microfanatic

A real outsourcing story

2007-06-08T13:25:00.000-04:00

Prosperity in one country is to the detriment of another. And vice versa. Perhaps outsourcing will activate our consumerist-driven American lives and make us realize that what we do here can be done cheaper in India. Here's one true story about a typesetting/textbook layout company who folded and couldn't compete with India.

The best point I think he makes at the end is how Iowa was once the "outsourcing" printing location for publishers in New York. The printers could do it cheaper in Iowa and telegraphs and trains made it possible. The same is happening now, only jobs in Iowa are going to India.

LeBron won't sign the dotted line.

2007-05-26T18:38:00.000-04:00

This isn't microfinance, but it is international. A few sites I've read have been talking about this post, in which LeBron James has refused to sign a statement against the genocide in Darfur, becoming only one of two people on the 15 man Cavs roster who didn't sign.

One reason could be is that LeBron doesn't want to offend any potential shoe buyers. Another is that he is uninformed. Third is that he knows the issue, but still doesn't care to change it. Fourth is that he (consciously or subconsciously) doesn't see the point.

Of course, this illustrates bigger issues. And though this isn't new, it re-illustrates that in America our corporate allegiances have taken over much of our collective ability to take individual stands. Corporate allegiance is now trumping patriotism, even individualism, and perhaps in LeBron's case, morality (see Enron for that last one).

LeBron of course does many "immoral" things in his life, not just this one, for we are all sinners. I would like to say that the difference here is that, just as his Nike contract is a public stance (he supports their shoes), so is the signing of a public petition (he supports/doesn't support aid for Darfur). And just as he won't sign with Reebok, he won't sign for aid with Darfur.

Many other basketball players let alone athletes do not have the same scrutiny as this. Many of them have not been challenged publicly to support aid in Darfur. Why is LeBron held to a different standard? It's how much is invested in him as a person--by Nike, by the Cleveland Cavaliers, by whoever else gives him a paycheck. Making that much money, playing everyday on national TV, makes you larger than life. and his support of aid could make a difference in the state of that region (both monetarily and in awareness), more so than my decision.

Besides choosing the clothes we wear, the music we listen to, the types of chips we buy, and now political decisions, what will corporations decide for us next?

Charlie Rose - Muhammad Yunus / Annie Leibovitz

2006-12-23T01:34:00.001-05:00


Segment 1: 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank. Segment 2: Photographer Annie Leibovitz talks about her life and work.

Interesting Stuff

2006-12-18T21:31:00.000-05:00

A new term: Philanthropreneurs Dude, that is what I want to be when I grow up!

I started writing a paper about the "For-Good" organization, as opposed to a For-Profit or a Non-Profit. I have only written the introduction so far. If you are interested I can send the file. I would like your feedback.

Good web site. It is about doing good and making money while you do good so that you can do more good.

It compiles knowledge, news, and ideas about sustainable business innovations and trends by firms and entrepreneurs operating in emerging markets.

One Lap Top Per Child, the initiative launched by MIT's tech showman Nicholas Negroponte took a step nearer last week with its first test production run.

Grameen Telecom

2006-12-17T19:31:00.000-05:00

The name association of Grameen Telecom is obvious, but this group of the Grameen Foundation is dedicated specifically to Village Phones, mobile phones that are shared throughout villages in Bangladesh. A woman will take out a loan for a phone, charge others in the village to use it, and then gradually pay back the loan.

The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities For Our Time

2006-12-09T19:03:00.000-05:00

This book was recommended to me by the organization I posted about below; I'm only 40 pages in and this book is already challenging and tremendous. It keeps a good overview of 6 different countries and their current state in extreme poverty and different countries have started to ascend from it. Jeffrey Sachs' goal is to end poverty by 2025 per the Millenium Development Goals set forth by the U.N. Sachs is the Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and an advisor to Kofi Anan.

Full Belly Project

2006-12-03T19:30:00.000-05:00

The Full Belly Project is an initiative here in Wilmington to bring universal nut shellers to developing countries throughout the world. Surprisingly, much of the world gets their protein from nuts, and often these nuts have to be cracked by hand because the technology is lacking.

These machines will mechanize the process, increasing production several times over.

I'm starting to get involved with this group here in Wilmington, NC--seeing how the machines are built and making connections to help get financing for these. Contact me w/ any questions.

T-Mobile Launches BOP Phone Service in US

2006-10-30T01:06:00.000-05:00

T-Mobile Launches BOP Phone Service in US | NextBillion.net - Development Through Enterprise

Microfinance at a Crossroads - Knowledge@Wharton

2006-10-29T23:02:00.000-05:00

This is a good introductory article from the Wharton School of Business. You can listen to this article in iTunes. Thats pretty cool!

