The New Corporate Philanthropy: How Society and Business Can Profit

Somehow it surprises me that this book wasn't written earlier, but I'm glad it wasn't. If it had been, Frank Koch probably wouldn't have sensed the vacuum that has existed, and this practical book wouldn't have come to be. I'd like to stress practical. The book describes in a comprehensive and-more importantly-practical way how every corporation can mar­ shal its financial support, employee talents, and other resources to make a meaningful impact on society. I happen to be one of those corporate executives who believes that a business has a responsibility to make such an impact. My brother Peter agrees. Our father and uncle set an example for us, and the tradition goes back to our great uncles and their uncle, Levi Strauss himself. For more than 125 years Levi Strauss & Co. has shown that social responsibil­ ity is good business and, in recent years, that it is also compatible with dynamic growth. We are proud of that tradition and what it produced, but 1 think the modern era of social responsibility or corporate citizenship at Levi's got its impetus in 1968 with my association with the National Alliance of Businessmen. It was there that I saw what other companies were doing: innovative ways to train, to transport, to provide jobs. It opened my eyes to areas in which business could become involved, areas I never before thought of as business responsibilities-even areas where it could have an impact.