Customer Reviews:
Why some companies seem to have a devoted customer base..........2007-06-20
There's a difference when you fly Southwest vs. United. You feel different shopping at Costco than you feel shopping at Wal-mart. Why? That question is explored and answered in the book Firms of Endearment: How World-Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose by Raj Sisodia, Jag Sheth, and David B. Wolfe. This is one of those books that will cause you to think about why you feel as you do towards certain companies, and how those feelings translate into real profits.
Contents: A Whole New World; It's Not Share of Wallet Anymore - It's Share of Heart; New Age, New Rules, New Capitalism; The Chaotic Interregnum; Employees - The Decline and Fall of Human Resources; Customers - The Power of Love; Investors - Reaping What FoEs Sow; Partners - Elegant Harmonies; Society - The Ultimate Stakeholder; Culture - The Secret Ingredient; Lessons Learned; Crossing Over to the Other Side; Acknowledgements
On Wall Street, companies are usually judged on their profit. Squeeze as much out of your business as you can, cut costs wherever possible, and make sure you meet your numbers. To be sure, plenty of companies are successful under those rules (such as Wal-mart). But when you look at their performance over the last few years on the stock market, returns have been stagnant or have trailed the field. The alternative way to run a business is as a "firm of endearment" (FoE). These companies have a passion for what they do/sell, they have a strongly defined purpose for what they want to accomplish, and they look to contribute to society in more ways than just the quarterly dividend to shareholders. These FoEs, like Costco, Whole Foods, Harley-Davidson, and others, include stakeholders to mean all parts of society that they touch... shareholders, employees, the community, etc. The focus isn't on pure profit, but instead on contributing to the well-being of all the stakeholders. That's why a company like Costco can afford to pay their employees a living wage, have low turnover, and *still* turn a substantial profit. They have captured the hearts of their customer base, and that base will go out of their way to shop at Costco whenever possible. That's also why a company like Ikea can propose a new location and have nearly universal acceptance in the community, while a new Wal-mart location brings out protesters in force. There's obviously a lot more that differentiates FoEs from their counterparts in the marketplace, but once you recognize an FoE, you'll understand why they are successful by *not* following the same formula as everyone else.
It's tempting to think that all the FoEs covered in this book can do no wrong. That's not the case. JetBlue was/is an FoE that badly damaged their reputation during the winter when storms caused massive cancellations. It even led to the resignation of the CEO. Like other business books of this genre (In Search Of Excellence, From Good To Great), only time will tell how these companies will fare over the long term. It may well be that a decade from now, the stars of this book will have all fallen to the wayside. But I would venture to guess that the companies covered here will have a much larger margin of forgiveness than would other companies that are just focused on the next quarter...
This is a book that is highly recommended for anyone running a business. It should cause you to rethink the factors of success for your company, as well as point you in directions that could lead you to become an FoE in your niche.
Why "endearing companies tend to be enduring companies".......2007-05-16
In the Prologue, when discussing The Age of Transcendence through which the contemporary business world is now proceeding, the co-authors (Rajendra S. Sisodia, David B. Wolfe, and Jagdish N. Sheth) suggest that it is "a cultural movement in which physical (materialistic) influences that dominated culture in the twentieth-century are ebbing while metaphysical (experiential) influences become stronger. This is helping to drive a shift in the foundations of culture from an objective base to a subjective base: People are increasingly relying on their own counsel to decide what the truth is...That shift acknowledges a long-suppressed idea in a world largely guided by Newtonian certainty that chemistry Nobel laureate Ilya Prigogine says is scattering to the winds: Ultimately, everything is personal."
Thus do the authors establish a frame-of-reference for the thesis of their book: That each stakeholder in an organization tends to thrive best when all stakeholders thrive. That is, no stakeholder group is more important than any other. "It is disciplined dedication to the well-being of all stakeholders that separates firms of endearment from their competition." Stakeholder relationship management (SRM), the authors suggest, can achieve and then sustain superior business performance that, in turn, will create n a decisive competitive advantage. They are convinced that SRM business models will increasingly be seen "as the most efficacious way to achieve sustained superior business performance in years to come" but only if (huge "if") the interests of all stakeholder groups are brought into strategic alignment.
Two Questions: Are all stakeholder groups of equal importance and do they have the same interests? Also, are all members of a stakeholder group (e.g. shareholders) of equal importance and do they have the same interests? These questions occurred to me as I read the first chapter, especially the brief discussion of the "distinctive" core values, policies, and attributes that firms of endearment (FoEs) share in common. Eventually, Sisodia, Wolfe, and Sheth provide answers to these questions, answers best revealed within the narrative.
If indeed "endearing companies tend to be enduring companies," how do the 28 FoEs that "made the final cut" for this book compare with the 11 companies praised by Jim Collins in Good to Great? "Over a 10-year horizon, FoEs outperformed the Good to Great companies by 1,026 percent to 331 percent (a 3.1-to-1 ratio). Over five years, FoEs outperformed the Good to Great companies by 128 percent to 77 percent (a 1.7-to-1 ratio). Over three years, FoEs performed on par the Good to Great companies: 73 percent to 75 percent." (FYI, there are no duplicates on the two lists.) As with the exemplary companies discussed by Thomas J. Peters in Robert H. Waterman, Jr. in In Search of Excellence, not all companies on any such list continue to meet the criteria that were the basis of their initial selection.
For me, some of the most interesting material is presented in Chapter 11, "Crossing Over to the Other Side." At one point, the authors cite Oliver Wendell Holmes's observation "I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity." They then quote one of my favorite passages in James O'Toole's The Executive's Compass:
"To move beyond the confusion of complexity, executives must abandon their constant search for the immediately practice and, paradoxically, seek to understand the underlying ideas and values that have shaped the world they work in. Managers who clamor for how-to instruction are, by definition, stuck on the near side of complexity."
According to Sisodia, Wolfe, and Sheth, the big challenge of the times is to transcend the zero-sum mindset because, given the profusion of new opportunities, absolutes (by nature limiting) are found everywhere on the near side of complexity. "They emerge from people's perennial quest for pat solutions, or `silver bullets,' as they are sometimes described. This is a key point because, as Sisodia, Wolfe, and Sheth explain, a zero sum mindset leads to the conclusion that one stakeholder group can only benefit at the expense of the other stakeholder groups...However, opportunities increase by an order of magnitude when the mind breaks free of zero-sum thinking."
There are specific reasons why endearing companies tend to be enduring companies and one of the most important is their having "the ability to transcend ruthless competition and embrace the fruits of cooperation [which is] the essence of evolved humanness."
Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Bill George's Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value and his later book, True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, co-authored with Peter Sims. Also Michael Ray's The Highest Goal, Adrian J. Slywotzky's The Upside: The 7 Strategies for Turning Big Threats into Growth Breakthroughs, Enterprise Architecture As Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson as well as Ram Charan's Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't, Lynda Gratton's Hot Spots: Why Some Teams, Workplaces, and Organizations Buzz with Energy - And Others Don't, Robert J. Herbold's Seduced by Success: How the Best Companies Survive the 9 Traps of Winning, Jack Alexander's Performance Dashboards and Analysis for Value Creation, and Michael Useem's The Go Point: When It's Time to Decide--Knowing What to Do and When to Do It.
Excellent description of a service oriented business model.......2007-05-16
This book identifies a batch of companies that have oriented their business model to providing a superior feeling in the minds of their customers. In many cases I absolutely agree with them.
Wegman's supermarkets for instance presents an excellent shopping experience. I particularly love their cheese department where knowledge people stand ready to discuss their magnificant array of choices and even to giving you samples to taste seemingly without end or sales pressure. In turn I buy far more cheeses than I would otherwise. We both win.
But then they turn to Wal-Mart and repeat a litany of alleged problems with employees, suppliers, and communities. My own experience with Wal-Mart is limited to one store in the small town where I live. But my experience doesn't match the alleged problems. I go there, the people, from the greeter at the door to the most junor sales clerk are friendly and willing to walk halfway across the store to help me find something. I talk to people who work there (away from the store) and they universally say that it is the best job they've ever had. Does the Wal-Mart experience depend on the store? Are the alledged problems just that, allegations? And for that matter, does every Wegman's have such an excellent cheese department? And what about Microsoft? Everyone (nearly) uses their products and most people hate the company. What does this say about their future? I guess we'll just have to watch and see.
This is a book that describes one way of doing business that has worked for a lot of companies. It provides a good insight into what these companies do.
Impressive Examples of Serving the Full Gamut of Stakeholders.......2007-05-08
What is a Firm of Endearment? The authors argue that their example companies share a common set of core values, policies, and operating attributes which include:
1. aligning the interests of all stakeholder groups (customers, employees, partners, investors, and society) rather than seeking profit optimization
2. below-average executive compensation
3. open-door policies
4. employee compensation and benefits are above average for their industry
5. above-average employee training
6. empower employees to satisfy customers
7. hire employees who are passionate about the company's purpose
8. humanize customer and employee experiences
9. enjoy below-average marketing costs
10. honor the spirit as well as the letter of laws
11. focus on corporate culture as a competitive advantage
12. are often innovative in their industries
Companies identified include extensive examples drawn from Commerce Bank, Container Store, Costco, Harley-Davidson, Honda, IDEO, IKEA, jetBlue, Johnson & Johnson, Jordan's Furniture, New Balance, Patagonia, Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, Timberland, Toyota, Trader Joe's, UPS, Wegmans, and Whole Foods.
These companies are often contrasted with Wal-Mart and the Good to Great Companies identified by Jim Collins in 2001 in terms of stock price growth.
The authors argue that there is a new level of consciousness emerging that rewards those who do good while doing well. The implication is that all firms should shift to stakeholder optimization and the cultural values identified in the example companies.
While they don't make this argument, it's clear that the authors have identified many of the mindsets that lead a company to seek optimizing results for all stakeholders.
Before you assume total cause and effect, I would like to raise some issues not fully addressed in the book:
1. This is an after-the-fact evaluation. As such, (like Good to Great), we may mostly be seeing what the leaders are proud of . . . rather than what caused their success. For example, Southwest's success is focused on their corporate culture. But the company also has a better business model than almost any other airline (Ryanair's is better) and does a better job of fuel cost hedging than any other U.S. airline. Those factors aren't mentioned.
2. These companies are almost all in consumer products or services. A class of socially conscious consumers has sprung up who look hard for such firms. It's not clear that OEM and industrial buyers have evolved their preferences nearly to the same extent. So many of the lessons may only apply consumer goods and services (except for those validated by Gallup for having a motivated and effective group of people working for you).
3. Almost all of these firms are highly effective business model innovators who have gained enormous advantages over competitors who seldom innovate their business models. As a result, they can afford practices that may or may not pay off in profit without incurring any negative reaction. The next business model innovation will pay for the cost.
I was surprised that this book didn't look at the study I made from 1992-2001 that identified continuing business model innovation as the single best factor for explaining high levels of corporate performance (see The Ultimate Competitive Advantage). The books share some examples in common (including Jordan's Furniture and Timberland), but many of FoE's examples are also superior business model innovators (Amazon, BMW, CarMax, Caterpillar, Container Store, Costco, eBay, Google, Harley-Davidson, IDEO, IKEA, jetBlue, Patagonia, Starbucks, Trader Joe's, UPS, Wegmans, and Whole Food).
4. It often pays better to serve stakeholder interests than to ignore them. Why? Because ignoring stakeholders often burdens both the company and the stakeholder with costs and experiences that neither want. This economic case for stakeholder focus isn't fully developed outside of the customer arena.
5. The book emphasizes sustainability, but much of that argument is built around companies disappearing from the Fortune 500 (something that happens whenever a merger happens . . . which doesn't mean that the organization goes away, just the corporate headquarters in most cases). In the research of my students on environmental sustainability (see Hiroshi Fukushi's work, A Strategic Approach to the Environmentally Sustainable Business, for example), it's apparent that making the environment cleaner than when you touched it is economically advantaged in most situations. The idea of sustainability is based on the outmoded notion of not doing too much damage rather than finding profits in making the world better than you found it.
But it's a good book that creates more questions than it answers. This one will probably stimulate some more careful thinking in the area of where seeking to be more considerate of others is going to create better results as well as better sleep.
Sharp, New Millennium Look at Emotional Intelligence as a Quantifiable Value in Corporate America.......2007-04-16
With the tidal wave of publicity for Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" and the spotlight it has given to the green movement, it seems like a ripe time to take stock of companies who are incorporating more social responsibility into their charters. Co-authors Raj Sisodia, Jag Sheth, and David B. Wolfe make a compelling case for how such thinking is not only a much-needed injection of humanism into private enterprise in this country but also the impetus for long-term success at a time when people are seeking greater meaning in their lives. Wolfe, the only non-academic of the three, ventures the furthest in delineating what he considers the art of empathy and the power of bringing soulfulness to the workplace. Such seeming intangibles have been repeatedly dismissed by those unwilling to recognize the human equation at the base of such operations.
Wolfe's bottom line is that soft skills translate into hard numbers, and he feels the days of well-known autocratic CEOs like Disney's Michael Eisner and Hewlett-Packard's Carly Fiorina are numbered if not over. The book's coy title actually refers to the model firms - Whole Foods, Harley-Davidson, Trader Joe's, Costco, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, Patagonia, IKEA and New Balance among them - who have aligned principles of emotional intelligence with shareholder value in ways that induce more loyalty among the most valued employees. The data gathered by the co-authors suggests that firms which encourage emotional intelligence are more likely to have workers who benefit from feedback and achieve more for themselves and their companies over time. Emotional intelligence manifests itself in several ways, whether it is more modest executive salaries, open-door policies, better employee benefits, better training or a stronger focus on the customer experience. Moreover, the co-authors place high value on environmentally friendly practices and social consciousness as part of a company's vision.
