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.
Fair Trade products are more accessible than ever
Fair Trade Month is a time to spread the word about who and where our products come from. This means putting the spotlight on challenges like child labor in cocoa and slavery in seafood, and also celebrating the farms, factories, brands and retailers that are doing things Read More...
Tapping into nature: The future of energy, innovation and business
Nearly all living things rely on diffuse and transient flows of energy and materials. And yet, life thrives. Organisms are able to procure materials and assemble themselves — essentially constructing "technologies" — using only resources that are locally available. Increasingly, Read More...
What companies can learn from social scalers
Social entrepreneurs show that big results can come from small initiatives. Social scalers are companies that focus on market-based solutions that do not consume the scarce resources of donors and government agencies. Their goal: transform social problems into business opportunities on a national Read More...
Can a more fair and equitable free market help companies that do good?
The free market can save us, but first the free market needs to change whom it rewards. In 1970, Milton Friedman famously declared, "The social responsibility of business is to increase profits," and anything else was "pure and unadulterated socialism." According to this doctrine, business activity Read More...
From toys to turbines: Lego branches out into wind energy
Danish toy manufacturer Lego has inaugurated a wind farm off the coast of Germany. In an interview with DW, Lego’s CEO talks about the company’s efforts to run off 100 percent renewable energy – and otherwise go green. On Friday (09.10.2015), the Lego Group – together with Read More...
Social entrepreneurship enters the mainstream
Elizabeth Boggs Davidsen is acting chief of the Multilateral Investment Fund's Access to Markets and Skills Unit, with particular expertise in its regional economic development and value chains portfolios. She also advises on partnership opportunities for the MIF's grant and investment Read More...
Amazon, GE and the 'geniuses' reshaping sustainability
Summer's over, New York Climate Week has passed and the rest of 2015 looks sure to be busy for those steeped in corporate sustainability. Although the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal has rocked the world of sustainability in recent weeks, there also has been a more positive flurry of Read More...
VW scandal could herald revolution in investment industry
Volkswagen’s emissions scandal could revolutionise the investment management industry because it has proved that a company's corporate governance and environmental credentials must be taken seriously, the chief executive of Hermes Investment Management has said. Saker Nusseibeh said that Read More...
How the power of optimism helped build a world-renowned brand
It seems like people are labeled as either a pessimist or an optimist. But I think the truth is we all have moments of both ends of the spectrum throughout life. When things are looking bad, it’s easy to be “realistic” which can easily become pessimistic. But is there value is Read More...
The social innovation benefits to the business bottom line
How do highly recognizable multinational brands and corporations contribute to social good? Historically, their impact on issues such as poverty, disease and environment has come through charitable giving of special corporate social responsibility units (CSR) or separate foundations. What if Read More...