Good Business: Making Money by Making the World Better - Hardcover

Hilton, Steve

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1587991187 ISBN 13: 9781587991189

Publisher: Texere, 2002

Synopsis

If you want to stop an eight year old boy from smoking - who is he most likely to listen to? parents? teachers? the government? or Nike? If that same boy’s parents are buying him a Christmas gift, which will they chose? Sports shoes from the company that only promotes its brand? Or shoes from the company that also uses its brand to promote anti-smoking? In Good Business, the authors argue that in the 21st century, the successful companies will be those that use their power and influence to work for social progress. And they’ll do it because making the world a better place will also be the best way to make money.

About this title

Review

While working on an antiracism campaign for Saatchi & Saatchi in 1994, Steve Hilton and Giles Gibbons had an epiphany: corporations could use their clout to change the world, as well as to sell their products or services. Good Business, named after the London-based consultancy they founded to help companies do just that, presents a forceful argument for incorporating such thinking into a contemporary corporate battle plan. But this is no ranting manifesto. Rather, the authors truly celebrate capitalism and the way it could turn this concept into a positive factor for both individual companies and the world at large. (For example, they suggest that the youth-oriented Adidas athletic shoe company could convey antismoking messages to its young audience that ultimately might help curb the habit in addition to making parents feel more favorable toward the brand.) After explaining their heretical view of the positive place that even giant multinationals can occupy, Hilton and Gibbons address the social responsibility movement now attracting many businesses and the leadership role accepted by a select few. The book's longest section then analyzes how any firm can utilize its key strengths--including brand, operations, presence, and fiscal resources--to succeed commercially and socially. Some North American readers may have difficulty identifying with the litany of European business examples drawn largely from the authors' own work, but their points still cross the Atlantic relatively unscathed and should serve as an excellent foundation for further discussion and eventual action. --Howard Rothman

About the Author

Steve Hilton and Giles Gibbons founded Good Business in 1997, a London-based consulting firm which advises companies on how they can help themselves by helping society. Their clients, include Coca Cola, Nike, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Sky TV, DaimlerChrysler, and McDonald¿s. Steve and Giles managed and raised private-sector funds for an award-winning anti-racism campaign for the UK¿s Commission for Racial Equality. Both authors reside in London.

About this edition

• Publisher: Texere
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1587991187
• ISBN 13: 9781587991189
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 255