International Social Innovation Research

Question: Discuss about the International Social Innovation Research. Answer: Introduction: Australia, like every nation, faces problems like pollution, poverty and lack of access to interior areas resulting in unhealthy conditions, malnutrition and diseases among the lower class which even lead to death. Social organizations reach out to these people and provide them with medical aid and health education. Australian Health Project is one such organization operating on a business model (Ridley and Bull 2015). I learnt that Australian Health Project is an organization envisioned to supply the under privileged people with health facilities and education. I also learnt that the project is about a regular medical centre run by experienced doctors which strives to improve the lives of the people and is approved by Australian Medical Association (Australian Medical Association 2017). It would initially begin its journey in Australia and then reach out to people in Cambodia, Kenya and Cambodia. It will be financed, marketed and operated following a business model by the same name. A social enterprise has a great positive impact on the people, especially who cannot accede to health facilities either due of financial reasons or due to remoteness of their locations. The people in need will be able to get crucial medical aid and save their lives. It will also create employment opportunities and value. However, I can also opine that such a nonprofit organization encounters the three challenges of financing, attracting the personnel who are the driving strength for it and a marketing strategy while providing health care services in its infancy. Australian Health Project will require steady flow of funds to operate which is a challenge for an entrepreneurial venture striving to help the poor. It can be opined that the Australian Health Project can approach Social Enterprise Development and Investment Funds (SEDIF) set up by the Australian Government to help the social enterprises financially to expand their business (enquiries 2017). Another organization it can approach is the Obamas Affordable Care Act (Blumenthal Abrams and Nuzum 2015). It will segment based on financial capability and location. It can charge the financially rich people for its services and use the revenue to serve the poor at a nominal price. The people living in the interior areas will have to pay more than the people living in cities. The organization will also accept donations and hold fund raising campaigns to thrive. An organization stands tall on the skills and endeavor of its employees. A new organization finds it difficult to get experienced personnel due to its limited financial resources. Australian Health Project, according to me should ask for voluntary services of the doctors during its initial days and then go on to maintain its own team of doctors as it grows bigger. Promotion plays a key role in the growth and sustenance of an organization like Australian Health Project. It will not only be aimed at attracting customers but also to create an effective supply chain to obtain medicines, oxygen and transportation services. A combination of digital, audio visual and print advertisement initially on local level will enable the organization to penetrate even remote areas (Arvidson and Lyon 2014). Its helpline can also be customized to promote its services along with an option to donate voluntarily. After achieving steady growth, the organization can opt for more expensive and extensive promotion strategies like celebrity endorsements. There are various types of social enterprises that run on different models and strategies. One such model is the Low Income Client model covering manufacturing, sales and distribution, financial strategy and viability, social impact and market development and exit strategy. A second type of social enterprise is Non Profit with related business model which accepts grants and donation to manufacture goods which it sells to earn revenue. The Social Purpose Business model seeks to achieve social and environmental betterment. Profit, though secondary is required to achieve its primary service goals (Defourny and Nyssens 2015). The future of Australian Health Project is bright though it has to face initial challenges. Such an organization strives to grow to make changes to the lives of the underprivileged. It can also spread to other countries in the future to reach to the poor and sick living across the borders. It can be concluded that social organizations play a very important role in the society by helping the people. They provide aid and education to the people to prevent fatalities, thus saving lives. Business models have been developed which can be adopted by these organization to ensure sustenance and growth. References: Arvidson, M. and Lyon, F., 2014. Social impact measurement and non-profit organisations: Compliance, resistance, and promotion.VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations,25(4), pp.869-886. Australian Medical Association. (2017). Australian Medical Association. [online] Available at: https://ama.com.au/ [Accessed 19 Jan. 2017]. Blumenthal, D., Abrams, M. and Nuzum, R., 2015. The affordable care act at 5 years. Defourny, J. and Nyssens, M., 2015, September. Social enterprise models in a worldwide comparative perspective. InKeynote to 7th International Social Innovation Research Conference, York University, 8th Sept, ISIRC. enquiries, G. (2017). Social Enterprise Development and Investment Funds. [online] Department of Employment. Available at: https://www.employment.gov.au/social-enterprise-development-and-investment-funds [Accessed 16 Jan. 2017]. Ridley-Duff, R. and Bull, M., 2015.Understanding social enterprise: Theory and practice. Sag