Quintin Li
Monash University
Gitanjali Bedi
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This business innovation which is essentially the assistance and support of communities who have been affected by natural disasters, through financial means such as donating a proportionate amount of money received from customers. Furthermore, the business also reaches out to school and rotary clubs which are essentially the future of the world as they are the individuals and groups of people that can make a positive change. Additionally, Ken also stated that "by donating money to the communities who need it most we will create positive relationships with each other and consequently benefits will appear to both parties involved."
This innovative solution to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of "Sustainable Cities and Communities" has essentially been enacted not only in the local city of Perth but other states in Australia too. One example of this is back in 2009, a terrible bushfire raged in Victoria (known as the "Black Saturday bushfires") for many days. Ken acted upon this by donating set funds to a community relief fund. Through this financial aid given, the community in Victoria was able to set their foot on the ground once again and rebuild their lives from scratch (for some). The same process has applied to other natural disasters that have occurred in Australia throughout the years up until now such as the Queensland Floods in late 2010.
Additionally, throughout each year Ken's business provides numerous catering services to the surrounding schools and rotary clubs at discounted costs to help build a strong relationship within the community so that every business and individual can work together to create positive change in the world.
Ken's inspiration for this innovative procedure within his business originated from his family and friends. "My family and I have had similar thoughts regarding other communities less advantaged than us and we all thought of ways of how we can support one another in times of need," as said by Ken. Ken's family played a big part in the creation of this idea as they were heavily indulged in the news of when natural disasters occurred in Australia. Consciously having relatives talk about cities and how they are negatively affected by floods, fires or other natural causes motivated Ken to act.
The overall impact of this innovative procedure was effectively the re-bonding of communities and the relationships created in affected cities. By providing financial aid to those who may have lost everything including their homes, family, and others, means that they are able to get their life back on track faster. All the funds given to local communities have had short term effects whereby they allow for a positive feeling to individuals who have lost a significant part of their life and the fact that other people care about them by providing financial support, generates a feeling of relief.
Given that the business provides catering services to the surrounding community as well, although it may seem like there is no monetary support given, the condition is still met. There is a hidden monetary amount given to the schools or clubs through their discounted services which also creates a sense of belonging for all because they care about one another.
This innovation benefits the business in a number of ways. Firstly, by providing support to the communities, customer relationships will increase because they feel like they are more connected to the business after having done this "Samaritan-like act". Consequently this leads to more customers to transact with this business and therefore creating more revenue for the business. Following on from this, customer retention is also increased as customers have more trust in this business as they are "doing good" for the world.
Another benefit to the business is that it creates more exposure. As they are actively on the lookout for how they can support the community, the business is able to gather more value in terms of the services provided.
This innovative process to give financial funds to those in need, benefits communities drastically. Assuming that a local city was struck by a natural disaster, the extra financial aid adds value on top of the relationships created between one another. This means that people are who are negatively affected are able to see that others care and are not just words without action. By donating money, the victims of a natural disaster are able to re-solidify the bonds they had with their local community, and at a faster rate. "Communities that have been affected like this want as much financial aid as they can financially so that they can experience the peace they had before the incident," as said by Ken.
Not only does this process directly help the communities affected but also provide an incentive for the rest of the world to look at this act and replicate it so that society, or rather, the rest of the world can create a relationship with everyone filled with support and belonging on Earth.
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Ken Li, Director
Fortuna Chinese Restaurant is committed to achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities by donating a part of the money received from each meal to communities which have been negatively affected due to natural disasters. Not only does this business support disaster-struck communities, but also local rotary clubs whose purpose is to connect people together to help solve community problems.
"Providing adequately discounted catering services to local clubs such as these who act to serve the local people and to create a positive impact on the community culture is a positive feeling for sure, " as quoted by Ken in the interview.