Recently, there has been a huge trend in blogs doing book reviews. I’ve not been officially “tagged” and will not go into my most recent read books; you’ll only get a long list of Africa related literature. Instead I offer my list in line with the theme of this blog- My journey through the MBA and business. Hence, this should not only be of interest to those entering or preparing for MBAs, but those interested in general business knowledge and personal growth. I am also in the middle of packing all my stuff this week and I stumbled across my bookshelf last night and thought “I can’t take all these with me to b-school!”. I read these books over the period of about 2 years, some more than once, others for the occasional reference.
The Number- How America’s balance sheet lies rocked the World’s financial markets:
I’m reading this book a second time and I shall certainly read it a third during the b-school to further enhance my understanding. It provides a good overall historical account of accounting and finance to the recent scandals of late.
Dot.con- The real story of why the internet bubble burst: As a technologist I picked this up and wondered how far we’ve come in the last 10 years. Boom to bust, winners and losers. I’m sure they’ll be plenty more to learn in Silicon Valley.
The end of poverty- How we can make it happen in our lifetime: As an African I read this book and was impressed at the practical yet simple approach presented to ending world poverty. Written by a major economist who has helped some of the poorest countries.
Stephen Covey’s- 7 habits of highly effective people: Highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to change their life. It’s certainly a classic.
The 48 laws of Power: Seriously, this book is a must for anyone wanting to attain, wield or defend from power moves. Each law is related to a range of perspectives from leaders throughout history. Think of yourself as a courtier in a grand French court competing with others. Beware, this is a “love it hate it” book.
Tipping Point- How the little things make a big difference: A suggestion from current Stanford MBA students, explains how ideas, trends or social behaviours cross a threshold and suddenly spread like an epidemic. I’m partway through at the moment- another must.
Anyone can do it: My favourite entrepreneurial journey about two siblings, an MBA graduate and qualified lawyer, who quit their boardroom jobs to start American style coffee bars in the UK, namely Coffee Republic, only to return full circle back to the boardroom within a few years. Reads in a set 57 laws in entrepreneurship .
World on fire: A must for anyone interested in the subject of the exportation of democracy to developing nations. It presents very clear arguments of the tensions, ethnic hatred and global instability that can arise when countries are forced to become democratic. The author still manages to come out as NOT an anti-globalist.
Funky business & Karaoke Capitalism: I lent Funky business to one of my accountant friends and I still haven’t got it back yet, so when the follow up came out I did not hesitate to buy it. Both books are witty yet convincing ways to re-imagine the capitalist world we live in- it strongly advocates individualism, talent and weirdness for one to succeed.
Thinking Strategically: I think this is recommended reading at most b-schools. It’s a fairly straight forward book with examples from sport, business and politics. It introduces concepts such as game theory, incentives etc…
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3 comments:
how do you choose books ?
Good question. I browse bookshops on a saturday/sunday, but most of the management/business type books I pick up on my way back home from work normally at the train station. I also check out book reviews from magazines/newspapers such as the Economist to which I'm a subscriber to.
as far as I remember, economist wont publish a review of some crappy book - correct ?
in that case, do you end up reading all management books the good mags review ?
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