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.
GM joins sharing economy with new car-sharing service
If you can't beat them, join them. That must have been the idea at General Motors, thinking about services like Uber and Lyft, when it decided to create a car-sharing service called Maven. It is now launched in the United States and Germany, joining at least two other automakers testing the market Read More...
5 reasons you should join the sharing economy revolution
The sharing economy connects individuals who need a particular product or service with other individuals who have or can Read More...
What Trader Joe's can teach us about treating workers well
Trader Joe’s made its name by offering delicious hipster-yuppie snacks like wild salmon jerky and sea-salt almonds, as well as $2-dollar wines and organic milk that won’t put your kids’ college savings at risk. But there’s another thing the privately held grocery store chain Read More...
How Airbnb unites the world: An in-depth analysis
By now, we all know the numbers about Airbnb's impact—roughly, at least. The company has more than 2 million listings, dwarfing the number of rooms offered by the largest hotel chain, Marriot International. The pioneer of the sharing economy is valued at over $25 billion. Founder Brian Chesky is Read More...
Pizza boxes recycled from Staten Island trash let you eat out of the garbage
It’s no secret that New Yorkers have a deep and passionate love affair with pizza, but all of those pizza boxes do take a toll on the environment. Pratt Industries, which specializes in recycled paper and packaging, thinks their pizza boxes made using 100-percent post-consumer paper from Read More...
Google and Lenovo are teaming up to build a smartphone with serious superpowers
Google and Lenovo just announced they're partnering up to build an Android-powered, sub-$500 smartphone powered by Google's extremely nifty Project Tango technology. Project Tango, first announced in 2014, is a project originated from Google ATAP, one of the search giant's coolest and most Read More...
In 2016, Intel's entire supply chain will be conflict-free
Buying electronics used to help fund war in Africa. Now big tech companies like Intel are working to make sure their money isn't used for destruction. Seven years ago, if you bought a new iPhone or a laptop, you were probably also inadvertently supporting warlords and mass rapists in the Democratic Read More...
As Africa's sharing economy grows, Airbnb takes tourists in new directions
Travelers are gaining access to places and experiences across Africa once closed off or just unknown to them. JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — Nearly two years ago, Mengesha Tesfaye was scrambling to make ends meet shining shoes in Lalibela, a picturesque Ethiopian town known for its medieval-era Read More...
The on-demand economy: Changing the way we live as we age
Companies such as Instacart, Uber and TaskRabbit may be known for their appeal to young, urban consumers, but they may soon influence older adults’ lives just as profoundly. Offering alternatives to traditional, senior-oriented services, these companies stand to transform how the older Read More...
Seattle votes to allow Uber drivers to form unions
Uber Technologies Inc. was dealt a setback in Seattle, where the city council voted unanimously to give collective bargaining rights to drivers. The new law allows workers who drive for ride-hailing services, such as those from Uber and Lyft Inc., to form unions and negotiate wages with the Read More...