The emphasis on emotional intelligence represents a major paradigm shift and one that has been working in tandem with globalization in recent years. It has given birth to the stakeholder relationship management business model (SRM), which supersedes the well-established customer relationship model with its primary focus on products and profits. Reflecting a much broader vision, the SRM is more dependent on coordinating systems which help keep healthy the company's economic ecosystem, which is the basis of its growth, development and economic health. The ensuing loyalty among employees gives rise to what the co-authors term "share of heart". It's an elusive concept but one mastered by a new breed of CEOs who manage to inspire with their idealism even when short-term profitability looks bleak. Sisodia, Sheth and Wolfe provide intriguing portraits of these leaders and the unique cultures they have managed to develop over time while still delivering on their bottom lines. If anything, this eminently readable book is a testament that Machiavellian tenets need not guide companies at the expense of the people who maintain them.
Average customer rating:
- greatest miracle in the world
- The Greatest Book Ever Written By Man.
- Brilliance
- Greatest Miracle in the World
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The Greatest Miracle in the World
Og Mandino
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The Choice
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Book Description
A work that will lift the mind and heart of every reader. --Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
Customer Reviews:
greatest miracle in the world.......2007-09-17
awesome, excellent book ...words are inadequate. can't wait to read the other two books I also purchased from the same author. will send chills up your spine .. .
The Greatest Book Ever Written By Man........2007-03-10
This has to be the best book ever written by man. If you don't get it after reading this book, you never will.
Brilliance .......2006-07-22
I have read everyone of Og Mandinos Books and all I can say is that he writes with brilliance, clarity, enthusiasm, and spirit. You can never go wrong with any of his books. He points out the path to success and motivates the spirit within to achieve all that we as human beings are capable. He helped me to tap into my innate genuis and create a life of prosperity and creativity. If you havent raed his books, start now and your journey of the spirit will begin. He was a born writer and even after his passing continues to have a great influence on many people old and young. He truly lived a purposeful and divine life. Go buy all his books and enjoy the growth and enlightenment. After that Buy my Book " Your daily Walk with the Great Minds of the Past and Present". Enjoy and rememeber you are capable of great things in your life.
Greatest Miracle in the World.......2006-03-10
Did not care for this book, kind of sorry I bought it. Was outdated.....probably will not buy another one of Mr Mandino's books
You've Got To Read This Book!.......2005-08-10
I'v read it before and getting ready to listen to the audio version (again). I was amazed at how Og captured my heart and kept me glued to the story.
You've just got to read this book! I went through the program in the book and it just totally changed my life. Og had a special gift. As his mother told him. She said "Not only will he be a writer but a Great writer" Indeed how right she was!
I have told many people about Og. He's my hero because he has shown me the love of God in a special way. Get the book. You won't be sorry. It can change your life as it has mine and sooooooo many others.
dale
Book Description
Thirty years ago, Henry Gadsden, the head of Merck, one of the world's largest drug companies, told Fortune magazine that he wanted Merck to be more like chewing gum maker Wrigley's. It had long been his dream to make drugs for healthy people so that Merck could "sell to everyone." Gadsden's dream now drives the marketing machinery of the most profitable industry on earth.
Drug companies are systematically working to widen the very boundaries that define illness, and the markets for medication grow ever larger. Mild problems are redefined as serious illness and common complaints are labeled as medical conditions requiring drug treatments. Runny noses are now allergic rhinitis, PMS has become a psychiatric disorder, and hyperactive children have ADD. When it comes to conditions like high cholesterol or low bone density, being "at risk" is sold as a disease.
Selling Sickness reveals how widening the boundaries of illness and lowering the threshold for treatments is creating millions of new patients and billions in new profits, in turn threatening to bankrupt health-care systems all over the world. As more and more of ordinary life becomes medicalized, the industry moves ever closer to Gadsden's dream: "selling to everyone."
Customer Reviews:
ver compelling.......2007-06-12
This book was a real eye-opener. The authors write very clearly, and it is well referenced. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants an introduction to just how crooked the relationship can be between 'Big pharma' and the medical profession.
Buying into SICKNESS.......2007-04-20
Ray Moynihan is a legend, and more importantly he appears to have some integrity and intelligence. While other so-called journalists unquestioningly accept what is spoon-fed to them from big Pharma, Moynihan bothers to look beneath the veneer created by PR and spin-doctoring. The book has been written so that non-medical people can understand it, but is referenced in order that health professionals can check the veracity of his claims - and he really doesn't claim anything he can't back up by referenced literature. I applaud Dr Pelton for reading the book at all, but feel a little sad that he doesn't go a little further and discover for himself that most modern theory of disease is based on little more than wishful thinking, huge profits and massive disinformation campaigns.
Think for Yourself.......2007-03-13
This book does an excellent job exposing where some companies have done wrong. I can write the same book about almost any industry in the country. Now how many of them have developed a life-changing drug like Enbrel? As others have pointed out, this book (and most others like it) do a miserable job of providing context. Our life expectancies are lower than other industrialized nations because we are the fatest people on the planet, I can only imagine what it would be like if we didn't take the drugs that keep us alive. Can people exercise and take care of themselves and avoid a lot of these issues? Sure they can-but they don't and then they go to the doctor expecting a miracle cure. Can they not feed their little kids pounds of high frucotse corn syrup and avoid turming them into 20 year old diabetics, sure they can-but they don't. Every doctor I've ever been to or talked to says they tell every patient to exercise and watch their diet first (before ever prescribing anything). When the patient fails to comply then the doctor does what they think is the best thing to keep their patient alive. Pharmas certainly do wrong things, like any other business, and they need to be policed, but they should not be the scapegoat for sensationalist journalists (who are, guess what, selling the news/books) and short-sighted politicians are are unwilling or unable to deal with the larger healthcare issues our nation now faces.
Read this book, but please read others as well (that ought to make Amazon happy!)-try some that don't agree with what the media has programmed you to think about big pharma-if you can find any.
Disappointed.......2007-03-08
The book presents ten examples of unethical conduct by pharmaceutical compnies in order to promote their products. The tactics include misrepresenting statistical facts, overstating health risks, influencing medical authorities, creating new medical conditions in order to sell drugs for them and so on.
All the facts in the book are true. But the impression the book creates is skewed. Modern medicine cannot exist without pharmaceutical industry, and the relationship between it and medical professionals is more complex than portrayed in this text. I also believe that most doctors deserve more credit when it comes to choosing treatments for their patients.
