Book Description

A withering exposé of the unethical practices that triggered the indictment and collapse of the legendary accounting firm.

Arthur Andersen's conviction on obstruction of justice charges related to the Enron debacle spelled the abrupt end of the 88-year-old accounting firm.Until recently, the venerable firm had been regarded as the accounting profession's conscience.In Final Accounting, Barbara Ley Toffler, former Andersen partner-in-charge of Andersen's Ethics & Responsible Business Practices consulting services, reveals that the symptoms of Andersen's fatal disease were evident long before Enron. Drawing on her expertise as a social scientist and her experience as an Andersen insider, Toffler chronicles how a culture of arrogance and greed infected her company and led to enormous lapses in judgment among her peers.Final Accounting exposes the slow deterioration of values that led not only to Enron but also to the earlier financial scandals of other Andersen clients, including Sunbeam and Waste Management, and illustrates the practices that paved the way for the accounting fiascos at WorldCom and other major companies.

Chronicling the inner workings of Andersen at the height of its success, Toffler reveals "the making of an Android," the peculiar process of employee indoctrination into the Andersen culture; how Androids—both accountants and consultants--lived the mantra "keep the client happy"; and how internal infighting and "billing your brains out" rather than quality work became the all-important goals.Toffler was in a position to know when something was wrong. In her earlier role as ethics consultant, she worked with over 60 major companies and was an internationally renowned expert at spotting and correcting ethical lapses. Toffler traces the roots of Andersen's ethical missteps, and shows the gradual decay of a once-proud culture.

Uniquely qualified to discuss the personalities and principles behind one of the greatest shake-ups in United States history, Toffler delivers a chilling report with important ramifications for CEOs and individual investors alike. ... Read more

Reviews (31)

Well written explanation of the fall...a unique perspective
Ms. Toffler and Ms. Reingold capture the essence of a once-great Firm struggling through the tumult of a changing business environment, poor management, and individual greed.

Ms. Toffler was head of a specialized group of consultants within Arthur Andersen offering advice to clients on Ethics and related business issues. She laments the situation she and the Firm were in, offering advice to clients, while having no in-house ethics program ... "The Cobblers Child" as noted in a later chapter.

As an ex-Android, I read this book with a mixture of fascination, fond memories, and sadness. Ms. Toffler provides an excellent explanation of the "fees generated" and "fees supervised" measures which drove partners and managers toward goals at odds with the best interests of the client. The results were, unfortunately, predictable.

With her previous experience at the Harvard Business School and with her own consulting business, Ms. Toffler provides wonderful insight into the issues which ultimately led to the "suicide" of Arthur Andersen.

This is a book of definite interest to any ex-AA or ex-AC employees and to anyone with an interest in the ethical basis for this sad chapter of American business.

Buyer Beware: Toffler was not an Andersen Insider
I just completed this book and I am not impressed. Toffler adds few insights that are not tainted by her obvious disdain for everything (and everyone) Andersen. She spent only 4 years in the firm and was never in any significant leadership role. There are literally thousands of former Andersen partners & employees that could have provided better insight.

This book comes off as very self-serving, a trend that comes to a head on about page 200 as Toffler describes how if only management had listened, she could have saved the day. It is obvious Toffler never earned the respect of her peers. This is not surprising - when I read the decription of the work she did prior to Andersen, I equated it to a senior level role at a Big 5 firm (conducting interviews, documenting issues, etc.). Clearly Toffler was in way over her head as a Big 5 partner.

What she does not mention is that, after being hired as a national partner, she fails to make a name for herself or the consulting service she led. I worked in the same division (BRCA) as Toffler for nearly all of her AA career and never once heard her name or even of her group - she was not exactly a trailblazer. Further, it appears that she left AA after 4 years as a national partner (typically only 2 years are spent at that level) after growing her service line to a total of 8 professionals - a group too small to support Toffler's salary. No wonder she felt intense pressure to sell, though for all her complaining about the pressure and high fees, she never suggests that her salary and lack of success might have caused the pressure, at least in part.

Although interesting at times, this book is not written by a true Andersen insider and better insights were available in the Wall Street Journal when this story was news.

Great Description of the Fall of an American Icon
Very good book overall. As someone in the accounting profession, I found the book to be very interesting. Many defenders of Andersen do not realize that Enron was only one of many reasons that caused Andersen's demise. A string of other audit failures and a culture turned greedy also contributed to the demise. Former Andersen employees will give this book a poor rating, call it garbage, and point out that the author has it all wrong. However, a lot of what she mentions regarding the Andersen culture, Andersen's mad scramble for fees, and infighting within the firm are very well documented in many business articles. As someone who did not work at Andersen, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a good business book.

Nasty and vindictive
I read this book as a recommendation from a friend who called it 'interesting'. I thought it was awful! The author sounded like a child who was left out of the 'in' group and therefor, nothing went her way. The writing was horrible and kept skipping around by years which was confusing. I believe the only accuracy was found in some of the historical events. Unfortunately, she then added her spin and negativism to the events to distribute blame. I have known many people associated with the firm and they are recognized as outstanding and ethical. I have heard stories over the years of clients quitting or 'being fired' because an Andersen accountant would not comply with their wishes. While I don't doubt that every company has some rotten people and it was that situation that brought down the firm, that certainly wasn't the case with the majority of the fine people that ended up suffering. Most the the Andersen partners I have asked about the book describe it as 'junk'. Don't waste your time!

Physician, heal thyself...
This is an odd book, because it's actually two separate books in one cover. The first book, which is essentially a short history of the rise and fall of Arthur Andersen, was no doubt written by the ghostwriter, Jennifer Reingold, and is actually fairly informative. This is the part that gets the three stars - not great by any means, but at least informative.

The second book is interspersed with the first, and purports to be a scathing indictment of the culture of Arthur Andersen, a respected American institution that was subverted and destroyed by arrogance and greed. It's easy to read a lot into this story, since it's really just the current American business ethic in microcosm. Nothing matters here but greed and taking pleasure in stepping in the other guy's face.

What's interesting here is the fact that Barbara Toffler, who clearly considers herself to be an "ethics expert", openly confesses that she was just as ruthless and greedy as everyone else at Andersen. But the reader is left wondering if she ever really quite gets it - does she understand she's just as morally culpable as the Andersen partners she eviscerates? She certainly doesn't seem to be too troubled by her own long list of questionable actions, in any case. The old joke about the definition of "chutzpah" being a person who murders his parents and then pleads for mercy because he's an orphan gets an update here: an unethical peddlar of "ethical services" who turns a quick buck by selling her story. You might feel like taking a shower after you finish this one. ... Read more

Amazon.com Reviews

In the early 1970s, while Silicon Valley was designing the latest generation of digital wristwatches and pocket calculators, a ragtag group of college dropouts, hippies, and electronics hobbyists were busy creating the future in their garages. What they built was the personal computer, but what they were aiming for was something much more ambitious: a revolution. Fire in the Valley is the story of their efforts, and in particular, the contributions of an informal think tank called the Homebrew Computer Club. Its technically gifted community, comprising sci-fi aficionados and Berkeley counterculturists, believed computers could usher in an age of human empowerment, perhaps even a utopia.

