Rodeo for a Good Cause

In 1932 the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show (HLRS) became an entity through a partnership with the City of Houston and other entities to increase interest and involvement in agricultural education. In 1970, HLRS began an $100,000 initiative to fund research studies at various Texas Institutions. Through a combination of passion for agriculture and a desire to increase higher education in the community, the HLRS has donated over 330 million dollars for scholarships, research, endowments and educational youth programs.

Every spring the city of Houston, Texas hosts the event. Houston has grown to know the rodeo for things like the infamous Calf Scramble, live entertainment, funnel cakes and turkey legs. All of the sales from these things combined produce enough revenue to cover the cost of the rodeo and provide scholarships with what is left over. This is a social innovation because not only did the creators of the rodeo want to increase awareness of agricultural knowledge but also wanted to benefit the community while doing it. According to the HLSR, over 100 jobs are available every spring in Houston and an economic stimulus of x is provided to Houston.

What is the calf scramble?

The calf scramble is an event of the rodeo, where 100 calves are released in the middle of the Reliant stadium (Home to the Texans football team), in which 200 high school students are standing waiting to catch a calf! If a student catches a calf the student receives $1500.

Watch the video below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyNnGg45vto

What live entertainment?

The live entertainment has included artists like Destiny’s Child, Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean and the Zac Brown Band.

Why is it a social innovation?

It’s a creative idea that had never ben done before, that:

Benefits high school students through college scholarships.

Increases awareness about Agriculture including raising farm and show animals.

So as Public Policy students, what fun and creative  things can we do to increase awareness of Public Policy areas that interest us?

THE NEXT 4 BILLION

Everyday, when I am on my way to my office from my home (in Islamabad, Pakistan) I look at these huge new buildings branded with the leading multi-nationals and banks from all over the world, thinking why are they investing in my country with per capita income of 1,256 dollars only. I know there are serious energy issues complemented with security concerns still these corporations are investing in my country. Why?

Report – “The next 4 billion”, has brought me the answer. Very truly, countries like Pakistan are very attractive untapped markets. These countries are on the development path with a bulging middle class – better educated and more aware. This huge population has needs for all modern products, so there is a great opportunity for the providers to invest and reap profits. This ever-increasing urban population has better power to purchase; therefore, every business has a chance for first-mover advantage in such economies.

These multinational corporations and banks are providing customized products and solutions specific to the needs of these emerging economies. KFC, McDonalds and PizzaHut are labeling their food as “Halal” to counter the Muslim factor in Pakistan and they are publicizing their “Vegetarian” range in India to cater to the food preferences of Hindus and Sikhs. Almost every international bank in Pakistan has a diversified operation of “Islamic Banking” running parallel.

Very rightly understanding the rule of the game, these organizations are found leading every social development project in these countries. I can see presence of corporations like Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Pepsi, Shell, Standard Chartered Bank and many more in every area of social development in Pakistan. Most of these organizations have developed clearly defined units working for social development in the country. Quoting one such example is Unilever Foundation –

“The Unilever Foundation is dedicated to improving quality of life through the provision of hygiene, sanitation, access to clean drinking water, basic nutrition and enhancing self-esteem.” (http://www.unilever.pk/aboutus/unileverfoundation/aboutunileverfoundation/index.aspx)

These infrastructural and financial investments; modifications and diversifications of the products and solutions to match consumer preferences; and involvement in social development in the developing countries by leading multinational corporations of the world are clearly indicating towards the findings of the report – “The next 4 billion”, which very truly states that “Four-billion low-income consumers, a majority of the world’s population constitute the base of the economic pyramid.”