"The business of making loans to poor people in underdeveloped countries is itself entering a critical period of development, according to panelists at this year's Wharton Finance Conference...Read more"

Vanderbilt graduate wins Nobel Peace Prize

2006-10-20T09:39:00.000-04:00

"Muhammad Yunus, who earned a Ph.D. in economics at Vanderbilt University in 1971, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his work combating poverty through a bank that gives small loans to poor people...Read More"

2006-10-13T09:16:00.000-04:00

Bankers for poor win peace Nobel

OSLO, Norway (AP) -- Bangladeshi microcredit pioneer Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their work in advancing economic and social opportunities for the poor, particularly women.
The economist and the bank he founded will share the prize. They were cited for their efforts to help "create economic and social development from below" in their home country by using innovative economic programs such as microcredit lending.
Grameen Bank has been instrumental in helping millions of poor Bangladeshis, many of them women, improve their standard of living by letting them borrow small sums to start businesses.
Loans go toward buying items such as cows to start a dairy, chickens for an egg business, or mobile phones to start businesses where villagers who have no access to phones pay a small fee to make calls.
"Every single individual on earth has both the potential and the right to live a decent life. Across cultures and civilizations, Yunus and Grameen Bank have shown that even the poorest of the poor can work to bring about their own development," the Nobel Committee said in its citation. (Read Nobel Committee citations)
Reached by the Nobel foundation, Yunus was excited about winning the prize.
"I'm absolutely delighted. I cannot believe that it has really happened," he said by telephone. "Everyone was telling me that I would get the prize but it came as a surprise. It is fantastic news for the people that have supported us."
Yunus has drawn praise for advancing microcredit, which has been credited with helping poor women to advance their lives and pull them out of poverty.
Microcredit is the extension of small loans, typically US$50 to US$100, to entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans.
Ole Danbolt Mjoes, chairman of the committee, told The Associated Press that Yunus' efforts have had visible results.
"We are saying microcredit is an important contribution that cannot fix everything, but is a big help," Mjoes said, adding that Yunus is a "smart guy. He is creative. His head is in the right place."
Mjoes recounted that Yunus himself lent US$27, divided among 42 people, in 1976, to help them buy weaving stools.
"Then they got the weaving stools quickly, they started to weave quickly and they repaid him quickly," he said.
In its citation, the committee noted that "economic growth and political democracy can not achieve their full potential unless the female half of humanity participates on an equal footing with the male," the committee said.
Grameen Bank, which was founded by Yunus, provides credit to "the poorest of the poor" in rural Bangladesh, without any collateral, according to its Web site.
"At GB, credit is a cost effective weapon to fight poverty and it serves as a catalyst in the overall development of socio-economic conditions of the poor who have been kept outside the banking orbit on the ground that they are poor and hence not bankable," the committee said.
The bank claims to have 6.6 million borrowers, 97 percent of whom are women, and provides services in more than 70,000 villages in Bangladesh.
Yunus and the bank will share in the 10 million kronor (euro1.1 million; US$1.4 million) prize as well as a gold medal and diploma.
The announcement that Yunus and the bank had won was a surprise to many pundits and oddsmakers.
Late speculation on the prize had settled comfortably upon former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari for brokering an August 2005 peace deal with Indonesia's government and Aceh separatists.
Other contenders, at least in the public domain, included Chinese dissident Rebiya Kadeer who has fought for the rights of Uighur Muslims in China and Chechen lawyer Lydia Yusupova (34-1).
The five-member awards committee never says who is being considered only offering up the number of nominees it has received. This year, 191 nominations were received.
But the decision was in line with the committee's goal of encouraging ongoing processes or human rights efforts rather than rewarding completed ones like Aceh or Cambodia.
The peace prize was the sixth and last Nobel prize announced this year. The others, for physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and economics, were announced in Stockholm, Sweden.

NextBillion.net - Development Through Enterprise | Eradicating Poverty through Profit

2006-09-28T22:19:00.000-04:00

NextBillion.net - Development Through Enterprise | Eradicating Poverty through Profit: "The Business in Development Challenge, the world’s first international business plan competition for poverty reduction and profit, is taking place this week in Amsterdam. Hundreds of entrepreneurs, investors, NGOs, and government representatives have gathered on the eve of tomorrow’s award ceremony, when a 150,000 Euro prize pool will be divided among 15 or so winners."

Dr. Yunus of the Grameen Foundation

2006-09-22T16:44:00.000-04:00

Here's an interview with Dr. Yunus, the founder of the Grameen Foundation, and the operator of one of the largest microfinance banks in the world. He studied at Vandy and was a prof. at MTSU for awhile.

Microfinance Gateway: Site Content: Hype and Hope: The Worrisome State of the Microcredit Movement

2006-09-21T23:24:00.000-04:00

Andrew L. suggested I read this article below. I think this is a good place to start because it is sobering. People tend to get too excited about microfinance but do not have the experience or know how to make it work.

"Hype and Hope: The Worrisome State of the Microcredit Movement

Microcredit: All Dressed Up and No Place to Go

Has the widespread enthusiasm for microfinance transformed a noble idea into a panacea? Thomas Dichter, long-time practitioner in the international development industry and author of 'Despite Good Intentions: Why Development Assistance to the Third World Has Failed,' takes a critical look at the microcredit movement and argues that it has done more harm than good...Read more...