作者:爱尔兰ＵＣＤ 赖小琪
今晚我又打开了你的空间，一切都是如此的自然，自然到我打开了你空间后才发现，原来这个空间是你的．然后我就怔怔地呆了半晌．
人有时真的很奇怪，当你平时好好的，想在ＱＱ上找我聊天时，我却以忙碌为借口，将你的要求委婉地推掉．我老和你说 ＂我们有空再聊＂，或者是 ＂等我回家了再聚＂．然而我怎么也想不到，在新年刚过，家家户户余庆未消时，你，却在在无声无息中，在醉得路也认不清的那一刻，走到了生命的尽头．从此我们再也见不到你的夸张的笑容.
当知道你噩耗时，我惊愕得无以言喻．当天晚上，我躺在床上久久无法入眠．虽然我们平时联系不多，也很少见面，然而你去世以后，我却会经常想起我们儿童时的点点滴滴．想着想着，我发现我我的眼角湿了，脸一片冰凉．原来平时联系不多，并不代表心中就没有了对方．真正的友情不会随着时间的流逝而渐淡．在我们搬家前，我们住在同一个村子里，而你家也刚好就在我家前面．这几天，我时常回忆起我们以前一起玩捉迷藏和各种各样的游戏的情景，时常透过你家的窗户看到你在厨房里炒饭和烧水，时常看到你坐在楼顶边缘上一边津津有味地吃饭一边和下面的人聊天，还有我们以前一起到池塘里游泳．．．．．．这一切突然在我的脑海里变得如此的清晰，仿如昨日．我还记得以前去你家拿你不要的书来看，还记得我读初二那一年你带我去市场上买小音响，虽然最后因为价格太贵而没有买成．原来我们也有不少美好的回忆，自从我读高中以后，我们就很少见面和联系．最后一次见到你，是在我的留学酒宴上．匆匆一面，想不到竟是永别．如果我知道那是永别，我会在酒宴之后好好和你聊一下，好好再看你最后一眼，好好告诫一下你，不要酒后驾车．然而一切都晚了，你走了，留下给你家人和我们的，是无尽的伤痛与怀念．
最后一次和你在ＱＱ上聊天是在年前半个月左右．我们当时明明说好了，等我八月份回国了，你要在东莞请我吃大餐的．可是你不守诺言，把一切都带走了．今晚我再次打开你的空间，看到你的相时，我百感交集．再看看你弟弟的ＱＱ签名，我想安慰他，却不知如何安慰．我明白，你的空间以后不会再更新了，你的所有的一切都会停留在曾经的那一刹那．希望腾讯不会因为你很久没有登Ｑ而把你的Ｑ取消了，希望多年以后，打开你的空间时，我们仍然可以看到你那张阳光和充满自信的笑脸．
兄弟，一路走好．我会常来你空间看望你的．
Should Social Enterprises Make Profits?
From the last session, we can see that a social entrepreneur recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage a venture to achieve social change (a social venture). Whereas a business entrepreneur typically measures performance in profit and return, a social entrepreneur focuses on creating social capital. Thus, the main aim of social entrepreneurship is to further social and environmental goals in an innovative manner. However, whilst social entrepreneurs are most commonly associated with the voluntary and not-for-profit sectors, this need not necessarily be incompatible with making a profit. I therefore argue that social enterprises can be profits making organizations.
The following argumentations are elaborating on the potential severe issues most social enterprises are probably faced with if they are not running on a profit-making basis. These issues are so severe that they may cease the enterprises’ holy social missions and force them into bankruptcy. Also in the following argumentations are different positive scenarios concerning those issues if social enterprises can run a profit.
1. Lack of Continuous Funding
Many social enterprises are heavily relying on government grants, private giving and corporate donations, without which they can hardly sustain. Nowadays, competition for philanthropic dollars is intense, while money is becoming available for operating on a more commercial basis. Consider the following changes: Today few foundations want to provide ongoing funding- even to highly successful projects. Most choose to limit their funding to short periods in an effort to press grantees to become increasingly self-sufficient. Therefore, strictly depending on external funding may often result in the capital shortage for social enterprises. NPI (Non-profit Incubator) who was commissioned by the British Council to conduct a national research on the social enterprises in China in 2008, has done a survey on Chinese NGOs with designed questionnaires. In the social enterprise questionnaire survey among local NGOs which have the potential to become social enterprise in the future (sent out 48 questionnaires and got back 30 replies), when asked to talk about the factors hindering the development of social enterprise, most interviewees point out funding shortages and legal barriers are the greatest problem social enterprises confront.
However, if social enterprise can make profits themselves, they will not face the lack of needed capital and can even scale their impact, extending more favor to those needed around the region or even the globe. Take Greyston Bakery for instance. Greyston Bakery is the nationally leading "Brownie Company" producing Do-Goodie, the best tasting - highest quality brownies at a great value to the consumer. It employs the staff within the community without considering their past including criminal history. Through its profit generation, Greyston Bakery becomes a substantial source of revenue for the Greyston Mandala, supporting affordable childcare for community, affordable housing for homeless and low income families, and affordable health care for persons with HIV.
2. Lack of Flexibility
Social enterprises that do not make profits and have to rely on donations lack the flexibility to accomplish their social missions for the reason that many donations, especially those large-scale donations, are designated by the donators for specific programs or projects. To a great extent, that is to say the social enterprises may not make full use of the donations in other projects and cannot reasonably and efficiently allocate resources in different programs. For example, in Bangkok, Thailand, there is a social enterprise called Zookeepers. Zookeepers turned their elephant dung into lucrative business by transforming the animal excrement into high-quality man-made paper that is sold in stationary stores, nature shops and used in premium paper products in domestic and export market. To keep with the increasing demand, Zookeepers source dung from other zoos and elephant habitats. The profits reaped from the business are used to fund the zoo’s daily operations and activities. Some of the margins are often donated to other animal protection organizations.
3. Lack of Incentive
It is widely acknowledged that a social enterprise is defined as any business venture created for a social purpose--mitigating/reducing a social problem or a market failure--and to generate social value while operating with the financial discipline, innovation and determination of a private sector business. In other words, the biggest incentive for social entrepreneurs is to see their targeted concerns addressed. However, instead of being confined to a given scale of their business, most entrepreneurs are indeed eager to scale their impact to as many regions as possible around the globe. To engage in this global business, social enterprises can only merely rely on donations or grants. Rather, they should work out a way to generate the money they need so as to further popularize their good deeds.
When a social enterprise has the potential to make profits and is willing to do that without compromising their social missions, staff in the enterprise will feel way more motivated to dedicate themselves into the social causes because they harbor the belief that in the future they can extend their favor to more people who need their help. It can be a great incentive to them when they believe their effort will result in a decent amount of profits that would in turn be invested into expanding the scope and scale of their business. |
