Charity Sucks

Charity Sucks
Author: Iqbal Wahhab
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Total Pages: 61
Release: 2016-10-20
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1785901583

In the wake of recent scandals concerning charities such as Kids Company and BeatBullying, as well as the wave of suspicion they have generated about the third sector as a whole, celebrated restaurateur Iqbal Wahhab offers a scathing critique of the cosiness between government and charity, and proposes that the solution lies in business. Indeed, he believes we are entering a post-philanthropy age, where social entrepreneurs are better placed to sustainably solve our problems than the outdated and ineffective donations model. With social mobility on the wane and inequalities widening, he argues, the convention of paying taxes to provide a welfare state that fixes the problems of the poor and infirm is now considered a myth. The problem is that charities aren't evolving in the way businesses have to. They expand by the amount of hope and faith by which they can convince largely uninformed, if well-meaning, donors and philanthropists to finance them. Businesses expand through success, and success wins over hope. Put simply, Wahhab argues, charity sucks because business does it better.

The Good, the Bad and the Greedy

The Good, the Bad and the Greedy
Author: Martin Vander Weyer
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2021-10-26
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 178590728X

"Timely, thoughtful and witty" – Merryn Somerset Webb From the Industrial Revolution to the internet, capitalism has been a great engine of human progress. But now it stands accused of allowing the greedy few to run riot over the rest of society, exploiting workers and suppliers and recklessly damaging the planet in pursuit of profit. Where did these accusations come from – and are they true? In this lively critique, Spectator business editor Martin Vander Weyer argues that capitalism has indeed lost its moral compass, has lost public trust and is in urgent need of repair. But this is no far-left analysis seeking to champion a thinly veiled Marxist platform. Written from the point of view of a deep admirer of entrepreneurship and private-sector investment as a proven path to innovation and prosperity, The Good, the Bad and the Greedy argues that businesses always operate in a social context and that a 'good' business in a moral sense can also, in a perfect world, be a business that richly rewards its creators and backers. From the writer whom Boris Johnson called 'the most oracular and entertaining business commentator' in London, this thoughtful critique of 21st-century capitalism formulates core principles that separate the good from the bad and the greedy and warns that the system must be reformed and faith in it restored – before the next generation commit the ultimate act of self-harm by rejecting capitalism in favour of something worse.

Spin Sucks

Spin Sucks
Author: Gini Dietrich
Publisher: Pearson Education
Total Pages: 165
Release: 2014
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 078974886X

Go beyond PR spin! Master better ways to communicate honestly and regain the trust of your customers and stakeholders with this book.

Christmas Sucks

Christmas Sucks
Author: Joanne Kimes
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 111
Release: 2008-09-17
Genre: Humor
ISBN: 1440501173

These days, Christmas lights adorn front porches before the Thanksgiving turkey is even in the oven. Plane tickets to visit hardly-missed relatives cost more than the suitcase full of presents people have to lug across the country. And radios everywhere play songs about that fat guy in a red suit on an endless loop. Yes, it’s official: Christmas Sucks. This title is a humorous look at America’s commercialization of the Christmas holiday season and the terrible travel, inordinate amount of preparation, and family strife that accompanies it. You can commiserate with the fact that everyone drives themselves into debt buying gifts, no one enjoys seeing long-lost relatives, and everyone is creeped out by the department store Santa. With twelve days of Christmas, there’s plenty of reasons why this is far from the most wonderful time of the year.

The Good Glow

The Good Glow
Author: Jon Dean
Publisher: Policy Press
Total Pages: 214
Release: 2020-05-28
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1447344901

We praise those people who do things for others. But the symbolic power of giving means individuals can take advantage of the glow of 'goodness' that charity provides. This book analyses the reality of how charity operates in the social world; how the personal benefits of giving and volunteering are vital for getting charitable acts to happen; how the altruism associated with gifts isn't always what it seems; how charity misbehaviour or bad management gets overlooked; and how charity symbols are weaponised against those who don't participate. Drawing on original data and a novel application of the sociology of Bourdieu, this book examines a wide range of examples from culture, politics and society to provide an entertaining critique of how contemporary charity works.

