The origins of financial services were good. Banks, insurance companies and investment houses used the power of the collective to pool and manage money, offering the customer a better deal than had they been acting alone.

On October 5 - 7, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation will convene more than 300 business leaders and experts for Connect the Dots: How Businesses Solve Global Challenges Locally.

This year's conference will focus on how businesses build engagements that align local impact to global strategy and will showcase successful business examples.

Today is the last day to save up to 20% on registration - sign up today!

Guest post written by Caltech Amgen Scholar Isabelle Rosenthal

As we clambered out of the bus, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Amgen Symposium which was taking place over the next few days. I had already spent the previous four weeks as an Amgen Scholar at Caltech getting to know my compatriots there, but this was new territory on another campus and with every Amgen Scholar in the country.

Farmers unions believe the milk industry is in crisis and that a solution is urgently needed to the way food is sold in Britain. This August, there have been nationwide protests by dairy and livestock farmers who claim they are facing "financial devastation" because of falling lamb and milk prices

It all started with a scribbled note on the steps of Angkor Wat in 2007. It was onthisnote that friends Robbie Reese and Garrett Gravesen, graduates of the University of Georgia, conceptualized their big idea for transforming study abroad. Their vision – to lead transformative experiences – would be the foundation for Global LEAD, an innovative, purpose-driven organization, focused on leading life-changing experiences for youth, at home and abroad.

Can businesses really thrive and succeed in doing right by people? It always seemed so but but now the proof is in the pudding. Fortune Magazine, one of the top financial publications, and FSG, a non-profit social consulting firm, have recognized GSK as #6 in the world as a company that’s doing well by doing good for other people.

CEMEX named #16 in Fortune’s Change the World list, a ranking that recognizes 50 companies worldwide that have made a sizable impact on major global social or environmental problems as part of their competitive strategy. CEMEX is the only Latin-American based company included and the only company from the construction materials sector.

Information technology can’t stop the rain, but the intelligent collection and use of data can help governments and others plan proactively for disasters and mitigate their impact. Following the devastating Typhoon Haiyan (also known as Typhoon Yolanda), the Philippine Department of Science and Technology began working with IBM in 2013 to launch an integrated disaster management solution.

By the time they reach middle school, students from upper-income families have likely spent 6,000 more hours learning than students from lower-income families. But this critical gap in education isn’t an achievement gap, it’s an opportunity gap. Citizen Schools aims to close that gap by partnering with middle schools in underserved communities and providing students opportunities to learn new skills, discover new careers and pursue new dreams.