The club's most famous member is Steve Jobs of Apple, whose story is told here, as is Bill Gates's, who was strongly influenced by Homebrew. What sets Fire in the Valley apart from the many other books about early days at Apple and Microsoft, though, is its focus on the brilliant engineers and coders who built the foundation that would eventually support those two companies. They included ex-Berkley Barb editor and hardware designer Lee Felsenstein, who was adamant about using computers for populist ends; Adam Osborne, who took PCs to the next level by making them portable; hacker legend John "Captain Crunch" Draper, who used telephony for his own mischievous purposes; and activist Ted Nelson, the Thom Paine of the computer revolution.

The cast of characters is sometimes tough to keep track of, and authors Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine have wisely included a graphic timeline in the first pages of the book that readers will find useful. It stretches from 1800 to 1999, encompassing events that have occurred since Fire in the Valley's original 1984 publication. This second edition includes new chapters and photographs to document the last 15 years, but they serve as more of an epilogue than a new act in this drama. The Homebrew Club's mark on personal computing history is cemented, and Fire in the Valley is an engaging account of it, one that should inspire readers everywhere. --Demian McLean ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Too many authors almost spoil the pot
I'll admit it. I became interested in this book from the TNT movie, "Pirates of Silicon Valley". While this book did a good job telling about the important developers in the computer world, it sometimes seemed like the 2 authors hadn't spoken to each other about what each was going to write about. There were numerous times where the same information and humorous stories were repeated just a few pages apart. This was a good start though to learning some background in the birth of the personal computer.

After finishing this book, you should read, "Renegades of the Empire" by Michael Drummond. This gives more information about the Microsoft covert operations to thwart other companies!

The bible of PC history.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a more entertaining or informative chronicle of the hobbyists and entrepeneurs who created the multi-billion dollar PC industry from practically out of nowhere in the mid 70's. The basis of the great HBO movie Pirates of Silicon Valley starring Noah Wyle and Anthony Michael Hall, to call it a page-turner would be gross understatment.

From the Altair to Apple to the world-wide pervasiveness of the Internet, the entire tale is told in an entertaining and easily read manner, accompanied by a wealth of facinating photographs. Early history with companies such as MITS and IMSAI battling it out for the hearts and minds of computer hobbyists is painstakingly covered, along with a careful tracking of the rise of two pairs of PC pioneers: Steve Jobs and Stephen Wozniak, and Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Over and over the reader is baffled by the ignorance of the large corporations unable or unwilling to understand the market for computers on desks or people's homes, and the bravado of garage start-ups convinced they're on the brink of a new revolution. Originally published in 1984, the book has been painstakingly reviewed and updated by its authors to bring it up to events in 1999.

There are a few bugs, however. Things tend to drag a bit in the middle portion as the authors detail the hobby groups and magazines that sprang up to cover the PC action. Also, I counted only one measy mention of the Amiga, and Commodore only receives a handful of mentions. Of course, what did Commodore ever do for the computer industry, besides creating the C-64, still the single best-selling computer line of all time? This continues a baffling ignorance of Commodore's immense contribution to personal computer history on the parts of digital historians.

But besides this oversight, Fire in the Valley is still an addictive page-turner. It really is a bible for anyone even remotely interested in how this whole business got started, much to the surprise of even those who created it.

It's how we got where we are today...
The TV movie based on this book was rather lame, but this is a great read on how the PC revolution got started.

Competent overview but no depth
This breezy read lightly covers the evolution of the personal computer mostly from the introduction of Altair until Steve Jobs' departure from Apple Computer. Covering as many people, machines and companies as possible the authors don't have time for a in-depth look at anything. The result seems like a 400 plus page newspaper or magazine article. The "Collector's Edition" has several additional chapters covering industry events up to 2000 and also contains a CD-ROM with more materials. I have not reviewed the CD-ROM.

Great review
One those books that gives a real pleasure to read. If you are interested on how computers took over control of our lives and how a few advanced thinkers created what computers are today, you'll enjoy this book. It starts from the very beginning. No screens, no keyborads, just switchs!!!!! Have you ever wondered how computers evolved and who made it possible? Here is. Besides, there are some fantastic pictures from all those that started it all. Accurate book and full of interesting information. If you want to know all that happened, buy it. Strongly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

"This is the book I wish I had written. Andy Law has redefined the agency for the twenty-first century. It will be interesting to see how many agencies follow his lead." – Jay Chiat, Founder, Chiat/Day

"Passion. Rebellion. Guts. Glory. This book has the breathy pace of a thriller. The story of how St. Lukes takes on the advertising establishment is a merger of the ballad of Robin Hoods merry band and the story of David and Goliath. In fact, its a parable not just for the advertising business, but for all business today and tomorrow. St. Lukes is definitely on to something." – Marty Cooke, Executive Creative Director, M&C Saatchi

"Andy Law is one of the few creative executives who has learned by doing, not just telling. So its exciting to have him chronicle all that learning for us. Having watched him build St. Lukes from the start, it feels like watching Neil Armstrong take his first step on the moons surface. He is truly pioneering how companies will have to be run in the twenty-first century." – Geraldine B. Laybourne, Chairman and CEO Oxygen Media

"Creative Company is an intriguing story that captures the soul of the new economy. It is a must-read for managers who want to bring out exceptional performance in their team–or for anyone who wants insight into the future of business." – Deborah Kenny, Group Publisher, Sesame Street magazines

"Its a big book. It needs to be." – Dan Wieden Founder, Wieden and Kennedy

Why does Fast Company magazine call St. Lukes "the ad agency to end all ad agencies"? How can a company function, let alone thrive, when it has "eschewed conventional hierarchy in favor of the flattest possible organizational layout and the craziest ever decision-making process"? And why on earth would some of the most talented and sought-after minds in the advertising world forsake the fabulous perks available to senior managers and risk everything for a company where no one has even a desk to call his or her own?

In Creative Company, the chairman and cofounder of St. Lukes answers these questions and many more. Andy Law writes candidly and enthusiastically about breaking the agency mold and organizing a company in a completely different way.

St. Lukes is nothing if not different–to many, the agency described in this remarkable and challenging book may hardly sound like a business at all. In 1995, a small band of highly creative people who loved the work but hated the workplace established a company designed not only to get the most out of them, but to give the most back–a company in which creativity, curiosity, versatility, and a sense of fun are assets to be celebrated, not encumbrances to be left outside the door. Law recounts how many St. Lukes employee/owners discovered new sources of satisfaction, hidden talents, and even entirely new careers as they encouraged each other to experiment, learn, and grow. Meanwhile, the agencys annual billings soared to more than $90 million in three memorable years.

Complete with revealing tales of advertising legends such as Jay Chiat, Bill Tragos, Frank Lowe, and the Omnicom chieftains, Creative Company offers a fascinating, warts-and-all tour of the advertising industry. It also fires the opening volley of a revolution that aims to do nothing less than alter the "DNA" of business itself and, in Laws words, "furiously seeks a new, better, more fulfilling, and fairer role for business in the lives of its employees."

