Microfinance Misses its Mark

This article goes some way in laying out more categories in the BOP debate.
Yet the BOP proposition glosses over the real issue: Why do poor people accept that they cannot expect running water? Even if they do accept this bleak view, why should we? Instead, we should emphasize the failure of government and attempt to [...]

Base of the Samosa

I have finally begun reading Prahalad – and have been deeply and persistently irritated. First it was the blase account of the post colonial history of India. Then it is the valorising of Hindustan Lever and putting all into the framework of a ’social’ economic construct – and of course the pyramid. There is no [...]

Tom Peters, Innovation is Easy

CK Prahalad, Furtune at the Bottom of the Pyramid

What is Social Innovation?

Many definitions:

Social innovation is a concept that involves the use of new technology, or the new use of existing technology to achieve a social purpose. It includes the application of examples of good social practice so that these can have an impact on more people. From here.
Social Innovation happens through new solutions to social needs. [...]

The way Cars are Designed

I am going back in to teach UG classes after a semester of work exclusively with post grad. I am beginning to feel the energy of this enterprise and am quite excited.
Undergraduate teaching in design consists of setting up fictional projects – which simulate a design project situation where the student plays the role [...]

Campaign Goals

Campaign Projects 08 has three goals.

Stop people bying cars: This can be interpreted in the short term as changing the ‘way cars are designed’ – designing cars for car sharing so that Car Sharing is promoted/ increased. Each car share car replaces 10 indiviually owned cars.
Make people Buy local food: Historically I have been working [...]

Social Innovation as Postgraduate Study

I would be happy to talk to prospective students interested in taking some of the Social Innovation projects on as a Masters by Research or PhD Project.
For now the areas are:

Melbourne Icarus Project
The Locavore Project
The Artificial Pancreas

A few other projects – that I can also discuss are:

Renounce Network
Water
Waste

Happy to hear from you if you wish [...]

Its Social Innovation Stupid

We know how to innovate in science and we have an idea about how to do industrial research and development. But when it comes to thinking up new ways to reduce indigenous poverty or find clever ways to help people live independently as they grow older, it’s all a bit hit and miss. In the [...]

Lifecycle of Emergence

Despite current ads and slogans, the world doesn’t change one person at a time. It changes as networks of relationships form among people who discover they share a [...]

Strategic Story Telling and Social Innovation

What do stories have to do with social enterprise?
At its core, social entrepreneurship is about introducing a new story of social innovation – and convincing others to believe in your market-based solution. Too often, the status quo stands in the way of behavior change and idea adoption.
Most social entrepreneurs must ask others to reframe [...]

Notes on Social Innovation Course Design

On Social Innovation

Teach students Social Innovation – and develop capability in the community for future participation in projects.
The Case studies for the papers will be in the areas of: Waste, Water, Community Health Care, Car Sharing, and Renounce.

More …
Each student does two papers (to be published online) [...]

Cars for Car Sharing

The Melbourne ICARUS Project began with the objective of looking at – A Car specifically Designed for Car Sharing in Melbourne. See what I wrote before I went in to see Monique Conheady the CEO of Flexicar.
And what she told me changed the brief. Before it was 2-seater and small and now its not!

A [...]

The ‘Other’ Pancreas

Background
Our work in the area of Diabetes started in 2005 when an Entrepreneur walked in and asked if we could design a gizmo – a glucometer built into a mobile phone, which would shoot off the BGL readings to a central server automatically. He was keen to see the phone have a non-invasive BGL monitor [...]

Notes on ‘about’

Imagine – so watch Lennon and then move on. Just imagine – a world without …..!!!!!!!

I have for years believed we are the ones who define these pragmatic projects that we do to give us social mobility or just to keep things going. But what if – what if we said: [...]

Locavore Video

Documentation

I took a close look at the structure of CKPs book and realised it had two parts – the discourseat the front arguing for a BOP way of looking at business strategy. There is more money at the bottom of the pool. And the rest of the book is case studies done by student groups. [...]

Green Consumption

“Long-time environmental activist Paul Hawkins once described “green consumerism” as an oxymoron. Indeed, “green consumption” makes Wikipedia’s “List of Genuine Oxymora”. The reason: consumption by its very nature has an impact on the environment – to some degree or another – and therefore, is hard to call truly green.” More
Cooler site
Earth Movement Site

The principle of Responsible consumption

I am detailing out the ‘maps’ project which I am floating next sem. And am looking for a person/ people who live ‘extremely’ responsibly – In what they consume and what they eat.
1. No big Brands. Plus are political in their approach and do not consume products by multinationals – like Colgate/ P&G and [...]

Sustainable Living

The City of Yarra has a good site resource. See ..

Q Pod

More …
And QPod Company

Mitsuoka EV

Smallest Car

The PEEL 50. More wikipedia …
See the Story here.

The TATA Nano

The Toyota IQ

The Hybrid system

Where there is no doctor

 

About the online Book:
This handbook has been written primarily for those who live far from medical centers, in places where there is no doctor. But even where there are doctors, people can and should take the lead in their own health care. So this book is for everyone who cares. It has been written in the belief that:
1. Health [...]