Message-ID: <15564636.1075840167632.JavaMail.evans@thyme> Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2002 15:36:32 -0800 (PST) From: delivers@amazon.com To: kam.keiser@enron.com Subject: In the Wake of Enron, Quiet Leadership, and More Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-From: Amazon.com Delivers Business & Investing X-To: Keiser, Kam X-cc: X-bcc: X-Folder: \ExMerge - Keiser, Kam\Deleted Items X-Origin: KEISER-K X-FileName: kam keiser 7-11-02.PST Business & Investing Editor, Harry C. Edwards February 5, 2002 Search: Books Rare & Used Books Kids' Books Spanish Books All Products Browse: Business & Investing Choose a subject: Arts & Photography Biographies & Memoirs Business & Investing Children's Books Computers & Internet Cooking, Food & Wine Engineering Entertainment Gay & Lesbian Health, Mind & Body History Home & Garden Horror Law Literature & Fiction Medicine Mystery & Thrillers Nonfiction Outdoors & Nature Parenting & Families Professional & Technical Reference Religion & Spirituality Romance Science Science Fiction & Fantasy Sports Teens Travel ------------ Audio Books Bargain Books Christian Books e-Books & Docs Large Print Spanish-Language With the Enron debacle dominating not just the business page, but the front page, it seems like a good opportunity to look at two recent books that speak to the problems of corporate accountability (or lack thereof), Corporate Irresponsibility and The Divine Right of Capital . Also, Joseph Badaracco's Leading Quietly gets on my shortlist of candidates for best business book of the year. This is a leadership book that takes its cue not from the boardrooms of corporate America, but from the more mundane situations and decisions that most of us face in business every day. Also featured in this mailing is a list of the top 10 business books of 2001 as selected by the editors of Harvard Business Review . We want to hear from you! What kind of business and investing books are you most interested in learning about? Send comments and suggestions about this mailing to business-comments@amazon.com . --Harry C. Edwards New and Notable Business Books Leading Quietly Icon by Joseph L. Badaracco Most books on business leadership tend to focus on the high-profile Fortune 500 types--the Jack Welches, the Bill Gateses, and the Michael Dells. According to Joseph Badaracco, however, this view of leadership is incredibly narrow because it ignores the fact that "the vast majority of problems calling for leadership are everyday situations" faced by managers up and down the corporate hierarchy. In Leading Quietly Badaracco uses real-life examples to illustrate eight guidelines of what quiet leadership means. Read more Our Price: $18.16 You Save: $7.79 (30%) Work 2.0: Rewriting the Contract Icon by Bill Jensen Bill Jensen turns the tables on corporate management and asks, "Why should we work for you?" For Jensen, the answer goes way beyond compensation and benefits. In Work 2.0 , he lays out a new contract based on the realization that in this networked and knowledge-based economy, employees are a company's number-one asset and its most important investor. Read more Our Price: $17.50 You Save: $7.50 (30%) The Rule of Three: Surviving and Thriving in Competitive Markets Icon by Jagdish Sheth, Rajendra Sisodia McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's; Bank of America, Chase Manhattan, and Bank One; American, United, and Delta. What do these companies have in common? In The Rule of Three Jagdish Sheth and Rajendra Sisodia show why every market is dominated by three big players, and those companies who aren't specialists serving well-defined niches will either be swallowed up or destroyed. Here's a well-researched and original study of market dynamics that offers a new perspective on how markets really work. Read more Our Price: $19.60 You Save: $8.40 (30%) A Good Hard Kick in the Ass : Basic Training for Entrepreneurs Icon by Rob Adams Rob Adams is not one to mince words. In A Good Hard Kick in the Ass the Texas-based venture capitalist aims to smash the illusions and wishful thinking that drive so many entrepreneurs. The gist of Adams's book is this: building a successful business is not about great ideas; it's about execution of business fundamentals. Read more Our Price: $18.16 You Save: $7.79 (30%) Special Deal of the Week Save 50% on What We Learned in the Rainforest What We Learned in the Rainforest: Business Lessons from Nature Icon by Tachi Kiuchi, et al Tachi Kiuchi, CEO of Mitsubishi Electric America, and Bill Shireman, a leading environmental advocate, look to the rainforest for new ideas on how to build sustainable businesses. For the next few days, you can order What We Learned in the Rainforest at a savings of 50%, so don't wait--order today! Read more Our Price: $27.95 Harvard Business Review's Best Books of 2001 The January issue of Harvard Business Review lists their favorite business books of 2001. It's an impressive selection that includes many Amazon.com business favorites (Good to Great , Gonzo Marketing ) along with a few surprises (Empire Falls ). By the way, if you didn't know, Amazon.com makes it easy to subscribe to Harvard Business Review and other business publications. Check out this great selection of business magazines . HBR's Top 10 Business Books of 2001: Breaking Windows: How Bill Gates Fumbled the Future of Microsoft by David Bank Creative Destruction: Why Companies That Are Built to Last Underperform the Market--and How to Successfully Transform Them by Richard Foster and Sarah Kaplan Empire Falls by Richard Russo Gonzo Marketing: Winning Through Worst Practices by Christopher Locke Good to Great by Jim Collins In Good Company: How Social Capital Makes Organizations Work by Don Cohen and Laurence Prusak Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton Weird Ideas That Work: 11 1/2 Practices for Promoting, Managing, and Sustaining Innovation by Robert I. Sutton Will and Vision: How Latecomers Grow to Dominate Markets by Gerard