Business, Disease and Global Health: Taking collective action on workplace health to create a healthier future
In crises, swift action is critical. Yet, business leaders should also use this time to rethink the “old normal” for workplace health, particularly for poorer workers in their global supply chains. The “old normal” views workplace health through narrow lens of occupational safety. Most manufacturing suppliers in lower-income countries consider their health and safety staff […]
Responsible Businesses Step Forward – Governments Can’t Fight this Virus Alone
As the limits on our go-to crisis-management tools become clear, it is increasingly apparent that we need the private sector to join the coronavirus front line. There’s a reason the White House has asked Walmart and others to help with drive-thru testing and Downing Street wants manufacturers to shift production lines to building ventilators. Governments, […]
3BL Media Opens CSRwire for Free Social Impact Communications Around COVID-19
Meanwhile, the guidelines that public health officials have urged all of us to follow have been a disruption to all organizations, including the world’s largest corporations and NGOs taking on some of the most daunting challenges as each of us does our part to flatten the curve. To that end, 3BL Media, realizes that many organizations have […]
Three Priorities for Business on the Coronavirus
On 11th March 2020, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared novel coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic. At time of writing, there are more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost their lives. It is likely that many more countries will be affected, with particularly devastating impacts for countries with […]
Paul Polman Calls for Ambitious Collaboration to Tackle COVID-19
Fight, Not Flight, Must be the Strategy for Flattening the COVID-19 Curve
The number of coronavirus cases in Kenya has jumped to three after the government confirmed two more cases. President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced a raft of proactive measures to prevent the spread of the virus. Barely three months into the COVID-19 outbreak, stock markets have plummeted, and global supply and production systems have wobbled. Across […]
How Can Inclusive Finance Help in a Pandemic?
The government has been proactive in learning from the experiences of other countries in preventing the transmission of the virus and mitigating the impacts on households and businesses. Examples include: The Ministry of Health’s initial communication confirming the first case and subsequent information on identifying, quarantining, and testing those in contact. The Competition Authority of […]
The Role of Businesses in Preventing Further Spread of COVID-19
The internet has been flooded with videos of handwashing dances; every world leader urging us to wash our hands; and lines for the sink in bars and restaurants as customers jostle to scrub their fingers and palms before returning to their table – all in aid to reduce the spread of novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. […]
4 Ways Business in Italy is Taking a Stand Against the Consequences of Coronavirus
Of all the things that I expected to do in Rome this weekend, waving to my best friends from a cold distance and stocking food supplies were never part of the plan. Scanning through the abundance of Italy-is-Doomed news and social media posts, my attention was captured by how many companies were reacting. In this short article, […]
COVID 19 – Accelerating Our Virtual Productivity
Turning social distance in to social productivity COVID19 may be leading to travel bans and cancelled events, meetings and workshops, but it doesn’t have to reduce our productivity, social connection and interactions. Virtual sessions can be even more productive, not just saving travel time and carbon, but getting deeper and more focused interaction with our teams and peers. […]
Five Golden Rules of Successful Partnerships
Fortunately, there is a wealth of experience about what works and what doesn’t, and in my role at Business Fights Poverty I have been fortunate to observe and learn from many individuals and organisations over the past 15 years. Take a look, for example, at the close to 400 articles on our site, our reports that explore case studies, […]
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 […]
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 […]