- Email: [email protected]
December 2012
Long Range Planning 45 (2012) 477e483
http://www.elsevier.com/locate/lrp
Review Briefs: October/ December 2012 Broad introductions to the whole subject of strategy Corporate Responsibility, Michael BLOWFIELD and Alan MURRAY, Oxford University Press (2011), 431pp., £39.95. Fourteen chapters divided into three broad themes: the origins and meaning of corporate responsibility; how it is being managed and implemented; its impact to date and likely future directions. Within that framework key areas of management practice are discussed, including stakeholder engagement, partnership, ethical supply chains, social auditing, and corporate governance, the role of responsible investment, as well as that of government and civil society. A valuable textbook for corporate responsibility programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Various concepts of strategic management Social Innovation: Blurring Boundaries to Reconfigure Markets, Edited by Alex NICHOLLS and Alex MURDOCK, Palgrave (2012), 302pp., £65.00. Eleven (essentially academic) papers, largely based on material originally presented at the first International Social Innovation Conference. Organised into three parts: Context
doi:10.1016/j.lrp.2012.03.002
and Frameworks; Strategies and Logics; and Sustainability and Environmental Innovation, together with a useful introductory chapter on The Nature of Social Innovation, by the editors. Relevant for those with a serious academic interest in the subject, but scope for further distillation of key messages for policy makers and managers concerned with the future of the sector, or those actually operating in it today.
Analytical methods, tools and approaches Understanding Michael Porter: The Essential Guide to Competition Strategy, Joan MAGRETTA, Harvard Business Review Press (2012), 236pp., $24.95. A fascinating, readable, book (written with Porter’s cooperation) that distils Porter’s core concepts (competitive advantage, industry structure, the five forces and the value chain) into a practical guide that will improve the chances of competitive success. Essential reading for everyone involved with strategy, preferably before your competitors do. But it is a still doubtful that people issues have been given the attention they deserve. Action Learning in Practice, Mike PEDLER, Gower (2011), 449pp., £85.00. Thirty five updated chapters (organised into four parts: Origins,
Varieties, Applications and Questions) that combine to produce probably the most comprehensive coverage of this increasingly important subject. Essential reading for anyone with an interest in the topic. A specialist dimension of action learning is usefully covered in Leading and Managing in the EARLY YEARS, Carol AUBREY, Sage (2011, second edition), 224pp., £75.00 (hard), £24.99 (soft). Design Learning: Learning, Teaching and Researching Through Design, Philippa LYON, Gower (2011), 208pp., £60..00. Explores, using an ethnographic approach and data from interviews and discussions, various aspects of learning and teaching in higher education design subjects. Useful for anyone in this specialist area. Strategic Mapping for Learning Organizations: Building Agility into Your Balanced Scorecard, Phil JONES, Gower (2011), 208pp., £60.00. A detailed guide to developing, rolling out and managing with modern strategy maps and scorecards, building in ability and learning. It places the balanced scorecard in a wider governance context, that includes the management of risk and environmental and social responsibility. Rightly recognises that strategy can no longer be simply a top down,
annual process; it needs to be iterative, emergent and involving. Full of important messages, but it is also needs to be recognised that the whole process should not be more complicated than absolutely necessary. Risk Strategies: Dialling Up Optimum Firm Strategies, Les COLEMAN, Gower (2011), 250pp., £65.00. A book that attempts to develop a body of risk knowledge for anyone with risk management responsibilities. But it is one thing to identify risk factors, quite another to develop meaningful event probabilities. Also it is often the case that the human factor and perception issues dominate the agenda and, as a result, make rational decision-making extremely difficult. Value Management: Translating Aspirations into Performance, Roger H. DAVIES and Adam J. DAVIES, Gower (2011), 274pp., £65.00. Argues that the core change management problem is that it fails to understand the causal links between the intended stakeholder outcomes and the actual programme outputs. The answer is a) Target, time and align change programmes to deliver maximum intended value to stakeholders e the baseline business case; b) Track and respond to changes during and beyond the implementation phase to ensure that the programme actually delivers e or even extends e the intended value. (Value realisation). A sound and systematic technical analysis, but the critical change management issues is frequently linked to culture and values related agendas. The Responsible Business: Reimagining Sustainability & Success, Carol SANFORD, JosseyBass (2011), 310pp., £26.99. 478
Offers a strategic approach to doing business that holistically integrates responsibility into all aspects of an organisation, taking it way beyond the traditional CSR approach. Full of useful, relevant, insights, although to some extent this book reflects American authors (at last?) discovering the relevance of the stakeholder approach. Also relevant is In Good Company: An Anatomy of Corporate Social Responsibility, Dinah RAJAK, Stanford University Press (2011), 296pp., $80.00 (hard), $24.95 (soft). Explores what lies behind the CSR movement’s marriage of moral imperative and market discipline, largely with the context of Anglo American, Africa’s largest private sector employer. The Oxford Handbook of Business and the Natural Environment, Edited by Pratima BANSAL and Andrew J. HOFFMAN, Oxford University Press (2012), 698pp., £95.00. Thirty-eight (largely academic) articles that provide an authoritative and up-to-date surveys of original research, as well as evaluating the direction of debates and providing a foundation of future research. Organised into nine parts; Introduction; Business Strategy; Policy and Non-Market Strategies; Organizational Behavior and Theory; Operations and Technology; Marketing; Accounting and Finance; Emergent and Associated Perspectives; and Future Perspectives. An impressive collection but the market for it must be limited. The Future of Value: How Sustainability Creates Value Through Competitive Differentiation, Eric LOWITT, Jossey-Bass (2011), 248pp., $32.95. Shows what it takes for companies to thrive and outperform the competition in today’s growth-
constrained sustainability-conscious world. Written in an accessible style for the managerial market who, urgently, need to take note of the messages before it is too late. Reverse Innovation: Create Far From Home, Win Everywhere, Vijay GOVINDARAJAN and Chris TRIMBLE, Harvard Business Review Press (2012), 216pp., $30.00. Argues that innovation flows uphill and its future lies in emerging markets. As a result today’s poorer countries experiences need to be tapped for breakthrough innovations that are relevant for new markets in the ‘rich’ world, and that this can even help us solve societal problems, such as the high cost e and poor access to e healthcare. Other examples include Pepsico, Logitech, P&G and Harman. In addition, one of the author’s is a co-leader of a global initiative to design a $300 house for the poor (www.300house.com). Evidence-Based Productivity Improvement: A Practical Guide to the Productivity Measurement and Enhancement System (ProMES), Robert D. PRITCHARD, Sallie J. WEAVER and Elissa L. ASHWOOD, Routledge (2012), 292pp., £19.00. Starts with a well-grounded discussion of what the term productivity means in organisations and how a system for measuring productivity (including the critical feedback loop) can have a dramatic impact on the performance of organizations. Also included is a step-by-step description of the ProMES systems, which is then expanded in the section to cover the issues involved in its implementation. The third part explores commonly asked questions. Based on a 30-year research programme. A thorough approach to a critically important, and usually poorly managed, area. Review Briefs
Leadership, change and implementation Why are we Bad at Picking Good Leaders? A better way to evaluate Leadership Potential, Jeffrey COHN and Jay MORAN, Jossey-Bass 9 (2011), 279pp., $27.95. This book addresses an important question. Its eight chapters focus on seven essential attributes: Integrity, Empathy, Emotional Intelligence, Vision, Judgement, Courage, Passion, together with a final section on A Better Way to Choose Leaders. In addition Appendices include 4 useful pages on The DNA of Leadership Competencies. Overall the book is full of useful insights, but they are only a (small?) step in the right direction. The core issue, not explicitly addressed by the authors, is that, traditionally, we have associated leadership with power driven individuals who ‘make things happen’, rather than being primarily concerned with the values dimension that focuses on ‘making good things happen’. Leadership is essentially a values driven, quality, measure, not one concerned with quantity. Until this change is widely recognised, and acted on, we are unlikely to get to answer the important question discussed by this book. Leading Complex Projects, Kaye REMINGTON, Gower (2011), 344pp., £70..00. Draws on the results from 70 indepth interviews with people involved with successful complex projects to identify best-practices. Useful insights well presented but, although mentioned, the link between leadership and teams could have been given even greater emphasis. Achieving Success with Your Leadership Project, David MIDDLEWOOD & Ian ABBOTT, Sage (2012), 185pp., £75.00 (hard), £24.99 (soft). Long Range Planning, vol 45
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A useful basic introduction to carrying out and completing a project, or dissertation, which has a leadership and management focus. Theory and Practice of Leadership, Roger GILL, Sage (2011), 532pp., £34.99. A well-written, global, review of a critically important subject. Designed primarily as a textbook relevant for undergraduate and postgraduate students. (But are 132 pages of Endnotes/references really necessary?) Also the key role of the values agenda (re, feed the soul, mentioned in the Concluding Remarks, p379) needs even greater emphasis, and this might require the whole approach to leadership to be re-evaluated. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, Simon SINEK, Portfolio (2009), 248pp., $26.95. The author (rightly) believes that while any organization can explain what it does and some can explain how they do it, but very few can clearly articulate WHY. Profits are results, they do not explain why your organization exists. Those who start with WHY don’t manipulate, they inspire and people follow them, not because they have to but because they want to. Important messages, well presented but surprising there was not greater coverage of ‘the search for meaning’ material. Could be usefully read in conjunction with Screw Business as Usual, Richard BRANSON, Virgin Books (2011), 372pp., £12.99. Here Branson argues it is time to turn capitalism upside down, by shifting our values from a profit focus to one that is caring for people, communities and the planet. It raises the relevant, and challenging, question: ‘Can we bring more meaning to our lives and help change the world at the same time?’
Unfortunately, it is easier to talk about these changes than actually put them into practice. Another case study of a company that is attempting to challenge the traditional models is: The IKEA Edge: Building Global Growth and Social Good at the World’s Most iconic Home Store, Anders DAHLVIG, McGraw-Hill (2012), 191pp., £17.99. A good read, by the former CEO of IKEA. Project Psychology: Using Psychological Models and Techniques to Create a Successful Project, Sharon De MASCIA, Gower (2012), 201pp., £60.00. Uses human behaviour, established and emerging psychological models to provide useful, and well presented, insights and new perspectives on the tools used to help manage people in projects.
Global strategic management Back from the Brink: 1,000 days at Number 11, Alistair DARLING, Atlantic Books (2011), 337pp., £12.99. A fascinating (and impressive) personal inside story into how the British government handled the unprecedented global financial crisis of 2007/8. Essential reading for anyone concerned with understanding the nature of the crisis and its subsequent consequences. Another inside story (by proxy) is provided by Pander to POWER: the untold story of how Alan GREENSPAN enriched Wall Street and left a legacy of recession, Frederick J. SHEEHAN, McGraw Hill (2010), 390pp., £22.99. ‘What emerges is a searing portrait of a shameless media hound who ferociously promoted his image as a straightlaced numbers cruncher, a Machiavelli whose political skills far surpassed his skills as an 479
economist... as he had throughout his career, to put self-interest above the public good.’ More on the behind the scenes people networks would probably have created an even stronger case. (No mention of Brown or Darling in the index!). The Shadow Market: How Sovereign Wealth Funds Secretly Dominate the Global Economy, Eric J. WEINER, One world (2010), 310pp., £9.99. Shows how cash-rich nations such as China, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Norway are using their (unregulated?) sovereign wealth funds to acquire stakes in the global economy. Densely argued, and not an easy read, but earlier reviewers have, rightly, used phrases such as ‘Dense and disturbing’, ‘Alarming’, and Unnerving’. Could be useful read in conjunction with The Rise and Fall of an Economic Empire: With Lessons for Aspiring Economies, Colin READ, Palgrave (2011), 294pp., £27.99. Although interesting to note that ‘Sovereign Wealth Funds’ were not explicitly discussed, or mentioned in the index? The Rise and Fall of the Welfare State, Asbjørn WAHL, Pluto Press (2012), 246pp., £18.99. A useful analysis of the changes and challenges in the welfare state across Europe, as well as providing practical proposals of an alternative way forward. Particularly for students of economics and politics. Also relevant Life Without Money: Building Fair and Sustainable Economics, Edited by Anitra NELSON and Frans TIMMERMAN, Pluto Press (2011), 244pp., £16.00. Eleven articles that bring together strong arguments for radical, non-market models, as an alternative to our money-based system’s ability, to improve lives and prevent environmental disaster. Relevant to the book on momentum too (see below). 480
