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Friday, March 23, 2012

Building Social Business


Title : Building Social Business
Author : Muhammad Yunus
Publisher : Public Affairs NY
Pages : 206





Alhamdulillah, finaly I've finished read this book. This book also very inspiring and recommended for everyone who want to change the world especially to overcome the poverty in the world.

Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi who win the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize due to found the Grameen Bank. Grameen Bank is one of examples of Social Businesses Yunus invented. Social Business is a business that doesn't generate profit or dividends for the investors. It is established for helping the poor by empowering them to do something rather than just giving them money so it will create sustainable economic.
Grameen Bank is a bank for the villagers. Since, Yunus live in the poorest country, he saw poverty around him and want to adrress it for a better world. He came with the new insight that allow the villager to get loan from the bank. The villager who are the poor people can get very soft loans with lowest interest to run their business or to buy decent house etc. Yunus wants to empower them to be creative in any way to create their own better living not only depends on someone's help which is not sustainable. This Grameen Bank is not a profit maker company. The profit they generate is for extending the business itself. Yunus tend to say the profit as a 'surplus'. The investors are not allowed to take the profit, at all. They only get their original investment in a very long time period. Yunus believe that in every human's heart, there is a willingness to be selfless, to help other people. So, he offered different revenue of doing this kind of business. It is called self satisfaction of doing kindness
There's two type of Social Business
Type I:  Rich people create a product aimed addressing humancrisis such as healthcare, hunger, malnutrition,sanitation etc at affordable price. For example Danone group produced yoghurt to increase nutrition for children at a price that can be reached by the poor without eliminate it's contains but the price still cover the cost production.
 Type II: The poor get loans to create a business so they can stand on their own foot. For examples: Grameen Bank

Well, there're so much way to adrress poverty in the world. But, there are not the same with this kind of business. Yunus explained it's different with any other organization that have the same aim. There're also examples of big companies that dedicate themself to do social business. More than that, there is so much information to do this business and to know where's the place to learn more about it. Hm...maybe one day I can go to Bangkok to study it deeper at the Yunus Center at AIT (Asian Institute and Technology) amin.