The St. Lukes story will challenge your preconceptions, stimulate your imagination, and may even change your mind. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Amazing reviews from the Europe edition (called Open Minds)
nick_johnston-jones@leoburnett.co.uk from London , 2 March, 1999 Essential reading and thinking for the office-bound This is a marvellous book in all kinds of ways and an inspiration to all who feel there has to be a better way, but don't see it in "virtual" offices, telecommuting or any of the other dubious possibilities thrown up by new technology. I sincerely hope St Luke's fulfils its potential and provides a model for enlightened 21st century business. The sense of humanity running through the text is so palpable, and the whole is terrifically life-affirming.

A couple of gripes. First, I cannot reconcile all of the proud claims made on behalf of St Luke's output with the questionable quality of work such as their campaign for the Express. Honesty is the key note of Andy Laws' philosophy, and I feel this should extend to a properly critical view of St Luke's work. The risk inherent in their approach (and this applies to other radical agencies such as HHCL) is that in their drive to innovate and be different, the occasional dog will get out. The Fox's work also falls into this category for me: I applaud the originality and bravery of the approach, but find it hard to believe it sold many biscuits. Of course, these may be the deluded opinions of an advertising luddite.

Second, am I alone in finding the epilogue painfully artificial by comparison with the text that has come before? Again, if honesty is the byword here, I simply cannot believe that this high-order philosophical debate (complete with word-perfect quotes from Greek and German philosophers) actually took place as reported. And in the unlikely event that it did, I find the tone desperately pretentious. The protagonists go perilously close to disappearing up their own fundaments, and it's a disappointing ending to an otherwise superb book.

Congratulations to Andy Law and all at St Luke's on their courage and imagination. You deserve to make a mint, then give it all away to society.

Excellent
I just completed this book last week, and it really made me think about my business, where I wanted to go (I don't want my employees to be employees... so this opened up new ideas on how to work on projects, with clients, and run an business).

This book does give information about how salary's were done, vacation time, benefits, and even how shares are allotted, etc. It is a very personal testimony of a life ambition.

What this book is not: it is not a book about how a one person business became like St. Lukes. It is about how a merger happened, and a group of people joined together to keep the big-name clients they already had and make a new company. You won't find tips on how to take a 1 person shop to a 5 person shop, but the book will certainly make you think about how to organize your business, how you will work with clients, and give you a glimpse of a company that runs very well.

Establishing and Then Nourishing a Landscape of Creativity
According to Law, business "can treat you as well or as badly as it chooses, yet we devote our lives unthinkingly to it and donate almost all of our knowledge and learning and creativity and sweat without any regard to its true value." On first blush, this comment seems cynical (or so it did to me when I first read it) and yet I agree with the implication that the unspoken but primary objective of most organizations is to protect their own status quo. As a result, "we have achieved only a small percentage of the innovation we could achieve." In this book, Law discusses St. Luke's, "the ad agency to end all ad agencies," in which he and his associates keep on developing new ideas. Their perpetual vision is to open minds. "And because [St. Luke's] has opened its own and the minds of those who have come to know it, I hope this book contributes to the pursuit of that vision and that you, the reader, husband, wife, employer, human are changed by it in some way."

At this point, I hasten to add that Law does not then provide a series of checklists of key points, what to do and not do, etc. His is what I guess could be called a personal memoir whose focus is on a truly unique workplace, the St. Luke's advertising agency in London. It would be foolish -- however -- for any of his readers to use St. Luke's as a model. Worse yet, to attempt to transform their own organizations into clones of St. Luke's. Rather, if I understand Law's objectives in this book (which I may not), he challenges and encourages his readers to think differently about what they do and how they do it, to think differently about the organization in which they do it, and -- in ways and to the extent appropriate -- to redevelop the "landscape" of their working lives.

There are several reasons why I have such a high regard for this book. Here are three. First, Law shares a number of profound insights concerning quality of life in the workplace. To summarize them in this brief commentary (out of context) would, however, trivialize them. Suffice to say that believing in the value of what you do to earn a living and feeling appreciated by others with whom you do it are two of the most important values within a workplace. Second, much can be done to create a physical environment within which to nourish creative thinking. With meticulous care, Law explains how he and his associates at St. Luke's did so. Finally, Law makes an eloquent as well as convincing argument to support his belief that creative ideas about the process of creative thinking are at least as important (if not more so) as the results of that process. Stated another way, creative thinking requires both new "wine" AND new "bottles."

Law insists that this is not just a business book. "It's also a kind of fairytale I guess because at times I still can't believe it all happened the way it did." In addition to being an entertaining raconteur, Law also offers a number of excellent insights as to how almost any human community can become a "creative company." It remains for each reader to answer various "soul-searching questions" which Law poses. Efforts to formulate those responses as well as the responses themselves will largely determine the value of this book.

A human being first, a businessman second.
Don't let the blurb fool you. Andy Law has not written a how-to book about manging creative businesses. If you pick up some tips about how to do so, that's bonus.

Rather, the author poses some fundamental questions about the role of work, and the interplay of one's economic, intellectual and emotional lives. A subject which ought to exercise us more than it does.

I personally wouldn't like to work in the St. Luke's style. But that a company looks first at its role in the community of its stakeholders, and second at how it might make money, makes it an example for companies far beyond the creative sphere.

Unfortunately, I have heard rumours that St. Lukes has actually had to, er, let people go. Not easy in a co-operative. Does some better-informed reader know if it's true? Sad, if it is. And it doesn't discredit Law's philosophical arguments, nor diminish their importance.

BTW, Andy Law writes beautifully.

They did it and it works !
This is a great book for at least 2 key reasons :

1) they did it and it works ! They created a SUCCESFUL agency with an 100% ownership equally allocated between every employees ! Whatever are the next step of the story (we enter in recession, and their model will be tested) they had the courage to do it and it worked both one "our" terms (money, growth, ...) and theirs (fun, creativity, ...). I seriously doubt you can export the model beyond the "professional services" sector given the "agency cost" (not ad agency, but "Jensen annd meckling" agency problem) and even but forget theories : this book is about practice and St luke will remain in the history of "organisation design" beyond the agency. Anyway, they did it and it score 1 - 0 for them versus the rest of us.

