Archive: September 30, 2020

Business World

Embracing the Work from Home Culture with Cloud Telephony

Sep 30, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Cloud telephony, #Mr. Nagarajan Prakash, #Tevatel

Tevatel rolls out a pragmatic remote collaboration solution to effectively manage business communications through cloud-telephony. The solution is focused on overcoming challenges faced by the sales and customer service teams in embracing the work from home culture.

The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the global order, impelling businesses to adopt an active remote work policy. Though the most challenging phase has passed, companies dealing with sales and customer service business are still struggling with anomalies. Poor communication, accessibility issues, lead identification challenges, and more are common hurdles faced by businesses globally.

Cloud telephony solutions expedite the transition and overcome the shortcoming of working remotely. Businesses can successfully create virtual teams to deal with customers and deliver a seamless service experience effectively.

Here are some remote working capabilities that businesses can leverage through cloud telephony –

A Robust Communication Network 

Cloud telephony brings the entire communication network online and simplifies the disrupted communication cycle through a live dashboard. Employees can connect with and their teammates at any time and place without installing any new hardware.

Virtual Number and IVR Solution 

Bulk business calls dominate customer experience enterprises, with different departments dedicated to handling different queries, there are particular numbers for each department to connect. Cloud telephony delivers a virtual number unifying each department working remotely and attends all customer queries without missing. Furthermore, an Interactive Voice Response system or IVR allows an enterprise to set automated responses for different queries saving significant agent time.

Flexibility

Flexibility is the most significant merit of cloud telephony. Employees can manage their work, collaborate with customers, and access data from anywhere seamlessly. Integrating and using the solution is as easy as installing software and can be done with a mere internet connection from any time zone.

Initiating a new-era of remote collaboration

Cloud telephony has previously witnessed decent adoption rates; however, with the COVID-19 the outbreak, technology has helped enterprises venture into a new world of efficiency and reduced costs. The hefty operational investments endured into maintaining hardware and enormous setup costs will now be irrelevant and obsolete to a certain extent.

Expressing his views on the matter, Mr. Nagarajan Prakash, Co-Founder & Director, Tevatel, said,“ With businesses understanding the economics of remote working and employees adapting to their new work-at-home regimes, we can expect remote working to stay longer than expected. Hence, leveraging collaborative solutions will no longer remain an option but an operational necessity in the future.

Cloud telephony will unlock a host of sales enablement capabilities and allow enterprises to easily adapt to the new reality and flourish in this new paradigm.”

Health

Lack of Social Bonding Accentuates Anxiety Among Urban Indians and Triggers Heart Disease Risks Amid Pandemic- Bharti Axa Health and Wellness Study

Sep 29, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Bharti AXA General, #Bharti AXA Health and Wellness Study, #Sanjeev Srinivasan

Mumbai/Delhi, September 29, 2020: With the lack of social bonding and the lopsided work-life balance accentuating anxiety level among urban Indians in the confinement period and triggering heart disease risks, the number of cardiovascular ailment cases is expected to increase exponentially amid the pandemic.

In fact, COVID-led restrictions have heightened stress and hypertension among urban people in the absence of social bonding and networking and underscored heart complications in the past few months.

These revelations are found in a study conducted by Bharti AXA General Insurance which attempted to gain a better understanding of the psyche of the urban Indian consumers during the lockdown and its subsequent period.

On the World Heart Day, which aims to create more awareness around this unnoticed phenomenon, the Bharti AXA Health and Wellness Study aims to notify that cardiovascular disease risks are faced with a double-edged threat in the time of COVID-19 when people are more at risk of developing severe forms of the virus and they are not doing enough to seek care for their heart health.

As per an estimate by the World Health Organization, with around 1.7 million deaths in 2016 being attributed to this dreaded ailment, heart disease is the leading cause of deaths in India. Lifestyle, diet, lack of sleep, weight, consumption of alcohol and unhealthy habits such as smoking are some of the immediate causes.

