Cambridge Business Association
People Over Profit
Book

People Over Profit

Break the System, Live with Purpose, Be More Successful

Dale Partridge
Thomas Nelson, 2015
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Recommendation

Deceptive business practices may have become common, but positive change is on the horizon. Social entrepreneur Dale Partridge outlines the vicious cycle that many businesses loop through as they start with honest practices, abandon them over time, and then attempt to reform their practices and regain their customers’ trust. He provides sound advice to business leaders and innovative thinkers who want to make the world a better place. Writing in plain, accessible language, Partridge offers a bold manual to those who believe honest, socially conscious businesses are the way of the future. He cites common pitfalls many businesses face during times of rapid expansion and offers strategic remedies. getAbstract recommends his manual to executives and entrepreneurs who hope to change their organizations for the better from the inside.

Summary

Why “Good” Businesses Go Bad

In today’s competitive economic world, launching a business that cares about consumers can seem like a radical idea. However, most big capitalist enterprises that now have reputations for deceiving customers actually started out as honest companies.

Consider McDonald’s. When the popular burger chain launched its first restaurant in the 1950s, it focused on providing quality meals and service, treating employees well, and giving customers value for their money. However, since then, it has earned a bad reputation and has dealt with several lawsuits and scandals, as well as criticism about its food. What happened? Like many businesses, when McDonald’s expanded and gained commercial success, its focus shifted away from quality and toward profit.

The Four Eras

Most businesses can’t escape the vicious cycle of looping through “Four Eras of Organizational Behavior”:

1. The “Honest Era”

In the Honest Era, companies put quality and customer satisfaction first. Of course, firms don’t start out deceiving consumers; they’d never attract any business if they did. In the Honest Era, successful start-up companies focus on ...

About the Author

Sevenly.org and StartupCamp.com founder Dale Partridge is a social entrepreneur, frequent public speaker, and expert on branding, consumer psychology, and marketplace trends.

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