No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

If you love Panera Bread, you might love them even more now! Panera Cares Community Center opened in Chicago this week. It's their fourth location that allows patrons to pay-what-you-can, i.e. sliding scale + donations encouraged from those who can give! The Panera Care cafe is located in Lakeview, 616 W. Diversey Pkwy, an area largely occupied by young professionals (read: yuppies). The rationale of choosing this site is because of the right mix of fairly affluent and needy population.

I can't help but to think whether this kind of operation will work in other countries, like China or Indonesia (where I'm from). My first thought is that it will be greatly welcomed by all. But whether the more affluent population will be gracious enough to pay more than the price on the board is highly doubtful. I wouldn't be surprised that many will take advantage of this charitable act and apply the "why-pay-unless-you-have-to" mindset. Unfortunately, the honor system does not work well in many Asian countries.

Don't believe me?

Here's what IKEA in China had to deal with when they decided to offer free coffee and a place to chill:
"They [senior citizens] sit for hours in the cafeteria, leaving behind orange peels and egg shells they have picked off boiled eggs brought from home. Occasionally, security guards intervene to try to keep order."

"As culture and commerce intersect, some unusual behavior has emerged. And older folks aren't the only troublemakers. Young people, often with kids in tow, plop on chairs to watch videos on their smartphones. People aren't shy about kicking off their shoes and tucking into display beds for a nap."

I can see why this is so: If all your life you've had to fight to survive, then being charitable is the last thing in your mind. Maybe, as time goes by, a new generation of a growing middle class that's better educated will be more charitable and respectful in nature? 

What I know for sure is that marketing in Asia is going to be quite the challenge for me! Bring it on!!!

3 New Things I Learned About Myself

Yes, I've been MIA from my blog for the past month or so. Two final projects and presentations, as well as my insistence on spending time with family and friends took up whatever spare time I would've used to update my blog otherwise.

During my mini-sabbatical, I experienced quite a few interesting turn of events that have allowed me to learn a bit more about myself.

1. A pretty-darn-good negotiator
I found out how assertive and dynamic of a negotiator I can be after taking part in a negotiation workshop hosted by IMC Prof. Fred Crandall. What makes a negotiator great is the ability to find a creative solution to meet the other party's need(s) or an "Integrative win-win-win solution," instead of a trade-off or zero-sum negotiation.
At the workshop, I took on the role of a publisher and negotiated down the advance fee for another student who was playing the role of an author's agent. His goal was to get as close to $350,000 as possible. My goal was to get as close to $100,000. We settled at $110,000.  :D

2. Traveler of the unconventional career path
For the longest time I thought I was living some version of a career "failure to launch" for not climbing up the career ladder the way most of my college friends did. My career path was non-linear at best... it zig-zagged, hopped around, and if my guess is right, it's about to go into a warp-zone after my Independent Study project is done this August. It's a lot like a pinball game (yes, you can play the game of pinball below):


Jungle Quest Pinball (Classic game) | Play more games


Who knows where I will end up, but through numerous conversations with friends, colleagues, and professors, I learned that this type of career path is okay too. In fact, it sets me apart from other job seekers because of the unique experiences that this untraditional path has exposed me to.


3. Potential innovator in non-profit fundraising
I've told my husband even before we got married that I would like our family to be involved in philanthropy. I believe that we should live to impact the lives of other people for the better. That's the legacy we should all strive for. My particular interest is in giving money to deserving non-profit organizations.
No, I'm not wealthy enough to be a philanthropist such as Bono, Bill Gates and the like. But I believe wealth is NOT a prerequisite--ingenuity, passion, and determination are. As mentioned above, I'm embarking on a summer-long independent study project at Medill. In essence, I will work on designing a model for running a non-profit the IMC way.

Stay tuned!