Uni Student Starts Sustainable Business From his Flat

Starting a business can be hard, especially when you’re in your first year of an Economics degree. With the determination to rid the world of plastic, that’s exactly what British student Tom Benford did in 2018. With a growing business and a prestigious Chamber of Commerce award under his belt, at just 21 years old Tom is on track to make waves in the global sustainable business market. Tom had always had an affinity for entrepreneurship and jokes that when he was 11, he bought cheap supermarket branded custard creams to sell on to his fellow classmates, undercutting the school …

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5 Ways to Make Your Business Sustainable

A business can either fail or succeed. Its outcome greatly depends on the consistency of the business in social, financial and environmental aspects. The ability to make your business sustainable comes from the effort of these three elements. In addition, we place the focus on the environmental aspects as your business’ sustainability depends on how eco-friendly it really is. What is Sustainability in Business? In order for a business to be consistent, it needs to assemble traction right from the start. With steady traction going forward you can make your business sustainable. A setback here and there is completely normal, …

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Lessons from Sweden in Sustainable Business

There is an increasing trend among companies across the globe to report on their sustainability. As well as information on the company’s economic performance, this includes information on how it is handling social, ethical and environmental concerns. It is a trend driven by customers, suppliers, employees and banks in recognition that these are just as important elements of any business. Often, the level of information provided by companies is criticised for being inadequate. But my recent research into Swedish companies shows that the quality of information does appear to be increasing. It also shows what areas are in need of further improvements …

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Does Sustainability Communications Have To Be So Boring?

In the earnest, fact-based world of sustainability communications there is no room for spin, but companies need to be brave enough to talk about failure, says PR agency boss Lou Hoffman. Companies hate talking about their failures, especially when it comes to sustainability. But being open about their weaknesses as well their achievements might help firms avoid one of the biggest corporate communications sins: being boring. This was the advice offered by public relations veteran Lou Hoffman, president and chief executive officer of San Jose-based global tech PR firm The Hoffman Agency, who for 30 years has managed the reputations of the likes of global business giants …

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Sense in Sustainability: the Changing Focus for Boards

Sustainability has become more than a trendy buzzword in business in the past few years as an increasing number of companies are putting it at the centre of their strategies. Boards are waking up to the fact that there is more to a sustainably run business than eco-friendly behaviour. They are seeing the broader picture and shifting to a business model that takes more responsibility for all stakeholders—including employees and supply chains—and focuses on efficient, cost-effective operational strategies that can help boost the bottom line. In the UN Global Compact–Accenture Strategy CEO Study carried out last year, 87% of global chief executives …

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Liberated Leaders: Leading Through Growth, Change and Disruption

Are you an ‘already’ successful business leader with a strong vision for the future, experiencing challenges in the current business environment, spurred on by growth, change and disruption? If you want to build a future-ready workforce, Liberated Leaders would love to help.  Liberated Leaders is an applied Leadership Program with a special focus on skills, practices and capabilities to navigate change and disruption. We offer leaders greater confidence and skills to lead through change and disruption, to foster an aligned and engaged team, ensure business relevance to secure customers (now and in the future), build capacity to engage in any conversation …

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Business signage: one sign, multiple perspectives.

Dr. Mandy Rudge, Senior Lecturer, Ideaschool, Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT), Taradale, Aotearoa / New Zealand In 2012 and in 2015, a group of researchers surveyed a sample of business signage in 43 North island communities and 10 communities in the South island of Aotearoa / New Zealand. It was in the process of gathering, analysing and contextualising this data that I (one of the researchers) became aware of the varied and diverse ways that people view business signage. For graphic designers it is vital that commercial signage is detectable, conspicuous, legible and comprehensible (Signage Foundation, 2012) but it should …

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