Dias1 Im Ch01 FINAL1
Dias1 Im Ch01 FINAL1
Dias1 Im Ch01 FINAL1
1.3
Video Notes
1.4
1.5
1.7
1.25
1.25
1.26
Lecture Links
1.27
1.27
Milestones in Business
1.28
1.28
1.29
1.30
Trends in Population
1.30
Opportunities in Entrepreneurship
1.31
Researching Philanthropy
1.33
Social Entrepreneurship
1.34
1.35
1.35
1.37
Bonus Cases
1.38
Dual-Career Planning
1.38
1.40
1.1
CHAPTER
1.2
1.42
1.44
1.3
VIDEO NOTES
Twenty videos are available, geared to individual chapter topics. The teaching notes for these
videos are also included in the Video Notes section of this Instructors Resource Manual, beginning on
page V.1.
VIDEO 1. Cirque du Soleil: No Clowning Around
This video features Cirque du Soleil, a unique and successful circus. Topics
covered include Cirque du Soleils mission, competitive advantages, relationships with
stakeholders, and the importance of technology to its productions.
(BONUS CASE 1-4, Cirque du Soleil: No Clowning Around, on page 1.44
of this manual relates to this video.)
1.4
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1
B.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2
A.
B.
C.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3
A.
B.
C.
D.
Increased Productivity
2.
3.
Responsiveness to Customers
Customer-Driven Organizations
2.
Employee Empowerment
Diversity
2.
Aging Consumers
1.5
E.
3.
Dual Incomes
4.
Single Parents
5.
Marriage
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 4
A.
B.
2.
Entrepreneurial Challenge
3.
Creation of Wealth
VI. SUMMARY
1.6
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING
BUSINESS
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1
LECTURE NOTES
POWERPOINT 1-1
Chapter Title
(Refers to text page 2)
POWERPOINT 1-2
Learning Objectives
(Refers to text page 3)
POWERPOINT 1-3
The Importance of
Studying Business
(Refers to text pages 4-6)
CRITICAL THINKING
EXERCISE 1-1
How Much Profit?
Profit is the amount a
business earns above and
beyond what it spends for
salaries and other expenses.
Students often have a very
inaccurate idea of how much
profit businesses actually
make. This exercise leads
students to find this actual
profit percentage. (See
complete exercise on page
1.35 of this manual.)
1.7
LECTURE OUTLINE
LECTURE NOTES
2.
TEXT REFERENCE
Real World Business Apps
(Box in text on page 5)
Rochelle Johnson, the owner
of a small marketing
company, and her employee
John discuss the importance
of keeping stakeholders in
mind when making business
decisions. This box
introduces the concept of
multiple stakeholders and the
importance of balancing the
needs of all of them.
POWERPOINT 1-4
Defining Business
(Refers to text pages 6-8)
TEXT FIGURE 1.1
A Business and Its
Stakeholders (Text page 7)
TEXT REFERENCE
Thinking Critically
All Hail the Entrepreneur
(Box in text on pages 7-8)
Roughly 45 million
Americans run their own
business. The
entrepreneurship happening
today is different from what
came before. Big companies
are adapting and new
LECTURE OUTLINE
2.
3.
LECTURE NOTES
entrepreneurial enterprises
are filling unmet needs.
1.
2.
3.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2
1.9
LECTURE OUTLINE
LECTURE NOTES
this manual.
POWERPOINT 1-5
Evolution of American
Business (Refers to text
pages 9-11)
1.
2.
1.10
POWERPOINT 1-6
The Five Parts of the
LECTURE OUTLINE
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3
Describe the five elements of the business
environment. (Text pages 13-29)
LECTURE NOTES
Business Environment
(Refers to text pages 13-14)
POWERPOINT 1-7
The Economic and Legal
Environment
(Refers to text pages 13-15)
1.11
LECTURE OUTLINE
3.
4.
1.12
LECTURE NOTES
POWERPOINT 1-8
The Economic and Legal
Environment
(Refers to text pages 15-17)
LECTURE OUTLINE
Other forms of corruption can
affect small businesses, such as
employees stealing money or
giving free merchandise to friends.
b. According to Bloomberg Personal
Finance, one of the greatest
threats to the U.S. economy is
the wholesale undermining of
investor confidence in the stock
market as a result of corporate
deceptions.
c. Such scandals emphasize the
need for laws restraining people
from committing unethical acts.
