What do you think?
Rate this book
Crisis: A Global Case Primer
What if the biggest threat to your business wasn’t economic downturn, competition, or disruption—but your own playbook?
In today’s polycrisis world—where pandemics, political instability, online outrage, and fractured supply chains collide—business as usual is a recipe for failure. Responsible Management in Crisis breaks through the noise with gripping, real-world case studies of a dozen leaders who faced extraordinary pressure and made one defining to lead with principle or retreat into safety.
From Starbucks’ failure in Sumatra to Unilever’s radical shift under Paul Polman, from refugee hiring at Chobani to a small-town brewery’s social media meltdown, this book doesn’t just tell stories—it rewrites the leadership manual. Each chapter is crafted for maximum relevance today, designed for MBA students, executives, entrepreneurs, and anyone tired of bland, boardroom-safe strategies that don’t hold up in the real world.
Whether you’re managing a global brand, launching a startup, or sitting in your first business class, Responsible Management in Crisis gives you the tools
Navigate public backlash without losing your soul—or your business.
Engage meaningfully with fragile communities and polarized audiences.
Make long-term decisions that survive short-term storms.
Translate values into strategy in a way your balance sheet—and your team—can believe in.
Packed with teaching notes and MBA-aligned frameworks, this book bridges the classroom and the boardroom to teach you what to do when the storm hits.
If you want a business book that’s as principled as it is practical, as gritty as it is global—this belongs on your desk, in your syllabus, and in your strategy.
This is the essential guide for any business leader or entrepreneur needing a lodestar to navigate our complex, uncertain world. Through gripping first-hand accounts and showcasing tested empirical strategies, this powerful book offers a proven framework that arms you with the skills to lead your organization successfully through the world's toughest crises.
From the jungles of rebel-held coffee plantations in Colombia to the boardrooms of global corporate giants like Tesla and Coca-Cola, Prof. Miklian and Prof. Katsos dissect the fabric of crisis management. Their two decades of research has been jointly nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, and is presented here in one place for the first time. They reveal transformative insights through ten real-word cases -- patterned on the world-leading Ivey business school case model -- that will reshape the way you view business in high-stakes situations.
Responsible Management in Crisis dismantles conventional thinking, positioning crises as unique opportunities for growth and positive societal impact. With advice forged in the fires of real-life conflict zones and corporate upheavals, this book will guide you
Anticipating and managing challenges of socio-political strife.
Designing your business practices to weather any storm and seize emerging opportunities.
Redefining corporate responsibility to build a better society and a stronger, more resilient business.
The battlefield is no longer just a metaphor in the corporate world. It's an everyday reality — and being unprepared is no longer an option.
In today’s polycrisis world—where pandemics, political instability, online outrage, and fractured supply chains collide—business as usual is a recipe for failure. Responsible Management in Crisis breaks through the noise with gripping, real-world case studies of a dozen leaders who faced extraordinary pressure and made one defining to lead with principle or retreat into safety.
From Starbucks’ failure in Sumatra to Unilever’s radical shift under Paul Polman, from refugee hiring at Chobani to a small-town brewery’s social media meltdown, this book doesn’t just tell stories—it rewrites the leadership manual. Each chapter is crafted for maximum relevance today, designed for MBA students, executives, entrepreneurs, and anyone tired of bland, boardroom-safe strategies that don’t hold up in the real world.
Whether you’re managing a global brand, launching a startup, or sitting in your first business class, Responsible Management in Crisis gives you the tools
Navigate public backlash without losing your soul—or your business.
Engage meaningfully with fragile communities and polarized audiences.
Make long-term decisions that survive short-term storms.
Translate values into strategy in a way your balance sheet—and your team—can believe in.
Packed with teaching notes and MBA-aligned frameworks, this book bridges the classroom and the boardroom to teach you what to do when the storm hits.
If you want a business book that’s as principled as it is practical, as gritty as it is global—this belongs on your desk, in your syllabus, and in your strategy.
This is the essential guide for any business leader or entrepreneur needing a lodestar to navigate our complex, uncertain world. Through gripping first-hand accounts and showcasing tested empirical strategies, this powerful book offers a proven framework that arms you with the skills to lead your organization successfully through the world's toughest crises.
From the jungles of rebel-held coffee plantations in Colombia to the boardrooms of global corporate giants like Tesla and Coca-Cola, Prof. Miklian and Prof. Katsos dissect the fabric of crisis management. Their two decades of research has been jointly nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, and is presented here in one place for the first time. They reveal transformative insights through ten real-word cases -- patterned on the world-leading Ivey business school case model -- that will reshape the way you view business in high-stakes situations.
Responsible Management in Crisis dismantles conventional thinking, positioning crises as unique opportunities for growth and positive societal impact. With advice forged in the fires of real-life conflict zones and corporate upheavals, this book will guide you
Anticipating and managing challenges of socio-political strife.
Designing your business practices to weather any storm and seize emerging opportunities.
Redefining corporate responsibility to build a better society and a stronger, more resilient business.
The battlefield is no longer just a metaphor in the corporate world. It's an everyday reality — and being unprepared is no longer an option.
393 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 17, 2025
8 people are currently reading
402 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 8, 2025
Book Review: Crisis: A Global Case Primer by Jason Miklian and John Katsos - A Public Health Practitioner’s Perspective
Crisis: A Global Case Primer is a gripping exploration of how societies navigate—and often fail—complex emergencies, from pandemics to geopolitical conflicts. As a public health practitioner, I found myself both intellectually stimulated and emotionally unsettled by the authors’ unflinching analysis of systemic failures and resilience. Miklian and Katsos masterfully weave together case studies that reveal how crises expose and exacerbate existing inequalities, particularly in marginalized communities.
Emotional Resonance: A Mirror to Systemic Fragility
Reading this book was a visceral experience. The authors’ dissection of the 2014 Ebola crisis—where a single infected passenger nearly triggered a catastrophic outbreak in Lagos—resonated deeply with my own work in pandemic preparedness. I felt a surge of professional frustration at the recurring theme of preventable suffering due to institutional inertia, yet also admiration for the grassroots responders who filled governance gaps. The chapter on Ukraine’s post-war recovery (with its public health implications) left me grappling with the ethical weight of “building back better” rhetoric when systemic inequities persist.
Key Public Health Insights
-The Myth of “Isolated” Crises: The book dismantles the illusion that emergencies exist in silos, showing how climate change, conflict, and disease intersect—a vital framework for modern health equity work.
-Power Dynamics in Response: Case studies reveal how political and corporate interests often distort crisis management (e.g., delayed Ebola containment to avoid economic panic), echoing public health’s battles with misinformation during COVID-19.
-Community as First Responder: The authors highlight how local actors—from Nigerian contact tracers to Ukrainian mutual-aid networks—outperform top-down systems, challenging traditional emergency protocols.
Constructive Criticism
-Health Equity Depth: While the book excels at geopolitical analysis, a sharper lens on gendered/racialized health impacts (e.g., maternal care collapse in crises) would strengthen its public health relevance.
-From Critique to Action: The primer could bridge its diagnostic brilliance with concrete tools for practitioners (e.g., anti-colonial frameworks for humanitarian aid).
Final Thoughts
-Crisis is essential reading for anyone working in global health. It left me equal parts galvanized and haunted—a testament to its power. Miklian and Katsos don’t just document failures; they ignite the urgent question: How do we redesign systems that default to sacrificing the vulnerable?
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5) – A provocative launchpad for deeper dialogue.
Gratitude: Thank you to the publisher and Book Sirens for the advanced review copy. In an era of polycrises, this book is both a warning and a compass.
Crisis: A Global Case Primer is a gripping exploration of how societies navigate—and often fail—complex emergencies, from pandemics to geopolitical conflicts. As a public health practitioner, I found myself both intellectually stimulated and emotionally unsettled by the authors’ unflinching analysis of systemic failures and resilience. Miklian and Katsos masterfully weave together case studies that reveal how crises expose and exacerbate existing inequalities, particularly in marginalized communities.
Emotional Resonance: A Mirror to Systemic Fragility
Reading this book was a visceral experience. The authors’ dissection of the 2014 Ebola crisis—where a single infected passenger nearly triggered a catastrophic outbreak in Lagos—resonated deeply with my own work in pandemic preparedness. I felt a surge of professional frustration at the recurring theme of preventable suffering due to institutional inertia, yet also admiration for the grassroots responders who filled governance gaps. The chapter on Ukraine’s post-war recovery (with its public health implications) left me grappling with the ethical weight of “building back better” rhetoric when systemic inequities persist.
Key Public Health Insights
-The Myth of “Isolated” Crises: The book dismantles the illusion that emergencies exist in silos, showing how climate change, conflict, and disease intersect—a vital framework for modern health equity work.
-Power Dynamics in Response: Case studies reveal how political and corporate interests often distort crisis management (e.g., delayed Ebola containment to avoid economic panic), echoing public health’s battles with misinformation during COVID-19.
-Community as First Responder: The authors highlight how local actors—from Nigerian contact tracers to Ukrainian mutual-aid networks—outperform top-down systems, challenging traditional emergency protocols.
Constructive Criticism
-Health Equity Depth: While the book excels at geopolitical analysis, a sharper lens on gendered/racialized health impacts (e.g., maternal care collapse in crises) would strengthen its public health relevance.
-From Critique to Action: The primer could bridge its diagnostic brilliance with concrete tools for practitioners (e.g., anti-colonial frameworks for humanitarian aid).
Final Thoughts
-Crisis is essential reading for anyone working in global health. It left me equal parts galvanized and haunted—a testament to its power. Miklian and Katsos don’t just document failures; they ignite the urgent question: How do we redesign systems that default to sacrificing the vulnerable?
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5) – A provocative launchpad for deeper dialogue.
Gratitude: Thank you to the publisher and Book Sirens for the advanced review copy. In an era of polycrises, this book is both a warning and a compass.
June 7, 2025
This is a solid book. The authors clearly know their stuff—they’ve been studying how leaders handle tough situations for years, and it shows. What I liked most is that it’s not all theory. There’s actual advice you can use.
The stories are good. Real examples, not made-up business fables.
Best part? The four big takeaways: lead with authenticity, stay connected to your community, build with purpose, and communicate clearly. Simple ideas, but powerful. And they work—in crisis or not.
It’s well written, easy to follow, and doesn’t waste your time. Definitely worth a read.
The stories are good. Real examples, not made-up business fables.
Best part? The four big takeaways: lead with authenticity, stay connected to your community, build with purpose, and communicate clearly. Simple ideas, but powerful. And they work—in crisis or not.
It’s well written, easy to follow, and doesn’t waste your time. Definitely worth a read.
July 14, 2025
This title was selected for IngramSpark's Indie Title Discovery Spotlight 2025!
An insightful and strategic guide to navigating business in times of disaster from true experts in the field. This captivating collection of real-world case studies is a must-read for CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business leaders!
An insightful and strategic guide to navigating business in times of disaster from true experts in the field. This captivating collection of real-world case studies is a must-read for CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business leaders!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews