11:00 AM
to 12:30 PM
Credit Well Deserved: Strengthening the business case for Corporate Social Responsibility and poverty alleviation
4 Attendees
Location
Montgomery
We provide a new conceptual model that has the potential to bridge the capacity of companies and the needs of the underserved by harnessing the opportunity of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Analysts have suggested that CSR initiatives have the potential to effectively address global poverty and economic development issues. This paper makes a business case for corporations to align their CSR strategies with core business activities, such as design, development, and dissemination, to encourage the availability of products to people in developing countries. While some companies are on the vanguard of the CSR movement, the majority of firms are seeking some form of tangible, convincing measure of the return on investment of CSR before moving forward with such activities. This report suggests a quantifiable solution to this end.
Tags Thurs 2C2
11:00 AM
to 12:30 PM
Open Design-based Strategies to Enhance Appropriate Technology Development
9 Attendees
Location
Montgomery
The appropriate technology (AT) movement is being driven by inventors and innovators who are interested in designing technologies that are culturally, environmentally and economically appropriate, and feasible to construct and use for people anywhere in the world. This paper examines how open sharing of designs, specifications and technical information can enhance effectiveness, widespread use, and innovation of AT. This commons-based open design method has been highly successful for software development (e.g. open source), and has also begun to be used in other fields through unique partnerships, and using new information-sharing technologies on the internet. This paper critically demonstrates key examples of open design successes that can be applied to development of AT. It also identifies potential barriers to open sourcing AT designs, analyzes business models for open design in the context of AT, and outlines practical solutions with examples currently underway.
Tags Thurs 2C3
11:00 AM
to 12:30 PM
Social Entrepreneurship
6 Attendees
Location
Montgomery
This study examined social entrepreneurship in the context of the academic field by looking at forms of implementation at universities across the country. Thirty-two universities were selected to be contacted about their respective programs. The goal of contacting universities was to create an easily viewed and comprehensive database featuring key information about each SE program. The included universities were chosen based on various sources, including Ashoka rankings, AACSB information, national university program rankings and articles on the subject. The surveys of the universities provided insight into established SE curricula and program structures. The findings of this study have shown that many universities have varied programs in both offerings and size, and while the programs are typically popular with students from a wide variety of majors, popularity is impacted by the way the university defines SE.
Tags Thurs 2C1
9:00 AM
to 10:30 AM
Creating Supply Chains for New Ventures in Developing Countries
3 Attendees
Location
Montgomery
Supply chain development is critical in starting up new business ventures in both the developed and developing worlds. Supply chain modeling can help optimize profits and product quality. However, several modeling assumptions must be re-defined for developing countries. In the process of starting a business in Ghana, it became obvious that supply chain modeling is not the same as it is in the US and a study to model and optimize supply chains has uncovered several specific differences: economic bargaining, discrete even modeling using a different concept of time as a metric and communication using cell phones instead of computers.
Tags Sat 1D2
9:00 AM
to 10:30 AM
Project Management Techniques for BoP Student Enterprise Projects
4 Attendees
Location
Montgomery
A specific example from Colorado State University's Global Social Sustainable Enterprises Program demonstrates the creation and execution of student projects targeting Base of the Pyramid customers with triple-bottom-line business enterprises. This paper provides an overview of project process and discusses one particular project in depth. The Running Water International team created a successful enterprise selling biosand water filtration systems in Kenya. The RWI team found four key factors to their success: 1) Multiple dimensions of diversity among team members; 2) Strong motivation of team members to create measurable impact; 3) Team value of choosing people over project; 4) Active project partner in-country.
Tags Sat 1D1
9:00 AM
to 10:30 AM
Systems Approach to the Development of a Code of Ethics for an Entrepreneurial Telemedicine Venture in Africa
2 Attendees
Location
Montgomery
Students at Penn State University are working on a social entrepreneurial venture in Kenya called Mashavu: Networked Health Solutions for the Developing World. Mashavu is a telemedicine system that enables medical professionals to connect with patients in rural communities. The Mashavu kiosk operators, medical practitioners, website administrators and other individuals connected to the Mashavu network are expected to adhere to the highest principles of ethical conduct. We developed Code of Ethics for Mashavu based on universal health policies and guidelines, but our observations and lessons learned while conducting field research in Kenya have forced us to rethink our approach to developing and ensuring compliance with our Code of Ethics. This study explores the realities of privacy, liability, trust, hygiene, quality, business practices and social customs in developing communities and presents the systems approach applied by our team to develop the ethical, policy and compliance framework to roll-out the Mashavu venture.
Tags Sat 1D3
