The Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best-Run Companies Are Achieving Economic, Social and Environmental Success — and How You Can Too: Andrew W. Savitz, Karl Weber

• Filed under: Business

Editorial Reviews

Review
Andrew Savitz recalls a conversation he had with a purchasing manager at a large telecommunications company. The man was adamant that social responsibility had nothing to do with his job, which was to buy products at the lowest price.

“Would you buy from a foreign supplier that you knew was employing 10-year-old girls and paying them 60 cents a day for their labour?” Savitz asked.

“Of course I wouldn’t do that,” came the reply.

“Not even if the supplier offered the lowest price, if child labour was legal in that country and if no one could possibly find out?”

“No,” the manager replied. “It would not be right.”

“Do you think your company would support your decision to sacrifice profit in this case?” Savitz persisted.

“Absolutely, I’m certain of it,” the manager said.

Do not be deterred by the unfortunate title of this forthcoming book. In just 250 pages, rich in anecdotes, Savitz makes a lively and cogent case that no company or manager can afford any longer to ignore the world around them. Many of the reasons companies face “the age of accountability” are familiar, but it is useful to see them pulled together: our shared sense of vulnerability, fostered by climate change and natural disasters, coupled with the awesome power that global corporations have accumulated; the goldfish bowl in which companies operate; their increased exposure through networks of business partners and global supply chains; the campaigns mounted by lawyers, non-governmental organisations and shareholder activists.

But this book is not a tract admonishing business to take its responsibilities seriously. Its central argument is an upbeat one that is gaining currency: it makes financial sense for companies to anticipate and respond to society’s emerging demands. In the long run, says Savitz, the sustainable company is likely to be highly profitable.

There is a flipside: companies that fail to respond, or thumb their noses at society, are likely to pay the price.

What is a sustainable company?

Savitz and Karl Weber, his co-author, spend time on their definitions-a sensible move given the confusion and spin that often surround this debate. Sustainability is not about philanthropy, which has nothing to do with the company’s main purpose. Nor is it merely about ethics. The authors even prefer “sustainability” to “responsibility”, arguing that the latter emphasises benefits to society rather than benefits to the company.

For Savitz, who created the environmental practice at PwC and has worked with some of America’s biggest companies, it is about conducting business in a way that benefits employees, customers, business partners, communities and shareholders at the same time. It is “the art of doing business in an interdependent world”. The best-run companies find “sustainability sweet spots”-areas where shareholders’ long-term interests overlap with those of society. Implausible? Look at General Electric, with its revenue-boosting Ecomagination green technology, says Savitz. Or Toyota’s fuel-efficient Prius. Or Unilever’s Project Shakti in India, training 13,000 women to distribute its products to rural customers and thereby greatly increasing families’ income while expanding its market penetration. Every company can find a sweet spot, he suggests, even if it is the minimal one of cutting costs by reducing energy use, employee accidents or the chances of a lawsuit-though some of this could just as well be called smart risk management.

In the second half of the book, he explains how to translate all this into “business as usual”: how to decide what it means for the company; how to work with stakeholders, not against them; how to set enforceable goals in difficult areas such as child labour. Throughout, the arguments are driven by pragmatism, not dewy-eyed altruism. The narrative occasionally suffers from its American slant. The English Quakers, after all, pioneered decent working and community practices long before Henry Ford.

Even if you do not agree with it all, this is a thoughtful guide for managers who still harbour doubts about the point of sustainability, who are taking tentative steps towards it or who are seeking a clearer path through the maze. With luck, it should also help the anoraks in the sustainability industry to distinguish the wood from the trees.

-Financial Times, July 5, 2006

“…excellent new book… a compelling case for change.” (The Marketer, January 2007)

“Important issues, well presented, that deserve a wide audience” (Long Range Planning, July 2007)

Review
“Required Reading” -Fortune Magazine

“Savitz makes a lively and cogent case that no company or manager can afford any longer to ignore the world around them.”- Financial Times

“Perhaps the best, most comprehensive book to date on corporate sustainability”-Social Funds

“Whether you are a corporate manager, investor, consumer, or  public official, this book will change your view of how corporations can succeed for themselves and for society. Savitz combines vision and practical advice in an elegant presentation.”
—George Stephanopoulos, chief Washington correspondent, ABC News; anchor, This Week with George Stephanopoulos

“Informative, persuasive, and practical, containing valuable advice for anyone seeking a more responsible and profitable approach to business.”
—Steve Reinemund, chairman and chief executive officer,
PepsiCo

“The main challenge of sustainability is how to take it from concept to action. Andy Savitz communicates in plain language what sustainability is and how everyone in the organization can help achieve it.”
—Charles O. Holliday, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer, DuPont

“An engaging mix of powerful ideas and practical advice. Values matter and Savitz shows how profitability and responsibility can and must go hand in hand.”
—Michael Morris, chairman, president, and chief executive officer, American Electric Power

“At long last a plain English, action-oriented guide to business sustainability illustrated with practical examples from world-class companies.”
—Richard Cavanagh, president, The Conference Board, Inc.

“Andy Savitz gets it. He also happens to be witty, sensible, and a good writer as well as a good business strategist—sort of a modern Ben Franklin. That makes this book a joy to read as well as indispensable for businessmen who wish to succeed in this new age.”
—Walter Isaacson, president and chief executive officer, Aspen Institute; former chairman and author, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

“A bold and readable foray into this complex subject. Readers will come away enlightened.”
—Kert Davies, research director, Greenpeace US

“Some circumstantial evidence is very strong,’ Savitz and Weber recall Thoreau saying, ‘as when you find a trout in the milk.’ The flood tide of corporations they profile provides powerful evidence that the triple bottom line is going mainstream.”
—John Elkington, founder and chief entrepreneur, SustainAbility

“A timely contribution to why big corporations engage in sustainable
development and how managers can implement it in their companies.”
—Bjorn Stigson, president, World Business Council for Sustainable Development

“Must-reading for any corporate manager or investor seeking the ‘sweet spot’ where financial and stakeholder interests meet. It provides powerful arguments, cogent analysis, great stories, and dozens of real-world insights into how companies are enhancing profits through sustainability strategies.”
—Mindy Lubber, executive director, CERES; former regional administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency

“Savitz and Weber’s The Triple Bottom Line offers a perspective that is already influencing the wisest and most socially responsive corporations in the world.  This well-written, insightful, and practical book will guide executives for decades to come.”
—Max Bazerman, Jesse Isador Straus Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

“Amidst the proliferating number of books on corporate sustainability topics, Savitz’s The Triple Bottom Line is a refreshing relief. Its accessible style, jargon-free language, and thematic organization avoids the tendency toward cheerleading and case study overdose characteristic of the field.  Savitz speaks with clarity, authority, and good humor.”
—Allen White, senior fellow, Tellus Institute; cofounder, Global Reporting Initiative

“The Triple Bottom Line is full of practical advice based on Savitz’s hands- on experience working with corporate managers.  This book is a very readable guide for those who want to build a successful and sustainable business for the twenty-first century.”
—Arnold S. Hiatt, former chairman and CEO, the Stride Rite Corporation 

“Most executives have a superficial or misguided understanding of sustainability. The Triple Bottom Line should be required reading for business leaders who seek to enrich their shareholders, society, and themselves.”
—Scott Cohen, editor and publisher, Compliance Week

“Responsible leadership ensures that what we have today will be around for future generations. This book shows us both what it takes to lead responsibly and what happens when people fail to do so. An insightful book for those who seek how they can personally make a difference.”
—Samuel DiPiazza, global chief executive officer, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

“Andy Savitz puts sustainability in a clear, practical framework supported with real business examples.”
—Travis Engen, former president and chief executive officer, Alcan, Inc.; chair, Prince of Wales’ International Business Leaders Forum; chairman, World Business Council for Sustainable Development

“Lots of books instruct executives on the latest secrets to management success. But this one offers hands-on tips for how managers can turn corporate social responsibility into profit. Savitz. . .seeds practical advice amid compelling real-life corporate stories.” -Global Proxy Watch

Order The Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best-Run Companies Are Achieving Economic, Social and Environmental Success — and How You Can Too: Andrew W. Savitz, Karl Weber form Amazon.

The Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best-Run Companies Are Achieving Economic, Social and Environmental Success — and How You Can Too: Andrew W. Savitz, Karl Weber

• Filed under: Recommended

Editorial Reviews

Review
“…Savitz makes a lively and cogent case that no company or manager can afford any longer to ignore the world around them…a thoughtful guide for managers who still harbour doubts about the point of sustainability…” (Financial Times, July 5, 2006) “…excellent new book… a compelling case for change.” (The Marketer, January 2007) “Important issues, well presented, that deserve a wide audience” (Long Range Planning, July 2007)

Andrew Savitz recalls a conversation he had with a purchasing manager at a large telecommunications company. The man was adamant that social responsibility had nothing to do with his job, which was to buy products at the lowest price.

“Would you buy from a foreign supplier that you knew was employing 10-year-old girls and paying them 60 cents a day for their labour?” Savitz asked.

“Of course I wouldn’t do that,” came the reply.

“Not even if the supplier offered the lowest price, if child labour was legal in that country and if no one could possibly find out?”

“No,” the manager replied. “It would not be right.”

“Do you think your company would support your decision to sacrifice profit in this case?” Savitz persisted.

“Absolutely, I’m certain of it,” the manager said.

Do not be deterred by the unfortunate title of this forthcoming book. In just 250 pages, rich in anecdotes, Savitz makes a lively and cogent case that no company or manager can afford any longer to ignore the world around them. Many of the reasons companies face “the age of accountability” are familiar, but it is useful to see them pulled together: our shared sense of vulnerability, fostered by climate change and natural disasters, coupled with the awesome power that global corporations have accumulated; the goldfish bowl in which companies operate; their increased exposure through networks of business partners and global supply chains; the campaigns mounted by lawyers, non-governmental organisations and shareholder activists.

But this book is not a tract admonishing business to take its responsibilities seriously. Its central argument is an upbeat one that is gaining currency: it makes financial sense for companies to anticipate and respond to society’s emerging demands. In the long run, says Savitz, the sustainable company is likely to be highly profitable.

There is a flipside: companies that fail to respond, or thumb their noses at society, are likely to pay the price.

What is a sustainable company?

Savitz and Karl Weber, his co-author, spend time on their definitions-a sensible move given the confusion and spin that often surround this debate. Sustainability is not about philanthropy, which has nothing to do with the company’s main purpose. Nor is it merely about ethics. The authors even prefer “sustainability” to “responsibility”, arguing that the latter emphasises benefits to society rather than benefits to the company.

For Savitz, who created the environmental practice at PwC and has worked with some of America’s biggest companies, it is about conducting business in a way that benefits employees, customers, business partners, communities and shareholders at the same time. It is “the art of doing business in an interdependent world”. The best-run companies find “sustainability sweet spots”-areas where shareholders’ long-term interests overlap with those of society. Implausible? Look at General Electric, with its revenue-boosting Ecomagination green technology, says Savitz. Or Toyota’s fuel-efficient Prius. Or Unilever’s Project Shakti in India, training 13,000 women to distribute its products to rural customers and thereby greatly increasing families’ income while expanding its market penetration. Every company can find a sweet spot, he suggests, even if it is the minimal one of cutting costs by reducing energy use, employee accidents or the chances of a lawsuit-though some of this could just as well be called smart risk management.

In the second half of the book, he explains how to translate all this into “business as usual”: how to decide what it means for the company; how to work with stakeholders, not against them; how to set enforceable goals in difficult areas such as child labour. Throughout, the arguments are driven by pragmatism, not dewy-eyed altruism. The narrative occasionally suffers from its American slant. The English Quakers, after all, pioneered decent working and community practices long before Henry Ford.

Even if you do not agree with it all, this is a thoughtful guide for managers who still harbour doubts about the point of sustainability, who are taking tentative steps towards it or who are seeking a clearer path through the maze. With luck, it should also help the anoraks in the sustainability industry to distinguish the wood from the trees.

-Financial Times, July 5, 2006

“…excellent new book… a compelling case for change.” (The Marketer, January 2007)

“Important issues, well presented, that deserve a wide audience” (Long Range Planning, July 2007)

Review
“Required Reading” -Fortune Magazine

“Savitz makes a lively and cogent case that no company or manager can afford any longer to ignore the world around them.”- Financial Times

“Perhaps the best, most comprehensive book to date on corporate sustainability”-Social Funds

“Whether you are a corporate manager, investor, consumer, or  public official, this book will change your view of how corporations can succeed for themselves and for society. Savitz combines vision and practical advice in an elegant presentation.”
—George Stephanopoulos, chief Washington correspondent, ABC News; anchor, This Week with George Stephanopoulos

“Informative, persuasive, and practical, containing valuable advice for anyone seeking a more responsible and profitable approach to business.”
—Steve Reinemund, chairman and chief executive officer,
PepsiCo

“The main challenge of sustainability is how to take it from concept to action. Andy Savitz communicates in plain language what sustainability is and how everyone in the organization can help achieve it.”
—Charles O. Holliday, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer, DuPont

“An engaging mix of powerful ideas and practical advice. Values matter and Savitz shows how profitability and responsibility can and must go hand in hand.”
—Michael Morris, chairman, president, and chief executive officer, American Electric Power

“At long last a plain English, action-oriented guide to business sustainability illustrated with practical examples from world-class companies.”
—Richard Cavanagh, president, The Conference Board, Inc.

“Andy Savitz gets it. He also happens to be witty, sensible, and a good writer as well as a good business strategist—sort of a modern Ben Franklin. That makes this book a joy to read as well as indispensable for businessmen who wish to succeed in this new age.”
—Walter Isaacson, president and chief executive officer, Aspen Institute; former chairman and author, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

“A bold and readable foray into this complex subject. Readers will come away enlightened.”
—Kert Davies, research director, Greenpeace US

“Some circumstantial evidence is very strong,’ Savitz and Weber recall Thoreau saying, ‘as when you find a trout in the milk.’ The flood tide of corporations they profile provides powerful evidence that the triple bottom line is going mainstream.”
—John Elkington, founder and chief entrepreneur, SustainAbility

“A timely contribution to why big corporations engage in sustainable
development and how managers can implement it in their companies.”
—Bjorn Stigson, president, World Business Council for Sustainable Development

“Must-reading for any corporate manager or investor seeking the ‘sweet spot’ where financial and stakeholder interests meet. It provides powerful arguments, cogent analysis, great stories, and dozens of real-world insights into how companies are enhancing profits through sustainability strategies.”
—Mindy Lubber, executive director, CERES; former regional administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency

“Savitz and Weber’s The Triple Bottom Line offers a perspective that is already influencing the wisest and most socially responsive corporations in the world.  This well-written, insightful, and practical book will guide executives for decades to come.”
—Max Bazerman, Jesse Isador Straus Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

“Amidst the proliferating number of books on corporate sustainability topics, Savitz’s The Triple Bottom Line is a refreshing relief. Its accessible style, jargon-free language, and thematic organization avoids the tendency toward cheerleading and case study overdose characteristic of the field.  Savitz speaks with clarity, authority, and good humor.”
—Allen White, senior fellow, Tellus Institute; cofounder, Global Reporting Initiative

“The Triple Bottom Line is full of practical advice based on Savitz’s hands- on experience working with corporate managers.  This book is a very readable guide for those who want to build a successful and sustainable business for the twenty-first century.”
—Arnold S. Hiatt, former chairman and CEO, the Stride Rite Corporation 

“Most executives have a superficial or misguided understanding of sustainability. The Triple Bottom Line should be required reading for business leaders who seek to enrich their shareholders, society, and themselves.”
—Scott Cohen, editor and publisher, Compliance Week

“Responsible leadership ensures that what we have today will be around for future generations. This book shows us both what it takes to lead responsibly and what happens when people fail to do so. An insightful book for those who seek how they can personally make a difference.”
—Samuel DiPiazza, global chief executive officer, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

“Andy Savitz puts sustainability in a clear, practical framework supported with real business examples.”
—Travis Engen, former president and chief executive officer, Alcan, Inc.; chair, Prince of Wales’ International Business Leaders Forum; chairman, World Business Council for Sustainable Development

“Lots of books instruct executives on the latest secrets to management success. But this one offers hands-on tips for how managers can turn corporate social responsibility into profit. Savitz. . .seeds practical advice amid compelling real-life corporate stories.” -Global Proxy Watch

Order The Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best-Run Companies Are Achieving Economic, Social and Environmental Success — and How You Can Too: Andrew W. Savitz, Karl Weber form Amazon.

The Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best-Run Companies Are Achieving Economic, Social and Environmental Success — and How You Can Too: Andrew W. Savitz, Karl Weber

• Filed under: Recommended

Editorial Reviews

Review
“…Savitz makes a lively and cogent case that no company or manager can afford any longer to ignore the world around them…a thoughtful guide for managers who still harbour doubts about the point of sustainability…” (Financial Times, July 5, 2006) “…excellent new book… a compelling case for change.” (The Marketer, January 2007) “Important issues, well presented, that deserve a wide audience” (Long Range Planning, July 2007)

Andrew Savitz recalls a conversation he had with a purchasing manager at a large telecommunications company. The man was adamant that social responsibility had nothing to do with his job, which was to buy products at the lowest price.

“Would you buy from a foreign supplier that you knew was employing 10-year-old girls and paying them 60 cents a day for their labour?” Savitz asked.

“Of course I wouldn’t do that,” came the reply.

“Not even if the supplier offered the lowest price, if child labour was legal in that country and if no one could possibly find out?”

“No,” the manager replied. “It would not be right.”

“Do you think your company would support your decision to sacrifice profit in this case?” Savitz persisted.

“Absolutely, I’m certain of it,” the manager said.

Do not be deterred by the unfortunate title of this forthcoming book. In just 250 pages, rich in anecdotes, Savitz makes a lively and cogent case that no company or manager can afford any longer to ignore the world around them. Many of the reasons companies face “the age of accountability” are familiar, but it is useful to see them pulled together: our shared sense of vulnerability, fostered by climate change and natural disasters, coupled with the awesome power that global corporations have accumulated; the goldfish bowl in which companies operate; their increased exposure through networks of business partners and global supply chains; the campaigns mounted by lawyers, non-governmental organisations and shareholder activists.

But this book is not a tract admonishing business to take its responsibilities seriously. Its central argument is an upbeat one that is gaining currency: it makes financial sense for companies to anticipate and respond to society’s emerging demands. In the long run, says Savitz, the sustainable company is likely to be highly profitable.

There is a flipside: companies that fail to respond, or thumb their noses at society, are likely to pay the price.

What is a sustainable company?

