by Simon Mainwaring (Get the Book)Mainwaring (founder, We First brand consulting firm) describes a new business model--"contributory consumption"--in which people's purchases help to make the world a better place. The goal is for businesses to combine sales profits with a social purpose, leading to a shift in thinking for both companies and consumers from "me first" to "we first.. Mainwaring believes that online social media are helping to bring about a positive change in the way business is done, giving customers more say in business decisions and making information available to all via networking sites. Henry Jenkins, an authority on communications who is quoted in the book, notes that the public, rather than the institutions themselves, now "controls the storytelling" about companies and products. In effect, there is a new transparency. Mainwaring identifies some issues that businesses need to examine more closely with respect to corporate social responsibility: executive salaries, dividend payouts, tax write-offs, government lobbying, quality controls, and global environmental factors. He cites Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who has pledged most of his fortune to world charities, as the role model for this new era. --Choice
