TED talks: why business can be good at solving social problems – Michael Porter

Businesses, and not governments, NGOs and non-profits, are the most important parts of the solution to many of the massive problems the world faces. That’s according to Michael Porter, professor at Harvard Business School, in this week’s featured TED talk.

Porter was once described by Fortune magazine as “the most famous and influential business professor who has ever lived“. He is famous for saying, “Innovation is the central issue in economic prosperity.”

In the TED talk, filmed in June 2013, Porter says that when business solves a problem, it makes a profit. This, he adds, allows the solution to develop, so business might just be the key driver in the face of the huge social and environmental threats we face.

To watch this video on the TED website, click here.