Similarly, according to a medical study, the risk of Indians contracting coronary heart disease is around 3 to 4 times higher than that of Americans, 6 times higher than the Chinese and 20 times higher than the Japanese.

“We are living in unprecedented times. The need to be conscious and wary of our physical health and well-being has never been more crucial than it is now. Evident through this study, stress can be an invisible but major contributor to heart disorders as it is a leading cause of cardiovascular ailments. At Bharti AXA General, we take pride in going the extra mile to understand the challenges and experiences that people face in terms of their health and financial safety during these anomalous times,” said Mr. Sanjeev Srinivasan, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Bharti AXA General Insurance.

Lack of social bonding is creating stress

The research study, which interacted with over 1,000 consumers aged over 18 years and above across multiple cities, revealed that older respondents seemed far more apprehensive about not being able to socialize. Almost 50% of respondents above the age of 45 experienced anxiety due to not being able to meet friends or family members as compared to only 36% of respondents between the age of 18 and 34.

Another aspect that emerged was that respondents from larger cities were comparatively more perturbed about not being able to meet their loved ones as compared to their smaller city counterparts. This was evident as 44% of respondents from Mumbai, 48% of respondents from Delhi and 44% of respondents from Bangalore confirmed being anxious about not meeting their friends or family members as compared to 36% of respondents from Jaipur, 27% of respondents from Lucknow and 35% of respondents from Pune.

Better work-life balance in smaller cities

A major finding with regard to individuals work-life balance, 40% of respondents from Ahmedabad, 50% of respondents from Jaipur and 36% of respondents from Lucknow was keen about adhering to strict deadlines about starting and ending their workdays as compared to 33% of respondents from Delhi, 28% of respondents from Bangalore and only 27% of respondents from Mumbai. As many as 58% of respondents from Mumbai and 52% of respondents from Bangalore admitted that their working hours had increased due to no clear boundaries. Interestingly, a recent study noted that screen fatigue is causing strain epidemic among kids and work from home employees.

Older individuals seem to have realized the importance of maintaining good health

A heartening revelation from this study has been that older individuals are investing in their physical health and well-being. As compared to 44% of those between 18 and 24, almost 60% of those who are over 45 take out time to prepare and eat healthy meals. According to this study, the propensity to step out for a walk while maintaining health norms increases with age. This is evident from 43% of those above the age of 45 admitting to going for a walk regularly.

Men were focused more on their health and well-being than women

While comparing the focus on health among men and women, the study showed that 54% of men responded that they have either started or are maintaining an exercise routine as compared to 50% of women who claimed to be doing the same. About 41% of men were focusing on maintaining relationships virtually as compared to 39% of women. Women who were handling both home and office were experiencing higher fatigue (53%) whereas men handling both these activities were claiming that they seem to have extra time for both work and home-related chores (56%).

Mr. Srinivasan pointed out that “World Heart Day is a reminder for organizations, communities and individuals to converse about increasing risks of heart ailments in the ongoing pandemic and wants us to be prudent in maintaining a healthy lifestyle amid growing challenges. This not only requires one to follow proper diets, get adequate sleep and avoid unhealthy habits but wants us to be cognizant of our mental health and lifestyle.’’

Health

“All addictions are rendered powerless in front of kindness and self-forgiveness”, says Kartik Naidu, Transpersonal Therapist and Trainer, Green Aura Holistic

Sep 29, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Green Aura Holistic, #Mr. Kartik Naidu

Drug Abuse and Addiction is a recurring condition that compels the urge of the consumption of drugs. It is compulsive and/or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences. The initial phase of drug consumption can be voluntary for some people. The pattern of drug abuse in India has changed over the years. The current scenario is even worse.

Drug addiction can be defined as a progressive condition that compels people to lose control over themselves despite the consequences of that use. It can be life-threatening. Addictions is not necessarily based on will-power or one’s morality. Addiction is a compelling and complicated disease. People who have an addiction to drugs cannot simply quit even if they are willing to. The drugs change the dynamics of the brain in a way that makes quitting physically and mentally challenging. Treating addiction often necessitates lifelong supervision and therapy.

