12.10.2007 - 09:33am ET

(CSRwire) CHESTNUT HILL, MA - December 10, 2007 - Can business solve the world's biggest problems? This is a defining question for the early 21st century according to the authors of Beyond Good Company: Next Generation Corporate Citizenship. To the authors, Bradley K. Googins, Philip H. Mirvis, and Steven A. Rochlin, next generation corporate citizens are finding ways to "make a business out of making a better world."

The book, published by Palgrave MacMillan and released today, takes a practice-oriented look at corporate citizenship, and uses real, behind the scenes examples from well-known companies to show that for some social responsibility is becoming more integrated into corporate strategy. Many businesses, including AMD, Levi Strauss & Co., Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, IBM, GE, CEMEX, and Unilever, are presented as companies on a path toward next generation corporate citizenship.

"Although the book presents many positive examples, a majority of companies are ducking this call for action," said author Bradley K. Googins, associate professor and executive director of the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship. "They must move beyond 'just doing good' through philanthropy and provide collective leadership regarding the vexing social and environmental problems facing the world today."

The authors conducted extensive research into the role of business in public life, and in the book develop related themes that range from: shifting public expectations on business, the importance of senior leadership in determining the role of a company in society, the value of engaging employees, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders in corporate citizenship, and the overall impact that globalization and transparency has had in the early 21st century.

For more information about the book go to www.beyondgoodcompany.com or order the book.

Table of contents

Introduction * Next Generation Corporate Citizenship * PART I: A MOVEMENT AFOOT * Business and Society: A View from the Top * From Good to "Best of the Good" * New Rules for Business Success * Stages of Corporate Citizenship * PART II: REPURPOSING THE ENTERPRISE * Defining What Matters * Taking an Integrated, Strategic Approach * Leading Next Generation Companies * Engaging Employees as Citizens * PART III: PUTTING CITIZENSHIP TO WORK * Integrating Citizenship into the Business * Taking Citizenship to Market * Co-Creating Value for Business and Society * Conclusion: Can Business Step Up?

Praise for Beyond Good Company

"Beyond Good Company is a thoroughly researched, eye-opening account of how the best international companies add 'happiness maximization' to 'profit maximization' and compete on foresight--that is, think ahead about how their products and operations can solve critical societal problems. This book powerfully connects corporate citizenship to business strategy."

--Rosabeth Moss Kanter, author of Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End and America the Principled: 6 Opportunities for Becoming a Can-Do Nation Once Again

"Even if some would argue that the Golden Age of corporate citizenship is coming to an end, now the hard, competitive slog starts. Business leaders aiming to succeed in complex, dynamic global markets know they have no option but to deal with the 1.0 compliance and 2.0 citizenship agendas. But as Googins, Mirvis, and Rochlin--a supergroup in their field--argue, we are seeing the emergence of a 3.0 agenda focusing on repurposing enterprise, on leverage, and on the scaling of entrepreneurial solutions for the world's great sustainability challenges: truly, next generation corporate citizenship."

--John Elkington, Founder and Chief Entrepreneur of SustainAbility and originator of the "triple bottom line"

"The authors make a compelling case that no business leader or educator can afford to ignore. They vividly illustrate how the corporate citizenship agenda has moved far beyond traditional philanthropy and compliance to the heart of creating long-term value for both business and society--and they provide a valuable framework for managers to take this agenda forward."--Jane Nelson, Senior Fellow and Director, Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

"This book pushes us to strip away the veneer of public relations and deal honestly with the toughest question: What is the fundamental relationship between business and the global challenges facing 21st-century society? Can we get beyond simplistic notions of good and become builders of lasting value?"

--Barbara Dyer, President & CEO, The Hitachi Foundation

About the Authors

Bradley K. Googins is Associate Professor and Executive Director of the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship. He is one of the world’s leading experts on corporate citizenship and writes extensively on the subject. Philip H. Mirvis is an organizational psychologist whose research and private practice concerns large-scale organizational change and the role of business in society. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Boston College Center. Steven A. Rochlin, former Director of Research and Policy Development at the Boston College Center, is Head of the North American practice of AccountAbility. He is a frequent speaker at global forums regarding the role of business in society.

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