The Company Citizen concludes that key issues require the active participation - and leadership - of business. Drawing attention to the businesses that are taking the lead and those who are holding us back, the author concludes that only by involving business can we tackle the great issues of the day and survive, as communities, nation and planet.

The interest in good governance has grown tremendously in the past decade. Corporate scandals, environmental awareness and globalisation have all played their part in raising shareholder and public awareness in how companies should be governed. King provides a history and clear definition of corporate governance. This is followed by essential reading on the duties of directors and the chairman; the five 'corporate sins'; a framework of corporate governance; the relationship between the company and its directors; risk and governance; asking the 'dumb questions'; a code of conduct; and self-evaluation. This book is essential reading for directors and managers, shareholders and stakeholders, and business students. In addition, the principles set forth are equally applicable to non-business entities such as school governing bodies, sports and cultural organisations, non-governmental organisations and government departments.

Business doing good is doing good business; this book learns from the era where governments ruled the world, pre-globalisation, and where business looked after itself, where issues like climate change, resource depletion and even poverty and hunger were not thought to be the responsibility of business. The Company Citizen concludes that not only are these key issues for business today but that the world will not be able to manage these issues without the active participation - even leadership - of business. Aware of the shortcomings of both government and civil society the author argues that environmental sustainability, economic and social inclusion and the better management of resources are all key issues for business and that it makes good business sense to manage them better. This book examines the case for the company citizen on a global, national and community level working alongside other. Never has the conscientious company citizen, as envisaged by 19th century Quaker philanthropists, been more needed; and never has that business case, one that justifies a long-term commitment to practical corporate behaviour for good, been more clear. Drawing attention both to the businesses that are taking the lead and those who are holding us back, the author concludes that only by involving business can we tackle the great issues of the day - and survive, as communities, nation and planet.

Looks at issues of corporate responsibility globally, at companies in developing countries facing important challenges within their own countries.

The idea of workers owning the businesses where they work is not new. In America’s early years, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison believed that the best economic plan for the Republic was for citizens to have some ownership stake in the land, which was the main form of productive capital. This book traces the development of that share idea in American history and brings its message to today's economy, where business capital has replaced land as the source of wealth creation.div /DIVdivBased on a ten-year study of profit sharing and employee ownership at small and large corporations, this important and insightful work makes the case that the Founders’ original vision of sharing ownership and profits offers a viable path toward restoring the middle class. Blasi, Freeman, and Kruse show that an ownership stake in a corporation inspires and increases worker loyalty, productivity, and innovation. Their book offers history-, economics-, and evidence-based policy ideas at their best./DIV

"Citizen Coke demostrate[s] a complete lack of understanding about…the Coca-Cola system—past and present." —Ted Ryan, the Coca-Cola Company By examining “the real thing” ingredient by ingredient, this brilliant history shows how Coke used a strategy of outsourcing and leveraged free public resources, market muscle, and lobbying power to build a global empire on the sale of sugary water. Coke became a giant in a world of abundance but is now embattled in a world of scarcity, its products straining global resources and fueling crises in public health.

From uncovering major retailers' links to sweatshop abuses and revealing the deception of American tobacco companies, to questioning corporations' ties to repressive dictators, shaming food processors into selling dolphin-safe tuna and demanding that businesses stop destroying old growth forests, citizens have become far more aggressive in directly

The story of the dramatic postwar struggle over the proper role of citizens and government in American society. In the 1960s and 1970s, an insurgent attack on traditional liberalism took shape in America. It was built on new ideals of citizen advocacy and the public interest. Environmentalists, social critics, and consumer advocates like Rachel Carson, Jane Jacobs, and Ralph Nader crusaded against what they saw as a misguided and often corrupt government. Drawing energy from civil rights protests and opposition to the Vietnam War, the new citizens’ movement drew legions of followers and scored major victories. Citizen advocates disrupted government plans for urban highways and new hydroelectric dams and got Congress to pass tough legislation to protect clean air and clean water. They helped lead a revolution in safety that forced companies and governments to better protect consumers and workers from dangerous products and hazardous work conditions. And yet, in the process, citizen advocates also helped to undermine big government liberalism—the powerful alliance between government, business, and labor that dominated the United States politically in the decades following the New Deal and World War II. Public interest advocates exposed that alliance’s secret bargains and unintended consequences. They showed how government power often was used to advance private interests rather than restrain them. In the process of attacking government for its failings and its dangers, the public interest movement struggled to replace traditional liberalism with a new approach to governing. The citizen critique of government power instead helped clear the way for their antagonists: Reagan-era conservatives seeking to slash regulations and enrich corporations. Public Citizens traces the history of the public interest movement and explores its tangled legacy, showing the ways in which American liberalism has been at war with itself. The book forces us to reckon with the challenges of regaining our faith in government’s ability to advance the common good.

Balancing Social, Professional, and Artistic Views What does it mean to be a designer in today's corporate-driven, overbranded global consumer culture? Citizen Designer, Second Edition, attempts to answer this question with more than seventy debate-stirring essays and interviews espousing viewpoints ranging from the cultural and the political to the professional and the social. This new edition contains a collection of definitions and brief case studies on topics that today's citizen designers must consider, including new essays on social innovation, individual advocacy, group strategies, and living as an ethical designer. Edited by two prominent advocates of socially responsible design, this innovative reference responds to the tough questions today's designers continue to ask themselves, such as: How can a designer affect social or political change? Can design become more than just a service to clients? At what point does a designer have to take responsibility for the client's actions? When should a designer take a stand? Readers will find dozens of captivating insights and opinions on such important issues as reality branding, game design and school violence, advertising and exploitation, design as an environmental driving force, and much more. This candid guide encourages designers to carefully research their clients; become alert about corporate, political, and social developments; and design responsible products. Citizen Designer, Second Edition, includes insights on such contemporary topics as advertising of harmful products, branding to minors, and violence and game design. Readers are presented with an enticing mix of opinions in an appealing format that juxtaposes essays, interviews, and countless illustrations of "design citizenship."

The woman next to you in the coffee shop, typing madly on her laptop, just might be determining the ending to next year's block-buster film or how quickly the hottest new PDA hits store shelves. In homes, dorm rooms, waiting rooms, planes and trains around the world, millions of people are exercising enormous influence on what we buy, even though they have no official connection to those products and services. Who are they? What motivates them? Marketing experts Jackie Huba and Ben McConnell explore the ramifications of social media in Citizen Marketers. As everyday people increasingly create content on behalf of companies, brands or products, they are collaborating with others just like themselves and forming ever-growing communities of enthusiasts and evangelists. From the rough to the sophisticated, the "user-generated media" of blogs, online bulletin boards, podcasts, photos, songs, and animations are influencing companies' customer relationships, product design, and marketing campaigns, whether they participate willingly or not.