How Business Can and Should Solve Social Problems
The coronavirus crisis is a major and imminent social problem. But, unfortunately, it’s far from the only social problem that the world in 2020 faces. Climate change, income inequality, population growth, resource usage, the displacement of workers through automation – the list is endless. Who should solve these social problems? We typically look to governments […]
Business Fights Poverty Event Announcement
Social Impact Measurement and Business: What, Why, and How?’
On February 27th, Business Fights Poverty held a live written discussion to explore how we can measure, manage and get the most from our social impact. This article provides you with a vivid flavour of the panel members’ perspectives on some of the topics that were raised. This was one of our liveliest online discussions […]
The Morning Show: How Business and Television Can Help Us See Possible Contributions to Peace
The Morning Show aired its first ten episodes in Fall, 2019 and quickly gained multiple nominations and awards in Hollywood’s award season. The show centers on the kind of morning program popular in the U.S. and elsewhere that features a mix of news, interviews, weather, and special segments, usually including some goofy or cute ones. […]
Why Off-Grid Energy Matters…And How it Can Matter Even More
That’s why we commissioned 60 Decibels to aggregate and share, for the first time, data collected on 49 off-grid solar companies in a new report – “Why off-grid energy matters” – launching this week at the Global Off-Grid Solar Forum & Expo in Nairobi. This was no small undertaking – it includes data from across 17 […]
A New Way to Measure Impact, Both Good and Bad
Total Societal Impact measures the wider impact of ventures, both positive and negative. Considering social impact can lead to new markets. Digital solutions offer opportunities to lower carbon output and create new business models. The world is facing a series of difficult problems right now, from climate change to societal and economic challenges. It’s imperative […]
How to Profitably Serve the Last Mile
High cost of maintaining a single brand distribution network While some of the most profitable companies in the world are working on solutions for the last mile, the costs of maintaining these distribution networks remains a challenge, given the low profit margins. Even when product costs are low, maintaining a network of sales reps to […]
Living Income: A Story From Measurement to Impact
Living income and the poverty line There’s an important distinction between living income and poverty lines. While poverty lines are generally concerned with subsistence; decency and resilience underpin the concept of living income. It is about earning enough to live a decent life with a buffer for the unexpected. In the past, for many, the […]
Time for a Decade of Collaboration
“The good news is that the 2030 Agenda is coming to life…and we are making progress…But let us be clear: we are far from where we need to be…That is why today,…I am issuing a global call for a decade of action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.” António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, […]
Is it Time for Davos to Decelerate?
I visited the event once again for what I think must be my 15th trip— and it evokes mixed emotions every time I attend. Here’s how I described the Davos experience in my book, sponsored by Business Fights Poverty, released in 2018. “The Intrapreneur: Confessions of a corporate insurgent” questions the Davos phenomenon: So what’s […]
Entering a Decade of Action: Making the SDGs a Matter of Priority
As we enter 2020 the clock is ticking louder than ever before when it comes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While progress has been made since the SDGs were launched in 2015, we are not advancing at the speed or scale required. In recognition of this, the United Nations has called for 2020 to […]
Reflections from the UK-Africa Investment Summit
Last week’s UK-Africa Investment Summit brought together a wealth of businesses, governments and international institutions to showcase and promote the breadth and quality of investment opportunities across Africa. Involving over 800 delegates, 21 African countries, dozens of side events, and hundreds of meetings, the summit meant that 2020 started with a bang. Having invested in […]
Demystifying Impact Measurement and Management for Inclusive Business
Rabayl, what does it mean to be the Impact Specialist at Business Call to Action? I see my role as a coach and guide, working with inclusive businesses to help them better understand and manage the effects they are having on low income populations, whether they are direct or indirect, positive or negative. Most companies […]
Gender Equality is Everyone’s Business: How Can Companies Engage Men as Allies Across the value chain?
Our new report reveals how companies have a unique opportunity to positively influence gender norms at scale by engaging #MenAsAllies to advance gender equality. The global community has only ten years to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality. Yet reports suggest that at current rates, the target is unlikely to be […]
The Real Meaning of ‘Business with Purpose’
‘Business with a purpose’. ‘Stakeholder capitalism’. ‘An economy with a conscience’. These are the catchphrases I hear on everyone’s lips this week at Davos. We could certainly do with stakeholder capitalism. Capitalism’s great engine of growth has also become one of obscene inequality. This week Oxfam revealed that the world’s billionaires own more wealth than 4.6 […]
Why ESG is Core to Long-Term Success in Venture Capital
Successful VC-backed companies have the potential to create large numbers of jobs and deliver impactful services. This is particularly true in emerging markets where the technology-enabled firms targeted by VC investors can leapfrog market constraints to enable large-scale access to essential products and services, including to under-served groups, and create a path into the formal […]
Refugee Food Entrepreneurship: How the Business Community Can Support Sustainable Livelihoods
The global refugee population is at the highest level on record and there is no sign of the crisis abating. The most common private sector response is donations to address immediate humanitarian needs. But, with the average displacement ranging from 10 to 26 years, support is also needed to build sustainable livelihoods for refugees, especially […]
The Triangle That Will Fix Capitalism
It is remarkable how the agenda in this 50th edition of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting has shifted towards calling for a move to stakeholder capitalism, as issued by Klaus Schwab in the new Davos Manifesto. The theme of the 2020 forum itself is: “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World”. How do we get there […]
Is Davos Signalling the End of Business as Usual?
From the vast bushfires of Australia to the not-so-snowy mountains of Davos, the impacts of climate change are impossible to ignore. This week, the world is watching the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting to gauge how global leaders will react. Government and business leaders are already responding to the need for concrete action – including UK leadership and commercial giant Microsoft – by […]
The Company of the Future Must Do Well by Doing Good
The world has got richer, but one billion people still go to bed hungry. Helping society should be a core part of business, not an add-on. A multistakeholder approach ensures long-term success. In the past 50-100 years, we have created immense prosperity. In 2019, global GDP is expected to reach almost US$ 90,000 billion, compared to […]