5. A BOARD OF DIRECTORS is a group
that oversees the activities of a
corporation.
a. A board of directors generally
represents a mixa small number
of company executives and a
greater number of outsiders.
b. The Hewlett-Packard scandal
involved the chairman of the
board of directors, who allegedly
used unconventional methods to
spy on board members.
6. The capitalist system relies heavily on
honesty, integrity, and high ethical
standards.
7. In a CAPITALIST SYSTEM companies
and businesses are owned by citizens
instead of government.
C. The Technological Environment
1. Few technical changes have had a
more lasting impact on businesses
LECTURE NOTES
a.
TEXT REFERENCE
Ethical Challenge:
Biz Majors Get an F for
Honesty
(Box in text on page 17)
A survey of college students
found that undergraduate
business students do more
cheating that just about
anyone else54% admitted
to cheating on written
assignments. What ethical
practices do these students
take with them into careers?
POWERPOINT 1-9
The Technological
Environment (Refers to text
1.13
LECTURE OUTLINE
2.
3.
4.
1.14
LECTURE NOTES
pages 17-19)
POWERPOINT 1-10
The Technological
Environment (Refers to text
pages 19-20)
LECTURE OUTLINE
5.
LECTURE NOTES
1.15
LECTURE OUTLINE
LECTURE NOTES
POWERPOINT 1-11
The Competitive
Environment (Refers to text
pages 20-23)
TEXT REFERENCE
Study Skills Are a Learned
Behavior
(Box in text on page 22)
Studying is a learned
behavior that can improve
with practice. An additional
exercise and discussion is
available in this chapter on
page 1.26 of this manual.
LECTURE OUTLINE
customer requests.
b. EMPOWERMENT is giving
frontline workers the responsibility,
authority, and freedom to respond
quickly to customer requests.
c. To implement empowerment,
businesses must train front-line
people to make decisions, without
consulting managers.
d. Many firms have created CROSSFUNCTIONAL TEAMS, a group
of people with different expertise
working together to achieve a
common goal.
e. With empowerment, workers need
more education and training.
f. It sometimes takes years to
restructure an organization to
empower workers.
E. The Social Environment
1. Businesses need to be aware of the
major changes occurring in the U.S.
population.
2. Diversity
a. DIVERSITY involves broad
differences between people
(ethnically, gender, color, sexual
orientation, body size, age.)
b. Both Hispanic and Asian
populations are growing rapidly.
c. Advantages of diversity:
i. A business can better serve
customers with a diverse
workforce.
LECTURE NOTES
page 21)
POWERPOINT 1-12
The Social Environment
(Refers to text pages 23-25)
1.17
LECTURE OUTLINE
LECTURE NOTES
ii.
3.
4.
1.18
BONUS INTERNET
EXERCISE 1-1
Trends in Population
This Internet exercise leads
students online to the Census
Bureaus web page to gather
data regarding trends in
population and the social
environment. (See complete
exercise on page 1.30 of this
manual.)
POWERPOINT 1-13
The Social Environment
(Refers to text pages 26-27)
LECTURE OUTLINE
c.
5.
6.
LECTURE NOTES
POWERPOINT 1-14
The Global Environment
(Refers to text pages 27-29)
1.19
LECTURE OUTLINE
F.
1.20
LECTURE NOTES
LECTURE OUTLINE
LECTURE NOTES
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is free trade, and how does the issue of free trade
impact businesses competing overseas?
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 4
BONUS INTERNET
EXERCISE 1-2
Opportunities in
Entrepreneurship
This Internet exercise
explores the types of
franchise opportunities
available and the amount of
investment necessary. (See
complete exercise on page
1.31 of this manual.)
POWERPOINT 1-15
Your Future in Business
(Refers to text pages 29-31)
TEXT REFERENCE
Career Spotlight: So, You
Think You Want to Be a
Businessperson
(Box in text on page 32.)