The Big Mo: Why Momentum Now Rules Our World, Mark ROEDER, Virgin Books (2011), 360pp., £11.99. Although news cycles move faster now than even before, and technology can connect us all in seconds, the author believes there are ‘momentum forces behind everything’ and that this was the real driver of the global financial crisis. Important issues that rarely get the attention they deserve, although this analysis of issues only scratches the surface of the subject. Macroeconomics Beyond the NAIRU, Servass STORM and C.W.M. NAASTEPAD, Harvard University Press (2012), 289pp., £36.95. Merges theoretical and empirical analysis to argue that a stable nonaccelerating inflation rate of unemployment (NAIRU), independent of macroeconomic policy does not exist. And what is needed is to include an allowance for the impact of labour on technological change and productivity growth. For the specialist. After the Great Complacence: Financial Crisis and the Politics of Reform, Ewald ENGELEN, Ismail € ERTURK, Julie FROUD, Sukhdev JOHAL, Adam LEAVER, Michael MORAN, Adriana NILSSON and Karel WILLIAMS, Oxford University Press (2011), 281pp., £25.00. The authors (written by an interdisciplinary team based at the ESRC e funded Centre for Research on Socio-Cultural Change at the University of Manchester) argue that the causes of the financial crisis lay in the bricolage and innovation in financial markets, which resulted in extensive interlinkages and instruments that enabled bankers to earn fees, but which did not sufficiently take into account uncertainty and unintended consequences. The book offers a detailed, and original, exploration of the disorders of
financial capitalism and what needs to be done to improve the situation. Another view of the recent crisis is provided in Europe and the Financial Crisis, Edited by Pompeo Della POSTE and Leila Simona TALANI, Palgrave (2011), 282pp., £71.00. Thirteen papers that cover general issues and the situation in particular countries. (UK, Greek, Spain, France, Italian and US Labour Markets, Southeastern Europe and Russia.) Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right, Thomas FRANK, Hacker Secker/ Random House (2012), 225pp., £14.99. A fun, readable, tour of the strange (and disconcerting, depending on your view point) landscape of the American Right that explores how it appears that the worst economic collapse since the 1930s has brought about the revival of conservatism. The nature and strength of the American Right will increasingly emerge, for better or worse, in this particularly challenging election year. World in the Balance: The Historic Quest for an Absolute System of Measurement, Robert P. CREASE, W.W. Norton (2011), 317pp., £18.99. Explores how humans have been improvising, and improving, ways of measurement (weights, scales and instruments) since the beginning of civilization, and even where these developments might go in the future. Although a subject that impacts us all, the material is presented in such a way that it is more for the specialist reader. The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade, Andrew FEINSTEIN, Hamish Hamilton (2011), 672pp., £25.00. Review Briefs
A detailed study of the corruption and cover-ups within the massive global arms trade, estimated at between $35 and $55 billion a year. Concludes that this trade is ‘one of the most destructive and corrupting in human history’... and that it... ‘cannot be allowed to continue in its largely unregulated, unscrutinized current form.’ A massive challenge for the world today, but will this book change anything? Another industry under scrutiny is covered in The Scramble for African OIL: Oppression, Corruption and war for control of Africa’s Natural Resources, Doulas A. YATES, Pluto Press (2012), 260pp., 354.00 (hard), £17.50 (soft). A detailed challenge to some common misconceptions about Africa, and there are major issues that arise from how this overlaps with the rapidly developing oil industry on the continent. The Dynamics of Local Learning in Global Value Chains: Experiences from East Asia, Edited by Momoko KAWAKAMI and Timothy J. STURGEON, IDE-JETRO/ Palgrave (2011), 233pp., £65.00. Seven detailed, academic/research, papers that examine industries in Taiwan (Notebook PC), China (Mobile Phone Handsets), Vietnam (motorcycles), Indonesia (Motorcycles), and Malaysian (electronics), as well as two more general papers covering the East Asian Electronics and Automobile Industries, and Learning the Lessons in Suppliers Competence Building in East Asia. Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance: The Contribution of Economic Theory and Related Disciplines, Edited by Lorenzo SACCONI, Margaret BLAIR, R. Edward FREEMAN and Alessandro VERCELLI, Palgrave (2011), 441pp., £84.00. Fifteen (academic) papers based on presentations to an Long Range Planning, vol 45
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International Economics Association research workshop held in Trento (Italy) in 2006. (IEA Conference volume no.149) Organised into three parts: Nature of the Firm and its Governance Structure: Human Assets Specificity, Team Production and the Stakeholder Approach; Normative Foundations of CSR as a Corporate Governance Model: social Contract of the Firm, Reputations and Rational Agency; and CSR, Social Standards and Multi-Stakeholder Organisations According to the behavioural Economics Perspective. Other relevant (academic) papers (13) are contained in Social Capital, Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Behaviour and Performance, Edited by Lorenzo SACCONI and Giacomo Degli ANTONI. Organised into four parts: New Perspectives on the Economic Theory of Institutions, Individual Preferences and Social Norms; Social Capital and Corporate Social Responsibility: a Game Theoretical and Network Analysis Approach; The Economic Effect of social Capital and Otherregarding Preferences: Experimental and Empirical evidence; and Social Capital and Sustainable Economic Development: the Macro Approach. Although a managerially/strategically important subject, these two volumes are more focused on the academic research market.
Strategic Human Resource Management, including values/ethics issues On Tolerance: A Defence of Moral Independence, Frank FUREDI, Continuum International Publishing Group (2011), 216 pp., £16.99. Argues that ‘despite the democratisation of public life and the expansion of freedom, society is dominated by a culture that not only tolerates but often encourages
intolerance.’ Unfortunately, the language of sociology (the author is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent) too often makes issues more confused, rather than clearer. Pity there was not more discussion of the role of the media? Goal Directed Behavior, Edited by Henk AARTS and Andrew J. ELLIOT, Psychology Press (2012), 343pp., £37.50. Ten specialist (academic) articles organised around a series of topics that are of critical importance to understanding the social-cognitive aspects of goal-directed behaviour. This book is designed to provide a broad portrait of goal research as currently reflected in social psychological literature. Judging Passions: Moral Emotions in Persons and Groups, Roger GINER-SOROLLA, Psychology Press (2012), 214pp., £49.95. Shows how our emotions and feelings often guide the moral decisions we make about our own lives and social groups to which we belong. The author uses a functional conflict theory of emotions (FCT) to illustrate how that each emotion serves a number of a different functions. Fascinating (academic) material which is only likely to appeal to specialist readers. Strings Attached: Untangling the Ethics of Incentives, Ruth W. GRANT, Princeton University Press/ Russell Sage Foundation (2012), 202pp., £16.95. As long as people have a real choice, incentives are usually relative innocuous, but when they are viewed as part of a power relationship many ethical questions arise. The author explores the legitimate and illegitimate uses of incentives. Important issues make it essential reading for those in HR (and others) concerned with the development of incentive systems 481
of any kind, although pity not more empirical evidence of the impact of the different approaches on ultimate performance. Bounce: How Champions are Made, Matthew SYED, Fourth Estate (2010), 296pp., £12.99. Examines the latest evidence from sport science, neuroscience, psychology and economics to argue that the key to achieving greatness lies in hard work, the right attitude and training. Full of useful, readable, isights.
