Corporate social responsibility has entered the mainstream, but what
does it take to run a successful purpose-driven business? A Harvard
Business School professor examines leaders who put values alongside
profits to showcase the challenges and upside of deeply responsible
business. For decades, CEOs have been told that their only
responsibility is to the bottom line. But consensus is that
companies—and their leaders—must engage with their social and
environmental contexts. The man behind one of Harvard Business
School's most popular courses, Geoffrey Jones distinguishes deep
responsibility, which can deliver radical social and ecological
responses, from corporate social responsibility, which is often little
more than window dressing. Deeply Responsible Business offers an
invaluable historical perspective, going back to the Quaker capitalism
of George Cadbury and the worker solidarity of Edward Filene. Through
a series of in-depth profiles of business leaders and their companies,
it carries us from India to Japan and from the turmoil of the
nineteenth century to the latest developments in impact investing and
the B-corps. Jones profiles business leaders from around the world who
combined profits with social purpose to confront inequality,
inner-city blight, and ecological degradation, while navigating
restrictive laws and authoritarian regimes. He found that these
leaders were motivated by bedrock values and sometimes—but not
always—driven by faith. They chose to operate in socially productive
fields, interacted with humility with stakeholders, and felt a duty to
support their communities. While far from perfect—some combined
visionary practices with vital flaws—each one showed that profit and
purpose could be reconciled. Many of their businesses were highly
successful—though financial success was not their only metric of
achievement. As companies seek to coopt ethically sensitized
consumers, Jones gives us a new perspective to tackle tough questions.
Inspired by these passionate and pragmatic business leaders, he
envisions a future in which companies and entrepreneurs can play a key
role in healing our communities and protecting the natural world.
Les mer
A Global History of Values-Driven Leadership
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780674292994
Publisert
2023
Utgiver
Harvard University Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter