The Book Corner - Review
2009 Volume 12 Issue 1

The Book Corner

The Book Corner

The Book Corner offers reviews by Graziadio School faculty on a variety of books on business topics.

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In this issue:

A Complaint Is a Gift: Recovering Customer Loyalty When Things Go Wrong (Second Edition: Revised and Expanded)

By Janelle Barlow and Claus Moller
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008

Reviewed by William Bleuel, PhD, Professor of Decision Sciences

3 stars: Valuable information and a good read

The take-away of this book is how to increase shareholder value by incorporating customers into the heart of your firm’s business strategy.

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A Sense of Urgency

By John P. Kotter
Harvard Business Press, 2008

Reviewed by Robert M. Fulmer, PhD, GBR Editorial Review Board Member

3 stars: Valuable information and a good read

While Kotter recycles some of his previous work in this new title, he also provides important new insights and reminds the reader of the importance of addressing challenges with a sense of urgency.

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Community: The Structure of Belonging

By Peter Block
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008

Reviewed by Ann Feyerherm, PhD, Associate Professor of Organization and Management

4 stars: Thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating material

Block argues that in order to create healthy communities we must change the context of conversations from one of problems to one of possibilities.

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Data Driven: Profiting from Your Most Important Business Asset

By Thomas C. Redman
Harvard Business School Press, 2008

Reviewed by John Oppenheim, Adjunct Professor of Management Information Systems

3 stars: Valuable information and a good read

Redman’s vignettes fill each chapter with great information and recommendations on how to gather and use data.

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The EQ Interview: Finding Employees with High Emotional Intelligence

By Adele B. Lynn
AMACOM, 2008

Reviewed by Wayne L. Strom, PhD, Professor of Behavioral Science

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

Lynn has written a very clear, concise, and easy-to-use handbook for human resources (HR) managers, interviewers, and anyone else involved in employee hiring processes.

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Future Savvy: Identifying Trends to Make Better Decisions, Manage Uncertainty, and Profit from Change

By Adam Gordon
AMACOM, 2008

Reviewed by Donald M. Atwater, PhD, Practitioner Faculty of Economics

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

Gordon presents a long list of important questions that managers should be prepared to ask themselves in order to identify on which forecasts they should rely to run their businesses.

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Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies

By Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff
Harvard Business School Press, 2008

Reviewed by Carol F. Gwin, PhD, Practitioner Faculty of Marketing

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

The groundswell is important because it provides Internet users (i.e., your customers) the power to collaborate, talk, and change the way we do business.

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Contemporary Leadership and Intercultural Competence: Exploring the Cross-Cultural Dynamics Within Organizations

By Michael A. Moodian (Ed.)
Sage Publications, 2008

Reviewed by Frank Nainoa, MA, doctoral student

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

Consisting of 20 chapters by various authors, this book addresses three primary topics: examining the evolving role of cultural diversity in the workplace; applying cultural comprehension to organizations; and measuring intercultural competence.

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Leadership From the Inside Out: Becoming a Leader for Life, 2nd Edition, Revised and Expanded

By Kevin Cashman
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008

Reviewed by Ron Ford, PhD, Associate Dean of Executive Education and Practitioner Faculty of Finance

2 stars: Read this book if and when you have the time

After a decade of success, Cashman has published this second edition, in which the seven pathways to mastery are now steps, and the author provides more tools.

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Naming Rights: Legacy Gifts & Corporate Money

By Terry Burton
John Wiley & Sons, 2008

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

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

This is an introductory book about getting your, or your corporation’s, name on a bench, building, campus, golf event, stadium, or a chair (as in endowed chair) in exchange for a fee from a few thousand dollars up to several hundred million dollars.

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The New Elite: Inside the Minds of the Truly Wealthy

By Jim Taylor, Doug Harrison, and Stephen Kraus
AMACOM, 2008

Reviewed by Robert M. Fulmer, PhD, GBR Editorial Review Board Member

4 stars: Thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating material

The authors reveal what drives our country’s most powerful and influential class, what they want, where they shop, and how they really spend their money.

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On Competition: Updated and Expanded Edition

By Michael E. Porter
Harvard Business School Press, 2008

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

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

The book is a collection of Porter’s essays from over two decades of scholarship on competition and strategy.

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Positive Leadership: Strategies for Extraordinary Performance

By Kim S. Cameron
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008

Reviewed by Sam Farry, MBA, Adjunct Faculty of Applied Behavioral Science and Class Advisor, Executive MBA Program

4 stars: Thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating material

Cameron goes beyond anecdotes to formulate the principals and practice of a kind of leadership that is exceptional.

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Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life

By Stewart D. Friedman
Harvard Business School Press, 2008

Reviewed by Joseph Schohl, Esq., MBA, Adjunct Professor of Business Law

4 stars: Thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating material

The main theme of the book is that balance is best achieved through integration rather than compartmentalization of work, home, community, and self.

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