Just Good Business by Kellie McElhaney

A Book Corner Review

By Leo Mallette, EdD

Just Good Business: The Strategic Guide to Aligning Corporate Responsibility and Brand

By Kellie McElhaney
Berrett-Koehler, 2008

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While everyone from corporate board members to Sports Illustrated writers[1] is discussing global warming and going green, Kellie McElhaney’s timely book Just Good Business: The Strategic Guide to Aligning Corporate Responsibility and Brand discusses the ethical business strategy called Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Although CSR is known by a dozen different labels, McElhaney defines CSR as “a business strategy that is integrated with core business objectives and core competencies of the firm and from the outset is designed to create business value and positive social change, and is embedded in day-to-day business culture and operations.” CSR is useful for attracting certain market segments, building market share, and if done right reducing bad press from watchdog groups and protesters.

Part I of Just Good Business introduces CSR while Part III explains what to do about it. Part II discusses the seven principles for connecting a corporation’s CSR strategy to its brand:

1. Know thyself.
2. Get a good fit.
3. Be consistent.
4. Simplify.
5. Work from the inside out.
6. Know your customer.
7. Tell your story.

Each principle has its own chapter offering good corporate examples that flow nicely with the text. Because the author has kept these stories short, at less than a page, they make the point without distracting the reader. The book concludes with chapters on planning, smart metrics, and the future of CSR.

This is a medium-sized, 194-page, and very readable book. McElhaney brings more than just the CSR story to the reader; she provides an action plan tied to corporate branding and marketing. I recommend this book to those who want a role in the future of their corporation’s CSR strategy.

[1] Alexander Wolff, “Going, Going Green,” Sports Illustrated, 106, no. 11, March 12, 2007.

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About the Author(s)

Leo Mallette, EdD, provides technical and programmatic support at The Aerospace Corporation to a national security spacecraft program with the communications subsystem as his primary area of responsibility. Previously, he worked in system engineering and project management of satellite systems at the Boeing Company for 30 years. He is nationally known for his expertise in quartz and atomic clocks and his strengths are building relationships with aerospace contractors and gathering the best resources to apply to technical issues. He received the BS and MS degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Central Florida and the MBA and Ed.D. (in organizational leadership) degrees from Pepperdine University. He is co-author of the book Writing for Conferences (Greenwood, 2011), co-editor of The SPELIT Power Matrix (CreateSpace, 2007), and author of Images of America: Rancho Mirage (Arcadia Publishing, 2011). Dr. Mallette is a supporting business faculty at Pepperdine University and the University of Phoenix’s doctoral program, and was an Instructor of Engineering at the University of Central Florida. He is a member of the Board of Visitors for Pepperdine University, a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a member of the advisory board for the Precise Time and Time Interval Conference, and a board member of the Society of Educators and Scholars.