Prologue
In a world where business lurches from crisis to crisis and scandal to scandal, where ordinary people see their savings wiped out through the unscrupulous and largely risk-insulated decisions of executive and managers, and where governments are compelled to intervene and prevent further col apse and loss, there is a desperate need for a new way of thinking, a new way of doing and a new way of being in business. A fundamental shift is required to reconsider profit and shareholder-centric outcomes as the solitary motive in business. Innovative ways are to be found that will bring the responsibility to society, community and the environment to the centre, and focus attention on what business can and should do to positively influence these.
A new ontology at the base of business thinking will affect decisions and improve conditions for the broader society. This book explores a number of methods and models that can influence and facilitate such innovation and the discovery and establishment of such an ontology. There are guiding questions and other tools which culminate in an online test and companion workbook to assist you in your quest.