Case Studies in Aboriginal Business pdf
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Added on 2021-06-17
Case Studies in Aboriginal Business pdf
Added on 2021-06-17
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Case Studies in Aboriginal Business
The Purdy Crawford Chair in Aboriginal Business Studies was established at Cape Breton University in 2010 in response to Aboriginal community leaders’ expression of the need for entrepreneurship, business investment, and corporate skills training for the purpose of creating a model of self-reliance.Named in honour of Canadian lawyer and corporate boardroom leader, the late Mr. Purdy Crawford, the Chair aims to promote interest among Canada’s Aboriginal people in the study of business at the post-secondary level.The Purdy Crawford Chair in Aboriginal Business Studies focuses its work in four areas:• Research on what “drives” success in Aboriginal Business• National student recruitment in the area of post-secondary Aboriginal business education• Enhancement of the post-secondary Aboriginal business curriculum• Mentorship at high school and post-secondary levels“ Meaningful self-government and economic self-sufficiency provide the cornerstone of sustainable communities. My wish is to enhance First Nations post-secondary education and research to allow for the promotion and development of national Aboriginal business practices and enterprises.”Purdy Crawford, C. C.(1931-2014)Purdy Crawford Chair in Aboriginal Business StudiesShannon School of BusinessCape Breton University1250 Grand Lake Rd, Box 5300Sydney, NS B1P 6L2©2015www.cbu.ca/crawford
Manitobah Mukluks by Ken Medd 1 MANITOBAH MUKLUKS In 2008, Sean McCormick, the owner of Manitobah Mukluks, had to decide whether to add a rubber outsole to the Aboriginal mukluks his firm manufactured. The change could expand his market and the rewards could be substantial if the mukluks were still considered Aboriginal and remained popular. However, if the change was not well received, his brand could be ruined. BACKGROUND Sean McCormick, a Métis entrepreneur and business owner, was brought up in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His mother’s family was from northern Manitoba and, consequently, Sean spent a lot of time in the north. He began wearing mukluks in his childhood. As a young man in the early 1990s, he worked in a tannery that produced leather and furs. He established a trading centre at the tannery and began exchanging finished leathers and furs for mukluks and moccasins that women in the neighbouring First Nation communities made by hand. He resold the mukluks and moccasins to other retailers. Under that business model, Sean was not able to establish a proper inventory. He rarely had sufficient quantities of products in the right sizes to meet the demands of retailers. It occurred to him that the inventory issue could be solved if the mukluks and moccasins were manufactured on a larger scale in a factory setting. Sean enrolled in the Manitoba Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneurship Training program, where he learned the fundamentals of operating a business and completed courses in marketing, accounting, and other disciplines. Preparing a business plan was a key element of the program and Sean’s plan concerned his new business venture. In 1996, Sean took his business plan to the banks and obtained the financing he needed to start his business. In 1997, Sean’s business began producing traditional-style Aboriginal mukluks in a modern factory setting. The manufacturing process employed sewing machines and factory-tanned hides, but the mukluks retained leather soles and were difficult to distinguish from their handmade counterparts. At the outset, he sold the mukluks mainly to gift shops, souvenir shops, and trading posts. As the business grew and Sean matured as an entrepreneur, he came to understand the potential and power that came from having a recognized brand. HIGH FASHION AND POPULAR CULTURE A Canadian business woman who worked in England visited Alberta in 2004 and bought some of Sean’s mukluks at a gift shop in Banff. She took them back to England
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