Oxford University Press Putting Purpose Into Practice: The Economics of Mutuality

In the face of constant change, the nature of business must evolve rapidly if it is to remain relevant to society at large. How then should business change to meet the requirements of the 21st century, in which unbridled globalization and technological advancements are having profound affects on the wellbeing and prosperity of both the people and the planet? The achievement of purpose is the key to successful transformation - not just having a purpose, but making that purpose real at every level of the organization. This is the first book to provide a precise description of how companies can put purpose into practice. Based on a groundbreaking research project undertaken jointly between the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford and Mars Catalyst, the think tank of Mars Inc., it provides a highly accessible account of how companies should determine and implement their corporate purposes. It outlines why corporate purpose is so important and how it can both address the major challenges the world faces today and deliver enhanced performance for business. Fourteen detailed case studies illustrate how companies of different sizes, sectors, and geographies have put purpose into practice and their experiences of doing so. These cases give deep insights into the way in which companies can build purposeful businesses, map and shape their ecosystems, identify failures and problems, align management, and create partnerships to deliver their purposes against which they can measure their performance. The achievement of purpose is a very real issue that every responsible leader in business, finance, and business academia must now face. This book will equip executives, managers, investors, and policymakers with the tools that they require to understand how the notion of corporate purpose should become a corporate reality.