PDF The Enlightened Capitalists Cautionary Tales of Business Pioneers Who Tried to Do Well by Doing Good James O'Toole 9780062880246 Books

Download As PDF : The Enlightened Capitalists Cautionary Tales of Business Pioneers Who Tried to Do Well by Doing Good James O'Toole 9780062880246 Books

An expert on ethical leadership analyzes the complicated history of business people who tried to marry the pursuit of profits with virtuous organizational practices—from British industrialist Robert Owen to American retailer John Cash Penney and jeans maker Levi Strauss to such modern-day entrepreneurs Anita Roddick and Tom Chappell.

Today’s business leaders are increasingly pressured by citizens, consumers, and government officials to address urgent social and environmental issues. Although some corporate executives remain deaf to such calls, over the last two centuries, a handful of business leaders in America and Britain have attempted to create business organizations that were both profitable and socially responsible.

In The Enlightened Capitalists, James O’Toole tells the largely forgotten stories of men and women who adopted forward-thinking business practices designed to serve the needs of their employees, customers, communities, and the natural environment. They wanted to prove that executives didn’t have to make trade-offs between profit and virtue.

Combining a wealth of research and vivid storytelling, O’Toole brings life to historical figures like William Lever, the inventor of bar soap who created the most profitable company in Britain and used his money to greatly improve the lives of his workers and their families. Eventually, he lost control of the company to creditors who promptly terminated the enlightened practices he had initiated—the fate of many idealistic capitalists.

As a new generation attempts to address social problems through enlightened organizational leadership, O’Toole explores a major question being posed today in Britain and America Are virtuous corporate practices compatible with shareholder capitalism?

PDF The Enlightened Capitalists Cautionary Tales of Business Pioneers Who Tried to Do Well by Doing Good James O'Toole 9780062880246 Books

""O'Toole's new book makes an important contribution to helping us understand the potential and constraints of enlightened capitalism. What distinguishes this well-written book is its focus on the historical record. O'Toole asks: what has actually happened to those companies that were founded or managed by enlightened business leaders? Most were financially successful. However, virtually none of their enlightened business practices proved sustainable. This somewhat hopeful and mostly sobering conclusion emerges from O'Toole's beautifully written portraits of the accomplishments and challenges faced by two dozen enlightened capitalists over the last two centuries, from Robert Owen to Paul Polman. This is business history - and the study of the pursuit of corporate virtue - at its best."

Product details Hardcover 592 pages Publisher HarperBusiness; First Edition edition (February 26, 2019) Language English ISBN-10 0062880241

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The Enlightened Capitalists Cautionary Tales of Business Pioneers Who Tried to Do Well by Doing Good James O'Toole 9780062880246 Books Reviews :

The Enlightened Capitalists Cautionary Tales of Business Pioneers Who Tried to Do Well by Doing Good James O'Toole 9780062880246 Books Reviews

• "O'Toole's new book makes an important contribution to helping us understand the potential and constraints of enlightened capitalism. What distinguishes this well-written book is its focus on the historical record. O'Toole asks what has actually happened to those companies that were founded or managed by enlightened business leaders? Most were financially successful. However, virtually none of their enlightened business practices proved sustainable. This somewhat hopeful and mostly sobering conclusion emerges from O'Toole's beautifully written portraits of the accomplishments and challenges faced by two dozen enlightened capitalists over the last two centuries, from Robert Owen to Paul Polman. This is business history - and the study of the pursuit of corporate virtue - at its best.
• Lovely reading. Historical approach with a delightful approach. Which makes reading fun. Throughout history, economics, personalities, advancement, failure but mostly success. A must read.
• Great read of the history of businesses doing well by doing good in their communities. I appreciate the notes to support further research.
• As a student of economics as well as economic history and the history of economic thought this book was of interest once I read the blurb.
  
  I am not sure if the author's intent was an ideological demolition job on entrepreneurs who had either a social conscience or a different point of view about success in business particularly if comparison is made with the modern world.
  
  After reading this book while trying to give the author the benefit of the doubt, it seems to me that it serves as a warning to would be philanthropic capitalists to avoid following in the footsteps of those who have beaten the path before them and utilize the tried and trusted rules of Anglo-Saxon business practices in order to achieve success and then perhaps become philanthropic in both e r ways.
  
  There is no doubt that this is a well researched and well written book for which the author should be praised but there is a significant omission which cannot be overlooked.
  
  I refer to the shrinking number of small and medium sized enterprises in the United States and the parallel reduction in competition. This portrayal is at odds with the environment in which a lot of these entrepreneurs worked and because of these factors it is hard to see who the target audience for the book is.
  
  In the UK a lot of work has been done on Corporate Governance and I would recommend the work of #DavidGrayson for insights in this area.
  
  All in all i think that the author should consider another edition comparing and contrasting his original work with the contemporary situation in the USA. and the UK to give a wider view of the situation.