A degree in business can
apply to almost any career.
The first step in planning a
1.21
LECTURE OUTLINE
3.
4.
1.22
LECTURE NOTES
CRITICAL THINKING
EXERCISE 1-2
Job and Career vs. Owning
a Business
This exercise guides the
student through the decision
making process of evaluating
various career options. (See
complete exercise on page
1.37 of this manual.)
TEXT REFERENCE
Real World Business Apps
(Box in text on page 33)
After doing more research,
Rochelle now understands
how important it is to
consider the needs of
stakeholders. This text box
provides a good overview of
the concepts discussed in this
chapter.
POWERPOINT 1-16
Your Future in Business
(Refers to text pages 32-33)
BONUS CASE 1-3
The Worlds Largest
Charity
Three of the wealthiest
people in the world are busy
giving their wealth away
through the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation. (See
complete case, discussion
LECTURE OUTLINE
d.
combination of entrepreneurship
and knowledge.
Entrepreneurship also helps make
some states and cities rich while
others remain relatively poor.
LECTURE NOTES
questions, and suggested
answers on page 1.42 of this
manual.)
BONUS INTERNET
EXERCISE 1-3
Researching Philanthropy
This Internet exercise
explores a charitable
organization created by the
founder of Microsoft. (See
complete exercise on page
1.33 of this manual.)
BONUS INTERNET
EXERCISE 1-4
Social Entrepreneurship
Each year Fast Company
magazine publishes the
Social Capitalist Awards.
This exercise lets students
explore the concept of social
entrepreneurship and
investigate some of the
award winners. (See
complete exercise on page
1.34 of this manual.)
1.
2.
1.23
LECTURE OUTLINE
LECTURE NOTES
3.
4.
VI. SUMMARY
1.24
Review with the students the importance of understanding what career planning awareness can do
by helping students identify what they need to start working on their own career plans as soon as
they begin their college careers. Ask the basic question: If you could choose your dream job,
what would it be? Next, ask them: How important are career planning skills considering you
already know where you would like to work? Continue the discussion allowing students the
opportunity to express how important career development is to them. Emphasize to the students
that their work now in preparing a career plan can really payoff at a later time.
1.25
1.26
Explain to students the difference in preparation and execution. Ask students to describe how they
have prepared for something they felt was important which required a certain amount of
preparation for reaching a high level of success. Ask students to also describe an event where they
had to perform or execute as well as they felt they could to reach a high level of success. Discuss
the two activities and how it felt when good preparation led to desired results. Discuss when the
two activities occurred and desired results were not achieved. Ask the students what might have
led to the less-than-desirable outcome.
LECTURE LINKS
LECTURE LINK 1-1
Country of
Citizenship
Age
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
United States
United States
Mexico
Sweden
India
United States
France
Spain
Hong Kong
Canada
United States
France
Saudi Arabia
51
76
67
80
56
73
58
71
78
49
62
84
50
56.0
52.0
49.0
33.0
32.0
26.5
26.0
24.0
23.0
22.0
21.5
20.7
20.3
United States
United States
Mexico
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States
France
Spain
Hong Kong
Canada
United States
France
Saudi Arabia
India
Germany
Russia
Sweden
India
United States
Germany
49
87
40
59
47
54
84
20.1
20.0
18.7
18.4
18.2
18.0
17.5
India
Germany
United Kingdom
Sweden
India
United States
Germany
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Worth
Residence
($billions)
How do these modern billionaires stack up against tycoons of the past? Using inflation adjusted
dollars, the ten richest men of all time are listed below.
