| Values-Driven Business: How to Change the World, Make Money, and Have Fun (Social Venture Network) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Ben Cohen, Mal Warwick
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 98961
Format: Illustrated
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 156
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.5
ISBN: 1576753581
Dewey Decimal Number: 658.408
EAN: 9781576753583
ASIN: 1576753581
Publication Date: March 22, 2006
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 13 | | NEXT » |
 Walking the Walk vs. Talking the Talk May 30, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
What an interesting book, instructing businesses on how to be profitable AND ethical! I wish more people would operate in such a manner. I do, and always have, and now after almost 20 years in business can recognize when someone else (client, supplier) is less than ethical. I avoid them. I wish I had that insight when I first started! With only my vacation day payout and a few thousand in the bank, I started a computer network installation and service company. I was asked to bid on a job for prospective new client. I put a lot of time and thought into it and put in my bid. They asked for more detail, so I gave them that. They asked for specific part numbers, so I gave them that. They asked for an implementation map, so I added that. After a couple of weeks and dozens of pages of instructions...they had all they needed to do the job themselves - and that's just what they did. They bought all the goods mail-order and pulled the cabling per my freeloaded instructions, same as they re-mapped their servers, changed their operating system license, etc. I learned a lesson that day. If businesspeople can legally (but unethically) steal from you, the usually will. Oh, the name of the company that did this to when I was first starting out? Take a guess...the big hypocrites.
 Highly recommended! January 26, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Using examples from their personal experiences and from a wide variety of U.S. companies, Ben Cohen and Mal Warwick show how companies have incorporated socially progressive and environmental values into their daily business practices. The authors insist that companies can help their communities and make money at the same time, adding a new dimension to traditional business models, which focus only on profits. Although the authors' enthusiasms sometimes carry them away - for example, they insist that customers who don't share your values will respect you so much for them that they'll stay loyal anyway - the "values-driven business" is an idea whose time has come. We recommend this book to business owners large and small who want the benefits of their work to extend beyond just themselves and their stakeholders.
A practical guide for turning ideals into reality August 7, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I eventually want to start my own apparel business, but I know the industry is rife with ethical abuse. Because of this, I want to run a business that does as little harm and as much good as possible. Until a few weeks ago, I was not sure how to bring that ideal to practical fruition. After receiving "Values-Driven Business" from someone who works for a socially responsible company, many of my questions were answered.
Why am I glad I read the book? Here are some attributes:
1) It is quick to read, enjoyable, and optimistic. No gloom and doom.
2) It is a fantastic overview of socially responsible business. This is NOT a deep, complicated analysis of the topic. It is simple enough for people who aren't sure where to start and need an introduction, yet has interesting, enlightening examples for someone already familiar with socially responsible business.
3) It is well organized. The authors go over five dimensions of values-driven businesses (some of which I had not considered): employees, suppliers, customers, community (local and global), and the environment. At the end of each section is a list of specific actions that one might consider incorporating into a business to create positive change.
4) The text goes beyond black and white binary opposition, and challenges assumptions about socially responsible businesses (e.g., they can't make a profit, they make inferior products, etc.).
5) Practical examples of values-driven companies comprise the backbone of the text. This shows the principles at work, and shows that two businesses can have different ways of incorporating values; there is not one "right" way to be socially responsible. Reading about all the different solutions people have devised to make a difference was my favorite part of the book!
I highly recommend this book as a concise introduction that is chock-full of inspiring examples of values-driven businesses in action. It will empower you to make abstract ideals a reality and it provides an excellent foundation for further inquiry!
 Pleasant, hopeful fluff! July 20, 2006
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
A delightful read for the budding social entrepreneur. Chock full of practical ways in which the hopelessly hopeful idealist can profit by doing good. Or, as the saying goes, one might hope to use the lessons from this book to, "do well by doing good."
Doing good and doing well June 29, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I found the book a delightful and easy read. Down to earth practical approach to following your dream, making money and honoring people, the earth and the surrounding community. The more people try this, the better our quality of life will be.
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