Doing Well By Doing Good

Environmental abuse. Illiteracy. AIDS. Low quality education systems. Wildlife and habitat destruction. Poverty-stricken minority communities. Homelessness. Elderly neglect. Children in crisis. These are just some of the societal problems we face on a worldwide level, with effective solutions not always easy to come by. But if one looks to corporate America, one finds a new business ethic emerging that seeks solutions to these pervasive problems by following a socially conscious way of conducting business. L. Lawrence Embley, president of USA Communications, the leading cause-related marketing group in the U.S., explains how organizations must either measure up to the rising expectations of the socially sensitive consumer or perish in the shadows of their astute competitors. An informative and motivational source, Doing Well While Doing Good brings national attention to the new dynamics of social responsibility by exploring cause-related marketing and philanthropic economics, two ideas that have been implemented with huge success toward the restructuring of American and global society. This book shows how the practice of sponsoring a public, worthy cause, while simultaneously marketing one's own product, is fast becoming fashionable among the increasingly savvy marketers who recognize the changing attitude and trends of the American consumer. Proving that there is life beyond profit for the enlightened capitalist, this inspirational book highlights the new intelligence and ideology of the consumers, showing how and why they have risen to the state of global awareness, and how American business must market to them in order to turn a profit; addresses all segments of American business, illustrating how cause-related marketing is impacting the smallest to the largest companies; reveals the company-based and company-driven initiatives for social responsibility of several organizations, including Johnson & Johnson, 3M, Levi Strauss, Rubbermaid, Pepsico, General Foods, McDonald's, Coca Cola, and many others; deals with social venturing as a new phenomenon, focusing on the hundreds of millions of dollars now being created in the venture capital community to find and finance start up companies with a socially relevant context to their business plan; uncovers how America is motivated by the media and celebrity spokespersons who are passionate about their causes, examining the philanthropic economics of stars like Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor; uses IBM's corporate positioning as a solid example of today's American business philosophy, examining how and why it was chosen; spotlights the founders of companies that built huge successes by placing their principles ahead of their profits, such as The Body Shop, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, and others; and points to the importance of including courses on corporate social policy and business ethics in the core curricula of our country's business schools.

Companies can no longer expect to engage in dubious or unethical corporate behaviour without risking their reputation and damaging, perhaps irrevocably, their market position. Irresponsible corporate behavior not only deprives shareholders of long-term returns but also ultimately imposes a cost on society as a whole. Sustainable business is about ensuring that entities contribute toward positive social, environmental, and economic outcomes. Bad business behaviour is costly for stakeholders, for markets, for society, and the economy alike. To ensure that a company behaves well, the buy-in of the leadership team is crucial. The full commitment of the board of directors, in conjunction with the senior managers of the organization, is required if an organization is to be socially responsible. In this sense, leadership does not reside with an individual (the CEO) within the organization but with all of those at the apex of corporate power and control. Effective change management requires enlightened and capable leadership to instigate and drive the process of embedding a sustainable and socially responsible corporate philosophy and culture that supports good business decision-making. A profound understanding of the requirements of such a leadership process will help corporate managers become highly effective change agents. Governance will be the main driver of this change. For the economy and financial markets to become sustainable and resilient, radical changes in corporate leadership need to take place. Integrated reporting, government regulation, and international standards will all be important factors in bringing about this change. As well as understanding the effects of corporate behavior on financial markets, such an understanding is also now imperative in relation to the social and environmental contexts.

With this timely reissue, Image celebrates the twentieth anniversary of an important, classic work on faith and economics from one of the leading Catholic intellectuals of the past century. As pertinent today as it was when it was first published in 1992, Doing Well and Doing Good argues that for too long Christianity has had nothing to say to Wall Street or to Main Street. Some churches have blasted the greed of the former or the bourgeois grasping of the latter. Others have insisted on a socialist alternative. But the time has come, Neuhaus says, to stop such silliness. Drawing on the writings of Pope John Paul II, Richard Neuhaus has written a classic, groundbreaking work that unashamedly seeks to bestow a blessing on business. The common good depends on it.

An inspiring and practical look inside the mind of Bill Novelli, one of the founders of social marketing, Good Business challenges all of us to change the world for the better and is a blueprint for tackling today's critical issues. From his humble beginnings selling soap in a sales training program to his rapid rise in the fast-paced New York advertising scene, Bill Novelli was well on his way to becoming a leader in the hypercompetitive business world. But it wasn't long before he became disillusioned with the drive for profits at any cost. He knew that his marketing skills made those companies successful, but what good did that success do for the world? That question sent him on a career path that involved taking the marketing and communication tactics long used by big businesses and applying them to social change. He found that this strategy was not only good for the world but also good for business. In Good Business, Novelli begins with his early career success in Mad Men–era marketing, which left him feeling unfulfilled. He describes the process of changing career trajectory: how he helped reposition the Peace Corps; built Porter Novelli, a global PR agency for social impact; fought the Tobacco Wars; and became CEO of AARP, the largest nonprofit in America. Drawing practical lessons and principles from play-by-play stories of his experiences in large and small organizations, Novelli deploys his characteristic wit to stress the importance of building and maintaining connections with people—and engaging them in the cause. Good Business, which is part behind-the-scenes look at crafting social and health policy, part inspirational guide, proves that you can do well (creating economic and financial success for yourself and your company or organization) by doing good (helping to solve the world's and society's major problems). Throughout the book, Novelli shows that you can make a positive social difference regardless of what business you are in or where you are in your career. Readers will come away with the message that anyone who wants to have a positive impact on the world can do it right now from where they are—or can be inspired by Novelli's story to make the leap to somewhere they can.