Reference: The next 4 billion – A report by World Resources Institute                (http://www.wri.org/publication/the-next-4-billion) 

The Global Grid and Mobile Learning

In the McKinsey & Company special report “What happens next?”, the authors identify five pillars of innovation that will shape the coming decade. One of these pillars is the global grid, which refers to the reach and depth of a web of interconnected global networks and channels that enable real-time interactions at scale. As the authors note, the negative effects of this “highly integrated ecosystem” are felt during times of economic downturn – as was the case with capital markets and the decline of trade in 2007-2008 – but the benefits particularly to emerging markets can be significant. With mobile phone connectivity, billions of people in the developing regions of the world now have access to a wealth of information previously not available to them. Furthermore, mobile connectivity is providing many with their first entry into the global economy, reconstructing how people learn, interact, work, and share.

In his working research paper “Mobile Learning in Developing Nations”[1], Athabasca University Professor Scott Motlik outlines how the applications of mobile phone technology and eLearning are not only shaping learning environments that are available to more people in developing regions, but how the adoption of mobile learning – or mLearning – among children is usually the first step in gaining entry to a global society.

Professor Motlik’s working paper is relevant to our discussion of the global grid and the many interconnected networks of global society as mobile learning is not simply a phenomena occurring in emerging markets, but the devices we use to share and learn are radically transforming how those in developed regions access and share knowledge sources. As we have seen with the creation of Salman Khan’s Academy, mobile and cloud-based learning is providing a first opportunity for many in developing regions to have access to basic education and information while the Khan model has encouraged many Western education policy practitioners to reevaluate the current education model.

Professor Motlik’s working paper is important to this discussion in considering how and where innovative approaches to education and mobile learning can take root best on the international stage. A central premise of Motlik’s paper is that there is great promise for the use of mobile phones in education in Africa through SMS delivery because SMS has already proved to be cost-effective, efficient, and has received a high level of adoption.

While Professor Motlik and many other advocates of mobile learning outline the many benefits of the global grid and increased interconnectedness, we should consider some of the obstacles to practical delivery of learning via mobile devices in the developing regions of the world.  Many in developing countries have adopted mobile technology, but with infrastructural deficits and high levels of illiteracy, mobile does not sufficiently broaden access to education. Moreover, access to internet technology and the cost of open curricula make it difficult for larger scale adoption. With infrastructure deficits in many developing countries, what are the available infrastructures to guarantee mobile learning? What should the level of readiness be for open and distance learners with mobile learning?  

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[1] http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/564/1039ch

Are the Trends already making an Impact?

In CIA article, which is admittedly an older article, the impact of global crises on the United States has already been seen with Syria in the past week. With the British Parliament and United Nations already refusing to take military action the Obama Administration has been forced to go to Congress in order to seek approval to take military action themselves. 

If this sort of instability becomes a new norm in not just the arabian peninsula, but also sub-Saharan Africa, I doubt the United States will be able to continue to make an impact through government/military intervention and remain a global super power. I would argue that there is a vacuum for nation building that could be more in-tune with the needs of the populations and not just US/Western interests.

Public Transporation and Technology

The upward trend of governments, businesses, and nonprofits collaborating together to improve services and products through social innovation is one that benefits a variety of people. Pittsburgh's public transportation woes are not getting any better with drastically reduced bus lines and one of the highest bus fares in the country.  Carnegie Mellon's Traffic21 is a perfect example of social innovation used to implement "a novel solution to a social problem that is more effective, efficient......for which the value created accrues primarily to society as a whole rather than private individuals." (Stanford Social Innovation Rediscovering Social Innovation)


As a student who frequently uses PAT bus to get around town, a frequent annoyance of mine is when a bus zooms right by the stop due to being at capacity. If another bus with the same route were to arrive in 5 - 10 minutes this would not be as irritating. However, sometimes one has to wait another 30 - 40 minutes for the same bus.  A more efficient scheduling system during peak bus times would eliminate this problem. Traffic21 is working on a bus scheduling and stops study which will hopefully aid PORT authority workers to appropriately plan bus routes and time. In the meantime, CMU developers created the application, Tiramisu which uses crowdsourced information to tell riders if the next approaching bus has availability. Specifically the app informs riders if the bus has: "many seats, few seats, bus is full". This application helps people plan their days more effectively.