But opinions aside, the book actually is getting boring as it progresses, probably because it is clear how each chapter will end soon after the beginning. I also expected less political and more medical information. I also think the authors should have touched on other reasons of proliferation of drug culture in modern society.
Overall I was disappointed.
Should be required reading for ALL women and girls!!!.......2007-02-23
As a single woman writer with a very modest income, I have struggled and struggled for years to pay ever increasing health insurance premiums. Health costs are going through the ROOF and much of this is explained in "Selling Sickness."
And the coup de grace is Governor Perry's recent mandate that all 11 and 12-year-old girls be vaccinated against cervical cancer. In February 2007, USA Today reported that Perry *bypassed* the state legislature to force this law on the books. Three shots of this nice, new chemical will cost $360 and prevent only 70% of cervical cancers. Yet Perty is comparing this to the Polio vaccine?
"Selling Sickness" pulls back the curtain on the politically-charged (and financially inspired) machinations of the pharmaceutical industry and explains the mass manipulation. It's a very disturbing book, but also well documented, well researched and utterly fascinating.
Read it and weep - for America's health care system.
Book Description
This powerful employee handbook provides 13 clear and practical guidelines that workers can weave into their daily routines immediately. These specific points are made with hard facts, powerful logic and a sense of humor that can be universally understood and applied. And, the handbook format will enable people to transform the organization fast by promoting a consistent message throughout the organization.
Customer Reviews:
Straightforward, no-nonsense survival guide for a changing world.......2005-07-04
Price Pritchett's little book, The Employee Handbook of New Work Habits For A Radically Changing World, should really be called "The Abridged Career Bible" and not a handbook. Could this have anything to do with the lucky number 13? Filled with his "13 Ground Rules for Job Success in the Information Age," Pritchett's book really is a survival manual. In an time of new technologies, services, knowledge work, and fierce worldwide competition, only those open to change-those who are flexible and invest their energy in finding and seizing opportunities-will thrive. Those who resist change and harbor bitterness will only end up going the way of the dinosaurs. And we don't need to be reminded of what eventually happened to the dinosaurs...
Pritchett advises workers to become quick-change artists. In an age of restructuring, outsourcing, downsizing, subcontracting, and forming new alliances, workers can expect new ways of working and having to align immediately with new organizational needs and realities. Being a quick-change artist-mobility-can build an employee's reputation.
Then again, says, Pritchett, so does commitment. Commit fully to your job. Companies now cannot afford to hire more employees to solve common problems. Nevertheless, clients and customers expect quality and speed. Companies' response is to throw fewer people at problems and to do more-faster and better-with less. This calls for highly committed people-those who work from the heart and invest passionately to their jobs. It follows that commitment will result in more satisfying work, too, bringing empowerment, relieving stress, and curing the pain of change.
Through their commitment and working from the heart, employees are contributing and adding value. Workers should think that they are being remunerated for the value they add rather than for their tenure, good intentions or activity level.
Employees' job security, therefore, depends on commitment and how valuable they are to customers. Employees must see themselves as service centers. They need to sharpen their insights into their personal "market" and understand what it is their customers do, expect and need. Employees need to know how they fit into the overall picture and how they will contribute to customers' success. Remember, warns Pritchett: "customer" does not only imply people outside the organization but co-workers and internal customers as well. Career success depends on building strong relationships with both internal and external customers and a reputation for responsiveness and quality service.
Just ensure that service and responses are delivered in a timely fashion! We do, as Pritchett says, live in an impatient world. Organizations, then, must accelerate. Workers must operate with a sense of urgency. These are raw survival instincts at work. To survive: speed up. To be successful, organizations must emphasize action: cover ground quickly, eliminate excess baggage, abandon outmoded practices, decentralize, and delegate decision-making power. There really is no room for slow adjustment to change. Valuable employees are those who push the process of change along.
But change brings ambiguity and uncertainty!
Fine. As Pritchett advises, accept it, and manage your own morale! Workers need to realize that placing their morale in someone else's hands disempowers them and that ambiguity may, in fact, be the in the best interest of their career.
Sure, they will be faced with new expectations, shifting priorities, different reporting relationships, vague job descriptions...
Workers need to act upbeat, accept change, and create clarity for themselves-to set priorities, meet deadlines, chase down needed information, show initiative and an ability to improvise. They need to work as though they are in business for themselves.
So what does that mean?
Traditional hierarchies are flattening out. Organizations want to get closer to customers and clients, and are decentralizing business units. The result? Mini-enterprises or self-contained work groups that operate more independently. Employees will need to assume more responsibility for the success of the entire enterprise and consider personally how they can help cut costs, improve productivity, and innovate.
In other words, as hierarchies collapse, responsibility, power, and authority are being pushed to the lower levels. Self-contained work teams must stand accountable for their collective results. Accountability implies thinking in broad terms, considering the larger picture, and considering outcomes. Workers must streamline their approach to economize time, energy, and other resources.
Broad thinking and innovation take brains: it doesn't take long for skills and knowledge to become outmoded in a rapidly changing world-a world that takes no pity on those who are lazy about learning. Workers need to stay in school in order to retool themselves and to keep up with the latest knowledge. Their future employability depends on up-to-date credentials, the latest skills, and the most recent developments in their chosen field. Home study, reading, attending workshops and seminars, volunteering for understudy or apprenticeship programs, asking for learning opportunities-all of these should become "habits".
Lifelong learning implies continuous improvement. Yes, and according to Pritchett, it's the best insurance for both employees' careers and for organizations. How? It is the relentless quest for a better way, for high quality craftsmanship, for daily perfection. Continuous improvement-and this is not just limited to learning, either-may be gradual, but in the long run, it adds up to a competitive advantage.
Employees also need to learn not to rely solely on their reputation anymore: the world is changing too quickly. Employees must then strive to upgrade their job performance-response time, quality, cost control, and customer service-on an ongoing basis.
Improving job performance also means building a reputation as a problem solver. Employees must learn to take care of problems, not point them out. By searching beyond themselves, for solutions, they disempower themselves and lose the ability to find workable solutions. The pro-active solution, according to Pritchett, is for employees to assume ownership of problems and to allow the solutions to start with them.
To summarize, change is inevitable, and there is little, if anything, organizations can do to stop it. The best they can do is adapt and to alter their expectations-preferably before they have to. Some are fortunate enough to scramble and adjust when push comes to shove. As to the rest? Well, just remember the dinosaurs...
(...)
Some good points but a nasty overtone.......2005-04-22
This book does mention some valid points about taking control of your own career. But it fails to acknowledge what motivates us to work and has a horrible over tone that preys on the fear culture you find during redundancies. I'd look elsewhere for motivation, somewhere that tells you how to be more confident rather than "do this or else".
Recreating Your Job.......2002-02-16
As a manager in a highly competitive service industry, I could not deliver a better message to my staff than this short, highly readable "who's in charge of your life" script for the entrepeneur in all of us.
