Fail

I bought this book on the strength of a review in The Economist and was not disappointed. With policies as varied as limited liability, central banking, deposit insurance, and Social Security, American legislators transformed government into an insurer of last resort. Sometimes they shift risk from prospective victims to those better able to afford the loss (product liability); at other times they spread catastrophic risks over the whole tax base (flood insurance). The book charts the expansion of government in the United States from the late 19th century to its zenith in the late 1970s. The author answers the objections of the Chicago and Austrian schools - Becker, Hayek, Mises, and the others - in convincing fashion thanks to its moderate tone and extensive research. The prose is clear, surprising for a book dealing with such complex subject matter. The chapter on the emergence of limited liability corporations is particularly strong. Unfortunately, the chapter on product liability could have used a bit more skepticism. Few readers will share the author's view that tort lawyers are an unalloyed blessing. The author sidesteps many of the problems we now face with exploding damage awards and wide discrepancies in the awards handed down in various jurisdictions. Nor does he grapple with the consequences these problems impose for medical research and the US insurance industry.

What a great novel about men and women and relationships -- and what an ending! I like that it's not the usual clinical stuff but told from the perspective of a male character and real life through a novel. I like the main character's journal stuff about how men really feel about different aspects of male-female relationships. I thought that was great. It humanized what would be a totally detestable main character. It's amazing that it seems like a simple read that you can do in one seating but if you go to fast, there's so much between the lines that you'll miss. Must be a sleeper because I didn't hear anything about this book until a friend recommended it.

Collaboratively compiled and edited by Ethan B. Kapstein (Paul Dubrule Professor of Sustainable Development, Insead Business School, Fontainebleau, France, and Stassen Professor of International Peace, University of Minnesota) and Branko Milanovic (an economist for the World Bank's Development Research Group), When Markets Fail: Social Policy And Economic Reform is an informed and informative anthology of scholarly, up-to-date, and painfully relevant essays concerning economic and market difficulties in Latin America, East Asia, Eastern Europe, North Africa, and elsewhere. Ranging from the persistence of welfare states to looming market crises around the world, When Markets Fail is a sharply analytical, highly recommended survey and analysis of the dangers threatening an increasingly globalized economy.

If we can accept Microsoft's statistic that more than 74 percent of the projects undertaken by business are behind schedule or result in failure, costing more than $74 billion a year, then this book is a bargain.

Ohio State University Professor Paul C. Nutt, who has spent more than 20 years studying how decision are made, says failures can be traced to three blunders and seven traps. Avoiding the blunders and the traps they set will cut one's failure rate significantly.

The blunders to avoid:
•Failure-Prone Practices
•Premature Commitments
•Wrong-Headed Investments.

These blunders lead unsuspecting managers into seven ensnaring traps:
•Failure to Reconcile Claims
•Failure to Manage the Forces Created by a Decision
•Ambiguous Directions
•Limited Search with No Innovation
•Misuse of Evaluation
•Avoidance of Ethic Questions
•Failure to Learn.

Sounds simple; yet anyone who has participated in a project recognizes these blunders and traps. In fact, most of us could supply the author with reams of case studies to add to the ones he uses to illustrate his points.

This is a great book and should be read by project managers and corporate managers alike. Microsoft's number may seem high, but there is no doubt we participate in too many projects that spiral behind schedule and over-budget. Good decision making techniques can only help improve our results.

Though there are large numbers of books on the woman suffrage movements in the U.S. and Britain, and a smattering of books on the suffrage movements of other nations, this is one of the very few books to look at what comparing these movements can tell us about the ingredients for success of these movements (and the ingredients for failure). An important and lucid step in the scholarship on woman suffrage movements and social movements more generally.

In the past I had some concerns about work dynamics and why projects would keep failing, this book gave me amazing insights to the processes involved in team dymamics causing me to refocus my erergies, work style and accomplish better results in less time. Better than going to dilbert for figuring it out. They know how to make it work, read it. Its an important book for anyone who must particpate in elegate or be a part of the team structure environment that is cornerstione to the american work place. I think all managers and program managers who dont really owe to themselves to understand this concept to. Put it under the categorie on frequent read list of why companies fail. Alot do, but mostly wihthout a lot of people workign very hard to ensure they dont before hand. Buy the book.

Dr Cole via scriptural reference shows you, not only how easy it is to be willing to walk with God in faith, but why we are meant to. Be prepared to let go of a lot of your earthly baggage before you are through reading this well written piece. God continues to use Dr. Cole in his works.

This is yet another delightful book by Philip Howard (who was literary editor of The Times of London) where he explores the ins and outs of a few words, phrases and expressions that range all the way from "economics," "crocodile tears" and "as sick as a parrot." Many entries provide information both curious and interesting. For example, "watergate" originally meant a channel of water, then referred to a gate giving access to a channel of water -- a famous example being the "Traitor's Gate" in the Tower of London. Now of course, the Nixon White House has given it new meaning. This book is full of information like this. The section on South African English, depicted in the form of a conversation between an Afrikaaner and an Indian, amuses as it informs.