The hope is that PORT Authority will be able to use new technology to plan a more efficient operation which will be cost-effective to the needs of their organization, subsequently benefiting riders with a transit system that rivals that with more transit friendly cities.


Sources:
Miller, Dale "Rediscovering Social Innovation" Stanford Social Innovation Review Fall 2008

Daley, Lauren "Dude, where's my bus: CMU-developed transit app will help riders find a ride and a seat" August, 4, 2011. http://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/dude-wheres-my-bus-cmu-developed-transit-app-will-help-riders-find-a-ride-and-a-seat/Content?oid=1397996

non-profit vs social enterprise vs for-profit

By the time you reach graduate school, it's expected that you know what you want to do with your life, and you know what career path you want to follow. When I was preparing to apply for grad schools, I I thought I wanted to get involved in some sort of non-profit management. While researching the program at Heinz College, I stumbled upon something “new” called a “social enterprise.” While it turns out there's some debate about what exactly constitutes a social enterprise, it was clear that it was some sort of middle ground between a typical non-profit organization and typical for-profit business. I knew immediately that non-profit management was not what I'd be getting into, because in my mind, a social enterprise had all the benefits of a non-profit with even more advantages.

The more reading I did, the more comparisons I found between social enterprises and other for-profit companies. One good example is an article in the Harvard Business Review, “Every Business Is (Or Should Be) a Social Business (http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/01/every_business_is_or_should_be.html). The article claims exactly what you would expect from the name. It states that business models are essentially the same for social and non-social businesses, and even lists some examples of current social businesses running under a typical business model. What struck me most, however, was not the claims this article made.

For some reason, this article in particular made me question why there aren't more non-profits trying to be social enterprises. They surely exist, and maybe there's an answer out there and I just don't know enough about non-profits. But the burning question remains in my mind- Why isn't EVERY non-profit trying to make its own profit and stop relying on money that has to be spent in a very specific way?

Ummeli Provides Job Resource for BOP

The reading that stuck with me the most was "The Next 4 Billion." There is so much that is taken for granted that it seems almost inconsequential to complain about our daily obligations as students (tests, homeworks, job interviews, etc.) when the world is made up of people who barely earn enough to eat or acquire adequate shelter. As I read the course readings, two passages stood out:

"Addressing the unmet needs of the BOP is essential to raising welfare, 

productivity, and income—to enabling BOP households to find their own 

route out of poverty."

And

"Analysis of BOP markets can help businesses and governments think 

more creatively about new products and services that meet BOP needs 

and about opportunities for market-based solutions to achieve them."

Ummeli is an app to help impoverished communities develop a job sharing network. I wanted to write about this company because it is innovative, but it something that we as students take for granted (Heinz Career Navigator). Ummeli operates in impoverished communities via mobile phones. It allows tech savvy members of the community to find jobs and to ultimately help others find jobs. I found it intriguing that its mantra is Ubuntu, which is a proverb that states that translates to: I am what I am because of who we all are.

Ummeli is a social networking site for job posters, job seekers, and people seeking information on volunteering, training, and other career-related experiences. As we continue to learn about the BOP, and as I have talked to some economic professors about world economic markets (for example, Prof. Lee Branstetter) it is fact that emerging markets must become more innovative and allow its citizens to improve on their skills by becoming more employable and financially free.

Ummeli does have its restrictions because it is only accessible by users of cell phones. However, the app is free and has a strategic partnership with phone providers. It also looks at the culture of developing countries, which is often communal as opposed to the individualistic approach to job searches that occur in the Western world.

On its website, it claims: Ummeli disrupts the colonial-inspired, individualistic job-culture which does not work for Africa and fosters the spirit of Ubuntu ("I am what I am because of who we all are") resulting in the creation of a supportive community of young job-seekers and entrepreneurs.

