Will You Add? - Business

BT Glows While the Royal Post Offices are Shut Down
Within a six year period Sir Christopher Bland managed to turn around the fortunes of a then ailing BT into a possible global player in the telecoms arena. His applause during the presentation of the latest figures is well deserved. He truly took a dead government department and pushed it into a new age business.So what happened to the Post Office? Nothing, of course, but that is not the point. Of course BT was operating in an environment of telecoms which was poised to take advantage of innovation such as the internet, to move forward. Well, yes and no. Things could have been different at the creaking old telephone service operator. After all there was mobile as wel

Is purpose invaluable to the company? In high-purpose companies, purpose and performance are fundamentally intertwined, meaning that the company’s growth, stature, revenues and culture are driven by this purpose. It’s not just something that exists on paper but in reality, and it is something that manifests every single day.

Effective Marketing is About Loving Your Customers
“Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” ~Henry FordDo you cut corners in your products and services? Or do you make the honest effort to do it right even when no one is looking? You can’t expect perfection as that is an impossible goal for the imperfect people we are. The question is simply if you have done your best. Do you do the job right even if your customer or client may never know the difference?Marketing with Integrity is about loving your customer. Develop a relationship with them. Advise them. Help them. Offer them products and services which will help them. Protect them from those who would take advantage of them. It isn’t about bein

Former managing director of Boston-based integrated marketing firm Polese Clancy, Christine Arena now calls the West Coast home. She is author of Cause for Success (New World Library, 2004) and The High-Purpose Company (Collins, 2006). In this interview, she describes the “litmus test” she developed to identify high-purpose companies, and provides advice on what organizations can do to meet their corporate responsibility goals.

The term “corporate social responsibility” is used quite liberally these days. How do you define it? There are a lot of people in the business world that regard it as a form of marketing or philanthropy. When they speak about it, they think about it in terms of a company effort to do good, to give back to society or to appear as a Good Samaritan.

I disagree with that totally. In my view, and according to my research, corporate responsibility is really about being responsive and taking responsibility for companies’ past, present and future behavior. I don’t view corporate responsibility as an outcome or as an end goal, but rather as an ongoing process. Companies don’t press “pause,” they don’t press “stop” – [corporate responsibility] is something that is forever in action just as a company’s behaviors are.

What exactly is a “high-purpose company”? I always say that high-purpose companies are some of the most valuable companies in the world. They produce more social, environmental and financial value – triple bottom line returns – than any other breed of business. That’s because they stand for something greater than the products they sell or the wealth they generate for shareholders. Interestingly, that something, whatever it is, is usually vital to humankind, and it affects most everything these companies do. It’s reflected in the products they sell and, obviously, leads to the wealth they generate for shareholders.

These companies venture to answer fundamental questions like, “What in the world are we here to do as a business?” and “What makes us invaluable to people and worthy of succeeding?” In harnessing their greatest strengths to pursue the answers [to these questions], these companies have become far more successful, and they make a big, big difference.

What is your litmus test for high-purpose companies that you developed with the help of some MBA students at McGill University? And can you give me an example of a company that passed the test? The litmus is a very simple question that can be applied to any business no matter what size and regardless of industry: Is purpose invaluable to the company? In high-purpose companies, purpose and performance are fundamentally intertwined, meaning that the company’s growth, stature, revenues and culture are driven by this purpose. It’s not just something that exists on paper but in reality, and it is something that manifests every single day.

Quality Diamond Blade Manufacturer
Whether you are cutting through cement, brick, or tile, you will need a high quality diamond saw blade to get the job done quickly. There are many different diamond saw blades and components to choose from. Each diamond saw blade and their components are made specifically to cut through certain harsh materials. Some are made to cut through stone and brick. Others are made to cut tile and granite. Make sure you choose the right diamond saw blade for the job.For instance, what makes a diamond saw blade. Diamond saw blades have key components that make them cut even more efficiently through harsh materials like stone, and brick. Diamond saw blades are made up of th

rketing or philanthropy. When they speak about it, they think about it in terms of a company effort to do good, to give back to society or to appear as a Good Samaritan.