Adaptability, accountability, and the pure joy of realizing your version of yourself in this age of the "chaos theory" is in there. A fun, inspiring, recharging read.
A good example of a book that should be burnedý........2002-01-29
Let's cut to the chase. The message of this book is quite simple:
Change your current attitude and increase your productivity so that you will ad value to your company in the long run. In other words, all for the benefit of us (managers, CEOs, Bill Gates, etc.) at the expense of you, the employee (the tried and true `profits over people' mentality rears its ugly head once again in corporate America). If the events of September 11 or the recent Enron affair haven't yet taught us that money and misguided "motivation" should NOT be the primary goals in life, I don't know what will.
The inhuman workplace.......2002-01-26
This book should be titled "Chicken Soup For The Displaced Worker." With one sticking point: You get more depressed after you read it. If anyone hands you this book, tell them no thanks. I strongly agree with the reviewers who said that this is a book for clueless managers looking to jump on meaningless trends.
Book Description
Robert Jackall's Moral Mazes offers an eye-opening account of how corporate managers think the world works, and how big organizations shape moral consciousness. Based on extensive interviews with managers at every level of two industrial firms and of a large public relations agency, Moral Mazes takes the reader inside the intricate world of the corporation. Jackall reveals a world where hard work does not necessarily lead to success, but where sharp talk, self-promotion, powerful patrons, and sheer luck might. Cheerfully-bland public faces mask intense competition in this world where people hide their intentions, and accountability often depends on the ability to outrun mistakes. In this topsy-turvy world, managers must bring often unforgiving technology and always difficult people together to make money, an uncompromising task demanding continual compromises with conventional truths. Moral questions become merely practical concerns and issues of public relations. Sooner or later, managers find themselves wondering how to act in such a world and still maintain a sense of personal integrity. This brilliant, sometimes disturbing, often wildly funny study of corporate thinking, decision-making, and morality presents compelling real life stories of the men and women charged with running the businesses of America. It will interest anyone concerned with how big organizations actually function, or with the current moral malaise in our public life.
Customer Reviews:
bibliographic data : .......2005-11-06
Author: Jackall, Robert.
Title: Moral mazes : the world of corporate managers / Robert Jackall.
Publisher: New York : Oxford University Press, 1988.
Edition Date: 1988
Language: English
Notes: Includes index.
Physical Details: ix, 249 p. ; 25 cm.
Subjects: Business ethics--United States.
Executives--Professional ethics--United States.
Corporations--Corrupt practices--United States.
Objective, sad, but true.......2002-05-06
"Moral Mazes" is an extensive, award-winning and highly accurate sociological portrait of life in the modern corporation, an academic precursor, so to speak, of the "Dilbert" cartoon strip. Unlike many other writers on this topic, Jackall doesn't resort to Marxist rants, but rather, compares modern corporate culture to the "Protestant" work ethic most Americans are raised into.
Jackall's inquiry, based on in-depth interviews with managers themselves, is broad in scope, and it is hard to generalize. Within about 200 pages, he covers the social circles of the corporation, cronyism, bad decisionmaking and public relations, to name a few. He discovers that corporations, at the upper levels at least, resemble a king's court more than a meritocratic organization. The essential work of a manager is not "management" or "leadership," but constantly making the right friends and adopting the correct posture. Anyone who has worked in such a setting, or knows people in such a field, will be able to relate instantly, although it can be argued that Jackall did not need to spend years of ethnographic research to reach this conclusion.
This book is not for everyone, as Jackall must conclude that "ethics" as practiced by managers is nothing more than "survival" and ambition for one's own "advantage." While such a diagnosis may seem harsh, it is difficult to rationally explain recent events in the marketplace, such as the Enron scandal, without concluding that corporate executives have a moral compass that differs from that of the everyday person.
Contrary to what a layman may think, Jackall makes no moral judgments of his own, although readers most certainly will. The title itself can be misinterpreted by people not familiar with sociology. The "morals" Jackall discusses are not ethics (which he attacks in his intro), but Durkheim's "occupational morality." While he does study corporations, he calls the focus of this study the "bureaucratic ethos" (not "corporate ethos"). Anyone who's read history (or the local newspaper) already knows bureacracy can create its own rules, from governments (i.e., the Nazis and the Holocaust) to religions (i.e., Catholicism and child molesters).
Surprisingly, by portraying executives' lives as frought with anxiety, guilt, "senseless" work and no reliable means to measure their self worth, Jackall may cause an intelligent reader to actually feel sorry for them. Reading though his interviews with executives, there's little question that many executives began to regard him as a "Father Confessor" to admit their deeds.
At the same time, Jackall offers an alternative theory for why the American work ethic has all but vanished: if people are promoted based soley on their manipulative social skills, why would anyone want to subscribe to the old work ethic?
A Cynical Autopsy.......2001-02-23
Robert Jackall strings together a series of worse-case scenarios gleaned from a very limited control group of corporations. He skillfully manipulates language (e.g., calling loyalty to one's boss 'fealty') in order to deliver what he thinks is an indictment of bureaucracy. He does have some interesting things to say about the press, but this occurs near the end and comprises less than a page of material. Save your time. Read something worthwhile like Thomas Sowell's classic "A Conflict of Visions." Jackall's book is not worth the read.
Throughly depressing but an absolute must read.......1998-10-07
This book ought to be required reading for all MBA candidates and would be corporate middle managers as an intro into the sad and dysfunctional but real corporate world. In numerous scenes that will be instantly familiar to anyone who has worked at a Fortune 200 firm the book recounts numerous instances of failed and misdirected management. Depressing because it reveals the underbelly of corporate America and capitalism but readable in its accurate portrayal. Occasionally at times slow (particularly towards the end when he presumably is tired of writing) it does a clinical autopsy on management. Like watching a train wreck you are compelled to keep reading even as you realize the denouement. If you think that ignorance is bliss - give this a miss - on the other hand, if you are a frustrated idealist and need proof that in order for evil to overcome good, good only has to do nothing, it is worth the investment. An excellent primer on why we need ethics courses but more importantly ethical actions.
Book Description
The story of one young man's remarkable journey from corporate America to the Society of Jesus. James Martin leads you from his Catholic childhood through his success and ultimate dissatisfaction with the business world, to his novitiate and profession of vows as a Jesuit.
Customer Reviews:
read this book.......2006-11-17
If you are thinking of a religious vocation, this is the book for you. James Martin (Society of Jesus) was fresh out of college, making big bucks at GE, and living a party life in NYC when he realized how empty it all was. He needed something more in his life and, to the shock of his family and co-workers, entered the Society of Jesus.
