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Jan Jonker, Marco de Witte (editors), Springer, 378 pages, hardback. £44
Management Models is an ambitious book – both in its declared intent to be a knowledge bank for tried and tested corporate social responsibility models and instruments, and in its 42 chapters by 70 authors.
The editors have attempted to give some coherence to so many submissions by grouping them into areas such as the business proposition, organizational identity, and accountability. Although there is some logic to this, the categories make the book seem on first impression much more academic and jargon-laden than it is in practice.
To the editors’ credit, they have kept the chapters short and clearly structured: each typically contains an introduction, the essence of the model, experience with the model, some dos and don’ts, and concluding remarks. Beyond this, there is the expected varying quality: some models appear incredibly simplistic and unlikely to be of much value, while others have well-developed systems, techniques and case studies to back them up.
Despite its claim to be ‘the result of the practical efforts of professionals’, the book will probably appeal more to students, teachers and researchers than practitioners. Perhaps a comparative analysis of the models might have made the book more handy for CSR managers. As it stands, it is more likely to find its way into libraries than boardrooms. More’s the pity, because there is a wealth of ideas between the covers.
Wayne Visser
Management Models is an ambitious book – both in its declared intent to be a knowledge bank for tried and tested corporate social responsibility models and instruments, and in its 42 chapters by 70 authors.
The editors have attempted to give some coherence to so many submissions by grouping them into areas such as the business proposition, organizational identity, and accountability. Although there is some logic to this, the categories make the book seem on first impression much more academic and jargon-laden than it is in practice.
To the editors’ credit, they have kept the chapters short and clearly structured: each typically contains an introduction, the essence of the model, experience with the model, some dos and don’ts, and concluding remarks. Beyond this, there is the expected varying quality: some models appear incredibly simplistic and unlikely to be of much value, while others have well-developed systems, techniques and case studies to back them up.
Despite its claim to be ‘the result of the practical efforts of professionals’, the book will probably appeal more to students, teachers and researchers than practitioners. Perhaps a comparative analysis of the models might have made the book more handy for CSR managers. As it stands, it is more likely to find its way into libraries than boardrooms. More’s the pity, because there is a wealth of ideas between the covers.
Wayne Visser
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