Inflation-Adjusted
Wealth
Rank Name
Source of Wealth
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
John D. Rockefeller
Andrew Carnegie
Cornelius Vanderbilt
John Jacob Astor
William Gates III
$200 billion
$110 billion
$100 billion
$85 billion
$60 billion
1.27
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Lawrence J. Ellison
King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz Alsaud
Warren Buffett
Paul Allen
Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan
(CEO, Oracle)
(King, Saudi Arabia)
(Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway)
(Co-founder, Microsoft)
(Investor, United Arab Emirates)
$55 billion
$30 billion
$28 billion
$25 billion
$23 billioni
Milestones in Business
190
1776
1790
1830s
1834
1841
1867
1876
1903
1911
1930
1946
1950s
1955
1963
1972
1976
1981
1996-2000
2003
1.28
According to Mary Bartlett, talent manager for Arise, by far the biggest demand by Spanish.
companies is someone who can really connect with the customer. Among her employees is Susan
Mattingly, who grew up speaking and writing in both English and Spanish because her Cuban-born
mother wanted to keep the familys Latino heritage alive. Mattingly is among an estimated 11% of
Americans who speak English and a second language fluently, according to the Census Bureau.
Most workers in the U.S. dont need to speak or write a second language. But recruiters say some
telemarketing, banking, engineering, and financial service companies are looking for workers and
managers with bilingual skills because of the growing immigrant population of the U.S. or because they
are doing more business in foreign countries. According to Manpower Professional, the Fortune 500
companies are asking more frequently for managers who speak Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin
Chinese.
Kevin Hendzel, spokesperson for the American Translators Association, says demand for skilled
people who can read and write in a foreign language is up. He attributes that to increase international
trade and an executive order that requires federally funded institutions and agencies to provide bilingual
services to clients with limited English skills. Professional translators and interpreters usually take not
only college-level language classes but also attend professional language schools that require their
students to live in the countries whose languages they want to become proficient in. It takes a long time
and a lot of effort to master a language, says Hendzel. ii
LECTURE LINK 1-4
1.29
Trends in Population
PURPOSE:
To gather data regarding trends in population and the social environment and to analyze how
these changes affect American businesses. To answer the following questions, explore the Census
Bureaus website on the Internet at www.census.gov. (Sometimes the web address for a location changes.
You might need to search to find the exact location mentioned.)
EXERCISE:
This exercise is an extension of The Internet in Action exercise in your text. Use the Census
Bureaus website to answer the following questions.
1.
What is the fastest growing occupational group? What could contribute to the increase in this
profession? Hint: The Bureau of Labor Statistics is a great place to search for occupational
growth statistics. You will find occupations with the largest job growth for the next decade.
2.
What percentage of consumer expenditures is for food? Transportation? What does the
information tell you about the standard of living in the United States? Hint: There is a search
feature within the Census Bureaus Website. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also has a search
feature. There are even consumer expenditure surveys found within this site.
3.
What percentage of mothers receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
formerly Aid to Families with Dependent Children, (AFDC)were never married? What is the
amount of AFDC benefits received in your state? How does this number compare with the
national average? The AFDC site lists information on various parts of the country. What
explanation can you give for this trend? Hint: Try searching for TANF (Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families).
4.
Return to the U.S. Census Bureaus homepage. What is the population of the nation now? Record
the population and the time. If you are doing this project individually, you should collect at least
10 different population counts. Be sure to record the day and the time you collect each one. If you
would like to put the data in chart form, the entire classs data can be used to make a graph. What
does this chart tell you about the U.S. population? How could businesses use this information?
1.30
Opportunities in Entrepreneurship
PURPOSE:
To better understand entrepreneurship and opportunities that exist for individuals that would like
to make a transition into being a single business owner. Purchasing a franchise business involves deciding
on the potential investment an individual is willing to make and the type of business ownership they are
comfortable pursuing. To best answer the following questions, go to the internet and visit the website
www.franchise.com and learn more about purchasing a franchise business. (Sometimes the web address
for a location changes. You might need to search to find the exact location mentioned.)
EXERCISE:
This exercise is an education on types of franchise opportunities that can be purchased and the
amount of investment and start up capital necessary to purchase a franchise.
1.
At the website (www.franchise.com), go to the Search for a Franchise for Sale heading (top
left) and click on Franchise by Industry:
(a)
Pick two categories that you would like to explore (Children Related or Fitness for
example).
(b)
(c)
(d)
3.
(b)
Pick one company and read the biography. Summarize the biography below and be
prepared to discuss this information in class.
1.31
4.
5.
1.32
(b)
(c)
Summarize the article below and be prepared to discuss the article in class.
