Comments on: How to do social business and convince people not to travel with a salmon? http://www.techiteasy.org/2009/12/07/how-to-do-social-business-and-convince-people-not-to-travel-with-a-salmon/ A Technology and Business Weblog provided to You by a Global Group of Friends. Wed, 29 Dec 2010 19:44:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Georgia P http://www.techiteasy.org/2009/12/07/how-to-do-social-business-and-convince-people-not-to-travel-with-a-salmon/#comment-5501 Georgia P Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:13:11 +0000 http://www.techiteasy.org/?p=2496#comment-5501 Hey Vince ! indeed answering the topic is like describing a wave from a surfer's standpoint. What was really worth mentioning is that in this change wave, opportunity lies also in communitarian (extending to social) activities. Africa is a really tough exemple, because of it's never-tell-but-its-like-that political status. But when you see stuff like this out of your door + the sense of community on a mature level (the internet effect tmho) it's time of thinking business for pleasure/cause beyond business for business. Even in traditional well stabilised (?) societies such as the Belgian or British one : have you spotted films lately like "La meditude des choses" or "Fishtank" ? these are some of the latest mirrors of the urgency to do stuff on a local level. Mom, I'd really want to buy you a System Center Configuration Manager for Christmas but it doesn't work for life-patching. Hey Vince ! indeed answering the topic is like describing a wave from a surfer's standpoint. What was really worth mentioning is that in this change wave, opportunity lies also in communitarian (extending to social) activities. Africa is a really tough exemple, because of it's never-tell-but-its-like-that political status. But when you see stuff like this out of your door + the sense of community on a mature level (the internet effect tmho) it's time of thinking business for pleasure/cause beyond business for business. Even in traditional well stabilised (?) societies such as the Belgian or British one : have you spotted films lately like "La meditude des choses" or "Fishtank" ? these are some of the latest mirrors of the urgency to do stuff on a local level.

Mom, I'd really want to buy you a System Center Configuration Manager for Christmas but it doesn't work for life-patching.

]]> By: @vincentvw http://www.techiteasy.org/2009/12/07/how-to-do-social-business-and-convince-people-not-to-travel-with-a-salmon/#comment-5275 @vincentvw Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:13:57 +0000 http://www.techiteasy.org/?p=2496#comment-5275 Hey G! Long time no see! As usual, you pick an interesting topic as a conversation starter, and I'm also glad to see a revival of Tech IT Easy's thought leaders. On the topic at hand, social entrepreneurship. Having been part of a few such (starting of) ventures in emerging economies, I think there are always at least two forces at play. One is that the existing chaos leads people to see many opportunities and interested to start businesses around it. These people do not always have social objectives however. The second is what I think you're writing about, that local conditions (and sometimes mentality) are not compatible with transparent and dependable business practices. Take Africa or the middle east, where it's easier to provide arms to kill people, rather than feed them. Weapons will lead to more concentrated power and a return of an investment. A highly centralised power means that more ethical products, e.g. medicine, food, or funding for improving infrastructure, will usually end up at the top only, because they are the most powerful (and have the most weapons). I'm generally in favour of stability first and then entrepreneurship and long term growth, but where ever there's a pain, there will always be entrepreneurs who try to solve it. C'est un viscous cycle. It's a complex topic, I'm glad you didn't try to answer it. Hey G! Long time no see!

As usual, you pick an interesting topic as a conversation starter, and I'm also glad to see a revival of Tech IT Easy's thought leaders.

On the topic at hand, social entrepreneurship. Having been part of a few such (starting of) ventures in emerging economies, I think there are always at least two forces at play. One is that the existing chaos leads people to see many opportunities and interested to start businesses around it. These people do not always have social objectives however.

The second is what I think you're writing about, that local conditions (and sometimes mentality) are not compatible with transparent and dependable business practices. Take Africa or the middle east, where it's easier to provide arms to kill people, rather than feed them. Weapons will lead to more concentrated power and a return of an investment. A highly centralised power means that more ethical products, e.g. medicine, food, or funding for improving infrastructure, will usually end up at the top only, because they are the most powerful (and have the most weapons).

I'm generally in favour of stability first and then entrepreneurship and long term growth, but where ever there's a pain, there will always be entrepreneurs who try to solve it. C'est un viscous cycle.

It's a complex topic, I'm glad you didn't try to answer it.

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