Book Description

Reviews (133)

In-depth look at the dark side of our modern global economy
A tremendous amount of research and analysis has gone into this informative study of the dark secrets behind the brands that dominate our lives in Western society. The neglect and deliberate lack of social responsibility, both alarming and disturbing, that has become a central element to the maufacturing and business activities of some of the world's largest and most recognizeable brand names is staggering. How can these self-proclaimed leaders of our economy be so callous? Klein details their motivation and the evolution of such nefarious practices, as well as the collusion of corrupt and greedy local authorities in developing nations, which serve to sustain and propogate such injustice. On the flip side, Klein offers hope through her exaustive examination of the counter-movements that have to a degree succeeded in keeping the rampant exploitation of the afore-mentioned multinationals in check and on their toes. The book is written in an open and accessible tone, with down-to-earth interpretations of the patterns of disdain for labourers and their rights as well as for the environment and our planet's dimishing natural resources, all in an unrelenting quest to reinforce the brand name and dominate the market share. I for one will never look at brand logos such as the Nike swoosh, the same again. For that matter, thanks to this important and timely book, I will carefully monitor such questions as freedom of expression and the control that such corporations as Wal-Mart have on the content of what we as consumers have access to.

Major flaw in growth rate analysis
With in a few pages of this book I found a glaring error that somewhat negates Kliens argument. I'm refering to the claimed "astronomical" increase in advertising by corporations over 19 years. Klien shows a graph of year versus advertising expense (in billions). It starts at 50 billion (in the mid 70's) and grows to just under 200 billion in the late 1990s' (1996 I think). Anyway any first year finance student with a financial calculator can calculate what kind of increase this is. (ie present value = 50, future value = 195, n= 19 solve for interest) This calculation gives compounding annual percent increase of about 7.5 %. This, dear Naomi, is not by any stretch of imagination, is an "astronomical" rate of increase. It is essentially the rate of inflation. This is what would expect for any company that their expenses would rise with inflation. Note that share price growth rates far outstripped these advertising expenses. Infact looking at her figure (1.1 i think) you see that advertising costs basically followed the economic cycle with less spent in reccessions and more in the good times. You could draw a similar graph for wages expense etc. etc. Unfortunately the arguments constructed on the basis of "astronomical" increases of advertising expenses are therefore wrong as they as based on an incorrect premise.

This glaring bit of ignorance on the authors part causes the reader to question how else other data and information is incorrectly presented or mistakenly interpreted. To be credible the journalist/researcher/Naomi has to take a dispassionate stance and see what the numbers are actually saying rather than what you want them to say. Any thing less, and your fooling yourself and misleading your readers.

I'm not finished the book yet and I hope not to find another howler like this or I won't bother to keep going.

Ps. I'm finding the book interesting, I'm just very dissapointed in such a dreadful error in logic occurring so early in the book.

Still Relevant
Although some of the material presented here is dated, I feel that this book is still very relavent today. Everyone should be aware of the level of infiltration these brands have made in our society and our everyday lives.

There were several ideas that I took away from the book that I felt were very important (and I hadn't really read about in depth before). I particularly liked the discussion of the 'brand and not product focus' idea. I didn't enjoy the discussion of culture jamming nor did I really like the way that she tended to revisit the same events over and over through the book (the McLibel Trial).

Overall, I liked the book and it stirred my interest enough in the subject to do some research of my own into these issues.

A great read, a wonderful find
Superb, powerful impact, well written, hard to put down. A truly important book discussing today's society and the corrosive impact we all knew existed, but couldn't describe. Klein does - extremely well. She has the insider's knowledge, the perspective of one not infected, and the intellectual analysis which lets us mere mortals peek into the steel souls and hearts of today's boardrooms and corporate cabals.

A book worth having. Don't lend it out! it will grow legs and disappear!

A book that should be more widely read
Despite having become modestly dated in its details (a updated edition or follow-up work would be welcomed), Naomi Klein's book No Logo remains an important work about the blurring boundaries between global business and global culture. Since its publication, much of the globalization furor directed at Kathy Lee, McDonald's, Nike, Shell Oil, Pepsi, and others has died down or been redirected at health, local impact (e.g., Wal-Mart stores) and other important but ancillary issues (take, for example, the movie Super Size Me). The fact that the noise has subsided does not, however, mean that the problems Ms. Klein cites have disappeared. More likely, the companies subjected to such scathing public rebuke have better learned how to play the game, managing their PR more effectively and hiding further and further behind layers of subsidiaries, contractors, sub-contractors, and locked factory gates.

No Logo is a significant work, deserving to be much better known than it is. American consumers -- that is, all of us -- need to reach a much better understanding of how brand management has evolved into culture management, how Starbucks and Nike and Gap and The Body Shop and so many other companies are infiltrating our subconscious and controlling our cultural dialogues. No Logo still serves as an eye-opener for those who have been spending so much time at the mall that they have not yet seen what is going on around them.

Sadly, No Logo is not the most approachable of books for the general populace. It is over-long and over-detailed, bogging down in topics that are probably exciting to radical activists (like billboard jamming) but are sleep-inducing to most readers. Like many people who are involved in activism, Klein sometimes loses the forest for the trees, giving us so much insider detail about causes and people we don't know that we lose interest in, and attention to, her real message. My rating of only four stars, while certainly positive, derives from Klein's tendency to preach too much to the converted and spend too little time educating the as-yet unconverted.

The book is divided into four sections: No Space, No Choice, No Jobs, and No Logo. The first two sections, encompassing the first eight chapters, are well worth the price of the book by themselves. Readers will come to a new understanding of how the public spaces around them are being manipulated by mega-corporate messaging, how those corporations hide behind a public face of social consciousness, and how violently they respond when anyone seeks to question their self-proclaimed high moral ground. I would recommend these eight chapters as required reading for every third- or fourth-year high school student in America. Chapter 16, "A Tale of Three Logos," is also a fascinating account of less than admirable behavior on the parts of Nike, Shell, and McDonald's, definitely worth reading.

I can only hope that Ms. Klein will someday revisit her subject matter again, perhaps to publish a more streamlined and updated version that will reach a wider audience. She deserves the audience, and the American public needs to hear her voice. Despite her understandable tendency toward one-sidedness (perhaps necessary in this case to avoid being drowned out by Nike and McDonald's commercials and Starbucks ads), Naomi Klein's No Logo is an important book that all consuming Americans should read. ... Read more

Book Description

Over the last 150 years the corporation has risen from relative obscurity to become the world's dominant economic institution. Eminent Canadian law professor and legal theorist Joel Bakan contends that today's corporation is a pathological institution, a dangerous possessor of the great power it wields over people and societies.

