Unit 5 – Making a Living, Making a Difference

Lesson A – A Talk about a Cooperative Business

Speaker: Good afternoon, and thank you for inviting me to speak. My name is Marsha Nolan,
and I’m the director of Worldwide Coop. I hope that some of you have heard of our
organization? Great. Well, Worldwide Co-op exists to support cooperative enterprises of all
kinds. We provide online classes to help you start a new co-op or to help you manage your
existing co-op. And because a lot of the information you find online only applies to conventional
companies—not to cooperatives—we provide a library of information at our website. The
information you’ll find there is free, it’s all about co-ops, and it’s available to you at any time.
Today, I’d like to give you some information about a co-op in Chennai, India. It’s an unusual co-
op since it was formed in response to wildlife protection measures. And since all of you are
members of wildlife organizations, I think you’ll find the story of this co-op to be especially
interesting and relevant to you.

The story begins in 1972. That was the year that India took a major step in wildlife protection
and passed the Wildlife Protection Act. And although that law has been beneficial to wildlife, it
wasn’t so good for a small tribe called the Irulas. You see, they made their living catching snakes
such as the Indian cobra, which were sold for their skins. Even before 1972, the Irulas lived in
relative poverty, despite being some of the only people in India with the necessary skills to catch
poisonous snakes. After 1972, however, things went from bad to worse. It became illegal to sell
these snakeskins.

What happened next, however, could serve as a model for many places. The Irulas became
entrepreneurs. They saw a need for something that only they could provide: snake venom. The
venom is used to produce anti-venom—the only known cure for poisonous snakebites. And
because there are approximately 46,000 deaths from snakebites in India each year, there is a
huge demand for venom. Since the Irulas knew how to handle cobras and other poisonous
snakes, they decided to cooperate and work together. They formed the Irula Snake Catchers’
Industrial Cooperative Society, and they were back in the snake business, but with one big
difference. In contrast to their past practices, the Irulas no longer needed to kill the snakes in
order to generate an income.

Now, the Society has around 300 members, and they catch snakes just as they’ve done for many
years, but now they carefully milk the snakes’ venom before returning them to the wild. That
involves sinking the snakes’ fangs into a piece of leather, which releases the liquid venom, and
collecting the venom in a container. Using this natural venom is the only way to produce the life-
saving anti-venom now found in most hospitals in India. The snakes are not killed, thousands of
human lives are saved, and the Irulas earn more money from the venom than they used to get for
the snakes’ skins. Even better, the co-op members are all owners, so there’s no longer a “middle
man” getting rich from the Irulas’ hard work. All of the wealth generated by the sale of venom
stays in the Irula community. These days, Irula families are doing better, their children are
attending school, and several species of snakes that might otherwise have been killed to
extinction are doing well in the wild.

The reason I’m telling you all of this is simple: the ideas behind the Irulas’ co-op can be used in
many places. After all, the Irulas have found an effective and sustainable way to use wild
animals without harming them. Instead of being killed, the snakes are being captured and then
released. This way, the snakes are benefiting the Irula people by providing income, and they’re
benefiting other people in India by providing an important medicine.

Now, I know that I’m speaking to a diverse group of people. You protect a wide variety of
wildlife, and the different species that you want to protect can’t all be milked for their venom.
But what all of you can do is to assess your situation. If endangered animals in your country are
being killed and sold, it’s important to understand the reasons—especially the economic benefits
that come from killing the animals. You might find another way for people to earn even more
money than before by not killing the animals.

If you need help with any of this, Worldwide Co-op has many information resources along with
our online classes. Please feel free to visit the website, send an email, or give me a call. Thanks
again for inviting me. And now, I’m happy to answer your questions.

Lesson B – A Meeting about Social Responsibility

Guang: OK. Let’s get started. I’m glad that all of you could make it to the meeting this morning.
The topic under discussion today is social responsibility—especially as that idea relates to our
company. Up until now, we haven’t thought much about this idea, you know, the idea that we as
a company can contribute to our community, our world, to make it a better place.

So, I brought some information. There’s a copy for each of you. OK. This is information about
two businesses—one large and one small. They both demonstrate how social responsibility can
be a fundamental value of a business. For these companies, it’s part of their basic business
mission. Yes, Jemila?

Jemila: Thanks, Guang. I’ve been thinking about this for some time now. In my opinion, as a
company, we take good care of our employees, but we’re not doing much in terms of giving back
to the larger community. I’m really interested in this question of how we can do more.

Guang: That’s great! I’m happy to hear you’ve been thinking about this, too.

Jemila: I definitely have been. Other companies seem to be more active in our community. You
know, they support charities.

Guang: That’s true. Lucas?

Lucas: Yeah, I’m wondering why you chose these two companies. One is a huge drug
manufacturer, and this one looks like a small company that makes handbags and backpacks.
They both seem to be very different from our company, so could you explain why you chose
these particular companies?

Guang: Sure. I think they’re both good models for us. Even though we’re a software engineering
firm, the concept of social responsibility is the same as it is with these companies. We want to
give back to our community and make the world a better place, right? So these examples can
help us think about what actions would be appropriate for our company.

Alice: Guang, there’s quite a lot of information here. Can you explain what these companies are
doing, you know, in a nutshell?

Guang: Sure. Thanks, Alice. The large company is GlaxoSmithKline, GSK, the big
pharmaceutical company. Although they’re doing several things that are socially responsible—
for example, they provide medical training in places that need it, and they’re working to reduce
noise levels and energy usage at their manufacturing plants—the most impressive thing they’ve
done is to make medications more affordable and accessible in parts of the world that are not
very wealthy.

Alice: That’s interesting, though surprising as well. I thought they were just interested in making
a profit. You know, they are such a big pharmaceutical company.

Guang: Well, they are making a profit in every country where they do business. So, social
responsibility doesn’t mean no profit. That’s a key: we can be socially responsible without
decreasing profits. Jemila?

Jemila: I’d like to know what this other company does—State Bags. They seem more like our
company. They’re a small business, or at least they’re not a multi-national corporation!

Guang: Sure. State Bags makes these beautiful backpacks and bags that you see in the picture.
From the beginning, this business has had a “Buy one, Give one” model, so for every bag a
customer buys, State Bags donates a backpack full of supplies—mostly things for school—to a
child who needs it.

Jemila: That sounds great! What a good idea. And how has the response been from their
customers?

Guang: Well, the response has been good. Their customers like the idea of doing something to
help kids, and State Bags is doing well as a business, especially for a young company.

Lucas: Well, that’s the kind of outcome we’re looking for too. If our customers feel good about
doing business with us, and we’re turning a profit at the same time, it’s a win-win situation.
Alice: Exactly. Even though we’re a small company, we can still make a difference. Why don’t
we do some brainstorming?

Exercise C – page 97

1. One is a huge drug manufacturer, and this one looks like a small company that makes
handbags and backpacks. They both seem to be very different from our company.

2. That’s interesting, though surprising as well. I thought they were just interested in making a
profit.

3. Their customers like the idea of doing something to help kids, and State Bags is doing well as
a business, especially for a young company. That’s the kind of outcome we’re looking for, too.

4. Even though we’re a small company, we can still make a difference. Why don’t we do some
brainstorming?