Developing Markets for Sustainable Growth
“Our business is profitable because it is inclusive” was how Javier Flores, green and inclusive entrepreneur from Peru, framed his success when he described the benefits of integrating social and ecological aspects in his business’ bottom line. Over 250 participants from more than 70 countries gathered for two days at the 16th International Business Forum […]
Wandile’s Story – Changing Lives in Soweto
Watch our film to hear Wandile Solombela‘s story, meet some of the Shwe Shwe Poppis employees, and see what difference entrepreneurship is making in Soweto. Vilakazi Street is a bustling thoroughfare in the enormous township of Soweto in Johannesburg. Two Nobel Peace Prize winners have lived here – Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The […]
Portia's Story – How Bees are Changing South Africa
There are some amazing entrepreneurs who are turning everyday challenges into business opportunities. Portia Morudi is one of them. Portia, like most people who grew up in the rural township of Winterveld in South Africa, used to think of bees as pests – the ceilings of her home used to cave in from the weight […]
Portia’s Story – How Bees are Changing South Africa
There are some amazing entrepreneurs who are turning everyday challenges into business opportunities. Portia Morudi is one of them. Portia, like most people who grew up in the rural township of Winterveld in South Africa, used to think of bees as pests – the ceilings of her home used to cave in from the weight […]
Why Intrapreneurship is More Than Just Another Buzzword
If there’s one word with a big chance of topping the list of most-used words in 2013, it is definitely innovation. While widely used by corporations, consultants, politicians and even presidents, many of them can’t tell you what it is or what they expect from it. Along with this broad attention for innovation comes a […]
Creating Opportunities to Overcome Poverty
Sometimes a small investment is all it takes to enable someone to lift themselves out of poverty and to live in dignity. More than 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to financial services. Formal banking structures are often unresponsive to the needs of micro-entrepreneurs, whether street vendors seeking to expand their […]
A Bright Future for All – Building Business Responsibly
Every day, when watching the news and checking the social channels, we see pictures and read stories of famine and floods, droughts and demonstrations, confronting us with the effects of increasing resource scarcity, climate change, food security, civil unrest and poverty. We see the increasing numbers of people left behind. Many wonder how on earth […]
The Power of Sustainable Supply Chains
Supply chains can be made stronger and more sustainable if the people working at different stages in them have stable and sufficient earnings. This is the basis for The Body Shop’s “Community Fair Trade” programme, which ensures 25,000 workers in marginalised communities earn a fair wage. The programme directly benefits more than 320,000 people per […]
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Better Menstrual Hygiene is Good for Business
Every girl has a story about it. No woman, however old, probably forgets the experience of her first period. And the experience is more likely to have been negative than positive. In the developed world, where sanitary products are still advertised using a blue liquid that has yet to emerge from women, there is probably […]
The Role of Business in Tackling the Sanitation Crisis
Approximately 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation, of which nearly 1 billion practise open defecation. The health issues that result are a major source of human suffering while the associated economic issues keep communities, and nations, trapped in poverty. Diarrhoeal disease that is in a large part a result of inadequate sanitation, unsafe […]
Taking Action to Tackle the Sanitation Crisis
This year, United Nations Member States unanimously adopted a resolution to recognise 19th November as World Toilet Day as a way to raise awareness of the 2.5 billion people who lack access to a clean, safe toilet and help generate action to make sanitation a global priority. Today marks the first UN recognised celebration of […]
The Power of Knowledge
The power of knowledge can be used to transform communities. When people, at all stages of their lives, have a better understanding of the demands and constraints of their environment, they make better, more sustainable and more profitable decisions. The provision of information and knowledge can fuel innovation and enable individuals and communities to lift […]
Unlocking the Power of Business to Address Poverty
Businesses around the world are helping to address some of the biggest challenges of our time. Business in the Community’s Responsible Business Awards shine a spotlight on businesses that are transforming their business by integrating responsible business practices into their business model, while transforming the communities in which they operate, creating positive impacts for all. […]
Fighting Poverty: What's in it for Business?
It’s time to discuss the business opportunities in serving poor consumers. The Case for Ending Poverty You may feel, as I do, that poverty is humankind’s greatest shame. But there are numerous practical considerations, too: the horrendous waste of human talent; the prospect that the end of wide-scale poverty might lower the level of conflict […]
Fighting Poverty: What’s in it for Business?
It’s time to discuss the business opportunities in serving poor consumers. The Case for Ending Poverty You may feel, as I do, that poverty is humankind’s greatest shame. But there are numerous practical considerations, too: the horrendous waste of human talent; the prospect that the end of wide-scale poverty might lower the level of conflict […]
Big Ideas from Small Entrepreneurs
In February this year I walked into our Freetown office, in Sierra Leone, and was greeted with “Think Small! You’re here! Welcome!” – who needs a name when one has a project so closely associated with you? It’s true… when I look at the blogs I’ve written and my work in general, most of my […]
Typhoon Haiyan – How Business Can Help
Business in the Community is urging businesses to go beyond money and to use their resources, skills, products, services and networks to support people in the aftermath of the typhoon in the Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan is reported to be the strongest storm ever recorded that has hit land. It has caused shocking devastation and destruction […]
Partnership Vital to African Innovation
One of the biggest obstacles to innovation and entrepreneurship in Africa is the lack of access to funding. It seems innovators cannot find investors and investors cannot find innovators. We have to bridge this gap. The Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) is a platform that addresses this challenge by identifying innovators, rewarding them, assessing their […]
5 Tips on How to Navigate your Corporate Ecosystem
What would Machiavelli say about the politics of a 21st century corporation? Surely, the recent financial crisis, media phone tapping and other corruption scandals would come as no surprise. In Machiavelli’s world, ‘the means justifies the end.’ But, what would he make of the political acumen of social intrapreneurs – individuals inside large companies developing […]