When asked about the drug abuse and how one can control it, Mr. Kartik Naidu, Transpersonal Therapist and Trainer, Green Aura Holistic, said, “I believe addiction problems happen because of a massive emotional gap amongst people, something that they want to fix through a pleasure reward strategy. Substances give a temporary euphoria and gush of hormones as the dopamine, endorphin, glutamate which make one feel on top of the world for a while but it is temporary and soon the degree of pleasure derived from the same quantity will reduce further soon the pleasure will disappear and all that will be strange mathematics; if you take it, you will have no pleasure, if you don’t take there will be misery and pain.”

He further added, “By making your emotional immunity stronger & healing your traumatic experience is key. All addictions are rendered powerless in front of kindness and self-forgiveness. Self-forgiveness and forgiving others must become a daily practice. If you have addiction problems then it would be only wise to not focus on addiction but to continue the corrective practices. The positive and healing practices will create new neural pathways which will overpower the habits of addiction.”

Business World

Avanse Financial Services raises ~$15 million via External Commercial Borrowing (ECB) Route

Sep 29, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Amit Gainda, #Avanse Financial Services, #Targeted Long Term Repo Operation (TLTRO), #World Business Capital Inc

Mumbai, September 29, 2020: Avanse Financial Services Ltd, India’s new age, education-focused non-banking financial company has raised ~$15 million from World Business Capital Inc., a US-based financial institution and this money is backed by a guarantee from US International Development Finance Corporation (US DFC) via External Commercial Borrowing (ECB) route. The organization has received this long-tenure social impact funding under US DFC’s women empowerment initiative – ‘2X Women’s Initiative’ as ~30% of the students funded by Avanse are women educational aspirants. The ‘2X Women’s Initiative’ aims to catalyse investment in projects that are owned by, led by, or empower the world’s women and supports the administration of Women’s Global Development & Prosperity Initiative (W-GDP).

This new investment is a formidable step towards enhancing the education ecosystem of India. This funding is well-poised to support the expansion of Avanse Financial Services’ education financing program and thus, strengthen its leadership position in the lending space. Avanse is one of the Indian companies to receive this investment as it is on a mission to make education financing seamless and affordable for every deserving Indian student. Its tailor-made solutions are designed to cater to 10,000+ institutes and courses in ~50 countries.

The organization has always been focused on enhancing gender diversity by encouraging women participation in higher education. It celebrates Women’s Day, Daughters’ Day over an extended period by offering special product programs to all interested women students to fulfil their academic aspirations. Avanse Financial Services ensures equal access for all students to secure affordable education financing solutions.

Amit Gainda, CEO, Avanse Financial Services said, “ECB is a unique way of raising funds from the best of global platforms. Based on this process, we have been able to create a new category of long-tenure social impact funding. The fund will be utilized to help more number of deserving Indian students to fulfil their academic aspirations. We will create strategic deployment plans to support the expansion and fulfilment of education aspirations of deserving students.”

Avanse Financial Services is dedicated to create robust platforms to motivate women student participation in higher education. Mr. Gainda added, “We strongly believe that educating women results into empowered families, stronger societies, a knowledgeable economy and ultimately, a prosperous nation. Hence, we will continue to develop products and services to encourage women to pursue their academic aspirations.”

Recently, Avanse Financial Services secured ₹250 crores under Government and regulatory initiatives. ₹100 crores have been raised through the Targeted Long Term Repo Operation (TLTRO) window 2.0 by RBI from leading public sector banks and ₹150 crores under the Partial Credit Guarantee (PCG) Scheme. The organization is one of the pioneers to have started funding non-conventional courses along with the large conventional ones. The NBFC funds courses such as STEM programs, MBA programs and also, some of the non-conventional courses like photography, music, aviation, animation that students want to pursue both in India and in international markets.

