Everybody's Business - Hardcover

Parker, Lucy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1849546088 ISBN 13: 9781849546089

Publisher: Biteback Publishing, 2013

Synopsis

Is big business part of the problem or part of the solution? Sometimes it seems as if business exists purely to enrich a small elite. While the world is facing unprecedented challenges, it appears that businesses are only interested in making profits or paying bonuses. Big businesses are powerful machines. We all know they have the potential to harm; but with their resources and expertise they can also be great engines of positive change. Rather than fighting the power of business, should we be seeking to harness it? Everybody's Business is a journey through the business world. We meet the companies that are driving business forward by mobilising to tackle the challenges we all face. At its heart, this is a story of businesses doing what they do best: delivering products and services that people need, creating jobs and finding new ways to solve old problems. It's a story of people taking the initiative, and finding inspiration in the positive impact of their actions. We see how some of today's leading companies are realising that lasting success comes from having a purpose broader than making a profit. They know that business should benefit customers, employees, suppliers, neighbours and the wider world, as well as shareholders. Enduring value comes from making business work for everybody. Start a conversation about the role of big business in the world and, often even before you reach the end of your first sentence, you'll find you've unleashed a furious response. To many, it feels as though business has become detached from society it seems like part of the problem, not part of the solution. That's not good for the world: we're facing global challenges of unprecedented magnitude, and business has the scale, resources and expertise to make a positive difference. This book puts a powerful argument that if you want to fix the world, you're better off harnessing the power of business, rather than fighting it. Royalties from this book will support the work of TechnoServe an NGO working on business solutions to poverty.

About this title

About the Author

Jon Miller has worked all over the world with global brands such as Coca-Cola and American Express. He was Strategy Director for Mother, one of the most awarded creative agencies in the world, and spent many years with Ogilvy. Jon has created campaigns for many NGOs, including Amnesty, Greenpeace and WWF, as well as developing communications strategies for government campaigns. Lucy Parker has spent much of her working life as a documentary-maker for the BBC. She went on to make films about businesses around the world and has worked as a coach and adviser to the leaders of some of the world's biggest companies. In government, she led the Prime Minister's Taskforce on Talent and Enterprise, focused on the importance of skills to competitiveness in the global economy. Today, Lucy and Jon are working together on one of the world's most contentious challenges: helping companies get to grips with their role in society. They are partners of the Brunswick Group, one of the world's leading corporate communications firms.

Review

"This is such an important theme. The world is facing historic challenges, and we re going to have to turn to business to help grapple with them. I'm 100% in agreement with this argument." Dominic Barton, Managing Director McKinsey & Company "Getting your head around the relationship between business and society is complicated and knowledgeable and independent interpreters are few and far between. But you're in very safe hands with Jon Miller and Lucy Parker." Jonathon Porritt, Environmentalist and Writer "Miller and Parker provide an inspiring and practical read." David Grayson, Ethical Corporation "Along with challenge there is a great deal of optimism - Much more interesting than simply looking at how we limit the damage corporation can do, this book addresses how a successful corporation one on track can make a positive impact on the society around it - An aspect I found challenging was how many of the great examples to follow were clients of the Brunswick Group, where the authors work. I found myself searching online to check NGO responses to the claims. But that, of course, is one of the most interesting strands of this book: that with the changes driving our world businesses can no longer control the conversation and transparency is as crucial for a business as for a successful book." Progress, Karen Landles

About this edition

• Publisher: Biteback Publishing
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1849546088
• ISBN 13: 9781849546089
• Binding: Hardcover