The Future of Value: How Sustainability Creates Value Through Competitive Differentiation [Hardcover]

Eric Lowitt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 12, 2011

What if you were able to help your company grow faster and become more profitable than its rivals? Would you benefit as a result? Of course you would. What if your approach required little cash, caused nominal disruption, and was easily understandable by all your colleagues? What reason would you have for not helping your company outperform the competition?
 
Enhance business performance by using sustainability for competitive advantage
The Future of Value reveals what it takes for companies to grow and outperform the competition in today's growth-constrained, sustainability conscious world.
The author, Eric Lowitt, shows leaders and students alike how to use sustainability as a powerful, pragmatic lens to enhance business performance. The Future of Value explores how to craft and oversee a portfolio of effective tools, develop competitive strategies, and adjust value chain activities, talent management practices, and corporate policies to help organizations execute powerful sustainability strategies. 

Lowitt provides a systematic, yet instantly familiar, model all companies can use to connect sustainability with their growth and competitive strategies. In this way, the author shows leaders how to shape, color, and own The Future of Value.

The Future of Value draws useful and accessible conclusions from a rich, diverse set of corporate interviewees. A core part of his research was the selection and interrogation of more than 25 Global Fortune 500 companies' sustainability, strategy, and finance leads. In total, Eric interviewed over 100 senior executives, worldwide, to create The Future of Value.

Eric Lowitt, is a 15-year veteran of sustainability and strategy management consulting, having worked with clients in the US, Japan, Australia, and Europe. He has an MBA in Strategic Management from The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and writes a regular column for the Harvard Business Review, the Guardian, and the Christian Science Monitor.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Future of Value is an invaluable resource - John Replogle, CEO, Seventh Generation

"You will learn a lot from The Future of Value " - Andy Savitz, Author, The Triple Bottom Line

"The Future of Value is essential reading for innovative corporate leaders." -Tim Mohin, Director, Corporate Responsibility AMD

What is sustainability? How can my company (and I) grow, differentiate from rivals, and increase cash flow by embracing sustainability? If you've asked yourself these questions, then The Future of Value is essential reading for you. The Future of Value gives step-by-step guidance relevant to any organization working to become sustainable.

From the Inside Flap

If organizations are to stay two steps ahead of their competition, they must embrace sustainability as a new and dynamic means of creating value today and becoming more agile than their competitors tomorrow.

The Future of Value reveals what it takes for companies to thrive and outperform the competition in today's growth-constrained, sustainability-conscious world. Written by Eric Lowitt (a renowned business strategy and sustainability expert) this groundbreaking book shows how sustainability can be used as a powerful, pragmatic lens to enhance business performance. Lowitt also explains what it means for a company to be a Sustainable Market Leader and explores best practices for crafting and overseeing a portfolio of effective tools, developing competitive strategies, and adjusting value chain activities, talent management practices, and corporate policies to help organizations execute powerful sustainability strategies.

Based on solid research, the book is designed to be practical and is filled with proven ideas that can be used to strengthen a company's strategy and performance through the integration of sustainability-oriented tasks and actions. The author also includes much-needed information for engaging stakeholders in day-to-day sustainability management as a means to shape and fuel efforts to continuously renew their sustainability strategies

Lowitt outlines a systematic, yet instantly familiar, model any company can adopt to connect sustainability with their growth and competitive strategies. In this way, the author shows leaders how to shape, color, and own The Future of Value.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (September 12, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1118074521
• ISBN-13: 978-1118074527
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,474 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Urban Planning & Development

More About the Author

Eric Lowitt is a globally recognized expert in the fields of competitive strategy, growth, and sustainability. A consultant and frequent speaker, Eric is the author of The Future of Value, a book that connects sustainability with competitive strategy and financial performance. Eric's work is regularly featured in the Harvard Business Review, The Guardian, and The Wall Street Journal, as well as news wires, industry publications and other media outlets. He has worked with Accenture, Fidelity Investments, and Deloitte Consulting, and earned his MBA from The Wharton School.

Driven by a fascination with how companies compete, Eric began his consulting career as an analyst with Accenture in 1996. While at Accenture, a respected partner and thought leader took Eric on as a mentee. Through this mentor relationship, Eric read and assessed over 120 business strategy books, developing a passion for thought leadership in the process. Soon after an assignment in London, he enrolled at the Wharton School, where in 2001 he earned an MBA in Strategic Management. More recently Eric held several competitive strategy and market research positions with Fidelity, led Accenture's sustainability research program, and served as Specialist Master in Deloitte Consulting LLP's sustainability practice.

Eric is proficient in Japanese (having studied in Japan during his sophomore and senior years of university), an avid baseball fan, and historian. He and his wife live outside of Boston, MA with their two young children.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Sustainability Practices at Leading Companies October 16, 2011

By David Schatsky

Format:Hardcover

As a researcher, analyst and consultant in the field of corporate environmental sustainability, I read a lot of books on this topic. And I talk to a lot of companies. Eric Lowitt's treatment is very useful. He distills the essence of hundreds of hours of interviews into a clear and thoughtful overview of how some of the leading corporations think about and manage their sustainability programs. A great introduction to the field and a useful guide to some best practices.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Authoritative Book on Sustainability Strategy I've Seen October 13, 2011

By Mark W. McElroy

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is by far and away the most comprehensive, succinct and insightful treatment of the strategy implications of sustainability in business. The richness of examples taken from dozens of businesses is extraordinarily helpful, and Lowitt's talents for writing and for telling the story of the advent of sustainability in business makes for a fascinating read!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly innovative thinking! September 9, 2011

By Jayme Johnson

Format:Hardcover

Prior to reading this book, I'd never thought about sustainability as a STRATEGIC principle to drive business revenue and growth. Eric Lowitt's work brings this to light in an engaging, thought provoking and very applicable way. He makes it clear that every company can embrace sustainability as a strategy for competition and long-term success - not simply for altruistic motivations. Highly recommended!