Business is Beautiful: The Hard Art of Standing Apart

by Jean-Batiste Danet, Nick Liddell, Lynne Dobney, Dorothy MacKenzie, Tony Allen

Overview

Business is Beautiful is a highly original perspective on what determines success, profitability and sustainability in business. The book contains fascinating stories of 20 companies that adopted contrarian and unique techniques and methods.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781907794315
Publisher:	LID Publishing USA
Publication date:	06/18/2013
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Jean-Batiste Danet is the CEO of Dragon Rouge, one of the world's leading design and innovation agencies.

Nick Liddell is Director of Strategy for Dragon Rouge.

Lynne Dobney is Group Director of Knowledge and Reputation for Dragon Rouge.

Dorothy MacKenzie is UK Chairman of Dragon Rouge.

Tony Allen is Group Director of Corporate Branding at Dragon Rouge.

Table of Contents

Foreword 2

Introduction 4

Business or pleasure?

The science of success

The importance of unmeasurables

The "hard art" of business

The five hallmarks of Beautiful Business

Summary map

Integrity 14

Building around a purpose

Embracing sacrifice

Being authentic

Committing openly

Rabobank 21

Stability, continuity, solidity

vente-privee 29

Strategic inconvenience

Dr Irena Eris 36

Natural beauty

Narayaa Hrudayalaya Hospitals 43

A pathway to affordable healthcare

Curiosity 46

Exercising imagination

Redefining convention

Encouraging challenge

Learning how to fail

Autolib' 52

Transforming mobility in Paris

Icebreaker 60

A new relationship with nature

3M 69

A culture of invention

Interface 76

Achieving mission zero

Elegance 82

Pleasing through economy

Designing with empathy

Demonstrating poise

Inviting interpretation

Opower 87

The smiling face of energy

Zetter 98

What would Wilhelmina do?

KTC 105

Made in China

Threadless 115

Design in the community

Craft 120

Connecting through stories

Applying the human hand

Developing a signature style

Creating a sense of theatre

Rapha 125

Glory and suffering

Oticon 135

The art of listening

Condé Nast 142

A talent for quality

Story 150

Retail media

Prosperity 154

Caring about people

Establishing a legacy

Valuing what matters

Asserting influence

Pão de Açucar 160

The enlightened retailer

Arup 168

The key speech

Egg-energy 177

Cracking the power supply in Tanzania

Bmwi 184

New questions, new answers

Afterword on Prosperity by Jonathon Porritt, Forum for the Future 190

Conclusion 194

Endnotes 200

Featured businesses 206

About the authors 214

Acknowledgements 216