Awaken to Wealth
Noncash Incentives for a Sustainable Economy Presentation to University of Minnesota Net Impact
Minneapolis, Minnesota
(Edited February 2007)
January 23, 2007
Self-viewing version with narrative text; please view in slide show mode
Overview
A Paradigm Shift is Waking Up to a New Reality The New Economics of Sustainable Prosperity The Business Model: DualCurrency Commerce How You Can Get Involved
Make Money Have Fun Change the World
Sign-up at www.dcsrewards.com; visit www.DualCurrency.com
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DualCurrency: Stretching Cash with Rewards
With traditional purchases, consumers spend cash to earn rewards; with DualCurrency purchases, consumers spend rewards in combination with cash to increase merchant sales and to create In-Network Purchasing Power SM for merchants, employees, customers and communities alike.
Traditional Purchase vs.
$1.00 cash = $1.00 to spend
DualCurrency Purchase
+
Reward Currencies
$.70 cash + $.30 rewards = $1.00 to spend
Businesses throughout are illustrations only; no contracts implied
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The Commercial Face of DCS
14 trillion frequent flyer miles and other reward points go unredeemed; estimated value $700 billion 5,000+ competing loyalty programs; consumers won’t carry dozens of cards and learn dozens of sets of rules.
Introducing
Universal Reward Solutions
SM
(URS)
…any participating merchant can accept any participating program reward using existing electronic payment methods (cards and the Internet)
What lies beyond rewards for consumer spending?
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Challenges Facing Youth and the Nation
…college students are graduating with an average of almost $20,000 in loans at the same time that jobs have become scarcer, real wages have dropped and the cost of health care has soared. With record deficits and threats to Social Security, what kind of future is shaping up for our nation's kids?
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We are all in the Same Boat
Lack of funding and massive debt are systemic dilemmas…
"the failure to rapidly reverse the consumer debt crisis has enormous implications to the future global economic power of the U.S. ….” Robert Manning, author of Credit Card Nation “The trust fund for Social Security will go broke in 2041, a year earlier than previously estimated, the trustees reported Wednesday. Trustees also said that Medicare, the giant health-care program for the elderly and disabled, faces insolvency in 2020.” Associated Press, 2005 "With 46 million uninsured Americans, our nation is confronting a monumental health insurance crisis." Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist
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What’s at the Root of our Economic Problems?
There is no agreement; it depends on your lens…
Traditional Left versus Right Polarization and Stalemate:
• Big Business • The Rich • Military Spending • The Religious Right • Politicians • Foreign Competition • Poor Schools • Labor Unions • Big Government • Welfare Moms • “Illegal Immigrants” • Weak Family Values
What if our economic problems result from an outdated view of money and competition? What if no one is to blame and there is a simple solution that we have not tried? What if that solution is right at our fingertips? What if we could all get on the same side and cooperate?
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A Brief History of Money and Commerce
+
Barter
Agricultural Era 3,000 - 5,000 years…
Industrial Era 300 - 500 years…
+
Global Cyber Era 30 - 50 years…
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What patterns can you discern?
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Historic Trends
1. Each subsequent era represents enormous growth in how we produce and distribute goods and services. 2. Most transitions mark a paradigm shift in both economic organization and the nature of financial instruments. The old financial instruments are insufficient for the needs of the new economies; they hold things back. 3. New technologies make new financial instruments possible; yet the computer era reflects changes only in our transaction platforms, not in our key financial instrument (a national currency). 4. There is an accelerating pace of change. 5. The DualCurrency innovation fits the pattern of transformation in both money and commerce.
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Where’s the money?
When only the money is missing, it’s time to stop and rethink…
(because we invented money to solve problems, not to create them)
Merchants with goods to sell
Needed work in communities
People with skills for needed work
People with unmet Needs
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On the Brink of a Paradigm Shift
When the paradigm shifted from a flat to a spherical world, the Earth didn’t change by a single molecule.
At Kitty Hawk, 8 seconds of flight for only 120 feet shattered the 3000 year old paradigm that ‘man will never fly.
A paradigm shift is simply awakening to new realities…
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Where’s the money? (2) Moderate economic competition has many advantages
It creates a destination, bringing more customers to that part of town. It improves consumer choice, quality and service, while holding down prices. It rewards hard work, innovation and risk, thereby creating new jobs.
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Inevitably Competition Increases
Growing competition begins to create downward pressure on market share, prices, profits and wages. Ultimately, this means that businesses can vastly out-produce employee/consumer purchasing power. 13
Competition and Cooperation out of Balance
(best seen in slide show mode)
Finally, the disadvantages of competition begin to rival the advantages.
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From Competitive ‘Grow or Die’ to Sustainability
We see wage cuts, lay-offs, downsizing, outsourcing and business failures. Yet, we only see improvements in productivity and productive capacity; businesses fail while there is unmet need for their products and services in the US and worldwide. All that’s missing is consumer purchasing power. The sustainable alternative is the fuller utilization of existing resources ─ current business capacity. As competition goes up and market share goes down, we see the growth of excess or underutilized business capacity. This wasted wealth can be captured to increase consumer purchasing power and business profits.
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DCS Offers a Fresh Approach
Underutilized business capacity can offer “In-Network Purchasing Power” for individuals, families and communities. Just add up the value of:
Empty…
• Restaurant Tables • Airline Seats • College Desks • Motel Rooms
Off-Peak Hours at…
• Movie Theaters • Health Clubs • Oil Change Shops • Sports Venues
Unsold inventory at…
• Big Box Retailers • Community Retailers • Factory Outlet Centers • Auto Dealerships
The list goes on and on…
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New Resources for Economic Development
What if we found $100 million to improve communities in Minnesota?
(…but we could only have it if we created a win-win economic solution)
When society recognized the immense amount of wasted wealth ─ represented by unused business capacity ─ we might quit debating higher taxes versus reduced social services. We might quit blaming and start cooperating. We might design a way to capture that wasted wealth for the benefit of individuals, families, businesses and communities alike.
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Capturing Excess Business Capacity
Excess business capacity can be pooled in a Virtual Warehouse and sold for a combination of cash and rewards
Northwest Airlines
Empty airline seats
University of Minnesota Virtual Warehouse backing Universal Rewards
Empty college desks
YMCA
Off-hours at fitness clubs
Good Earth Restaurant
Off-hours at restaurants
Merchants are illustrations 18 only; no contracts implied
What DCS has Patented
Automated Dual Currency Pricing, Accounting and Transaction Settlement: Merchants set the ratio of cash to rewards, as well as any redemption restrictions. In each case, merchants enjoy incremental sales and profits in U.S. dollars, while Network participants enjoy In-Network Purchasing Power SM in DualCurrency Dollars (DC$) a new generation of incentives and rewards.
Airline Ticket $500.00 Restaurant Meal $100.00
DC$32.00 DC$300.00
DC$14.00
Bag of Groceries $100.00
DC$5.00
Health Club Pass $20.00
$95.00 $68.00 $200.00 $6.00 This is similar to the economics of promotional programs such as Cyber Fares, 2 for 1 Dining, Senior Citizens Specials, Dollar Movie Night and so forth.
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A Variety of DualCurrency Applications
Earn Reward Program Operators
Multitude of Reward Options
Spend Cardholders Merchants
Virtual Warehouse of Products and Services
Universal Rewards for: • Customer loyalty • Incentives for students • Employee benefits • Volunteer rewards • Wellness incentives • Sustainability incentives • Social Security enhancements
In-Network AdvantageSM
Redeem from unsold: • Retail inventory • Entertainment venues • Leisure and travel • Health and wellness • Government and nonprofit offerings
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What’s the Business Model?
DualCurrency Systems
Minnesota C-Corporation Loyalty Rewards, Payment Systems and Credit Card Services First dual currency patents Seeking to establish alliances
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A Next Generation of Rewards
Loyalty rewards have proven to be an effective way to influence consumer spending behaviors. DCS has developed the HealthBucks and EcoBucks rewards programs as a way to influence healthy and sustainable living behaviors.
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Sample HealthBucks ($H) Earning and Spending
1. Sally Thorston works at a restaurant as a waitress. The current health insurance program is too expensive for her to participate. Besides a monthly award of $H100.00 Sally earns $H25.00 for taking a health risk assessment and $H20.00 for donating blood in a Red Cross Blood Drive. 2. Using her HealthBucks, Sally is now able to participate in the company health insurance plan. She has also joined the YWCA with a part-cash, part-$H membership and is taking Yoga lessons.
3. Sally looks online to see her HealthBucks earning and spending. She now has affordable health insurance for her family. Through In-Network AdvantageSM and HealthBucks, her employer now enjoys lower overall employee healthcare costs and healthier, more productive employees.