2) The other point is that the book is very well written and that is not so common to find corporate history with such good writing skills combines

All done, a very good book where you learn as much about business that about "how ready you are to do it" (being myself an entrepreuneur) ... Read more

Book Description

On television, Wal-Mart employees are smiling women delighted with their jobs. But reality is another story. In 2000, Betty Dukes, a 52-year-old black woman in Pittsburg, California, became the lead plaintiff in Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, a class action representing 1.4 million women. In an explosive investigation of this historic lawsuit, journalist Liza Featherstone reveals how Wal-Mart, a self-styled "family-oriented," Christian company:

á Deprives women (but not men) of the training they need to advance

á Relegates women to lower-paying jobs, like selling baby clothes, reserving the more lucrative positions for men

á Inflicts punitive demotions on employees who object to discrimination

á Exploits Asian women in its sweatshops in Saipan, a U.S. commonwealth

Featherstone reveals the creative solutions Wal-Mart workers around the country have found-like fighting for unions, living-wage ordinances, and childcare options. Selling Women Short combines the personal stories of these employees with superb investigative journalism to show why women who work low-wage jobs are getting a raw deal, and what they are doing about it. ... Read more

Book Description

A critical reassessment of the ideas that shaped modern management. According to Jim Hoopes, the fundamental principles on which business is based--authority, power, control--are increasingly at odds with principles of life in a democratic society--freedom, equality, individualism. False Prophets critically examines the pioneering theories of the early management thinkers, such as Taylor, Follett, Mayo, and Deming, which intended to democratize corporate life yet have proved antithetical to the successful practice of business. Hoopes challenges popular management movements that followed in the wake of these thinkers and accuses today's business theorists of perpetuating bad management in the name of democratic values. He urges executives and managers to recognize the realities of corporate life and learn to apply the principles of power. He also unveils a new management agenda that will be of paramount significance to modern organizations.

A rich and lively read, False Prophets provides a refreshingly new and original overview of the history of management in the larger context of the American culture, brilliantly illustrating its evolution--from the ivory tower to the shop floor. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Insightful!
Despite its title, this book doesn't say much, or much of substance, about business today. Instead, it concentrates on lively professional and personal profiles of eight twentieth century management theorists of varying impact. Hammer and Champy, who launched the 1990s re-engineering movement, are mentioned only in the conclusion, and the gurus behind managing for shareholder value aren't mentioned. A little less detail about peccadilloes of the long dead and a little more about crucial management ideas that have shaped contemporary business might have made the book more relevant. Interestingly, it indicates that slave owners anticipated some of the progressive ideas in modern management but the author leaves it to the readers to make the connection: voila, contemporary workers believe the cant of empowerment about as much as the slaves believed the plantation master's pieties. We recommend this book for its anecdotal, gossipy entertainment value. It will make you cautious about management consultants - but if you aren't already, you can't have spent much time in business.

The Myth of the Democratic Workplace Exposed
Hoopes does an very good job deconstructing the neo-managment concept of a democratic workplace, contrasting it with the juxtaposition of top-down power in an ostensibly democratic society. If one believes that the US is a democratic society (it's not, it's a republic), then one might take umbrage with his not novel revelation that the workplace functions best in a top-down style. Americans, in particular unionized America, has a big problem accepting this. His examples support this, but further, add light to the discussion that top-down power must be mitigated to some degree (the adage of absolute power corrupting withstanding). After reading his book I beleive that top-down power within a workplace that changes its policies as needed based on the demands and needs of the workers while fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities, is the best mix for success: keep you eye on why the institution exists (profit and/or service), but take care of your workers to accomplish your goals, and yes, management is in charge... This book helps illuminate how we got where we are, without burying the reader.

Can't wait for the Prequel & the Sequel.


I had to read this book twice.

First time with my jaw hanging and the second time highlighting, annotating and working up a storm of sticky notes so I could go look up the names & the fames.

The ripple effect has been tremendous, and I'm looking forward to Dr. Hoopes moving his socio-managerial microscope back to the Middle Ages to dissect vassalage and explain the pathology of serfdom and its parallel to today's corporate structures as well as why this phenomenon persists (prequel).

Then, I'd really like to see him turn the scrutiny on managers of the Great Shareholder Abandonment of the 2000's (WorldCom, CSFB, Enron, Global Crossing, etc.) and prescribe some remedies (for example, a vigorous enema would be just the ticket for Quattrone). I'd also like to see him attend to the waves of college graduates whose opportunity has been sold out from under them to the third world countries with the best Washington lobbyists (this book would be the sequel).

As it is, FALSE PROPHETS is a righteous "Perils of Pauline" cliffhanger, ending with Pearl White (who did all her own stunts, btw) tied to the tracks.

Or, to upgrade the reference, FALSE PROPHETS stops at a corporate "Empire Strikes Back" chapter, with dutiful nonexempt employee Han Solo frozen in a block of schmutz while all the jobs are being offshored and the middle class is posing for the picture that will decorate milk cartons.

Insightful!
Despite its title, this book doesn't say much, or much of substance, about business today. Instead, it concentrates on lively professional and personal profiles of eight twentieth century management theorists of varying impact. Hammer and Champy, who launched the 1990s re-engineering movement, are mentioned only in the conclusion, and the gurus behind managing for shareholder value aren't mentioned. A little less detail about peccadilloes of the long dead and a little more about crucial management ideas that have shaped contemporary business might have made the book more relevant. Interestingly, it indicates that slave owners anticipated some of the progressive ideas in modern management but the author leaves it to the readers to make the connection: voila, contemporary workers believe the cant of empowerment about as much as the slaves believed the plantation master's pieties. We recommend this book for its anecdotal, gossipy entertainment value. It will make you cautious about management consultants - but if you aren't already, you can't have spent much time in business

Over-rated
A book of considerable potential, which it fails to achieve. Worth investigating, but check it out from the library and read it before you buy it.

His basic thesis is that all employees in commercial organizations need to be led from above, but that power corrupts so we should all be skeptical of being led from above. He does have some interesting and useful observations on managment/organizational behavior experts through the nation's (U.S.) history. Unfortunately his personal opinion of their merit keeps getting in the way.

Personally, if I have to choose between Drucker or Hoopes as a management theorist, I'll opt for Drucker. What was interesting and amusing was the contrast between his (Hoopes') story on Elton Mayo and that offered by the Harvard Business School history on the subject. I've never liked Mayo, and don't hold HBS in anything close to the esteem it holds itself. ... Read more

Book Description

If you have to be naked, you had better be buff.We are entering an extraordinary age of transparency, where businesses must for the first time make themselves clearly visible to shareholders, customers, employees, partners, and society. Financial data, employee grievances, internal memos, environmental disasters, product weaknesses, international protests, scandals and policies, good news and bad; all can be seen by anyone who knows where to look. Welcome to the world of the naked corporation. Transparency is revolutionizing every aspect of our economy and its industries and forcing firms to rethink their fundamental values.

Don Tapscott, bestselling author and one of the most sought after strategists and speakers in the business world, is famous for seeing into the future and pointing out both its forest and its trees. David Ticoll, visionary researcher, columnist, and consultant, has identified countless breakthrough trends at the intersection of technology and business strategy. These two longtime collaborators now offer a brilliant guide to the new age of openness. In The Naked Corporation, they explain how the new transparency has caused a power shift toward customers, employees, shareholders, and other stakeholders; how and where information has exploded; and how corporations across many industries have seized on transparency not as a challenge but as an opportunity.

Drawing on such examples as Chiquita's total turnaround on matters of ethics, to Shell Oil's reinvention of itself as an environmentally focused business, to Johnson & Johnson's longstanding and carefully nurtured reputation as a company worthy of trust -- as well as little-known examples from pharmaceuticals, insurance, high technology, and financial services -- Tapscott and Ticoll offer invaluable advice on how to lead the new age, rather than simply react to it.

