Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Business Library: 50 Books That Shaped Management Thinking (Ultimate Business Series)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a very useful book for anyone interested in the study of management. While the books listed are personal selections of the author, I think he did a respectable job given the enormity of the task. I applaud the author for including popular and academic works both new and old. One could challenge some of the entries, but again, they are personal selections. Some titles are out of the mainstream literature and new finds to me--I'm sure anyone will find some useful books they were previously unaware of. One notable omission, in my opinion, is lack of any works on EVA. This is an important topic for any manager and should have at least made the "2nd 50" listed in the appendix. Overall, a very useful book for anyone wishing to pursue the literature on management.

Stuart Crainer is business and management writer, who quite often appears in The Financial Times. Gary Hamel is a top business writer/management guru, fellow at Harvard Business School, visiting professor at the London Business School, and chairman of California-based consulting firm Strategos. Both have written several business-related books.

The book starts with an introduction by Gary Hamel, who lists the books featured per issues - management, leadership, complexity, people, customerd, global, the future, renewal, competition, efficiency, strategy, and fun. Then, Stuart Crainer describes 50 management and business classics in alphabetical order of the authors. The classics featured range from Sun Tzu's Art of War (500 BC) and Machiavelli's The Prince (1513) through to modern works from Gary Hamel, Michael Porter, Peter Senge and Tom Peters. I do not think that anybody will argue the author's selection, since all books are truly greats. Since the complete book consists about 300 pages, each classic receives about 4-6 pages (introduction by Gary Hamel, biography of author(s), and a description of the main ideas and issues). This is enough for a quick insight and description, but do not expect to become a specialist in any of the issues.

The breakdown into issues makes it easy for readers to choose a subject/books. You can then have a quick flick through the particular summary/summaries. If you like the summary/summaries, you will still require to purchase or borrow the book(s) since the summaries are not that detailed. I used this book during my MBA-course (in particular during the earlier part), where I used it as a type of tool since it pointed me to the best book(s) for a particular subject. (I must admit that I also bought Stuart Crainer's 110 Ultimate Book of Business Gurus, but I do much more prefer/use this one.) The book is simple to use and is written in simple US-English.

I like the concept of this book and I have no problem with its selections. However, I find that there isn't very much said about each of these business books. While historical context is provided for each, there is little that gives me a new perpective on things or provides me with something that I can apply. It is like viewing historical documents in a museum without there being a description of why they're relevant or how they impact the present day. I prefer the more vibrant discussion found in "The Guru Guide."

This book gives you a tantalizing sense of business history and a context in which to hone your own wisdom. Few books give you the opportunity to sample the nuggets of the time-tested thought of 50 mentors like this one. One or more of its trains of thought could be just what you need to help you grow the roots of solutions and grease your strategic and visionary gears.

This book can be seen as a great condensation of management literature. The selection can obviously be discussed but the beaty is to be able to get the main points from 50 milestones in management thinking. Moreover, some books could be a discovering and prompt you to read them. The only weakness is that some books are out of date (which doesn't mean old but overcome by time) and I would have prefered 50 "still alive" books.

Wow, do I have a lot of reading to do now..This book did a great job of really reaching out to some management classics and I am excited to start tackling this reading list. Although many selections seem quite "dated", truths know no age. Before I hand this book a 5 start rating I would like to know if the books are really that great and that only happens when the list falls. In summary, if you are looking for management books gold, this is a great place to start.