Response to "The Power of Unreasonable People" - Chapter One

Article - The Power of Unreasonable People by John Elkington and Pamela Hartigan

This reading explained the three different types of businesses - the non-profit, the hybrid, and the for-profit. In a for-profit business model, maximized profit is the end goal. In a non-profit business model there is freedom, and maximum profit is not the main intention or goal. In a hybrid model, the profits are all invested back into the company.

Design Project ONE - Initial Design Concepts

Design Concept One -



Design Concept Two-



Design Conecpt Three-

Design Project ONE - Schedule

Areas of Social Needs

The areas of social needs that I am interested in are -

Education

I think education is important for children, in order for them to grow up to be respectable, responsible adults. I am not sure if not being able to receive a basic education is a problem in America. I know that in several third world countries it is an issue, and I have worked with an organization that is working towards the betterment of this cause. If this is an issue in North America, it is something I would like to look into, because it definitely is something I feel strongly about.

Sex Education

I think providing sex education in high schools is very important, since statistics show that almost half of the teenage population starts having sexual intercourse before or at the age of 17. Almost one million young women, under age 20, become pregnant each year in the USA. That means close to 2800 teens get pregnant every single day! I think teenagers should be taught about safe sex, and about their options if an unplanned pregnancy does occur. Abortion should be an available alternative, and shouldn’t be looked at as a taboo.

Day Cares

Following on with the teenage pregnancy statement, I think that if teenage girls to continue with their pregnancies, they should not drop out of high school. They should be provided with extra help, so that they can earn at least a high school diploma.

Response to Readings

Teaching Multinational, Multidisciplinary Sustainable Product Development - By Alice M. Agogino

Article - Designing Sustainability

The Design for Sustainability course was really great for two reasons other than the lessons learned from it. Firstly, I loved that students from an American University (UC Berkeley) collaborated with students from a Mexican University (UNAM). This allows people from different backgrounds, upbringings, and social understandings to work together. The other thing really great about this course is that after the three semester product development program, students are guided through how to implement their solutions to the market. It is wonderful that this not only educates the students, but also helps them start their business, which helps them, and helps the society.

Metrics for Measuring Ideation Effectiveness - By Jami J. Shah and Noe Vargas-Hernandez

Article - Metrics for Measuring Ideation Effectiveness

This article was a little harder to read and understand. However, it was trying to explain how design products should be evaluated effectively. The most effective measure to evaluate design is by looking at novelty, variety, quality and quantity of the products. The idea of combining ‘ideation’ and ‘novelty’ to create the perfect products.

Creativity as a Design Criterion - By Henri H.C.M Christiaans

Article - Creativity as a Design Criterion

I do agree with this articles core points about art and design being subjective. When judging creativity, the judgment is often not reliable or valid, and the several experiments illustrated in the articles prove that. However, I do think that design can be judged to a certain extent. The objectivity in design that can be judged comes from the functionality and technical quality of the design.

Assignment One

http://de-se2010.blogspot.com/

Response to "Social Entrepreneurship: The Case for a Definition", by Roger L. Martin & Sally Osberg

Article - Social Entrepreneurship: The Case for a Definition

The author emphasizes the boundaries of social entrepreneurship in this article. He believes that socially valuable activity needs to be distinguished from social entrepreneurship. He states that an individual providing social services, or a social activist, is not a social entrepreneur. He believes that social service ventures are limited and their impact is constrained since their service area stays confined to a local population. I believe that social entrepreneurship is a very broad term, and it can apply to an organization that provides social services. A small organization providing social services locally can be entrepreneurial. I also think that a social activist, who doesn’t take direct action, instead attempts to create change through indirect actions by influencing others, can also be known as a social entrepreneur.

Response to "Reshaping Social Entrepreneurship", by Paul Light

Article - Reshaping Social Entrepreneurship

The author believes that the term social entrepreneurship focuses on individuals who take risks and go against the odds to create social change. He thinks that too much emphasis is put on individuals and their traits, therefore the focus strays from what the entrepreneur does to who the entrepreneur is. I don’t quite agree with him, because I think it is important to look at certain individual traits. It is essential to know whether or not the entrepreneur is motivated and optimistic, and whether or not he or she has the will to help. This doesn’t necessarily look at only who the entrepreneur is, and stray from looking at what the entrepreneur does. Also, I don’t think that too much emphasis is being put on individuals, and that groups and organizations are being ignored.

Response to "The Meaning of 'Social Entrepreneurship'”, by J. Gregory Dees

Article - The Meaning of “Social Entrepreneurship”

Value creation, and ways of measuring it, was a central point in this article. The author states that it’s easy for a business entrepreneur to observe value creation by measuring wealth creation. They are subject to market discipline. The profit that a venture generates is a good indicator of the value it has created. However, markets do not work for social entrepreneurs because it is hard to value social improvements, public goods and harms, and benefits for people who cant afford to pay. I agree with the author that it is much harder to measure social value creation in social entrepreneurships, than it is to measure wealth creation in business entrepreneurships, because it is not quantifiable. However, I don’t think it is impossible to do. For example, if an entrepreneur is trying to help treat people with a certain disease, it can count how many people have been treated. Similarly, if an entrepreneur is providing education to people who cant afford it, they can keep count of the number of people they have put through school.