Beyond the Corporation. Humanity Working by David Erdal - Book review

Literature Review , 2013 , 7 Pages , Grade: 1,3

Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance

In his most recent book ‘Beyond the Corporation: Humanity working’, David Erdal, book author and Non-Executive Director at Baxendale Ownership, strongly promotes the superiority of employee ownership. He gives a wide range of best practice examples across industries from various countries, without neglecting the essential theoretical foundation of the concept of democratic employee ownership. The book, which was published in March 2011, builds an argument around the financial collapse 2008 - 2009, when many traditional companies failed, suffered severely, or at the very least were shaken.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• The Unfavorable Work Concept: Employee Ownership vs. Corporate Economy
• Employee-Ownership: An Illustration of its Benefits
• Employee-Ownership: Towards a Humanized Organization
• Employee Ownership, Growth and Employee Satisfaction
• Employee Ownership vs. German Mittelstand
• Challenges of Employee Ownership
• Employee Ownership and Business Succession
• Conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This book aims to provide a strong case for employee ownership as a superior model to the traditional corporate structure. It challenges the current shareholder-capitalist system, proposing employee ownership as a solution that fosters greater prosperity, well-being, and a more humane workplace.

• Employee ownership as a viable alternative to traditional corporate structures.
• The benefits of employee ownership, including increased productivity, satisfaction, and wealth.
• The challenges of implementing and sustaining employee ownership, including business succession and decision-making processes.
• The relationship between ownership, power, and employee well-being.
• A critical assessment of the arguments for and against employee ownership.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• The first chapter criticizes the current corporate model, emphasizing the imbalance of power between owners and employees. It presents employee ownership as a solution to this problem, promoting a more equitable and collaborative work environment.
• The second chapter delves into the historical context of employee ownership, exploring its evolution and outlining various forms. The author utilizes case studies of successful employee-owned enterprises to demonstrate the effectiveness of the model.
• The third chapter focuses on the human impact of employee ownership. It examines the impact of ownership on employee motivation, satisfaction, and commitment. The author also explores the role of ownership in creating a more humane workplace.
• The fourth chapter addresses the challenges of implementing employee ownership, including business succession and decision-making processes. The author discusses potential solutions to these challenges and emphasizes the importance of governance and transparency.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This book focuses on employee ownership as a model for organizational structure. Key concepts explored include employee empowerment, workplace democracy, financial well-being, sustainable business models, decision-making processes, and the impact of ownership on individual and organizational performance. Examples of employee-owned firms like John Lewis, Tullis Russell, and Mondragon are used to illustrate the benefits and challenges of the model.

• College: University of St Andrews (School of Management)
• Grade: 1,3
• Author: Benjamin Renner (Author)
• Publication Year: 2013
• Pages: 7
• Catalog Number: V271875
• ISBN (eBook): 9783656642046
• ISBN (Book): 9783656642053
• Language: English
• Tags: beyond, corporation, humanity, working, david, erdal, book