In this revolutionary assessment of the history, character, and globalization of the modern business corporation, Bakan backs his premise with the following observations:

• The corporation's legally defined mandate is to pursue relentlessly and without exception its own economic self-interest, regardless of theharmful consequences it might cause to others.

• The corporation's unbridled self-interest victimizes individuals, society, and, when it goes awry, even shareholders and can cause corporations to self-destruct, as recent Wall Street scandals reveal.

• Governments have freed the corporation, despite its flawed character, from legal constraints through deregulation and granted it ever greater authority over society through privatization.

But Bakan believes change is possible and he outlines a far-reaching program of achievable reforms through legal regulation and democratic control.

Featuring in-depth interviews with such wide-ranging figures as Nobel Prize winner Milton Friedman, business guru Peter Drucker, and cultural critic Noam Chomsky, The Corporation is an extraordinary work that will educate and enlighten students, CEOs, whistle-blowers, power brokers, pawns, pundits, and politicians alike. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

A coolheaded call to action
This is a very readable exploration of the characteristics of the corporation as an institute. The author contends that the modern corporation "can neither recognize nor act upon moral reasons to refrain from harming others. Nothing in its legal makeup limits what it can do to others in pursuit of its selfish ends, and it is compelled to cause harm when the benefits of doing so outweigh the costs." As stated in the book's introduction, the book is intended for the layperson. I found the author's exposition clear, and the examples he used to back his arguments compelling.

Despite the fact that the book discusses a dry topic the book has attracted popularity. This may be due to the documentary based on the book, but in my opinion can be ultimately attributed to the author's idea of giving a face to the abstract entities that are corporations. In a chapter the author pointedly asks a renowned psychologist (Robert Hare) to diagnose the characteristics of the corporation as if a person. The psychologist likened the corporation to a psychopath (The passage I quoted in the preceding paragraph should be read in this vein).

Shocking the amoral characteristics of corporations the author exposes may be, the critique against them is hardly new. The core-periphery theory in social sciences placed the harms of multinational corporations at the center of its argument. In fact it may be argued that the entirety of the author's criticism lies within the sphere of Marxist theory.

The strength of the book lies in its accessibility and updated, relevant examples. Inclusion of passages from interviews the author conducted with eminent scholars ranging from the far right (as Milton Friedman) to the far left (as Noam Chomsky), as well as with current business executives makes sets for an animated tone. However what I found most original and interesting was the author's legalistic viewpoint:

"No one would seriously suggest that individuals should regulate themselves, that laws against murder, assault, and theft are unnecessary because people are socially responsible. Yet oddly, we are asked to believe that corporate persons -- institutional psychopaths who lack any sense of moral conviction and who have the power and motivation to cause harm and devastation in the world -- should be left free to govern themselves."

"One premise of democracy is that, as citizens, all people are equal, at least within the political sphere. Everyone has one vote, regardless of his or her wealth or social position, and that means, in relation to corporations, that every citizen has an equal say about how these powerful entities must behave. Moving regulation of corporations from government to the market immunizes them to the effects of citizen's participation in the political process and leaves their control to an institution where one dollar -- not one person -- equals one vote."

And this incidentally is where the personification of corporations appeared most poignant.

The Omnipotent Corporation
The Corporation - The Pathological Pursuit of Power and Profit, has public relation firms scrambling to re-engineer their "good will" strategies.

Joel Balkin takes you on a timeline tour of the corporation from its humble beginnings when proprietors were responsible for the day-to-day management of the business and shared jointly in liability,tomodern day corporations whose majority stockholders are shielded by layers of management and laws so that they are neverlegally responsible for any damages.

Balkin unveils the modern day corporation as essentially taking little to no responsibility for any wrong doing and being primarily motivatedto increase the interests of its shareholders at any cost.Today's corporations only obey the law when the cost of the crime exceeds the profits and the only social responsibility that they project is that which the public relation firms are paid top dollars to formulate.

This novel was both insightful and disturbing.The comparison and similarities of the psychopathic individual to the corporation seemed to be a stretch at the beginning and grew to be disturbingly real the more you read. Considering that psychopathic individuals do not show remorse after a crime or have any social conscience, the definition of the corporation as a clinical psychopath, considering the harm they inflict on the environment and people, seems to be a logical one.

The Corporation is essential reading for anyone whois tired of keeping their heads in the sand.

Civilizing Capitalism? Taming Corporate Weasels? Good Luck!
"The Corporation" is one of my dream books come true. It is a well researched bare knuckles expose of the structure and structural defects of the for-profit corporate entity. Prof. Bakan has expertly exposed why corporations are so often seen as parasitic and predatory- like maladjusted children or glitch-ridden robotic programs, set loose like the proverbial bull-in-a-china-shop, trashing anything that gets in the way of their blind, rabid, selfish lust for profit at all costs.

One should know, however, that Bakan is not an anti-capitalist zealot. Rather, he only takes issue here with what he sees as the central corporate problem and that is a defective operating blueprint in dire need of a serious, rapid overhaul- top to bottom. He sees the corporate entity as easily brought into conformity with a new civilized operating structure- a structure based on public benefit, responsibility and concern for sustainable resource use, environmental sensitivity and most importantly, a humane and fair distribution of corporate profits.

Sounds like a pipe-dream? While I am more skeptical than most about the success probabilities of trying to potty-train irresponsible parasites like the infamous "capitalist-corporate pigs", Bakan certainly appears to understand the fundamental need ofcorporations and that is: the obsessive, pathological desire to stay in business and keep making money at all costs- even if that means being hemmed into civility for their very survival. And shareholders are well-advised to take note of this, continued stock value depends on sustainable, lawful conduct.

With a carrot of continued profits dangling in their sights, and convinced by the success of other corporations that have seen the light and profit in applying sustainable/regenerative practices, it is still a crap-shoot, but Bakan seems to have an abundance of guarded faith that a corporate structural overhaul will save the day.

This same guarded optimism is seen in the writings of one of the most famous government and corporate critics of them all, Prof. Noam Chomsky, who also holds no punches when pointing-out the nefarious schemes and skullduggery of corporations and government alike and this can be seen in his book, "Hegemony or survival...", et al.

In their book, "Natural Capitalism", authors Lovins and Hawken are very enthusiastic also about the success of those corporations who have made a remarkable turn-around in their refined, socially responsible operating methods and profits are soaring for them. All they needed was a little, OK, a lot of guidance to get on the right track, but their current growth-rate demonstrates that, a) It can be done, and, b) success is the reward for doing the right thing.

