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Can Firms Aim to Do Good if It Hurts Profit?
Blake Jones of Boulder, Colo., is one of the many modern entrepreneurs who say their goals extend beyond increasing the bottom line to such pursuits as reducing child poverty or protecting the environment. But he worries that embracing a mission other than maximizing profits could open the door to shareholder lawsuits because of decades-old corporate governance laws.A co-founder and chief executive of Namaste Solar, Mr. Jones says his eight-year-old company gives 20% of its annual after-tax profits to local projects, such as a nearby children's museum and a bicycle-recycling program. It also offers up to $30,000 in solar-system installation grants to schools and other nonprofits. But "according to state law," he says, "we don't have any legal protection for doing business the way we do" even though such practices attract customers who also "want to do good."
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- Uncategorized
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Micro loans reverse poverty cycle
With an average loan of about $150, more than two million families in India, Indonesia, The Philippines, China and Ghana are leaving poverty behind thanks to Opportunity International Australia.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- Asia Pacific
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- microfinance
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“Being a woman gives me patience and humility”
Aparajita Agrawal's Sankalp Forum is the first platform globally that has social enterprises at its core.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
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World Bank: Africa’s economic growth to outpace average
Economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa should significantly outpace the global average over the next three years, according to the World Bank.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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- poverty alleviation, scale
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Nairobi Company Develop Innovative Technique for Waste Management
Just one-third of Nairobi’s trash makes it to the single municipal dumpsite at Dandora.
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- Uncategorized
- Tags
- waste
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Social impact measurement: time to admit defeat?
'Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts', said Einstein. Perhaps it's time to heed this lesson.
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- Uncategorized
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Social enterprise franchise: a 10-question test
Franchising isn't easy, especially in the social enterprise sector. So what do you need to have in place before you do it?
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- Uncategorized
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Pakistan’s social entrepreneurs eager to unlock innovation potential
A changing mindset can help the country establish an enabling environment in which social enterprises can flourish
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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