Governance and Business Models for Sustainable Capitalism touches upon many of the central themes of today’s debate on business and society. In particular, it brings attention to a recurrent tension between efficiency, innovation, and productivity on the one hand, and fairness, equity, and sustainability on the other. The book argues that we need radical rethinking of business models and economic governance, beyond the classical doctrine, which sees social and ecological responsibility as lying with public-policy regulation of purely profit-seeking firms. In spite of the popular CSR agenda, business – as we know it today – is both too transient and too limited in its motivation to carry the regulatory burden. We need to adopt a much wider concept of 'partnered governance', where advanced states and pioneering companies work together to raise the social and environmental bar. The book suggests that civil engagements based on moral rather than formal rights, and amplified through the media, may provide a healthy challenge both to autocratic planning and to solely profit-centered commercialization. The book also proposes a triple cycle theory of innovation for sustainability: a novel framing of the efficacy of green and prosocial entrepreneurship as intertwined with political visions and supportive institutions. In addition, the book offers reflections on the ways in which further digital robotizaton may enable transition to an ‘Agora Economy’ where productive efficiency is combined with expanded civic freedoms. Aimed primarily at researchers, academics, and students in the fields of political economy, business and society, corporate governance, business ethics, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability, the book will additionally be of value to practitioners, supplying them with information regarding the challenges associated with the shaping of sustainable or ‘civilised’ market capitalism for a better world.

Reimagining our global economy so it becomes more sustainable and prosperous for all Our global economic system is broken. But we can replace the current picture of global upheaval, unsustainability, and uncertainty with one of an economy that works for all people, and the planet. First, we must eliminate rising income inequality within societies where productivity and wage growth has slowed. Second, we must reduce the dampening effect of monopoly market power wielded by large corporations on innovation and productivity gains. And finally, the short-sighted exploitation of natural resources that is corroding the environment and affecting the lives of many for the worse must end. The debate over the causes of the broken economy—laissez-faire government, poorly managed globalization, the rise of technology in favor of the few, or yet another reason—is wide open. Stakeholder Capitalism: A Global Economy that Works for Progress, People and Planet argues convincingly that if we don't start with recognizing the true shape of our problems, our current system will continue to fail us. To help us see our challenges more clearly, Schwab—the Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum—looks for the real causes of our system's shortcomings, and for solutions in best practices from around the world in places as diverse as China, Denmark, Ethiopia, Germany, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Singapore. And in doing so, Schwab finds emerging examples of new ways of doing things that provide grounds for hope, including: Individual agency: how countries and policies can make a difference against large external forces A clearly defined social contract: agreement on shared values and goals allows government, business, and individuals to produce the most optimal outcomes Planning for future generations: short-sighted presentism harms our shared future, and that of those yet to be born Better measures of economic success: move beyond a myopic focus on GDP to more complete, human-scaled measures of societal flourishing By accurately describing our real situation, Stakeholder Capitalism is able to pinpoint achievable ways to deal with our problems. Chapter by chapter, Professor Schwab shows us that there are ways for everyone at all levels of society to reshape the broken pieces of the global economy and—country by country, company by company, and citizen by citizen—glue them back together in a way that benefits us all.

A compelling look at the B Corp movement and why socially and environmentally responsible companies are vital for everyone’s future Businesses have a big role to play in a capitalist society. They can tip the scales toward the benefit of the few, with toxic side effects for all, or they can guide us toward better, more equitable long-term solutions. Christopher Marquis tells the story of the rise of a new corporate form—the B Corporation. Founded by a group of friends who met at Stanford, these companies undergo a rigorous certification process, overseen by the B Lab, and commit to putting social benefits, the rights of workers, community impact, and environmental stewardship on equal footing with financial shareholders. Informed by over a decade of research and animated by interviews with the movement’s founders and leading figures, Marquis’s book explores the rapid growth of companies choosing to certify as B Corps, both in the United States and internationally, and explains why the future of B Corporations is vital for us all.

In the past, profit was the driving force for most business investment decisions. However, now organizations need to additionally deliver on impact goals. Responsible Business Decision Making provides a practical guide for how organizational leaders can make smart responsible business decisions. It offers a framework that eliminates internal bias, aligns ethical values with business goals and draws on diverse case studies. The book will answer questions such as: how can dialogue and data optimize decision-making? How can ESG goals be translated into concrete manageable actions? Which decisions best suit the strategic objectives of the organization? This new edition has been updated to offer an increased focus on dialogue and data-driven decision making and new coverage on ESG, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), digital transformation and the Raworth's Doughnut Economy framework. Readers will benefit from many new international cases covering topics such as ESG investment, SDG impact measurement and sustainability transformation.

The bestselling book, now with a new preface by the authors At once a bold defense and reimagining of capitalism and a blueprint for a new system for doing business, Conscious Capitalism is for anyone hoping to build a more cooperative, humane, and positive future. Whole Foods Market cofounder John Mackey and professor and Conscious Capitalism, Inc. cofounder Raj Sisodia argue that both business and capitalism are inherently good, and they use some of today’s best-known and most successful companies to illustrate their point. From Southwest Airlines, UPS, and Tata to Costco, Panera, Google, the Container Store, and Amazon, today’s organizations are creating value for all stakeholders—including customers, employees, suppliers, investors, society, and the environment. Read this book and you’ll better understand how four specific tenets—higher purpose, stakeholder integration, conscious leadership, and conscious culture and management—can help build strong businesses, move capitalism closer to its highest potential, and foster a more positive environment for all of us.

This book examines the practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Latin America, with a particular focus on Brazil. Drawing on historical developments and theoretical reflections alike, it introduces readers to the state of the art in Brazilian CSR. The authors present a range of regulatory and entrepreneurial frameworks that form the basis for business and CSR activities in Brazil. In a number of detailed case studies from various Brazilian institutions and enterprises, the book provides revealing insights into the practice of sustainable and responsible business conduct in this country. Subsequent chapters show the effects of anti-corruption laws, which have since informed corporations’ compliance agendas, and discuss recent, massive corruption scandals. Generally speaking, the book provides a highly informative and practice-oriented resource that successfully reconciles an ostensible contradiction – corporate social responsibility and Brazil.

The aim of this book is to present selected theoretical and practical aspects of corporate social responsibility and sustainability, with particular emphasis on the journey (transition) from values to impact. Values play an important role in business world and they shape the responsible approach of organizations. However, pressing and still unresolved challenges of the present day show evidently that there exist significant discrepancies between organizations declarations on values and their real impact. COVID-19 pandemic, Globalization 4.0, climate catastrophe and challenges emphasized by SDGs, constitute the new environment that contemporary organizations face. In effect business is part of the problem and a solution as well. It is necessary to quickly and effectively push for action taking into account the power of responsible business to co-create human live and environment. Both the theoretical considerations and the practice-based studies presented in this monograph make a significant contribution to the theory and practice of management. The book is an extension and enrichment of the existing knowledge in the field of socially responsible management in organizations. Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability will be of value to academics, researchers and advanced students in the fields of business and management, especially those interest in the intersection of management and CSR and sustainability, and those focusing the impact that business activities have on the environment.

This important volume steps beyond conventional legal approaches to sustainability to provide fresh insights into perhaps one of the most critical global challenges of our time. Offering analysis of sustainability at land and sea alongside trade, labour and corporate governance perspectives, this book articulates important debates about the role of law. From impacts on local societies to domestic sustainable development policies and major international goals, it considers multiple jurisdictional levels. With original, interdisciplinary research from experts in their legal fields, this is a rounded assessment of the complex interplay of law and sustainability—both as it is now and as it should be in the future.

Corporate reputation is important in gaining long-term competitive advantage and building company value. Thus, the author points out the need to manage reputation, which, due to its complex nature and multidimensional character, is a serious and difficult challenge. The author develops a strategic model for family business reputation management. The book presents the review, systematization and synthesis of views on the notion of reputation and its role in building company value, the determinants of reputation; the identification of the characteristics and distinguishing factors of family businesses, areas of reputation building and resources involved in family business reputation building processes; and the description of determinants, components and processes in the field of corporate reputation management, and the identification of key links between them. It also identifies the key elements of the concept of family business reputation management and the relationship between them and practical recommendations for the use of reputation management concepts in improving the functioning of family businesses. The developed model can undoubtedly be seen as a pioneering contribution to research into the competitiveness of enterprises. The book will therefore be useful to researchers, students and managers who are interested in decision-making in family businesses, entrepreneurship and small business management, and leadership studies.