The New Nature of Business: The Path to Prosperity & Sustainability - Hardcover

Hoffmann, Andre; Vanham, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1394257538 ISBN 13: 9781394257539

Publisher: Wiley, 2024

Synopsis

Learn how pioneering business leaders are resetting their companies' relationship to nature, society, and our common future

In The New Nature of Business: The Path to Prosperity and Sustainability, businessman Andre Hoffmann and journalist Peter Vanham describe how companies should change their ways to have continued success, and why the current modus operandi is not working. They present a template for creating “sustainable prosperity”, and case-studies of companies that survived and thrived by opting for change. In doing so, they provide a way out of long-standing dilemmas, such as how to balance business needs with impact on nature, shareholders with stakeholders, and short-term vs. long-term profits.

You'll find:

• A first-hand account of global healthcare company Roche's sustainability practice, as told by André (Roche's vice-chairman), chairman Severin Schwan, and several other senior management members
• Case-studies and lessons of organizations with visionary leaders, such as INSEAD, IKEA, Harley Davidson, and Holcim, all of whom have taken a holistic view of their role in the world, and succeeded in doing well while doing good
• Strategies for addressing the negative externalities and trade-offs that arise from doing business; identifying the right metrics and targets to deliver on your purpose; and accounting for human, social, and natural capital, alongside financial capital

A must-read book for business leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers at companies around the world, The New Nature of Business, is also insightful and timely for those who advise or oversee companies and their leadership teams.

About this title

About the Author

ANDRÉ HOFFMANN is the Co-founder of InTent, an international platform that accelerates sustainable solutions. He's also the Vice Chairman of Roche Holding, an international pharmaceutical company, and a board member of the World Economic Forum.

PETER VANHAM is Editorial Director, Leadership, at Fortune magazine, where he covers corporate sustainability and social impact. He is the author of several books, including Stakeholder Capitalism (with Klaus Schwab) and Before I Was CEO.

From the Back Cover

Praise for THE NEW NATURE OF BUSINESS

"Hoffmann and Vanham demonstrate vividly that today's business-as-usual is not sustainable. They provide a compelling blueprint for how companies can reinvent their business models to align with the interests of nature and society―instead of working against them."
―CHRISTINE LAGARDE, President, European Central Bank

"In The New Nature of Business, Hoffmann and Vanham offer a richly illustrated blueprint for purposeful, sustainable business leadership in the 21st century. It's a compelling case for a holistic, integrated approach to doing business and a must-read for any entrepreneur."
―RICHARD BRANSON, Founder, Virgin Group

"I challenge any executive to read this book and return to their desk, unchanged. Honest, hopeful, and human, this book will leave you thrilled at the possibilities offered by a new way of doing business."
―PAUL POLMAN, business leader and co-author, Net Positive

"André Hoffmann takes us from his childhood in the wilds of Camargue, to the boardroom of his family company where he is confronted with what to do about past wrongs―environmental damage and corruption. It helps him shift from 'trying to conform' to having the courage to stand alone (if necessary) for what seems right. It is a tale of the way moments of reckoning help humans build courage to do the right thing, and the kind of vision that can illuminate it."
―NGAIRE WOODS, Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

"In all the years I've known André, he has always had a mind endlessly focused on the betterment of the world around him. The New Nature of Business urges companies everywhere to seize this moment in history and chart a course for a more sustainable future. I encourage anyone interested in how our global economy can evolve in the face of modern challenges to pick up this book."
―ART LEVINSON, Chairman, Apple; Co-founder and CEO, Calico

From the Inside Flap

Many have debated the “proper” role of for-profit enterprise in the economy and society more generally. But few have had as significant an impact in this debate as André Hoffmann and Peter Vanham. Their work and commentary have shaped the conversation about responsible capitalism on the international stage and clarified their commitment to a holistic and optimistic perspective about the parts to be played by companies in the years and centuries ahead.

In The New Nature of Business, this same team of renowned business thought leaders delivers a powerful message about how companies must optimize the way their business impacts all of society in the long-term. In the book, you’ll find straightforward and practical advice about how you can shift your focus to the long-term―and stop overvaluing short-term profits―and create sustainable prosperity for your firm, its stakeholders, society, and the planet.

The authors explain how companies with visionary leaders, like Harley-Davidson, Holcim, and Schneider Electric, have taken the steps necessary to transform their natural, social, and human impacts into sustainable and positive ones.

You’ll discover why a company’s role isn’t merely to earn money for its shareholders in the immediate future―although that is certainly a necessary part of its mission. Instead, the role of a business is to also add value to society in a way that is inclusive and refrains from damaging the environment.

Engaging and informative, The New Nature of Business will earn a prominent place on the bookshelves of business leaders, people who work in large and mid-sized companies, business students in undergraduate and MBA programs, and consultants and advisors.

Edition details

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1394257538
• ISBN 13: 9781394257539
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256