The Naked Corporation is a book for managers, employees, investors, customers, and anyone who cares about the future of the corporation and society. A new age is upon us, and you can either work with it and thrive, or fight it and die. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Be The Business
Tapscott and Ticoll have written another very detailed, practical and profound book about business that shows their knack for zeroing in on the heart of a momentous change that is stirring in the world and explaining it all clearly and completely. At the heart of The Naked Corporation is the notion that shareholders and other stakeholders are empowered by technology to know more and more about organizations faster and faster, which in turn greatly emboldens them to take action based on their new knowledge. In other words, perhaps the old adage "there's one born every minute" needs updating. They're still being born, but hopefully now only a few per hour? Corporations "getting naked" can't be good news for marketing departments. Their job can no longer be about creating a nice rosy image; companies and products must be the image - for real. Yikes...David Brett, Founder, Knexa.

Executives Should Read This Book
Obviously, The Naked Corporation was a difficult book for Tapscott & Ticoll to write. Perhaps their best book yet, but most likely the book that will attract fewer readers than one would expect. Why? - because The Naked Corporation describes a significant shift in business. Many companies will fear or try to ignore the shift and a few companies will embrace the shift. The Naked Corporation is a must read for executives and managers of performing/troubled/transitioning companies. Tapscott & Ticoll provide a compelling prescription for business success. Reading The Naked Corporation, I identified 24 "gems" (actions) to improve corporate performance and competitiveness. If you can't find at least 24 "gems" for your company to improve performance and competitiveness, then I suggest you ask Tapscott & Ticoll to help you, or get them to write a followup! Good luck and good business!

This is a great book
This is a very good book which has opened my eyes into looking for companies that are honest and transparent with their customers, shareholders and employees. This book calls companies to stop hidding behind secrets that destroy corporations (Enron and others) and start being transparent, by providing informaiton to your customers, shareholders and employees. Companies need to show that they are responsible to the environment, to their stakeholders and other corporations. This book is calling companies to be ethical in their daily transactions and gives example after example of corporations who have fallen because they tried to hide the truth. This book shows that we need strong ethical people to run todays corporations and we as investors need to reward companies who are starting to become transparent. At the same time we need to punish companies who are not taking responsibility for their actions and wrong doings. This book also points out that most investors are blind with their investments and don't even realize what their largest investment is invested in (for most people their largest investment is their pension plan, and I admit I don't know what mine is invested in). This is a very good book and has opened my eyes to at least see what's going on out there and provided me with the tools to do some research and make sure I reward companies that are making an effort to save our environment and be honest with employee's, investors, stakeholders, and customers. The one question I have is are we raising a generation that will be able to have the
qualities needed to run the corporations of tomorrow... Great book...

Some Great Reviews from Top Business Magazines
"This is a fresh and compelling thesis, backed up by some persuasive evidence."
--BusinessWeek

(This) "big idea coherently and most convincingly, combines an analysis of the recent crisis of corporate America with a celebration of the technological revolution...a wake up call."
--The Economist

"Tapscott and Ticoll produce compelling evidence that transparency is an inevitable social phenomenon and that such transparency is good."
--Fast Company

"Tapscott and Ticoll's views are hopeful and sensible, and embodied in a highly readable volume. A good choice."
--Financial Post

"This timely book has a very compelling case to make: in an era of unprecedented access to data, corporations must view the information they provide to investors, employees, and those with whom they do business as a vital contribution to the way they distinguish themselves from their competition."
--The Corporate Library

"The book develops a theory, body of knowledge, and a set of leadership practices for handling this new transparency ... Impressive and eclectic research material."
--The Globe & Mail

"The hard facts, delivered in a sure, clear and engaging style ... expected to send captains of industry over new learning curves."
--Singapore Straits Times

The Net Generation`s Bible
This book explains how transparent and open the world has become. But better than that, it articulates why it is benificial. With so much information at our disposal, it is at times overwhelming, is it not? This books will show the way to cope in the jungle of infomation. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

In this brisk, engaging chronicle of one of the most stunning success stories in American business history, Adam Cohen takes us inside eBay the corporation--where all the important players, including eBay's founder Pierre Omidyar and CEO Meg Whitman, demystify their roles and tell the story straight--as well as inside the community of eBay's passionate users, who buy and sell everything from antique pickle jars and record albums to Ford trucks and $40,000 computer servers. His book reveals the many surprising ways in which eBay's "virtual marketplace" has indelibly changed not only the face of American business but the American cultural landscape. ... Read more

Reviews (47)

An epic journey from a dream to reality
Upon finishing this book I was amazed at the detail Adam Cohen presented to readers about the real inside of eBay. The book travels through time playing on various aspects of the company and reasons to why it became and still is one of the world's most admired and successful companies. Sure, eBay has changed the marketplace as we know it and sure it has affected many lives. But the key element in this story is that one guy's vision of a community, free from obstructing walls, became a reality - something many .com companies failed to achieve. A wonderful read...highly recommended for all!

Informative insider look at a bumbling company
Well, maybe not so perfect. The book itself is fine. What's not so perfect is all the bungling from Ebay's lauded executive team. Particularly by Meg Whitman, the CEO. This book describes the history of Ebay with surprising detail. The author had access to many people involved in that history, including the executives, and it shows. In fact, he was given access to Ebay's premises as kind of their official biographer. These accounts could only come from insiders. It shocks me that Whitman would allow her bungling to come out like this. I would assume she doesn't think she's bungling.

Cohen has a lively and descriptive writing style. Hard to do with a book about corporate business, but he pulls it off nicely. In fact, there where many times I couldn't put it down.

If you want to read the book to figure out why Ebay is so successful I think you may be disappointed. Except for Pierre Omidyar's vision for creating the thing in the first place ... and by the way, the story of him creating it so his girlfriend would have a market for her Pez collection was a fib created by Ebay's promotional person ... what drove the success of Ebay was its community. Every time Ebay's executives bungled, the community stepped in and raised holy heck. Whitman and her staff make poor decision after poor decision yet thanks to the community's outrage Ebay reconsiders and is usually guided onto the right path eventually. And when they're not bungling externally they're bungling internally. Remember that almost 2-day outage in '97? No backups or mirror system! They almost couldn't recover their data and might have had to start over again. Except for Omidyar, who dropped out of the everyday running of Ebay early on, the other executives seemed to be almost amatuerish in their lack of vision and planning. But it did make for an interesting story. The same way that a out-of-control fire is more interesting to watch than a well-oiled machine. I thought Ebay might not have stumbled into their success. I was wrong. The adage about first to market truly made the difference here. This book covers the whole sordid mess surprisingly well.

