Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Book Review: Doing Virtuous Business by Theodore Malloch




I was recently sent a copy of Doing Virtuous Business: The Remarkable Success of Spiritual Enterprise to review, and I have to say it was an interesting and often thought-provoking read. Malloch discusses how a business gains and uses "spiritual capital" in a similar manner to the "social capital" we so often hear of. At time, it felt a little light, but I do understand that Malloch is trying to reach the broadest audience possible.

Malloch wins me when he states in the introduction, "today, the general public holds corporate CEOs in lower esteem than at any time history, ranking them below lawyers and politician." He goes on to discuss the ties between spirituality and capitalism (fyi, this book is a joyous ode to capitalism).

While I did not always agree with Malloch's choice of virtuous companies, but I do wholeheartedly agree with his premise that in the long run, a virtuous business will attain better success than one that cheats or harms. His case studies of real companies modeling virtues such as leadership, courage, patience, perseverance, discipline, justice, forgiveness, compassion, humility, and gratitude are inspiring and led to many interesting conversations with my 20-something son.

I would recommend this as a "must read" to anyone interested in business ethics, capitalism, and possible solutions to our current economic crises.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson through BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trace Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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