14 million Megatrends books sold!
Once in a great while a book comes along that challenges conventional wisdom and opens the floodgates to the future. Megatrends 2010’s blend of meaning, morals and bottom-line economics celebrates the demise of Business as Usual and the birth of Conscious Capitalism.
In Megatrends 2010, Patricia Aburdene, co-author of the bestselling Megatrends 2000, investigates corporate social responsibility and identifies seven megatrends that will redefine business in the coming years.
Megatrends 2010:
Explains why firms like Timberland, Wainwright Bank, 3M, Chiquita Brands, Motorola, Intel and others are taking a stand for corporate social responsibility Shows that more than 63 million Conscious Consumers prefer to buy from companies who share or reflect their values and lifestyle Describes the surprising power of conscious techniques to enhance productivity Shows that socially responsible and green funds often outperform mainstream mutual funds Explores the New Economy of Consciousness and the quest for ethics in business within the legal confines of modern capitalism
Aburdene demonstrates that significant numbers of both new-economy and old-guard companies are tapping into the wave of conscious capitalism to clean up the corporate image, save the environment, help the less fortunate—and boost the bottom line.
Customer Reviews
A top pick any business and public lending library must have.:
Both MEGATRENDS and MEGATRENDS 2000 were top bestsellers predicting shifts key to economic and business worlds alike: now MEGATRENDS 2010 documents the rise of ‘conscious capitalism’ and what corporate responsibility means to business trends and activities. Any business library or businessman interested in corporate change will appreciate the data and insights documenting corporate scandals and ethics transition points being fostered by grassroots efforts and managers. A top pick any business and public lending library must have.
Enterprise in an Integral Age:
Being a futurist myself, I have enjoyed all the ‘Megatrends’ books. I am heartened to see that the trends Patricia Aburdene reported on have not gone unnoticed. She demonstrates powerfully that businesses are comprised of living human beings who have significant impact on our collective future. This is a far cry from the Cogs-in-machine image of the past. These trends indicate that perhaps business rather than being solely an outlet for human greed, may shape the future of human communities as much or more than religion or politics. Three cheers for Patricia for moving the dialogue forward and leading with hope for a better future.
Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism:
In the past, there has been a well defined line between those who wanted to make money in industry and those interested in the spiritual, cultural, and environmental future of our world. Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism states that this division is becoming more and more blurred. In fact, a new trend is growing in business. This new development is blending industry with spiritual, cultural, and environmental awareness to create Conscious Capitalism.
As I read this book, I wasn’t sure whether I should applaud Conscious Capitalism or whether I should be appalled. I could see that in some cases, this new practice was beneficial. Employers were looking at ways to improve the lives of employees and trying to make strides to connect with the modern consumer’s needs. Some of the companies described were also thoughtfully examining how their products added to the wealth of our future. However, I can see how Conscious Capitalism could easily become a strategy used as a promotional method but not actually practiced by these businesses. In these cases, consumers, employees, and our children would be the losers.
More missionary zeal than hard facts:
As other reviewers pointed out, Aburdene argues that the 21st century will be transformed by ecological awareness, spirituality and other positive trends.
First, the author fails to see contradictions among those trends. One person’s spiritual belief (e.g., only marriages count as meaningful relationships) conflicts with someone else’s (e.g., relationships with partners, dogs and friends can be meaningful). No problem until these beliefs get translated into benefits and norms, i.e., “Your family celebration doesn’t count.”
Second, the widespread discussion of “spirituality” can lead to shallow interpretations. I don’t always agree with Carolyn Myss, an example of New Age spirituality. But I have to respect her. She walks the talk. She studied. She doesn’t promise easy answers and in fact she warns that being spiritual is very hard.
In contrast, I once attended a bookstore talk where the leader asked everyone, “Raise your hand if you are on a spiritual path.” Gimme a break.
I’ve also heard spirituality defined as attracting what you want, including money, love, and beauty.
Third, the book ignores a counter-trend, the rise in books about atheism and a backlash against organized religion. My career clients aren’t reporting a great wave of love and humanity in their working worlds.
The book also ignores other trends, such as the shrinking world, the increased access to information and choice, and the kinds of trends described in The Long Tail.
But my biggest complaint is the author’s obvious enthusiasm and support for these trends. Earlier megatrends books seemed more impartial and objective. There’s nothing wrong with enthusiastically embracing ideas, but I like books that let you know up front whether you’re dealing with argument or analysis. It’s especially frustrating to expect the latter and get the former.
Transforming the Capital in “Capitalism” is the answer:
I give it four star for bringing much hope amid all desperations and dysfunctions of global capitalism we are witnessing today. Identifying the trends is one way to shift the energy and resources from the treadmill of insane greed and suicidal profit making by the War making military-intelligence-corporate-media-thinktank-banking complex. Yet the true Conscious Capitalism will address deeper systemic problems arising out of and inherent in the faulty structure of financial system we are all unconsciously participating in. Search “Transforming Money” at Yahoo or google to educate yourself and others about the systemic design problems of capitalism.