(b)
(c)
Based on the earlier choices you considered as franchises you might be interested in, why did you
choose these particular companies? Based on the amount you could invest, could you consider
making this investment? How serious would you be in considering purchasing a franchise in the
near future? In the next five years? In the next ten years?
Researching Philanthropy
The worlds largest charitable organization is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, created by
the Microsoft founder. Go to the Foundation website (www.gatesfoundation.org,) and answer the
questions below. (Sometimes the web address for a location changes. You might need to search to find the
exact location mentioned.) BONUS CASE 1-3 on page 1.42 in this manual further explores the Gates
Foundation.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1.33
Social Entrepreneurship
Each year Fast Company magazine publishes the Fast Company/Monitor Group Social Capitalist
Awards. The Awards recognize the leading social entrepreneurial organizations and their contributions to
society.
Go to the Fast Company website (www.fastcompany.com) and find the Social Capitalist Awards
for the latest year. (Sometimes the web address for a location changes. You might need to search to find
the exact location mentioned.)
1.
What criteria do Fast Company and the Monitor Group use to choose the Social Capitalist Award
winners?
2.
b.
Location:
c.
3.
1.34
d.
e.
Location:
f.
AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURER
Corporation _____________________
2.
GROCERY CHAIN
Corporation _____________________
3.
ENERGY COMPANY
Corporation _____________________
5.
AIRLINE
Corporation _____________________
4.
COMPUTER COMPANY
Corporation _____________________
1.35
AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURER: Ford Motors Corp, 3.3% annual loss (industry average
1.6% loss.)
2.
GROCERY CHAIN: Kroger Inc., 1.8% annual profit (industry average 1.9% profit.)
3.
AIRLINE: Southwest Airlines, 6.1% annual profit (industry average 5.4% profit.)
4.
ENERGY COMPANY: Exxon, 11.6% annual profit (industry average 9.9% profit.)
5.
COMPUTER COMPANY: Dell Computer, 5.0% annual profit (industry average 7.6% profit.)
(Figures above are from http://biz.yahoo.com, January 25, 2008.)
1.36
2.
3.
4.
5.
If you could, would pursuing your ideal career be worth the investment? (yes/no)
6.
Are you willing to make the investment (more schooling) and work for moderate pay to get the
knowledge and experience to make this investment pay off? (yes/no)
7.
If you could invest in your own business, would you and could you obtain the necessary finances
to make this happen? (yes/no)
8.
Is the risk of the unknown in the business environment worth the pursuit of your own time,
money, and family adjustment to own your own business? (yes/no)
9.
Given the two choices, what direction would you rather pursue?
1.37
BONUS CASES
BONUS CASE 1-1
Dual-Career Planning
Carey Moler is a 32-year-old account executive for a communications company. She is married to
Mitchell Moler, a lawyer. Carey and Mitchell did not make any definite plans about how to juggle their
careers and family life until Carey reached age 30. Then they decided to have a baby, and career planning
took on a whole new dimension. A company named Catalyst talked to 815 dual-career couples and found
that most of them, like the Molers, had not made any long-range career decisions regarding family
lifestyle.
From the business perspective, such dual-career families create real concerns. There are problems
with relocation, with child care, and so on that affect recruiting, productivity, morale, and promotion
policies.
For a couple such as the Molers, having both career and family responsibilities is exhausting. But
that is just one problem. If Carey is moving up in her firm, what happens if Mitchell gets a terrific job
offer a thousand miles away? What if Carey gets such an offer? Who is going to care for the baby? What
happens if the baby becomes ill? How do they plan their vacations when there are three schedules to
balance? Who will do the housework?
Dual careers require careful planning and discussion, and those plans need to be reviewed over
time. A couple who decide at age 22 to do certain things may change their minds at 30. Whether or not to
have children, where to locate, how to manage the householdall such issues and more can become
major problems if not carefully planned.
The same is true for corporations. They, too, must plan for dual-career families. They must give
attention to job sharing, flextime, paternity leave policies, transfer policies, nepotism rules (i.e., rules
about hiring family members), and more.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR BONUS CASE 1-1
1.
What are some of the issues you can see developing because of dual-career families? How is this
affecting children in such families?
2.
