TOO BIG TO CARE

Two forward-thinking logistics experts weigh in on environmentally and economically responsible leadership strategies in this nonfiction debut.

Wood and Nakazawa offer a vision of better, more responsible corporate leadership that, they assert, is both realistic and good for the bottom line: “If they choose to, corporations and governments can utilize resources without damaging the environment,” they write. “They can find ways to add value to the world while being extraordinarily profitable.” The authors take as their starting point the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), pointing out that in the modern era, investors are becoming more sophisticated when it comes to environmental goals, as well as concepts such as gender equality, antipoverty, and antihunger initiatives. Those who ignore such issues may actually do damage to their companies, they point out, by creating “social problems, management problems, and even legal problems and lawsuits from employees.” The authors, who in 2019 co-founded Smart Vision Logistics,draw on their experiences advising other companies to examine, in part, the ways that “environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals” can affect future performance. To aid the formulation of such strategies, Wood and Nakazawa present researched chapters, key takeaways, and “guided reflections” such as “How are you currently demonstrating to investors that your business is not only in the business of making outsized profits, but is also adding value to society?” The authors infuse most of their discussion with an infectious enthusiasm, urging their readers to see SDGs not as a burden but as a series of opportunities: “For while a company doesn’t have to solve the world’s problems, it’s time to consider that solving someof them is the right business strategy,” as it can not only attract investors who want the same goals, but also reduce risks of scandals. Their narrative can sometimes take surprising turns, as when they digress about the “very authoritarian” corporate environment of Japan, comparing the system to China’s. However, the bulk of the book deals effectively and very knowledgeably with fundamental changes in the business world.

A knowledgeable and convincing call to view SDG and ESG initiatives as profitable.