Business World

Stonehill International School organizes a Virtual Fund Raiser Founder’s Day Run

Sep 29, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Mr. Brian Brumsickle, #Mr. Jitu Virwani, #Raaidant Sports, #Stonehill International School

Stonehill International School in association with Raaidant Sports organized a virtual Founder’s Day run on Sunday, September 27th 2020. The event witnessed participation from over 400 individuals across Karnataka and the rest of the world.

The virtual run included different categories: half marathon, 10K and 5K Run. Individuals and Corporates came together in this non-competitive event and enjoyed the experience with their family, friends, colleagues and celebrated the day. Some of the participating companies were Wells Fargo, Intel and DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH. The virtual race allowed runners to choose their own course and clock in their time throughout the day, after completing the distance. Post the Run, participants were expected to take a photograph or a selfie and share their run timing as proof. All participants receive a finisher medal through the mail.

Mr. Brian Brumsickle, Head of Stonehill International School said, “At Stonehill, we encourage our students to lead a balanced and healthy lifestyle and this year, despite the restrictions, we were delighted to organize the Stonehill Founder’s Day Virtual Run. It was an excellent opportunity for the community to participate in this wonderful event in a safe manner.”

The proceeds from the registration fees from the Stonehill International School will be donated to the Morning Star Ashram, a home for underprivileged children with physical and mental illnesses.

Stonehill International School was founded in September 2008 by Mr. Jitu Virwani, Chairman & Managing Director, Embassy Group. The Founder’s Day Run takes place every year in September, starting and finishing at the school campus. This year, it went virtual due to the pandemic. The Stonehill Founder’s Day Virtual Run aimed to provide an event like experience in the absence of on-ground events. It was planned to facilitate and encourage people to stay active and keep up with their fitness goals.

Business World

Trifo to launch its first robot vacuum cleaner in India which doubles up as a home security camera

Sep 29, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #home security camera, #robot vacuum cleaner, #Trifo

Mumbai, September 29, 2020: Trifo, a Silicon Valley-based AI home robot company, is set to roll out India’s first Home Surveillance Robot Cleaner with powerful suction capability. Trifo Max series will be launched on September 30 with two models—Max and Max Pet. The series comes with a water tank and ten mopping pads, allowing users to mop the floor while sweeping.

Loaded with patented TIRVS (Trifo Intelligent Robotics Vision System) technology, Trifo Max series has smart learning abilities. Its advanced AI-powered surveillance system can decide the most efficient cleaning route while detecting and manoeuvring around small obstacles such as toys, cables and jewellery. The robot uses its camera to map out different rooms at home and cleans them efficiently.

“Trifo is dedicated to creating home robots that help people achieve a better balance of family, work and personal life. Apart from its powerful cleaning capability and advanced vision navigation system, the Max series is a security device that can detect movement and sound, thereby keeping homes clean and safe,” said Zhe Zhang, Founder and CEO of Trifo.

Max features a strong suction power of 3,000 Pa and its smart camera supporting home security functions. Once the Motion Detection feature is switched on, the robot cleaner can serve as a digital watchdog and inform the family about movements, people, or unusual sounds. If necessary, the built-in microphone and speaker can be used to communicate directly with the intruder or the person on site.

Max Pet is designed especially for furry friends at home. In addition to the home security function, it boasts a more powerful suction of up to 4,000 Pa and has no problem picking up pet hair and larger dirt particles. It comes with an extra pet hair extractor featuring an anti-knotting function ensuring long pet hair does not get stuck.

Through the Wi-Fi enabled Trifo Home App, Max and Max Pet can communicate with the users whether they are at home or away. The app gives real-time access to all of the different features and functions for cleaning while providing a new level of human-robot interaction from the camera. Zhang added, “The specifications, together with a plethora of excellent smart features that it offers at a competitive price, make Max a valuable addition to the Robot Vacuum category. We’re excited to bring Max to India so that homes can live better and smarter”.

