23. Nov, 2011 •
Categories: Uncategorized •
by Olivia Khalili
As I said in this The Washington Post article by Olga Khazan, people want to feel the products they buy are more than just products. The article tells the story of how Holstee’s founders, while launching their business, declared what they stood for in a manifesto. The manifesto reads like something out of a self-help book: [...]
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21. Nov, 2011 •
Categories: Rants & Raves •
by Olivia Khalili
If you’re helping to build a business with a social mission, maybe you can identify with this excerpt from an article I co-wrote in The Guardian. Suggesting you are a social entrepreneur or work for a social enterprise often sounds a bit silly to first-time listeners. “Is that a fancy way of saying you’re a party [...]
1 Comment
30. Aug, 2011 •
Categories: Events •
by Olivia Khalili
This year attracted a record number of proposals (3,283) for sessions at SxSW Interactive. Listed below are some of the topics I hope to see brought to life, hashed out, revered and questioned at the festival next March. As they primarily (although not all, black market innovations and digital nomadism made the list) relate to [...]
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13. Aug, 2011 •
Categories: Businesses, Corporate Social Responsibility •
by Olivia Khalili
Ray Anderson, the CEO of InterfaceFLOR, died this week. He called himself a radical industrialist, and stood as an icon for many on account of his brazen–and successful–efforts to transform InterfaceFLOR, an industrial carpet manufacturer, into a responsible business. Perhaps most importantly, he demonstrated that intolerance for environmental exploitation can be highly profitable. In illuminating the [...]
2 Comments
27. May, 2011 •
Categories: Business Models, Businesses, Consumer Behavior, Corporate Social Responsibility •
by Olivia Khalili
How did a travel company grow its revenue by 42 percent during the recent economic stall? It attracted more customers (around $150 million worth) because it aligned its business model with sustainability. “Sustainability is at the forefront of our business model because of customer demand,” says Gap Adventures CEO, Bruce Poon Tip. A demand that Bruce [...]
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21. May, 2011 •
Categories: Business Models, Businesses, Corporate Social Responsibility •
by Olivia Khalili
Panera Bread’s pay-what-you-want model is working. One year ago this week the Panera Bread Foundation openend its first Panera Cares Cafe, a store that looks in almost all regards like the company’s 1,453 others. The prime distinction is that this St. Louis adjacent cafe lists suggested donation amounts instead of mandatory prices and accepts whatever [...]
5 Comments
13. May, 2011 •
Categories: Business Models, Businesses, Corporate Social Responsibility •
by Olivia Khalili
Walmart’s $4 prescription drug plan, which makes nearly all prescription drugs available for $4, has generated more than $2 billion in savings for its customers, with a specific benefit to Medicare recipients and the uninsured. But it wasn’t launched as a social responsibility initiative. It was launched as business strategy. And it’s proven extremely successful, [...]
3 Comments
22. Apr, 2011 •
Categories: Consumer Behavior, Rants & Raves •
by Olivia Khalili
Slovenian philosopher and theorist Slavoj Žižek swings a sledge hammer at the knees of ‘cultural capitalism’ in this 10-minute video. And I admit, my knees buckled for some moments as I listened to his critique of Starbucks for its fair trade coffee, of philanthropist George Soros and of ‘charity businesses’ like TOMS Shoes. Žižek argues that [...]
7 Comments
13. Apr, 2011 •
Categories: Build a Purpose-driven Business, Businesses, Cause Marketing •
by Olivia Khalili
Companies that practice conscious capitalism benefit from putting their employees first. The Container Store, REI and Joie de Vivre have shown this to be true, even as the lagging economy has pushed other companies to downsize. At The Container Store, employees are prioritized over customers and shareholders. It’s a core company principle that influences all business decisions. Full-time employees earn an average [...]
3 Comments