CHECK IT OUT:

Societal changes have always affected business and industry. In such books as “Ben & Jerry’s, The Inside Scoop: How Two Real Guys Built a Business with a Social Conscience and a Sense of Humor,” by Fred “Chico” Lager“Ben & Jerry’s, The Inside Scoop: How Two Real Guys Built a Business with a Social Conscience and a Sense of Humor,” by Fred “Chico” Lager, the notion of how two people could change ideas about how businesses operate made for interesting reading a decade ago.

This idea continues into the new millennium with books taking the concept to another level. Here are some of the newer titles available at the Newport Beach Public Library.

“Saving the World at Work: What Companies and Individuals Can Do to Go Beyond Making a Profit to Making a Difference” by Tim Sanders, formerly chief solutions officer of Yahoo, talks about the concept that both consumers and employers have turned away from price consciousness to demand that companies make a difference to society through their products, manufacturing methods, environmental efforts and community outreach. According to the author, casual consumers now represent the minority; mindful consumers have brought in a new value system, paying as much attention to a company’s environmental and social policies as to its pricing structures.

In Gary Hirshberg’s “Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World,” the president of Stonyfield Farms organic yogurt shares the company’s strategies for being both environmentally conscious and profitable, drawing on his experiences to demonstrate successful applications in counterintuitive business.

Muhammad Yunus is an economics professor best known for his earlier work called “Banker to the Poor: Micro-lending and the Battle Against World Poverty.” This book was written about lending small amounts of money, $40 or less, without collateral, to the poorest women in the world. Thirty-three years later, the Grameen Bank has helped 7 million people live better lives building businesses to serve the poor. The bank is solidly profitable, with a 98.6% repayment rate. It inspired the micro-credit movement, which has helped 100 million of the poorest people in the world escape poverty and earned Yunus a Nobel Peace prize. Yunus has recently written a new title, “Creating a World without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism,” which recounts the story of micro-credit, then discusses social business and organizations designed to help people while turning profits.

“The High-Purpose Company: The Truly Responsible — and Highly Profitable — Firms that are Changing Business Now” by Christine Arena discusses how corporate responsibility isn’t about broad themes like doing the right thing or making the world a better place, nor does it have to be a financial burden. Seeing business, society and the environment as parts of a linked system, Arena calls upon companies to “establish a purpose that’s bigger than the end product.” Instituting environment-friendly programs, for example, isn’t just a matter of being green, but of developing financially sound practices that make the company more efficient.

These are just some of the new business books on hand at the Newport Beach Public Library.

All titles may be reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at www.newportbeachlibrary.org. Please contact the Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.

CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public Library. All titles may be reserved online by accessing the catalog at www.newportbeachlibrary.org.