In 2006, Zita Cobb and two of her brothers, Alan Cobb and Tony Cobb, native Newfoundlanders, launched Shorefast to help grow another leg of Fogo Island's economy. Like so many rural communities, Fogo Island's fate was tied directly to one primary resource-in this case cod. For centuries, Fogo Islanders made their living by fishing and trading cod, but by 1992, the Canadian government put a moratorium on the limited stocks left, forcing many rural Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to move to larger centers in search of new employment. Shorefast is a non-profit organization that has explored ways to catalyze economic development on Fogo Island through intentional place-making. Through Shorefast's experience of launching the Fogo Island Inn, in 2019 the co-founders of Shorefast are wondering how they can use their experience to inform a global conversations about sustainability and place-based economies that can help reimagine capitalism.
BioLite started out as an evening and weekend project for two men who wanted to design a more efficient camping stove. From those humble beginnings grew a company that has won accolades and attention for its innovative design. BioLite's stove could potentially improve the lives of millions of people worldwide while combatting global climate threats. With its roots in sustainable design, the company has become a social enterprise dedicated to finding a market-based solution to the range of problems caused by the open fires that millions of people rely on for cooking and heating their homes. A unique feature of BioLite's business model is its dual-innovation streams: The lessons and innovations gleaned from testing its HomeStove prototypes in developing countries like Ghana, Uganda and India are then adapted to create products that can be sold to the European and North American recreational markets. The revenues from sales in developed markets can then support the company, be reinvested in new research and help incubate its efforts in developing countries until those fledgling markets become self-sustaining. However, BioLite is at a transitional stage, having completed much of its field-testing, it has an adaptable and well-accepted HomeStove design. At the end of the case, the future viability of BioLite's proposed model is brought into question given the complexities of successfully selling its product in a developing country. Learning objectives: The BioLite case could be used in several subject areas as it incorporates elements of entrepreneurship, business strategy and corporate social responsibility/sustainability. Of particular interest is the way BioLite has combined design and strategic thinking to embed sustainability and transformational values into its core business strategy. Therefore, it is applicable for use in undergraduate, MBA level or executive courses.
In July 2009, Vale NL began building a $2.17 billion nickel refinery in Long Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador. The refinery would bring economic prosperity by creating 1,600 to 2,000 jobs during construction and 400 to 500 permanent jobs in an area of high unemployment. The project's environmental assessment process began 2006 and the company had successfully completed the required environmental impact statements for the government. A major environmental issue was the disposal of tailings from the refinery, and the approved solution was to store them in a natural lake known as Sandy Pond. Members of several environmental NGOs had opposed the use of the lake as a "tailings impoundment area" and formed the Sandy Pond Alliance for the Protection of Canadian Waters (SPA). The use of natural lakes was allowed, but SPA believed that the regulation that permitted the use was inconsistent with environmental legislation. SPA had to decide how to challenge the use of tailings ponds at Long Harbour and elsewhere in Canada, and whom to target in its efforts. Instead of being designed as a management decision-making exercise, this case places students in the position of environmentalists as they decide what course of action to initiate.
The Shorefast Foundation is a charitable organization that aims to spark a rural renaissance and promote economic and cultural resilience in the isolated communities of Fogo Island and Change Islands, Newfoundland, Canada, using a social entrepreneurship model. The cases also highlight the importance of rural places as repositories of local knowledge, culture and traditions. The two Shorefast cases illustrate the initial formation of the Foundation and the implementation issues surrounding the building of a multimillion dollar five star Inn. They are best used together as a series, but can be used independently as well. Case A provides information about the socioeconomic background of Fogo Island as well as an in depth profile of the founder of the Shorefast Foundation, Zita Cobb. The case illustrates how the founder of an organization can shape an organization's goals, vision, and beliefs. It also describes the model of social entrepreneurship that was being proposed and the organizational structure of the Shorefast Foundation and its affiliates as it stood before the construction of the revenue-generating Inn. Learning objectives: The case can be used to 1) introduce the concept of business models in general and explore the differences between 'traditional' and 'social entrepreneurship' business models; 2) help students understand the link between a founder's values, beliefs and objectives (managerial preferences) and strategy formulation and implementation; 3) introduce students to the organizational challenges involved in social entrepreneurship and the tensions to be negotiated between environmental, economic and social goals.
No industry is as visible and active in the climate change debate as the energy industry. Almost every day, managers are addressing the short-term and long-term implications of their policies for dealing with this issue. The authors of this article studied 50 firms in the oil and gas industry and found that companies that address the short-term and long-term threats and opportunities of climate change can gain a significant competitive advantage.
In June 2008, the chief executive officer of Talisman Energy Inc. (Talisman) and his senior executive team met with the company's board of directors. The purpose of this meeting was to debate Talisman's proposed entry into the oil-rich Kurdistan region of Iraq. This move was potentially very lucrative for Talisman but was fraught with risks. These risks were exacerbated by Talisman's previous foray into Sudan; during that expansion Talisman had been accused of complicity in human-rights abuses, stemming from industry-accepted royalties and fees it had paid to the government. This payment of fees was held as an example by public interest groups to allege that Talisman was indirectly funding the Sudanese civil war. Talisman's reputation had suffered to the point where the ire of investors and U.S. and Canadian governments was sufficient for Talisman to exit Sudan in 2003. There were many questions about the proposed move to Iraq, including the political situation, the views of the U.S. and Canadian government, and especially the US$220 million fee payable to the Kurdistan Regional Government. Should Talisman enter Iraq, and if so, could they avoid experiencing the same outcome as Sudan?
In June 2008, the chief executive officer of Talisman Energy Inc. (Talisman) and his senior executive team met with the company's board of directors. The purpose of this meeting was to debate Talisman's proposed entry into the oil-rich Kurdistan region of Iraq. This move was potentially very lucrative for Talisman but was fraught with risks. These risks were exacerbated by Talisman's previous foray into Sudan; during that expansion Talisman had been accused of complicity in human-rights abuses, stemming from industry-accepted royalties and fees it had paid to the government. This payment of fees was held as an example by public interest groups to allege that Talisman was indirectly funding the Sudanese civil war. Talisman's reputation had suffered to the point where the ire of investors and U.S. and Canadian governments was sufficient for Talisman to exit Sudan in 2003. There were many questions about the proposed move to Iraq, including the political situation, the views of the U.S. and Canadian government, and especially the US$220 million fee payable to the Kurdistan Regional Government. Should Talisman enter Iraq, and if so, could they avoid experiencing the same outcome as Sudan?
From the ephemeral to the measurable describes one way Corporate Social Responsibility has evolved. This article describes metrics and criteria that can help companies adopt best practices.
The president of the East Coast Trail Association (ECTA), a non-profit organization located in St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, faces numerous challenges as he attempts to pursue the organization's 10-year dream of completing a 540 km coastal and wilderness trail on Newfoundland's Avalon peninsula. One of the largest obstacles standing between him and this goal is gaining access to the land on which the remaining sections of the trail will be built. So far, 220 km of trail has been built with the financial assistance of the federal government and corporate sponsorships. A large pool of dedicated volunteers has also contributed countless hours to building the trail, a cause which stands to benefit not only hikers, but the provincial economy in the form of tourism dollars and economic development. However, both the ECTA's financial and volunteer resources are in decline as the association tries to extend the trail. Meanwhile, the existing 220 km of completed trail are in need of resources and maintenance. Time is also running out as developers buy up coastal lands where the association plans to extend the trail. Without access to land, the dream of a 540 km trail will end.