SABMiller Supporting Shopkeepers in Latin America
How can big corporations use their power to engage in social inclusion and impact? To discover how the world’s second-largest brewery is making it happen, download this SABMiller case study which I wrote based on my work with them. The case gives insight into SABMiller’s strategic move to incorporate thousands of small business into its […]
Lessons from a Small Business Program in Latin America
In 2012, multinational brewer SABMiller took stock of all of the corporate social investment programs in its portfolio in the six Latin American countries in which it is the market leader: Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Honduras, and El Salvador. What they found—42 separate, often small-scale initiatives—was perhaps not surprising, given that SABMiller’s subsidiaries in those […]
The Business Case for Girls
One of the most common questions we get from entrepreneurs is why we’ve chosen to focus the SPRING Accelerator exclusively on adolescent girls who are living in poverty. Entrepreneurs understand the general business case for base of the pyramid (BoP) consumers, who represent a global market of nearly $5 trillion. They also understand that BoP […]
Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Rural Communities
I met Tania five weeks ago during a field visit to Barisal, a city in Southern Bangladesh. I had gone to collect stories from female entrepreneurs in a small sub-district and learn about their lives before and since they began generating an income. Tania clearly stood out as the youngest of all the women I […]
Gender Equality: Good for Women, Business & Development
As we approach International Women’s Day, some might question whether we still need an officially designated day to champion women’s rights. Some might say that we now enjoy equal opportunities in our workplaces and in society at large, and that the battle has been won. But while businesses are likely to have a gender policy […]
Gender Equality: Good for Women, Business & Development
As we approach International Women’s Day, some might question whether we still need an officially designated day to champion women’s rights. Some might say that we now enjoy equal opportunities in our workplaces and in society at large, and that the battle has been won. But while businesses are likely to have a gender policy […]
Help Shape VSO's Work on Livelihoods
Caption: Barclays employee Anuradha Banerjee on placement in Zanzibar, Tanzania, supporting Nassor Salim Al-Miskiry , the Managing Director of Rans Building Company, one of the local SMEs she helped to maximise local benefits from the recent oil and gas investments in the country. Credit, Tim Maynard, 2014, © VSO Through programmes in 22 countries VSO […]
Help Shape VSO’s Work on Livelihoods
Caption: Barclays employee Anuradha Banerjee on placement in Zanzibar, Tanzania, supporting Nassor Salim Al-Miskiry , the Managing Director of Rans Building Company, one of the local SMEs she helped to maximise local benefits from the recent oil and gas investments in the country. Credit, Tim Maynard, 2014, © VSO Through programmes in 22 countries VSO […]
Launching the 2015 Intrapreneur Labs
So 2014 was a whirlwind of a year for The Intrapreneur Lab – the accelerator programme for social innovations inside large companies conceived by Leadership Laboratories, Accenture and Business Fight Poverty and now held in business schools across the world. At the bottom of this post are a few stats around the 4 Labs we’ve […]
Inclusive Business: Forget Business School Strategy
In the coming decades, the majority of the world’s economic output and market growth will come from the emerging markets. Already, the seven largest emerging markets collectively contribute more to global output than do the G7 countries combined. That said, once one gets beneath the aggregate statistics, these emerging – and dynamic – markets are […]
India’s Companies Act – The 2% Solution
Money should begin flowing to Indian sustainability projects following new legislation. Are the givers and the receivers ready? NGO work is often hard and thankless, an unending attempt to do a lot with a little. However, a groundbreaking Indian law that requires large corporations to invest 2% of their profits in sustainability initiatives may make […]
How to Make Fair Trade Practices the Norm?
The last couple of years have been a low water-mark in the UK’s broken food system. The horsemeat outrage; the scandal of slavery in the shrimp industry; revelations about poor accounting and abuse of buyer power by some retailers. And increasingly aggressive price wars devaluing food and creating a race to the bottom. Through all […]
Solar Seaweed Drying Transforming Lives in Zanzibar
Dar es Salaam, Dec 10th, 2015: Seaweed farming in Zanzibar is undergoing a dramatic transformation thanks to an innovative new way to dry the product during the rainy season. Despite Zanzibar producing some of the best seaweed in the world, the industry is extremely inefficient. Production is among the lowest and cost per kilo is […]
How Nestlé is Creating Shared Value in Mexico
A few months ago, I was invited by the Nestlé Creating Shared Value team in Mexico to participate in a visit to their dairy producers in Aguascalientes, Mexico. We left bright and early for this day trip, which turned out to be an eye-opening experience. We saw first-hand the difficulties that small and growing dairy […]
Innovations Shaping the Future of Fertilizer Use
When a farmer has access to the right kind of fertilizer, the rewards can be great. She will see a dramatic improvement in the yield she can get from her land. In the world’s poorest countries, this will mean the difference between her and her family going to bed hungry or with a full stomach. […]
Counterintuitive Ideas and Sustainable Enterprise
Most business models are formulated by the top of the pyramid. Many business leaders and academics write on the musts haves of a successful base of the pyramid (BOP) business model. Still quite a few of those business endeavors fail. While reasons for failure vary, experience shows that the ability to observe, listen and understand […]
2015 SEED Awards for Social & Environmental Enterprise
In South Africa, a 2014 SEED Award Winner, GreenABLE, recycles empty printer cartridges generating a steady flow of income and employment opportunities for previously unemployed persons with disabilities. In addition, its activities reduce the amount of waste going into landfills. The enterprise is just one example how small scale social and environmental enterprises can contribute […]
2015 SEED Awards for Social & Environmental Enterprise
In South Africa, a 2014 SEED Award Winner, GreenABLE, recycles empty printer cartridges generating a steady flow of income and employment opportunities for previously unemployed persons with disabilities. In addition, its activities reduce the amount of waste going into landfills. The enterprise is just one example how small scale social and environmental enterprises can contribute […]
Accelerating Sustainable and Inclusive Business
A growing number of companies are developing sustainable and inclusive business models that can offer positive developmental impacts—often partnering with the public sector, non-profit organisations, and foundations to leverage complementary capabilities and share up-front cost and risk. A new research report: “Growth for Good or Good for Growth?” by The Fletcher School at Tufts University […]
The Wealth of the Poor
I don’t know about you but I struggle to think of a device I could purchase that would improve my work productivity or help me save money. Actually, looking at the gadgets that clutter my desk I have probably been over-equipped for a long time. By contrast, poor families at the “base of the pyramid” […]