"The overall rate of incarceration in the United States has been on the rise since 1970s, skyrocketing during Ronald Reagan's presidency, and recently reaching unprecedented highs. Looking for innovative solutions to the crises produced by gigantic prison populations, Florida's Department of Corrections claims to have found a partial remedy in the form of faith and character-based correctional institutions (FCBIs). While claiming to be open to all religious traditions, FCBIs are almost always run by Protestants situated within the politics of the Christian right. The religious programming is typically run by the incarcerated along with volunteers from outside the prison. Stoddard takes the reader deep inside FCBIs, analyzing the subtle meanings and difficult choices with which the incarcerated, prison administrators, staff, and chaplains grapple every day. Drawing on extensive ethnographic research and historical analysis, Brad Stoddard argues that FCBIs build on and demonstrate the compatibility of conservative Christian politics and neoliberal economics"--

Every business leader and entrepreneur should strive for success as well as deep fulfilment and happiness. Few, however, if they are being honest, actually achieve their goals. This causes great disappointment and disillusionment. Many decide they must make a choice between these seemingly opposing states. Is it even possible to be spiritual, incredibly happy and fulfilled and wealthy - all at the same time? Entrepreneur Pauline Nguyen has achieved this in The Way of the Spiritual Entrepreneur, her path to transform your life from existence and struggle to peace, harmony, joy, fulfilment and lasting happiness, without sacrificing your business, your relationships or your health. Entrepreneurs live in the real world where 'happiness' alone won't cut it. 'Calm courage' is what must also be cultivated in order to overcome the natural vicissitudes of life. The Way of the Spiritual Entrepreneur provides the tools and strategies you need to become fearless, stress free and unshakable - in business and in life. Through its unique combination of science and spirituality, this powerful book provides seven secrets to give you the competitive edge and the unfair advantage in your daily life - and to discover the source of your own confidence, inspiration and fulfilment. The Way of the Spiritual Entrepreneur is about getting good at Life. The Way of the Spiritual Entrepreneur is the proud winner for Best Entrepreneurship and Small Business Book of the Year at the Australian Business Book Awards.

In this well informed, insightful and comprehensive study, Mario Fernando critically explores the complex and multiform interplay of management theory and practice, personal biographies, theologies of faith and cultural dynamics in order to elaborate and advance a coherent theory of spiritual leadership. George Gotsis and Zoe Kortezi, Entrepreneurship and Innovation In this example of science and theory meeting emerging reality, Mario Fernando delves into the complex dimensions of the interplay of the science of management, theologies of faith, and the dynamics of culture to first understand and then construct and advance a theory of spiritual leadership. With real world insights and reflections from himself and others, he addresses theory to practice implications and cautions against creating just another fad. This insightful and thought-provoking book provides a timely read and focus for reflection for organizational leaders concerned with success in the new age economy and global society, and who seek a path to understand their own personal and pragmatic spiritual leadership grounding. Gary D. Geroy, Colorado State University, US The book will be an important contribution to the literature and will certainly open up some new avenues of research and inquiry. Ralph L. Piedmont, Loyola College in Maryland, US Although interest in workplace spirituality continues to soar, the literature and empirical research on non-Western, non-Christian spirituality in entrepreneurship and leadership is almost non-existent. Mario Fernando s unique study fills the gap in the literature, exploring cross-cultural and religious distinctions of the contemporary meaning and enactment of spirituality in organizations. Case studies of thirteen influential, spiritually motivated Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Muslim entrepreneurs are used to explore the significant impact of religion upon the management and leadership of an organization. The book concludes that although each entrepreneur s outward practice of spiritual leadership conformed to personal religious beliefs, these practices had two common aims: a connection with self, others and/or an ultimate reality, and a need to direct and motivate self and/or others to develop an organizational culture founded on a sense of shared community. This unique and fascinating work will strongly appeal to entrepreneurship, leadership and business and management researchers and scholars with a particular interest in the interplay between entrepreneurship and spiritual leadership.

"I'm excited about Faith Driven Entrepreneur. Anyone who is following the example of their creator God can find echoes of their work in this book." --Lecrae Entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey. But it doesn't need to be. God has a purpose and a plan for all those entrepreneurial dreams and creative gifts he gave you. The work you do today--the company you've built, the employees you work with, the customers you serve, the shareholders you report to, all of it--serves as an active part of what God wants to accomplish on earth. You are not alone in this journey. Join other faith-driven entrepreneurs as, together, we identify the values, habits, and traits that empower us to successfully build businesses, serve our communities, and faithfully pursue a loving relationship with God; read stories that exemplify how those values, habits, and traits unfold in everyday life; and discover the potential God wants to unleash through our work. Each book purchase includes access to the eight-session Faith Driven Entrepreneur video series, a discussion guide to encourage conversation among peers, and an invitation to join a Faith Driven Entrepreneur Group to meet other like-minded entrepreneurs.

By the early twenty-first century, Americans had embraced a holistic vision of work, that one's job should be imbued with meaning and purpose, that business should serve not only stockholders but also the common good, and that, for many, should attend to the “spiritual” health of individuals and society alike. While many voices celebrate efforts to introduce “spirituality in the workplace” as a recent innovation that holds the potential to positively transform business and the American workplace, James Dennis LoRusso argues that workplace spirituality is in fact more closely aligned with neoliberal ideologies that serve the interests of private wealth and undermine the power of working people. LoRusso traces how this new moral language of business emerged as part of the larger shift away from the post-New Deal welfare state towards today's global market-oriented social order. Building on other studies that emphasize the link between American religious conservatism and the rise of global capitalism, LoRusso shows how progressive “spirituality” remains a vital part of this story as well. Drawing on cultural history as well as case studies from New York City and San Francisco of businesses and leading advocates of workplace spirituality, this book argues that religion reveals much about work, corporate culture, and business in contemporary America.

This book discloses the spiritual dimension in business ethics and sustainability management. Spirituality is understood as a multiform search for meaning which connects people with all living beings and God or Ultimate Reality. In this sense, spirituality is a vital source in social and economic life. The volume examines the spiritual orientations to nature and business in different cultural traditions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Sufism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism. It studies how spirituality and ecology can contribute to transforming contemporary management theory and praxis. It discusses new leadership roles and business models that emerge for sustainability in business and shows how entrepreneurship can be inspired by nature and spirituality in a meaningful way.