August Browsing Books--Business as (Un)usual

Cornered: The new Monopoly Capitalism and the Economics of Destruction by Barry C. Lynn, Library Call #:HD2757.2.L96 2010.

In his study of American business, Lynn writes, ”Consolidation of power by financiers over the basic institutions of our political economy has resulted in the dreangement not merely of our financial systems but also of our industrial systems and political systems.  Most terrifying of all is that this consolidation of power—and the political actions taken to achieve it—appears to have impaired our ability to comprehend the dangers we face and to react in an organized and coherent manner.” In looking at the unprecedented rise of monopolies over the past 30 years, Lynn finds the causes of much of the economic turmoil of today.

The Next Generation of Women Leaders: What You Need to Lead but won’t Learn in Business school by Selena Rezvani. Library Call #: HD6054.3.R49 2010.

            With information gleaned from interviewing more than 30 female executives, Rezvani gives a pep talk and supplies tools and information for women who want to make it to the top in business.  Identifying areas of strength in the female executive, the author shows why women may have new-found advantages in 21^st century business.

Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford’s Forgotten Jungle City by Greg Grandin. Library Call # F2651.F55G72 2009.

            The epic story of Henry Ford’s great social experiment.  In 1927, Ford puchased land in the Amazon twice the size of Delaware, and attempted to grow both rubber and a new American outpost in the jungle.  Ice cream stands, Model T’s bandstands and communities for the workers sprang up and Ford’s assembly-line philosophy was applied to the native plantation workers.  The results were a startling and grave clash of environments, cultures and mind-sets that make for a fascinating history.

13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next financial Meltdown by Simon Johnson and James Kwak. Library Call #: HG2491.J646 2010.

 Johnson, former chief economist for the IMF and MIT professor of Entrepreneurship, and Kwak argue that the banks that are “too big to fail” are practicing an economic socialism that lets them profit in good years and allows them to use Federal money to cover their losses in lean.  The authors make a compelling case for regulation and a return to banks that small enough to suffer failure.

Look for these books in the 4th floor Browsing Area of the University Library.