Surprisingly fascinating
As a frequent user of eBay, I always wondered little things like how the site came to be and why is it called eBay... This book answers those questions. While reading this I was fascinated about how eBay has influenced so many things outside of the internet. The book details the humble beginnings of eBay by one person and his ideals. Along the way it shares stories about the sometimes quirky personalities that have helped make eBay the powerhouse that it is today. It also chronicles the whole dot com era and mentions other players such as Amazon and Yahoo. The book is surprisingly interesting. I don't usually read "business" books but this one I finished in 2 days. I would highly recommend this if you are interested in eBay, the internet, or the internet's influence on everyday life.

Fascinating account of one of the few successful dotcoms
When Adam Cohen set out to chronicle of eBay, he probably did not realize that it would ultimately leave so many other dotcom businesses in its wake. This book is a thoroughly enjoyable account of all the quirky characters who built eBay into an empire, as well as a company that survived the dot-com bust. From the community of people who buy and sell on eBay -- and sometimes wind up getting married in the process -- to the site's enigmatic founder Pierre Obidymar, Cohen's book presents the story of a business that is not just successful but has upset all the traditional business models, became a highly fun place to work -- and extremely interesting to read about. I'd also recommend Andrea Orr's Meeting, Mating and Cheating --- for another fascinating account of a thriving Internet business. This book is about the Internet dating industry and how it has profited from loneliness and infidelity. Another fascinating read.

eBay levels the field allowing free and open trade
One of best books I've read this year. eBay levels the field allowing free and open trade. Cohen should be praised for his outstanding writing capability. You feel the energy of Pierre Omidyar success story as Cohen describes the breakthrough idea of a network of ordinary people collaborating to exchange goods, such that, supply and demand immediately adjusted to the correct price. 1994, Omidyar involvement with eShop made him an instanteous millionare before thirty. Omidyar viewed auctions as "interesting market mechanisms" which produced fair and correct prices. Omidyar said, "if there's more than one person intererested let them fight it out...the seller would by definition get the market price for the item, whatever that might be on a particular day." Omidyar brillance started as he concluded that "most people are honest". From this basic assumption Omidyar built a culture called eBaysian. eBaysian community was grassroot people, who had passions about specific material domains of knowledge and commodities. Message boards, mediators, and rating systems created an unique and safe culture within eBay convincing buyers and sellers to trade. Negative ratings would produce a strong inhibition to trade than a positive rating to encourage a buy. Omidyar vision of people seemed to be correct indicated by the low number of fraud cases. Cohen builds up the story of eBay going public with the selection of a financial officer, Whiteman as the new brilliant CEO, and the surprise that IPO stock prices who jump from $18 to $57 on the first day. Join the soul train as the eBayisians danced around the office. Culturally, it was unpolite to discuss options because upper management thought the fear of depression could strike should the eBay stock take a sudden drop. Skoll, Omidyar, and Whiteman would become billionares within years of the IPO deal. eBay was not without it trials: A few sensational cases occurred, such as, the 15k watch scandal; numerous tolerated crashs and a big crash which helped them realize reduntancy was need and personal changes required to build a fail safe system. Bulletin boards would facilitate the free exchange of ideas and some of the conversation would become heated. Message board regulators kept tempers from getting out of control. eBay would ban certain products: tobacco, alcohol, and guns.
Economics of selling on eBay would remain appealing. Inventory Procurement Services would realize 50 eBay profit margins selling leather jackets. Waites said, "They've always made clear to me that eBay is a level playing field. If I want unique things I don't even ask, because I know we're not going to get them." For example, Stahls promised the community of San Pedro La Laguna she would help stating, "I was watching people who were quitting their jobs to sell on eBay fulltime, I started thinking, if these people can do it, why can't the Mayan people in Guatemala who have all those great crafts do the same thing." Stahl cut out the middle man called the "coyotes", setup computers and laptops, techs to setup a wireless celluar hookup allowing satelite internet feed, and started the trading process. Stahl became half time eBay charity coordinator. The potential existed to create new homes, healthcare, nutrition, jobs, schools for the people of Bethel. eBay brought the Mayian community selling craftsmanships directly into the world economy. "To help the craftsman in the short-term,Whitman decided on the spot that the company holiday gifts that year would be Mayan belts with the eBay insignia, and placed an order for nearly three thousand." I would like one of those belts. ... Read more

Book Description

In a new introduction to his classic text, Charles Handy demonstrates how the key concepts of culture, motivation, leadership, power, role-playing, and group-working remain as important today as when the book was first published."Organizations are not objects.They are micro-societies."This core business text gives students and professionals the tools to analyze and improve these "micro-societies." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Great research into organisations
Charles Handy is one of Britain's management gurus. This original edition of this book was written while he was professor at the London Business School. Although this book is not simple to read and is very comprehensive, it is an excellent introduction to understanding organisations (yes, just like the title).

The book consists of three parts. Part I introduces a set of models/frameworks, for better understanding of people and organisations. Handy selected six themes common to organisations - motivation, roles and interactions, leadership, power and influence, workings of groups, and cultures of organisations. Each of these themes receives an excellent, extremely in-depth literature review, which all have been updated in this 4th edition to include the latest literature and trends. Handy looks at each of these themes from various angles and does not really push the reader into any dominant one; "This book is eclectic. ... It is wise to be eclectic, to pick from each anything that helps, to compile the sort of personal anthology which is what book aims to be." In addition, Handy uses a large number of quotes from other academics to explain his comments.

In Part II, Handy looks at each of the themes introduced in Part I and their impact on organisations. This part is a lot less academic and Handy tries to apply the models/framework introduced in Part I into practice. "One bookcase for the theorectical models, another for the tips and hints on current practice. The discussion in this part is not intended to be a review of best current practice but rather an interpretation, often a provocative one, of the implications of some of the theories that we say we all subscribe to." Handy applies it to people of organisations and their development, the work of the organisation - and its design, politics and change, being a manager, and the future of organisations.

In Part III, Handy provides a brief overview of the relevant field of theory, makes suggestions on useful sources and gives references to the major studies mentioned in the text. "Part Three is for those who wonder about the sources of my ideas, concepts, and theories, or for those who wish to pursue any topic in greater depth." Handy does this on a chapter-by-chapter basis, which is very useful for any MBA-student or researcher.

This book is a comprehensive piece of work into organisations. It certainly helps you understand organisations better, but do not take this book too lightly as it is not for the fainthearted. It is so extremely comprehensive that I do not see anybody read this book in one go. On the other hand, I must stress that the literature reviewed and covered is spectacular and done fantastically. Handy's ability to bring this into perspective with practice is also very strong. A MUST for MBA-students and all other people interested in organisational studies.

