Routledge Purpose Delivered: Bigger Benefits for Society and Bigger Profits for Business – A CEO’s Experience

Going beyond the why and what of purpose-led business, this book sets out an innovative business model of how to lead and operate a company to deliver its purpose. Western capitalism is in crisis due to the growing disconnect between business and society, and there are growing calls for a shift from the primacy of shareholder value to the primacy of purpose. But there is a paucity of codified best practice for how CEOs should go about making this shift. Enter Alan Barlow: a CEO practitioner who demonstrates with analytical rigor and evidence-based argument a business model for how CEOs can actually deliver a purpose-defined company that yields both bigger benefits for society and bigger profits for the business. Current and aspiring business leaders and executives will benefit from not only this new business model but also a fully documented route map for monitoring and reviewing successful impact, and highly focused non-financial and financial metrics for benchmarking. Completing the loop for ‘company purpose’ means that business can become a force for good for society. Review Nominated: Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Awards, 2021 "Purpose Delivered is a most important book that, rightly, articulates the urgent case for a reorientation of how many business leaders need to think in order to help capitalism rediscover a better purpose, and with it, more desperately needed legitimacy. But in Alan’s case, it is written by someone who was walked the walk and not just talked the talk."Lord Jim O’Neill, Chairman Chatham House. Formerly chairman Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Commercial Secretary to the UK Treasury "There is no doubt the case for an organisation to be Purpose-led has never been stronger. In this very important book, Alan sets out the ways organisations can enact purpose, including why CEOs need to take ownership of the agenda and the value of metrics that help to evaluate the success of an organisation in delivering on its purpose. A timely and thought provoking read."Kevin Ellis, Chairman PricewaterhouseCoopers "Just imagine if each individual, community, business and government truly lived a ‘purpose’ that has benefit to society, with integrity…sounds like a system with compound positive interest! A dream, or an intent that needs a plan? Here we have an excellent analytical framework, a case study multinational and illuminating examples from personal CEO experience that demonstrate the way forward for us and for business. Thank you, Alan."Gail Klintworth, Chair Integrity Action. Formerly, Global Chief Sustainability Officer Unilever "Alan’s CEO practitioner experience in how to deliver a purpose-driven business is clearly demonstrated, analytically and practically, in his book. When presenting to our MBA students, he opens their eyes to the challenges and returns from delivering a purpose-defined company. He is an ideal educator for the new generation of leaders of what business should be: responsible, accountable and caring."Ewa Maciejewski, Vice Director University of St Gallen Business School, Switzerland "The shareholder maximisation model is now broken. Alan makes a powerful case for purpose-driven companies. And, based on his CEO experience, he sets out and demonstrates a practical business model on how to make it happen. This is a book whose time has come. A must read."J. Rajagopal, CEO & executive coach. Formerly, Global Head Tata Consultancy Services. India "As business migrates its rationale from a primary focus on shareholder value to embrace wider society goals, to include the environment, employees, suppliers and customers, a blue print for ‘How’ is critically needed. In his book, Dr Barlow, provides the guiding principles and route map to achieve this. And, more importantly, shows how he, as a CEO, applied them. I particularly liked the concept of developing a ranking index for FTSE / NYSE companies in terms of the extent to which they are purpose