http://www.booklistonline.com/ProductInfo.... Top 10 Business Books: 2012.
Hooper, Brad (author).
FEATURE. First published July, 2012 (Booklist).
The idea that all business books are only concerned with management and investing is an outdated concept. Effective public speaking, protecting your child against crass commercialism, and computer hacking all fall within the purview of today’s business books, 10 outstanding examples of which are listed below; all were reviewed in Booklist over the past 12 months.
As We SpeakAs We Speak: How to Make Your Point and Have It Stick. By Peter Meyers and Shann Nix. Atria, $25 (9781439153055).
The authors’ program for making yourself a confident, successful communicator centers on mastering three areas: content, delivery, and state (as in state of mind). An inspiring book.
Attention All Passengers: The Airlines’ Dangerous Descent—and How to Reclaim Our Skies. By William J. McGee. Harper, $26.99 (9780062088376).
As a former airline insider, the author laments how the commoditization of the industry is resulting in an across-the-board decline in the quality of service and an increase in passengers’ frustration and anxiety.
Childhood under Siege: How Big Business Callously Targets Children. By Joel Bakan. Free Press, $26 (9781439121207).
The author offers passionate arguments and copious research in this compelling call for parents to stand up for their children against cultural domination by heartless corporations.
The Fall of the House of Forbes: The Inside Story of the Collapse of a Media Empire. By Stewart Pinkerton. St. Martin’s, $25.99 (9780312658595).
Pinkerton, former managing editor of Forbes, had a front-row seat at the breathtaking decline of an iconic American journalism brand.
Ghost in the WiresGhost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker. By Kevin Mitnick and William L. Simon. Little, Brown, $25.99 (9780316037709).
Mitnick was at one time the most wanted computer hacker in the country, perhaps in the world, and here he reveals in minute detail how he obtained some of the most closely guarded secrets of the computer industry.
Groupon’s Biggest Deal Ever: The Inside Story of How One Insane Gamble, Tons of Unbelievable Hype, and Millions of Wild Deals Made Billions for One Ballsy Joker. By Frank Sennett. St. Martin’s, $25.99 (9781250000842).
The “insane gamble” referred to in the subtitle is the one in which Andrew Mason, the founder of the Internet coupon site Groupon, turned down a $6 billion buyout offer from Google.
Information and the Modern Corporation. By James W. Cortada. MIT, paper, $11.95 (9780262516419).
Just mention the acronym IT and most workers wince, but this author supplies a much-needed layperson’s explanation of technology’s role today (and tomorrow).
Labor Rising: The Past and Future of Working People in America. Ed. by Daniel Katz and Richard A. Greenwald. New Press, paper, $20.95 (9781595585189).
This informative, inspiring collection of essays developed from consensus among labor scholars on the state of labor today and how to change or expand it.
Private EmpirePrivate Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power. By Steve Coll. Penguin, $36 (9781594203350).
Coll’s book is a thorough examination of ExxonMobile, a direct descendant of the 1911 breakup of Standard Oil; this deeply researched volume includes stories of kidnapping, pirates, politics, business, and some history.
Uncommon Service: How to Win by Putting Customers at the Core of Your Business. By Frances Frei and Anne Moriss. Harvard Business, $29.95 (9781422133316).
The authors shatter some myths behind the philosophy that says the customer is always at the heart of a company’s service, substituting it with the notion that “you can’t be good at everything.”
Posted By: Chanda Macias
Sunday, December 9th 2012 at 12:32PM
You can also
click
here to view all posts by this author...