Comment: This review is done as a class project for the San Jose State University MBA e-commerce course by Ji Luo.

Dr. Christensen's book offered me a fresh perspective into looking at how large established business failed. As the author explained it, the standard process that governs sound management could be the same one that destroys the company. I found his use of graphics and quantities data sufficient as well as very useful in understand concepts such as the S-curve and the value networks. The detailed analysis shows that the author has done quite a bit of research into the topic and that makes the data more credible to me. His writing style is very easy to understand and organized. First few chapters go into how disruptive technology can destroy a company if not harnessed. His later chapters list guidelines on how to avoid the pitfalls. These guidelines are followed thoroughly by many case studies and quotes from industry leaders. While company's policies shouldn't be based on a few guidelines and the situations in a person's particular industry may find the guidelines hard to follow, the author's particular views are irrefutable and should at least be considered by the managers. It's really exciting to see him link the same principles to so many varying industries from high tech to low tech. The overarching principle of sustaining technology and disruptive technology and how a company should embrace it could be applied to any large established industry.

People who are interested in the business world should read this book and should especially be read by top managers in large corporation because many of them are ultimately responsible for success or failure of implementing disruptive technology. However, this is not a perfect book. I am a bit skeptical as to whether these rules apply to medium sized companies or companies with low margins. Therefore, my opinion is that the guidelines listed here really only applies to large organization with a lot of resources to divide. Also, The author sometimes repeat his points more than he should. He tends to concentrate so much on the hard disk drive industry that he left less room to get into deeper analysis into other industries.

Overall, I think this is a great read for anyone interested in business and wondered about how large companies such as Montgomery Wards could go belly-up or why Digital Corporation disappeared from our vocabulary.

Here's a book that comes right out and states that even the best-managed companies, with all their investment in the latest technologies and attention to customer care, are susceptible to failure. It doesn't matter what the industry, be it high technology or retailing, this susceptibility exists.

Author Christensen's book presents a set of rules that defy convention on the phenomenon of disruptive innovation, using the real-world lessons of successes and failures of leading companies today. The innovator's dilemma is this: when does one apply the rules of disruptive innovation that goes so much head-to-head against the conventional wisdom?

The author offers some good examples of disruptive technologies that helped to redefine the competitive landscape of their respective markets. He shows clearly that these products did not come about as the result of successful companies carrying out solid business practices in established markets. The case is made where these and other products cut into the bottom of the marketplace and evolved to displace competitors at the top end of their field, and displace their dominant technologies as well.

Provocative and cogent, this is one of the most talked about business books of our time, and is one that belongs on every project manager's briefcase.

This was a fantastic book. I began reading it less than half way through the MBA program I am in and I was amazed at how many of the arguments others were making in class fell apart. This book helped me better analyze several aspects of many of my classes and I only wish I would have read it sooner.

I continued on and read the Innovator's Solution, and while I thought it was also a good book, I got much more out of the Innovator's Dilemma, though I still recommend both of them.

This is so simple. Everyone knows that smart people are stuck on rules while dumb people see things outside the box and are prone to get info that can sometimes be not legal. Just ask Martha. Hasn't anyone seen the movie Wallstreet. Whatever happened to Daryl Hannah? I mean who names their daughter Daryl. Doesn't anyone find this strange?

With a PhD in Management, I've certainly read a great deal about the successes and failures of executives. Imagine my delight then that I found such new and fascinating insights in Finkelstein's book! 'Why Smart Executives Fail' sets itself apart by providing numerous examples of business failures and grounding those examples with in-depth analysis and interviews. Anyone who reads this book is sure to walk away with a much better understanding of the causes of business failures and how they can avoid failures in their own careers.

Someone said, and I believe, that "Success is the result of a series of failures from which one has learned." This book is filled with important and interesting failures that you can learn from. Most business books focus on and celebrate successes in the business world, but here the author has focused on some of the largest blunders in recent history (e.g. Enron, Iridium), as well as lesser known mistakes. What makes it so valuable is that Finkelstein has taken a systematic approach to analyzing these missteps to find patterns that will be recognizable to anyone who has worked in a business. Beyond that, the book offers excellent insight on ways to get back on track and avoid a fate similar to the companies studied.

As for the enjoyable part, the book is told through a series of anecdotes and in-depth retellings of mostly familiar blunders. Reinforced with insider interviews and extensive research of the contemporary media coverage, these stories come alive making it very readable. This combination of message and method make "Why Smart Executives Fail" an extremely valuable and somewhat unique resource.