The Challenge for Business and Society: From Risk to Reward

Recent federal actions have altered rules both social, and environmental, that supposedly hobbled business, rolling back clean power, consumer protection, and healthy eating initiatives. Unfettered by regulation, corporations are now supposedly freer to go about the business of making money—despite any unintended consequence to consumers and society. And yet there could be a negative reaction to these actions resulting in support for even harsher regulation in the future. How can responsible businesses step up their efforts to create jobs, reduce poverty, improve education and health, and address climate change issues both domestically and around the world while still generating the economic growth to enrich shareholders and create jobs? The Challenge for Business and Society shows how leaders in business and government can actively balance the growth of business with the needs of society, producing even greater financial returns.

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“Breaking Barriers: How P-TECH Schools Create a Pathway From High School to College to Career”

Breaking Barriers shows how to redesign high schools so that all students can move on to college and successful careers. In a negation of the American Dream, a child's zip code is currently a far better predictor of success than hard work, intelligence, or resilience. This book tells the story of a school model that focuses on equity and works to prove that all young people can achieve academic excellence given the right support. P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High School) combines public high schools and community colleges in partnership with employers, providing both opportunity and support for all students. This innovative and effective approach eliminates barriers to replication by engaging all stakeholders. The first P-TECH, which opened in a low-income Brooklyn neighborhood, is now a model for school reform. Praised by President Obama and heads of nations, its story is told through the voices of students who have shattered the myths about which students can succeed.

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"A company's values are at the very core of its actions, and The Challenge for Business and Society: From Risk to Reward not only demonstrates the perils of those that prioritize growth for the sake of growth, but also provides example after example of businesses partnering with communities to create solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges."

—Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co.

"Corporations earn the right to operate and grow by delivering long-term value not just to shareholders but to society as a whole. The betterment of society and protecting the planet must be represented in a company's strategy and its bottom line. Stanley Litow's book makes a powerful case as to why success can no longer be defined purely by profit and that companies can only do well by also doing good."

—Andrew Liveris, Chairman and CEO, The Dow Chemical Company

"A highly persuasive account of how—and why—businesses focused on addressing society's biggest challenges are more likely to thrive and prosper over the long term to the benefit of all their stakeholders."

—Paul Polman, Chief Executive Officer, Unilever

"Stanley Litow is an eminent and foremost mentor in the space of business and social responsibility, so his contributions present a great opportunity for a broader audience to benefit from his invaluable and almost unmatchable experiences. For decades now, Stanley has been navigating the realities between market forces, civic needs, and the space that exists to align them and reinforce one another. At this critical time when society has no option but to figure out how to deploy business power for the benefit of humanity, Stanley's voice is vital."

—Daniel Lubetzky, Founder and CEO, KIND

"At a time when all our institutions—public, private, civic, religious—face increased skepticism, The Challenge for Business and Society: From Risk to Reward charts a path for businesses to shape outcomes that work for the bottom line and the greater good. Stan Litow draws on his concrete experience as a dynamic leader in one of the country's most storied companies to provide us straightforward lessons that will be timely and extremely useful to business and government leaders."

—Denis MCDonough, former Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama

"I cannot get enough of Stanley S. Litow's narrative from the front lines of American corporate culture. Businesses that employ us, inform us, serve us in ways large and small and open pathways for creatively navigating these times have an amplified voice in our world. Repeatedly, Mr. Litow's dispatch showcases the unique ways corporations can set moral guideposts on the path to a shared benefit for society. Whether in education, the environment or social justice or other issues, it is the way businesses embrace their role, the "how" specifically, that resonates repeatedly in reading Mr. Litow's inspired words. His book is a gift to take in, to consider, and to read again."

— Al Baker, New York Times Reporter