Purposeful Capitalism: Fourteen Remarkable Companies and What They Teach Us About Ethics and Profit

In today’s polarising world, businesses frequently face competing demands from across the political spectrum. Progressives are pushing companies to minimise environmental footprints and enhance diversity, equity and inclusion, while conservative activists are labelling those initiatives as “woke” and urging executives to focus solely on profit maximisation.
How should corporate leaders navigate this volatile landscape? Purposeful Capitalism charts a path forward, centred on the idea of profitable problem-solving. Drawing on lessons from fourteen well-known companies across industries and countries, this book argues that businesses must promote human progress by tackling societal challenges. This requires harnessing the best elements of capitalism, including the ability to attract investment and motivate people through financial rewards. Profit, when it stems from value-creating activities rather than a myopic obsession with financial engineering, should be celebrated, not vilified.