Very useful book on organisational behaviour!
If you want a good grasp of the key concepts in organisational behaviour, Mr Handy has done a fantastic job of putting it in an inexpensively priced book which covers most if not all topics in the subject. In fact, even if you are not taking organisational behaviour as a subject, it is still relevant in Human Resource Management & Development courses. For the established HR practitioner, it would be a useful book to have on your work-shelf which you can occassionally dip in, to refresh yourself on key concepts.

a must read!
great work by Mr. handy. The book gives a deep insight and understanding on organisation effectives. It brings into light the various factors that does affect organisations which other business authors describe in parts. The book is divided into three parts. The first part focuses on the models and the second part on its implications. How theory works in practice. A good buy. ... Read more

Book Description

The Washington Post described the collapse of the massive hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management as "one of the biggest financial missteps ever to hit Wall Street." The Wall Street Journal called the fund "one of [Wall Streets] most aggressive offspring" and the Financial Times described it as "the fund that thought it was too smart to fail". Business Week put the collapse down to the fact that "Long-Term Capitals rocket science exploded on the launchpad". LTCM was built on genius. Its founding partners included John Meriwether, the once legendary king of bond trading on Wall Street and Robert Merton and Myron Scholes, Nobel laureates in economics who between them (together with the late Fischer Black) all but invented modern finance through their theory on pricing options. Between 1994 and April 1998 LTCM seemed able to turn this genius into staggering profits. At its peak it commanded funds of US$130 billion and a derivatives portfolio with a notional value equivalent to the entire annual budget of the US Government, making fortunes for those who invested in it. Until suddenly it all went very wrong. Incredibly, it was the assumptions buried deep in the small print of Scholes and Mertons theory on option pricing that had begun to break down, and during that fateful summer of 1998 this breakdown was further aggravated by the regulatory-approved risk management systems designed to avert such a disaster. Based on extensive research and interviews, Inventing Money takes the reader on a fascinating journey. Beginning in Ancient Babylon, Nicholas Dunbar steers a path encompassing the American Civil War, an obscure French mathematician, the chance meeting of Merton and Scholes in the late 1960s, Meriwethers brilliant bond coup in the 1980s, up to and beyond the dark days of collapse and rescue in September 1998. As the story moves towards its incredible climax, the layers of LTCMs trading activities are stripped bare to reveal brilliance and controversy. Merton, Scholes and Meriwether are at the con of this captivating story but as it unfolds, the reader is introduced to legendary characters in the world of finance, moments of groundbreaking scientific discovery and a clear explanation of the seemingly complex seeds of ultimate collapse — options, futures and derivatives. Finance ... Read more

Reviews (38)

Good story telling, but too dumbed down
This book definitely chronicles what you are looking for from the beginnings of option pricing to the LTCM liquidity crisis in Aug/Sep 98. Also, the book gets better as you read on as Dunbar fills in the story quite well by linking events together and relating their significance. My only material criticism is that the book is dumbed down too much. I imagine this is so that the book will appeal to a broader audience than just Wall St types. But, for Wall St types, it drags at times as Dunbar explains basic option pricing, and portfolio and risk management theories. On the other hand, if you are not familiar with these concepts, you should not fear this book for not understanding those concepts - they are explained quite deftly.

All in all, certainly worth the read. A great story! I recommend it to anyone interested in LTCM.

Great narrative of financial engineering...
Dunbar does a wonderful job in recounting the rise and fall of Long Term Capital. This book not only tactfully interweaves the character of the powerful wall street players with their intricate and ingenious strategies, it also effectively accomplishes presesnting the macroeconomic landscape for the reader through well chosen examples from various historical periods. Suspenseful yet fascinating events keep the reader digging through the pages. Though by no means light, armed with basic knowledge in financial derivatives, the reader can easily appreciate the complex positions taken by LTCM, but more importantly, see how these artificially engineered financial instruments, when designed "properly", can generate such enormous impact on an international scale. The story only touches the surface of the vastly unlimited world of financial engineering, but it is inspiring to read about 7 finance geniuses attempt to create an empire capable of manipulating trillion dollar worth of financial asset and derive billion of virtually riskless profits from thin air. I highly recommend this book to anyone who deeply believes in market inefficiency. It sits in my small collection along with Liar's P, The Market Wiz,... and rightfully so.

One Of My Favorites
This is a wonderful book. Not only is this book a detailed examination of the LTCM story, but as a bonus, it is a wonderful introduction to the instruments that were the tools of the LTCM economists. In a real sense, you cannot have an understanding of the seductiveness of the techniques or an inkling of how the trading/money machine worked and why it collapsed and why the collapse was so shocking to the quants without having the introduction. Insights into cleverness and inventiveness of the mechanisms are a real bonus -- after reading Dunbar you not only feel you have an understanding of the sorry saga, but also an useful badsic understanding of derivatives/swaps/arbitrage devices. Great stuff.

A Great WhoDunnIt Train Reading on Hedge Funds
A summer thriller and great train reading for those interested in war stories in the world of hedge funds.

Dunbar has a novice's eyes, which lends for a fresh look at the world of active asset management and its population.

The book is better than its comparable but more famous "When Genius Failed" by Roger Lowenstein.

Dull, Dull, Dull...
This author took what should have been a fascinating subject and turned it into a boring, long-winded and, for the most part, incomprehensible tome. After having read "When Genius Failed" by Roger Lowenstein, I looked forward to reading Dunbar's book, which I thought would be another informative take on the fiasco. Even in the beginning pages, Dunbar jumped around soooo much, from country to country, from financial discovery to mathematical equasions, from era to era AND from subject to subject that is was just TOO DISTRACTING to be enjoyable. Maybe Wall Street traders or mathematicians would be drawn in by this drivel but I don't think the average reader would be. The biggest disappointment was that Dunbar failed to make even these complex, intense traders interesting! "When Genius Failed" is a far better read. ... Read more

Book Description

Few entrepreneurs can claim to have actually changed the way we live, but Ray Kroc is one of them. His revolutions in food service automation, franchising, shared national training and advertising have earned him a place beside the men who founded not merely businesses but entire new industries.

But even more interesting than Ray Kroc the business legend is Ray Kroc the man. Not your typical self-made tycoon, Kroc was 52 when he met the McDonald brothers and opened his first franchise.

Now meet Ray Kroc, the man behind the business legend, in his own words. Irrepressible enthusiast, perceptive people-watcher, and born storyteller, he will fascinate and inspire you. You'll never forget Ray Kroc.
... Read more

Reviews (11)

The Best Book I Have Read In A Long, Long Time
I would like to first start by saying I hate reading. I got this book Tuesday night. It is now 6:30 Wednesday and I am now done with the 200 plus page book. I have not been able to put this book down. I have found it very interesting. I think Ray Kroc was an extremely talented and dedicated man. As a McDonald's manager I was familiar with the story of Ray, from this book I have learned so much more. I was surprised at how well it kept my attention. This is the first book I have read for pleasure in a long time. I recommed it to anyone that enjoys reading about true inspirational people.

An Unvarnished Look at One of America's Great Entrepreneurs
Go into McDonald's today, and you see a complex, well-operated business system operated by ordinary people. That is impressive in and of itself. What is even more impressive is to understand the roots of how this business was established, which you can do by reading this entertaining and revealing book.

Unlike most people who write about themselves and their businesses, Ray Kroc was pretty candid about the problems he had, the people who gave him a hard time, the mistakes he made, and his personal life. That makes this book very valuable to those who want to understand what entrepreneurship is all about.

