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.
Cognitive bias: The 18 mental mistakes people make when doing business
The human brain is capable of incredible things, but it’s also extremely flawed at times. Science has shown that we tend to make all sorts of mental mistakes, called “cognitive biases”, that can affect both our thinking and actions. These biases can lead us to extrapolating information from Read More...
Doctors can now call an Uber for their patients
Uber has announced the launch of a new digital tool meant to book rides for patients who need assistance getting to and from their appointments. The digital tool is flexible as it allows health care providers to book a ride for patients and caregivers immediately, within a few hours, or with 30 Read More...
One of America’s largest gun retailers set to stop selling assault-style rifles
In November, Dick’s Sporting Goods sold a gun to Nikolas Cruz, the person who committed the Parkland Shooting. The gun Dick’s sold to him wasn’t the one used in the attack, but the thought that it could have been was enough for the sports retailer to announce it will stop selling Read More...
Here’s why Lego is swapping plastic for plants
Lego has been searching for a sustainable alternative to plastic since 2015, and it has found a solution in sugarcane fields. Yesterday, the company said it has started production on a new line of Lego elements made from plant-based plastic sourced from sustainably grown sugarcane. The toys Read More...
This brewery is designed as a model for the circular economy
At a massive new Heineken brewery in Northern Mexico–the place where your six-pack of Tecate might come from, if you buy it in the U.S.–each detail of the factory has been designed to aim for a “circular economy” model, using resources in closed loops when Read More...
A new wave of blue-collar startups are reviving the American Midwest
After years in the doldrums, the fortunes of Midwest cities like Columbus, Indianapolis, and Kansas City are on the rise. That’s because startups are starting to cluster in these old industrial strongholds. But unlike their coastal cousins, the startups of the Midwest are focusing on jobs that Read More...
The Bandung tech startup aiming to use mushrooms to help grow houses
A simple farm in the misty hills above the Indonesian city of Bandung is not the place one might expect to find a budding technology startup. This is farming land and it always has been. But the team at Mycotech is growing much more than vegetables. Their dream is to grow Read More...
A single question can cut useless meetings from your schedule forever
Meetings are a serious drain on an organization’s time and resources, consuming up to 17 percent of the workweek and an estimated $37 billion per year. Some confabs are inarguably essential to business operations, and others . . . aren’t. Vague or nonexistent agendas, rooms full of people who Read More...
Ikea joins Big Clean Switch to offer 100 percent renewable energy tariff
Ikea is calling for households to join its latest joint venture – a collective energy switch that promises an exclusive 100 percent renewable electricity tariff. The furniture retailer has joined forces with the “Big Clean Switch” campaign to use a collective switch to secure cheaper green Read More...
How to creatively cut down on plastic waste as a small firm
From upcycling to incentivising staff, here are three ways that SMEs are avoiding plastic waste and encouraging Read More...