Business
Looking for positive and inspiring business stories? From green operations to employee rights, from innovative corporate structures to diversity and inclusion, the Business section at The Optimist Daily has got the latest innovative solutions from the corporate sector.
The Bandung tech startup aiming to use mushrooms to help grow houses
A simple farm in the misty hills above the Indonesian city of Bandung is not the place one might expect to find a budding technology startup. This is farming land and it always has been. But the team at Mycotech is growing much more than vegetables. Their dream is to grow Read More...
A single question can cut useless meetings from your schedule forever
Meetings are a serious drain on an organization’s time and resources, consuming up to 17 percent of the workweek and an estimated $37 billion per year. Some confabs are inarguably essential to business operations, and others . . . aren’t. Vague or nonexistent agendas, rooms full of people who Read More...
Ikea joins Big Clean Switch to offer 100 percent renewable energy tariff
Ikea is calling for households to join its latest joint venture – a collective energy switch that promises an exclusive 100 percent renewable electricity tariff. The furniture retailer has joined forces with the “Big Clean Switch” campaign to use a collective switch to secure cheaper green Read More...
How to creatively cut down on plastic waste as a small firm
From upcycling to incentivising staff, here are three ways that SMEs are avoiding plastic waste and encouraging Read More...
In rural India, wild honey farmers are using bees to fight terrorism
Much of the world's honey is contaminated with pesticides. In a recent study, 200 honey samples from around the world were examined for neonicotinoid insecticides; 75 per cent of them tested positive. For Amit Hooda, co-founder of Heavenly Organics, this isn't new information. His belief? That Read More...
Heineken brews science-based targets alongside hundreds of other brands
More companies are working on being more sustainable, but small steps won’t be enough to avert a global temperature spike, experts say. Instead, major, strategic shifts using science-based targets are the way to Read More...
A study of Indian garment workers shows the productivity power of soft skills
The ability to communicate, lead, persuade, and persist are seen as increasingly important in companies where the ability to work in teams and across disciplines is prized. Studies have demonstrated that workers who combine technical ability with those soft skills have more job opportunities, and Read More...
Shell's pivot to renewables sharpens with California deal
Royal Dutch Shell Plc, the world’s second-biggest oil company, is expanding its bet on renewable energy. Shell’s North American unit agreed to provide a credit line for trading and a revolving loan facility to Inspire Energy Holdings LLC, according to a statement Wednesday. The Santa Monica, Read More...
Unilever is demanding Facebook and Google to help clean up the Internet
Unilever, the second-largest marketing spender in the world, has announced a pressing ultimatum to Facebook and Google: Clean up the internet, or the company will stop advertising on their platforms. The chief marketing officer of the company said Unilever will no longer invest in “platforms or Read More...
Why novels are the best business books you can read
Business-minded books may help you get an edge on the competition, but novels can be even more effective. Of course, not every novel offers the same chance to boost your emotional intelligence, but the ones that emphasise characters’ relationships certainly can. Novels with strong character Read More...