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  • 1.  Problem Textbooks

    Posted 02-24-1999 04:40
    PROBLEM TEXTBOOKS

    Tom Osegowitsch makes a couple of points that resonate with the experience
    of many management teachers, especially those teaching organization theory
    and general courses on organization and management:

    1. Most texts haven't changed in many years and make token corrections for
    this

    2. Most texts lack critical content

    I am currently preparing a textbook that is intended to fill this gap. It is
    to be published by FT/Prentice-Hall (Pearsons, the owners of the Financial
    Times,
    recently acquired Prentice-Hall and FT/Prentice-Hall is now the largest
    publisher of higher education textbooks in management) .

    The textbook seeks to bridge established texts (e.g. Daft) and critical
    material (e.g. Alvesson/Willmott, Making Sense of Management, Sage, 1996;
    see home page -details below - for further information) in a way that makes
    use of textbook devices (e.g. cartoons, diagrams, tables, etc). It will
    cover established topics, so as to make it more easily adoptable by people
    who are currently using/struggling with Daft, etc., but in a broader way
    than usual.

    I would welcome comments on the outline of the text which is attached in
    Word2. I am particularly interested in the following:

    1. Are there obvious gaps in coverage?

    2. What pedagogical features are essential to improve the chance of such a
    book's adoption?

    3. What are the perceived strengths and weakness of texts such as Hatch or
    readers such as Fischer and Sirianni that stray from mainstream territory?



    Hugh


    Hugh Willmott

    Hugh Willmott
    Professor of Organizational Analysis
    Manchester School of Management
    UMIST
    Manchester M60 1QD
    United Kingdom

    Tel : 0161 200 3412
    Fax : 0161 200 3505
    email : Hugh.Willmott@umist.ac.uk

    Home Page : http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/close/hr22/hcwhome

    Web site for Critical Management Studies Conference 1999:

    http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/town/close/hr22/cmsconference

    Web site for Association for Accountancy and Business Affairs:

    http://visar.csustan.edu/aaba/aaba.htm

    Hugh Willmott
    Professor of Organizational Analysis
    Manchester School of Management
    UMIST
    Manchester M60 1QD
    United Kingdom

    Tel : 0161 200 3412
    Fax : 0161 200 3505
    email : Hugh.Willmott@umist.ac.uk