Savitz and Karl Weber, his co-author, spend time on their definitions-a sensible move given the confusion and spin that often surround this debate. Sustainability is not about philanthropy, which has nothing to do with the company’s main purpose. Nor is it merely about ethics. The authors even prefer “sustainability” to “responsibility”, arguing that the latter emphasises benefits to society rather than benefits to the company.

For Savitz, who created the environmental practice at PwC and has worked with some of America’s biggest companies, it is about conducting business in a way that benefits employees, customers, business partners, communities and shareholders at the same time. It is “the art of doing business in an interdependent world”. The best-run companies find “sustainability sweet spots”-areas where shareholders’ long-term interests overlap with those of society. Implausible? Look at General Electric, with its revenue-boosting Ecomagination green technology, says Savitz. Or Toyota’s fuel-efficient Prius. Or Unilever’s Project Shakti in India, training 13,000 women to distribute its products to rural customers and thereby greatly increasing families’ income while expanding its market penetration. Every company can find a sweet spot, he suggests, even if it is the minimal one of cutting costs by reducing energy use, employee accidents or the chances of a lawsuit-though some of this could just as well be called smart risk management.

In the second half of the book, he explains how to translate all this into “business as usual”: how to decide what it means for the company; how to work with stakeholders, not against them; how to set enforceable goals in difficult areas such as child labour. Throughout, the arguments are driven by pragmatism, not dewy-eyed altruism. The narrative occasionally suffers from its American slant. The English Quakers, after all, pioneered decent working and community practices long before Henry Ford.

Even if you do not agree with it all, this is a thoughtful guide for managers who still harbour doubts about the point of sustainability, who are taking tentative steps towards it or who are seeking a clearer path through the maze. With luck, it should also help the anoraks in the sustainability industry to distinguish the wood from the trees.

-Financial Times, July 5, 2006

“…excellent new book… a compelling case for change.” (The Marketer, January 2007)

“Important issues, well presented, that deserve a wide audience” (Long Range Planning, July 2007)

Review
“Required Reading” -Fortune Magazine

“Savitz makes a lively and cogent case that no company or manager can afford any longer to ignore the world around them.”- Financial Times

“Perhaps the best, most comprehensive book to date on corporate sustainability”-Social Funds

“Whether you are a corporate manager, investor, consumer, or  public official, this book will change your view of how corporations can succeed for themselves and for society. Savitz combines vision and practical advice in an elegant presentation.”
—George Stephanopoulos, chief Washington correspondent, ABC News; anchor, This Week with George Stephanopoulos

“Informative, persuasive, and practical, containing valuable advice for anyone seeking a more responsible and profitable approach to business.”
—Steve Reinemund, chairman and chief executive officer,
PepsiCo

“The main challenge of sustainability is how to take it from concept to action. Andy Savitz communicates in plain language what sustainability is and how everyone in the organization can help achieve it.”
—Charles O. Holliday, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer, DuPont

“An engaging mix of powerful ideas and practical advice. Values matter and Savitz shows how profitability and responsibility can and must go hand in hand.”
—Michael Morris, chairman, president, and chief executive officer, American Electric Power

“At long last a plain English, action-oriented guide to business sustainability illustrated with practical examples from world-class companies.”
—Richard Cavanagh, president, The Conference Board, Inc.

“Andy Savitz gets it. He also happens to be witty, sensible, and a good writer as well as a good business strategist—sort of a modern Ben Franklin. That makes this book a joy to read as well as indispensable for businessmen who wish to succeed in this new age.”
—Walter Isaacson, president and chief executive officer, Aspen Institute; former chairman and author, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

“A bold and readable foray into this complex subject. Readers will come away enlightened.”
—Kert Davies, research director, Greenpeace US

“Some circumstantial evidence is very strong,’ Savitz and Weber recall Thoreau saying, ‘as when you find a trout in the milk.’ The flood tide of corporations they profile provides powerful evidence that the triple bottom line is going mainstream.”
—John Elkington, founder and chief entrepreneur, SustainAbility

“A timely contribution to why big corporations engage in sustainable
development and how managers can implement it in their companies.”
—Bjorn Stigson, president, World Business Council for Sustainable Development

“Must-reading for any corporate manager or investor seeking the ‘sweet spot’ where financial and stakeholder interests meet. It provides powerful arguments, cogent analysis, great stories, and dozens of real-world insights into how companies are enhancing profits through sustainability strategies.”
—Mindy Lubber, executive director, CERES; former regional administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency

“Savitz and Weber’s The Triple Bottom Line offers a perspective that is already influencing the wisest and most socially responsive corporations in the world.  This well-written, insightful, and practical book will guide executives for decades to come.”
—Max Bazerman, Jesse Isador Straus Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

“Amidst the proliferating number of books on corporate sustainability topics, Savitz’s The Triple Bottom Line is a refreshing relief. Its accessible style, jargon-free language, and thematic organization avoids the tendency toward cheerleading and case study overdose characteristic of the field.  Savitz speaks with clarity, authority, and good humor.”
—Allen White, senior fellow, Tellus Institute; cofounder, Global Reporting Initiative

“The Triple Bottom Line is full of practical advice based on Savitz’s hands- on experience working with corporate managers.  This book is a very readable guide for those who want to build a successful and sustainable business for the twenty-first century.”
—Arnold S. Hiatt, former chairman and CEO, the Stride Rite Corporation 

“Most executives have a superficial or misguided understanding of sustainability. The Triple Bottom Line should be required reading for business leaders who seek to enrich their shareholders, society, and themselves.”
—Scott Cohen, editor and publisher, Compliance Week

“Responsible leadership ensures that what we have today will be around for future generations. This book shows us both what it takes to lead responsibly and what happens when people fail to do so. An insightful book for those who seek how they can personally make a difference.”
—Samuel DiPiazza, global chief executive officer, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

“Andy Savitz puts sustainability in a clear, practical framework supported with real business examples.”
—Travis Engen, former president and chief executive officer, Alcan, Inc.; chair, Prince of Wales’ International Business Leaders Forum; chairman, World Business Council for Sustainable Development

“Lots of books instruct executives on the latest secrets to management success. But this one offers hands-on tips for how managers can turn corporate social responsibility into profit. Savitz. . .seeds practical advice amid compelling real-life corporate stories.” -Global Proxy Watch

Order The Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best-Run Companies Are Achieving Economic, Social and Environmental Success — and How You Can Too: Andrew W. Savitz, Karl Weber form Amazon.

The Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best-Run Companies Are Achieving Economic, Social and Environmental Success — and How You Can Too: Andrew W. Savitz, Karl Weber

• Filed under: Recommended

Review
“…Savitz makes a lively and cogent case that no company or manager can afford any longer to ignore the world around them…a thoughtful guide for managers who still harbour doubts about the point of sustainability…” (Financial Times, July 5, 2006) “…excellent new book… a compelling case for change.” (The Marketer, January 2007) “Important issues, well presented, that deserve a wide audience” (Long Range Planning, July 2007)

Andrew Savitz recalls a conversation he had with a purchasing manager at a large telecommunications company. The man was adamant that social responsibility had nothing to do with his job, which was to buy products at the lowest price.

“Would you buy from a foreign supplier that you knew was employing 10-year-old girls and paying them 60 cents a day for their labour?” Savitz asked.

“Of course I wouldn’t do that,” came the reply.

“Not even if the supplier offered the lowest price, if child labour was legal in that country and if no one could possibly find out?”

“No,” the manager replied. “It would not be right.”

“Do you think your company would support your decision to sacrifice profit in this case?” Savitz persisted.

“Absolutely, I’m certain of it,” the manager said.

Do not be deterred by the unfortunate title of this forthcoming book. In just 250 pages, rich in anecdotes, Savitz makes a lively and cogent case that no company or manager can afford any longer to ignore the world around them. Many of the reasons companies face “the age of accountability” are familiar, but it is useful to see them pulled together: our shared sense of vulnerability, fostered by climate change and natural disasters, coupled with the awesome power that global corporations have accumulated; the goldfish bowl in which companies operate; their increased exposure through networks of business partners and global supply chains; the campaigns mounted by lawyers, non-governmental organisations and shareholder activists.

But this book is not a tract admonishing business to take its responsibilities seriously. Its central argument is an upbeat one that is gaining currency: it makes financial sense for companies to anticipate and respond to society’s emerging demands. In the long run, says Savitz, the sustainable company is likely to be highly profitable.

There is a flipside: companies that fail to respond, or thumb their noses at society, are likely to pay the price.

What is a sustainable company?

Savitz and Karl Weber, his co-author, spend time on their definitions-a sensible move given the confusion and spin that often surround this debate. Sustainability is not about philanthropy, which has nothing to do with the company’s main purpose. Nor is it merely about ethics. The authors even prefer “sustainability” to “responsibility”, arguing that the latter emphasises benefits to society rather than benefits to the company.

For Savitz, who created the environmental practice at PwC and has worked with some of America’s biggest companies, it is about conducting business in a way that benefits employees, customers, business partners, communities and shareholders at the same time. It is “the art of doing business in an interdependent world”. The best-run companies find “sustainability sweet spots”-areas where shareholders’ long-term interests overlap with those of society. Implausible? Look at General Electric, with its revenue-boosting Ecomagination green technology, says Savitz. Or Toyota’s fuel-efficient Prius. Or Unilever’s Project Shakti in India, training 13,000 women to distribute its products to rural customers and thereby greatly increasing families’ income while expanding its market penetration. Every company can find a sweet spot, he suggests, even if it is the minimal one of cutting costs by reducing energy use, employee accidents or the chances of a lawsuit-though some of this could just as well be called smart risk management.

In the second half of the book, he explains how to translate all this into “business as usual”: how to decide what it means for the company; how to work with stakeholders, not against them; how to set enforceable goals in difficult areas such as child labour. Throughout, the arguments are driven by pragmatism, not dewy-eyed altruism. The narrative occasionally suffers from its American slant. The English Quakers, after all, pioneered decent working and community practices long before Henry Ford.

Even if you do not agree with it all, this is a thoughtful guide for managers who still harbour doubts about the point of sustainability, who are taking tentative steps towards it or who are seeking a clearer path through the maze. With luck, it should also help the anoraks in the sustainability industry to distinguish the wood from the trees.

-Financial Times, July 5, 2006

“…excellent new book… a compelling case for change.” (The Marketer, January 2007)

“Important issues, well presented, that deserve a wide audience” (Long Range Planning, July 2007)

Review
“Required Reading” -Fortune Magazine

“Savitz makes a lively and cogent case that no company or manager can afford any longer to ignore the world around them.”- Financial Times

“Perhaps the best, most comprehensive book to date on corporate sustainability”-Social Funds

“Whether you are a corporate manager, investor, consumer, or  public official, this book will change your view of how corporations can succeed for themselves and for society. Savitz combines vision and practical advice in an elegant presentation.”
—George Stephanopoulos, chief Washington correspondent, ABC News; anchor, This Week with George Stephanopoulos

“Informative, persuasive, and practical, containing valuable advice for anyone seeking a more responsible and profitable approach to business.”
—Steve Reinemund, chairman and chief executive officer,
PepsiCo

“The main challenge of sustainability is how to take it from concept to action. Andy Savitz communicates in plain language what sustainability is and how everyone in the organization can help achieve it.”
—Charles O. Holliday, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer, DuPont

“An engaging mix of powerful ideas and practical advice. Values matter and Savitz shows how profitability and responsibility can and must go hand in hand.”
—Michael Morris, chairman, president, and chief executive officer, American Electric Power

“At long last a plain English, action-oriented guide to business sustainability illustrated with practical examples from world-class companies.”
—Richard Cavanagh, president, The Conference Board, Inc.