The memoir covers Martin's college years, his job at GE, his enterance into the Jesuit order, as well as his novitiate in Boston and Jamaica. During these two years, Martin is challenged to live the life Christ is calling him to live. The memior ends with First Vows at a church in Boston, after which Martin flies to Chicago where he'll begin philosophy studies (the second stage of Jesuit formation).
This was an exciting book to read. I found myself in Martin's shoes, as I have at times thought of becoming a priest. But even if you're a career person, and aren't interested in religious life, read this book anyway--it's a great place to see G-d at work. Highly recommended.
Also recommended: The Gospel of Arnie
A Modern Vocation Story.......2006-07-01
When considering a vocation, this book might provide a little relief to those who hear that discouraging little voice whispering, "You're not holy enough." For that reason, I think this book could serve as a thoughtful gift to someone in the process of discernment.
The story of Fr. Martin hits on some pretty interesting topics. For example: his first career as a corporate man who makes good money, but is probably too overworked to enjoy it. Also, it's interesting to see those around him (e.g. friends, co-workers, etc) react to his discernment process and entrance into the Society of Jesus as a seminarian.
The real story, though, is Fr. Martin's own reflections on the meaning of his journey to the priesthood, and the comparisons to his life "in the world."
Personally, I identified (sadly) with his story of someone who "grew up" as a Catholic, and yet reached adulthood without a deep understanding of the Catholic Faith, its teachings or its traditions. Fr. Martin confronted his religious illiteracy, even if he felt silly asking what might have been seen as simple questions.
Possible Negatives
Fr. Martin is a "down-to-earth" person who lives in the real world. He is someone that is easy to identify with. He's a sinner--just like the rest of us. On the other hand, seeing his "warts," I sometimes felt that there was an ambiguous message about how to deal with our own imperfections. For example, should we see these imperfections and say, "that's just who I am"? Or, should we follow the Gospel message of Our Lord, to "Be Perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect"? (Matt 5:48)
Also, Fr. Martin clearly lived the Gospel message to serve those who are in need. I don't mean to belittle these good works which are worthy of imitation; but, sometimes I fear that people make temporal good works the primary goal of religion, instead of the salvation of souls.
Overall, I recommend Fr. Martin's enjoyable, well-written vocation story.
Another great book by Martin!!.......2006-05-07
I have not been disappointed yet by the work of James Martin, SJ. I appreciate the honesty of his experience. I believe that the issues he presents in this book that surround religious formation are well written. I do share the opinion of one customer reviewer on Amazon.com who presents a concern about Martin's lack of transparency on the issue of sexuality and the vow of celibacy. HOWEVER, having perhaps a unique insight into religious life from my own experiences in formation, I can attest to the fact that the vows of poverty and obedience are much more divisive in community life than celibacy - and that celibacy is more often the heated issue of those outside religious communities looking inward with curiosity.
I have shared this book with a number of other religious and lay people alike with the recommendation that this is another well-written James Martin book that is candid, humorous and honest.
You will not be disappointed.
Great story........2003-07-28
Martin's personal journey of faith, which eventually led him into the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), is quite a story. He was a young successful business man rising quickly through the corporate ranks at General Electric. But the "unseen hook" brought him to change dramatically - literally from riches to poverty. The reader gets a sense of Martin's sincerity as they journey with him through his younger years in business, and eventually, his experience as a Jesuit novice.
Though the story itself is powerful, I rated this book with only three stars because I found Martin's prose to be lacking at some points in the story. Perhaps I'm being harsh; forgive me.
I recommend this book to any reader who wishes to understand the Catholic preisthood better, especially those young men considering joining the Jesuits.
A Great Read.......2002-02-06
James Martin's book is just the right thing for anyone with an interest in the contemporary Catholic Church. It's especially helpful for those thinking of joining a religious order or becoming a priest--or those who are interested in why a person would make such a commitment in this day and age. Martin's writing style makes this a personal and provocative read. One of the reviewers on the back cover says Martin is a Thomas Merton for this time--perhaps, but in his own style. I'd highly recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in religion.
Book Description
This astonishing bestseller holds the secrets to all your ambitions and desires and everything you wish to accomplish. This is the book that holds the key to personal wealth.
Customer Reviews:
Essential.......2007-10-20
A book about being a respectful adult, a responsible business person and smart with your money. Every parent should have their kids read this when they turn 10.
Classic.......2007-10-18
George S. Clason did a wonderful job gathering information for this book. If you understand the Laws of Success better in parable form, then this book is for you!
The Richest Man in Babylon.......2007-10-13
A small, fun book, this guide to financial well-being is written as an archaeologist's translation of cuneiform tablets. The "richest man's" memoirs take the form of advice to his sons and colleagues. Simple, time-tested rules are easy to remember.
Secret to riches.......2007-10-07
This book is like going to a Sunday school class. It talks about Biblical times and the struggles of people living in harsh times. It also talks about people who want to grow rich and the things they do to become successful. "The Richest Man in Babylon" treated his employees generously and regularly gave a portion of his profits to the poor in his community. As a merchant he was fair and honest and dependable. The story does tell how to become rich and the road to riches is available to any person who follows the simple principles in this book.
Success in finance.......2007-09-23
An inspiring classic, and yet another testament to the fact that human follies and sound advice are timeless. Whether you're a slave in Babylon, or a modern banker, the principles are all the same: pay yourself first, save at least one tenth of your income, look for opportunity, work hard, and be wise in your investments. Passed on for centuries, it is surprising how few people use these maxims, and yet the successful stories are almost always based on them. For the hundred pages that it is, "The Richest Man in Babylon" may well be the most complete financial guide to date.
Product Description
Two fundamentally different business models of capitalism are operating in the business world today. One is self-destructive and increasingly corrupt. The other is emergent, flourishing, and inspirational. The author explains the differences between the two and reveals the extraordinary results of the more successful model. Profit for Life draws on nearly forty years of research on the empirical connections between stewardship and profitability.
Customer Reviews:
Review of Profit for Life: How Capitalism Excels by Joseph H. Bragdon.......2007-04-08
Profit for Life shatters the old paradigm that success in business means sucking the life from people and natural resources by viewing both as dispensable commodities. By showing us how success in business--including big business--goes hand-in-hand with respect for human and natural communities, Bragdon frees us from the wrenching misconception that profit and citizenship represent a kind of zero-sum game.
Bragdon unites head and heart in one of the most uplifting books I have ever read. Profit for Life offers hope with a firm footing. I recommend Profit for Life to anyone with an interest in business management, strategic investment, or corporate citizenship.
Daniel D. Dutcher, J.D., Ph.D.
Project Director
The Clean Energy Group
Montpelier, Vermont
Book Review for Profit for Life: How Capitalism Excels.......2007-01-31
Book Review for Profit for Life: How Capitalism Excels
by Ann McGee-Cooper
How do you measure the value of servant leadership in business? How can we know it works? These have been two of the most frequently asked questions in our consulting practice over the past 30 years.
