Author: Ron Also
Price: £12.99
Publisher: Kogan Page
Pages: 320
ISBN: 0749445718
I approached this book with a little trepidation – the title is slightly intimidating. I was, however, pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to read and how engaging it was.
At the start of each chapter, there is a case study of a large company (mainly US-based) to illustrate the specific ‘law’ being discussed. The importance of activities such as ‘measuring your reputation’ and ‘living your values and ethics’ are clearly explained and illustrated with examples of how companies have applied these laws well, and the consequences of not doing so.
As the laws have highly strategic applications, unless you are working in close proximity to a CEO, it will be difficult to implement many of them on a daily basis. But for smaller firms, the basics would be useful in helping to define a relevant set of operating principles, ethics and values to build a powerful company reputation.
It was a good reminder of the importance of not focusing exclusively on the financial side of running a company. There were numerous examples of the dangers of failing to ensure that adequate time and resources are spent on establishing and maintaining the reputation of your business with external communities.
This thought-provoking book makes the reader think about the value of maintaining a healthy relationship with all stakeholders.
Useful? Four out of five stars
Well-written? Four out of five stars
Practical? Three out of five stars
Inspirational? Three out of five stars
Value for money? Three out of five stars
Overall? Three out of five stars
Reviewed by Sue Chew, director of organisational development, EDF Energy
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