Making social media meaningful

Social Media Week aims to bring together the most meaningful ideas, trends and best practises currently taking off on various digital platforms all over the world that are having a positive impact on business, society and culture. Events will take place in 20 cities including Sydney, Berlin and Johannesburg between 22-26 September. 

UK Prime Minister welcomes first social enterprise county

Oxfordshire is the first county to be officially named as a 'Social Enterprise Place' by Social Enterprise UK. David Cameron, who's own constituency is located within the county, has backed the announcement. Oxfordshire is "a beacon of social enteprise activity" said the Prime Minister.

Walmart supports woman-owned suppliers

35 companies owned by women have become suppliers to corporate giant Walmart over the past two years since the retailer launched its Empowering Women Together programme two years ago which aims to help women build better lives through "sales opportunities, training and promotion". 

Danish Prime Minister calls on governments to go green

Helle Thorning-Schmidt says governments around the world can create greener economies by learning from the Danish experience. They must "provide a conducive economic and regulatory environment for businesses to innovate sustainable practices and technologies", the Prime Minister wrote in Eco-Business magazine.

Smartphones to become 'pocket doctors'

Smartphones will soon be able to map degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease according to a mathematician at Aston University. The technology is currently able to record movement, location, activity and voice – and it is hoped that extensive research will unlock its potential as a medical diagnostic tool.

Disaster relief for flood-hit regions counts under India's new CSR law

Companies in India spending money on relief material for flood-hit regions Jammu and Kashmir will be allowed to count this towards their mandatory 2% spending on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives under the Companies Act, a senior government official said. Disaster relief can't otherwise be counted as part of companies' mandatory 2% spending.

Cabinet Office contributes £250,000 to Grow Your Tenner campaign

The UK's Office for Civil Society – a part of the Cabinet Office – has given a quarter of a million pounds towards this year's Grow Your Tenner campaign from Localgiving. The campaign aims to raise £4m for small, local charities. These charities make up 50% of the UK's voluntary sector by number of organisations but receive just 0.6% of the funding.

Photo credit: Unsplash