This year’s Skoll World Forum on Social Enterprise only confirmed the accelerating levels of interest in social business. The event brought together representatives from the private, public and non-profit sectors, all of whom agreed on one point: inclusive business is the future. However, there is one point which lacked any degree of accord: namely, what … Continue reading Demystifying social enterprise and inclusive business
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Is big business appropriating social enterprise?
Photo via Unsplash, Clarks Tibbs Social enterprise has made it to the main stage. Companies from Unilever to Coke are embracing the concept and even starting their own enterprises. Speakers at last year’s Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship included representatives from Marks & Spencer, Cisco, Pepsico and Nike. But is this burgeoning interest a … Continue reading Is big business appropriating social enterprise?
What the BBC didn’t say about workers in Bangladesh
Photo via Unsplash, Yaopey Yong The BBC's recent Panorama investigation, Dying for a Bargain, brought welcome attention to the issue of workers' rights in the Bangladesh garment sector, where more than 1,100 people recently died in the collapse of a garment factory at Rana Plaza. It rightly pointed out that up to a million people work in … Continue reading What the BBC didn’t say about workers in Bangladesh
How financial literacy can help build the market for micro-insurance
Unsplash Via Rupixen Microinsurance is one part of the range of services and products that the poor need to help overcome poverty and reduce their vulnerability to shocks. However, as with all products, to be sustainable, any microinsurance model also needs to be profitable. Fortunately for the insurance industry and its clients, it’s being demonstrated that … Continue reading How financial literacy can help build the market for micro-insurance
The business case for worker empowerment: Evidence from the Sri Lankan tea sector
Photo via Unsplash, Asantha Abeysooriya I've written about the business case for empowering women producers before; but the financial justification for inclusive business goes much further than that. Today, CARE International published "A Different Cup of Tea: The Business Case for Empowering Workers in the Sri Lankan Tea Sector" which demonstrates that companies investing in … Continue reading The business case for worker empowerment: Evidence from the Sri Lankan tea sector
Three reasons why the UK National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights should prioritise gender
This week the UK government takes the historic step of becoming one of the first institutions to make an official statement on how companies should operationalize the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, more commonly known as the Ruggie Principles. Leading the process to formalize the ambitious but sometimes vague standards laid … Continue reading Three reasons why the UK National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights should prioritise gender
Why the Ruggie Principles require every company to empower women
Photo via Unsplash Duncan Shaffer I’ve written previously that there is business case for companies to empower women; what I didn't mention was that even if there were not, there would still be a strong legal case for them to do so. The global standard for the responsibilities of business vis-à-vis human rights is the … Continue reading Why the Ruggie Principles require every company to empower women
The evolution of multi-stakeholder initiatives: Lessons for the Bangladesh garment sector
Photo via Unsplash, Sazzad Bin Jafor In the months since the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh sparked a drive to address worker health and safety in the garment sector, I’ve been suffering a severe case of déjà vu. Here’s how it has played out: high-profile exposure of human rights abuses, coupled with intense lobbying … Continue reading The evolution of multi-stakeholder initiatives: Lessons for the Bangladesh garment sector
Preventing another Rana Plaza: Mapping the path forward
Photo via Unsplash, Nicola Fioravanti This week American stakeholders announced the formation of the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety and signatories to the European Fire and Building Safety Accord released their Implementation Plan. While both agreements represent steps in the right direction, to address the root causes of the Rana Plaza disaster, both initiatives must … Continue reading Preventing another Rana Plaza: Mapping the path forward
Will millennials change the face of corporate responsibility? One millennial weighs in.
Photo via Unsplash Daniel Thomas Everyone has something to say about millennials, the generation born from 1980 to the present, including how they will shape the future of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability. Depending on who you ask, the coming of the millennials will mean either a new era of robust and transparent approaches … Continue reading Will millennials change the face of corporate responsibility? One millennial weighs in.
The 3 most common misconceptions about business and human rights
Photo Via Unsplash, Marcus Spinske Human rights remains a topic that companies may reference perfunctorily in their codes of conduct, but few really seem to understand. In their defense, this is in part because, first, best practice standards on business and human rights are often nascent at best, and, second, human rights tend to expressed … Continue reading The 3 most common misconceptions about business and human rights
What your BOP strategy is missing: A gender lens
This blog was originally posted on Business Fights Poverty. It is based on the findings of the Strengthening the Dairy Value Chain project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and implemented by CARE International Bangladesh and US. Debate on the possibilities at the base of the pyramid (BOP) is ubiquitous; nonetheless, too often regulated to a … Continue reading What your BOP strategy is missing: A gender lens
Two reasons to ignore the business case for sustainability- and what we can do about it
Photo Via Unsplash, Noah Muscher There is a strong business case for sustainable and inclusive business; however, advocates should acknowledge that transitioning to this model will not always come without cost. There are three ways we can overcome these obstacles. Everyone is talking about the benefits of sustainable and inclusive business. In a recent speech, … Continue reading Two reasons to ignore the business case for sustainability- and what we can do about it
Alexa Roscoe 