Can Conscious Capitalism Create a Competitive Advantage?

By Tim Beyers and Alison Southwick – Mar 12, 2013 at 8:59PM

NASDAQ: WFM

Whole Foods Market, Inc.

SXSW speakers and attendees seek purpose as well as profit.

Now that John Mackey's book, Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business, is a best-seller, more of the world is talking about doing good while doing business. Nowhere was that more true than at the South by Southwest Interactive festival over the weekend in Austin, Texas.

Mackey helps lead organic grocer Whole Foods Market (WFM), and he does he so with a purpose: Give the world healthier dietary choices. In preaching conscious capitalism, Mackey argues that free-market capitalism can and should be a vehicle for achieving higher purposes.

All of which sounds great, of course. But does doing good in this way lead to larger profits? How can we know? The Motley Fool's Alison Southwick asks Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova for his perspective in the following video. Please watch, and then leave a comment to let us know what you think.

Fool contributor Tim Beyers is a member of the Motley Fool Rule Breakers stock-picking team and the Motley Fool Supernova Odyssey I mission. He owned shares of Google at the time of publication. Check out Tim's Web home and portfolio holdings, or connect with him on Google+, Tumblr, or Twitter, where he goes by @milehighfool. You can also get his insights delivered directly to your RSS reader.

Alison Southwick owns shares of Whole Foods Market. The Motley Fool recommends and owns shares of Google, Tesla Motors, and Whole Foods Market. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.