What kind of corporate policies need changing to adapt to these new realities?
3.
What are the advantages of dual careers? Disadvantages? What can newlywed couples do to
minimize the problems of dual careers? How can a couple achieve the advantages?
What are some of the issues you can see developing because of dual-career families? How is this
affecting children in such families?
Many issues are raised in this case. They may cause some discussion in class, especially with
older students in night classes. But dual career families raise other issues, such as What happens when
one of them gets promoted and wants to move?
1.38
If one were to quit to stay home with the children, which one should it be? Many of these
questions should be answered before a couple gets married and before having any children. But not all
questions involve children. This case could prove to be quite interesting in class.
2.
What kind of corporate policies need changing to adapt to these new realities?
Some answers are provided in the case. Students may want to brainstorm other answers,
including transferring health care, vacation scheduling, moving allowances, and more.
3.
What are the advantages of dual careers? Disadvantages? What can newlywed couples do to
minimize the problems of dual careers? How can a couple achieve the advantages?
The great advantage of dual careers is more money for living. The disadvantages include the need
for child care, which can result in more childhood illness, more aggressive behavior, and so on. Students,
if they are old enough to be affected, will have lots of input on this one.
1.39
What effects have the changes in family structure had on businesses thus far? Think of the
products that have been designed for couples with no children and for individuals living alone.
Think also of the working woman phenomenon. What does that mean in the long run for
businesses?
2.
Couples are having fewer and fewer children, and are beginning to have children later. What
effect will these changes have on schools and businesses?
3.
What is the significance of the fact that two of three of the married couples with no children at
home are over 50? What market opportunities does that create?
4.
What is the relationship between the breakup of the family and poverty in the United States?
1.40
What effects have the changes in family structure had on businesses thus far?
Many new products such as meals for one have been designed for individuals and couples.
Apartments are often smaller to accommodate smaller families, and many have amenities such as weight
rooms, swimming pools, and game rooms. Businesses have added more flextime, part-time jobs, and day
care centers.
2.
Couples are having fewer and fewer children, and are beginning to have children later. What
effect will these changes have on schools and businesses?
Young couples often have lots of money when they are both working and spend it on cars,
clothes, apartments, travel, and other such items. The name given such people in the 1980s was Yuppies
for young urban professionals. These children of the baby boom era (after World War II) had fewer
children than their parents and spent more money on them. Their children, the Generation X, are now
entering the workforce and spending their incomes.
3.
What is the significance of the fact that two of three of the married couples with no children at
home are over 50? What market opportunities does that create?
It may be more difficult to get school tax referendums passed, but businesses may benefit because
these couples tend to have much discretionary income. No children at home may also increase the desire
for condominiums and smaller homes.
4.
What is the relationship between the breakup of the family and poverty in the United States?
The majority of those living in poverty are in single-parent families. Many are young women who
have never married; others are divorced individuals with children who are not receiving support from the
father. It is important to follow family trends because they will indicate much about the strength of the
economy and the future of business. Strong family units are good for the economy and society.
(SUGGESTION: An interesting extension of this case would be to have your students research the
most current values for the figures given in this case. A good starting point is the U.S. Census site
(www.census.gov.).
1.41
1.42
The gift more than doubled the size of the Gates Foundation. We are awed by our friend Warren
Buffetts decision to use his fortune to address the worlds most challenging inequities, Bill and Melinda
Gates said in a statement. As we move forward with the work, we do so with a profound sense of
responsibility. Working with Warren and with our partners around the world, we have a tremendous
opportunity to make a positive difference in peoples lives. v
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR BONUS CASE 1-3
1.
How do Bill and Melinda Gates use basic business principles to run the Gates Foundation?
2.
Since the Foundation does not earn a profit, how should its success be judged?
3.
Most philanthropists are wealthy individuals who begin their charitable work late in life after
years of building an enterprise. Why do you think Gates started so early in his life?
4.
Why do you think Buffett chose the Gates Foundation for his record-breaking donation?
How do Bill and Melinda Gates use basic business principles to run the Gates Foundation?
They use business principles such as return on investment, responsibility, and accountability.
