The earthquake in Japan occurred months ago, but there are still many areas of the country that need support. Last month, American Express set out to reignite attention and support for the relief efforts by launching “Friends of Japan,” its first-ever global social media program on Facebook.

Friends of Japan is a social, word-of-mouth campaign that builds upon previous contributions and fundraising activities by Amex since the disaster struck.

The campaign encourages people from around the world to share messages of hope through the Amex Facebook page (facebook.com/americanexpressjapan). Visitors from around the world will receive a customized experience based on their location, as the “Friends of Japan” area on the page will be translated into Chinese, English, French, German, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish.

Visitors can select one of four messages or create their own messages of hope for Japan, in the form of a virtual postcard. American Express will donate $1 for every Read more…

Sports have always been an important part of my life.

Whether it’s basketball, baseball, tennis, football, swimming, running or soccer, I’ve always been involved in sports in some aspect or the other.

Playing sports has kept me fit and out of trouble. It’s taught me individual (strength, perseverance) & team (interpersonal, collaboration) skills.

Most importantly, sports have taught me responsibility.

My actions (big or small), always have an impact on myself, teammates and the game. By being accountable, it’s forced me to always strive to become better.

Better World

Nike is a brand that’s synonymous with sports.

Seek high performance in any sport, and you’ll find a Nike product that is specifically designed to help you do better.

In recent years however, Nike has opened up its “better” focus towards positively impacting society, and the environment.

Earlier this year, Nike launched its corporate responsibility micro-site “Nike: Better World” with one mission: Make the world better through sport.

Start of by Read more…

When I say ‘Coca-Cola’s reputation’, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?

Coca-Cola may not have the greatest reputation for its business practices around the world, but for thousands of women in many developing countries, the Company’s business decisions aren’t looking so unjust!

When It All Started

At the 2010 Clinton Global Initiative Meeting in New York City, Coca-Cola’s CEO Muhtar Kent announced the Company’s FiveByTwenty project – their pledge to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs in the developing world by 2020. The idea is to integrate profit-making with local community support, not through charity, but through innovative and inclusive business models. For women entrepreneurs around the world, this means access to the skills training, small-business loans and professional networks that are crucial to the prospect of a bright future for themselves and their families.

By 2020, The Coca-Cola Company aims to partner with civil society and other private sector actors Read more…

This story begins with Jacqueline Novogratz’s favourite blue sweater…

Jacqueline Novogratz: Founder of Acumen Fund

And so this amazing tale inspired Jacqueline’s ambitious venture into social good with her creation of Acumen Fund: an organization dedicated to investing in social entrepreneurs and enterprises focused on providing critical goods to the world’s poor.

Investing Patient Capital in Social Entrepreneurs

By using the idea of patient capital (where investors are willing to make a financial investment in a business with no expectation of turning a quick profit) and investing this into people trying to solve vital problems for the poor in their region, this essentially creates a system that combines both businesses (whose bottom line is profit) and philanthropy (a focus on creating a positive impact on society), ultimately breaking the cycle of poverty.

Since a social entrepreneur’s model is based on not one but three bottom lines – People (society), Planet (the environment) & Profit Read more…

I believe every kid wants to be a rock star.

Whether it’s a drummer, the singer, the sound engineer or even perhaps the band’s tour manager, since the advent of MTV and the music video revolution, kids everywhere have been subjected to motivations of being the next Beyonce/Ozzy Osbourne. However, the odds are heavily in favour of those with money on their side, to buy musical equipment and fund their dreams.

This is not fair. Dreams are for everybody.

The Reality Star

Seeking to target older demographics looking for softer pop music, VH1 was created in 1985 as a New York City venture aimed at building on the success of MTV’s music video revolution. The overall focus on VH1 is primarily that of popular music, while the network has moved into the reality television market.

Creating music is free. However the means of producing such creative art is not.

In many cases, music educational programs have Read more…

I feel a sense of irony sitting here at my local Starbucks drinking my skinny vanilla latte, writing about why Starbucks is at the top. But honestly, it’s where I go to write all my articles.

So…Why Starbucks?

Being in a Starbucks makes me feel good.

Be it the fresh “fair trade” coffee served in a recycled cup telling me that I’m a “pioneer” for using it. My cup holder letting me know that it’s also made of recycled materials. The napkin informing me that Starbucks doesn’t use trans fats, artificial flavours or high-fructose corn syrups in my brown bagel.

I feel very socially responsible buying coffee from Starbucks.

However, I’m at the end of the line…Starbucks’ goodness actually begins with their mission statement.

“We’ve always believed that businesses can – and should – have a positive impact on the communities they serve. So ever since we opened our first store in 1971, we dedicated ourselves Read more…

What could technology possibly have to do with nature?

Images conjured of a futuristic society are devoid of all things natural; so why would Sony be teaming up with the World Wildlife Fund? Personally, I think it is to create a new crayon color: sustainable green. But until they reveal this true intention here’s what they’re saying right now.

First, I can forgive you if you’ve never heard of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). It happens. Their mission and purpose is to conserve all things natural and wild for appreciation and use by future generations.

However, if that explanation alone doesn’t satiate your curiosity head over to Kristin McFarland’s post to learn more about WWF and the different (yet unified) approaches they have to achieving their goals. Now if you’ve never heard of Sony then I am inclined to say you never had a childhood. But it’s never too late to start – Read more…

At the beginning of this year (2010) when I heard that Pepsi was not going to put in a Super Bowl ad, I was pretty shocked as I reminisced on the great Pepsi vs. Coke advertising battles.

Advertisements. People may hate them, but I love them!

For those of you in North America, watching the Super Bowl also meant watching some of the best of the best adverts of the year on TV. A successful 30 second Ad during the game meant instant iconic pop-culture status – a brand’s dream.

Now that you understand my surprise, you can appreciate why I was even more shocked when I heard that, instead of spending $20 million on Super Bowl ads, Pepsi decided to put their money into Pepsi Refresh – an online platform/marketing campaign which solicits the best ideas from consumers, and in return, donates up to $20 million in grants to good causes and Read more…