A social issue is a problem that influences a lot of people in society. Social issues are frequently talked about in the news and by policy makers in government. The library databases below can help you brainstorm possible social issues to explore for your business idea.
Once you've identified what social issues you might be interested in, find examples about how companies are addressing social issues. This will give you ideas about how your own business might be used to address a social issue. Some examples of companies that are active in addressing social issues are:
-Bosch -Ben & Jerry's
-Starbucks -Ikea
-Levi Strauss & Co. -Virgin Atlantic
-3M -General Electric
And many more!! Most big companies that you can think of have a grant, foundation, or charity arm that tackles a social issue that is important to the company. Sometimes information about these initiatives can be found on a company's website. You can also search the library databases below for newspaper and magazine articles about specific efforts a company focuses on. Some keywords that might be helpful when searching these databases:
"social responsibility"
"corporate responsibility"
"social entrepreneurship"
"social issues"
You can even combine these keywords with the name of a company. An example search might look like:
"social responsibility" AND "walmart"