3 inspirational corporate sustainability books

I picked this book up during I was in New York City in early November, covering the BSR Conference 2010, which was a gathering of non-profits and business executives focused on corporate sustainability and social responsibility.

The sub-title is pretty compelling

The sub-title is pretty compelling: From Villains to Visionaries: How Companies are Tackling the World’s Greatest Challenges.” The writers hail from the corporate and non-profit sectors: Wales is the global head of sustainable development for brewer SABMiller, Gorman is the director of corporate responsibility & Environment for airport operator BAA, and Hope is the managing director of the information and communications research practice at Business for Social Responsibility.

Inside, what you’ll find is an exploration of what the authors call the seven myths that many people hold about big business’ attitude toward the planet. Those myths are:

Contrast those myths what that the authors believe are five emerging “realities” that the big business world needs to face when it comes to sustainability, and you have the basis for the lessons in this book, which includes specific examples of what some in other words large companies are doing:

#2: “Sustainable Excellence”The subtitle of this one positions it squarely as a business book, not just a “sustainable business” book: “The Future of Business in a Fast-changing World.”

The CEO of BSR

Cramer is the CEO of BSR, a position he has held since 2004. Karabell is a Harvard-educated author who has already written something like 10 business books.

I think this book is worth considering because it attempts to set out a framework for what is meant when we talk about things just as “sustainable excellence” to begin with. Sustainability, in their minds, refers to a company that offers lasting value for three different stakeholders: consumers, employees and investors. One that makes wise use of natural resources and leaves a positive impact on the communities that it touches. The first dangerous trend that the authors point out is the addiction to short-term business tactics that has been reinforced by the recession. In their eyes:

“The thesis here is that if enough of us felt empowered — and were skillful and practiced enough — to voice and act on our values effectively on those occasions when our best selves are in the driver’s seat, business would be a different place. That is, this book is not about changing who we are, nevertheless rather it is about empowering the parts of us that already want to do the right thing.”

The author spends some time in the book explaining why the word “values” made it into the title. Ethics, in her mind, are normally some code enforced by rules. The word value, in this sense, “refers to the inherent worth and quality of a thing or an idea.” You can see why this book will be instructive to sustainability and corporate social responsibility program manages. It is all about helping others understand the context in which decisions about these things should be made — both how it impacts society and the business.

Heather Clancy is an award-winning business journalist with a passion for green innovation and corporate sustainability issues. Her articles have appeared in Entrepreneur, Fortune Small Business, The International Herald Tribune and The New York Times. In a past corporate life, Heather was editor of Computer Reseller News, where she was a featured speaker about everything from software as a service to IT security to mobile computing.

Heather started her journalism life as a business writer with United Press International in New York. She holds a B.A. in English literature from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and has a thing for Lewis Carroll. When she's not hunting for a great green story, she's singing a cappella or scuba-diving with her husband, Joe.

My daily writing is focused on looking for topics for my blogs, GreenTech Pastures and Business Brains. I as well write often about emerging research trends just as mobile computing, unified communications and cloud computing. Occasionally, I will pop up at an industry conference in some sort of speaking capacity. In cases where a speaking engagement involves a sponsor that may be covered in this blog, that fact will be disclosed in coverage as the case may be.

My corporate writing work more often than not consists of crafting innovation white papers about some aspect of innovation. When all is said and done that my commentary mentions a company for which I have provided consulting advice, I will disclose that fact. Now, there is no connection between these projects and the topics that I'm covering in my blog.

Joe McKendrick is an author and independent analyst who tracks the impact of information innovation on management and markets. Joe is as well SOA community manager for ebizQ, and speaks frequently on Enterprise 2.0 and SOA topics at industry events and Webcasts. He as well serves as lead analyst and author of Evans Data Corp.'s highly regarded bi-annual SOA/Web Services and Web 2.0 surveys.

Previous life

In a previous life, Joe served as director of the Administrative Management Society, an international professional association dedicated to advancing knowledge within the IT and business management fields.

SmartPlanet.com is the premier destination for savvy advice, thought-provoking analysis and expert discussion on the intersection of research, business and life. Covering decisions that reach from the boardroom to the living room, SmartPlanet.com is the place to go for innovative insight and ideas that impact the world around you.