The Sustainable Business Case Book
This textbook provides interesting and important case studies on sustainable businesses, which highlight the challenges and benefits of following and achieving the triple-bottom-line goals of sustainability. The case studies are effective at delving into different sustainability considerations encountered by different industries and also provide intriguing looks at the leadership and decision-making involved in running sustainable businesses. Furthermore, the first six chapters of the textbook introduce the diverse and complex dimensions of sustainability and I was particularly pleased to see chapters on Science, Public Policy and Entrepreneurship.
While the textbook includes work from Friedmann, Porter and others, I was surprised to find missing the work of sustainability's leading visionaries and founders, such as Paul Hawken, Amory and Hunter Lovins, Bill McDonough, Michael Braungart, or Janine Benyus as well as an international references from Business for Social Responsibility, and businesses with international operations and customers There are also many books and excellent videos on this topic that are worth referencing and sharing with readers. Overall, any OER textbook needs to stay current and offer recent resources (from the last 5 years).
The introductory chapters need to provide clear, concise and accurate definitions and examples. I found that Chapter 1 confused Corporate Social Responsibility with the triple-bottom-line of Sustainability, which requires that all three pillars are met. This is a critical distinction, particularly for students who are new to this field. I also found inconsistent definitions and examples, i.e. in Section 1.3 the examples do not include social/equity examples. And I believe that most sustainable businesses (including those profiled in the case studies) would disagree that “profit and internal factors are the most important factors for motivating companies to become sustainable” (section 1.3). Rather, external factors such as making a difference in our community, upholding ethical standards, protecting places we love, empowering our employees and providing innovative products and services are documented as long-term, sustaining motivators in successful sustainable businesses. Section 2.1 could supplement the Tragedy of the Commons with perspectives from Paul Hawken, Rocky Mt. Institute and economists like Joel Magnuson (Latest book: The Approaching Great Transformation). Also, Section 2.3 needs to include human health impacts; Section 3.4 would benefit from inclusion of the Precautionary Principle; and Section 5.3 is missing the amazing innovations in Biomimicry and Green Chemistry.
The content is relatively up-to-date. As previously mentioned, faculty have the impression that OER textbooks are more current and are updated regularly (but is there funding for this?), so I’d like to see links, resources, statistics, etc. kept current (from the last 5 years).
Overall, the text is well-written and interesting to the reader. The “Key Takeaways” sections provide great clarity for students and outline how professors can integrate each section into a course. As previously mentioned, some of the definitions, theories and models could be better defined and explained. Also, I was unable to see the Figures in the online version; I had to download, save and re-open the textbook in order to see the Figures.
After the first chapter, the triple-bottom-line pillars of sustainability were well explained, particularly planet and profit. The case studies were presented consistently with good examples.
The case studies are ideal for inclusion in any class module and I also liked the “Sidebars” which encourage readers to research more about a particular topic or example. I would recommend this textbook to colleagues in departments other than business, because of the case studies.
The organization and structure of the textbook is clearly presented and easy to follow. I would have liked to see better editing in some sections that includes references to other textbook sections that offer additional explanations and examples. (i.e. Section 1.2 McDonald’s example is weak – could better reference Section 4.5)
As noted, there are interface issues, as I was unable to see any of the Figures in the online version of the textbook.
I didn’t find any errors.
This text offers business-oriented perspectives and case studies from US-based companies. I would have liked to see more discussion and examples representing the third “E” of “Social Equity” which includes cultural and social diversity, social justice and even cultural literacy, which are critical considerations for businesses that provide products and services to increasingly diverse customers.
Thank you for providing this useful case book!