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These book reviews are from the latest issue of the Graziadio Business Report:

The Change Cycle Book Review

The Change Cycle: How People Can Survive and Thrive in Organizational Change

By Ann Salerno and Lillie Brock
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008

Reviewed by John Oppenheim, Adjunct Professor of Management Information Systems

5 stars: Stop what you're doing and read this book now!

The Change Cycle is full of examples. It provides keys to the stages of change that help organizations understand what to watch out for and the necessary interventions. Read more…


Corp Gov book review

A Primer on Corporate Governance

By Cornelis A. de Kluyver
Business Expert Press, 2009

Reviewed by Sean D. Jasso, PhD, Practitioner Faculty of Economics

5 stars: Stop what you're doing and read this book now!

In traditional MBA programs, formal training in corporate governance is often brief, inconsistent, or entirely nonexistent. The author provides management students and practitioners the opportunity to fill this void. Read more…


Customer Service Book Review

Strategic Customer Service: Managing the Customer Experience to Increase Positive Word of Mouth, Build Loyalty, and Maximize Profits

By John A. Goodman
AMACOM, 2009

Reviewed by Bill Bleuel, PhD, Professor of Decision Sciences

5 stars: Stop what you're doing and read this book now!

True to its title, Strategic Customer Service contains the keys to integrating customer service into a company’s business model. Read more…


Differences Book Review

Putting Our Differences to Work

By Debbe Kennedy
Berrett-Koehler, 2008

Reviewed by Robert Fulmer, PhD, GBR Editorial Review Board

4 stars - Thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating material.

Kennedy offers a chapter on each step of a detailed six-stage process for “making the most of differences in the workforce” but more accurately, I think, it is about being an innovative leader. Read more…


House of cards book review

House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street

By William D. Cohan
Doubleday, 2009

Reviewed by Timothy Krause, Adjunct Professor of Finance

4 stars - Thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating material.

House of Cards‘ real appeal derives from its thorough analysis of the firm since its inception as an upstart brokerage firm in 1923 and of its demise in 2007. Read more…


Introverted Leader Book Review

The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength

By Jennifer B. Kahnweiler
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2009

Reviewed by:

2 stars: Read this book if and when you have the time.Leo A. Mallette, EdD, Adjunct Professor of Decision Sciences and Marketing

3 stars: Valuable information and a good read!Deborah A. Rainer, Adjunct Professor of Management – Leadership and Teams

Mallette: Kahnweiler identifies four areas of challenges for introverts, and in chapter two, she introduces the “4 P’s Process” for addressing them: Prepare, Presence, Push, and Practice. Read more…

Ranier: This book is most useful for high potentials who are fairly young in their careers and are looking for strategies and behaviors to employ in situations where they want to exert greater influence. Read more…


Myth Book Review

The Management Myth: Why the “Experts” Keep Getting it Wrong

By Matthew Stewart
W. W. Norton & Company, 2009

Reviewed by John Briginshaw, PhD, Assistant Professor of Accounting

2 stars

Perhaps Stewart is making the ultimate postmodern statement about business books: He proves how bad they all are by writing a bad one himself. Read more…



Meeting openers Book Review

Quick Meeting Openers for Busy Managers

By Brian Cole Miller
AMACOM, 2008

Reviewed by Leo A. Mallette, EdD, Adjunct Professor of Decision Sciences and Marketing

4 stars: Thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating material

The value of author Brian Cole Miller’s writing is that he presents these ideas as if you were thinking them up yourself (but you didn’t). Read more…


Mobilizing Minds book review

Mobilizing Minds: Creating Wealth from Talent in the 21st-Century Organization

By Lowell L. Bryan and Claudia I. Joyce
McGraw-Hill, 2007

Reviewed by Donald Atwater, PhD, Practitioner Faculty of Economics

4 stars: Thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating material

Lowell L. Bryan and Claudia I. Joyce make the case at a strategic level for thinking-intensive businesses (i.e., those comprised of at least 35 percent professionals and managers). Read more…


Power of Positive Attitude Book Review

The Power of a Positive Attitude

By Roger Fritz
AMACOM, 2008

Reviewed by J. Goosby Smith, PhD, Supporting Faculty, Applied Behavior Science

3 stars: Valuable Information and a Good Read

This well-written and well-organized book is a quick read that dispenses useful advice for evaluating one’s own and others’ effectiveness in the workplace. Read more…


Take No Prisoners book review

Take No Prisoners: A No-Holds-Barred Approach to Corporate Excellence

By Marvin A. Davis
AMACOM, 2007

Reviewed by Rogelio F. Nochebuena, Adjunct Professor of Strategy

5 stars: Stop what you're doing and read this book now!

I would recommend this book to turnaround specialists as well as company executives and owners who may find it useful in keeping their businesses running smoothly by avoiding the mistakes of others. Read more…


Trust Me book review

Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma

By Nick Morgan
Jossey Bass, 2009

Reviewed by Davide Accomazzo, MBA, Adjunct Professor of Finance

4 stars: Thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating material

One point of interest was Morgan’s articulation of what advertisers and marketing experts have believed since the inception of the consumer era: decision making is mostly an emotional and, therefore, non-verbal process. Read more…

Author of the article
Danielle L. Scott
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