12 minute read
BUSINESS
BUSINESS Business Agility Part 4: Your Community
The last part of this series on business agility willfocus on the community. Specifically, how your local community and their values play arole in the success of your business. I will be indulging in a personal passion of mine –Social Enterprise, to aid in the discussion of this article. The term social enterprise is becoming more common amongst business these days, but the actual practice of Social Enterprise has been around for a long time. Itisacomplex topic to delve into, and a more difficult term to neatly define, but I trust this article provides a light introduction to the topic and ignites some ideas on how your business may benefit from enhanced community engagement through Social Enterprise.
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The academic definition of Social Enterprise continues to be debated. Some examples of these definitions and discussion include social and economic dimensions in Social Enterprise (Borzaga and Defounry, 2001), Social Business (Yunus, 2007), and Virtue Ventures, (Alter, 2007). While there is not time dissect these definitions, we can briefly review some key perspectives that can be applied in an operational capacity to your business. For further reading on Social Enterprise, you can review the list of references at the end of this article.
Why bother?
This is an appropriate question to ask, considering the hectic and ever-changing industry we are working in. Most businesses are still focused on the recovery and re-establishment from the last three years of pandemic restrictions. Getting the basics right – cost of goods, appropriate staffing, client retention, and workplace health and safety are just a few of the critical areas most businesses are spending their time and money on now. So why bother with community engagement?
The time and financial investment required to successfully engage with community shouldn’t be disregarded, however the benefits have consistently shown to outweigh and cost to a business who can effectively engage their local community. As with any undertaking, you should always ensure your values underpin your plan, and that you have a clear (and realistic) vision of what you want to achieve. Some examples of benefits include:
■ Enhanced brand awareness through the community ■ Increased credibility among your community and profession ■ Exposure to potential new client groups ■ Exposure to potential new staff members ■ Improved bond between both clients and staff who align with your community values ■ Additional revenue as a result of client branding and brand awareness ■ You can support more clients and patients!
For each benefit you expect from your social engagement, ensure you have a specific measurement attached. For example, if you expect to increase brand awareness through community engagement, review your marketing analytics prior and after each specific event, and look for patterns of increased online engagement, and any new referrals that have come specifically from your events. You should also have a realistic goal to aim for, such as an increase in new referrals by X per cent, or increase to website traffic by X per cent. Consider the financial value associated with each new referral, and the value of increased website traffic to determine your overall financial goal. While it would be ideal for all events and engagement opportunities to yield a positive return on investment, some must be accepted as loss leaders.
What are my opportunities?
Youare most likely already engaging with your community already.However, you may not realise how you are doing this, the impact it
has to your business, and what opportunities you can glean from this. Examples of effective approaches to community engagement include:
■ Partnerships with not-for-profit organisations ■ Council or government partnerships ■ Educational visits to schools and community groups ■ Professional forums, education evenings, and CPD events ■ Digital education to the wider community
These are just a few examples of the various opportunities your business has to engage positively with your local and professional community. You may already be doing some or all of these! However, how are you measuring the impact, and what areas can you improve?
■ Measure your results Regardless of what you are measuring (income, referrals, or client satisfaction), everything should be measured. Without this you can’t determine what needs improvement, or what success you need to emulate.
There is no need to get too technical on how you measure each outcome, and most data can be collected through your own software or in the back end of your website and social media platforms. The important thing is to understand what you are measuring, why you are measuring, and be consistent. Lastly, always take action with the results you find – it would surely be a waste of time and effort to do nothing with your results.
■ Take action Results in a smart looking report won’t improve anything on their own. Results need interpreting, a perspective, a plan, and a team to action the plan. If it is evident that some of your community engagement activities are yielding no positive impact, it is essential to dive deeper and understand why. For example:
■ How does this specific community engagement tool aid the community? ■ Does the community see any value in this engagement? ■ What value does my team see in this engagement? ■ What financial impact has this had on my business? ■ How does this activity align with my values and my strategic plan?
Alternatively, you may find great success in some of your community activities. These results are also essential to evaluate, and if possible, replicate this across other aspects of your community engagement strategy.
Remaining relevant and of value to your local and professional community is essential in retaining agility in your business. Community engagement and connection is one way you can ensure success this area. Please contact Gray Counsel should you require further information on Social Enterprise Partnership opportunities, or specific consultation regarding community engagement.
References
1. Borzaga, C and Defounry, J 2001, The Emergence of Social Enterprise,Routledge Press, London & New York. 2. Yunus, M 2007, Creating a World Without Poverty, Social Business and the Future of Capitalism,Public Affairs, United States of America. 3. Kim Alter (200)7 Virtue Ventures: virtueventures.com, Social Enterprise Typology.
Michelle Gray
My journey into the veterinary industrybegan with nursing. Now,many years later,Iam privileged to lead multidisciplinary teams across Australia. I have worked in leadership roles within universities, corporate human health care, and media industries in addition to my work in the veterinary field. I have an MBA (research) and am on my way to commencing a PhD next year in veterinarybusiness and not-forprofit industry. When I’m not working my day job, I also support small business through my consulting firm Gray Counsel. Email me at info@graycounsel.com
Ovine brucellosis outbreak worry
From page 3 Studs do not require registration to sell rams as breeding stock.
Premium registered animals are attracting prices over $100,000, and some producers wanting to cut costs mayconsider unaccredited stock.
“If a ram that’s infected serves a ewe and a clean ram serves the same ewe, that’s how it’s transmitted,” Roberts said.
Goondiwindi vet Mike Rival said poor fencing between properties could also hasten new infections.
“Then it will be the equivalent of asocial disease and it could be four neighbours impacted by one operator,” he said.
