Aside from producing and selling new ranges, most big global companies pay a lot attention to charity and social projects, proving that today business means not only making money but sharing it as well. Sometimes, to pursue these goals, companies create unpredicted alliances—one of them—Ford Motor Company plus General Mills—has been formed recently to support the school funding the Box Tops for Education (BTFE) initiative in the USA, running for the 15th straight year. Starting today, October 3, the automobile giant joins the food manufacturer in rolling out a two-month program to generate $1 million in support for schools across the country.
philanthropy
Global alcohol manufacturers pay attention not only to the amount of drinks they sell, but to responsible drinking as well. One of them, AB InBev UK, has initiated a study, conducted by Populus and Mumsnet, to reveal what influences young people’s attitudes to drinking and what they consider the most reliable source of information when it comes to talks about alcohol. The study revealed, that young people in the UK believe parents educate them better on the alcohol consumption issue than teachers or even health advisers (31% compared to 9% and 9% respectively)—but it’s better for them to source advice from other parents (37%), shared through a website (82%). To encourage the talk, AB InBev UK launched a new project dubbed Family Talk UK on the Facebook platform, where parents of teens are able to get advice related to the theme.
IBM is addressing a range of city challenges with its groundbreaking technologies to help make metropolitan areas around the globe a better place to live. As part of its Smarter Cities project, the technology giant offers solutions to a variety of urban problems in transportation, building, education, public safety, healthcare and more areas, creating cities of the future. On September 28, the company announced its collaboration with Streetline, Inc., the leading global provider of sensor-enabled mobile and web applications for smart parking solutions, aimed at helping people with tips for finding parking spaces faster and providing urban areas officials with the ways to alleviate traffic congestion.
Starbucks wants its coffee to be available in all countries of the world, to all people, but this requires not only opening new chain stores, but also offering equal purchasing opportunities to all customers. For visually impaired consumers, the coffee giant has released its Fall 2011 card featuring the word ‘Starbucks’ in Braille, which is now available in participating Starbucks stores in the U.S. and Canada for a limited time and can be also purchased online at StarbucksStore.com while supplies last.
Toyota USA has begun to collect stories from Camry owners within the new ‘Camry Effect’ initiative. About seven million Camry drivers in the United States are encouraged to register on an online platform and share the moments connected with their Camry such as first dates, road trips, soccer games, job interviews and college days etc. In this way, Toyota wants to evaluate its 30-years impact on the American culture.