A fascinating insight into the influence that politics has upon business practices and consumer behaviour - and the development opportunities that this can provide.

The New Political Capitalism bridges the gap between the reality of the relationship between business and politics, and the lack of familiarity of the business community, even at the most senior levels, with political thinking. The book demonstrates how businesses that develop effective political antennae can enhance their performance in the emerging age of Political Capitalism.

it challenges the notion that business is, or can ever be, 'apolitical', and argues that politics - the visible reflection of social values and cultural trends - shapes the environment in which business operates. More and more people are becoming politicised in the sense that they have strong views about how our societies should function - and the role that business must play. Socio-political issues increasingly affect purchasing decisions with the marketplace becoming one way in which citizens express their political identity - the rise of what some have called 'political consumerism'. Markets themselves are politically constructed, and investors increasingly focus on corporations' political positions.

Drawing upon extensive research and case studies, this book weaves together socio-political trends with business purpose, strategy and operations. From why businesses exist at all, to the importance of diversity, and what a company stands for, both culturally and politically, The New Political Capitalism dissects the new opportunities available for those businesses that can develop effective political antennae.

Joe Zammit-Lucia has had extensive experience both in the business and the political worlds. He is a founder of RADIX - a not-for-profit public policy think tank based in London, and the RADIX Centre for Business, Politics & Society based in Amsterdam. Trained as a physician at the University of London, his later experience spanned R&D, marketing, global brand management, strategic planning, industry economics and public policy. He then founded his own management consulting firm that, within 10 years, grew to 150 staff with offices in Cambridge (UK), New York and Tokyo.

He also acted as a Special Advisor to the Director General at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and was a member of the Dean's Advisory Board at the College of Arts, Sciences and Education, Florida International University. He is currently on the Advisory Board of the Singapore Forum for long-term investors and business leaders.