Infected animals were more likely to suffer wild dog or pig attacks because OB increases the duration of the lambing period, Rival said.
While it is not compulsory for producers to notify state authorities about cases of OB in Queensland, there is an obligation to not spread the disease.
Rival said eradicating OB from flocks is difficult and is calling on Queensland to have a transparent accreditation system like that found in NSW. “It's published on a website, where the stud breeders who are accredited are on a list,” he said.
■ SAMWORRAD
AVA lobbies for government investment
From page 1 that is difficult to pay back with current low wages.”
Millar said the poor mental health present in the profession stems in part from providing quality services which are not properly resourced.
“The research tells us that vets have a higher rate of mental health issues compared to the general public, and we are calling on the Victorian government to provide mental health support directly to the veterinary profession.”
The AVA supports reform of Victorian animal welfare legislation to responsibly update elements of the current Act and is requesting alignment of animal welfare and veterinary legislation so that it is solely skills, qualifications and competencies determining who may perform ‘veterinary competencies’.
Only achieving this will ensure animals and the public are protected from animal welfare harms and zoonotic disease, the AVA said.
The Association has asked for greater planning and allocation offunds to vet services in areas of greatest need, such as animal welfare, wildlife and care, animal population control and biosecurity.
The AVA added that private vets in the state create vast public benefit at their own cost, such as treating un-owned injured and sick animals, subsidised desexing and surveillance for early detection of disease.
■ SAMWORRAD
Aussie vets return from Ukraine
From page 1 Lillie said persistence and patience was required to overcome language barriers.
During rare opportunities for breaks from work, Tomkins and Lillie browsed shops in Vinnytsia, around six hours from the front line.
“You wouldn't think there was awar going on until you heard an air-raid siren go off,” Lillie said.
The pair remained safe and completed a series of surgeries, tests and health checks and achieved their goal that each animal at the work site was desexed and vaccinated by the end of the working trip.
Despite the difficult conditions, Lillie said it was difficult to return home.
“The guys didn't want us to go, so they tried all sorts of guilt trips and schemes to get us to stay longer, which we would've loved to have done if we didn't have the responsibilities back home," she said.
The couple told the ABC they are open to a similar trip in future. ■ SAMWORRAD
Virbac supports WSAVAreproduction initiatives
From page 5 “Giving advice on reproduction and carrying out spaying and neutering procedures can form a large part of a general clinician’s work, with many of our members also involved in large-scale spayneuter programs,” WSAVA President Siraya Chunekamrai said. “Our Reproduction Control Committee is helping them to make sciencebased choices for the management of reproduction, while safeguarding animal welfare and supporting the human-companion animal bond.”
“We are delighted to welcome Virbac, both as a supporter of the Reproduction Control Committee and as a WSAVA Partner, helping us to deliver our mission to advance the health and welfare of companion animals worldwide.”
“At Virbac, we have the conviction that our pets should no longer be castrated only for convenience reasons,” Sebastien Huron, chief executive officer of Virbac Group, said. “Fifteen years ago, surgery was the most common option to control reproduction. Today, easy to implement and reversible alternatives that preserve the integrity and well-being of our pets exist. It is therefore our duty to inform all veterinarians and dog and cat owners about the available options, to ensure a sound knowledge and tailor-made reproduction control of each pet. Weare delighted to be associated with this Reproduction Control Committee and to be a partner of WSAVA, in support of our purpose: Advancing the health of animals with those who care for them so we can all live better together”.
From page 3 European and domestic populations, crucial to identifying the origins of Australia’s rabbits, had not been taken.
The study found that as rabbits moved further away from Barwon Park, genetic diversity declined, and rare genetic variants – that can occur in rapidly growing populations –became more frequent. Evidence was also found of additional introductions and established local populations, but these had failed to spread far.
“For example, rabbits first introduced in Sydney haven’t spread beyond, partly because of their domestic origins. Whereas wild rabbits are found all over the country. The time lag from the initial introduction of rabbits, and the lack of success before the arrival of thewild genome type in 1859 suggests it’s specific traits which acted as trigger for the invasion,” Letnic said.
Joel Alves, lead author and post-doctoral researcher at the UK’s Oxford University, and Portugal’s Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, said the study served as a reminder that the actions of just one person, or a few people, can have devastating environment impacts. ■ ANNELAYTONBENNETT
Clues to help protect frogs from deadly Bd virus
From page 5 to do with the frogs shedding their skin, but it could equally be due to many other factors,” Besedin said.
The study showed that captivity caused a significant reduction in skin bacteria diversity and richness, possibly through the loss of a microbial reservoir, high stress, reduced immunity, and sloughing, all of which future research will need to take into consideration.
“Frogs released into the wild after captivity programs will likely have reduced resilience to pathogens, so more research is needed to promote a healthy microbiome, possibly even with the help of biotics,” he said. ■ ANNE LAYTON-BENNETT ‘Effect of captivity and water salinity on culture-dependent frog skin microbiota and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) infection’ is available at doi.org/ 10.1080/03721426.2022.2086358
Abstracts - cats and dogs
From page 14 between pets, whilst owners who let pets introduce themselves did not. Early,gradual, owner-led introductions of puppies to household cats should be encouraged. Rachel H Kinsman1,Sara C Owczarczak-Garstecka1,Rachel A Casey1,Rosa E P Da Costa1 , Séverine Tasker23 , Jane K Murray 1 Animals (Basel).2022 Sep 13;12(18):2389.doi:10.3390/ani 12182389. 1Dogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UK.2Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Bristol BA6 8DD, UK. 3Linnaeus Veterinary Limited, Solihull B90 4BN, UK.
Free PMC article
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