Food waste is a huge problem in today’s society. Canadians waste approximately 40% of our total food production. The quantifiable value of food wasted in Canada is about $31 billion each year according to a recent report. Food waste is everyone’s problem, but many believe there is nothing we can do about it. Why do Canadians Continue to Waste So Much Food? BBMG’s recent “Waste Not, Want Not” report on food waste really forced me to reflect on food waste
How to Build Trust in Business: 2015 Trust Barometer Breakfast in Calgary
On Thursday, Feb. 26, Edelman PR presented its 2015 Trust Barometer research study results. JS Daw & Associates attended the event hosted by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce at the Delta Bow in Calgary.In this blog, We break down the presentation’s key points, why it’s important to integrate trust into community strategies and what business needs to do to regain trust in the future.Trust in Business has DeclinedJohn Clinton, CEO of Edelman Canada, pointed out the report's four key findings:
Social Intrapreneurship: Innovate Your Company from the Inside
Intrapreneurs: People working within large companies that spend their time innovating, improving business and thinking like entrepreneurs. They are infectiously creative, passionate about their work and have a strong internal desire to bring corporations along with them. By trying to move away from ‘business as usual’ they can allow corporations to become much more efficient and progressive machines.
2015: The Year of Social Purpose + Profits
This year when Canada’s honours were being announced, one new member of the Order of Canada stood out – Bell Canada’s CEO, George Cope. It was no surprise that Mr. Cope was being acknowledged for his contribution to advancing Canadian business, although this was a secondary call out. What was noteworthy was that he was being hailed for his leadership in Bell Canada’s social commitment to address the pervasive issue of mental health in Canada.
Our Goal for 2015: Measuring What Matters!
Here at JS Daw & Associates, we have been inspired by the B Corp movement and are making a New Year's resolution to further our goals of becoming more sustainable and 'measure what matters'! B Corporations are companies that take time to think innovatively and create shared value opportunities for all the stakeholders affected by their business. While traditional businesses tend to value their profits above all else, B Corps act with their social purpose at the core of everything they do.
Articulating a Social Purpose: The YMCA Calgary Takes a Stand to Help our City’s Kids
Every non-profit organization has a mission that is central to its operations. In today’s increasingly sophisticated non-profit sector, most organizations can articulate their mission and what they do bring it to life through programs and services. What many organizations can’t do is describe “why.” Why do they do what they do? What is their social purpose and the reason they exist? In the absence of having a clear purpose, non-profits leave significant value on the table.
Soup with a Purpose: The Big Stir 2014
Earlier this week we had the chance to attend The Big Stir, a fundraising event for Soup Sisters, a non-profit social enterprise that brings people together to make a tangible impact in their communities. Calgarian Sharon Hapton, founded Soup Sisters in 2009 with the simple belief that a bowl of soup was the perfect nourishment to help people get through difficult times.
Creating Shared Value In the Extractives Sector
Extracting with Purpose, a new study from consulting firm FSG and the Shared Value Initiative, details the ways that companies in the extractives sector (oil and gas, mining etc.) can create positive societal outcomes by tying their business’ success to that of their community through shared value. Shared value is the unique opportunity for businesses to align their business priorities with social goals.
Putting People First: Human Centered Design
Engaging the people at the center of an issue is the most crucial element of project design. Unfortunately, project designers often skip this step when trying to implement social change. We recently purchased IDEO’s Human Centered Design Toolkitto learn about the responsibilities of project designers in inspiring the people they work with and we have been employing some of its’ ideas in our work. For social change to be sustainable, effective and innovative, we must give community members responsibility for what is going on in their communities and incorporate their input at every step of the design process.
10 Years On: Learning From Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty
They say necessity is the mother of invention (humans required a more efficient mode of locomotion, so we invented the wheel; college students wanted a virtual way to connect to their friends, so Mark Zuckerberg invented Facebook). Such is true for Dove, who, back in 2004 were suffering from low sales in an abysmally crowded and over-saturated market. So Dove’s parent company, Unilever, created The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty.