Business
Looking for positive and inspiring business stories? From green operations to employee rights, from innovative corporate structures to diversity and inclusion, the Business section at The Optimist Daily has got the latest innovative solutions from the corporate sector.
7 ways that businesses can support refugees
I recently had the honor of co-hosting the first-ever TEDx event held at a refugee camp — it took place at Kenya’s Kakuma Camp, home to more than 186,000 people from 19 different countries. The 15 speakers and artists were a mix of current and former refugees as well as experts who study Read More...
This 13-year-old built a best-selling lemonade brand
Mikaila is 13. She started selling lemonade—based on a 1940s recipe from her great-grandmother in front of her family home when she was 4. Then she got stung by two bees in two weeks. Her parents advised her that rather than freaking out at the sight of every bee, she should do some research to Read More...
Michelin plans to replace oil with wood for more sustainable tires
Wooden tires? Today, 80 percent of the materials used to make car tires comes from oil. In an attempt to make tires more sustainable, Michelin will be introducing a new tire in 2020 wherein some of the oil components will be replaced by wood. The tire maker will incorporate elastomers from wood Read More...
Alphabet balloons will soon bring Internet access to remote regions of rural Kenya
Loon, a business of Alphabet, Google’s parent company is deploying a system of balloons to beam high-speed Internet access to cover rural areas in Kenya from next year onwards. Loon is partnering with Telkom Read More...
Four-day work week cuts stress and boosts commitment at New Zealand firm
An experiment at a New Zealand company shows that a four-day working week substantially increases the capacity of employees t0 manage their work-life balance. The 240 employees worked four eight hour days for two months and were paid for five. Academics studied the trial before, during and after Read More...
Amazon turns the trunk of your car into a mailbox
If you have the right vehicle, you live in one of 37 selected cities in the U.S, and you are an Amazon Prime member, the tech giant will deliver packages to the trunk of your car. The service follows an Amazon initiative last year of deliveries in people’s homes. The future of urban deliveries is Read More...
Starbucks and McDonald’s invite more competitors to work with them to rethink cups
Worldwide each year 600 billion cups are used for coffee and soft drinks. McDonald’s and Starbucks distribute a combined 4 percent of that amount. Their cups are technically recyclable but the infrastructure to make that happen rarely exists. That has to change. That’s why the two fast food Read More...
Study: A third of all startups are created for social good
Startups aren’t all aiming to become so-called unicorns who bring in the big bucks. According to a multi-country study, one-third of all startups that come about aim to create social good. Now the question is how to get more funding to go to these projects so that they can make a greater impact Read More...
How blockchain can help you become an innovator in your industry
You don’t need to be a bitcoin guru to make use of the blockchain. In many industries, from art dealing to gemstone trading, the blockchain is being used to place a layer of transparency and security over transactions. Other applications of blockchain are having great social and environmental Read More...
Cement producers are developing a plan to reduce CO2 emissions
One of the world's biggest industries—and a leading producer of greenhouse gas emissions may finally be making moves to combat climate change. The World Cement Association recently held its first-ever global climate change forum, where industry leaders and scientists discussed strategies to Read More...