Aiming Higher

25 Stories of How Companies Prosper
by Combining Sound Management
and Social Vision

By David Bollier
for The Business Enterprise Trust

Foreword by Norman Lear

Amacom, $24.95
ISBN 0-8144-0319-0

Traditional business wisdom says to fix your eye on the bottom line and be wary of "do-gooder" temptations that might reduce profits. But in Aiming Higher you'll discover a new breed of businesspeople who are creatively integrating their highest ideals with sound daily management practices. Far from hurting the bottom line, these business pioneers are making their enterprises more competitive -- and more profitable -- by tackling some of this nation's most urgent social problems.

In an eye-opening collection of real-life stories, Aiming Higher profiles courageous CEOs, managers, and employees who view social challenges not as burdens but as opportunities -- to create new markets, build motivated work forces, and attract loyal customers. They are aiming higher.

Who are these business heroes and heroines? Each year, The Business Enterprise Trust -- founded by television writer and producer Norman Lear -- honors five companies or individuals who have shown breakthrough leadership in combining sound business management with social conscience. Aiming Higher presents the stories of 25 of these honorees. These inspiring narratives illuminate the complicated, gritty management challenges being met and overcome by public-spirited businesspeople.

These stories are about all kinds and sizes of businesses, ranging from Xerox to Vermont National Bank to the White Dog Cafe. These compelling profiles include:

• A local school bus company that has become a powerful engine for personal growth, new jobs, and economic revitalization in a troubled inner-city neighborhood.

• A small travel agency that has grown to be the third-largest agency in the world by making employee satisfaction a top priority.

• A stock photography agency that has become a pacesetter by promoting the use of non-stereotyped, "real life" images of women, minorities, and people with disabilities.

• A bank that initiated a lending program for low-income customers. Thousands of people can now own homes -- and the bank has become one of the most profitable savings and loans in the country.

DAVID BOLLIER (Amherst, Mass.) is an author and journalist specializing in law, public policy, and politics. He has been a long-time collaborator with television writer/producer Norman Lear and has done extensive work with The Business Enterprise Trust and People for the American Way.

THE BUSINESS ENTERPRISE TRUST (Stanford, Cal.) is a national nonprofit organization that seeks to shine a spotlight on acts of courage, integrity, and social vision in business. Founded in 1989, the Trust produces videos and other educational materials and presents a prestigious annual award.

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