Business

Today's deluge of business books exhaustively addresses problems with leadership, corporate strategy, sales, budgeting, incentives, innovation, execution, and on and on. But scant attention is devoted to a problem that plagues every workplace: Assholes. In a landmark Harvard Business Review essay, Stanford Professor Robert Sutton showed how assholes weren't just an office nuisance, but a serious and costly threat to corporate success and employee health. In his new book, Sutton reveals the huge TCA (Total Cost of Assholes) in today's corporations. He shows how to spot an asshole (hint: they are addicted to rude interruptions and subtle putdowns, and enjoy using "sarcastic jokes" and "teasing" as "insult delivery systems"), and provides a "self-test" to determine whether you deserve to be branded as a "certified asshole." And he offers tips that you can use to keep your "inner jerk" from rearing its ugly head. Sutton then uses in-depth research and analysis to show how managers can eliminate mean-spirited and unproductive behavior (while positively channeling some of the virtues of assholes) to generate an asshole free--and newly productive--workplace. Enlightening case studies include an analysis of how Google's "don't be evil" maxim helped launch the company to unprecedented early growth, how JetBlue and Southwest Airlines "fire" passengers who demean their employees, and how a "belligerent" e-mail from Cerner CEO Neal Patterson made his company's stock plunge 22% in three days (and how his graceful apology helped the stock bounce back). more...

Price: $9.99

Cayce Pollard (pronounced “case”) is a legend in the field of market research, paid handsomely to recognize cultural and social patterns that corporations can turn into cash. Google her and you find “coolhunter,” and you may see it suggested that she is a “sensitive” of some kind, a dowserin the world of global marketing. The truth, according to her friends, is that her sensitivity is closer to allergy, a morbid and sometimes violent reactivity to the symbols of the marketplace. Hired by Blue Ant, the world’s hippest ad agency, for the sort of high-corporate re-branding she’s known for, a more intriguing project emerges when the head of the firm asks her to determine who’s producing a mysterious series of video fragments that have gripped the imaginations of people around the world. The source of this footage, carefully concealed, has so far proven untraceable. For Cayce’s worryingly brilliant employer, the footage is the most effective piece of guerilla marketing ever devised. For Cayce herself, the footage has a powerful emotional resonance as she attempts to come to terms with the apparent death of her father — a former U.S. security expert with ties to the intelligence community — in the collapse of the World Trade Center. But what if the sense of nascent meaning that she and others perceive in the footage is only an illusion of meaningfulness — in other words, faulty pattern recognition? As Cayce begins her hunt for the mysterious “maker”, she enlists the help of an odd array of characters, including a young Polish sculptor who works in primitive personal computers , an alcoholic ex-NSA guru hidden away in a rusting house-trailer in the British countryside, an attractive Chinese-American hacker-entrepreneur whose loyalty she questions, and her fellow footage-enthusiast Parkaboy, whom she’s come to know (but only, so far, virtually) on a web site devoted to discussion of “the footage”. When her rivalry with a fellow w more...

Price: $14.00

Practical methods for solving messy problems in the office. From underperformance to office romances to interpersonal conflicts, Perfect Solutions for Difficult Employee Situations gives you effective techniques for solving 401 sticky employee situations. Drawing on top psychological and management methods to help you avoid problems--and prepare for you when they do arise--this survival guide features ''perfect phrases'' for responding to difficult or uncomfortable situations and treating employees with sensitivity and concern. Addressing hot-button topics such as fairness, poor performance, diversity, sex, anger, and inappropriate behavior, each chapter features a script for the solution and extra advice for such challenges as:.:.; Handling a crisis in an employee's life.; Negotiating salary and announcing pay cuts.; Managing personal problems, from body odor to personal calls.; Responding to accusations of sexual harrassment.; Addressing generational problems.; Enlisting expert assistance. more...

Price: $14.95

Project Management gives you proven guidance in both the science and art of becoming an effective project manager, from coordinating and documenting the work to leading people to developing (and trusting!) your own judgment. Filled with action steps, this practical guide helps you get comfortable with the tools of project planning as well as cultivate smooth working relationships with people inside and outside your organization in order to achieve your goals. You'll see how to: Understand exactly what is required of you in your role; Develop a logical plan of action; Lead and motivate a team while actively managing your communication channels; Make the best decisions for the project-and seek acceptable solutions rather than perfect ones; Perform financial analyses and terminate unworthy projects in order to meet a bottom-line, long-term objective; Manage all project stakeholders through consistent measuring against a pre-announced baseline for productivity. Effective project management isn't easy, but the payoff can be huge-both for you and for your organization. Project Management helps you develop the foundation you need to be successful in any project initiative. more...

Price: $12.95

The follow-up to the bestselling personal finance book phenomenon RICH DAD, POOR DAD that reveals why some people work less, earn more, pay less in taxes, and feel more financially secure than others. What is the difference between an employee and a business owner? Whey do some investors make money with little risk while most other investors just break even? Whey do most employees go from job to job while others quit their jobs and go on to build business empires? more...

Price: $9.95