The myth that higher purpose translates into lower profits takes a beating in “Cause for Success: 10 Companies That Put Profit Second and Came in First,” which explores new business paradigms for making social responsibility profitable.

Paperback, 195pp

New World Library, November 2004

ISBN-13: 1577314573

Barnes & Noble online price: $14.95

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SYNOPSIS

FROM THE PUBLISHER
Stung by corporate scandals, many companies have begun integrating terms like “sustainable business,” “conscious capitalism,” and “corporate citizenship” into their annual reports. Is it mere greenwashing or are businesses today really mending their ways? Can corporate social responsibility become the new gold standard in business? In Cause for Success, Christine Arena finds reasons to be optimistic while she examines new business paradigms for doing good and translating that good into profit. From Hewlett-Packard to British Petroleum to Stonyfield Farm and the Grameen Bank, the book profiles two case-study companies per chapter, exploring radical ideas about why ethics-driven companies are today’s business trendsetters, how standing up for social justice garners competitive advantage, the bottom-line benefits of serving the world’s poor, the potential business rewards of philanthropic partnerships, as well as how some of the worst corporate citizens have become some of the best.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS
David Speck, a restauranteur from New York, November 30, 2004,
Forward thinking and brilliant!
Christine Arena’s ‘Cause for Success’ is a refreshing glimpse into an emerging culture of consciousness. Especially so, when the news of the day is filled with Enronesque stories of corporate plundering of wealth and resources with little or no regard to the cost both in human and environmental capital, these studies bring both hope and inspiration for a better and seemingly reachable future. Christine Arena provides 10 brilliant examples of business perceiving, then executing long-term plans that seemingly contradict current attitudes in corporate governance, giving the reader a push into a new way of thinking about success. Ms. Arena opens her book exploring British Petroleum (BP) and Interface; in showing how these giants of Petroleum and Textiles are able to make the shift from a solely profit driven model of production to one that values both the social and environmental resources on a par equal with profitability, the readers are bound to give credence to the other 8 but nonetheless brilliant examples of corporations building business around ‘the right thing to do’ and consequentially finding success. A most inspiring read.

Charlotte Browne, a small business owner, November 16, 2004,
A Book for Every Company’s Holiday List
I have read plenty of business books from the latest authors – Collins, Buckingham, Godin, etc.. But Cause for Success is BY FAR the most inspiring, practical and thought provoking business book that I have ever read. This book shatters myths that ethical businesses can’t be highly profitable, and raises the bar for the entire business community. It makes you think twice about how to run your company, and plan more wisely for the future. It will help you make better business decisions. DON’T MISS THIS!
Also recommended: Good to Great; Saving the Corporate Soul; First, Break All the Rules

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