In his book "The Great Work", Thomas Berry is also onboard with Bakan and Chomsky in pointing out from top to bottom, the defects of current corporate structure along with the environmentally, unsustainable, resource depleting life styles of the general public and does not mince words in chastising this foolhardy, un-Godly dead-end existence, but with an abundance of positive guidance to a more sane relationship with all life.

Can corporations change for the good? They must! Their survival, let alone common decency and civility demand it, so here is a simple, but profound ancient Chinese Proverb they can chew on for motivation: "If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed." ...and in this case, that is the chaos of a corporate shark frenzy- and there are no winners there. (Proverb borrowed from Duane Elgin's book, "Promise Ahead").

Corporations arewell advised to take seriously Joel Bakan's message and the `profit' in doing so will undoubtedly be rewarding. I highly commend and thank him for this potent piece of work!

Accessible, Bold, and Topical
Very few books cause you to stop and think and re-evaluate your view of the world. "The Corporation" is one of those books.

Bakan argues that a corporation's singular (legal) responsibility is to generate profits. Consequently, any other interests - its workers' welfare, the environment, its affects on society or culture, etc. - can, and often are, disregarded in the corporation's quest for profits. Moreover, this single-mindedness (with no regard to moral or ethical concerns) makes the corporation a textbook example of a psychopath.

Bakan's writing is very fluid and his arguments well organized and researched, drawing from historical and legal examples as well as numerous quotations or interviews from leading business leaders, economists, politicians, and activists.

The book does a good job of articulating the topical issues of the corporation's role and its consequences for society. Ultimately, his conclusions may be unappealing to some, but his arguments and examples reach the crux of the problem and capture the position of those troubled by the corporation in precise manner which cannot be ignored.

How Do Humans Kill Psychotic Corporations Maximizing Profit?
1.Corporations Rise to Dominance
a)1865-1885 Railroads cause corporations to become huge.
b)1886 Clerk (ex railroad president) misinterpreted US Supreme case of Santa Clara County v (Stanford's) Southern Pacific Railway to mean corporations were "persons" under 14th amendment (i868) with full constitutional rights
c)1890-1910 Delaware and New Jersey start race to bottom to remove restrictions on growth of corporations (e.g., OK to merge)
d)1908 AT&T start good corporate citizen PR campaign to counter fear of monopolies.
e)1933 US Supreme Court Justice Brandeis believed corporations were evil Frankenstein monsters .

2. Business as Usual
According to Nobelist Milton Friedman, the sole purpose of corporations is to maximize profits for its stockowners.

3.Externalizing Machine
To maximize profits, corporations will dump any costs on others and avoid, understaff, or underfund any law.

4.Democracy Limited
Corporations have no morals or loyalty to the USA.
a)1934-35 Wall Street's richest (e.g. JP Morgan, Pitcairn, Mellon,Rockefeller, Hutton, GM, Pew) plotted to replace FDR with fascist dictator. Plot was thwarted by honest patriotic General Butler. No rich traitors were hanged for treason.
b)1933-1945 GM, Ford, Rockefeller's Standard Oil,IBM and others did profitable business with the Nazi state and Nazi corporations both before and during war in violation of no trading with enemy laws. No rich traitors were hanged for treason.

5.Corporations Unlimited
Corporations exploit everything on planet to maximize profits. Public sectors are being shrunk to open new profit centers.

6.Reckoning or Solutions
a)Bakan empasizes stronger regulations, more political democracy and robust public sphere. This method will fail becuase as economist Stigler noted the House, Senate, and federal agencies with revolving doors have been captured by the rich via the corporations they own.
b)This reviewer has more hope in the courts.
Citizens should follow Luther's example of nailing his theses on church doors. Citizens should nail the 1886 US Supreme Court case of Santa Clara County v (Stanford's) Southern Pacific Railway on every courthouse door. It would be a massive protest of real people against fake persons.
c)The 50 state attorney generals.
Corporate charter cancelation laws are a well-kept secret. This reviewer suggests spreading the word. Spitzer's view of these laws is also inspiring (p 157):
"If a corporation is convicted of repeated felonies that harm or endanger human beings or destroy our environment, the corporation should be put to death, its corporate existence ended, and its assets taken and sold at public auction." ... Read more

Book Description

Ethics in business is the most urgent problem facing America today. Now two of the best-selling authors of our time, Kenneth Blanchard and Norman Vincent Peale, join forces to meet this crisis head-on in this vitally important new book. The Power of Ethical Management proves you don't have to cheat to win. It shows today's managers how to bring integrity back to the workplace. It gives hard-hitting, practical, ethical strategies that build profits, productivity, and long-term success.

From a straightforward three-step Ethics Check that helps you evaluate any action or decision, to the "Five P's" of ethical behavior that will clarify your purpose and your goals, The Power of Ethical Management gives you an immensely useful set of tools. These can be put to work right away to enhance the performance of your business and to enrich the quality of your life. The Power of Ethical Management is no theoretical treatise; Peale and Blanchard speak from their own enormous and unique experience, They reveal the nuts and bolts, practical strategies for ethical decisions that will show you why integrity pays.

"So Vince Lombardi was wrong. Winning is not the only thing as headlines and hearings from Wall Street to Washington confirm. Now comes a better game plan from the powerful one-two punch of Ken Blanchard and Norman Vincent Peale in a quickreading new book, The Power of Ethical Management. Peale and Blanchard may be the best thing that has happened to business ethics since Mike Wallace invented 60 Minutes.

-- JOHN MACK CARTIER

Editor-in-Chief

Good Housekeeping

Reviews (6)

Ken Blanchard has done it again!
Simply one of the best (if not THE best), most enjoyable, and most entertaining books on ethics, morality, character, and leadership.

This short and easy to read masterpiece by two of the most influential business and spiritual thinkers of our time should be required reading for all managers and leaders in any organization - business, family, government, military, etc. The stories and situations used to teach the many commonsense (but unfortunately not common practice) lessons are real and recognizable to everyone. The power and wisdom behind the three "Ethics Check" questions and the "Five P's of Ethical Power" for individuals and organizations are priceless.

If you ever wondered why some people and organizations make such a big deal about ethics, read this book and you will wonder why more people and organizations do not make ethics their top priority.

Ethical issues pondered and pontificated on.....
I have always been a fan of Mr.Peale's books so when my college professor assigned this book as mandatory reading, I was delighted. I enjoyed the use of parables to talk about ethical issues. Each story made you think about ethics and how/when to apply them. I do not know about Mr.Blanchard's writings but I think he focused on the business aspects of ethical dilemmas. The 2 authors make a good team and wrote a very informational book. There are lots of great sayings as well as principles about ethics. An enjoyable read as well as a thought-provoking little book.

