After a century in which charities suspected the motives of cynical business people, and business people dismissed the contributions of amateur volunteers, the two sectors are coming together today as never before. The third sector has increased its business capacity through the experience gained from a decade of providing commissioned services to the public sector. Society today expects employers to do more to engage with both communities and good causes and the business case for doing so can be and is being made. But business also realises that charities do conscience better than they can and so co-working is increasingly being sought. In Partners for Good, Tom Levitt points the way to successful partnerships at local, national and international levels. There is now even an agreed international standard on what constitutes the social responsibility obligations of organisations operating in all sectors, in all parts of the world, over and above international legal frameworks. Sustainability today refers to the triple bottom line (financial, social, environmental) rather than being a green concept alone. On the down side, grants and other funding opportunities provided by governments to the third sector over the last ten years are suddenly ending and support structures are disappearing. The incentives for forging successful and sustainable win:win partnerships between businesses and charities in the new Big Society are therefore high, however demanding the time scale on offer.

After a century in which charities suspected the motives of cynical business people, and business people dismissed the contributions of amateur volunteers, the two sectors are coming together today as never before. The third sector has increased its business capacity through the experience gained from a decade of providing commissioned services to the public sector. Society today expects employers to do more to engage with both communities and good causes and the business case for doing so can be and is being made. But business also realises that charities do conscience better than they can and so co-working is increasingly being sought. In Partners for Good, Tom Levitt points the way to successful partnerships at local, national and international levels. There is now even an agreed international standard on what constitutes the social responsibility obligations of organisations operating in all sectors, in all parts of the world, over and above international legal frameworks. Sustainability today refers to the triple bottom line (financial, social, environmental) rather than being a green concept alone. On the down side, grants and other funding opportunities provided by governments to the third sector over the last ten years are suddenly ending and support structures are disappearing. The incentives for forging successful and sustainable win:win partnerships between businesses and charities in the new Big Society are therefore high, however demanding the time scale on offer.

Business doing good is doing good business; this book learns from the era where governments ruled the world, pre-globalisation, and where business looked after itself, where issues like climate change, resource depletion and even poverty and hunger were not thought to be the responsibility of business. The Company Citizen concludes that not only are these key issues for business today but that the world will not be able to manage these issues without the active participation - even leadership - of business. Aware of the shortcomings of both government and civil society the author argues that environmental sustainability, economic and social inclusion and the better management of resources are all key issues for business and that it makes good business sense to manage them better. This book examines the case for the company citizen on a global, national and community level working alongside other. Never has the conscientious company citizen, as envisaged by 19th century Quaker philanthropists, been more needed; and never has that business case, one that justifies a long-term commitment to practical corporate behaviour for good, been more clear. Drawing attention both to the businesses that are taking the lead and those who are holding us back, the author concludes that only by involving business can we tackle the great issues of the day - and survive, as communities, nation and planet.

Business doing good is doing good business; this book learns from the era where governments ruled the world, pre-globalisation, and where business looked after itself, where issues like climate change, resource depletion and even poverty and hunger were not thought to be the responsibility of business. The Company Citizen concludes that not only are these key issues for business today but that the world will not be able to manage these issues without the active participation - even leadership - of business. Aware of the shortcomings of both government and civil society the author argues that environmental sustainability, economic and social inclusion and the better management of resources are all key issues for business and that it makes good business sense to manage them better. This book examines the case for the company citizen on a global, national and community level working alongside other. Never has the conscientious company citizen, as envisaged by 19th century Quaker philanthropists, been more needed; and never has that business case, one that justifies a long-term commitment to practical corporate behaviour for good, been more clear. Drawing attention both to the businesses that are taking the lead and those who are holding us back, the author concludes that only by involving business can we tackle the great issues of the day - and survive, as communities, nation and planet.

This second edition of Welcome to GoodCo updates the author's critically acclaimed analysis of how the tools of business are being (and ought to be) used to help tackle the great problems of both the planet and of local communities. In exploring the increasingly politically relevant issue of 'responsible capitalism' - and its variations - he asks what it means, where it came from, why politicians are so timid around the issue and what exactly are the obstacles this crusade will have to face. He argues that business doing good has to be supported by a business case, as that is what makes it sustainable, but that huge benefits can be reaped. As 60 of the world's top 100 economies are corporates, not countries, businesses that are not helping to create solutions become part of the problem. Added topics in the 2015 edition include: the growth of social value in the commissioning of services and what business can learn from this; the Social Progress Index as an alternative to GDP; and the role for greater corporate citizenship as a way of enhancing employee engagement, with all the benefits that this can bring to a company. It updates the stories and data which made the first edition so readable. In a world in which businesses of all sizes frequently find some of their practices at odds with the basic principles of their customer or citizen promise, Welcome to GoodCo offers a realistic, commercially hard-nosed approach to reframing business in society.

This second edition of Welcome to GoodCo updates the author's critically acclaimed analysis of how the tools of business are being (and ought to be) used to help tackle the great problems of both the planet and of local communities. In exploring the increasingly politically relevant issue of 'responsible capitalism' - and its variations - he asks what it means, where it came from, why politicians are so timid around the issue and what exactly are the obstacles this crusade will have to face. He argues that business doing good has to be supported by a business case, as that is what makes it sustainable, but that huge benefits can be reaped. As 60 of the world's top 100 economies are corporates, not countries, businesses that are not helping to create solutions become part of the problem. Added topics in the 2015 edition include: the growth of social value in the commissioning of services and what business can learn from this; the Social Progress Index as an alternative to GDP; and the role for greater corporate citizenship as a way of enhancing employee engagement, with all the benefits that this can bring to a company. It updates the stories and data which made the first edition so readable. In a world in which businesses of all sizes frequently find some of their practices at odds with the basic principles of their customer or citizen promise, Welcome to GoodCo offers a realistic, commercially hard-nosed approach to reframing business in society.