Case Studies, Articles & Books

Articles & Blogs

• Distributism is the Future - Article defending the system favored by Chesteron, Day, and Belloc
• What's Wrong with Distributism - Article from the von Mises Institute critiquing distributism
• Case study: The Story of Shinola - Article about Tom Katsotis' (venture capitalist's) creation of an "affordable luxury" brand through retratining workers in urban Detroit; "they're losing money," while they build up the brand and resurrect the city (Katsotis is not Catholic, but you can see CST principles here at work)
• Case study: Viewpoint by Bayard Winthrop, CEO of American Giant - Winthrop writes about the importance of having heart and principles to create brand loyalty based on ethical and domestic production, creating longer-lasting, higher quality clothing
• The Founding of Better World Books - Founded at Notre Dame by three students (with IDEA Center's David Murphy as CEO), this business plan was founded on the goal of incrasig worldwide literacy, while earning money to grow the company
• REI's Commitment to Sustainability - How REI's commitment to sustainability has affected their suppliers' own commitments
• Wegman's and Catholic Social Teaching - How a 50,000 employee, $9 billion in profits company incorporates Catholic social teaching into its structure
• What is the Role of Christian Business - Article by Chris Patton of christianfaithatwork.com, a blog dedicated to exploring faith in the workplace
• Making an Impact in the Workplace - Focus on the Family resource on the need for honesty, transparency, and courage in the workplace -
• Five Traits of a Faithfully Christian Boss - Christian bosses lavish praise, compensate generously, respect their employees as stewards, and serve in solidarity
• Eight Ways to Build a Flourishing Workplace Culture - 8 tips from the Best Christian Workplaces Institute on flourishing business culture and environment
• 21 Practical Times and Ways to Prayer While Working - Little ways (email, phone calls, making coffee, etc. are all opportunities to pray at work for others and to God's glory
• A Business Principle to help make Prayer Work - A good prayer, like a meeting, should end with action items
• Chick-Fil-a Manager Prays for Employee - Stopping work to pray as a team for a fellow employee.
• Strong Values and Faith in the Workplace - Practically integrating one's faith in the workplace on a daily basis

PDF Resources

• The Economic Personalism of John Paul II - Article summarizing John Paul II's key economic insights

Economic Personalism of John Paul II - PDF Attached

• Corporate Responsibility and Laudato Si - The responsibility of the Catholic business leader in light of Laudato Si

Cremers Corporate Responsibility - PDF Attached 

• The Business of Business is the Human Person - Acknowledging the human dignity of all individuals while conducting business

Business Human Person Sandelands - PDF Attached

• Transparency in Business - Respecting coworkers and clients by maintaining transparency as a business leader

Transparency Business Vaccaro Sison - PDF Attached

• Business in Catholic Social Thought - How Catholic Social Thought can be applied to the business world.

Business in CST Schlag - PDF Attached

• Six Components of a Model for Workplace Spirituality - Article from Graziado Business Review on how a business might look if it incorporates spirituality (not specifically Catholic)

Six Components of a Model for Workplace Spirituality - PDF Attached

Amazon Links to Purchase Resources

• Catholic Social Thought - An edited compendium of the documents from Leo XIII to Pope Francis
• Faith at Work: Finding Purpose Beyond the Paycheck - Book about how to witness to co-workers and evangelize in the workplace while sanctifying one's work
• Called to Create: A Biblical Invitation to Create, Innovate, and Risk - Book about how the creative process of work mirrors and glorifies the creative work of God
• Work and Worship: Reconnecting Our Labor and Liturgy - Book highlighting the symbiotic relationship between work and embodied worship and how to enhance both