“Andy Savitz gets it. He also happens to be witty, sensible, and a good writer as well as a good business strategist—sort of a modern Ben Franklin. That makes this book a joy to read as well as indispensable for businessmen who wish to succeed in this new age.”
—Walter Isaacson, president and chief executive officer, Aspen Institute; former chairman and author, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

“A bold and readable foray into this complex subject. Readers will come away enlightened.”
—Kert Davies, research director, Greenpeace US

“Some circumstantial evidence is very strong,’ Savitz and Weber recall Thoreau saying, ‘as when you find a trout in the milk.’ The flood tide of corporations they profile provides powerful evidence that the triple bottom line is going mainstream.”
—John Elkington, founder and chief entrepreneur, SustainAbility

“A timely contribution to why big corporations engage in sustainable
development and how managers can implement it in their companies.”
—Bjorn Stigson, president, World Business Council for Sustainable Development

“Must-reading for any corporate manager or investor seeking the ‘sweet spot’ where financial and stakeholder interests meet. It provides powerful arguments, cogent analysis, great stories, and dozens of real-world insights into how companies are enhancing profits through sustainability strategies.”
—Mindy Lubber, executive director, CERES; former regional administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency

“Savitz and Weber’s The Triple Bottom Line offers a perspective that is already influencing the wisest and most socially responsive corporations in the world.  This well-written, insightful, and practical book will guide executives for decades to come.”
—Max Bazerman, Jesse Isador Straus Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

“Amidst the proliferating number of books on corporate sustainability topics, Savitz’s The Triple Bottom Line is a refreshing relief. Its accessible style, jargon-free language, and thematic organization avoids the tendency toward cheerleading and case study overdose characteristic of the field.  Savitz speaks with clarity, authority, and good humor.”
—Allen White, senior fellow, Tellus Institute; cofounder, Global Reporting Initiative

“The Triple Bottom Line is full of practical advice based on Savitz’s hands- on experience working with corporate managers.  This book is a very readable guide for those who want to build a successful and sustainable business for the twenty-first century.”
—Arnold S. Hiatt, former chairman and CEO, the Stride Rite Corporation 

“Most executives have a superficial or misguided understanding of sustainability. The Triple Bottom Line should be required reading for business leaders who seek to enrich their shareholders, society, and themselves.”
—Scott Cohen, editor and publisher, Compliance Week

“Responsible leadership ensures that what we have today will be around for future generations. This book shows us both what it takes to lead responsibly and what happens when people fail to do so. An insightful book for those who seek how they can personally make a difference.”
—Samuel DiPiazza, global chief executive officer, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

“Andy Savitz puts sustainability in a clear, practical framework supported with real business examples.”
—Travis Engen, former president and chief executive officer, Alcan, Inc.; chair, Prince of Wales’ International Business Leaders Forum; chairman, World Business Council for Sustainable Development

“Lots of books instruct executives on the latest secrets to management success. But this one offers hands-on tips for how managers can turn corporate social responsibility into profit. Savitz. . .seeds practical advice amid compelling real-life corporate stories.” -Global Proxy Watch

Order The Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best-Run Companies Are Achieving Economic, Social and Environmental Success — and How You Can Too: Andrew W. Savitz, Karl Weber form Amazon.

The Debate over Corporate Social Responsibility: Steven K. May, George Cheney, Juliet Roper

• Filed under: Recommended

Should business strive to be socially responsible, and if so, how? The Debate over Corporate Social Responsibility updates and broadens the discussion of these questions by bringing together in one volume a variety of practical and theoretical perspectives on corporate social responsibility. It is perhaps the single most comprehensive volume available on the question of just how “social” business ought to be. The volume includes contributions from the fields of communication, business, law, sociology, political science, economics, accounting, and environmental studies. Moreover, it draws from experiences and examples from around the world, including but not limited to recent corporate scandals and controversies in the U.S. and Europe. A number of the chapters examine closely the basic assumptions underlying the philosophy of socially responsible business. Other chapters speak to the practical challenges and possibilities for corporate social responsiblilty in the twenty-first century. One of the most distinctive features of the book is its coverage of the very ways that the issue of corporate social responsibility has been defined, shaped, and discussed in the past four decades. That is, the editors and many of the authors are attuned to the persuasive strategies and formulations used to talk about socially responsible business, and demonstrate why the talk matters. For example, the book offers a careful analysis of how certain values have become associated with the business enterprise and how particular economic and political positions have been established by and for business. This book will be of great interest to scholars, business leaders, graduate students, and others interested in the contours of the debate over what role large-scale corporate commerce should take in the future of the industrialized world.

About the Author
Steven K. May, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies, University of North Carolina. George Cheney, Professor, Department of Communication, University of Utah. Juliet Roper, Associate Professor, Department of Management Communication, University of Waikato.

order The Debate over Corporate Social Responsibility: Steven K. May, George Cheney, Juliet Roper form Amazon.

Corporate Social Responsibility: Balancing Tomorrow’s Sustainability and Today’s Profitability: David E. Hawkins

• Filed under: Recommended

Many companies recognize the importance of corporate social responsibility, but seek to understand how this can be harmonized with current profitability. This new approach, drawing upon many contemporary examples, demonstrates the importance of balancing short term profitability with long term sustainability and shows how this relates to many business issues and aspects including environmental change, ethical trading, corporate governance, risk management, sustainable development and competitive balance.

Book Description
This new approach to corporate social responsibility, drawing upon many contemporary examples, demonstrates the importance of balancing short term profitability with long term sustainability and shows how this relates to business issues including environmental change, ethical trading, corporate governance, risk management, sustainable development. and competitive balance.

See all Editorial Reviews

order Corporate Social Responsibility: Balancing Tomorrow’s Sustainability and Today’s Profitability: David E. Hawkins form Amazon.

Corporate Social Responsibility and International Development: Is Business the Solution?: Michael Hopkins

• Filed under: Recommended

Review
“* ‘Set to become a seminal work on the subject.’ African Business * ‘Challenging and important issues, readably presented.’ Long Range Planning”

The business of business is business. So then why should corporations be involved in development? This groundbreaking new book makes the case that that governments and their international agencies grouped under the umbrella of the UN, have failed in their attempts to rid the planet of under-development and poverty. If development is the objective then it seems that the solution and the responsibility lies with the private sector, particularly through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs of large corporations, with their tremendous power and economic strength.

This book, written by noted CSR practitioner Michael Hopkins, is the first to explicitly link CSR with development. It spells out what corporations are doing on development, what more they could do and how CSR can be a useful tool to promote economic development via corporations. This is important and challenging reading for all of those in government, business and NGOs who think that there must be a better, more effective and dynamic way to kick-start development and eradicate poverty.

See all Editorial Reviews

order Corporate Social Responsibility and International Development: Is Business the Solution?: Michael Hopkins form Amazon.

