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.
Is the mass sharing of driverless cars about to reshape our suburbs?
A few months ago I interviewed Klaus Bondam, head of the Danish cycling union and formerly Copenhagen’s mayor for roads and infrastructure, and asked him how he saw his city changing in the coming years. The answer was something of a surprise. “Look at something like car parking,” Bondam told Read More...
How this $700 million business makes money without trying to turn a profit
In his updated book Let My People Go Surfing (Penguin Random House, 2016), first published in 2006, Patagonia founder and owner Yvon Chouinard describes the unique pillars of success for his famous enterprise. In the following edited excerpt, Chouinard explains how a business philosophy focused on Read More...
Google just pumped a bunch of money into Airbnb
Airbnb just got a big cash infusion — and Google is one of its big investors. According to a report from Fortune, the company has raised $555 million at a $30 billion valuation, part of a desired $850 million round that it filed to raise last month. Google Capital and Technology Crossover Read More...
Jamnation builds a fair-trade jam empire from the Bayview
“Have you ever seen a Geami roll?” asks Gillian Reynolds, as she pulls out a box of what looks like ripped paper. Reynolds owns 2-year-old Jamnation, a jam company in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood. The Geami roll is biodegradable packing material that she uses instead of Read More...
3 more companies commit to 100% renewables
Apple, Bank of America and Amalgamated Bank have pledged to go 100 percent renewable, joining the RE100 group. Bank of America also announced it will be "carbon neutral" by 2020, while Apple announced new commitments to power its supply chain with renewable energy. "Apple is committed to running on Read More...
MIT will give $1M to four startups that are combatting poverty
Chobani wants to help fledgling food businesses that share its values to get a head start in the market. Hamdi Ulukaya, Chobani's founder and CEO, launched the Chobani Food Incubator to mentor and support food entrepreneurs to challenge the status quo in the food industry, which often creates Read More...
Lyft president: Car ownership will 'all-but end' in cities by 2025
The driverless car revolution is coming, and Lyft's president now predicts it will "all-but end" car ownership in cities by 2025. "We see car ownership as a burden that is costing the average American $9,000 every year. The car has actually become more like a $9,000 ball and chain that gets Read More...
Companies that do well for the world pay less for top talent
An analysis of posting on job sites shows that ads featuring descriptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities got more responses from highly qualified applicants. Most of them were willing to work for less than top dollar. In one experiment, candidates who received information about Read More...
Why Socially Responsible Companies Pay Less for Top Talent
Let’s say you’re interviewing two highly qualified applicants, Smith and Jones, for the same job. Mr. Smith shows a clear interest in making a positive mark on the wider world including, for example, listing extensive volunteer work on his resume. Ms. Jones’ whole career, by Read More...
Pittsburgh residents get ready for driverless Uber cars
Very soon, residents of this hilly city will become the first Americans to test out Uber's self-driving car service. It is a historic moment not just for the ride-hailing company, but also for robotic cars in general. For many people, the technology will finally become a reality, one they can Read More...