Management Mistakes and Successes [Paperback]

Robert F. Hartley (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 047166202X | ISBN-13: 978-0471662020 | Publication Date: July 10, 2004 | Edition: 8

Even the biggest names in business make management mistakes, and sometimes with enormous consequences. But now you can learn from their blunders, examine how they respond to adversity, and uncover the secrets of their successes. In this Eighth Edition of his best-selling casebook, Robert Hartley has once again compiled a collection of play-by-play analyses of the actual decisions and practices that led to major management setbacks, comebacks, crises, and triumphs at top corporations. These real-life war stories are packed with practical tips and insider insights that will serve you throughout your career.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Instructor's Manual available. -- The publisher, John Wiley & Sons --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Offering insights into the art of managerial decision making, this effective instructional tool presents contrasting cases of management errors and triumphs so that students can learn by comparing the unsuccessful with the successful. Newly formatted, this up-to-the-minute edition contains 10 new cases, several with situations still evolving. Includes additional pedagogical features: updated Information and Issue Boxes, hands-on exercises, discussion questions, and Team Debate exercises. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 8 edition (July 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047166202X
• ISBN-13: 978-0471662020
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #884,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great reference book for MBA program, December 30, 2006

By 

Forest Cole "First and Forestmost" (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Management Mistakes and Successes (Paperback)

I had this book as an extra text for an intro to management class, and found myself referrng back to it for examples to reference for a number of classes after that. I found it one of the more useful and less expensive books for an MBA program. If one wanted more of a variety of cases to read, it would be possible to hunt down some older editions which had some different company examples. But even this one by itself contains a good range of mistake outcomes - from disastrous to complete recovery - showing the effects of different ways of handling mistakes in management.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good textbook, but not for professionals, December 18, 2006

By 

ServantofGod - See all my reviews

This review is from: Management Mistakes and Successes (Paperback)

If I were a Professor in Management, I would pick this as a textbook, or at least a reference book for cases studies, because of its 1) extensive covering of 22 real life big name cases on six major topics (change/crises, merger risk, planning, executing, controlling and entrepreneurship) 2) sufficient details and figures on individual cases 3) intelligent questions and exercises in the end of each case/chapter 4)analytical "What can be learnt?" sections in the end of each case/chapter, and a whole independent chapter in the end of the book.

However, as a professional who had read countless business books, I must say that there are some better alternatives, insight and writing skill wise, that help readers to learn more from other people's mistakes. In that respect, I would like to recommend "In Search of Stupidity: Over 20 Years of High-Tech Marketing Disasters by Merrill Rick Chapman" and "Will Your Next Mistake Be Fatal?: Avoiding the Chain of Mistakes That Can Destroy Your Organization by Robert Mittelstaedt".

p.s. As usual, below please find my two favorite passages for your reference:-

Where an organisation has become fat and inefficent with layers of bureaucracy, some pruning of personnel and operations is necessary. But how much is too much, and how much is not enough? Certainly those personnel who are not willing to accept change may have to be let go. Weak persons and operations that show little probability of improvement need to be cut, just as the athlete who cant perform up to expectations can hardly be carried. Still it is usually better to wait for sufficient information as the "why" of poor performance before assigning blame for unsatisfactory operational results. pg 120

In considering mistakes, three things are worth noting: 1) Even the most successful organizations make mistakes but survive as long as they maintain a good "batting average" of satisfactory decisions 2) mistakes should be effective teaching tools for avoiding similar errors in the future 3) firms can bounce back from adversity, and turnaround. pg 333

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good cases with interesting insight, November 9, 2006

By 

Ross W. Relyea (East Lyme, CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Management Mistakes and Successes (Paperback)

I purchased this book for a class I'm taking, and have been reading all the cases. THese are all very interesting and insightful, a good read.