You are not alone
For those who feel alone in a sea of ehtical dilemnas, this book will make you feel like you are in good company and not alone. I have worked hard to earn my way up the ladder, only to be struck down by those who made it by simply getting into the good 'ol boy club.

Ken Blannchard's book is the lighthouse in the fog of unethical practice and behavior. This book sheds light on the real value of ethics and that getting ahead at any cost is not the norm.

Ethics in the workplace is a practical and valiant 'goal', excuse me, 'road' to travel. I was amazed at how this book described my own workplace to a "T". This book inspired me to continue to travel the ethical road I held (and still hold) in high regard.

I have read many of Ken Blanchard's books and he uses the method to teach by using real world scenarios. This particular book reads fast, but the concepts stay with you.

A MUST READ!
I have just finished reading "The Power of Ethical Management," and I thought it was well written. In the past few weeks I have read several other books on business ethics and this one is my favorite. It is short and exact with great details on how to improve your corporation as well as yourself. This book not only can be applied to the work place but in your life at home, family, friends, and children. This book has helped me greatly!

The importance of personal ethics in the workplace
I have found this book, while easily readable, carries a lot of weight because of its emphasis on personal value systems and how they apply to our professional life. I appreciate the storyline and can easily apply his words to my own life. ... Read more

Book Description

Now readers can approach the new millennium by incorporating Burkett's tried and true advice into their business world with this updated edition of the best-selling classic containing some of the actual study material used in Burkett's worldwide seminars. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Every Self Employed Person Should Read This Book!!
Although it is written from a Biblical perspective, EVERY self employed person needs to read this book. It is packed with common sense business principles which, in this world-gone-mad with secular humanism, most of us have lost sight of. It doesn't matter what your faith is... even an athiest would greatly benefit from the business principles taught in this book. It turned my little mom-and-pop business, and my life, around to the direction it should have taken in the first place.

Tested over Time
I read an earlier version 10 years ago and tried many of the concepts. They were straight forward and easy to understand. I just read the latest version and it stands the test of time.

I give away 12 a month
This book is so good that I give away 10-20 of them a month. I set people up in business and I send it to all my new dealers. Read it and you will know how GOD wants you to run HIS business.

Incorporating Godly Principles into "YOUR" business
I would recommend this book to business owners who seek to run their business by God's principles. There are several chapters covering, hiring, firing, suing, and probably most importantly tithing.

Not being a business owner however, I must admit it wasn't what I was looking for. If you're looking for a book on balancing your work and life while keeping God's will first- this isn't it. Nonetheless, it was a well written book; I'm interested in reading other books by this author.

Great for causing you to think!
As someone who is considering starting a business, it is great to consider contrary ways to what is shown as the "everybody does it" ways of stretching out vendors, and focusing on Integrity. I HIGHLY recommend this for anyone considering starting a business. ... Read more

Book Description

How should you respond if you are offered an opportunity at worksolely because of your race or gender?

What should you do if asingle parent on your staff is falling behind in his or herwork?

How do you lead the launch of a product you know will beextremely controversial?

This is a book about work choices and lifechoices, and the critical points--or defining moments--at which the twobecome one. It examines the right-versus-right conflicts that everybusiness manager faces and presents an unorthodox yet practical way formanagers to think about and resolve them.

When making hardprofessional decisions, managers often use personal values as atouchstone.According to Badaracco, however, resolving such dilemmasis not as simple as the inspirational do the right thing school ofethics would have you believe. Defining Moments reveals an alternativeapproach that helps managers tackle the more complex and troublingquestion of what to do when doing the right thing requires doingsomething else wrong, or leaving another right thingundone.

Drawing on philosophy, literature, and three stories thatreveal the increasing complexity today's managers face as their careersadvance, Defining Moments provides tangible examples, actionable steps,and a flexible framework that managers at all levels can use to makethe choices that will shape not only their careers, but theircharacters.

Compelling, readable, and absent of ethical jargon,Defining Moments gets to the core of what makes being a manager sodifficult, as it explores what it means--and whether it's evenpossible--to be a successful manager and a thoughtful, responsiblehuman being. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Required Reading
Great choice for any manager or business administration student.

Tackling the Dilemmas of Ethical Choices
A few weeks ago a customer of mine asked my assistance to help his organisation to write an ethical code. I knew he had been "working" on this topic for the last 2 years and that he had been applying some of the principles I teach in my emotional intelligence classes. Apparently, this hadn't been enough to solve his problem, but it was enough to come back to me to seek my advice. This was one of the books I bought to document myself on the issue.

This book was a good resource by providing me different points of views concerning the question, and by pointing out that it's not a simple matter of making a choice (for instance, one lead by intuition and emotions, as is recommended sometimes). The cases presented point to several kinds of dilemmas: the personal ones (choosing between what's right for you and for the organisation), the managerial ones (choosing between the organisation and the people that ore working for it) and the social ones (choosing between the organisation and the larger social system it's a part of). The book also points out different sources we have for basing our decisions on.

The problem remains that values and principles often point into different directions. Ethical choice techniques such as the "sleep-test", the "golden rule" and other sources of inspiration do not solve this.

Learning from that, it becomes clear why one should not expect to find the answers to your ethical problems in this book. Finding "the" answer is "impossible". In a "defining moment", you will have to examine which values you are committed to, these values will be put to test (will you go for their implications) and they will shape your future. I believe (with the author) that there are no easy answers to the *real* issues we are faced with. That's why this book shows in what way you have to search for your answer. Reading this book will at least allow you to ask the right questions and to look at various aspects in order to make a personal choice.

If I would have read this book earlier, my own book would certainly have included a reference to it.

What will I tell my customer? Well, writing the "code" won't be enough, in stead we should focus on teaching people how to make an ethical choice.

Patrick E.C. Merlevede, M.Sc is the main author of "7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence"

Excellent Book on Ethics (for everyone)
While this book may seem catered towards business management issues (and the examples given in the text are), the ideas, values and approaches presented within the text are universal. I, myself, am not a "business person" or "manager" and found this book extremely enlightening and helpful, and can apply the values and examples to my own life and work.

The basic premise of the book revolves around (what Badaracco calls) the "defining moments" of an individual's life; these are instances in which a person is faced with a decision that has no clear "right vs. wrong" answer (which he calls a "right vs. right" question), yet the decision the individual makes will define who the person is in times that follow. He uses three different examples of real-life quandaries that managers have faced in the past (as well as their conclusions). Badaracco does not tell his audience how they should act in a given situation, but instead, gives the audience the introspective tools needed to make better decisions that support who they are as an individual.

Again, terrific book and well worth anyone's time who is interested in the ethical decision making process.

10 STARS IF I COULD!
I don't know how this book reach to my hands...thank God. Defining moments is one of the most inspiring and intelligent books I have ever read (...read it and you will see). Badaracco presents a very pragmatic and eclectical easy-to-do framework to decide between several choises that sometimes present to be strong dilemas. Badaracco advises us to learn who we are and who we want to become...he smartly affirms that what we decide in this moments will define our values and ourselves (that is why he call them "Defining Moments"). No more we will have to stay awake at night trying to solve these dilemmas and feel insecure about our decisions. You will also learn a great deal about extreme approaches to decision making....from the moralism of Aristoteles to pragmatism of Maquiavelo and Nietzsche in an easy reading.

Best book on the subject.
As an attorney who teaches business ethics inside corporations, I've read many books on this subject. This is the best. It focuses on the way real world ethical dilemmas arise -- not in decisions between right and wrong, but between two options, both of which are "right." This is a short, practical, readable book that really makes you think. ... Read more

Book Description

Two experts in the field look at business ethics in a radically new way, stressing the importance of considering ethics as an issue that can be taught and managed much like other cultural characteristics. It provides readers with an understanding of how corporations can positively influence the behavior of employees, and how to improve the ethical decision making capabilities of their employees. Uses easy-to-understand terms to describe ethical dilemmas, concentrating on typical dilemmas businesses encounter, how managers can encourage ethics in their departments and how an organization can manage ethics through its culture. Features actual company examples and advice from managers in organizations who are "doing things right." ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Simply the best book on How To Do It Right.
I have searched for many years for a book that outlines the very techniques and recommendations I found in this book. In fact, I thought I might have to write such a book myself until I stumbled onto Linda Trevino and Katherine Nelson's work. I strongly recommend this to any executive or employee trying to deal with organizational ethics. The book contains practical recommendations for dealing with ethics at all levels of a company.

Outstanding Business Ethics Resource
I have long thought other books focused too much on philosophy or large scale ethics problems at corporations. This book gives everyone advice and practical tools to deal with ethics at all levels in a company. I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to find out how to apply ethics in their organization.

Essentials on Business Ethics
This should be mandatory reading for business leaders today. It is one of the leading college textbooks on the subject and for good reason--the stories are incredible.

Having worked at Scott Paper Compnay during the Al Dunlap regime, I know that the stories may be hard to believe but are true.

The chapters do a good job of building on each other and the writing style is readable.

Glad to have the next edition published.

Don't waste your time or $
I don't think the authors have ever worked. The book seems very fluffy and theoretical. Look elsewhere for a practical ethics resource.

Not realistic
the author lives in a dream world and is not in touch with the business work environment of today. Her advice is old-fashioned and out-of-date. Many better textbooks on Ethics available. ... Read more

Book Description

Why do we work so hard at our jobs, day after day? Why is a job well done important to us? We know there is more to a career than money and prestige, but what exactly do we mean by "fulfillment"? These are old but important questions. They belong with some newly discovered ones: Why are people in business more religious than the population as a whole? What do people of business know, and what do they do, that anchors their faith? In this ground-breaking and inspiring book, Michael Novak ties together these crucial questions by explaining the meaning of work as a vocation. Work should be more than just a job -- it should be a calling.

This book explains an important part of our lives in a new way, and readers will instantly recognize themselves in its pages. A larger proportion than ever before of the world's Christians, Jews, and other peoples of faith are spending their working lives in business. Business is a profession worthy of a person's highest ideals and aspirations, fraught with moral possibilities both of great good and of great evil. Novak takes on agonizing problems, such as downsizing, the tradeoffs that must sometimes be faced between profits and human rights, and the pitfalls of philanthropy. He also examines the daily questions of how an honest day's work contributes to the good of many people, both close at hand and far away. Our work connects us with one another. It also makes possible the universal advance out of poverty, and it is an essential prerequisite of democracy and the institutions of civil society.

This book is a spiritual feast, for everyone who wants to examine how to make a life through making a living. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Student of Life
The view going in is very different than the view coming out. Novak's idealism helped to encourage me in my own. I read this book as an undergraduate business student struggling to find the balance that I saw in between greed and good. I so enjoyed his language, examples, and message that I recommended it to my Business Ethics professor. Last I heard, he was planning on using it as one of the textbooks. I gave it a 4 star rating because although it was a good read, it could always be better. Let's leave some room for improvement.

stimulating book yet many issues to be discussed further
After finishing this book, i got the impression that the author has touched something about the philosophical grounding on capitalism, however, the book is not deep enough in analysing these grounds. 1 the moral basw which the author inspected is of the christian ( or rather ) catholic culture, the reasons of the christian culture is the most suitable one to suit with the capitalism are not yet fully explained 2 its hidden presumption on pratising ideal capitalism is having a good government, good smaall societies to support the neighbours or citizens, good law system etc, but if i live in a place full of corruption, business law system not well developed, what should i do? he does not suggest any means 3 the model which he inspected is the usa, he also studied catholic, i would rather say, it is like, when someone got a hammer, all things can be solved by using it 4 i cannot agree more than that, doing business must have moral and courage if you have interest in discussing with me in this book or others, pls email me

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
This book was reccomended by a friend and I was fascinated by the title. The book is a quick read with many references to socio-economic theory and the Catholic way. The book was written by Mr. Novak, a distinguished author who grasps both the economic and theological apsects of modern day business activities. He does a good job of portraying work as a means to help the common good of all society.The idea that being productive as a person in business can benefit others in unseen ways is worthy. Even business can work in its' self interest while helping advance society. Business as a calling tied together many aspects of faith, work and finding meaning in a career. This book should be on the must read list of every young MBA or CEO.

Business is a morally serious calling and Novak proves it.
Novak uses antidotial evidence to show how business can be and often is a virtous enterprise. However his feelings about free market capitalism and the business community are somewhat navie and idealistic. Antidotes are used to support the fact (often forgetten by social critics) that business leaders contribute a great deal to society. I believe this is a good book to read if you are taking a college course in Economic philosophy or business administration. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A really interesting little-ish book
This book was on the prescribed text list for the masters I am doing (Master of Informaiton Technology) and I must say I was pleasantly surprised to read it. Being a technical (engineer) person, it's a generalized opinion that this group (enclave?) we like mathematics, science and engineering books, but not so called 'arty farty' stuff like philosophy. Speaking for me personally, isn't far from the truth...So I thought...groan, not another one of these idealistic, pointless, ultimately altruistic and futile failures to read. Indeed not! I actually enjoyed reading it! (shock-horror). Tavani uses the ploy of relating his ideas to real-life situations (stalking, cracking, etc). This lends the book a serious air of legitimacy. The ivory tower is nowehere in sight (site? pun intended). He doesn't lecture at you like you're a poor, misguided computer geek who could never possibly understand human processes as well as some of his brethen would have you believe (note to pretentious philosophers: we engineer because we are REALLY smart! Not philsophize because we can't do science or mathematics).

Back to the point: the book builds form the point of view that you have never been exposed to ethics. You get a grounding in ethical theories and then move on to learning how to evaluate ethical issues (kind like logic in mathematics without the symbols). He talks about codes of practice and your moral responsibility as a somebody who works, creates or manages a little corner of cyberspace (tell me that word isn't getting done to death like that other hoary old chestnut: 'the information superhighway' *cringe*). It is at this point that the book leaps forward into relevant (if somewhat shallow treatment) of the major issues ike privacy, piracy, crime, security,freedom of speech and equity. These are also posited through scenarios and then the ethics involved are developed through direct discussion of these scenarios. And as I alluded to previously, these give the book an excellent 'hook'. They make the theory real and relevant and rather interesting (and sometimes tragic: you'll see what I mean when you read the first scenario involving a teenage girl stalked thorugh the net and ultimately murdered in realty).

This is a provocative book, but in a subdued, subtle way. The author doesn't speed feed you heaped spoonsfuls of moral outrage with lashings of indignant pontification, just ideas (and these are ever so valuable) in a considered manner. I think the author has really succeeded here. If he can make a totally 'technical' person like me actually enthusiastic about reading it, then that's truly indicative of the book's quality.

The price may be a little high for what is a pretty thin book in a physical sense. Ideaswise it is quite rich, so that's the price you pay (it this ethical? ideas are only available to those who can affort it! Ah the dream of the WWW seemingly has been lost!...only kidding!)

All in all a good book! Thumbs up! ... Read more

Book Description

The Book That Every Citizen and Journalist Should Read

“What this book does better than any single book on media history, ethics, or practice is
weave . . . [together] why media audiences have fled and why new technology and megacorporate ownership are putting good journalism at risk.” —Rasmi Simhan, Boston Globe

“Kovach and Rosenstiel’s essays on each [element] are concise gems, filled with insights worthy of becoming axiomatic. . . . The book should become essential reading for journalism professionals and students and for the citizens they aim to serve.” —Carl Sessions Stepp, American Journalism Review

“If you think journalists have no idea what you want . . . here is a book that agrees with you. Better—it has solutions. The Elements of Journalism is written for journalists, but any citizen who wonders why the news seems trivial or uninspiring should read it.” —Marta Salij, Detroit Free Press


The elements of journalism are:
* Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth.
* Its first loyalty is to citizens.
* Its essence is a discipline of verification.
* Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover.
* It must serve as an independent monitor of power.
* It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise.
* It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant.
* It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional.
* Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience.
... Read more

Reviews (6)

Journalism's New Manifesto - Hold all Newspeople to it!
If you are a reporter, an editor, a source, a media-critic or just want to be more informed about the people informing you -- buy this slim little treasure trove of clear, well-written prose.

It is remarkable for its honest portrait of American journalism circa the New Millenium. It is designed to be a primer for citizens, journalists and journalism students in the issues surrounding:

1)Ethics
2)Commercial Pressures
3)Techniques
4)The Future

And unlike most media-critic books, this one doesn't have a political chip on its shoulder. Nor does it take an arrogant tone, despite it's axiomatic nature (to paraphrase Carl Sessions Stepp).

It's actually a pretty humble assesment by two people who care a lot about journalism.

Clear explanation of the purpose of journalism
Did you ever give much thought to the "unbiased" nature of journalism? Or about "balanced coverage" in articles and newscasts? Well, Kovach and Rosenstiel certainly have -- and their thoughts on these concepts are nothing short of revolutionary.

1. The authors argue that by nature, journalists are biased -- and that this is ok.

2. They also claim that "balanced coverage" is unfair, and should not be a goal of journalism.

Sounds crazy, right? At first blush, yes; but by clearly delineating what journalists SHOULD do, the authors make a strong argument that "bias" and "balance" are misused terms that ought to be discarded.

For example, they say that requiring journalists to be unbiased is unnatural, for bias is part of human nature -- and professional journalists should not be required to forget who they are. Instead, journalists should maintain an *independence* from those they cover, so that they are not unduly influenced by people they interview -- even if they do agree with them.

Likewise, they argue that "balance" should not be a tenet of journalism, because not all voices deserve equal time. The authors instead suggest keeping the news "comprehensive and proportional," so that the time allotted to various parties in an issue is proportional to their role or importance in that issue.

And so, perhaps Kovach and Rosenstiel aren't so crazy, after all. In fact, the book is full of sensible arguments like these, making it a fascinating read; what I've discussed here is only the tip of the iceberg.

I highly recommend it!

Thoughtful and thought-provoking
The project of Kovach and Rosenstiel (indeed, the project of the entire Committee of Concerned Journalists) was to distill and publish the basic building blocks of what we understand as journalism. In this, they do an admirable job. Stressing qualities such as fairness to the facts and activities such as verification, they make a strong case that while the journalist may not be impartial his/her method should be.

Useful for both public and professionals, the book is well-structured with notes at the end of each chapter with pointers to further reading.

Something is Missing
Although this book always recurs to the purpose of journalism: i.e. to inform the public, it always does it narrowly, in the light of the need for an informed public to support the democratic form of government. I couldn't agree more that the recent course of history suggests that mankind is tending toward recognition of the fact that the only legitimate form of government is based on the consent of the governed.

But there is a higher object of information: Survival of the Race. It is obvious that if we survive by adaptation (natural selection resulting in survival of the fittest) that accurate information is indispensable. It was my feeling for many years that communism in the USSR was doomed since every child, biologically programmed to use information to survive, was born an enemy of the state. Furthermore, the USSR always thought it was perfect, so why evolve when we are already perfect?

One can see where that took them.

In view of this I sense that our two authors of this book would greatly profit by reading and heeding THE LUCIFER PRINCIPLE and GLOBAL BRAIN, both by Howard Bloom before revising their book if they ever do. Both books make the real challenge obvious. Survival of the race.

I applaud the recognition of the authors of the fact that persons of less than desirable integrity give the press its current bad name. I've encountered enough of them myself, having had moles sicced on me by what amount to impostors, both so-called journalists, but in view of the fact that the result was my photo occupying the entire front page of a wide circulation "rag" in full color, I had no objections. As John Barrymore said to the Press, "Just spell my name right, boys."

I write books. Name identification sells them and it hardly matters what we are identified for.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an ounce of public spirit. It is long overdue for the pracitioners of the trade to start policing their business better.

After occupying the moral high ground with this pair of authors, however, for the jaded reader who is exhausted with the prospect of the monumental task, I recommend the work of another journalist: Ben Hecht. His CHILD OF THE CENTURY may not recount the highest form of journalistic integrity, just the opposite occasionally, but who can help but roar over a headline of his spicy journal covering the rape of a patient by a dentist?: "DENTIST FILLS WRONG CAVITY!"

Go it, boys!

An important new resource for journalist and consumers of ne
After researching the problems in modern journalism, Kovach and Rosenstiel got the input of journalists and others around the country on the crucial question of how to rediscover and rearticulate the essence of journalists' craft and the role of journalists in society. That is the inspiration and the subject of the book. But this is much more than a rulebook for journalists -- it also explores the critical relationship between those who cover the news and those of us who are consumers of the news. It is serious stuff. It is also exceptionally well-written, fascinating and important. For anyone concerned about the way the news is made and interested in a thoughtful critique and useful suggestions, this is the book for you. Buy it! ... Read more

Book Description

This highly effective text has chapters arranged in seven functional modules to emphasize how legal topics relate to business functions like marketing, finance, human resources, accounting, and manufacturing. Streamlined for easy readability, the text contains excerpted cases offering substantial portions of original language of the court. In addition, the text presents a strong emphasis on ethics, international law and environmental law as well as Internet applications to encourage students to use the Web as a resource. ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides comprehensive, integrated coverageof the entire field of business ethics. It begins with an overviewof today's business scene, then explores the basic tools and techniquesof ethical analysis and moral reasoning and shows how they apply toa wide range of issues in all areas of business — including marketing,finance, management, strategic planning, computer systems, etc. Providescharts showing how to handle different ethical approaches and how to use theapproaches in handling issues. Shows readers how to think through issues toconclusions -- presents both sides of an issue and shows how one can argue toa conclusion.Covers: MORAL REASONING IN BUSINESS:Conventional Morality and Ethical Relativism; Utility and Utilitarianism;Moral Duty, Rights, and Justice; Moral Responsibility, Virtue, and MoralReasoning; MORAL ISSUES IN BUSINESS: Justice and Economic Systems; AmericanCapitalism: Moral or Immoral?; Corporations and Morality; Safety, Risk, andEnvironmental Protection; Whistle Blowing; Marketing, Truth, and Advertising;Protecting Intellectual Property, Corporate Disclosure, and Insider Trading;Information Technology, Ethics, and Business; Workers, Rights: Employment,Wages, and Unions; Workers' Rights and Duties Within a Firm; Discrimination,Affirmative Action, and Reverse Discrimination; Accounting, Finance, CorporateRestructuring, and Ethical Investing; Professions in Business and Professionsas Business; MORAL ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS: The InternationalBusiness System, Multinationals, and Morality; Corrupt Contexts, CulturalDiversity, and International Business; Famine, Natural Resources, andInternational Obligations.For anyone interested in domestic andinternational business ethics. ... Read more

Book Description

This text examines the role of ethics in the business world and ethical dilemmas encountered by managers. Ethical decisions do not take place in a vacuum. Many people, all with their own interests and standards, are involved in business encounters every day. "Stakeholder and Issues Management" is this text?s unique approach to teaching business ethics. It pays special attention to the relationships among the many and varied stakeholders that have roles in business situations. These stakeholders include the market and non-market entities that affect a business. Ethical issues must be addressed by individuals, groups, corporations, and even nations in very different ways, and the consequences differ with each person or group involved. This text gives students practical tools to handle moral dilemmas in the workplace and the world. Topics include risk management, preferential hiring, corporate legitimacy, and moral accountability. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good introduction to business ethics
Excellent text for discussing intermediate level business ethics dilemmas and providing a perspective from which to base arguments for or against a position. ... Read more

Book Description

Unique in perspective, this book offers a comprehensive values-based approach to professional ethics that is sensitive to the primary ethical issues of the workplace and that offers a positive way for dealing with these issues. It focuses on values important to all professionals and on how people do their work, not what type of work they do, and recognizes the strengths of various moral theories and the ways to harmonize as many moral values as possible. Readings (from literature, philosophy, and the professional ethics canon), exercises, and cases offer numerous opportunities for practice in interpreting values and applying them to the workplace.MORALITY AND THE PROFESSIONAL LIFE. What Professions and Professionals Are. What Morality Is. What Professional Ethics Is. Moral Reasons and Explanations. Moral Theories. Moral Analysis and Case Solving. VALUES AT WORK. Integrity. Respect for Persons. Justice. Compassion. Beneficence and Nonmaleficence. Responsibility. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (15)

Interesting look at business and decision-making.
Using four virtues (truth, beauty, goodness, and unity) as guidelines for making business decisions was a great approach for the book. The section on goodness was especially interesting because it mentions how everyday situations can be seen as ethical decisions. I particularly enjoyed the quotes that Morris uses throughout the book which provide other thinkers' ideas about ethics. Morris also does a great job of combining all of the elements at the beginning and then giving his justification.

Remarkable application of ancient wisdom to business world
This book is a delightfully readable and energetic presentation of the classic virtues and their relevance for business and institutional life. Morris does not parade his mastery of the technicalities of academic philosophy (amply demonstrated in his other writings) but does a masterful job of conveying the heart and soul of what motivated the great philosophers. This book is a great step in retrieving philosophy from its cultural obscurity and bringing it back into its natural habitat, namely, everyday life, where all of us seek meaning and purpose in our various pursuits. Morris shows how businesses and institutions can recover the great human values of truth, beauty, goodness and unity by citing not only the famous thinkers of history, but also numerous contemporary business executives who have applied these principles with positive results. This book is a great read for anyone interested in the renewal of morale and meaning in corporate life.

Brilliant
When you ask business people what they think about ethics and morality, they usually answer that these are important things in today's business environment. When you ask them what they REALLY think about ethics and morality, most of them don't want to answer you in any detail. A few will reply that morality is "idealistic" and that one must be "pragmatic" in everyday business practice. The belief that "morality is a topic to be debated after the bills are paid" seems to be the dominant belief in business (and other) circles.

