Capitalism at the Crossroads: Aligning Business, Earth, and Humanity (2nd Edition) Summary and Reviews

Capitalism at the Crossroads: Aligning Business, Earth, and Humanity (2nd Edition)
by Stuart L. Hart

Capitalism at the Crossroads: Aligning Business, Earth, and Humanity (2nd Edition)
List Price: $17.99
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions

Book Summary Information

Author: Stuart L. Hart
Foreword: Al Gore
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-07-28
ISBN: 0136134394
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Wharton School Publishing
Product features:

Book Reviews of Capitalism at the Crossroads: Aligning Business, Earth, and Humanity (2nd Edition)

Book Review: Toward Sustainability
Summary: 5 Stars

"Global capitalism now stands at a crossroads: Without a significant change of course, the future for globalization and multinational corporations appears increasingly bleak. It might be argued, in fact, that global capitalism stands at a juncture similar to the one faced in 1914. Between 1914 and 1945, world war, depression, fascism, and communism almost succeeded in eliminating capitalism from the face of the Earth. The problems global capitalism now faces (international terrorism, the backlash, against globalization, global-scale environmental change) are no less daunting. Constructively engaging these challenges will be the key to ensuring that capitalism continues to thrive in the coming century-to everyone's benefit (from the Prologue)."

In this context, Stuart L. Hart divides this excellent study into three main parts.

. Part One - Mapping the Terrain: It describes the global situation and establishes the business case for pursuing strategies that aim to solve social and environmental problems. It also outlines the challenges and opportunities that remain to be addressed, particularly those that involve the development of new, more sustainable technologies and the needs of the four billion people who have been largely bypassed thus far by globalization.

. Part Two - Beyond Greening: It develops the logic and content of these 'beyond greening' strategies in more depth.

. Part Three - Becoming Indigenous: Stuart L. Hart suggests how corporations might begin to move beyond even these strategies for sustainability by learning to become more embedded in the local context. He argues that learning to become indigenous is the next strategic challenge on the road to building a sustainable global enterprise.

Stuart L. Hart writes, "In this book, I have tried to suggest 'what' companies might do to pursue the path of sustainable global enterprise-the strategies, practices, and capabilities that are required. What is less clear is 'how' to pursue this path, particularly within the context of large, incumbent, multinational corporations. Indeed, as Raghuram Rajan and Luigi Zingales point out in their book 'Saving Capitalism from the Capitalists,' it is precisely the large incumbent corporations that most often stand in the way of fundamental change. I close the book, therefore, with some thoughts on what it will take to make sustainability happen in the real world of budgets, quarterly earning reports, discounted cash-flow analysis, and the discipline of the investor community. Leaders in companies will need to avoid the top-down bias, think as a disrupter, reinvent cost structures, transform the meaning of scale, and align the organization. Most important, to enable employees to build the sustainability cathedral, senior managers will have to step up to the challenge with visible and tangible commitments that far surpass what they have been willing to do to date (pp. 220-221)."

Strongly recommended.

Business & Investing Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in What You Need to Know to Save the World
Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future ImageDeep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future
by Bill McKibben
Holt Paperbacks; Published: 2008-03-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops: $14.00
The Revenge of Gaia: Earth's Climate Crisis & The Fate of Humanity ImageThe Revenge of Gaia: Earth's Climate Crisis & The Fate of Humanity
by James Lovelock
Basic Books; Published: 2007-06-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops: $15.95
Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy ImageCrimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy
by Jr., Robert F. Kennedy
Harper Perennial; Published: 2005-07-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.49
Price in other shops: $13.99
Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage ImageGreen to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage
by Daniel Esty, Andrew Winston
Wiley; Published: 2009-01-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.00
Price in other shops: $19.95
Capitalism at the Crossroads: Aligning Business, Earth, and Humanity (2nd Edition) ImageCapitalism at the Crossroads: Aligning Business, Earth, and Humanity (2nd Edition)
by Stuart L. Hart
Wharton School Publishing; Published: 2007-07-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.08
Price in other shops: $17.99
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things ImageCradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things
by William McDonough, Michael Braungart
North Point Press; Published: 2002-04-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.68
Price in other shops: $27.50
NOVA - World in the Balance: The Population Paradox ImageNOVA - World in the Balance: The Population Paradox
Nova; Release date: 2004-06-29; DVD
Best price: $10.19
Price in other shops: $19.95
Planet Earth: As You've Never Seen It Before ImagePlanet Earth: As You've Never Seen It Before
by Alastair Fothergill
University of California Press; Published: 2007-03-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.95
Price in other shops: $39.95
Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet ImageSix Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet
by Mark Lynas
National Geographic; Published: 2008-01-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.96
Price in other shops: $26.00
National Geographic: Six Degrees Could Change the World ImageNational Geographic: Six Degrees Could Change the World
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-04-08; DVD
Best price: $13.50
Price in other shops: $19.98
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Hybrid Organizations: New Business Models for Environmental Leadership ImageHybrid Organizations: New Business Models for Environmental Leadership
by Brewster Boyd, Nina Henning, Emily Reyna, Daniel E. Wang, Matthew D. Welch
Greenleaf Publishing; Published: 2009-06-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $30.44
Price in other shops: $40.00
Capitalism as if the World Matters ImageCapitalism as if the World Matters
by Jonathon Porritt
Earthscan Publications Ltd.; Published: 2007-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.00
Price in other shops: $27.95
The Market for Virtue: The Potential And Limits of Corporate Social Responsibility ImageThe Market for Virtue: The Potential And Limits of Corporate Social Responsibility
by David Vogel
Brookings Institution Press; Published: 2006-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops: $19.95
Making Sustainability Work: Best Practices in Managing and Measuring Corporate Social, Environmental and Economic Impacts (Business) ImageMaking Sustainability Work: Best Practices in Managing and Measuring Corporate Social, Environmental and Economic Impacts (Business)
by Marc J Epstein
Berrett-Koehler Publishers; Published: 2008-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $23.54
Price in other shops: $36.95
The Power of Unreasonable People: How Social Entrepreneurs Create Markets That Change the World ImageThe Power of Unreasonable People: How Social Entrepreneurs Create Markets That Change the World
by John Elkington, Pamela Hartigan
Harvard Business School Press; Published: 2008-02-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.23
Price in other shops: $27.50
Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage ImageGreen to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage
by Daniel Esty, Andrew Winston
Wiley; Published: 2009-01-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.57
Price in other shops: $19.95
Sustainable Value: How the World's Leading Companies Are Doing Well by Doing Good ImageSustainable Value: How the World's Leading Companies Are Doing Well by Doing Good
by Chris Laszlo
Stanford Business Books; Published: 2008-01-16; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $21.94
Price in other shops: $35.00
How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, Updated Edition ImageHow to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, Updated Edition
by David Bornstein
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2007-09-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops: $15.95
Mid-Course Correction: Toward a Sustainable Enterprise: The Interface Model ImageMid-Course Correction: Toward a Sustainable Enterprise: The Interface Model
by Ray Anderson
Peregrinzilla Press; Published: 1999-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.32
Price in other shops: $19.95
The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, Revised and Updated 5th Anniversary Edition: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits ImageThe Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, Revised and Updated 5th Anniversary Edition: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits
by C.K. Prahalad
Wharton School Publishing; Published: 2009-09-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.39
Price in other shops: $29.99