Sustainable Excellence: The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World - Softcover

Aron Cramer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1609611802 ISBN 13: 9781609611804

Publisher: Rodale, 2011

Synopsis

Today's business landscape is changing in fundamental ways: Natural resources are growing ever more scarce and expensive. Technology and changing consumer expectations are making transparency a fact of life. The rise of emerging economies creates vast market opportunities for companies - and better living standards for hundreds of millions. In "Sustainable Excellence", Aron Cramer and Zachary Karabell tell the stories of the companies who are transforming themselves by responding to these paradigm shifts and in the process shaping the future. From their work with these Global 1000 companies, Cramer and Karabell know firsthand how business can successfully grapple with big-picture issues like resource scarcity, supply chain complexities, and the diverse expectations of government and the public. In "Sustainable Excellence", they tell the story of how Coca-Cola and Greenpeace collaborated on a refrigerator that fights climate change. They show how companies like Best Buy and Nike are transforming the very products they sell to deliver more value to consumers with less waste. They recount how GE and Google created an innovative partnership that is developing "smart grids" that radically reduce energy use. And they show how business leaders like Starbucks' founder and CEO Howard Schultz put sustainable excellence at the centre of his company's business strategy.

About this title

Review:

"Sustainable Excellence provides an insightful window into the intersection of business and environment. Companies that take to heart the lessons Aron Cramer and Zach Karabell provide will be well positioned as natural resource constraints reshape the business landscape." --Mark Tercek, president and CEO of the Nature Conservancy

"Essential reading for any business aiming to understand how they can turn sustainability into opportunity." --Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired magazine and author of The Long Tail and Free

"The Must-Read Book." --Alice Korngold, Fast Company.com

"A smart, readable, and provocative book that argues that business success in the long run will be earned by companies that 'integrate consideration of society and the environment into their DNA.' ... This book gives us a reason for optimism, as well as a framework to understand the dramatic changes reshaping the corporate world." --Marc Gunther, contributing writer to Fortune magazine and author of Faith and Fortune

"A compelling case for why a focus on sustainability ... is now a form of enlightened self-interest for businesses. ... An increasing vigilance by the business and investor community could play a big role in striking a new balance. Sustainable Excellence represents a major--and much needed--step in that direction." --AOL's Daily Finance

About the Author:

Aron Cramer has been the president and CEO of Business for Social Responsibility since 2004. Since he assumed the helm, the organization has more than doubled in size, with seven offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia. He lives in the San Francisco area. Zachary Karabell received his PhD from Harvard University. He is the author of ten critically acclaimed books, a money manager, and a CNBC contributor. He lives in New York City.

About this edition

• Publisher: Rodale
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1609611802
• ISBN 13: 9781609611804
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288