Robert J.S. "Bob" Ross is Research Professor of Sociology and the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise in Clark University. The son of a teacher and a garment worker and the grandson of garment workers, Ross has cared deeply about workers and their conditions and has been learning and teaching about these matters since 1994. He is Vice-President of the Sweatfree Purchasing consortium, an organization of nineteen cities and states which are working to remove sweatshop labor from the supply chains of their public purchasing of uniforms. The author of Slaves to Fashion: Poverty and Abuse in the New Sweatshops, Ross has written extensively on the global apparel industry and labor conditions and workers’ rights in it. His writings on these and other issues have appeared in variety of professional and journalistic sources.

Why do we turn to nonprofits, NGOs and governments to solve society's biggest problems? Michael Porter admits he's biased, as a business school professor, but he wants you to hear his case for letting business try to solve massive problems like climate change and access to water. Why? Because when business solves a problem, it makes a profit -- which lets that solution grow. TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.