Are Intrapreneurs the New Rock-Stars?
The past few years has seen the emergence of the ‘cult of the entrepreneur’ with growing visibility of entrepreneurs in the media; ‘celebrity’ entrepreneurs such as Sir Richard Branson and stars from shows such as Dragon’s Den in the UK (Shark Tank in the US) are receiving recognition which, in the past, may have been […]
Big Business, Bigger Impact
“Let us bring the invisible heart of markets to those the invisible hand of markets has left behind,” said Sir Ronald Cohen during the Skoll World Forum opening plenary on Wednesday night, stressing that business and social good go hand-in-hand. Of particular interest to me within that paradigm was a session called “Big Business, Bigger […]
Voices from the South and the Post-2015 Agenda
The second Bridging the Gap for African Women in business conference was held in Kampala Uganda on 6 March 2014. The conference was part of this year’s International Women’s Day celebrations organized by the charity Let Them Help Themselves Out of Poverty and aimed to engage African Women in Business in a conversation on the […]
Getting Confused Over How to Support Social Enterprises
Although a community of organisations and actors unites around the loosely defined and variously understood concept of ‘social enterprise’, providing tighter definition is important in order for government and donors to offer targeted support. As part of a recent project reviewing social enterprise activities in Kenya and Vietnam, we at ODI used the following definition […]
Intrapreneurship to Develop Talent
Intra-what…? Intrapreneurship is the emerging phenomenon of entrepreneurial employees within large companies working on a profitable innovations that create social impact. These often start as ‘side-of desk’ projects and don’t sit neatly within the established corporate structure. David Grayson of Cranfield School of Management & one of the world’s leading thinkers on this trend speaks […]
Multinational Mining: Think Global, Procure Local
Last week, the global mining community gathered in Toronto for the 80th annual PDAC Convention. When PDAC first hosted the CSR Event Series, it reflected the growing focus of the international mining sector on corporate social responsibility. This year, however, marked the first time that the subject of local procurement was discussed, mirroring a shift […]
Challenges Facing SMEs in South Africa
The challenges of running a small business at the Base of the Pyramid are numerous and under estimated. I decided to write a blog post to raise awareness on these challenges and prepare those of us that work in support of micro entrepreneurs to do so more effectively. At the Micro Franchise Accelerator (MFA) in […]
Moving India Toward Universal Financial Inclusion
As the Nachiket Mor committee report on financial inclusion in India continues to make headlines, we spoke with Mor to discuss its recommendations in detail. In part two of our Q&A, he covers issues that include: Why India needs to move toward a cashless economy; How India’s regulatory systems will need to evolve as more […]
A SIDA Perspective on the Private Sector
An Interview with Lena Ingelstam, Director of Partnerships and Innovations, SIDA – the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. The interview was conducted by the Business Call to Action. Lena Ingelstam is director of partnerships and innovations for the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). She has been working in Sida in a number of positions, […]
A Visionary Approach to Financial Inclusion
The words “banking committee report” and “excitement” aren’t often found in the same sentence. But there’s no other way to describe the reception the Nachiket Mor committee report on financial inclusion has received – both in India and globally. Commissioned by the Reserve Bank of India and released earlier this year, the report garnered headlines […]
Global Partnerships for a Post-2015 World
The case for development partnerships is clear: We know that in order to tackle the global challenges we face, we need to get important actors from different sectors to work together towards a common agenda for tackling complex problems like malaria, malnutrition, poverty, or environmental degradation. What we don’t understand well enough yet is HOW […]
Water and Energy – Interlinked and Interdependent
The theme of this year’s World Water Day is ‘Water & Energy’, highlighting the fact that the two resources are closely interlinked and interdependent. Energy generation and transmission requires utilization of water resources, whilst about 8% of global energy generation is used for pumping, treating and transporting water to various consumers. A third element that […]
Fairtrade: Celebrating the First 20 years. What’s Next?
The Fairtrade Foundation launched its first products – coffee, chocolate and tea – 20 years ago. As one of the Oxfam types who sat around in the late 80s debating whether UK supermarkets would ever stock ‘alternative trade’ products, this is a moment to savour. We’ve come a long way. Sales in 2013 were £1.78 […]
How to Overcome the Fear of Working with the BOP
One of the reasons why companies and financial institutions fear entering the low-income market segment (the so called base of the pyramid or BOP) is the risk that this entails. The lack of knowledge about the preferences and tastes of this population, as well as their variable income stream are some of the factors that […]
Creating Shared Value Transparently
I have spoken in the past about the importance – and challenges – of being more transparent and sharing progress in meeting our societal commitments at Nestlé. For this reason, I am proud to share our 2013 Creating Shared Value report, published this week. In this year’s report we have taken another step forward in […]
Let the Lifecycle Be Your Guide
As a company that’s been helping to pioneer on sustainability for most of our 160-year history, we’re excited to have the opportunity to share some of our learnings through the Sustainable Apparel Series in partnership with Triple Pundit and other brands. Throughout this series we hope to share lessons, provide actionable insights, and examples of […]
Creating Shared Value in Global Education
Pearson Plc In a 2013 study conducted by the UN Global Compact and Accenture, 40 percent of more than 1,000 chief executives surveyed identified education as one of the top sustainability challenges affecting their core business. A similar study by The Conference Board found that 90 percent of CEOs cite education as a ‘very’ or […]
How to Overcome the Fear of Working with the Base of the Pyramid?
One of the reasons why companies and financial institutions fear entering the low-income market segment (the so called base of the pyramid or BOP) is the risk that this entails. The lack of knowledge about the preferences and tastes of this population, as well as their variable income stream are some of the factors that […]
Behind the Brands: What Progress One Year On?
In February 2013 we launched an ambitious campaign using the power of consumers and investors to hold the world’s biggest food and drinks companies to account for what happens in their supply chains. One year on, private sector adviser Erinch Sahan reveals how the policies of the Big 10 have changed. It’s a year since […]
Why Does Healthcare Need ‘Intrapreneurs’?
When most of us think about entrepreneurs, a certain image springs to mind. It is of an individual pursuing their big idea outside of the confines of a large business; of an intrepid individual heading into the ‘Dragon’s Den’ or making their fortune in Silicon Valley. But, that kind of disruptive innovation is not limited […]