J. Tellis and Peter N. Golder In the Wake of Enron In the future, the Enron debacle may be seen as a fitting epitaph to the stock boom and bust of the last few years. Enron's maniacal focus on pumping up the bottom line to lift its stock price has left many investors wondering whether or not other companies have "Enroned" their financial results. For others, the Enron collapse is yet another confirmation of what's wrong with corporate America's preoccupation with enhancing shareholder value at the expense of social and ethical obligations. This selection of books not only considers the role of corporations, but offers help in evaluating what companies actually disclose about themselves and their business. Corporate Irresponsibility: America`s Newest Export Icon by Lawrence E. Mitchell In Corporate Irresponsibility Lawrence Mitchell believes that the focus on short-term results and the legal system that supports them have blinded companies from acting in responsible ways toward their employees, the environment, and the political system--ultimately undermining those companies' long-term survival. Mitchell's suggestions for reform include annual, rather than quarterly, earning reports; increasing incentives for long-term stockholding; and separating corporate management from stockholder pressure. Read more Our Price: $19.56 You Save: $8.39 (30%) The Divine Right of Capital: Dethroning the Corporate Aristocracy Icon by Marjorie Kelly Marjorie Kelly takes a radical view of the modern corporation. She believes that the mandate to maximize shareholder returns has created an aristocracy in which shareholders own corporations, but "contribute very little, and take quite a lot." In her view, employees--who are responsible for creating the wealth of the corporation--don't receive a fair reward for their labor, and are in fact "not citizens of corporate society, but subjects" (something former Enron employees might identify with). While I doubt many corporate leaders will be lining up to support Kelly's call for a truly "democratic capitalist system," her views in the wake of the Enron case will surely get a second hearing. Read more Our Price: $17.46 You Save: $7.49 (30%) Do You Really Know the Stocks You Own? Worried that there might be an Enron lurking in your portfolio? Your best defense against such a prospect is to thoroughly understand the financial statements of the companies you invest in, and this list of guides can help you interpret those statements. How to Read a Financial Report by John A. Tracy Financial Statements: A Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding and Creating Financial Reports by Thomas Ittelson The Guide to Understanding Financial Statements by S.B. Costales and Geza Szurovy How to Use Financial Statements by James Bandler Keys to Reading an Annual Report by George Thomas Friedlob and Ralph E. Welton Business Bestsellers Books for management, marketing, human resources, product development, leadership, and more. Buck Up, Suck Up... and Come Back When You Foul Up by James Carville and Paul Begala Jack: Straight from the Gut by Jack Welch Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by Jim Collins More business bestsellers at Amazon.com Personal Finance and Investing Bestsellers Books for investing in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds; personal finance; buying and selling a home; and more. Retire Young, Retire Rich by Robert T. Kiyosaki Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki Investing in Real Estate by Andrew McLean and Gary W. Eldred More personal finance and investing bestsellers at Amazon.com April 15 Is Sooner Than You Think Exclusive Tax Download at Amazon.com Don't put off doing your taxes for one minute longer--download TurboTax today and get a head start on your return. Stop by our Tax Center , where you'll find this exclusive tax download, tax preparation software, books, and important information and advice. TurboTax 2001 Deluxe Kiplinger and H&R Block TaxCut 2001 Deluxe Filing Edition See our great tax-time deals Visit our Tax Center Help for Small Business Hit the Books QuickBooks Premier 2002 Icon by Intuit Find all the tools you need to manage your business finances with QuickBooks Premier 2002 . This sophisticated suite includes new, comprehensive reports and analyses, advanced accounting features, and remote access capabilities. Read more See all versions of QuickBooks 2002 Visit the Intuit Store Our Price: $429.99 You Save: $69.96 (14%) Our Editors Suggest... To receive more recommendations, sign up for mailings from our editors in Sports, Politics & Current Events, History, Biographies & Memoirs, and more. Just visit the Amazon.com Delivers sign-up page . Discover More at Amazon.com Bargain Business Books New books at great prices. Hurry, though, supplies are limited. More bestselling bargain books Subscribe to Your Favorite Magazines Visit our Magazine Subscriptions store to find everyday low prices on your favorite business magazines , including Fortune , Business 2.0 , BusinessWeek , and more. Visit our Magazine Subscriptions store Used Business Books Attention, budget-minded book fans: discover used business books at great prices by visiting Used Books . Great deals are added daily, but hurry--used copies may be limited! More bestselling used business books We hope you enjoyed receiving this newsletter. However, if you'd like to unsubscribe, please use the link below or click the Your Account button in the top right corner of any page on the Amazon.com Web site. In the E-mail Notifications box under the Account Settings heading, click the Delivers link. You may also change your communication preferences by clicking the following link: Please note that the prices of the items featured above were accurate at the time this newsletter was sent. However, because our prices sometimes change, the prices in the newsletter occasionally differ from those you see when you visit our store. Copyright 2002 Amazon.com, Inc. All rights reserved.