Political Protest & Dissent, Social Entrepreneurship & Social Responsibility of Business, Business Life - General & Miscellaneous, Environmental Activists & Organizations

Spreading the Wealth

Name: Spreading the Wealth
Author: Joel Makower
ISBN: 9780671883256

by Joel Makower

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Overview

Practices that benefit employees, communities, and the environment aren't just good deeds - they're good business decisions that have a direct and lasting impact on the bottom line. Moreover, consumers are beginning to factor the way a company does business into their purchasing decisions. Companies across the nation, whether they make ice cream or engine blocks, are recognizing that in order to create and sustain economic opportunity and reap the rewards of a good reputation, they must put their policies where their principles are. The leaders of this new business vision have learned what works - and what doesn't - through years, sometimes decades, of experience and experimentation. Beyond the Bottom Line distills the firsthand insight and wisdom of CEOs and other corporate leaders from dozens of enterprises, such as Freddie Mac, Reebok, Fel-Pro, South Shore Bank, and Timberland, to provide a definitive guide to this brave new world. Whether you run a company or just work for one, you'll find here abundant inspiration and examples of how businesses can safeguard the environment and improve the lot of their employees, their communities, and the world beyond while ensuring their own long-term profitability.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In this energizing study, Makower (The E Factor) and the advocacy group Business for Social Responsibility theorize that firms ``function best when they merge their business interests with the interests of customers, employees, suppliers.'' This social responsibility thesis-or ``caring capitalism''-is illustrated with examples from numerous well-known companies (Reebok, Body Shop). Practical tips abound as we learn how firms inaugurate such policies as environmental protection and family leave. The text is replete with quotations from memos, brochures, statements of CEOs and the like. Also included is a corporate reputation/responsibility assessment tool developed by the Levi Strauss company. Unfortunately, however, the study has nothing to say about successful firms that eschew social responsibility or those motivated only by regulatory agency guidelines. Illustrations. (Oct.)

Library Journal

Not so long ago, business viewed enterprise as a zero sum game (i.e., I win; you lose). Today, the two words that consume business are credible and responsible. Value-driven management has achieved what marketers call critical mass. Makower (The E Factor, LJ 2/1/93) presents the case for corporate social responsibility in realistic terms: "One of the most socially responsible things most companies can do is to be profitable....[W]ithout such viability, even the best designed and well-executed efforts will be for naught." This book, which follows in the lineage of Harvey Cox (The Secular City, 1966) and Robert Reich (The Greening of America, 1970), deals with the contemporary issues of empowerment and environment as well as corporate beneficence. Essential for business collections.-Steven Silkunas, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority, Philadelphia

David Rouse

Little more than three years ago, Business for Social Responsibility was formed as an alternative to more-traditional chambers of commerce whose probusiness agendas often come into conflict with such progressive social concerns as creating a more human workplace, environmental awareness, and community involvement. Makower tells the story of this new organization, which has grown from 50 to more than 700 members--with a roster of hundreds of small businesses, but also including Levi Strauss, Starbucks, and Reebok. He also offers concrete evidence that corporate social responsibility is good for business because it leads to increased productivity and profits, and he shows how like-minded programs can be implemented at individual companies.