Clever As Serpents: Business Ethics and Office Politics (Zacchaeus Studies: Theology) (Paperback)

by Jim Grote (Author), John McGeeney (Author) "Office Politics: Is your boss unpredictable and intimidating?..." (more)
Key Phrases: borrowed desire, micro business ethics, triangular desire, New York, Management Complex, Wall Street (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
..".Grote and McGeeney offer up C-ration ethics for beleaguered foot soldiers in principled trenches. If present organizational trends continue, there should be a growing appetite for such feisty advice."

Product Description
Authors Jim Grote and John McGeeney examine life in the comtemporary marketplace reflecting a wide breadth of experience as they couple the insights of philosopher Rene Girard with the likes of Aristotle, Aquinas, Max Weber, John Paul II, and Dilbert.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Liturgical Press (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814658679
• ISBN-13: 978-0814658673
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,256,556 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended, September 19, 2003

By	Joseph Fitzsimmons (Indiana) - See all my reviews

These men clearly are intelligent and well-informed on the topic. It's not a breeze to read, but I don't think it was intended to be. Fascinating analysis of business ethics. I've read other articles by Grote, and I'd love to see McGeeney publish something else. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ethics for Business, Ethics for Life, November 10, 2007

By	Adam Ericksen (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Clever as Serpents is a wonderful book that elucidates the cause of human conflict. The ethical implications reach far beyond the business world. Using the insight of mimetic theory, the authors focus on the term "borrowed desire" to explain why we fall into conflict. Because we are social creatures, we influence one another in profound ways, including the objects we desire. We "borrow" the desires of others. This leads us into conflict for objects, but soon the conflict over the object turns into an intense rivalry to displace the other person. If both people are prominent, they will redirect their frustrations on someone else - a scapegoat. The authors use wonderful real life illustrations to explain this process.

What is really great about this book is that the authors provide practical suggestions to ethical problems resulting from "borrowed desire." The discussion about the meaning of success was especially helpful to me.

Clever as Serpents is inexpensive and at about 120 pages, it's a quick read. Helpful discussion questions are provided, so it would be a good book to read in a group. Highly recommended.

www.ravenfoundation.org

1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Let's Not Celebrate the Decline of Business Ethics, November 26, 2002

By	John D. Knox (New York City) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Not a very informative book, it's also a pretty depressing one.
One wonders who is being digged at between the pages.
Not reccomended.