The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Social Responsibility (Oxford Handbooks in Business & Management): Andrew Crane, Abagail McWilliams, Dirk Matten, Jeremy Moon, Donald S. Siegel

• Filed under: Recommended

Business schools, the media, the corporate sector, governments, and non-governmental organizations have all begun to pay more attention to issues of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in recent years. These issues encompass broad questions about the changing relationship between business, society and government, environmental issues, corporate governance, the social and ethical dimensions of management, globalization, stakeholder debates, shareholder and consumer activism, changing political systems and values, and the ways in which corporations can respond to new social imperatives.
This Oxford Handbook is an authoritative review of the academic research that has both prompted, and responded to, these issues. Bringing together leading experts in the area, it provides clear thinking and new perspectives on CSR and the debates around it.
The Handbook is divided into seven key sections:
* Introduction,
* Perspectives on CSR,
* Critiques of CSR,
* Actors and Drivers,
* Managing CSR,
* CSR in Global Context,
* Future Perspectives and Conclusions

About the Author

Andrew Crane is the George R. Gardiner Professor of Business Ethics in the Schulich School of Business at York University. He has a PhD in Management from the University of Nottingham, and was previously Chair in Business Ethics and Director of the UK’s first MBA in CSR in the International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility at Nottingham University Business School.
Abagail McWilliams, PhD, is a Professor in the College of Business, University of Illinois -Chicago and since 2002 has been a Visiting Professor in the International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility -University of Nottingham. Her research on CSR has appeared in Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Strategic Management Journal, and Journal of Management Studies.
Dirk Matten holds the Hewlett-Packard Chair in Corporate Social Responsibility at the Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto. He holds a doctoral degree and the habilitation from Heinrich-Heine-University Dusseldorf, Germany. He is interested in CSR, business ethics and comparative management. He has published widely, including in Academy of Management Review, Journal of Management Studies, Organization Studies, and Business Ethics Quarterly.
Jeremy Moon is Professor and Director of the International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility at Nottingham University Business School. Recent publications include Corporations and Citizenship (Cambridge University Press) and papers in Academy of Management Review and British Journal of Management. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts.
Donald S. Siegel is Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of California, Riverside. Recent publications include Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Technological Change (Oxford University Press) and articles on CSR in Academy of Management Review, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Economics and Management Strategy, and Leadership Quarterly. He is editor of the Journal of Technology Transfer, an associate editor of the Journal of Business Venturing and the Journal of Productivity Analysis, and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Management Studies, Academy of Management Perspectives, Academy of Management Learning & Education, and Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal.

order The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Social Responsibility (Oxford Handbooks in Business & Management): Andrew Crane, Abagail McWilliams, Dirk Matten, Jeremy Moon, Donald S. Siegel form Amazon.

The Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best-Run Companies Are Achieving Economic, Social and Environmental Success — and How You Can Too: Andrew W. Savitz, Karl Weber

• Filed under: Recommended

Review
“…Savitz makes a lively and cogent case that no company or manager can afford any longer to ignore the world around them…a thoughtful guide for managers who still harbour doubts about the point of sustainability…” (Financial Times, July 5, 2006) “…excellent new book… a compelling case for change.” (The Marketer, January 2007) “Important issues, well presented, that deserve a wide audience” (Long Range Planning, July 2007)

Andrew Savitz recalls a conversation he had with a purchasing manager at a large telecommunications company. The man was adamant that social responsibility had nothing to do with his job, which was to buy products at the lowest price.

“Would you buy from a foreign supplier that you knew was employing 10-year-old girls and paying them 60 cents a day for their labour?” Savitz asked.

“Of course I wouldn’t do that,” came the reply.

“Not even if the supplier offered the lowest price, if child labour was legal in that country and if no one could possibly find out?”

“No,” the manager replied. “It would not be right.”

“Do you think your company would support your decision to sacrifice profit in this case?” Savitz persisted.

“Absolutely, I’m certain of it,” the manager said.

Do not be deterred by the unfortunate title of this forthcoming book. In just 250 pages, rich in anecdotes, Savitz makes a lively and cogent case that no company or manager can afford any longer to ignore the world around them. Many of the reasons companies face “the age of accountability” are familiar, but it is useful to see them pulled together: our shared sense of vulnerability, fostered by climate change and natural disasters, coupled with the awesome power that global corporations have accumulated; the goldfish bowl in which companies operate; their increased exposure through networks of business partners and global supply chains; the campaigns mounted by lawyers, non-governmental organisations and shareholder activists.

But this book is not a tract admonishing business to take its responsibilities seriously. Its central argument is an upbeat one that is gaining currency: it makes financial sense for companies to anticipate and respond to society’s emerging demands. In the long run, says Savitz, the sustainable company is likely to be highly profitable.

There is a flipside: companies that fail to respond, or thumb their noses at society, are likely to pay the price.

What is a sustainable company?

Savitz and Karl Weber, his co-author, spend time on their definitions-a sensible move given the confusion and spin that often surround this debate. Sustainability is not about philanthropy, which has nothing to do with the company’s main purpose. Nor is it merely about ethics. The authors even prefer “sustainability” to “responsibility”, arguing that the latter emphasises benefits to society rather than benefits to the company.

For Savitz, who created the environmental practice at PwC and has worked with some of America’s biggest companies, it is about conducting business in a way that benefits employees, customers, business partners, communities and shareholders at the same time. It is “the art of doing business in an interdependent world”. The best-run companies find “sustainability sweet spots”-areas where shareholders’ long-term interests overlap with those of society. Implausible? Look at General Electric, with its revenue-boosting Ecomagination green technology, says Savitz. Or Toyota’s fuel-efficient Prius. Or Unilever’s Project Shakti in India, training 13,000 women to distribute its products to rural customers and thereby greatly increasing families’ income while expanding its market penetration. Every company can find a sweet spot, he suggests, even if it is the minimal one of cutting costs by reducing energy use, employee accidents or the chances of a lawsuit-though some of this could just as well be called smart risk management.

In the second half of the book, he explains how to translate all this into “business as usual”: how to decide what it means for the company; how to work with stakeholders, not against them; how to set enforceable goals in difficult areas such as child labour. Throughout, the arguments are driven by pragmatism, not dewy-eyed altruism. The narrative occasionally suffers from its American slant. The English Quakers, after all, pioneered decent working and community practices long before Henry Ford.

Even if you do not agree with it all, this is a thoughtful guide for managers who still harbour doubts about the point of sustainability, who are taking tentative steps towards it or who are seeking a clearer path through the maze. With luck, it should also help the anoraks in the sustainability industry to distinguish the wood from the trees.

-Financial Times, July 5, 2006

“…excellent new book… a compelling case for change.” (The Marketer, January 2007)

“Important issues, well presented, that deserve a wide audience” (Long Range Planning, July 2007)

Review
“Required Reading” -Fortune Magazine

“Savitz makes a lively and cogent case that no company or manager can afford any longer to ignore the world around them.”- Financial Times

“Perhaps the best, most comprehensive book to date on corporate sustainability”-Social Funds

“Whether you are a corporate manager, investor, consumer, or  public official, this book will change your view of how corporations can succeed for themselves and for society. Savitz combines vision and practical advice in an elegant presentation.”
—George Stephanopoulos, chief Washington correspondent, ABC News; anchor, This Week with George Stephanopoulos

“Informative, persuasive, and practical, containing valuable advice for anyone seeking a more responsible and profitable approach to business.”
—Steve Reinemund, chairman and chief executive officer,
PepsiCo

“The main challenge of sustainability is how to take it from concept to action. Andy Savitz communicates in plain language what sustainability is and how everyone in the organization can help achieve it.”
—Charles O. Holliday, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer, DuPont

“An engaging mix of powerful ideas and practical advice. Values matter and Savitz shows how profitability and responsibility can and must go hand in hand.”
—Michael Morris, chairman, president, and chief executive officer, American Electric Power

“At long last a plain English, action-oriented guide to business sustainability illustrated with practical examples from world-class companies.”
—Richard Cavanagh, president, The Conference Board, Inc.

“Andy Savitz gets it. He also happens to be witty, sensible, and a good writer as well as a good business strategist—sort of a modern Ben Franklin. That makes this book a joy to read as well as indispensable for businessmen who wish to succeed in this new age.”
—Walter Isaacson, president and chief executive officer, Aspen Institute; former chairman and author, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

“A bold and readable foray into this complex subject. Readers will come away enlightened.”
—Kert Davies, research director, Greenpeace US

“Some circumstantial evidence is very strong,’ Savitz and Weber recall Thoreau saying, ‘as when you find a trout in the milk.’ The flood tide of corporations they profile provides powerful evidence that the triple bottom line is going mainstream.”
—John Elkington, founder and chief entrepreneur, SustainAbility

“A timely contribution to why big corporations engage in sustainable
development and how managers can implement it in their companies.”
—Bjorn Stigson, president, World Business Council for Sustainable Development

“Must-reading for any corporate manager or investor seeking the ‘sweet spot’ where financial and stakeholder interests meet. It provides powerful arguments, cogent analysis, great stories, and dozens of real-world insights into how companies are enhancing profits through sustainability strategies.”
—Mindy Lubber, executive director, CERES; former regional administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency

“Savitz and Weber’s The Triple Bottom Line offers a perspective that is already influencing the wisest and most socially responsive corporations in the world.  This well-written, insightful, and practical book will guide executives for decades to come.”
—Max Bazerman, Jesse Isador Straus Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

“Amidst the proliferating number of books on corporate sustainability topics, Savitz’s The Triple Bottom Line is a refreshing relief. Its accessible style, jargon-free language, and thematic organization avoids the tendency toward cheerleading and case study overdose characteristic of the field.  Savitz speaks with clarity, authority, and good humor.”
—Allen White, senior fellow, Tellus Institute; cofounder, Global Reporting Initiative

“The Triple Bottom Line is full of practical advice based on Savitz’s hands- on experience working with corporate managers.  This book is a very readable guide for those who want to build a successful and sustainable business for the twenty-first century.”
—Arnold S. Hiatt, former chairman and CEO, the Stride Rite Corporation 

“Most executives have a superficial or misguided understanding of sustainability. The Triple Bottom Line should be required reading for business leaders who seek to enrich their shareholders, society, and themselves.”
—Scott Cohen, editor and publisher, Compliance Week

“Responsible leadership ensures that what we have today will be around for future generations. This book shows us both what it takes to lead responsibly and what happens when people fail to do so. An insightful book for those who seek how they can personally make a difference.”
—Samuel DiPiazza, global chief executive officer, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

“Andy Savitz puts sustainability in a clear, practical framework supported with real business examples.”
—Travis Engen, former president and chief executive officer, Alcan, Inc.; chair, Prince of Wales’ International Business Leaders Forum; chairman, World Business Council for Sustainable Development

“Lots of books instruct executives on the latest secrets to management success. But this one offers hands-on tips for how managers can turn corporate social responsibility into profit. Savitz. . .seeds practical advice amid compelling real-life corporate stories.” -Global Proxy Watch

See all Editorial Reviews

order The Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best-Run Companies Are Achieving Economic, Social and Environmental Success — and How You Can Too: Andrew W. Savitz, Karl Weber form Amazon.

The Debate over Corporate Social Responsibility: Steven K. May, George Cheney, Juliet Roper

• Filed under: Recommended

Should business strive to be socially responsible, and if so, how? The Debate over Corporate Social Responsibility updates and broadens the discussion of these questions by bringing together in one volume a variety of practical and theoretical perspectives on corporate social responsibility. It is perhaps the single most comprehensive volume available on the question of just how “social” business ought to be. The volume includes contributions from the fields of communication, business, law, sociology, political science, economics, accounting, and environmental studies. Moreover, it draws from experiences and examples from around the world, including but not limited to recent corporate scandals and controversies in the U.S. and Europe. A number of the chapters examine closely the basic assumptions underlying the philosophy of socially responsible business. Other chapters speak to the practical challenges and possibilities for corporate social responsiblilty in the twenty-first century. One of the most distinctive features of the book is its coverage of the very ways that the issue of corporate social responsibility has been defined, shaped, and discussed in the past four decades. That is, the editors and many of the authors are attuned to the persuasive strategies and formulations used to talk about socially responsible business, and demonstrate why the talk matters. For example, the book offers a careful analysis of how certain values have become associated with the business enterprise and how particular economic and political positions have been established by and for business. This book will be of great interest to scholars, business leaders, graduate students, and others interested in the contours of the debate over what role large-scale corporate commerce should take in the future of the industrialized world.

About the Author
Steven K. May, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies, University of North Carolina. George Cheney, Professor, Department of Communication, University of Utah. Juliet Roper, Associate Professor, Department of Management Communication, University of Waikato.

order The Debate over Corporate Social Responsibility: Steven K. May, George Cheney, Juliet Roper form Amazon.