Private sector provides insight: Incorporating customer needs into social innovation

The article about “Human-centered design” basically tells us: certain processes developed in the private sector can facilitate the perfection of social innovation as to reach more people in need. The “Frugal engineering” article emphasized the same theme: understanding the customers.

It is a key concept in the private sector that products, no matter how fancy, are nothing without getting customer recognition. This idea can be borrowed to the social innovation arena that “market research” should be carried out to identify the “target customers”.

I found more blogs and articles that kind of delved more into this topic, providing more examples and illustration.

1.

These three blogs talked about: In what ways can businesses be a source of social innovation?

1) New products, services or markets;

2) Environmental stewardship;

3) Social well-being of their employees and the communities in which they operate.

http://www.strategies-direction.com/business-as-a-source-of-social-innovation-part-1-new-products-services-or-markets/

http://www.strategies-direction.com/business-as-a-source-of-social-innovation-part-2-environmental-stewardship/

http://www.strategies-direction.com/business-as-a-source-of-social-innovation-part-3-social-well-being/

Take-Away here:

Many successful companies adopt inclusive market strategies to target neglected segments in the society. Social innovations can learn from these cases, especially how they developed a way of studying customers and expanding market.

2.

Social innovation: Creating products for those at the bottom of the pyramid

http://knowledge.insead.edu/csr/social-entrepreneurship/creating-products-for-those-at-the-bottom-of-the-pyramid-1957

Quote: When creating innovative, new products for markets at the base of the pyramid, Peter White, Director of Global Sustainability at Procter & Gamble, notes that cost alone is not the issue. “It’s not just about making consumer products cheaper,” he says. “You’ve got to come up with products that actually meet the specific needs at the bottom of the pyramid.  How do you design products that people need? You have to actually go and find out, and so we send researchers to find out how people live – how they do their washing, their cleaning (and) what are their problems.”

Take-away here:

This article mentioned other key features of a successful social innovation other than low costs, including:

1)   Access

2)   Partnership

3)   Distribution channels

4)   Sustainable models

Resulting from years of practice, business models got mature and functional. A lot of the models and factors can actually foster thoughts and improvements in social innovations.

Here’s my question:

Just as the second article said: a growing number of global companies are being drawn to the seductive idea that money can be made by developing and marketing products for those at the bottom of the pyramid. How to make sure the money we make from the poor does not override the good we do for them? Is there a boundary between using them and helping them? Are we gonna face resistance because of this? Or at least how can we make a win-win situation?

Prototyping as you innovate

When striving for social innovation, the process for creating new ideas and products must be approached with care. Otherwise, great ideas may fall to the wayside because of poor design (numerous examples can be seen at http://www.baddesigns.com/index.html). Too often products for business, government and/or social enterprises turn into a waste of resources or perform in a suboptimal manner. Take, for example, the clean water in India that cannot be carried because of the shape of the container (http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/design_thinking_for_social_innovation/). Or how often have you pushed a door when it should be pulled?

Before these products were built and produced on a mass scale, they should have seen multiple user tests. As designers we cannot predict how something will be used, handled, or treated. Paper prototyping is a cheap and easy way to test a product, well before you have spent many resources to build it. Draw out your application, give it ‘pieces’ and ‘buttons’ with separate parts of paper, and show it to a user. Test what task they can accomplish and how.

A clean and cheap water supply in India may alleviate many health dangers. However, if the residents will not use the water then there is no purpose. Use cardboard to design the water container, weigh it down with rocks to the appropriate weight, and hand it to a local Indian woman. The design flaw could have been caught right then and there.

It’s also important to think about the end users of the products and how that affects the testers. With the water example, the gender of the user proves important because usually the men are working all day. Men tend to be stronger than women so it would be necessary to give the women a water-heavy container.

Through this process, you may also discover additional ideas that could be even better. You can think about something for a long time, but seeing a user in action will always provide a new perspective.