, nowadays social entrepreneurship is considered an important independent economic sector.

One of the differences between business entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs, as the author points out, is the way they identify the role of targeted "individuals" in the commercial and social workspaces. They have different views about the benefits of the products or services that they provide to the individuals and how they are influenced by them. Social entrepreneurship differs from commercial in the latter relatively has quick returns on investment unlike social. However, business entrepreneurs usually do not think about interest of the community.

The author also noted that successful social entrepreneurs do not seek money and to get rich, but they are eager to work with many people and to be surrounded by them as a family. In addition, they are motivated by the desire to reach a sense of victory in a challenging and competitive battle, and they enjoy the moments of achievement and accomplishment.

Marwan Albahar

Celebrities Making The Wrong Choice, For Manufacturing.

As we know, celebrities are known to be well off, and wealthier than many others in society. The devastating news scandal of The Kardashian's clothing line, taking part in slave labour and sweatshops to produced to sell at highly profitable margin. It seems that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. We can not force ourselves to accept this and move on with our lives. It seems that many don't fight for the rights of other because it doesn't effect ones life in any way. Although where is the justice and respect very human being deserves. Edz Threadz are here to make a stand and change the lives of many, and create a much fairer economy. Included is and short article which will help readers understand the tragic and embarrassing news of the Kardashian Clothes line.

In a stunning world exclusive exposé Starmagazine is reporting that the Kardashianfamily are endorsing and selling fashion products manufactured in foreign sweatshops, where workers, some as young as sixteen years old, are abused and virtually imprisoned.

The allegations about Kardashian products in this post have nothing to do with their products sold at Sears.

A prestigious human-rights watchdog organization has launched an investigation into America’s top TV family, with officials imploring the Kardashians not to profit from what amounts to “slave labor.”

“The Kardashians are in bed with some pretty bad people,” Charles Kernaghan, the executive director of the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights, tellsStar.  “Not only are celebrities like the Kardashians taking advantage of these workers, they are holding hands with a government that spits on democracy and women’s rights.”

While the Kardashians are involved with many fine consumer products in the fashion, beauty, fragrance, health and lifestyle industries that are not part of this investigation, there are several brands that are coming under fire. Items in the family’s high-end K-Dash by Kardashian label and the Kris JennerKollection — sold on the home-shopping television network QVC — and ShoeDazzle, a company that Kim cofounded and endorses, are all manufactured in areas of China where government regulations are often ignored and workers are subject to inhumane conditions.

Shockingly, the impoverished workers earn just a paltry $1 an hour, slaving away in factories in the Guangdong region of China, which Kernaghan describes as being "like minimum-security prisons."

The region is a “scary place,” Kernaghan continues, where the peak summer season is “brutal,” with temperatures inside non-air-conditioned factories soaring to over 100˚F. Workers in the region can come out with as little as $15 a month once rent and food debts have been paid to their bosses.

“You can’t talk during working hours,” Kernaghan adds. “You can’t  listen to music; you can’t stand up and stretch. You can’t even put your head up and look around, or you will be screamed at. If you get permission to use the toilet, you get four minutes. If you’re highly specialized, you cannot even go to the bathroom.”

Star has learned that human-rights groups have dispatched their undercover investigators to a number of factories that have been linked to the Kardashians. And, Kernaghan says, it is time for the world and the Kardashians to take some responsibility. “Kim has been very fortunate, but it’s time for her and her family to treat these workers with respect,” he tells Star.

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2011/12/kardashian-products-made-sweatshops-child-labor-investigation-underway

Michael Mansour

Zara Accused of Unfair Production

Edz Threadz realizes that sweatshops are occurring around the world, even for multi millions dollar fashion label. The unfairly treated workers, need to be respected and valued in society, because without them, our world not be what it is today. We Studied many recent situations of overseas slave labour, and how we want to make a stand. One article was the retail fashion chain Zara was under investigation by Brazil's ministry of labour after a contractor in Sao Paulo was found to be using ''slave labour'' to make garments for the Spanish company.The Brazilian government has a list of 52 charges against Inditex, Zara's parent company, after it ''rescued'' 15 workers from a factory subcontracted by AHA, the company responsible for 90 per cent of Zara's Brazilian production. Fourteen of the workers were Bolivians and one was from Peru. One was 14.Inditex said in a statement that it could not be held responsible for ''unauthorised outsourcing'' but would compensate the workers because AHA had violated Inditex's code of conduct.Inditex said its 50 suppliers last year produced 7 million garments, with only 0.03 per cent made in unlicensed workshops. It was working with the ministry of labour to eradicate sweatshop conditions.Renato Bignami, who led the investigation, said the workers - who lived on the premises - were kept in a strict regime, working 12-hour shifts in dangerous and unhealthy conditions. ''They work 16 or even 18 hours a day,'' he said. ''It is extremely exhausting work, from Monday to Saturday, sometimes even Sunday depending on demand.''Many have to work for three or four months to pay off the ''coyotes'' who have smuggled them into the country.''These are classic cases of immigrant sweatshops,'' Mr Bignami said, adding that he had no doubt that such labour conditions amounted to modern-day slavery.Ineke Zeldenrust, of the Clean Clothes Campaign, in Amsterdam, said this type of subcontracting was common in the garment trade.        
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/zara-fashion-chain-linked-to-slave-labour-in-brazil-20110819-1j2c7.html#ixzz29Sr4YxKA

Michael Mansour

How Do We Solve Poverty – Response

Last week I posted a question on my Facebook page linked to my previous blog, How Do We Solve Poverty?

The response was fantastic, with lots of comments and new ideas.  Firstly, here’s the results of the question at the time of writing this blog, then I’ll discuss some of the comments.

Clearly, the response was in favour of using education to tackle poverty, with an overall majority of the votes.  Coming in second was empowering women, which, with education, is a core value of Edz Threadz.  These 2 methods can be used together to have a strong impact on poverty, as discussed in Educating Women = Eradicating Poverty

However, there were also compelling arguments made for other methods as well.  A suggestion that cropped up more than once was for governments to allocate their funds differently and to cut down on corruption.

What seems clear is that solving poverty is a complex issue, which has to be attacked from many different angles with multiple methods.  Therefore governments, NGO’s, charities, businesses and individuals have to all work towards a poverty free future, and supporting each other along the way.

Thank you everyone for getting involved in the discussion, and keep the great ideas coming in!

From the guys at Edz.

 

Posted by William Zawadski

How Do We Solve Poverty?

How Do We Solve Poverty?

When tackling the monumental task of consigning poverty to the history books, the first thing that springs to mind is, “how are we gonna do this?”

There have been endless studies on this subject and there are many groups out there in the field trying to make it happen, but just what is the best way to tackle poverty?

Here’s a chance for you to have your say, with a little background on some of the methods that poverty relief groups have been implementing:

Food Aid – We’ve all seen the pictures of starving children in African refugee camps so many times it has almost lost its ability to shock people into action.  There are many arguments against food aid, particularly in that it creates dependency on hand-outs, but in the short term, is there a better way of tackling extreme poverty and hunger, and is ignoring nutritional issues a danger to child development in poor regions?

Read more:

 The Nutrition Puzzle - The Economist

High-level UN group aims to help countries improve nutrition – UN News Centre

Credit – Countering the culture of hand-out dependency is the theory that people will work their way out of poverty if they’re given access to credit.  Obvious controversies exist, particularly in making the poorest of people pay interest on loans, but perhaps allowing poverty stricken people to take part in the economy on their own terms is the most empowering solution to poverty.

Read more:

Opportunity International

A Short History of Grameen Bank - Grameen Bank

Education – A lack of education, and the possibility to receive and education is something that holds back many in areas where poverty is rife.  Whether it is disease prevention methods, basic literacy or higher education, without education the poor don’t have the opportunity to better their lives because they lack the tools of knowledge.

Read more:

Education - UNESCO

Education & Poverty - Institute for Research on Poverty

Empowerment of Women – In many of the poorest regions, the role of women is purely domestic.  No access to education or birth control ties women to their reproductive cycle, a situation often sustained by conservative theology commonly found in poverty stricken areas.  Can breaking this pattern be the answer to ending poverty?

Read more:

Educate Girls, Eradicate Poverty - UN Chronicle

Women’s Participation in All Aspects of Society More Vital Than Ever – UN News Centre

Education and Poverty, A Gender Analysis - SIDA

Healthcare – The medical ability now exists to eradicate some of the most devastating diseases forever.  Reducing child mortality could allow people the security that their families wouldn’t be so threatened by this kind of decimation, while also freeing families of the need to constantly tend for their ill.  Could this be the answer to poverty reduction?

Read more:

Leaders at UN Event Unite Behind Final Push to Eradicate Polio – UN News Centre

Please leave a comment and let us know what you think.

Thanks,

The guys at Edz.

Posted by William Zawadski

Tom's & Fairtrade

Ed'z is a new direction of connecting the one for one fashion of Tom's to the concepts and ethics of Fair Trade. Ed'z Threads is a social enterprise that allows for consumers to have a choice to consume a fashion brand that has been produced in an environment of which workers producing fashion products that have been paid fairly, work in a safe environment and most of all be engaging in an education where by workers can work and learn.

Fair Trade has become a requested standard in most products produced in countries that may have been exploited by large companies. Fair Trade...based on the name Fait Trade meaning workers are treated fairly and paid fairly at work. 

Tom's...the one for one! The concept of Tom's has become a global phenomena with socially concise consumers. It connects a simple idea of shoes and poverty. For every pair of Tom's purchased in store a pair of Tom's are given to a child in Argentina that doesn't or has never had a pair of shoes.

Ed's Threads brings together a group of tribes form across the globe which supports sustainable Fair Trade and education. For every garment Ed'z sells a percentage goes toward educating more workers in unfair working conditions and making working conditions fair, while giving the consumer a feel good socially concise product.

Josh Collins

An Edz Idea 'Fair is Fair'

We all know about child labour but we dont connect with it...right? Well know one really know's when you shop online where your online clothing produced's actually come from.

We’ve already seen mobile apps focused on rating brands toward changing the face of child labor, but recently we came across a like minded organisation to Ed'z....a browser plug-in that goes further. Now on Safari and Google Chrome, helps consumers stay away from products associated with the exploitation of children.

The idea was created through a campaign by a German organisation called Earthlink. The aVOID currently works with all major online shops in the US, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, including Asos, Yoox, Amazon, Target, Macys, Zalando, Google Shopping, Frontlineshop and Otto. 

It simply just works as a plug-in to you browser which will be available on all major web browsers in the near future. Earthlink says shop online as usual and you will never even notice your shopping experience has changed. Data from Active Against Child Labour will quietly be working in the background. Automatically filtering out products associated with child exploitation, helping consumers avoid those products altogether.

Brands have long recognized that a significant proportion of shoppers are ethically motivated. Be apart of the change and support Earthlink...shop ethically. 

                                                                   Josh Collins