Availability and Pricing

After a successful launch in the U.S., UK and European markets, Trifo Max and Max Pet will be available in India on September 30 at Flipkart and Amazon. Max is attractively priced at INR 32,900 given the superior features it offers, while Max Pet is priced at INR 36,900.

Features and Specifications

Robot Vacuum and Security System in One

Supported by the AI-powered surveillance system, the Max series can function as a security robot guarding home while the user is away. The family can set up alert notifications to trigger automatic video recording or have a real-time inspection of a possible break-in by switching on the camera. Max can watch the house even while charging, as its charging port is at the back connecting to the charging station. Users worried about privacy issues can disable the microphone and cameras at any time. None of the videos or other information is stored in the cloud or on the server.

Powerful Cleaning

Max has an optimized vacuum fan that creates 3,000 Pa of suction. Its larger main brush and six-claw side brush reach deep into corners, while its larger dustbin and a washable primary filter are easy to maintain. Max Pet has 4,000 Pa of suction to cope with pet hair and bigger dirt particles.

Advanced Intelligent Vision

The Max series runs on TIRVS (Trifo Intelligent Robotics Vision System)—a combination of proprietary algorithms and the latest deep sensing, perception and decision-making technology. This patented feature ensures the robot always knows where it is, decides the most efficient cleaning route, avoids obstacles and creates a map of its path to repeat later cleaning trips.

Trifo Home App

Users can program it remotely to schedule cleaning, whether they’re home or not. Family members can see where Max or Max Pet has cleaned, through the map it has built, as it works. The app is available at the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Innovative Human-Robot Interaction

The Max series is Alexa-enabled and the family at home can control it using voice commands, such as, “Alexa, turn on Trifo.” When out of the house, the user can speak and listen to other family members, pets, or even intruders using Max’s speaker and mic through the Trifo Home App .… And More

Max’s 5,200 mAh battery keeps it going up to 120 minutes and features a USB port for charging other devices at home.

Business World

20 Minutes of Healthy Emotional Diet Can Help Deal With Stress Better, Suggests BK Shivani at Assocham’s ‘Illness to Wellness’ Series

Sep 29, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Anil Rajput, #BK Sister Shivani, #The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), #Vineet Agarwal

New Delhi, 29, September 2020: The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), one of the apex trade associations of India concluded the seventh edition of the ‘Illness to Wellness’ series themed ‘Work-Life Balance and Stress Management’. The event saw Brahma Kumari (BK) Sister Shivani, one of the leaders of the Brahma Kumaris spiritual movement, hold an active dialogue on inculcating emotional wellness to strike a balance between life and work during a pandemic.

Supported by the hygiene brand SAVLON, the programme, an innovative and comprehensive approach to cascade awareness through wellness campaigns to address preventive healthcare management and to promote health, hygiene, and well-being of people, saw Sister Shivani speak at length about the importance of understanding emotional illness and how setting up a healthy emotional diet can positively help our lives and the people around us.

Elaborating on the definition of emotional fitness, Brahma Kumari (BK) Sister Shivani said, “To be emotionally fit, one needs to be emotionally independent. This means if there is a crisis outside, can you be calm inside. Somebody can be rude or angry to you, be shouting at you, can you still be stable and respond with dignity. This is called emotional fitness, where you are not affected by the energy of the situations and people and have the strength to choose your response.”

She further explained how emotional fitness can be effectively practiced in our day to day lives by making a few conscious decisions focusing on filtration of content being consumed, designing a healthy emotional diet and practicing lifestyle discipline.

“For establishing emotional health, we need to look at emotional diet. The emotional diet consists of what you watch, what you listen and what you read. This makes up our emotional health. Our thoughts are created based on information. The first step to take care of your mind is lifestyle discipline. Take a lot of care of the content you consume. Calibrate how much, how long and the quality of the content you want to consume from social media, digital platforms, television, movies, serials and songs. If the content has too much of stress, violence, anger, criticism, ridicule and others, then that is what you will slowly become.”

