Cause for Success

Stung by corporate scandals and media mayhem, many companies have begun integrating terms like "sustainable business," "conscious capitalism," and "ethical business" into their annual reports. Is it more corporate greenwashing or are businesses today really changing how and with whom they do business? Can corporate social responsibility become a new business standard? When it comes to implementing the kind of business strategies that create vital social and economic returns, many corporate leaders find themselves at a loss. "This is because, unlike branding or accounting, there are far too few solid industry case studies that profile the success stories and how those companies got there," says author and award-winning marketing specialist Christine Arena. 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 Farms and The Body Shop, Cause For Success profiles two case-study companies per chapter, exploring ideas such as philanthropy partnerships, ethics-driven businesses, how companies are serving the world's poor, bottom-line advantages of standing for social justice, as well as how some of the worst corporate citizens have become some of the best.