Demystifying Social Finance and Social Investment

Demystifying Social Finance and Social Investment
Author: Mark Salway
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 326
Release: 2020-10-28
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317152808

Social finance and social investment are not challenging concepts to grasp. They use commercial-style investment tools to create a social as well as a financial return. The application, however, is not always as straightforward. This book begins in the wider field of social finance but focuses primarily on social investment as a tool. The reader is helped to understand this from different angles: introducing social investment, discussing social investment and taking a "deep-dive" into it to bring it to life. This unique book takes the reader on a journey from first principles to detailed practical application. This book examines the policy context and asks why social investment has only recently become so popular, when in reality this is a very old concept. This is linked to the agenda of making charities more "business-like", set against the changing face of investment, as charities can no longer rely on donations and grants as guaranteed income. The work they do is more important than ever and social investment, used with care, offers a new opportunity that is further explored in this text. Mark Salway, Paul Palmer, Peter Grant and Jim Clifford will help readers understand how a small amount of borrowing, or a different business model focused away from grants and donations, could be transformational for the non-profit sector.

F**k Business

F**k Business
Author: Iain Anderson
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Total Pages: 172
Release: 2019-10-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1785905430

When a senior Cabinet minister dismissed corporate fears over a hard Brexit with a curt 'F**k business,' it seemed emblematic of a growing distance between the country's politicians and its wealth creators. Recounted by the founder and chairman of the UK's largest independent lobbying business, Iain Anderson – who has had a ringside seat at the interactions between business and politics since the 2016 referendum – this is the definitive and shocking story of how and why politics and business have become utterly disconnected in the last decade; culminating in the rancour, mistrust and confusion of Brexit. Featuring exclusive and candid interviews with those at the heart of No. 10, the Cabinet and Parliament, and with the foremost business leaders of this Brexit generation, F**K Business portrays the exhaustion felt by all major companies over politics. With unparalleled access to the key players, the book describes how business sought to prepare for Brexit only to be frustrated by the inability of Parliament to set out a clear pathway ahead. But it also points the way ahead for a new relationship and a brighter future. This is essential, often shocking, reading for anyone interested in how Brexit unfolded for Britain's most important economic movers and shakers.

Trust

Trust
Author: Anthony Seldon
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Total Pages: 211
Release: 2011-10-31
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 184954266X

The updated edition of the bestselling title, Trust is the first serious response to the era of post-financial and political meltdown, Dr. Anthony Seldon lays out a blueprint for regaining trust within the national life. In part a wide-ranging meditation on notions of trust and responsibility in civic society, Trust is a powerful and important analysis of ten essential areas where trust in national life has broken down. Using examples from throughout the world and from history, it offers ten solutions for a better, more positive future.

Trillion Dollar Baby

Trillion Dollar Baby
Author: Paul Cleary
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Total Pages: 173
Release: 2016-09-02
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1785901303

For most of its history, the remote and near-Arctic nation of Norway has eked out a marginal existence from fishing, forestry and shipping. That is, until Christmas Eve 1969, when oil was discovered off its southern coast. Rather than squandering the profits (as the UK did with its North Sea oil), when the revenue began flowing, Norway put in place the most robust and visionary framework for extracting maximum benefit from non-renewable resources found anywhere in the world. Less than twenty years after the country began investing in what is now called the Government Pension Fund, Norway has the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world, with assets of US$870 billion. What's more, the fund is on track to hit the US$1 trillion mark by 2020. Not only is every Norwegian now a (krone) millionaire and enjoying the highest standard of living in the world, they will be able to hand down this endowment to their children and grandchildren. Norway's savings strategy means that it has taken a non-renewable resource and turned it into a financial asset that can last long after the oil wealth has been completely exhausted. This is the story of how they did it.