In Profit for Life, Jay Bragdon provides us with some compelling answers. He does this by setting aside much of the linear cause-and-effect thinking that drives business these days, and adopts a more rounded, holistic approach that gives us deeper insight into the firm.
The book is based on the experiences of 60 companies - Bragdon's "learning lab" - that broadly represent the industry/sector diversity of the world economy. Throughout the text he describes 16 of these pioneering companies, called the Focus Group. The distinguishing feature of all these firms is their effort to mimic living systems - in the ways they organize, manage and add value. This mental model is radically different from the traditional one that views the firm as a money making machine.
Although it may seem counter intuitive, the living system approach yields vastly superior results than the traditional one. For example, the average equity return of learning lab companies was nearly double the S&P 500 over the past decade; and their excess performance continues as this review is written. Bragdon expects such premium returns will diminish over time as the more effective methods of the living system model become copied and enter the mainstream. Nevertheless, these results are a strong affirmation of the milieu in which servant leadership normally operates.
Servant leadership, to Bragdon, is all about relationships. He says "relational equity" is the foundation on which companies build financial equity. When companies care about people and the things people care about, Employees become inspired and their inspiration cascades into everything they do, including their relationships with customers, suppliers and other key stakeholders.
The raison d'etre of these servant-led firms is value creation - value that permeates all relationships. Companies that excel at such value creation pursue a strategy Bragdon calls "living asset stewardship" (LAS). The fundamental premise of LAS is: Profit arises from life, and must therefore serve life if it is to be sustainable.
To understand the strategic value of living asset stewardship, Bragdon makes a critical distinction between living assets (people and Nature) and non-living capital assets (buildings, equipment and financial reserves). We see this in three contexts. First, people are closely bonded to Nature - genetically, physically and spiritually - in ways that capital assets are not. Second, living assets are the source of non-living capital assets. And third, because living assets are inherently creative and emergent, their value grows over time rather than depreciating as capital assets do.
The operating leverage in the learning lab and the 16 Focus Group companies resides in the human heart rather than in mechanistic financial gearing. This is supported by the fact that they generate consistently higher returns on equity while carrying substantially lower debt ratios.
Although traditionally managed companies have been adopting some stewardship practices in the past decade, Bragdon finds their approach differs fundamentally from those in his study. In the mechanistic view of these firms, stewardship is an add-on that is subservient to their drive for profit. By contrast, in companies that have adopted the living system model, LAS is deeply woven into the value creation process - reflecting the fact that they see themselves as "living" and therefore integral to, rather than separate from, Nature and society.
Profit for Life builds on the brilliant work of Arie deGeus, former coordinator of Group Planning at Royal Dutch/Shell, and Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson. DeGeus' classic, The Living Company, noted that long-lived companies had a collective consciousness, were sensitive to their environments, tried to work in harmony with the world around them, and strove to leave a legacy to future generations. Wilson tells us this collective consciousness is an expression of humanity's deep affinity for life, which he calls "biophilia," and that our biophilic instincts have evolved over thousands of generations of natural selection.
In my work as a teacher of servant leadership, I would highlight the paradigm shift Bragdon describes. The mission of leaders in LAS organizations is to serve and grow their people because that is the source of the firm's liveliness and capacity for growth. As Robert K. Greenleaf said: "The first order of business is to build a group of people who, under the influence of the institution, grow taller and become healthier, stronger and more autonomous." That seminal quote is used twice in the book to describe the power and generative capacity of LAS.
I highly recommend this book and will be using it regularly in our practice.
Ann McGee-Cooper, Ed.D., Business Consultant & Executive coach
in the field of Servant Leadership & growing Learning Organization.
Ann McGee-Cooper & Associates, Inc.
An Extraordinary Book: A Must Read.......2006-11-26
I intend to recommend Profit for Life to all my current MBA students. Next fall I am team teaching an MBA core course that combines Operations Management and Managerial Accounting. I intend to make the case that your book should be required reading and part of the course.
I became familiar with the work of W. Edwards Deming in 1990 and attended one of his four day seminars a year later. I also began to follow Peter Senge's work and later read Margaret Wheatley's book, Leadership and the New Science. Tom Johnson's book, Profit Beyond Measure, has been required reading in my Advanced Managerial Accounting elective at the MBA level.
Bragdon's book has brought the ideas, theories, and concepts discussed by these individuals together for me in a way that I could not have imagined. More importantly, he has not only taken their ideas to the next level, but done it in a way that provides a tangible blue print for how to change our current style of command and control management with its focus on profit maximization to a LAS Theory of Management.
The use of the sixteen focus companies from the LAMP INDEX and the author's ability ability to clearly show the distinctions in their style of management from the traditional management models that continue to be taught in almost all business schools, and the success these companies have achieved not just financially, gives those of us hoping to change management education and core business curriculums a new hope.
Thank you for such an outstanding book.
Joseph F. Castellano
Professor, Department of Accounting
University of Dayton Business School
Excellent, highly readable information.......2006-11-18
This is not one of those lightweight business books that repeats its Chapter 1 message over and over. It's chock full of research-based information that anyone involved in the sustainability movement should have. The publisher is Peter Senge's non-profit, so if you're familiar with his excellent work over the years, this would make a great addition to your library. The author's passion for his subject is obvious from page one.
Book Description
Humanitarian consumers have been outraged to learn of the Gap's sweatshops, the young children who assemble Nike running shoes, and the deplorable demands put on agricultural workers by Starbucks Coffee. This book is a call to action to change business practices that hurt workers, children, animals, and the environment. Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, a phenomenally successful alternative corporation, believes that businesses can be both profitable and ethical. Her 1,700 stores in 47 countries sell environmentally friendly beauty products within a model of personal accountability and social responsibility. Inspiring consumers to think about what they buy and from whom they buy it, this book examines the issues driving globalization and the steps consumers can take to keep destructive elements in check. Contributors include the Dalai Lama, Peter Gabriel, Julia Butterfly Hill, Vandana Shiva, Paul Hawken, and Ralph Nader.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book to buy as a gift.......2005-07-22
There were so many great reviews for this book that echoed exactly how I felt about it, but I would like to add that I think that this book would make a great gift. It is a very simple to understand, straight forward book to buy for a friend or family member to heighten their awareness of all of these very important issues. I was so impressed that I watch it in my wish list and buy used copies for friends several times a year.
Wow.......2004-04-21
The title pretty much sums it up. This book was...superb and it doesn't sugarcoat, either. What shocked me most was the chart on page 70 of this book showing minimum wages in other countries (4 cents an hour in Burma!!!!) versus some figures of the head honchos of the corporate world (Walmart's Walton family, according to this, is worth 67.5 billion). It will definitely make you look at the brand names in a different way. I know for sure I will not buy anything from Victoria's secret anymore, nor will I set foot in Walmart anymore unless I'm absolutely desperate for something I don't think I can get anywhere else. So be smart, pick up this book, learn a thing or two, and fight this corporate crap. You'll be much happier you did.
