Another Recommended Book: Working Ethically…On a Shoestring
Another Recommended Book: Working Ethically…On a Shoestring: Creating a Sustainable Business Without Breaking the Bank by Lorenza Clifford, Tim Hindle, Nick Kettles, Carry Somers, and Lesley Somers (London: A.C. Black, 2007)
Although this book is thin and easy to read, it’s actually quite substantial–just concise. And necessary.
In a world where 56 percent of US MBA students admit cheating (p. 9), and where companies that claim social/environmental responsibility but don’t measure up can face a strong backlash, a little handbook of practical stories that show how ethics works and doesn’t increase the price of doing business may be just the ticket.
It’s also good for those of us who are American to see outside perspectives. In this case, the authors are from the UK.
Among the points I appreciate:
- As you increase your ethical commitments, give your suppliers a chance to walk that path with you
- Early adoption of Green/ethical principles provides a marketing advantage (something I say over and over again in Principled Profit: Marketing that Puts People First)
- Specific steps to take in making an environmental audit
- Ethics quandaries can become opportunities
- Actual numbers on the cost savings and environmental benefits of turning computers off at night versus leaving them running
If the book has a flaw, it’s that the focus is weighted so heavily on environmental issues. Greening a company is certainly a major concern in ethics work, but the book could address more clearly some of the non eco-related aspects of business ethics.
Disclosure: one of the authors, Nick Kettles, is a fan of mine and provided some gratis (and very useful) consulting. Also, I am cited in the book.
