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.
The line between non-profit and for-profit has become increasingly blurry
As we are reminded by the release of Bernie’s Yearning, the flavor from Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen announced earlier this year, the boundaries between profits and purpose are increasingly blurred. While many have debated whether this mixing of profits and purpose is good or Read More...
British charities tempt investors with developing-world 'Dragon's Den'
From fuel made out of waste in Uganda to healthy nut snacks in Nicaragua, small firms in developing countries will get direct links to international investors under a new scheme to help them expand and bring extra income to poor communities. Five British charities have created a syndicate through Read More...
Airbnb is changing the way tourists get to know Africa
When Godwin Ndosi first heard the word "Airbnb," he said, "Airbnb? Is that the name of a person? Now it's the way he makes his living. His introduction to the accommodations rental website came a year ago. Ndosi, a 23-year-old from Arusha, Tanzania, runs a safari business. A client had nowhere to Read More...
Inside Juno, the company that wants to beat Uber by wooing its drivers
On a rainy Wednesday in February, about a dozen Uber and Lyft drivers parked their cars in the garage of a New York City skyscraper and gathered in a 47th-floor office with floor-to-ceiling windows. The drivers, who had 170 years of professional driving experience between them, were offered glasses Read More...
The counterintuitive reason why doing nothing can make you more successful
In today's work-obsessed society, we have this belief that we have to constantly be doing something in order to be successful. But what if the opposite were true? As Stanford psychologist Emma Seppala argues in her new book, "The Happiness Track: How to Apply the Science of Happiness to Accelerate Read More...
It’s lonely at the top: Why CEOs need to embrace mindfulness
“It's lonely at the top" appears to be truer than ever, and that has serious implications for the performance and well-being of CEOs. Mindfulness practices can be a powerful strategy to address this growing problem. The picture most people across the spectrum have of CEOs is fairly consistent: Read More...
5 new solutions for the fashion industry's sustainability problem
It's the holy grail for the fashion industry: Can manufacturers seamlessly close the loop on fabric, so an old T-shirt or dress headed for the landfill can be turned into something new? The world now buys more clothing than ever before in history; the average American throws out 68 garments in a Read More...
Some of the biggest companies learn their employees meditation and yoga
From Google to Starbucks, it seems big companies jump on the bandwagon to encourage employees to handle stress better. They offer meditation or yoga classes, trying to integrate mindfulness into the workday. How do these companies do this? By creating a safe, physical space. By offering support and Read More...
7 great ways to boost employee happiness this quarter
"I need a new job." We've heard that all too often even from people who are seemingly living comfortable lives. Of course we'd expect such a complaint from underpaid employees, but it's now an increasingly common refrain even among top-level employees. Given a chance, 70% of employees would jump Read More...
No, corporate responsibility is not dead
Late last year, an engrossing debate took place at the British Library in London. The subject: Is Corporate Social Responsibility dead? The two principal debaters were John Elkington (founder of SustainAbiility, Volans and originator of Triple Bottom Line Accounting) and Mark Kramer (chairman and Read More...