Excellent info, but it doesn't deliver the "how-to.".......2003-02-01
A fascinating, well-made, beautifully-printed gem of a book! Stuffed with color photos, eye-catching graphics, and the kind of quotes and data that makes you think, "Ooh, I gotta paperclip this page!" I'd like to buy a copy for many other people, if I knew they'd read it.
Unfortunately, the only criticism I have is also fairly severe: the sub-title is "How to make conscious choices to change the world." Sorry to say, but the book never really goes very far into that aspect. There's meticulous detail on the nature and origins of globalization, social injustice, environmental crises, and human rights, but actual guidance to make a difference is fairly slim.
That's too bad, too, because the book excels in its ability to outrage the reader and convert you to the agreement that "this stuff really matters! It's more important than I thought!", and yet I find myself dissatisfied with the few suggested answers against the many overpowering wrongs. It's not "an action guide," but rather a fascinating and invaluable textbook.
We know what we have to do...but help !.......2002-05-30
Wonderful book.I strongly agree with the comments from one of the reader regarding information/media activism. We have to move from thinking and talking to real action. As a young activist, I would love to be coached ( like so many others ). We need a system where we could share, get support and empowerment. We learn by action not by information. Sometimes I feel kind of upset, because I feel that people that have the power, network and interest in global issue are doing this for their own ego. Bono from U2 is doing a good effort but why is he not spending his money to help young leaders ? We should invest in those people that will have a tremendous impact localy and abroad. Why not using technology to create a powerful leverage. A place where people like me could get support, coaching in my project ?
It was a great book to read, but I felt more discouraged than emporwered...
Empowerment Plus.......2002-05-23
Congratulations on your fabulous new book. It is a masterpiece!
I applaud this work, its connectedness and passion.
Most of all I admire its courage to say, so clearly, what needs to be said.
It's truth resonates with me.
I noticed with great interest that mentioned (page 140) was the gap between the military budget and the trickle that goes towards preventing wars.
As you probably know, globally, we spend $780 billion every year on the military.
`Transform the Military' suggest that we convert just 1/3 of that amount each year to fix the following problems.
*Eliminate Starvation and Malnutrition *Provide Shelter
*Provide Health Care and AIDS Control *Stabilise Population
*Prevent Soil Erosion *Eliminate Illiteracy
*Provide CleanWater *Clear Land mines
*Disarm Nuclear Weapons
*Address the Refugee Problem
*Support Democracy *Halt Deforestation
*Address Global Warming
*Prevent Acid Rain
*Ozone *Retire Developing Nations debt.
While ever we direct money towards the military we are saying that conflict resolution can only be achieved by military means and we all know that is not the case.
We wish to write war out of future history and we believe that `Transform the Military' is the way to make it reality. We are asking that capital, personnel and expertise as well as 1/3 of the budget be redirected towards human and environmental needs. Anita I am grateful for what you contribute to the world.
Well Done!!!
Yours in Peace
Faith Charity
Book Description
All across the globe, companies large and small are making a tremendous difference in the lives of others and, in turn, are enhancing employee performance, boosting morale, lowering turnover, and heightening brand recognition. In The Business of Changing the World, Marc Benioff and 19 other leaders share their corporate philanthropy secrets for the first time, revealing how any company can start their own program and reap enormous benefits.
This inspiring collection of testimonies brings to light the need for community giving, the challenges of implementing a philanthropic initiative, and the qualities CEOs must possess in order to make their programs a success. Most important, it highlights the tremendous rewards society and businesses stand to earn.
These are just a few of the extraordinary leaders you'll hear from:
- Michael Dell explains how making a commitment to environmentally sustainable products isn't just the right thing to do-it makes good business sense
- Alan Hassenfeld, the chairman of Hasbro-a pioneer of the integrated corporation-shares why he believes he owes a “debt” to the children of the world and how Hasbro expanded its reach beyond the playroom
- UPS CEO Mike Eskew demonstrates how his company delivers on its legacy by adhering to a set of core values
- Timberland president and CEO Jeffrey Swartz tells how, by integrating social justice into its business model, the company represents the apex in innovation in CSR
- Michael Milken reveals how applying best business approaches to healthcare and education can have a positive impact on the U.S. economy
In The Business of Changing the World, these trailblazers reveal why your company can-and should-start making the world a better place.
Customer Reviews:
The Business of Changing the World.......2007-02-15
Business as usual will be the undoing of capitalism. This book should be mandatory reading for all executive officers and shareholders. The thoughts illuminated in Marc Benioff's book provide a blueprint for corporate citizenry and social responsibility.
There is hope after all!.......2006-11-24
In a world riddled with corporate scandals and corruption, this book provides a completely refreshing point of view. It is expertly written and provides invaluable insight. Fantastic!
Excellent!.......2006-10-28
I was so impressed with this book! It is for all types of people - from students to successful business executives.
Finally - Access to the inside story on CSR!.......2006-10-04
Having spent the last 2 years researching the CSR arena, it is a miracle to find a collection of such provocative, inspiring and well-told stories of the world's biggest corporations' commitment to the community. Each chapter pulls back the curtain on the real story of CSR in a different Fortune 500 company, focusing not only on the benefit to the community, but importantly, on the benefit to the company as well. I have yet to find a resource as valuable on the subject of CSR. It is a must-read for anyone working in a corporation - big or small.
Truly inspiring! A Must Read!.......2006-10-04
This book has totally inspired both me and my sister. My sister started her own business last year, and she has been trying to think of an effective way to give back to the community. Until reading Benioff's book, I thought one would have to wait until the company was more financially secure. But, his "one percent model," which states that 1% of time, equity and product can be directed towards philanthropy, is a terrific - and manageable - way for her small shop to become an instrument of change. She is putting this plan into effect ASAP. Not everyone can be Bill Gates, but we can certainly play a part!
Books:
- Five Minds for the Future
- Five Minds for the Future
- For the Sake of the Children: The Social Organization of Responsibility in the Hospital and the Home (Morality and Society Series)
- Global Pharmaceuticals: Ethics, Markets, Practices
- Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance
- Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance
- Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance
- Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance
- Head First PMP: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam (Head First)
- Healthcare Ethics in a Diverse Society
Books Index
Books Home
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- Business Intelligence Roadmap: The Complete Project Lifecycle for Decision-Support Applications
- Study Guide, Volume I Chapters 1-12 for use with Fundamental Accounting Principles
- West Federal Taxation: Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and Treasury Regulations, 2007 Edition
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Purpose: The Starting Point of Great Companies
The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations
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True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership (J-B Warren Bennis Series)
The Halo Effect: ... and the Eight Other Business Delusions That Deceive Managers