She then went on to highlight the importance of practicing daily positive mental affirmations to help us get through a time of uncertainty. “We have created low vibration thoughts for our jobs and business and that has started manifesting. We can change that by choosing high vibration thoughts through affirmations like ‘I am a powerful being, I am a peaceful being, I am a fearless being, My body is perfect and healthy and will always be, I am protected by divine energy circle and so is my family, the same circle exists for my workplace, success is certain for me, abundance is my reality, 2020 is a year of a miracle for my organization and a circle of protection for the planet’. Create affirmations of what you want to see and make it a reality. Practicing just 20 minutes of healthy emotional diet can do wonders.”

BK Sister Shivani also shared a few tips on practicing healthy emotional lifestyle like disconnecting from work-related activities 2 hours before bed, signing out of social media

platforms 1 hour before bed, denoting 10 minutes to journaling before bed so as not take negative thoughts and grudges to sleep and practicing affirmations right before sleep so that the positive high thought vibrations are carried through the sleep time.

Putting forth his thoughts on how work-life balance has taken centre stage during the pandemic, Mr Anil Rajput, Chairperson, ASSOCHAM CSR Council said, “This pandemic has brought the whole topic of work-life balance and stress management to the centre stage. During the pandemic, the world is resetting time, it is making people rediscover themselves, realign their priorities and relook at everything in life. In the past few months, many sectors and industries have opted for work from home. This newly embraced culture is giving rise to challenges like distractions at work, lack of motivation, technological glitches and unsteady work-life balance. To overcome these, as Sister Shivani shared, we need to focus on solutions like being positive to reduce stress and creating emotional independence going forward.”

Mr. Vineet Agarwal, Sr. Vice President, ASSOCHAM, highlighting the importance of work-life balance said, “Work-life balance and stress management is a multi-generational issue that has been expanded and had a deeper impact in the past 40 years across generations. The need for balance is critical to everyone’s life, be it mental, physical or spiritual. Striking a balance has thus come in focus over the past few years.”

Business World

Usha International launches “Airostrong” range of ceiling fans

Sep 29, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Airostrong, #AIROSTRONG Angle, #AIROSTRONG Curve, #Usha International

September 2020: Usha International, one of India’s leading consumer durables brand today launched the AIROSTRONG range of fans. The high lift angle of the blades of these fans ensures wider air spread and uninterrupted power-packed performance for the consumers making them perfect to beat the heat.
The new AIROSTRONG range offers two variants – AIROSTRONG Curve and AIROSTRONG Angle – both of which operate very well even at low voltage, ensuring energy efficiency. With enhanced life expectancy, the fans come in appealing metallic shades that do not rust/dull over time and add a superior touch to well-designed homes. Additionally, these fans function at a high-speed of 390 RPM, with high air delivery of 220 Cubic meters per minute.

The entire range of fans has been designed keeping in mind the needs of today’s consumers who desire that their homes have a high visual quotient and will enjoy the vibrant metallic colour combinations available in the AIROSTRONG variants. Exclusive and specially designed, the AIROSTRONGAngle has aluminium blades and is available in classic shades of Metallic Luxon Gold Black, Metallic Black, White, and Ivory. On the other hand, the AIROSTRONG Curve offers an option of three stylish colours to choose from that include Metallic White, Baker’s Brown, and Bronze.

The AIROSTRONG Curve is priced at INR 2190 and the AIROSTRONG Angle is priced at INR 2280. Both the fans come with a 2-year warranty.

For further details, please visit: https://www.ushafans.com/

Business World

TCL expands operations in Tamil Nadu; launches a new store in Trichy

Sep 29, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Mike Chen, #Shri. B. Balasubramanian, #TCL, #TCL QLED models

Delhi, September 29, 2020: Ramping up its presence across India, TCL, a global top-two television brand and leading consumer electronics company, has opened its new store in Trichy, Tamil Nadu. It was inaugurated by Shri. B. Balasubramanian, General Manager, BHEL, Trichy, in the auspicious presence of other guests of honours, including Mike Chen (Country Manager, TCL), and Arasoorselvan.S, (India Sales Head, TCL).

