2009, Volume 12, Issue 3
The Book Corner
The Book Corner offers reviews by Graziadio School faculty on a variety of books on business topics.
The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World
By Niall Ferguson
Penguin Press, 2008
Accomazzo: Countries that were not able to innovate, Ferguson writes, but that responded to the challenges with cumulative bad choices, quickly reached breaking points with extreme consequences. Read more...
Jasso: Through powerful narrative and artful storytelling, the reader is compelled to embrace the urgency of Ferguson's thesis: breaking down the barriers of ignorance about finance. Read more...
Executing Your Strategy: How to Break It Down and Get It Done
By Mark Morgan, William A. Malek, Raymond E. Levitt
Harvard Business School Press, 2007
Reviewed by Jack C. Green, PhD, Professor of Strategy and Department Chair, Strategy Entrepreneurship, and Information Systems and Technology Management
The authors provide a detailed approach to strategy implementation using project management as a guideline. Read more...
From the Bureau to the Boardroom: 30 Management Lessons from the FBI
By Dan Carrison
AMACOM, 2009
Reviewed by Leo A. Mallette, EdD, Adjunct, Decision Sciences and Marketing
Each page applies lessons from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to the business world, ranging from corporate mission and branding to motivation, teamwork, and planning for the future. Read more...
The Genius Machine: The 11 Steps That Turn Raw Ideas into Brilliance
By Gerald Sindell
New World Library, 2009
Reviewed by Rogelio Nochebuena, Adjunct Professor of Strategy
Readers interested in developing ways to awaken their creative capabilities and exploring new thinking may find valuable information in this book, but no panaceas. Read more...
The Holy Grail of Macroeconomics: Lessons from Japan's Great Recession
By Richard C. KooWiley, 2009
Reviewed by Davide Accomazzo, MBA, Adjunct Professor of Finance
What makes Koo's work particularly valuable is his extension of his analysis of the Japanese anomaly to a macro-economic theory to help us deploy monetary and fiscal policy correctly at times of similar critical turbulence. Read more...
Investing Against the Tide: Lessons From a Life Running Money
By Anthony Bolton
FT Press Prentice Hall, 2009
Reviewed by Davide Accomazzo, MBA, Adjunct Professor of Finance
This book is a testament to the author's 40 years' experience; it is a structured and complete, yet simple, investment manual. Read more...
Leaders Make the Future: Ten New Leadership Skills for an Uncertain World
By Bob Johansen
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2009
Reviewed by Robert M. Fulmer, PhD, GBR Editorial Review Board Member
Johansen argues convincingly that in a world of increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (what he calls the VUCA world), leaders must learn new skills in order to create a better future. Read more...
Leading with Kindness: How Good People Consistently Get Superior Results
By William F. Baker, PhD, and Michael O'Malley, PhD
AMACOM, 2009
Reviewed by John Oppenheim, Adjunct Professor of Management Information Systems
In only six chapters the authors capture the essence of what a young executive-to-be needs to know about human relations in order to run a company in today's environment. Read more...
The Make Money on Foreclosures Answer Book
By Denise L. Evans
Sphinx Legal, 2008
Reviewed by Michael Kinsman, CPA, PhD, Professor of Finance and Accounting
Evans provides easy-to-follow questions and clear answers to nearly every question I could pose regarding foreclosure. Read more...
Reinvention: How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life
By Brian Tracy
AMACOM, 2009
Reviewed by Walter Langley, Supporting Professor, Business Strategy
Tracy methodically guides the reader through "Seven R's" that he believes contribute to positive change in one's life. Read more...
Retire Rich from Real Estate
By Marc W. Andersen
Sphinx Legal, 2007
Reviewed by Michael Kinsman, CPA, PhD, Professor of Finance and Accounting
The author provides background that will hopefully help readers avoid the mistakes new real estate investors often make. Read more...
Street Fighters: The Last 72 Hours of Bear Stearns, the Toughest Firm on Wall Street
By Kate Kelly
Penguin Press, 2008
Reviewed by John J. Scully, PhD, CPA, Practitioner Faculty of Accounting and Finance
This tale of Bear Sterns' demise should motivate organizations to carefully scrutinize the strengths and weaknesses of their leadership teams. Read more...
Why She Buys: The New Strategy for Reaching the World's Most Powerful Consumers
By Bridget Brennan
Crown Business, 2008
Reviewed by John Nolan, Adjunct Professor of Marketing
Brennan contends that gender is the most powerful determinant in a person's view of the world —more than race, age, income, creed, or ethnicity. Read more...
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