Social Entrepreneur: a trend?

I have to be honest. I never heard about Social Entrepreneur before studying the subject. Well, it is not totally true. I heard, I read some information about it but I didn’t know that it was about “Social Entrepreneur” or “Social Entrepreneurial”.

When business meets social development! Can we consider it as trend? Frankly, I have a doubt. After reading some stuff about it, I think that it will stay confidential for a long time. I talk about real “Social Entrepreneur”. Of course, big companies have actions oriented on social development but to my mind, it is only opportunism! Those companies have foundations with actions on health, education, local development. But these actions are market oriented. Perhaps I am rude, and I do not want admit that they have good intentions.

Let’s talk about Bill Gates. He gave a big part of his fortune to his foundation (education, health..). We present his foundation as the most powerful one, with $ 67 BILLIONS (source: L’Expansion.com) for his program. It is a good thing, but before this Bill Gates was (and still is) a business man. I do not criticize him, it is just a noting. Newspapers have a business presentation of this foundation

In my opinion, real “Social Entrepreneur” has first in their mind the common interest. They work for the community. They begin their business with this mindset. Of course, they look for return, but profit is not the main goal. Reading the article of Business Week, talking about the B-schools which have an interest in this subject; I asked myself if it is not done because the students are futures managers. The experiences developed in those cases can favour some aptitudes to this kind of responsibility. Before working on the subject, I read about Muhammad Yunus (Bangladesh) the founder and chairman of the GRAMEEN BANK. After my readings I think that he is a Social Entrepreneur. His bank gives micro-credits for poor people in non developed countries to create their own business. People call him “The poor people banker” In 2006, he get the Peace Nobel Price.

You can click on the following link to have more information about M. Ynus:

http://www.80hommes.com/80portraits/fiche33.htm

Photo: wikipedia

Social Entrepreneur: definition

Someone who puts in practice news solutions to solve socials problems. He uses innovating process to reach the common interest (developement) . He works with the locals resources: human resources, raw,..
The Social Entrepreneur has a global vision with a transverse approach of the problems. It means that all sectors are inter-related. Pragmatism is the master word; it is not an academic concept.

E-business and Easy group!

Can a company consider its development without having an e-business strategy? It seems difficult so true is it that the weight of web is growing each day. E-business in not only e-selling but as well an integrated process based on new information and communication tools. Those tools improve the relation with the customer, the partnerships and the employees.

E-business has to create value by:

 creating new services and products because of the huge potential market
 cutting costs,
 finding new markets and new customers,
 keeping those customers,
 improving quality of services and goods

Easygroup started with the Easyjet – Airline Company – and developed its activities in mainly in leisure and travel industry building its sales strategy on the web. Stelios Haji-Ioannou, chairman of the company, provides basic service / product for a reduced price. Taking the Easyjet as example, they reduced all the unnecessary costs:

 no retail network
 no free meals on board
 no more tickets
 the staff on board clean up the cabin

The product or service in functional and basic. Regarding this experience, Easygroup develop other brands: Easycruise, Easycar, Easyhotel, Easycinema, Easybus, Easymobile, Easywatch, Easypizza, Easyinternetcafé….. Those brands works on the same scheme.

www.tourismag.com
www.e-consultancy.com