This book, brilliant in every way, attempts, and succeeds, in arguing that wisdom and its concrete manifestation in ethics, should be the cornerstone of business life. The author is a philosopher, and not a business owner, but with his insight into the dynamics of the marketplace and its optimization, his ideas are clearly thinking "out of the box". One can only hope that business leaders (and others) will discover the ideas in this book or some other like it. With today's headlines in corporate fraud and other scandals (some justified and some not), business people need to start believing in the efficacy of ethics in optimizing their business ventures.

The preface to the book concerns "reinventing corporate spirit", the author drawing on the thoughts of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle to set up the foundation for his arguments in the book. He recognizes correctly that it is ideas that fundamentally move the world.

Throughout the book are many interesting insights into the psychology of business practices. When speaking of happiness for example, in relation to Aristotle's notion of eudaemonia, one of these is the recognition that money is frequently not the end goal for business people, the real goal being to achieve admiration in the eyes of others. The resulting ostentatious lifestyle is primarily done to impress, this being a transient and ultimately unsatisfying motivation in the eyes of the author.

The book is divided up into four parts: Truth, Beauty, Goodness, and Unity. Each of these stand for respectively, the intellectual, aesthetic, moral, and spirtual necessities for achieving true happiness.
In "Truth" the discussion is interesting in that it emphasizes the importance of telling the truth not just from the standpoint of what it will do in relation to others, but what it will do for the individual involved. Telling a lie damages one's self confidence. Individuals who practice the telling of falsehoods are intimidated by truth and do not have any confidence in the efficacy of their own minds. In addition, the author discusses the importance of "open-book management": that the sharing of knowledge results in greater productivity among the employees. This is to be contrasted with the nervous attitude among some managers who feel threatened by information, again lacking self-confidence and are in a perpetual state of worry that the dissemination of knowledge among employees or co-workers will result in their comptetitive demise. These views on truth are most refreshing. "Lying is the most dangerously corrosive and subtly destabilizing activities to be found in human life" he says. He's right.

Quoting the Hindu proverb "The true nobility is in being superior to your precious self", the author encourages the view of competition as being one in which individuals surpass their former abilities, instead of worrying about their status in relation to others. He's right.

Even more important is that the author addresses the influence of philosophy in the development of ethical attitudes in business. Ethical relativism and nihilism have wreaked havoc in society as a whole, not just in business, and the author emphasizes the need for coming to grips with these beliefs, and replacing them with sound philosophical systems that are both rational and meshed with common sense. "Ideas rock the world" he states. He's right.

Most refreshingly, the author does not shy away from addressing the issue of self-interest. Confronting the "What's in it for me?" question that is asked by some, he clearly believes that self-interest is not something to be swept under the rug in discussions on ethics and morality in business. "The view that ethics requires total personal disinterestedness is a dangerous distortion of the truly moral point of view", he states. He's right.

Peer pressure and "going with the flow" are always issues that everyone has to deal with in the business environment. Not being labeled as a "team player" can be detrimental to one's growth in a particular organization. The author asks the reader to count the costs of conformity and not to "associate with evil men, lest you increase their number", quoting George Herbert. He's right.

But ethics is not merely a collection of arbitrary rules to follow, the author argues. The right course of action is built into the nature of reality and meshes with human nature and human needs. Since this is the case, the practice of true ethical norms is not only productive, but pleasureful to the individual, and instead of causing boredom as some might believe, alleviates it, argues the author. He's right.

Some might label, and the author does unashamedly, the framework outlined in the book as "spiritual". Goal-oriented, truth-valuing, truth-loving conduct results in a productive, life-loving spiritual individual, in complete antithesis to that of a sterile, non-creative, cynical one who views life as a burden with crosses to bear.

Some of course might view this book, and one on ethics in general, as being "idealistic" or "naive". Such individuals may not wish to even pick it up, let alone read it. But individuals who practice these ideas, or ones very similar, haved moved the world, and will continue to do so.

Genuinely non-Aristotelian look at Business Leadership...
Despite a provocative and promising title, Tom Morris delivers neither a new nor a true approach to the art of business leadership. While the book is occasionally clever and sometimes humorous, the vast majority of this book is mostly just a hodgepodge of relativism only somewhat related to the art of management and leadership. In short, the content of the book leads the reader miles away from what might result from the title scenario.

Morris falls short perhaps because he is simply a mediocre scholar of Aristotle, perhaps because he was a professor of philosophy at a Catholic university, or perhaps because he is simply just a below-average writer. Regardless, the author comes up lacking in both the style and substance of a book premise that could be truly great in more capable hands.

As to style, the book is replete with anecdotes that sometimes illustrate points quite well and sometimes are clearly inserted only because the author had them at his disposal. Likewise, the book is peppered with quotations that interrupt the flow of the narrative and only rarely have anything more than a tangential relevance to the text surrounding it. One such quote, from the author himself, neatly summarizes my view of this production: "Obscurity is not a mark of profundity, however many confused writers have hoped to bully us into believing otherwise." How true, how true indeed: I wonder how many of his students felt the same way after one of his philosophy lectures.

As to substance, the book is almost a complete loss. I say almost because, to be fair, Morris does come close to painting an Aristotelian view of life when he delves into the meaning of life. The author frames up his answer beautifully but then promptly undermines it in his attempts at clarification. To be more specific, Morris claims that the meaning of life is to be found in "creative love" (or, more accurately, in the love of creativity). While this sounds at first blush to be both logical and promising, not unlike the true motive power behind human innovation, Morris explains his surmise so ineptly that it becomes readily apparent to the reader that any proximity to the truth was merely an accident. Far from leading the reader closer to any meaningful answers, Morris abandons the audience as if in mid-thought, convincing them that his conclusions were as much the product of coincidence as of rational thought.

This is just one example of the sort of philosophical inconsistency that exists throughout this book. In nearly every chapter, Morris makes sweeping, unsubstantiated statements and then proceeds as if these statements were self-evident truths. This might be passable if the author were able to consistently proceed from these sweeping statements in a logical progression. However, the reader frequently gets no more than one or two steps away from an assertion masquerading as immutable law when the author creates transparent straw man arguments to bolster his tenuous premises. Even if the reader can forgive (and accept as true) the first premise of the author's progression, the subsequent steps are so disorienting and fallacious that it is hard to move past them.

Perhaps the most obvious example of this is how Morris routinely equates rational self-interest with intellectual myopia. For instance, in painting the entire philosophical landscape, he cites only three schools of thought: Nihilism, Relativism, and Absolutism. While he aptly defines the concepts of Nihilism and he readily betrays himself as a Relativist, he casts Absolutism as the province solely of religious zealots.

Morris's emphatic use of the relativist's scale on which to measure