Business & Entrepreneurship
Business & Entrepreneurship
Fair Observer's analysis of innovation, entrepreneurial energy, venture capital, new businesses and job creation.
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Background Africa — the cradle of civilization — has borne witness to many a false dawn. The continent has known profound eras of world influence and notable periods of decline. As humanity’s initial habitat, Africa is necessarily the originating situs of economic enterprise. Agrarian activity in Africa began around 5200BC, and the continent’s first movements on the global trade chessboard trace back to 3000BC. Trade incubated the growth of cities and empires such as the ancient Egyptian civilization, which left an indelible imprint on the story of human development. Events of the past 400 years have served to cast a shadow on Africa’s potential in the current...
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*[This article was originally published by Knowledge@Wharton on April 25, 2012.] Why euro zone woes are creating headwinds for global firms. Europe is in crisis -- and that has major implications for multinational firms with significant operations in the region. In fact, while much is written about the race by corporations to penetrate emerging markets like China and Brazil, the reality is that the investment by multinationals in Europe dwarfs the assets they have in those fast-growing economies. And the sovereign debt crisis in Europe, along with weak economic growth, is sparking changes in how these firms operate -- altering everything from manufacturing strategies to marketing to...
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Mara Foundation in Uganda offers its perspective on the Kony 2012 campaign, demonstrating how it has “piggy-backed” the viral fame of Invisible Children’s video, and details a personal reaction of an employee. Despite its achievements, Invisible Children’s viral video “Kony 2012” has created a negative impression about Uganda, which may damage the country’s reputation for years to come. The video can be credited with surpassing all expectations in raising awareness about the activities of warmonger Joseph Kony, but it simultaneously created an impression in the minds of many that Uganda today is unsafe and unstable, whereas the reality is very...
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Beverly Schwartz writes an inspiring compendium on social entrepreneurship. As Marketing Director and Vice President of Ashoka, the institution that first named and pioneered the field of social entrepreneurship in 1980, Beverly Schwartz has played an instrumental role in improving our understanding of social entrepreneurship and the possibilities the field presents for the future. Social entrepreneurship is outlined in Ashoka’s mission statement as a bold and empowering alternative to relying on government intervention to affect social change. In the face of an untreated or seemingly entrenched social dilemma, social entrepreneurs devise a plan that allows citizens to take the task...
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The MIT Global Startup Workshop goes to Turkey. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has long been known for entrepreneurship. This expertise collected over decades is shared in a different place every year. The MIT Global Startup Workshop (GSW) is a student-led initiative that promotes entrepreneurship and fosters the conditions that make it prosper. This year it is themed “Directions for Innovation” and will be held on March 28-30 in Istanbul, Turkey. Over 300 successful professors, next generation entrepreneurs, government officials and supporters of the scene are expected from nearly 30 different countries. Roughly half of the registrations are international and half...
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On the frustrating and long process of finding a job. *[This article was originally published by Knowledge@Wharton on February 29, 2012]. "Wanted: smart, creative, dedicated individual to design efficient system that matches companies' job listings with people looking for work. Contact the HR industry." It's a tough assignment. On the one hand are job seekers who submit hundreds of applications online with little effort, but also with little hope of receiving a response. On the other hand are companies, inundated with resumes, that resort to blunt-edged tracking systems to quickly weed out candidates, including potentially qualified ones who don't conform to...
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An interview with Michael Propper on the experience of working with Start-Up Chile. Q- María Cristina Fernández Hall: Editor and Contributor for Fair Observer A- Michael Propper: Start-Up Chile Entrepreneur, creator of YourStoryBox Q- First off, let me introduce Michael Propper, an American entrepreneur who went to Start-Up Chile, a program in Chile that recruits people with startups to come to Chile. SUC gives entrepreneurs funding for their projects and provides networking opportunities so that startups can go global. Tell us more about SUC and the way it promotes business. A- Start-Up Chile is an incubator of sorts. Chile popped up on my radar because clearly their economy...
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*[This article was originally published by Knowledge@Wharton on January 20, 2012]. India’s largest manufacturer of three-wheelers has designed a four-wheeler for the Indian market, in an effort to create a new market segment for itself. Analysis on how effective this is likely to be. At the recently held Auto Expo 2012, India’s premier automotive exhibition, Bajaj Auto showcased its latest offering — the RE60. This is the first four-wheeler from the world’s largest maker of three-wheel vehicles and India’s second-largest maker of two-wheelers. While there had been earlier rumors about Bajaj Auto foraying into the small car segment, Rajiv Bajaj, managing...
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Spanair's bankruptcy provides valuable lessons on the uncomfortable union of public and private investments. The collapse in late January of Spanair, Spain’s 4th largest airline, drew attention to the pitfalls of government running private industry. The Catalunya region owned 89.1% of Spanair—which it planned to re-brand as Barcelona Airways—through a consortium of government institutions. Catalunya viewed Spanair as a strategic investment in Barcelona’s airport when it acquired 80% of the struggling airline from Scandinavian Airlines in 2009 for the nominal sum of one Euro. Nevermind that Spanair was still reeling from a 2008 crash in Madrid, or that it...