Sustainable Industries | Book Reviews | Values-Driven Business

Values-Driven Business
by Brian Libby - 6.9.08

“Values-Driven Business: How to Change the World, Make Money and Have Fun”
by Ben Cohen and Mal Warwick

RATING:

Long before most American companies were worrying about carbon footprints or planning volunteer days for employees, ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s was pioneering the idea of social activism through for-profit business. The “Ben” of Ben & Jerry’s is the co-author of this casually styled but passionate tome from 2006 espousing the now-familiar “triple-bottom line” of profit, people and planet.

As described in the book, only recently has society created enough wealth to raise the common standard of living above sheer survival. There are laws assuring employee rights, benefits and working conditions now, but for most companies—even those that treat their employees to generous salaries and benefits—the profit motive remains the primary driver of policy. That businesses can be agents of change far beyond their own markets is a gospel this pair preaches.

In this book, the first of a planned ten-part series, Cohen and Warwick take readers through a tour of other companies that have succeeded through community involvement and empowering employees, such as ShoreBank and Wild Planet Toys. The authors even provide a series of checklists and guides. It’s enough to make me forgive their sometimes trite cheerleader-meets-hippie motivational rhetoric. A sixth book in the series is due out this year. Published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Like this book review? Subscribe to Sustainable Industries magazine.

© Sustainable Media Inc.. All rights reserved. Permission is required for reproduction in whole or in part. For high-quality reprints of articles, contact FosteReprints at 866-879-9144 or via email: sales@FosteReprints.com


	Greening Existing Buildings Read More
	The Sustainability Champion’s Guidebook Read More
	Fundamentals of Sustainable Business: A Guide for the Next 100 Years Read More