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.
Making sense of the many business models in the sharing economy
Is Uber even part of the sharing economy? Does Airbnb’s business model have a positive or negative impact on communities? Are on-demand startups like TaskRabbit leveraging exploitative business models? What is the right approach for local governments when it comes to regulating the sharing Read More...
IKEA's plans to become a solar energy powerhouse
For years now IKEA has had a strong commitment to environmental responsibility and last week the organisation’s green credentials received yet another boost with it announcing that it plans to expand its solar sales. Already the world’s biggest furniture seller, IKEA has announced plans Read More...
Apple Operating At 93% Renewable Energy Worldwide
March 23rd, 2016 by Joshua S Hill Speaking at Apple’s Monday ‘Loop You In’ event, the company’s VP of environment, Lisa Jackson, claimed 93% of Apple’s facilities worldwide run on renewable energy. Apple has been targeting the running of all its facilities Read More...
3 counterintuitive business decisions that have kept Uber relevant
All too often, people look at a startup and assume that the key to its success was coming up with the right idea to disrupt a market. Not true. The truly groundbreaking startups all have something else in common: a willingness to keep rethinking what's made them successful. Take Uber. Ride-hailing Read More...
Now anyone can book an Airbnb in Cuba
It’s a big week for American-Cuban relations this week with President Obama in the middle of a three-day trip to the island nation-–the first visit from an American president since 1928. The visit marks the symbolic end to the U.S. trade embargo that has blocked the countries from exchanging Read More...
93 percent of Apple's facilities run on renewable energy
Apple today announced that 93 percent of its facilities run on renewable energy, including 100 percent of its facilities in the US, China, and 21 other countries. Lisa Jackson, Apple's VP of Environment, Policy, and Social Issues, made the announcement at Monday's event in Cupertino, California, Read More...
VW in talks with U.S. over fund to pay for pollution
Volkswagen AG is in talks with U.S. authorities to establish a national remediation fund and a separate one for California as punishment for pollution from its cars after the automaker cheated on diesel-emissions tests, said people familiar with the matter. One fund would be administered by the Read More...
GM lets you become a Lyft driver even if you don’t have a car
Car companies want to sell cars. So, it’s not really in their interest when more and more people begin sharing their cars. This requires creative responses. Here’s one from General Motors: GM is rolling out a program called Express Drive starting in Chicago and expanding to Baltimore, Boston, Read More...
The future of progressive business is companies that are good, not just doing good
These days, we have high expectations of what companies should be. It’s not enough that they make good products. They also need to be good citizens. We expect them to minimize their social and environmental harm, to report their "impacts," and to give money to charity. And we expect them to Read More...
Why more high tech professionals are thinking low tech
I thought about starting the busy week ahead by reflecting on how the fight between Apple and the FBI has become nastier than the audience at a Donald Trump rally. I also considered trying to convince you of the merits of the lowest-tech experience you can imagine: attending Major League Read More...