Book Description
If you or someone you love isn't living up to his or her potential –– and suffers from even one or two of these feelings –– here is a program that can help. In Your Own Worst Enemy, Dr. Kenneth Christian details the telltale signs of what he calls self–limiting behavior –– everyday habits that can seem harmless but that over time can send high potential people into a tailspin of dead ends and frustration. And he offers a practical fifteen–step guide to help underachievers shake off their old habits and start taking an active hand in their own futures.
Your Own Worst Enemy will help underachievers everywhere visualize their goals, break through their barriers, and start realizing their unlimited potential.
Customer Reviews:
An eye opener.......2007-10-09
This book is well written, well thought through. It's like the self-help equivalent of David Allen's Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity which is more the well-honed practical guide. Your Own Worst Enemy covers the psychological side thoroughly and effectively. In particular, it describes what may be called gifted-pride (a sideways reference to the role of pride in neurosis in Karen Horney's Self-Analysis) which holds us back because there is sometimes more pleasure in being a potential achiever than in actual achievement. This book will strip away your excuses and home in on your self-defeating thoughts and behaviors.
Well Written, Lots of Great Advice.......2007-02-15
Overall I like the ideas presented in this book. There are some great exercises at discovering hidden limiters, very good behavioral recommendations, etc.
However, one thing I did not like is that the argument for choosing achievement in non-employment areas of your life (over choosing climbing to the top of the heap) is only presented in small side comments in the book. Instead I would have liked to see a chapter that reviews such concepts as voluntary simplicity, rather than a comment here and there (like..."Voluntary simplicity can be a reasoned choice, while climbing to the top of some heap may be someone else's dream but for you it's a ticket to unfulfilling loneliness."). There is definitely a deeper area to review here, and there are distinct advantages to staying "outside" the system and living life on your own terms. I do not feel that was as deeply addressed as the prevailing assumption of the book - expending total effort to achieve some level of status/success as defined by hierarchical systems in our world.
If you accept the underlying premise that "achievement" in terms defined by success in our society is what you are after, this treatise will help you comprehend how you may be sabotaging your own efforts in that direction. Nevertheless, the information on greater focus, not settling for something other than inspired contribution are applicable to any area of your life.
The descriptions, and prescriptions, for making change are very well drawn. As any modern breakthrough, it is not that this work contains a lot of really new undiscovered information/ideas, it is that information has been rearranged so that it becomes clearer and is presented in variations different from before so that new patterns become visible. This is the advantage of the modern world - building new knowledge through the reorganization of known information. Perspective is the greatest contribution.
I found the book to be densely packed with concepts. Not a light read, requiring more to be studied, thought through, digested over time. This is not a bad thing, but important to know when you undertake it as a project. Well worth the effort though.
If you are going to make change, and you are going to go about it consciously, this is an excellent guide to approaching that.
I felt the concept of "Mastering" certain skills, and turning those into art, were an excellent definition of achieving emotional maturity. Adulthood, after all, is about being able to choose for ourselves. There are pros and cons to every choice we make. Reading this work objectively, combined with experience in achieving at certain levels in our society, will certainly bring you to a conscious level of choice beyond those who have unconsciously followed a path laid out for them by paradigm.
Good, If You're One of the Elite.......2006-12-20
To begin, I have to admit that I have not finished the book, but have read the first 40 pages or so thoroughly and skimmed some of the rest.
There seems to be a lot of false advertising involved in the promotion of this book. After 30 to 40 pages, the reader begins to realize that Dr. Christian has limited his sample or population to a relatively small and elite group of individuals he calls High Potential Persons (HPP's) and/or Self-Limiting High Potential Persons (SLHPP's).
In short, the book seems not for everyone who might feel like an underachiever. Dr. Christian somehow seems to forget that "normal" to "above average" (though not gifted) individuals could be underachieving as well, because he specifically targets those for whom school is, to start, just way too easy, etc. He even describes these fortunate people as "gifted," and discusses those with an I.Q. of about 150--this was the only actual number he used, at least in what I read. This number is so ridiculously above the average that it all but makes his work irrelevant, in my perhaps not so humble opinion.
I really liked what Dr. Christian had to say until I began to realize that most underachievers would likely be omitted from the discussion; that an entire and likely rather large segment of the potential population would almost certainly be omitted. And there is not even a hint of that omission on the cover or in the title. Hmm...
Wow. If you feel you need to change, BUY THIS BOOK!.......2005-05-28
If you already believe you need to change your habits in order to lead a more fulfilling life, this book will provide insight and impetus to do so.
I found this book to be non-accusatory (yet no-excuses), and common sense results-oriented. Christian doesn't create his own patented system of categorization for people with a prescription for each. He recognizes that we are all individuals and will need to use methods from each of the "remedies" in order to find our best path. It's clear throughout the book that he really believes in our abilities to find our best selves.
The writing is creative yet straightforward and makes room for plateaus, setbacks, and internal resistance. That was one of the key elements for me, the recognition that we have resisted movement for years and years for various reasons (the explanations of which are fascinating), so it will take time, energy and intentionality to change our behaviors.
I have not even finished the book, but I have already found it to be more practically valuable than any other "self-help" type book I've read. Perhaps I started reading it at the right time in my life, or perhaps it's just that good. I recommend people at least give it a chance to see if they can learn something about what holds them back, and some day (if they choose) change those things.
Best to everyone in their journeys.
--J
the dynamics of self-limiting.......2005-05-26
Exploring how people, even those with exceptional ability, can limit themselves, Dr. Christian details patterns of thinking and behavior that block or interfere with achievement, but can be changed. He uses as examples some well-known people in real life, and characters such as the golfer played by Kevin Costner in the film "Tin Cup" who "takes unnecessary risks to avoid success he is not ready for" and squanders his chance to win a major tournament.
With experience as a therapist and corporate consultant, Christian articulates how we can "etch enduring pathways over time by repeating characteristic self-defeating methods that can evolve into a general self-limiting style." One style: "Sleepers lack accurate information about themselves, the extent of their talent, and ways to express it." His descriptions of these styles are illuminating.
The book also includes many concrete exercises to define and replace self-limiting beliefs and actions. As Dr. Christian writes, "You are continually perfecting behaviors that are either self-defeating or self-enhancing." This is a helpful resource toward greater and healthier achievement.
Book Description
OUR OWN WORST ENEMY provides a solid, practical, logical approach to personal security for all Americans and explains why the government is not prepared to help us in a time of crisis (Katrina, 9/11, etc.).Leading homeland security expert Randall J. Larsen details what we must do as citizens to protect ourselves, our families and our assets.The key, Larsen argues, is finally asking the right questions about homeland security, such as:-"How do we prevent a terrorist organization from becoming a nuclear power?"The media frequently poses the question: "What can we do to ensure that al Qaeda does not smuggle a nuclear weapon into the U.S. through one of our ports?"But the right question should focus on prevention -- and the answer is far different from the discussion that dominates the debate and the spending priorities of the Bush Administration and Congress.-"Who should be in charge of logistics during a major disaster?"Larsen says that it's not the military. The fact is, no one is better at logistics than American businesses such as FedEx, UPS, and Target.OUR OWN WORST ENEMY states that the government should encourage citizens and businesses to be active and learn to "posse up" while looking to the private sector to provide food, water, shelter, and transportation during a natural or man-made crisis.Larsen offers a strong combination of practical advice (Did you know a $1 mask can save your life in the event of a dirty bomb?) and wise examination of such key issues as the economy, borders and immigration, national health care, personal security, and more.
Customer Reviews:
Most Intelligent Book I've Ever Read on the topic.......2007-09-12
This guy knows his stuff! I learned more about how we ARE and ARE NOT prepared for terrorism (as a country and as people) from reading this book than I have from about 2,000 hours watching news programs. He obliterates the sense of helplessness so many of us seem to feel about terrorism. I'd seen Larsen on TV and come to respect his sage opinions, so I bought the book. In it, he simplifies complicated political mumbling and sleight-of-hand into real language about what's going on and what we should do. His position makes great sense. His opinion on immigration, on controlling nuclear supplies and personal preparedness are so logical you'll be wondering how the whole topic ever looked overwhelming. He does it all without talking down to people who didn't spend their time at West Point. It's an immensely readable, deeply grounded, reassuring book. It takes a genius to distill a complicated subject so eloquently. I recommend it most highly.
Average customer rating:
|
How to Stop Being Your Own Worst Enemy
Earl D. Wilson
Manufacturer: Intervarsity Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Christian Living
| Christianity
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0830812512 |
Average customer rating:
- A Laundry List of Workers Behaving Badly; Not Much Here
- A difficult confrontation with reality....
- chapter 2 makes the book
|
Your Own Worst Enemy: How to Overcome Career Self-Sabotage
Andrew J. DuBrin
Manufacturer: American Management Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Motivation & Self-Improvement
| Business Life
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Job Hunting & Careers
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Management
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0814478611 |
Customer Reviews:
A Laundry List of Workers Behaving Badly; Not Much Here.......2004-04-02
This book should not be confused with "Your Own Worst Enemy: Breaking the Habit of Adult Underachievement" by Kenneth W. Christian. That book deals specifically with the causes and symptoms of adult underachievement. This book is far less focused, and offers very little corrective advice.
The value the book does offer is in the questionnaire, early in the book, which seeks to identify negative beliefs and behaviors that will hold a person back in their career. But, the book proceeds to fail to capitalize on this insight. Instead, the book proceeds to provide a laundry list of various bad behaviors by workers, managers and executives, cobbled together as various types of "career self-sabotage."
Each "career self-sabotage" (mis)behavior includes an anecdote about someone indulging in the self-sabotage misstep in question. But after reading these anecdotes, I had to wonder: is the senior buyer in the book who actively solicits graft from suppliers an inadvertent career self-saboteur, or just an unethical jerk? Is the salesman in the book who propositions a married female customer an inadvertent career self-saboteur, or just a pig?
For the record, the senior buyer was fired, and the female customer rebuffed the piggish salesman and had his company blacklisted from future business. Well deserved consequences, but their transgressions were clearly not due to "career self-sabotage," but rather just poor personal character that happened to manifest themselves in the workplace.
There are other similar examples that the reader will probably not gain any personal insight from. The chapters on sex-related career self-sabotage are unintentionally funny: you shouldn't have an affair at work. Hey, thanks for the ground-breaking advice (sarcasm)! And the warning to female readers about avoiding "ultrafeminism" is badly outdated. I would hardly fault a female worker for not being polite to a male worker asking her on a date for the third time, and instead accurately labeling it as sexual harassment.
The final chapter offering a "master plan" to combat career self-sabotage is a very brief and disappointing end to the book.
However, as a final side note, the author deserves credit for labeling legend-in-his-own-mind basketball coach Rick Pitino as a "Commitment Breaker." The book was written prior to Pitino's arrogant and airheaded bungling as coach of the Boston Celtics.
I suggest taking this book out from the library and giving the other "Your Own Worst Enemy" book a closer look.
A difficult confrontation with reality...........2002-01-23
The author is a professor of management at RIT in Rochester, and a clinical psychologist. It is clear he has no love of post-modern therapy, because most of the self-sabotage that he talks about comes from the individuals themselves, and the scripts they bring to work, not their company, not the work demanded of them, and not from their circumstances. He is best in his insistence on confronting the individual's patterns of behavior, or, really, misbehavior, which stem from faulty self-esteem, faulty anger control, depression and political blunders. You get a sense he does not let his patients pull a lot over him; he confronts your shortcomings directly, and this is probably the essence of the book.
The problem is inside you, not your company or your work situation. If you are a victim, it is your own fault, and your own problem to fix.
I found the book very telling. My family members have suffered repeated demotions, firings, unhappiness at work, and divorces over the years. I have lost three excellent career opportunities due to self-sabotage. While I found the book telling, its prescriptions are remarkably simple: figure it out, get over it, and fly straight. Thus, his method is more cognitive and rational-emotional than analytical, but you know that, under the surface, he has dealt with a lot of personality disorders.
chapter 2 makes the book.......2000-12-25
Chapter 2 of this book titled "Self-Sabotaging Life Scripts" was the most informative for me. The various case histories were also useful in demonstrating the different types of career sabotage. The questionnaire in chapter 1 isn't very useful because I've been fired numerous times from different jobs and commited self-sabotage, yet I scored very low in my self-sabotaging tendencies. Therefore, I don't think the questionnaire asks the right kinds of questions.
The unfortunate thing about books like this is that people don't read them until it is too late to make much of an impact on their career. Personally, I read this book after I've been fired numerous times and all but ruined my chances for a career comensurate with my background. I might not ever be able to have the same room for growth as I would have had if I hadn't sabotaged my career. Because of this book and my experiences however, it's unlikely that I will screw up what I have now and wind up worse.
Average customer rating:
|
Are You Your Own Worst Enemy?: The Nine Inner Strengths You Need to Overcome Self-Defeating Tendencies at Work
Charles E. Watson , and
Thomas A. Idinopulos
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Organizational Behavior
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Job Hunting & Careers
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
| General
| Guides
| Interviewing
| Job Hunting
| Job Markets & Advice
| Resumes
| Vocational Guidance
| Volunteer Work
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Management
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Motivational
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Ethics
| Business Life
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Organizational Behavior
| Business Management
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0275992241 |
Book Description
A management professor and a religion professor team up to provide a fresh, penetrating look at the obstacles that prevent people from achieving their full potential at work. As Watson and Idinopulos demonstrate, inner demons like a lack of integrity, mindless conformity, passivity, mediocrity, or greed conspire to keep people from doing their best. But people can avoid becoming their own worst enemies by using their uniquely human capacities to their fullest: to be more responsible, more insightful, more creative, more self-disciplined, more honest, and more concerned about others. Using these strengths, the authors show, makes it easier to resolve ethical dilemmas, attain peak performance without burning out, maintain a positive outlook, and, ultimately, succeed in achieving treasured personal and professional goals. The world of work is filled with treacherous shoals that constantly test the integrity, fortitude, and tolerance of employees. The stresses can be incapacitating. Faced with competing agendas, high expectations, sclerotic bureaucracies, and scarce resources, many people fall prey to demons that sap their energy or, worse, encourage them to act against their own interests by being dishonest or cutting corners. Are You Your Own Worst Enemy? shows readers how to take responsibility for their actions and their happiness. It discusses the on-going pressures, temptations, and traps in the workplace and how ordinary people can manage them constructively to remain effective and true to their ideals. Specifically, it shows how learning the following behaviors and attitudes can help people become more productive, more valuable, and more fully satisfied: -Develop the capacity to make things happen. -Make the most of who you are. -Sharpen thinking skills. -Be the kind of person others want to be around. -Break the chains of mindless routine. -Become an effective learner and continue learning. -Master the art of self-discipline. -Act with integrity. -Be of service to others. Using dozens of engaging stories from people in all types of organizations, the authors show how to overcome self-defeating behavior. The result for readers is a blueprint for success, reduced stress, better work/life balance, and fulfillment.
Average customer rating:
|
Dear Dentist: Stop Being Your Own Worst Enemy
R. H. Schaper
Manufacturer: Pennwell Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Practice Management & Reimbursement
| Administration & Policy
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Dentistry
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
Surgery
| Specialties
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
| Colon & Rectal
| General
| Neurosurgery
| Oral & Maxillofacial
| Plastic & Cosmetic
| Thoracic
| Vascular
Practice Management & Reimbursement
| Administration & Medicine Economics
| Medical
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Dentistry
| Medical
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0878144188 |
Average customer rating:
|
Your Own Worst Enemy
Andrew J. DuBrin
Manufacturer: Amacom
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Motivation & Self-Improvement
| Business Life
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business Life
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Job Hunting & Careers
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
| General
| Guides
| Interviewing
| Job Hunting
| Job Markets & Advice
| Resumes
| Vocational Guidance
| Volunteer Work
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Management
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0814450334 |
Book Description
Big business has been the lever of big change over time in American life, change in economy, society, politics, and the envelope of existence--in work, mores, language, consciousness, and the pace and bite of time. Such is the pattern revealed by this historical mosaic.
--From the Preface
Weaving historical source material with his own incisive analysis, Jack Beatty traces the rise of the American corporation, from its beginnings in the 17th century through today, illustrating how it has come to loom colossus-like over the economy, society, culture, and politics. Through an imaginative selection of readings made up of historical and contemporary documents, opinion pieces, reportage, biographies, company histories, and scenes from literature, all introduced and explicated by Beatty,
Colossus makes a convincing case that it is the American corporation that has been, for good and ill, the primary maker and manager of change in modern America. In this anthology, readers are shown how a developing "business civilization" has affected domestic life in America, how labor disputes have embodied a struggle between freedom and fraternity, how corporate leaders have faced the recurring dilemma of balancing fiduciary with social responsibility, and how Silicon Valley and Wall Street have come to dwarf Capitol Hill in pervasiveness of influence. From the slave trade and the transcontinental railroad to the software giants and the multimedia conglomerates,
Colossus reveals how the corporation emerged as the foundation of representative government in the United States, as the builder of the young nation's public works, as the conqueror of American space, and as the inexhaustible engine of economic growth from the Civil War to today. At the same time,
Colossus gives perspective to the century-old debate over the corporation's place in the good society.
A saga of freedom and domination, success and failure, creativity and conformity, entrepreneurship and monopoly, high purpose and low practice,
Colossus is a major historical achievement.
Customer Reviews:
Vivid Look at the Rise and Impact of Corporations.......2005-04-21
The aptly named Colossus is an eclectic anthology portraying the rise of the corporation from the 1600s to the present. Editor Jack Beatty's own essays and writers ranging from Charles Dickens to Paul Johnson to James Hedges vividly demonstrate the corporation's impact. This collection of biographies, literature, historical documents, newspaper articles and so on are in roughly chronological order, with each prefaced by an incisive explanation by Beatty.
Beatty's through dissection begins with the Virginia Company of London (1606) - the first corporation. He skillfully takes us to the 1700s as corporations begin to replace partnerships. Betty's coverage of the years 1820 to 1860 - when corporations begin to flourish - is extremely informative, yet lacks the energy exhibited by the rest of the book. By the late 1800s through the early 1900s, corporations begin to grow enormously in size and power. Betty chronicles this period with great verve through his richly detailed selections.
Beatty resurrects the Great Depression quite effectively via John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, while his excerpt from Joseph Heller's Something Happened succinctly illustrates the paranoia of office politics during the era after World War II. Another superb choice is Peter Drucker's short essay showcasing the hostile takeovers that were so prominent in the 1980s. Also, Susan Faludi's Pulitzer-prize winning expose of the 1986 leveraged buyout of Safeway Stores is a beautifully written piece of reportage about the aftermath.
Corporations have committed their share of sins and embodied their portion of moral relativism. Social responsibility is a pervasive theme in this book, beginning with Beatty's preface, which reminds us that intervention must come from stockholders, as well as the public at large. He writes, "The corporation is no longer pitched against society; the corporation is society."
Bohdan Kot
Great book with some flaws.......2004-08-03
This is a great book if you want to learn about business history of the US but it still has some flaws. It starts off kind of boring and some of the chapters are not really meant to be there. Also, articles seem to be a bit dispersed because almost all of them are written by different authors. This results in a lack of continuity that might have been present if the book had been written by the same author. But overall, the book is very useful and can be kept as a reference on US business history.
Macro Perspective...Micro Analysis.......2002-05-01
How to describe this book? It has immense scope ("how the corporation changed America" during the past 350 years) but, under Beatty's brilliant supervision, the narrative somehow retains a sense of intimacy as he and others focus on defining moments, pivotal developments, heroes and villains, great business successes as well as failures, shifting roles played by the federal government, westward expansion, two world wars, natural disasters, and the emergence of high technology This is indeed an epic narrative worthy of Tolstoy with a diversity of "characters" worthy of Dickens. Beatty skillfully blends all manner of different sources with a series of his own commentaries. Great stuff.
Insightful!.......2002-02-18
Jack Beatty combines his own analyses with writers' essays, articles and other materials to chronicle the American corporation from its inception in the 1600s through the present. His overall conclusion seems to be that corporations are a source of more evil than good, but don't let this bias throw you - this collection of sometimes brilliant writings is captivating reading. We from getAbstract highly recommend this book to all students of business history, especially those whose views of the corporate colossus tend toward the darker side.
America Inc........2002-02-02
This book is a collection of essays written about the history of corporations in America and the role those corporations have played in influencing our history.
The book covers many subjects such as the first corporation chartered by the British crown to explore and exploit New England, how corporations developed in America, the many benefits corporations have provided us, the abuses, how coporations changed our culture, and how our culture has changed corporations.
Specific essays chronicle how Henry Ford started manufacturing cars that regular people could afford, and paid his employees enough to afford them. Another essays discusses GM's rise to compete with Ford and overtake them by not being rigid. There is an essay that discusses how people devote themselves to the business. Another essay discusses the abuses that resulted as Safeway was bought in a Leveraged Buy out. Another discusses racism in business. Etc.
The reason this book gets 3 stars is that some of the essays were fascinating, but some seemed to be just filler.
Product Description
"Weaving historical source material with his own incisive analysis, Jack Beatty traces the rise of the American corporation, from its beginnings in the seventeenth century through today, illustrating how it has come to loom colossus-like over the economy, society, culture, and politics. Through an imaginative selection of readings made up of historical and contemporary documents, opinion pieces, reportage, biographies, company histories, and scenes from literature, all introduced and explicated by Beatty, Colossus makes a convincing case that it is the American corporation that has been, for good and ill, the primary maker and manager of change in modern America. In this anthology, readers are shown how a developing "business civilization" has affected domestic life in America, how labor disputes have embodied a struggle between freedom and fraternity, how corporate leaders have faced the recurring dilemma of balancing fiduciary with social responsibility, and how Silicon Valley and Wall Street have come to dwarf Capitol Hill in pervasiveness of influence. From the slave trade and the transcontinental railroad to the software giants and the multimedia conglomerates, Colossus reveals how the corporation emerged as the foundation of representative government in the United States, as the builder of the young nation's public works, as the conqueror of American space, and as the inexhaustible engine of economic growth from the Civil War to today. At the same time, Colossus gives perspective to the century-old debate over the corporation's place in the good society."--BOOK JACKET.
Customer Reviews:
The subtitle says it all.......2004-08-30
"How the corporation changed America"---from the government charters brought to our shores by the first Europeans to develop the means to enrich their mother countries, to the challenges of the multinational conglomerates of the present, "Colossus" records what made American capitalism.
But it's not altogether a pretty story.
Following colonial beginnings, the modern curtain rises on the drive, innovation and creativity of the railroad, automotive, communications and energy industries which provided America with boundless potential for financial growth and expansion. But their success soon became tainted by the formation of restrictive monopolies, which required government intervention to restore competition.
Even in the wake of such humbling action, the heads of corporations began to separate themselves from the owners of the business (stockholders), believing they were accountable only to themselves. And increasingly, managers were no longer drawn from the ranks of the industry itself but rather were recruited from outside the firm for their skills as lawyers and financiers.
These short-sighted "money men", completely out of touch with the real objectives of the firm, ushered in a time of mergers and takeovers which concentrated on profit over product. Out went the risk and venture capital which had consistently produced the innovative goods and services that made them successful in the first place. They quickly fell victim to foreign competition and by their folly forever erased the once long-envied preeminence of American industry in the eyes of the world. There can be no better example of this tragedy than outdated General Motors losing the battle against more progressive Japanese imports.
But owners are striking back by firing unrealistically paid, top-heavy management and reasserting their roll in the more realistic operation of the company. The result in many cases has been complete operational restructuring (read "downsizing") and the elimination of marginally producing areas to return the firm to profitability. It unfortunately also entailed massive layoffs which had devastating, demoralizing effects on families from national levels to small communities, all of whom viewed themselves first and foremost as "company people", committed to the firm which they had always felt was committed to them---the poignant example used here is the breakup of the family-owned Safeway grocery chain and the complete disillusionment of its longterm employees who were literally thrown out to find any jobs they could.
The book mentioned a movie called "The Tower", which starred William Holden, Frederic March and Nina Foch. I have seen the movie and recommend it highly. It well summarizes this profit-versus-product dilemma American business faced in the 50s.
Inasmuch as our representative form of government was in largest part an outgrowth of the early charters, "Colossus" traces a fascinating social as well as financial experiment.
Books:
- A Majority of Scoundrels: An Informal History of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company
- A Nation of Shopkeepers: Five Centuries of British Retailing
- Alternative to Lean Production: Work Organization in the Swedish Auto Industry (Cornell International Industrial and Labor Relations Report)
- Appetite for Profit: How the food industry undermines our health and how to fight back
- Attention to Detail : A Gentleman's Guide to Professional Appearance and Conduct
- Basics of Legal Document Preparation
- Behavioral Interviewing Guide: A Practical, Structured Approach For Conducting Effective Selection Interviews.
- Best Practice: Service Delivery (It Infrastructure Library Series)
- Beyond Business Casual: What To Wear To Work If You Want To Get Ahead
- Bridging the Generation Gap: How to Get Radio Babies, Boomers, Gen Xers, And Gen Yers to Work Together And Achieve More
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Miss Julia Strikes Back
- Gold Trading Boot Camp: How to Master the Basics and Become a Successful Commodities Investor
- 10 Minute Guide to Ami Pro 3
- An American Requiem: God, My Father, and the War That Came Between Us
- Cost Accounting Student Guide, 12th Edition
- GIS Tools for Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater Systems
- Conversations With General Grant: An Informal Biography
- Cases and Readings in Strategic Cost Management for use with Cost Management: A Strategic Emphasis
- Beyond the Miracle of the Market: The Political Economy of Agrarian Development in Kenya
- Pale Death: A Lee Nez Novel
Permission To Succeed
Excess Baggage: Getting Out of Your Own Way
My Own Worst Enemy: Overcoming Nineteen Ways We Defeat Ourselves
The Winner's Way : A proven method for achieving your personal best in any situation
Dreamcrafting: The Art of Dreaming Big, the Science of Making It Happen