San Francisco Office Space
The Bay Area in San Francisco is the central point of San Francisco's skyline and its business district. It is an outstanding sight with a unique architectural style that symbolizes the ultimate location, tenant coziness, great services as well as excellent materials and finishes. The Bay Area has many signature buildings in the landscape that offer great appeal for office space.In San Francisco, the trend of the future is the innovation of shared office space. Offering a new approach to office space leasing in San Francisco, shared office space is interesting because clients only have to pay for the time they use the office. Executives that work at home, people that

t exactly is a “high-purpose company”? I always say that high-purpose companies are some of the most valuable companies in the world. They produce more social, environmental and financial value – triple bottom line returns – than any other breed of business. That’s because they stand for something greater than the products they sell or the wealth they generate for shareholders. Interestingly, that something, whatever it is, is usually vital to humankind, and it affects most everything these companies do. It’s reflected in the products they sell and, obviously, leads to the wealth they generate for shareholders.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) On Sustainable Development
The UTIP project should be highly commended for making this data accessible online at no cost. At a glance, it appears that when FDI inflows increase, inequality decreases in Malaysia.Economists claim that FDI is both good and bad for income inequality, depending on the type of FDI that a nation attracts. FDI improves income inequality if much of the flows create employment for the masses, especially the low-skilled, thus boosting their income.FDI tends to worsen inequality when it flows into industries that are high-tech and it does not create much employment for the masses.Some economists attribute increasing income inequality in Thailand in the late

answer fundamental questions like, “What in the world are we here to do as a business?” and “What makes us invaluable to people and worthy of succeeding?” In harnessing their greatest strengths to pursue the answers [to these questions], these companies have become far more successful, and they make a big, big difference.

Russia At A Glance - Why Do You Need To Invest In Russia?
Russia is still an emerging market and the challenges are plenty. However, the country’s economic growth has been remarkable, with an average seven percent GDP growth backed by the favorable energy situation on the world markets, tighter government budget policy, and faster development of other key industry sectors, such as machinery, automotive, info-communication, construction and food processing. The Russian government introduced positive changes into the tax system; including a flat rate of 13% for personal income tax, reducing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 24%, and reducing the value-added tax (VAT) to 18%. Surpassing even some developed economies, Russia red

Here’s a controversial example of a company that passed my litmus that was just in the news: JetBlue passed the test because when we were conducting our research, and still today, the company’s purpose is to bring humanity back to air travel. When JetBlue was being designed, Dave Neeleman, the founder and CEO, made certain that everything within JetBlue – from the policies it set for its employees to the actual experience that customers have when they’re flying on the airline – reflects that humanity purpose.

One example that I think is relevant to Winning Workplaces is that, at one point, one of JetBlue’s employee surveys revealed that employees would rather work from home. That survey led to the company’s policy to have about 90 percent of its call center employees working from home. So the big joke in the press is that when you call 800-JETBLUE, you’re talking to a housewife in bunny slippers. That’s the working joke, but that’s just one out of dozens and dozens of examples of how the company has reverse engineered its services and policies around the needs of its stakeholders.

What can small and midsized businesses do to move toward their corporate responsibility goals, and how can they monitor their progress? My advice to companies both large and small is to start small and stay focused. One of the most interesting findings from my research is that depth works better than breadth. In other words, companies that concentrated on one or two key areas that were very relevant to shareholder interests, and that attached business metrics to social environmental outcomes, were far more successful than the companies that either tried to take on everything at once, or that perceived corporate responsibility as a superficial form of marketing or philanthropy. Businesses can’t afford to keep investing in “a little bit here, a little bit there, a little bit there” and expect to get great returns. They make a bigger difference by going deep where they know they can really make a difference.

What this means for both small and large companies is that they should ask themselves two key questions: "What ideal results in the world does your company wish to create?" and "Using your company’s greatest strengths, how can you feasibly achieve these results?"

When a company commits to achieving ideal results and then focuses everyone in the company on reaching those results, their goals are very likely to manifest.

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Adding value is not one of those management buzz words we use loosely but don't really understand. To your patients, adding value can simply mean doing more than you promise to do. The idea behind adding value is that the customer gains a perceived benefit without having to pay for it - or pay very little, compared with its value to the customer.

In this fast changing world we are living in, every minute is often crucial in solving our problems. There is no time for the less significant things we come across each and every day that goes by.

A lack of presentation training in America is creating a business culture that abuses presentation software and the art of public speaking. Let's get back to the basics and adopt something I like to call the BRAVO formula.

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Will You Add? - Rethinking Corporate Responsibility - A Conversation With Author Christine Arena

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