Future studies and related issues Revolutions that Made the Earth, Tim LENTON and Andrew WATSON, Oxford University Press (2011), 423pp., £29.95. Shows the fundamental interdependence of the evolution of life and its non-living environment; and the current planet-reshaping activities of our species may well be the start of another great Earth system revolution. Final chapter: Where next? Covers sustainability issues around: Sustainable energy, Feeding the world efficiently, recycling the manufactured environment, Dealing with carbon dioxide, Avoiding a tragedy of the global commons. Important issues, but presentation aimed more at an academic market, unfortunately. Our Future Earth, Curt STAGER, Duckworth (2011), 284pp., £18.99. The author, a paleoclimatologist, describes how the decisions we take about the environment in the 21st century will have an affect on the next 100,000 years of life on this planet; and how today’s environmental debate is missing the long-term evidence. A book that needs to be read by all involved in the climate change debate e and decision-making. 482
Planned Obsolescence: Publishing Technology and the Future of the Academy, Kathleen FITZPATRICK, Pluto Press (2011), 245pp., $75.00 (hard), $23.00 (soft). Examines the issues surrounding the preservation of digital scholarship and place of publishing within the structure of the contemporary university. Important material, unfortunately aimed at the more specialist academic market in both content and presentation. Economic Forecasting and Policy, Nicolas CARNOT, Vincent KOEN and Bruno TISSOT, Palgrave (2011, second edition), 495pp., £30.00. Provides a detailed underpinning of forecasting models. Essential reading for anyone with a specialist interest in the subject. The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality, Richard HEINBERG, New Society Publishers (2011), 320pp., $17.95. Argues that the global economy has reached a fundamental turning point e the end of growth. Also, we will only be able to thrive in the years ahead if we abandon ‘the futile pursuit of growth in consumption and aim instead for improvements in quality of life.’ Important issues and a powerful case, but is anyone listening? Another relevant publication that has the same general theme but focuses on the special problems of Europe is After the Fall: The End of the European Dream and the Decline of a Continent, Walter LAQUEUR, Thomas Dunne Books/St Martin’s Press (2011), 322pp., $26.99. OECD Yearbook 2012: Better Policies for Better Lives, edited by Ricardo TEJADA, OECD publishing (2012), 168pp., npq. The second annual OECD Yearbook, which contains guests from government, business, trade unions and civil society, together
with OECD experts, to explore the key questions that confront the world economy in 2012. What has the crisis taught us about the need for a new approach to economic policymaking? What risks do we face and how do we deal with them? Will unemployed youths ever reach their full working potential? How do we give greater economic empowerment to women? Is the middle class on the way out in advanced economies and on the way up in the emerging world? Can better governance prevent future crises? Do green and growth go together? How do we really measure the progress of our societies? Important questions, and the contributions are useful, although, as expected, somewhat predictable. More radical solutions will be needed if we are going to make real progress in these areas.
Knowledge Management and Information Technology Knowledge Sharing in Professions: Roles and Identity in Expert Communities, Alexander STYHRE, Gower (2011), 192pp., £65.00. Analyses professionalism through a study of everyday practices in professional communities and the organizations where they work. Three empirical studies, of pharmaceutical clinical trials researchers, management consultants, and architects, are presented, to illustrate the relational nature of these of these and other professions and how members of these communities are constantly exchanging data, information and know-how in their everyday work. Surprising there was not more discussion of the links with Learning Organisation ideas. The author is Professor, Chair of Organization Theory and Management in the department of Business Review Briefs
Administration School of Business, Economics and Law, at the University of Gothenburg. Science in a Democratic Society, Philip KITCHER, Prometheus Books (2011), 270pp., $28.00. Shows the fallacies of thinking that democracy always requires public debate of issues most people cannot comprehend (& this book is also an example of how to present arguments in a way that are not easy to comprehend) and the author argues that properly constituted expertise is essential to genuine democracy. But more on the media, and how it distorts (and is distorted by) political agendas is needed, together with the need to explore how trust in professionals is also undermined by the media focus on sensationalism. Also pity there were not some statistics to support the arguments. A book for the specialist reader, which is a pity as the issues raised need much wider attention. You Can’t Read This Book: Censorship in the Age of Freedom, Nick COHEN, Fourth Estate (2012), 330pp., £12.99. A readable, provocative, challenging, book that maintains that, for various reasons, the constraints on freedom of speech are increasing. Important issues, but exploring the relationship between power, responsibility and values, would have been useful. There are no easy answers, especially in this rapidly globalising world, where constructive conversions are critical, although it is debatable whether the underlying partisan tone of this
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book could be easily be seen as part of a ‘constructive conversation.’ What You Really need to Know About the Internet: From GUTENBERG to ZUCKERBERG, John NAUGHTON, Quercus (2012), 373pp., £10.99. A readable introduction to an increasingly important subject, organised around nine themes: Take the long view e learning from Gutenberg; The Web is not the Net; For the Net, disruption is a feature; Think ecology, not just economics; Complexity is the new reality; The Web is evolving; The network is now the computer; Copyrights and copywrongs; Orwell vs Huxley. A useful book to help us understand where we are today. But the outlook can probably be summed up in: ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet?’ e and that covers both opportunities and threats! One dimension of the Net is examined in detail in The Law of Virtual Worlds and Internet Social Networks, Andrew SPARROW, Gower (2010), 249pp., £70.00. An essential reference for advertising and media agencies, television broadcaster producers, in fact for anyone seriously involved with working in the virtual world of social networks, although it will be vital that legal complexities do not end up stifling developments in this area.
Public Sector Innovation in Education: Lessons from Pioneers around the World, Charles LEADBEATER, Bloomsbury Publishing (2012), 160pp., £24.99.
Explores the work of 16 educational pioneers (almost all drawn from applicants for awards from the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE)), who are involved with pioneering, sustainable and scalable innovation initiatives. These initiatives cover case studies and portraits that focus on intercultural understanding, creative thinking and team working. Full of fascinating material reflecting the commitment of amazing individual efforts. The book is extensively illustrated to make it impressive product, but a brief managerial summary of the key messages would have helped.
Other useful information Magical Mathematics: The Mathematical Ideas that Animate Great Magic Tricks, Persi DIACONIS ad Ron GRAHAM, Princeton University Press (2012), 241pp., £20.55. Reveals the secrets of amazing, fun-to-perform card tricks e and the profound mathematical ideas behind them. Another publication that reflects the beauty/magic of mathematics is Survival of the Beautiful: Art, Science and Evolution, David ROTHENBERG, Bloomsbury (2011), 311pp., £14.99. Explores why animals, including humans, appear to have an innate appreciation of beauty, and how that is critically linked to the interplay between beauty, art and culture in evolution. Both fascinating.
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Review Briefs: October/ December 2012 Broad introductions to the whole subject of strategy Corporate Responsibility, Michael BLOWFIELD and Alan MURRAY, Oxford University Press (2011), 431pp., £39.95. Fourteen chapters divided into three broad themes: the origins and meaning of corporate responsibility; how it is being managed and implemented; its impact to date and likely future directions. Within that framework key areas of management practice are discussed, including stakeholder engagement, partnership, ethical supply chains, social auditing, and corporate governance, the role of responsible investment, as well as that of government and civil society. A valuable textbook for corporate responsibility programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Various concepts of strategic management Social Innovation: Blurring Boundaries to Reconfigure Markets, Edited by Alex NICHOLLS and Alex MURDOCK, Palgrave (2012), 302pp., £65.00. Eleven (essentially academic) papers, largely based on material originally presented at the first International Social Innovation Conference. Organised into three parts: Context
doi:10.1016/j.lrp.2012.03.002
and Frameworks; Strategies and Logics; and Sustainability and Environmental Innovation, together with a useful introductory chapter on The Nature of Social Innovation, by the editors. Relevant for those with a serious academic interest in the subject, but scope for further distillation of key messages for policy makers and managers concerned with the future of the sector, or those actually operating in it today.
Analytical methods, tools and approaches Understanding Michael Porter: The Essential Guide to Competition Strategy, Joan MAGRETTA, Harvard Business Review Press (2012), 236pp., $24.95. A fascinating, readable, book (written with Porter’s cooperation) that distils Porter’s core concepts (competitive advantage, industry structure, the five forces and the value chain) into a practical guide that will improve the chances of competitive success. Essential reading for everyone involved with strategy, preferably before your competitors do. But it is a still doubtful that people issues have been given the attention they deserve. Action Learning in Practice, Mike PEDLER, Gower (2011), 449pp., £85.00. Thirty five updated chapters (organised into four parts: Origins,
Varieties, Applications and Questions) that combine to produce probably the most comprehensive coverage of this increasingly important subject. Essential reading for anyone with an interest in the topic. A specialist dimension of action learning is usefully covered in Leading and Managing in the EARLY YEARS, Carol AUBREY, Sage (2011, second edition), 224pp., £75.00 (hard), £24.99 (soft). Design Learning: Learning, Teaching and Researching Through Design, Philippa LYON, Gower (2011), 208pp., £60..00. Explores, using an ethnographic approach and data from interviews and discussions, various aspects of learning and teaching in higher education design subjects. Useful for anyone in this specialist area. Strategic Mapping for Learning Organizations: Building Agility into Your Balanced Scorecard, Phil JONES, Gower (2011), 208pp., £60.00. A detailed guide to developing, rolling out and managing with modern strategy maps and scorecards, building in ability and learning. It places the balanced scorecard in a wider governance context, that includes the management of risk and environmental and social responsibility. Rightly recognises that strategy can no longer be simply a top down,
annual process; it needs to be iterative, emergent and involving. Full of important messages, but it is also needs to be recognised that the whole process should not be more complicated than absolutely necessary. Risk Strategies: Dialling Up Optimum Firm Strategies, Les COLEMAN, Gower (2011), 250pp., £65.00. A book that attempts to develop a body of risk knowledge for anyone with risk management responsibilities. But it is one thing to identify risk factors, quite another to develop meaningful event probabilities. Also it is often the case that the human factor and perception issues dominate the agenda and, as a result, make rational decision-making extremely difficult. Value Management: Translating Aspirations into Performance, Roger H. DAVIES and Adam J. DAVIES, Gower (2011), 274pp., £65.00. Argues that the core change management problem is that it fails to understand the causal links between the intended stakeholder outcomes and the actual programme outputs. The answer is a) Target, time and align change programmes to deliver maximum intended value to stakeholders e the baseline business case; b) Track and respond to changes during and beyond the implementation phase to ensure that the programme actually delivers e or even extends e the intended value. (Value realisation). A sound and systematic technical analysis, but the critical change management issues is frequently linked to culture and values related agendas. The Responsible Business: Reimagining Sustainability & Success, Carol SANFORD, JosseyBass (2011), 310pp., £26.99. 478
Offers a strategic approach to doing business that holistically integrates responsibility into all aspects of an organisation, taking it way beyond the traditional CSR approach. Full of useful, relevant, insights, although to some extent this book reflects American authors (at last?) discovering the relevance of the stakeholder approach. Also relevant is In Good Company: An Anatomy of Corporate Social Responsibility, Dinah RAJAK, Stanford University Press (2011), 296pp., $80.00 (hard), $24.95 (soft). Explores what lies behind the CSR movement’s marriage of moral imperative and market discipline, largely with the context of Anglo American, Africa’s largest private sector employer. The Oxford Handbook of Business and the Natural Environment, Edited by Pratima BANSAL and Andrew J. HOFFMAN, Oxford University Press (2012), 698pp., £95.00. Thirty-eight (largely academic) articles that provide an authoritative and up-to-date surveys of original research, as well as evaluating the direction of debates and providing a foundation of future research. Organised into nine parts; Introduction; Business Strategy; Policy and Non-Market Strategies; Organizational Behavior and Theory; Operations and Technology; Marketing; Accounting and Finance; Emergent and Associated Perspectives; and Future Perspectives. An impressive collection but the market for it must be limited. The Future of Value: How Sustainability Creates Value Through Competitive Differentiation, Eric LOWITT, Jossey-Bass (2011), 248pp., $32.95. Shows what it takes for companies to thrive and outperform the competition in today’s growth-
constrained sustainability-conscious world. Written in an accessible style for the managerial market who, urgently, need to take note of the messages before it is too late. Reverse Innovation: Create Far From Home, Win Everywhere, Vijay GOVINDARAJAN and Chris TRIMBLE, Harvard Business Review Press (2012), 216pp., $30.00. Argues that innovation flows uphill and its future lies in emerging markets. As a result today’s poorer countries experiences need to be tapped for breakthrough innovations that are relevant for new markets in the ‘rich’ world, and that this can even help us solve societal problems, such as the high cost e and poor access to e healthcare. Other examples include Pepsico, Logitech, P&G and Harman. In addition, one of the author’s is a co-leader of a global initiative to design a $300 house for the poor (www.300house.com). Evidence-Based Productivity Improvement: A Practical Guide to the Productivity Measurement and Enhancement System (ProMES), Robert D. PRITCHARD, Sallie J. WEAVER and Elissa L. ASHWOOD, Routledge (2012), 292pp., £19.00. Starts with a well-grounded discussion of what the term productivity means in organisations and how a system for measuring productivity (including the critical feedback loop) can have a dramatic impact on the performance of organizations. Also included is a step-by-step description of the ProMES systems, which is then expanded in the section to cover the issues involved in its implementation. The third part explores commonly asked questions. Based on a 30-year research programme. A thorough approach to a critically important, and usually poorly managed, area. Review Briefs
Leadership, change and implementation Why are we Bad at Picking Good Leaders? A better way to evaluate Leadership Potential, Jeffrey COHN and Jay MORAN, Jossey-Bass 9 (2011), 279pp., $27.95. This book addresses an important question. Its eight chapters focus on seven essential attributes: Integrity, Empathy, Emotional Intelligence, Vision, Judgement, Courage, Passion, together with a final section on A Better Way to Choose Leaders. In addition Appendices include 4 useful pages on The DNA of Leadership Competencies. Overall the book is full of useful insights, but they are only a (small?) step in the right direction. The core issue, not explicitly addressed by the authors, is that, traditionally, we have associated leadership with power driven individuals who ‘make things happen’, rather than being primarily concerned with the values dimension that focuses on ‘making good things happen’. Leadership is essentially a values driven, quality, measure, not one concerned with quantity. Until this change is widely recognised, and acted on, we are unlikely to get to answer the important question discussed by this book. Leading Complex Projects, Kaye REMINGTON, Gower (2011), 344pp., £70..00. Draws on the results from 70 indepth interviews with people involved with successful complex projects to identify best-practices. Useful insights well presented but, although mentioned, the link between leadership and teams could have been given even greater emphasis. Achieving Success with Your Leadership Project, David MIDDLEWOOD & Ian ABBOTT, Sage (2012), 185pp., £75.00 (hard), £24.99 (soft). Long Range Planning, vol 45
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A useful basic introduction to carrying out and completing a project, or dissertation, which has a leadership and management focus. Theory and Practice of Leadership, Roger GILL, Sage (2011), 532pp., £34.99. A well-written, global, review of a critically important subject. Designed primarily as a textbook relevant for undergraduate and postgraduate students. (But are 132 pages of Endnotes/references really necessary?) Also the key role of the values agenda (re, feed the soul, mentioned in the Concluding Remarks, p379) needs even greater emphasis, and this might require the whole approach to leadership to be re-evaluated. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, Simon SINEK, Portfolio (2009), 248pp., $26.95. The author (rightly) believes that while any organization can explain what it does and some can explain how they do it, but very few can clearly articulate WHY. Profits are results, they do not explain why your organization exists. Those who start with WHY don’t manipulate, they inspire and people follow them, not because they have to but because they want to. Important messages, well presented but surprising there was not greater coverage of ‘the search for meaning’ material. Could be usefully read in conjunction with Screw Business as Usual, Richard BRANSON, Virgin Books (2011), 372pp., £12.99. Here Branson argues it is time to turn capitalism upside down, by shifting our values from a profit focus to one that is caring for people, communities and the planet. It raises the relevant, and challenging, question: ‘Can we bring more meaning to our lives and help change the world at the same time?’
Unfortunately, it is easier to talk about these changes than actually put them into practice. Another case study of a company that is attempting to challenge the traditional models is: The IKEA Edge: Building Global Growth and Social Good at the World’s Most iconic Home Store, Anders DAHLVIG, McGraw-Hill (2012), 191pp., £17.99. A good read, by the former CEO of IKEA. Project Psychology: Using Psychological Models and Techniques to Create a Successful Project, Sharon De MASCIA, Gower (2012), 201pp., £60.00. Uses human behaviour, established and emerging psychological models to provide useful, and well presented, insights and new perspectives on the tools used to help manage people in projects.
Global strategic management Back from the Brink: 1,000 days at Number 11, Alistair DARLING, Atlantic Books (2011), 337pp., £12.99. A fascinating (and impressive) personal inside story into how the British government handled the unprecedented global financial crisis of 2007/8. Essential reading for anyone concerned with understanding the nature of the crisis and its subsequent consequences. Another inside story (by proxy) is provided by Pander to POWER: the untold story of how Alan GREENSPAN enriched Wall Street and left a legacy of recession, Frederick J. SHEEHAN, McGraw Hill (2010), 390pp., £22.99. ‘What emerges is a searing portrait of a shameless media hound who ferociously promoted his image as a straightlaced numbers cruncher, a Machiavelli whose political skills far surpassed his skills as an 479
economist... as he had throughout his career, to put self-interest above the public good.’ More on the behind the scenes people networks would probably have created an even stronger case. (No mention of Brown or Darling in the index!). The Shadow Market: How Sovereign Wealth Funds Secretly Dominate the Global Economy, Eric J. WEINER, One world (2010), 310pp., £9.99. Shows how cash-rich nations such as China, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Norway are using their (unregulated?) sovereign wealth funds to acquire stakes in the global economy. Densely argued, and not an easy read, but earlier reviewers have, rightly, used phrases such as ‘Dense and disturbing’, ‘Alarming’, and Unnerving’. Could be useful read in conjunction with The Rise and Fall of an Economic Empire: With Lessons for Aspiring Economies, Colin READ, Palgrave (2011), 294pp., £27.99. Although interesting to note that ‘Sovereign Wealth Funds’ were not explicitly discussed, or mentioned in the index? The Rise and Fall of the Welfare State, Asbjørn WAHL, Pluto Press (2012), 246pp., £18.99. A useful analysis of the changes and challenges in the welfare state across Europe, as well as providing practical proposals of an alternative way forward. Particularly for students of economics and politics. Also relevant Life Without Money: Building Fair and Sustainable Economics, Edited by Anitra NELSON and Frans TIMMERMAN, Pluto Press (2011), 244pp., £16.00. Eleven articles that bring together strong arguments for radical, non-market models, as an alternative to our money-based system’s ability, to improve lives and prevent environmental disaster. Relevant to the book on momentum too (see below). 480
The Big Mo: Why Momentum Now Rules Our World, Mark ROEDER, Virgin Books (2011), 360pp., £11.99. Although news cycles move faster now than even before, and technology can connect us all in seconds, the author believes there are ‘momentum forces behind everything’ and that this was the real driver of the global financial crisis. Important issues that rarely get the attention they deserve, although this analysis of issues only scratches the surface of the subject. Macroeconomics Beyond the NAIRU, Servass STORM and C.W.M. NAASTEPAD, Harvard University Press (2012), 289pp., £36.95. Merges theoretical and empirical analysis to argue that a stable nonaccelerating inflation rate of unemployment (NAIRU), independent of macroeconomic policy does not exist. And what is needed is to include an allowance for the impact of labour on technological change and productivity growth. For the specialist. After the Great Complacence: Financial Crisis and the Politics of Reform, Ewald ENGELEN, Ismail € ERTURK, Julie FROUD, Sukhdev JOHAL, Adam LEAVER, Michael MORAN, Adriana NILSSON and Karel WILLIAMS, Oxford University Press (2011), 281pp., £25.00. The authors (written by an interdisciplinary team based at the ESRC e funded Centre for Research on Socio-Cultural Change at the University of Manchester) argue that the causes of the financial crisis lay in the bricolage and innovation in financial markets, which resulted in extensive interlinkages and instruments that enabled bankers to earn fees, but which did not sufficiently take into account uncertainty and unintended consequences. The book offers a detailed, and original, exploration of the disorders of
financial capitalism and what needs to be done to improve the situation. Another view of the recent crisis is provided in Europe and the Financial Crisis, Edited by Pompeo Della POSTE and Leila Simona TALANI, Palgrave (2011), 282pp., £71.00. Thirteen papers that cover general issues and the situation in particular countries. (UK, Greek, Spain, France, Italian and US Labour Markets, Southeastern Europe and Russia.) Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right, Thomas FRANK, Hacker Secker/ Random House (2012), 225pp., £14.99. A fun, readable, tour of the strange (and disconcerting, depending on your view point) landscape of the American Right that explores how it appears that the worst economic collapse since the 1930s has brought about the revival of conservatism. The nature and strength of the American Right will increasingly emerge, for better or worse, in this particularly challenging election year. World in the Balance: The Historic Quest for an Absolute System of Measurement, Robert P. CREASE, W.W. Norton (2011), 317pp., £18.99. Explores how humans have been improvising, and improving, ways of measurement (weights, scales and instruments) since the beginning of civilization, and even where these developments might go in the future. Although a subject that impacts us all, the material is presented in such a way that it is more for the specialist reader. The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade, Andrew FEINSTEIN, Hamish Hamilton (2011), 672pp., £25.00. Review Briefs
A detailed study of the corruption and cover-ups within the massive global arms trade, estimated at between $35 and $55 billion a year. Concludes that this trade is ‘one of the most destructive and corrupting in human history’... and that it... ‘cannot be allowed to continue in its largely unregulated, unscrutinized current form.’ A massive challenge for the world today, but will this book change anything? Another industry under scrutiny is covered in The Scramble for African OIL: Oppression, Corruption and war for control of Africa’s Natural Resources, Doulas A. YATES, Pluto Press (2012), 260pp., 354.00 (hard), £17.50 (soft). A detailed challenge to some common misconceptions about Africa, and there are major issues that arise from how this overlaps with the rapidly developing oil industry on the continent. The Dynamics of Local Learning in Global Value Chains: Experiences from East Asia, Edited by Momoko KAWAKAMI and Timothy J. STURGEON, IDE-JETRO/ Palgrave (2011), 233pp., £65.00. Seven detailed, academic/research, papers that examine industries in Taiwan (Notebook PC), China (Mobile Phone Handsets), Vietnam (motorcycles), Indonesia (Motorcycles), and Malaysian (electronics), as well as two more general papers covering the East Asian Electronics and Automobile Industries, and Learning the Lessons in Suppliers Competence Building in East Asia. Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance: The Contribution of Economic Theory and Related Disciplines, Edited by Lorenzo SACCONI, Margaret BLAIR, R. Edward FREEMAN and Alessandro VERCELLI, Palgrave (2011), 441pp., £84.00. Fifteen (academic) papers based on presentations to an Long Range Planning, vol 45
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International Economics Association research workshop held in Trento (Italy) in 2006. (IEA Conference volume no.149) Organised into three parts: Nature of the Firm and its Governance Structure: Human Assets Specificity, Team Production and the Stakeholder Approach; Normative Foundations of CSR as a Corporate Governance Model: social Contract of the Firm, Reputations and Rational Agency; and CSR, Social Standards and Multi-Stakeholder Organisations According to the behavioural Economics Perspective. Other relevant (academic) papers (13) are contained in Social Capital, Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Behaviour and Performance, Edited by Lorenzo SACCONI and Giacomo Degli ANTONI. Organised into four parts: New Perspectives on the Economic Theory of Institutions, Individual Preferences and Social Norms; Social Capital and Corporate Social Responsibility: a Game Theoretical and Network Analysis Approach; The Economic Effect of social Capital and Otherregarding Preferences: Experimental and Empirical evidence; and Social Capital and Sustainable Economic Development: the Macro Approach. Although a managerially/strategically important subject, these two volumes are more focused on the academic research market.
Strategic Human Resource Management, including values/ethics issues On Tolerance: A Defence of Moral Independence, Frank FUREDI, Continuum International Publishing Group (2011), 216 pp., £16.99. Argues that ‘despite the democratisation of public life and the expansion of freedom, society is dominated by a culture that not only tolerates but often encourages
intolerance.’ Unfortunately, the language of sociology (the author is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent) too often makes issues more confused, rather than clearer. Pity there was not more discussion of the role of the media? Goal Directed Behavior, Edited by Henk AARTS and Andrew J. ELLIOT, Psychology Press (2012), 343pp., £37.50. Ten specialist (academic) articles organised around a series of topics that are of critical importance to understanding the social-cognitive aspects of goal-directed behaviour. This book is designed to provide a broad portrait of goal research as currently reflected in social psychological literature. Judging Passions: Moral Emotions in Persons and Groups, Roger GINER-SOROLLA, Psychology Press (2012), 214pp., £49.95. Shows how our emotions and feelings often guide the moral decisions we make about our own lives and social groups to which we belong. The author uses a functional conflict theory of emotions (FCT) to illustrate how that each emotion serves a number of a different functions. Fascinating (academic) material which is only likely to appeal to specialist readers. Strings Attached: Untangling the Ethics of Incentives, Ruth W. GRANT, Princeton University Press/ Russell Sage Foundation (2012), 202pp., £16.95. As long as people have a real choice, incentives are usually relative innocuous, but when they are viewed as part of a power relationship many ethical questions arise. The author explores the legitimate and illegitimate uses of incentives. Important issues make it essential reading for those in HR (and others) concerned with the development of incentive systems 481
of any kind, although pity not more empirical evidence of the impact of the different approaches on ultimate performance. Bounce: How Champions are Made, Matthew SYED, Fourth Estate (2010), 296pp., £12.99. Examines the latest evidence from sport science, neuroscience, psychology and economics to argue that the key to achieving greatness lies in hard work, the right attitude and training. Full of useful, readable, isights.
Future studies and related issues Revolutions that Made the Earth, Tim LENTON and Andrew WATSON, Oxford University Press (2011), 423pp., £29.95. Shows the fundamental interdependence of the evolution of life and its non-living environment; and the current planet-reshaping activities of our species may well be the start of another great Earth system revolution. Final chapter: Where next? Covers sustainability issues around: Sustainable energy, Feeding the world efficiently, recycling the manufactured environment, Dealing with carbon dioxide, Avoiding a tragedy of the global commons. Important issues, but presentation aimed more at an academic market, unfortunately. Our Future Earth, Curt STAGER, Duckworth (2011), 284pp., £18.99. The author, a paleoclimatologist, describes how the decisions we take about the environment in the 21st century will have an affect on the next 100,000 years of life on this planet; and how today’s environmental debate is missing the long-term evidence. A book that needs to be read by all involved in the climate change debate e and decision-making. 482
Planned Obsolescence: Publishing Technology and the Future of the Academy, Kathleen FITZPATRICK, Pluto Press (2011), 245pp., $75.00 (hard), $23.00 (soft). Examines the issues surrounding the preservation of digital scholarship and place of publishing within the structure of the contemporary university. Important material, unfortunately aimed at the more specialist academic market in both content and presentation. Economic Forecasting and Policy, Nicolas CARNOT, Vincent KOEN and Bruno TISSOT, Palgrave (2011, second edition), 495pp., £30.00. Provides a detailed underpinning of forecasting models. Essential reading for anyone with a specialist interest in the subject. The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality, Richard HEINBERG, New Society Publishers (2011), 320pp., $17.95. Argues that the global economy has reached a fundamental turning point e the end of growth. Also, we will only be able to thrive in the years ahead if we abandon ‘the futile pursuit of growth in consumption and aim instead for improvements in quality of life.’ Important issues and a powerful case, but is anyone listening? Another relevant publication that has the same general theme but focuses on the special problems of Europe is After the Fall: The End of the European Dream and the Decline of a Continent, Walter LAQUEUR, Thomas Dunne Books/St Martin’s Press (2011), 322pp., $26.99. OECD Yearbook 2012: Better Policies for Better Lives, edited by Ricardo TEJADA, OECD publishing (2012), 168pp., npq. The second annual OECD Yearbook, which contains guests from government, business, trade unions and civil society, together
with OECD experts, to explore the key questions that confront the world economy in 2012. What has the crisis taught us about the need for a new approach to economic policymaking? What risks do we face and how do we deal with them? Will unemployed youths ever reach their full working potential? How do we give greater economic empowerment to women? Is the middle class on the way out in advanced economies and on the way up in the emerging world? Can better governance prevent future crises? Do green and growth go together? How do we really measure the progress of our societies? Important questions, and the contributions are useful, although, as expected, somewhat predictable. More radical solutions will be needed if we are going to make real progress in these areas.
Knowledge Management and Information Technology Knowledge Sharing in Professions: Roles and Identity in Expert Communities, Alexander STYHRE, Gower (2011), 192pp., £65.00. Analyses professionalism through a study of everyday practices in professional communities and the organizations where they work. Three empirical studies, of pharmaceutical clinical trials researchers, management consultants, and architects, are presented, to illustrate the relational nature of these of these and other professions and how members of these communities are constantly exchanging data, information and know-how in their everyday work. Surprising there was not more discussion of the links with Learning Organisation ideas. The author is Professor, Chair of Organization Theory and Management in the department of Business Review Briefs
Administration School of Business, Economics and Law, at the University of Gothenburg. Science in a Democratic Society, Philip KITCHER, Prometheus Books (2011), 270pp., $28.00. Shows the fallacies of thinking that democracy always requires public debate of issues most people cannot comprehend (& this book is also an example of how to present arguments in a way that are not easy to comprehend) and the author argues that properly constituted expertise is essential to genuine democracy. But more on the media, and how it distorts (and is distorted by) political agendas is needed, together with the need to explore how trust in professionals is also undermined by the media focus on sensationalism. Also pity there were not some statistics to support the arguments. A book for the specialist reader, which is a pity as the issues raised need much wider attention. You Can’t Read This Book: Censorship in the Age of Freedom, Nick COHEN, Fourth Estate (2012), 330pp., £12.99. A readable, provocative, challenging, book that maintains that, for various reasons, the constraints on freedom of speech are increasing. Important issues, but exploring the relationship between power, responsibility and values, would have been useful. There are no easy answers, especially in this rapidly globalising world, where constructive conversions are critical, although it is debatable whether the underlying partisan tone of this
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book could be easily be seen as part of a ‘constructive conversation.’ What You Really need to Know About the Internet: From GUTENBERG to ZUCKERBERG, John NAUGHTON, Quercus (2012), 373pp., £10.99. A readable introduction to an increasingly important subject, organised around nine themes: Take the long view e learning from Gutenberg; The Web is not the Net; For the Net, disruption is a feature; Think ecology, not just economics; Complexity is the new reality; The Web is evolving; The network is now the computer; Copyrights and copywrongs; Orwell vs Huxley. A useful book to help us understand where we are today. But the outlook can probably be summed up in: ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet?’ e and that covers both opportunities and threats! One dimension of the Net is examined in detail in The Law of Virtual Worlds and Internet Social Networks, Andrew SPARROW, Gower (2010), 249pp., £70.00. An essential reference for advertising and media agencies, television broadcaster producers, in fact for anyone seriously involved with working in the virtual world of social networks, although it will be vital that legal complexities do not end up stifling developments in this area.
Public Sector Innovation in Education: Lessons from Pioneers around the World, Charles LEADBEATER, Bloomsbury Publishing (2012), 160pp., £24.99.
Explores the work of 16 educational pioneers (almost all drawn from applicants for awards from the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE)), who are involved with pioneering, sustainable and scalable innovation initiatives. These initiatives cover case studies and portraits that focus on intercultural understanding, creative thinking and team working. Full of fascinating material reflecting the commitment of amazing individual efforts. The book is extensively illustrated to make it impressive product, but a brief managerial summary of the key messages would have helped.
Other useful information Magical Mathematics: The Mathematical Ideas that Animate Great Magic Tricks, Persi DIACONIS ad Ron GRAHAM, Princeton University Press (2012), 241pp., £20.55. Reveals the secrets of amazing, fun-to-perform card tricks e and the profound mathematical ideas behind them. Another publication that reflects the beauty/magic of mathematics is Survival of the Beautiful: Art, Science and Evolution, David ROTHENBERG, Bloomsbury (2011), 311pp., £14.99. Explores why animals, including humans, appear to have an innate appreciation of beauty, and how that is critically linked to the interplay between beauty, art and culture in evolution. Both fascinating.
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