The Book Corner offers reviews by Graziadio School faculty on a variety of books on business topics.
In this issue:
The New Human Capital Strategy
By Bradley W. Hall, PhD
AMACOM, 2008Reviewed by Donald M. Atwater, PhD, Practitioner Faculty of Economics
This book provides an effective strategy for calculating the business value of employees.
By Mark Bruno
Wiley, 2007By David Bach
Broadway, 2005By Timothy Ferriss
Random House, 2007
Reviewed by John Briginshaw, PhD, Assistant Professor of Accounting
The U.S. retirement infrastructure that created wonderful post-retirement lifestyles for so many baby boomers is being dismantled. Professor Briginshaw examines the merits of three books on retirement and encourages readers to stop being shy about retiring.
Flight Plan: The Real Secret of Success – How to Achieve More, Faster Than You Ever Dreamed Possible
By Brian Tracy
Berrett-Koehler, 2008Reviewed by Jody Brightman, PhD, Adjunct Faculty in Marketing
This is a turning-point book. If you are stuck off course and in need of a new direction, Flight Plan is a perfect “how-to” to get you going.
By Nicholas Carr
W.W. Norton, 2008Reviewed by John P. Durand, MBA,
Practitioner Faculty of Information Systems
Though the book’s subject matter spans technology, the Internet, and corporate computing, Carr has a larger message: The evolution of technology is bringing entire industries to a true paradigm shift.
Myself and Other More Important Matters
By Charles Handy
AMACOM, 2008Reviewed by Robert M. Fulmer, PhD,
Editorial Review Board Member
Although widely described as one of the world’s leading writers on management and leadership, Charles Handy shows an appealing combination of modesty and determination in the title and throughout this autobiography.
Creating A World Without Poverty
By Muhammad Yunus
Public Affairs, 2008Reviewed by Rick Hesse, DSc,
Department Chair of Decision Sciences and Marketing
This book details the compelling, personal journey of Dr. Muhammad Yunus, a former economics professor and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Persuasion IQ: The 10 Skills You Need to Get Exactly What You Want
By Kurt W. Mortensen
AMACOM, 2008Reviewed by Charles J. Hunt, Jr.,
Professor of Business Law
In the Preface, Mortensen writes that “those who enjoy greater happiness and wealth in life possess a high ability to persuade, influence, sell, negotiate, motivate, lead, and understand human nature.
Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life
By Robert B. Reich
Knopf, 2007Reviewed by Sean D. Jasso, PhD,
Practitioner Faculty of Economics
Supercapitalism is Reich’s assessment of how the world has become supercharged in all aspects of business, government, and society.
Followership: How Followers Are Creating Change and Changing Leaders
By Barbara Kellerman
Harvard Business School Press, 2008Reviewed by Abraham Park,
Practitioner Faculty of Finance
Barbara Kellerman of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government has written a book whose title captured my interest-Followership. Her thesis is simple: The age of the follower has arrived.
By Robert M. Fulmer and Jared L. Bleak
AMACOM, 2007Reviewed by Jeffrey Schieberl JD, MBA,
Practitioner Faculty of Business Law
Fulmer and Bleak argue that a business organization is most likely to survive if it has strong leadership development strategies.
The Appreciative Inquiry Handbook, 2nd Edition
By David L. Cooperrider, Diana Whitney, and Jacqueline M. Stavros
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008Reviewed by Michael L. Williams,
Assistant Professor of Information Systems
The authors do an excellent job of balancing the pragmatic needs of the organization development practitioner with the theoretical, research-based underpinnings of appreciative inquiry.
