The High-Purpose Company: The TRULY Responsible (and Highly Profitable) Firms That Are Changing Business Now - Hardcover

Arena, Christine

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060852070 ISBN 13: 9780060852078

Publisher: Harper Business, 2006

Synopsis

In The High–Purpose Company, corporate strategist and researcher Christine Arena shows that

some extraordinary companies are driven by purpose, whereas others simply pretend to be. The High–Purpose Company draws a clear line in the sand, enabling readers to easily distinguish between these two groups––and make a giant leap forward.

Using a groundbreaking methodology, Arena and her research team conducted thousands of hours of analysis on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices of 75 well–known firms. The surprising results of the study defy long–held myths, rewrite rules, reframe strategic priorities, and reveal a new breed of business.

Real CSR is about change, not charity. The High–Purpose Company uncovers this and other truths, and guides readers through the step–by–step process that is currently embraced by the world's most forward–thinking firms.

About this title

About the Author

Christine Arena is a corporate strategist, speaker, and the award-winning author of Cause for Success. In the process of studying the corporate responsibility movement, she has interviewed hundreds of executives and changemakers in the field. Christine is the former managing director of the consulting firm Polese Clancy and a master's graduate of New York University. She lives in San Francisco with her husband.

Reviews

What does it mean to be a socially responsible company? As Arena (Cause for Success) points out, the matter is up for debate, with some environmentalists criticizing corporate "green" programs as PR stunts, while capitalist hard-liners insist companies have no business looking after anything but profit. For Arena, however, corporate responsibility isn't about broad themes like doing the right thing or making the world a better place, and it doesn't have to be a financial burden. Seeing business, society and the environment as parts of a linked system, she calls upon companies to "establish a purpose that's bigger than the end product." Instituting environment-friendly programs, for example, isn't just a matter of being green, but of developing financially sound practices that make the company more efficient. To illustrate her points, she draws liberally upon case studies from companies like JetBlue that work to "play by the rules and advance the ball," as well as companies like Merck, whose relationships with consumers and stakeholders have suffered after missteps. The well-presented evidence buttresses a forceful argument that companies that care about more than making money can still succeed. (Jan. 7)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Harper Business
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060852070
• ISBN 13: 9780060852078
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304