As an adjunct to reading this book, I suggest that you also visit the McDonald's museum near O'Hare airport in Ray Kroc's first store. There are notes there about all of the problems that he had to solve over the years, many of which are described in the book.

Ray Kroc did not invent the original McDonald's concept, but what he franchised and eventually bought from the McDonald brothers was not yet a real business system. For example, when he first tried to duplicate the french fries that were so famous in San Bernardino, California, his french fries turned to mush. It turned out that the storage methods used by the McDonald brothers aged and dehydrated the potatoes a bit so that they could fry up nicely. Kroc had to invest in finding a process for doing that outside of the near-desert climate of San Bernardino.

The McDonald's system that we see today is the creation of Kroc's attention to detail, appreciation for consumer value, ability to solve problems, taking calculated risks that he could not afford to lose, and attracting talented people into the system. The book gives you a great sense of what that was like. Anyone starting an e-business today will be going through many of the same trials and tribulations.

The book is filled with wonderful stories about McDonald's and the people of McDonald's.

I have a special fondness for the subject since I grew up about a mile from the first McDonald's in San Bernardino, and have been eating their hamburgers now for over 50 years. It is truly awe-inspiring to me to see what has been accomplished from such humble beginnings.

Clearly, this book is a stallbuster for you in business. Kroc was 52 when he became interested in McDonald's. He had no special skills in restaurants. (The closest he came was in selling Lily cups and milk shake machines to restaurants, lunch counters, and drive-ins.) He had relatively little money to invest compared to the size of the opportunity. He ran into many obstacles that could have broken most businesses. Yet he just put his head down, and kept moving forward on the most important things. You can learn a lot from his determination.

Good luck with using this example to create a new set of practices for business that exceed what anyone has ever accomplished before!

Not a Very Satisfying Meal!
This book is like McDonald's - not very nourishing or satisfying! While I loved reading about Mr. Kroc's upbeat attitude and how he became so successful, I don't think the book was very well-written. (I couldn't believe it was written by a former journalist for the Chicago Tribune!) Nevertheless, I found many inspirational quotes in the book, such as the homily that Mr. Kroc recites ... that not even education and talent can make you a success. You need persistence, for the world is full of people who had the other two but never went too far.

Read this instead of all of the other books about McDonald's
When it comes to business literature there are three kinds of writers:

1. Those who did it and write about it: business owners and entrepreneurs
2. Those who read about it: journalists, business books writers, and historians
3. Thos who think about it: professors, researchers, and think tanks

Every single of has their own merit and contribution to the world of business history, but for me it is very important as a business professional to learn from the people who did it. What were they thinking? What where they feels? Why?

The other two kinds of writers can tall you what they did and how but they can never tell you why?

Which is why I recommend reading books like "Grinding It Out".

Even though most people might think that McDonald's was brought to the world by a family baring that name, it was Ray Kroc who found them in California and brought it to the billions of people worldwide.

In this book you make many discoveries as to the reason for McDonald's success. Why did they become number one in their category? What was Ray Kroc thinking and why he chose the path he walked.

I highly recommend this book instead of all of the other books about McDonald's because you the inside prospective from the person who did it all, but perhaps most importantly you get to know why!!!!

Great Story of The Triumph of Bad Food and Cruddy Service
One of Ray Kroc's great innovations, which has been picked up by all the food chains that came after McDonald's, was the concept of cheap, horrible food with cruddy service and low wage employees. The pioneering Kroc has impacted the lives of "billions and billions" around the world, who have ordered the grilled chicken meal deal at the drive-thru, only to discover a crispy chicken sandwich upon opening the bag at home...and no straw. This surprise element of the McDonald's meal - not knowing what you will end up with, has been the enduring hallmark of McDonald's unique contribution to humanity. ... Read more

Book Description

Riki Ott, PhD exposes the profound legacy of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and how readers can help reshape our global energy future.

The author chronicles the long-lasting environmental harm to Prince William Sound, Alaska, and investigates the health problems suffered by many cleanup workers. Exxon's spill provided a portal to understanding a startling truth: oil is much more toxic than we previously thought. Sound Truth and Corporate Myth$ frames the larger story of discovery of the truly toxic nature of oil. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great book for college courses
Dr. Ott's book will serve as an excellent supplement to course syllabi around the country. The book's interdisciplinary approach makes it a perfect educational tool for a variety of departments - public health, environmental studies, ecology, and sociology to name a few. Ott's ability to combine rigourous science with an accessbile writing style offers an engaging expose of oil's effects on humans and nature.Perhaps just as important, the book also presents students and teachers with an inspiring model of how one scientist's passion and determination can uncover truths of global importance.

Highly recommended for teachers and students.

People Need to Know
People need to know what happened in the Valdez cleanup and thankfully the injured and sick found a voice in Dr. Ott.She translates the multi-layered wrong doing hidden beneath corporate and political bureaucracy that lead to so many workers becoming sick in the Valdez clean up.She also translates the science and toxicology behind "what went wrong" in a way that average people can comprehend.

A good read!
Dr. Ott , like the lone pedestrian facing a tank about to run him over, faces the giant Exxon.In Sound Truth and Corporate Myth$, Ott reveals the far reaching effects of the Valdez oil spill on human health, wildlife populations, and the environment.Worker safety and environmental laws based on antiquated science need to be revamped, the industry needs to be held fully accountable and finally we need to take a look at ourselves and the role we can play in reducing the toxicity of our environment.This journey with Dr. Ott, through the initial devastation and lingering after effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, tells the incredible magnitude of the disaster. Through her first hand account we are transported to Prince William Sound, and hear the silencing of the birds, see the slick lapping the shore and smell the inescapable fumes.We also learn that drilling is no longer necessary when looking for oil in Alaska, just scrap away some rocks and a little sand and there on the beaches you'll find it.

Urgent action required
Dr. Ott's book is not only an exceptionally good read but her message must reach our Senators and Representatives now and action must be taken.Dependence on oil is NOT the way of the future.It is highly toxic not only to the environment but to human health as well.We need to start now, to conserve our oil reserves and develop alternative energy sources or the chances are, that our retirement years will be the setting for a major economic shift toward the worst.

If President Bush would like to enter the history books as a man of incredible foresight, he'd better pick up this banner and start leading us in that direction now.

Alaska Resident Says Book Rocks
As a lifelong resident of the area affected by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, I was ecstatic when this crusader, Dr. Ott, accurately portrayed the spill. Not only does Dr. Ott expose Exxon's myths and public deceptions, but she does justice to the thousands of residents affected by the spill.

This book personalizes the disaster by adding a human dimension without compromising fact. If you believe that Prince William Sound has recovered from the effects of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Dr. Ott's book will show you how Exxon has deceived us all.

Overall, a groundbreaking worthwhile read!! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An Imperative Book for Any Company
Setting our mission statement had our company had us knocking heads until we picked up Mr. Abrahams' book. "Mission Statement Book; 301 Corporate Mission Statements from America's Top Companies" is a must for any dot.com company.

Excellent Reference
This book is a very helpful brain-storming tool. You're making work for yourself if you write a mission statement without consulting it. ... Read more