A small but influential group of mainstream global industry leaders are now reinventing the role of business in society. They are shifting the focus away from minimizing negative impacts to offering new solutions to global problems that the public sector has been unable to tackle alone. In this new competitive environment, societal challenges such as climate change or the alleviation of global poverty are not only risks, but huge business opportunities, not only for niche players, but for mainstream business. These leaders are creating "Sustainable Value". They are creating it through the provision of value to both their shareholders and their stakeholders – an ever-growing list of diverse constituents impacted by the social, environmental, and financial performance of global business. In short, they are doing well by doing good. In this outstanding book, Chris Laszlo defines, illustrates, and shows how business can action 'Sustainable Value' in three profoundly different ways. First, a management fable looks at the experiences of a dynamic business leader as she grapples with the new business realities of managing stakeholder, as well as shareholder pressures. Second, with the real thing – inside stories from some of the largest corporations in the world that are successfully integrating sustainability into their core activities, not only from a sense of moral correctness, but because it makes good business sense. And, finally, with frameworks, tools, and methods that will make sustainable value creation concrete for business practitioners everywhere. This book is a masterful synthesis – part novel and part executive briefing – a refreshing kind of prophetic pragmatism, helping leaders anticipate and see the future in the context of the actual. In Sustainable Value Chris Laszlo speaks with resounding clarity to the living challenges, the real dilemmas, and haunting questions of CEOs everywhere.

Bring the heart of your company into the community witheffective CSR Doing Good by Doing Good shows companies how to improvethe bottom line by implementing an engaging, authentic, andbusiness-enhancing program that helps staff and business thrive.International CSR consultant Peter Baines draws upon lessons learntfrom the challenges faced in his career as a police officer,forensic investigator, and founder of Hands Across the Water todescribe the Australian CSR landscape, and the factors that make upa program that benefits everyone involved. Case studies illustratethe real effect of CSR on both business and society, with clearguidance toward maximizing involvement, engaging all employees, andimproving the bottom line. The case studies draw out the companiesthat are focusing on creating shared value in meeting thechallenges of society whilst at the same time bringing strongeconomic returns. Consumers are now expecting that big businesses withever-increasing profits give back to the community from which thoseprofits arise. At the same time, shareholders are demanding theirshare and are happy to see dividends soar. Getting this right is abalancing act, and Doing Good by Doing Good helps companiesdelineate a plan of action for getting it done. Readers will: Define an effective CSR strategy that promotes better businessand makes a real impact Understand the current landscape to evaluate the CSR optionsthat are right for your company Understand why corporate philanthropy is no longer enough Identify the hard and soft key performance indicators that helpkeep your program on track Gain an understanding of the concept of shared value and theimportance to business Gain insight into each step of the CSR process, from interest,to information, to implementation The concept of CSR is not new, but traditional "payrolldeductions" and "volunteer days" are out-dated and grosslyineffective. Today, companies are building simple, well-constructedprograms that are changing business and changing lives on a muchgrander scale. Doing Good by Doing Good provides a foolproof strategy for CSR planning, with value to the company,employees, and community at large.

The Secret to Happiness and Success "Greed is good," said Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas in the iconic movie Wall Street. Turns out, greed is not good. Beating the system and amassing material wealth may make an epic movie plot, but in real life, greed is the recipe for painful economic failure for business and society-and working men and women. All too often we are presented stories about extremely wealthy people who are held up as role models for a successful life. The truth is that wealth rarely guarantees happiness. This book looks to successful small and medium-sized companies contributing to communities, and the far-sighted corporate executives we never hear about who, while successful, are also happy. These are the true-life examples of corporate social responsibility that this book relies on to make its point. Peter Milewski tells you why and how you, personally, can feel good and do well by doing good too. He passionately believes that these are the secrets to personal and professional happiness and success. Learn about successful companies "doing good," such as TOMS Shoes, Newman's Own, Red Barn, and Ben & Jerry's and those that didn't (Countrywide Mortgage and Wells Fargo, among others). Exclusive interviews about corporate social responsibility with the CEOs of Eastern Bank (Bob Rivers), Envision Bank (Jim McDonough), Leader Bank (Sushil Tuli), and Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank (David Brennan and Dorothy Savarese).

Doing Good Well is a thinking man’s guide to the nonprofit world. It is replete with nonprofit paradigms. It provides a different twist to what one might regard as straightforward notions such as mission, staff compensation, governance and corporate social responsibility. And it surprises and challenges even as it seeks to explain charity-specific issues such as charitableness, bridging the rich/poor divide, informed giving and social entrepreneurship.