Poor people in developing countries could make excellent suppliers, employees and customers but are often ignored by major businesses. This omission leads to increased risk, higher costs and lower sales. Meanwhile, businesses are asked by governments and poverty activists to do more for economic development, but their exhortations are rarely based on a proper business case. Make Poverty Business bridges the gap by constructing a rigorous profit-making argument for multinational corporations to do more business with the poor. It takes economic development out of the corporate social responsibility ghetto and places it firmly in the core business interests of the corporation, and argues that to see the poor only as potential consumers at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) misses half of the story. Make Poverty Business examines the successes, failures and missed opportunities of a wide range of global companies including Wal-Mart, BP, Unilever, Shell and HSBC when dealing with the poor and with development advocates in the media, NGOs, governments and international organisations. It includes a discussion on how to use a poverty perspective to provoke profitable innovation - not only to create new products and services but also to find new sources of competitive advantage in the supply chain and to develop more sustainable, lower-cost business models in developing countries. Make Poverty Business will be essential reading for international business managers seeking to increase profits and decrease risks in developing countries, development advocates who seek to harness the profit motive to achieve reductions in poverty, and academics looking for practical strategies on how business can implement BOP initiatives in developing countries.

Winner of the 800-CEO-READS Best Marketing Book of 2015 Why do some companies create such strong affection for their brands that their customers are compelled to become active brand champions? Is there a secret? The Compass and the Nail presents an unconventional perspective of how particular organizations create rabid fan bases, in turn making them more successful and more profitable. Written by Patagonia’s former lead strategist for consumer marketing, and advisor to such iconic brands as Seventh Generation and Burton Snowboards, Craig Wilson outlines game-changing insights for providers of any product or service who desire fiercely loyal behavior. Wilson’s narrative is one of cultural empathy and thought disruption critical to the new global economy. It is a practical model that defines how companies, governments, and institutions relate to their end users. By illuminating the phenomenon of “following,â€� and how it can be methodically applied to a larger context, this book demonstrates how those relationships can be refashioned to optimize human interactive experience. It challenges us to use our economic powers for good to design the new Responsible Economy in an effort to save the planet. If companies realize consumers “don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it,â€� Wilson shows us how.

Winner of the 800-CEO-READS Best Marketing Book of 2015 Why do some companies create such strong affection for their brands that their customers are compelled to become active brand champions? Is there a secret? The Compass and the Nail presents an unconventional perspective of how particular organizations create rabid fan bases, in turn making them more successful and more profitable. Written by Patagonia’s former lead strategist for consumer marketing, and advisor to such iconic brands as Seventh Generation and Burton Snowboards, Craig Wilson outlines game-changing insights for providers of any product or service who desire fiercely loyal behavior. Wilson’s narrative is one of cultural empathy and thought disruption critical to the new global economy. It is a practical model that defines how companies, governments, and institutions relate to their end users. By illuminating the phenomenon of “following,â€� and how it can be methodically applied to a larger context, this book demonstrates how those relationships can be refashioned to optimize human interactive experience. It challenges us to use our economic powers for good to design the new Responsible Economy in an effort to save the planet. If companies realize consumers “don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it,â€� Wilson shows us how.

World leaders have given the reduction of global poverty top priority. And yet it persists. Indeed, in many countries whose governments lack either the desire or the ability to act, poverty has worsened. This book, a joint venture of a Harvard professor and an economist with the International Finance Corporation, argues that the solution lies in the creation of a new institution, the World Development Corporation (WDC), a partnership of multinational corporations (MNCs), international development agencies, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). In A Corporate Solution to Global Poverty, George Lodge and Craig Wilson assert that MNCs have the critical combination of capabilities required to build investment, grow economies, and create jobs in poor countries, and thus to reduce poverty. Furthermore, they can do so profitably and thus sustainably. But they lack legitimacy and risk can be high, and so a collective approach is better than one in which an individual company proceeds alone. Thus a UN-sponsored WDC, owned and managed by a dozen or so MNCs with NGO support, will make a marked difference. At a time when big business has been demonized for destroying the environment, enjoying one-sided benefits from globalization, and deceiving investors, the book argues, MNCs have much to gain from becoming more effective in reducing global poverty. This is not a call for philanthropy. Lodge and Wilson believe that corporate support for the World Development Corporation will benefit not only the world's poor but also company shareholders as a result of improved MNC legitimacy and stronger markets and profitability.

"Extreme poverty threatens the very underpinnings of our ever-shrinking world. George Lodge and Craig Wilson argue that corporations must lead the fight against global poverty. Their idea of a World Development Corporation will provoke heated discussion-and, I hope, constructive action-in corporate boardrooms and the broader international development community."--Peter D. Bell, President and CEO, CARE

""A Corporate Solution to Global Poverty" is a fresh and original approach to the economics and ethics of globalization. Invoking the crisis in corporate legitimacy, the authors of this stimulating book argue persuasively that the reduction of world poverty would restore legitimacy to multinational corporate life. Along the way, readers will absorb much interesting nformation about the global state of play and the presentation of a prospective solution."--Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning historian

"In an attempt to reduce global poverty, some focus on rock concerts, others on macroeconomic theory, others build ever larger bureaucracies. Lodge and Wilson do not hesitate to dissect, deconstruct, and devour ideologies, policies, and institutions that have promised a lot and delivered very little. They provide an alternative answer, one that is clear, hard-headed, obvious, and mostly ignored; business is and will remain the driving part of the equation. If you are interested in results, this is an entertaining and smart book. If you are a theoretician you are likely to become increasingly unhappy as you confront a great deal of common sense delivered with passion and humor."--Juan Enriguez, President of Synthetic Genomics and author of "As The Future CatchesYou"

"George Lodge and Craig Wilson offer a fascinating review of the fast changing role of big business and its relations with the international community and civil society. The authors comprehensively outline the increasingly complex relationships that multinationals must manage in the face of increased demands to do more than just make profit."--Frannie Leautier, Vice President, World Bank Institute

"A very well written book on an important subject. It will reach a broad audience."--Stephen Kobrin, University of Pennsylvania

In 1996, Craig Wilson began writing a column for USA Today called “The Final Word.” In it, he extolled the virtues of the true pleasures in life—clotheslines, freshly cut firewood, sweet corn, and Adirondack chairs—and looked back on his childhood in the country with fondness and an infectious sense of humor. Wilson’s message struck a nerve, and now he receives hundreds of letters and e-mails each week from readers who share his sense of nostalgia and appreciate his warm, thoughtful observations on daily life.

It’s the Little Things... showcases the best of “The Final Word,” with the pieces arranged by season. In fall, for example, Wilson remembers his mom’s Thanksgiving gravy and his crush on his first-grade teacher; in winter, he holds forth on aluminum Christmas trees and the kiddie table; in spring, he writes about the joys of walking to work and puttering in the garage; and in summer, his thoughts turn to white bucks, front porches, and outdoor showers. The result is a delightful book to share with others and to relish throughout the year.