Now customers can access, book and buy from TCL’s vast array of QLED TVs at the new store, including the 50-inch C715, starting at INR 45,990. The store will also have TCL’s other latest products
such as air conditioners and washing machines in the following festive months packed with appealing deals and offers. So, what are you waiting for? You can start with, grabbing one of the newest QLED TV models and make the festive season much more entertaining.

Some of the amazing features that TCL QLED models offer include quantum dot technology, 4K UHD, and HDR 10+ for an enhanced viewing experience. The hands-free voice control with far-field voice recognition technology is another lucrative feature that ensures smooth TV control by giving voice commands directly to the TV instead of the remote. Then there is Dolby Atmos Audio coupled with DTSsmart audio processing that delivers premium audio output, redefining home entertainment like never before.

Mike Chen, Managing Director, TCL India, said, “We are happy to expand our operations in Trichy with the launch of our new store. It will give customers a wide range of TCL’s QLED TVs to pick at exciting price points and experience the superior quality of entertainment solutions through its cutting-edge technologies and features. Not only will this launch help us drive engagement and boost sales, but also give us another avenue to reach out to customers and provide them with best in class TVs without burning a hole in their pocket.”

Business World

Social Enterprise Thankyou Launches Bold Initiative to Help End Extreme Poverty by Seeking Partnership from Competitors P&G and Unilever, Two of the World’s Largest Companies

Sep 29, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Australia and New Zealand -, #No Small Plan, #P&G and Unilever, #Thankyou

India, 29 September 2020 — Today, Australia-based social enterprise Thankyou announced an invitation to P&G and Unilever – two of the world’s largest and most influential consumer goods companies – to make and distribute Thankyou products globally to help end extreme poverty. To convince these companies to take this bold move, Thankyou is asking people around the world to get involved and show the collective power of the many who believe in this change, through its campaign aptly named “No Small Plan.” Thankyou offers consumer products – personal care and baby product ranges – for the sole purpose of funding life-changing projects.

Thankyou was created to close the gap between the 736 million people* living in extreme poverty around the world and the $63 trillion spent on consumer products each year**. After all the costs in running a business to get great consumer products to people are taken care of, every last cent that Thankyou makes goes toward ending extreme poverty. With this model, Thankyou seeks to flip consumerism…for good.

‘With $63 trillion spent on consumer goods each year while 736 million people are stuck in extreme poverty, we believe that business, as usual, is broken,” said Daniel Flynn, who founded Thankyou in 2008 along with Justine Flynn and Jarryd Burns. “But we also believe that we, together with people and a partnership with one of the two biggest companies in the world, can change this by funnelling the dollars spent on consumer goods into helping end extreme poverty.”

Currently, Thankyou only sells its products in two of the world’s smallest countries – Australia and New Zealand – but with COVID-19 increasing both global poverty numbers and demand for personal care products such as hand sanitiser, the company feels that now is the time to expand, and quickly. If either P&G or Unilever chooses to accept Thankyou’s invitation, together they could change the course of history and route millions of consumer dollars to ending extreme poverty.

Campaign Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ4F46m1_Y4&feature=youtu.be

To encourage P&G and Unilever to say “I’m in” and work with Thankyou to flip the system, Thankyou believes they need to see the collective impact of voices around the world rallying around one movement in the name of ending extreme poverty. To join Thankyou and show support, people can utilize their social media channels and follow these steps:

● Post a photo or share the campaign social title with the caption, “I’m in, are you?”
● Tag @proctergamble and @unilever
● Hashtag #thankyoutotheworld
● Share Thankyou’s video to help this spread even further

Thankyou has set virtual meetings with both P&G and Unilever to take place at the end of the campaign. On November 5, Thankyou will announce which company is “in” on one of the largest digital billboards in the world, in New York City’s Times Square.