Book Review: Jerold Zimmerman and Daniel Forrester's Relentless: The Forensics of Mobsters' Business Practices (Littleton, CO: Willowcroft)
Economic Affairs, Forthcoming
4 Pages Posted: 7 Jun 2021
Date Written: May 28, 2021
Abstract
Jerrold Zimmerman, an Emeritus Professor at the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business, and Daniel Forrester, a Rochester MBA graduate turned top-level management consultant, are not the first to note the similarities between lawful and unlawful organizations, and their book, "Relentless: The Forensics of Mobsters’ Business Practices," is not the first study of organized crime using the principles of microeconomics. But it is perhaps the only book targeting primarily c-level executives, directors, and leaders of small and large for-profit and nonprofits to argue that lawful managers can learn from the way blood-stained villains unwittingly apply core economic principles to create enduring organizations that can thrive in constantly changing environments, despite substantial efforts (by rivals and law enforcement) directed at their demise.
Keywords: Organized crime, strategy, incentive alignment problem, Rochester approach
JEL Classification: M1, M21, Y3
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation