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The book entitled "Business Model Generation: A Handbook for visionaries, game changers and challengers" though written by Osterwalder and Pigneur (2010) was also co-created by 470 practitioners from 45 countries. The book is thus a good example of how a global creative collaboration effort can contribute positively to the business and management literature and subsequently to the advancement of society (Alam and Hoque, 2010; Alam et al., 2010a, b).

Consisting of five main chapters (Canvas, Patterns, Design, Strategy and Process) and two additional chapters Outlook and Afterword, "Business Model Generation" should be read by those motivated to "defy outmoded business models and design tomorrow's enterprises" (front cover). The objectives of the five main chapters in the book are as follows:

To present the Business Model Canvas - a tool which can be used to describe, analyze and design business models. To present leading business thinkers' concepts in the form of Business Model Patterns.

To present techniques to aid readers design business models.

To show how business modeling is central to the discussion of strategy

To present a generic process, taking advantage of the material described above and which is applicable to innovative process model design.

"Business Model Generation" presents itself as a useful review of the literature (Kalula, 2010) on business models and still (in Outlook) presents topics for future exploration. Lastly, Afterword shows how the book was a co-creation effort thus enabling future authors to follow their example in producing an innovative book relevant to academics and practitioners alike, around the globe.

Before proceeding to do an in-depth review of "Business Model Generation" we shall first have a look at other publications by the authors (Osterwalder, 2004; Osterwalder and Pigneur, 2002; Osterwalder et al., 2005; and Fritscher and Pigneur, 2010) which led up to this book.