Running a philanthropic enterprise is much the same as running a business. You have the same kind of
goals, the same need for good workers, the same need to measure performance, and the same need to fire
incompetent workers.
2.
Since the foundation does not earn a profit, how should its success be judged?
Performance measures will differ by the goals established. One goal may be to provide medicine
for a certain number of people. Another might be to develop a vaccine for malaria within 6 months. Each
goal calls for a different measure of success. One measure may be simply to raise the publics interest in
an issuesuch as poor schools, or poverty in the United States.
3.
Most philanthropists are wealthy individuals who begin their charitable work late in life after
years of building an enterprise. Why do you think Gates started so early in his life?
Gates was encouraged to do so by other entrepreneurs. Bill and Melinda have a passion for
certain causes, and are willing and able to back their wants with the finances necessary. Gates did not
leave his business until it was running smoothly and people were in place to keep it going. In fact, new
people may add new innovations and help the company to grow, creating more wealth for the Gates
family, and more donations to worthy causes.
4.
Why do you think Buffett chose the Gates Foundation for his record-breaking donation?
The Gates Foundation is run like a business, with clear mission, strategies, and controls. This
appeals to a businessperson like Buffett. Also, the donation is so huge, most charities do not have the
infrastructure to absorb it. The Gates Foundation already has a large global network in place.
1.43
1.44
What lessons can you take from Guy Laliberte about how to be a successful entrepreneur?
2.
What are some of the challenges and opportunities you see for Cirque du Soleil in todays
dynamic business environment?
3.
How would you compare the excitement and fun of working for a new entrepreneurial venture
like Cirque du Soleil with working for a large, traditional business? What are the risks? The
rewards? The challenges?
What lessons can you take from Guy Laliberte about how to be a successful entrepreneur?
New forms of entertainment include iPods, video games, smart phones, iPhones, and more. No
one knows more about this than students do. What forms of entertainment occupy them the most? Do they
IM? Use Google? Buy online? What effect has such entertainment had on traditional forms of recreation
for students?
2.
What are some of the challenges and opportunities you see for Cirque du Soleil in todays
dynamic business environment?
The answers to this question are specific to your area. They may include population growth or
decline, business growth or failure, and more.
3.
How would you compare the excitement and fun of working for a new entrepreneurial venture
like Cirque du Soleil with working for a large, traditional business? What are the risks? The
rewards? The challenges?
It would be great fun working for Cirque du Soleil, but usually it would mean lots of travel and
the risks that go along with travel. Relationships would be hard to maintain. The challenges are many,
including the need to stay competitive with other acts. Students should have a good time imagining
working for Cirque vs. working for local businesses.
1.45
ENDNOTES
1.46
Source: The Worlds Billionaires, Luisa Kroll and Allison Fass (editors,) Forbes, March 8, 2007 and information at
http://www.askmen.com/toys/top_10/11b_top_10_list.html.
ii
Sources: Firms Seek More Bilingual Workers, Gannett News Sercie, Clarion-Ledger, May 13, 2007; and U.S. Census
Bureau (www.census.gov.)
iii
Sources: Diane Brady and Christopher Palmeri, Americas Growing Pet Economy, Business Week, July 30, 2007; Pet
Spending at All-Time High, USA Today, December 1, 2004; Cheryl Cole, Pet Care Spending Last to Be Hit in Recession,
Birmingham Post, August 28, 2002.
iv
The Internet is a dynamic, changing information source. Web links noted in this manual were checked at the time of
publication, but content may change over time. Please review the website before recommending it to your students.
v
Sources: Amanda Ripley, Time Persons of the Year: From Riches to Rags, Time, December 26, 2005-January 2, 2006,
pp. 72-88; Liv Grossman, Bill Gates: Giving it Away in Style, Time, April 18, 2005; Steven Levy, Bill Gates Goes Part
Time at Microsoft, Newsweek, June 17, 2006; Yuki Noguchi, Gates Foundation to Get Bulk of Buffetts Fortune, The
Washington Post, June 26, 2006; Carol J. Loomis, Warren Buffett Gives Away his Fortune, Fortune, June 25, 2006; and
information from www.gatesfoundation.org.