Businesses are examples only; no contracts are implied
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Sample In-Network AdvantageSM offers
1. Bryant Lake Bowl sets the price for meals at 68% cash and 32% DualCurrency Dollars. BLB decides that where they need the most new traffic is at breakfast, so they set available hours at 8:00 – 11:00 am Monday-Friday. 2. Best Buy decides to participate In-Network through online offers and sets the rate at 90% cash and 10% DualCurrency Dollars. Best Buy selects specific items for promotion. 3. Employees of Bryant Lake Bowl and Best Buy enjoy special offers at each others companies. In the long run, DC$ can help to make health insurance co-pays and to lower premium costs. 4. Bryant Lake Bowl and Best Buy enjoy In-Network savings on advertising, travel and accommodations, professional services and anything else that In-Network vendors and suppliers offer.
Businesses are illustrations only; no contracts implied
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DualCurrency Transaction Flow
B Rewards Program Operators
DCS Server with DualCurrency Accounting and Processing A
Universal Rewards customer makes normal card purchase at merchant POS terminal
C DCS notifies Program
Operators of liability reduction
DCS applies merchant rules to Determine percentage of total to be paid in cash and rewards
Merchants
D US$ portion of transaction is sent and settled along standard bank interchange process and lines
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Proprietary and Confidential DualCurrency Systems
How DCS Makes Money
Fees on DualCurrency transactions Burn-down fees from loyalty program operators; sale of next generation DualCurrency rewards (e.g.: HealthBucks) Upgrade premiums on merchant ads at www.dcserwards.com Design, consulting and licensing fees for reward programs and other loyalty solutions Improved utilization of customer demographic data (dialogue with customers about improvements to system)
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Review of HealthBucks Benefits
Lower cost employee healthcare with In-Network AdvantageSM Subsidies for insurance co-pays and premiums without raising employer expenses Merit-based rewards for wellness activities Healthier, more productive employees and improved company morale
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How is this a Fresh Solution?
DualCurrency Commerce can raise employee pay and benefits without raising cash labor costs for employers DualCurrency Commerce can offer noncash rewards and incentives for more than consumer spending, creating a more level economic playing field DualCurrency Commerce is business-led, marketbased and profit-driven, so it resolves the left versus right polarization and stalemate over trickle down versus taxation-based approaches
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Net Impact Goals
Foster dialogue between business students, the larger University of Minnesota community, leadership organizations and businesses. Provide networking resources for students to connect with Carlson alumni, national organizations, and businesses that share their interests and passions. Act as a resource base for students interested in learning more about topics in ethics, sustainability, and leadership.
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How you can get involved
Join and Build the Beta Test
Sign-up for the DCS Beta Test at www.dcsrewards.com Sign-up friends and merchants Help find resources (Center for Entrepreneurial Studies; Venture Center; Academic and Corporate Relations Center; Business Plan Competition…) Economic modeling and new technologies
Join the DCS writing team:
DualCurrency Economics DualCurrency Applications (Healthcare; EcoBucks; Employee Benefits; Senior Credits) Holistic Issues (quality of life; spirituality in work; sustainability) Ask for our DualCurrency White Paper
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Questions, Discussion and Next Steps
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Thank you for the opportunity to share DualCurrency Systems
(additional information in following slides)
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DualCurrency Supports Sustainability
Defies the “grow or die” economic paradigm. Encourages fuller use of existing capacities versus Proliferation of Competitive Duplication. Does not require traditional economic growth to raise the standard of living and quality of life for individuals, families and communities. Can reward positive environmental behaviors such as recycling, carpooling and community clean-ups. Can subsidize labor costs for alternative energies, eco-friendly building materials, eco-audits and R&D for new environmental products and services. Can fund alternative jobs (Eco-Conversion) whenever the environment is threatened by current production, distribution and energy models (e.g. logging, packaging, nuclear plants, etc.).
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What about the IRS? (1)
Barter is considered commercial in nature
and taxable, with taxes owed in US$.
Time Dollars or Service Credits are
considered noncommercial and nontaxable. People help people on an hour for hour basis, usually inside of a 501(c)3 nonprofit network.
Local Currencies are normally
considered commercial and taxable, although there may be nonprofit exceptions to the rule.
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What about the IRS? (2)
Discounts, such as 2 for 1 Dining
or Dollar Movie Night are not taxed.
Frequent Flyer Miles and other
loyalty rewards are merely discounts given over time — buy 5 flights; get 1 free — and are not taxed.
Employee Benefits such as free
flights for airlines employees and free tuition for university employees are also not taxed.
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