At Any Cost: Jack Welch, General Electric, and the Pursuit of Profit

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Give him his due.

Typical liberal reviews and book

Antidote to "Jack"

A Disappointment

tedious and repetative

At Any Cost: Jack Welch, General Electric, and the Pursuit of Profit
Thomas F. O'Boyle
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375705678
Release Date: 1999-09-07

Amazon.com

No contemporary business leader has been so widely acclaimed as Jack Welch of General Electric. Welch's transformation of GE into one of America's most profitable and valuable companies has been chronicled already in several other books, most recently Jack Welch and the GE Way by Robert Slater. Now comes journalist Thomas F. O'Boyle to take Welch down a notch--or two or three. Where other books wholeheartedly endorse Welch's gung-ho style of leadership, At Any Cost finds much to abhor.

O'Boyle, an editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, holds Welch personally responsible for various scandals over the years at some of GE's multifarious appendages, from contract fraud in its defense business (later sold) to faked crash tests of GM trucks on Dateline NBC. Welch's single-minded devotion to winning drives his subordinates to cut corners, O'Boyle suggests, though the author offers little evidence to implicate Welch in these or other lapses by a few of GE's 276,000 employees.

O'Boyle is actually more interested in nailing Welch for many of America's social problems. He believes that mass layoffs at GE in the 1980s made downsizing fashionable. GE's success in enriching shareholders encouraged other corporations to curry favor with Wall Street while ignoring their impact on the rest of society. The results have been catastrophic for many families and communities. So even in good times, American workers are plagued by a sense of insecurity. O'Boyle implies that Welch's pernicious influence can be seen in the divorce rate and even in the paranoia that produced the bombing of the Tulsa federal building.

Yet O'Boyle is not a class warrior or know-nothing populist. He recognizes that the drive and ruthlessness of people like Jack Welch have saved America from the economic stagnation of a Germany or Japan. Thorough in its reporting and finely written, At Any Cost is a plea for a kinder and gentler corporate capitalism, one mindful of its social consequences. O'Boyle does not have all the answers, but he raises important questions. --Barry Mitzman

Book Description

"O'Boyle has researched and written a monumental book that should be mandatory reading for all CEOs and anyone concerned with business ethics." --The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Superb . . . a spirited study of General Electric, and of its sometimes brilliant, sometimes bungling, but always ruthless boss, Jack Welch."                               --Chicago Sun-Times

With convincing passion and meticulous research, Thomas F. O'Boyle explores the forces behind General Electric's rise to the top of Wall Street, questioning if GE, with chief executive officer Jack Welch at the helm, is still "bringing good things to life."        Welch--explosive, profit-hungry, and pragmatic--catapulted GE's stocks to the top, up 1,155 percent from 1982 to 1997. O'Boyle argues that these astounding results have come only with the heavy price of employees' lives, blighted under the tyranny of "Neutron Jack" Welch, so named for his bomb-like ability to eliminate staff without disturbing surrounding operations. During Welch's reign, hard-nosed success tactics--unblinking downsizing, ruthless acquisition negotiations, and the virtual abandonment of manufacturing in favor of the more glamorous entertainment and financial services industries--coexist with scandals like price-fixing, pollution, and defense contract fraud. Sure to spark controversy, this gripping, comprehensive account begs the greater question: Is Jack Welch's GE a model company for business in the next century, or is it time to change the way the world does business?

"Smoothly written and thoroughly researched." --USA Today

"This book makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of corporate America. . . . Thomas F. O'Boyle persuades you that GE--Jack Welch's GE--brings bad things to life. In abundance."         --Washington Monthly

Customer Reviews:

Give him his due........2006-08-10

Let's be honest; other CEOs from Chainsaw Al to Carly Fiorina have tried to emulate Jack Welch. Their massive layoffs have caused untold misery and they've taken home gigantic paychecks while accomplishing nothing.

But Jack Welch got in early, when companies were still fat and wasteful. So some of what he did was necessary. And hey, he did turn GE around.

In the end I am not as troubled by what Welch did as the fact that people worship him for doing it. I just don't understand why being ruthless is considered a virtue. Guess I'm not CEO material.

Typical liberal reviews and book.......2003-08-08

Business is designed to make profit. If people don't like that they can go live in the People Republic of China and see how it is to live in a society without our form of capitalizm. Everyday I get amazed at peoples stupidity and reading this just futhers my opinion. Stupid liberals who just don't understand the business way.

Antidote to "Jack".......2001-12-10

GE has a dark side that doesn't always make it onto the pages of Fortune or Jack Welch's self-serving autobiography. This book covers it.

A Disappointment.......2000-05-11

The author seemed to have a lack of understanding of both economics and capitalism. His attitude is that because GE did things a certian way in the past that GE is morally obligated to continue these practices into the future. He talks about the "human cost" of layoffs but doesn't consider that this is how capitalism works. From the destruction of failure comes the renewal that keeps our economy vibrant and growing. If you want to hear slams against Jack Welch and the sins of GE then you won't be disappointed. If your looking to expand your knowledge and understanding of business in general and GE in particular then don't waste your time.

tedious and repetative.......2000-02-12

How many times can an author complain about layoffs? While this book had a large amount of good information, and while I'd tend to agree with much of it, it became far to preachy by the end of the book.

Book Description

This informative mix of biography and social and sporting history is a sequel to the award-winning Prince Gwyn: Gwyn Nicholls and the First Golden Age of Welsh Rugby. The state of Welsh rugby is described through the filter of John Gwilliam, captain of the Wales team in the late 1940s and early 1950s, when it beat all challengers. Against a background of postwar austerity and reconstruction, the flamboyant Wales side offered glamour and thrilling, Corinthian sportsmanship on the field. Off the field, this book contends, rugby was beset by timeserving committeemen and conservative institutions and was failing to keep pace with the new Britain created by the Labour government elected in 1945. With his customary attention to detail and love of the game of rugby, Parry-Jones offers an enthralling, triple-layered biography of Gwilliam, rugby, and Wales in a time of great social and cultural change.

Amazon.com

This well-written book about black-and-white horror films covers the period from the earliest Universal talkies to Val Lewton's B movies produced for RKO in the 1940s, and concludes with a chapter on Robert Wise's The Haunting (1963). Jeremy Dyson shares his admiration for the sense of conviction that's at work in the old masterpieces such as Frankenstein and I Walked with a Zombie. His fascinating observations include the debt of Citizen Kane to earlier genre films, specifics about set design and sound (he reveals how Elsa Lanchester created those eerie cries for Bride of Frankenstein), and the evocation of atmosphere achieved by the "softly glowing silver shadows" of monochrome film. As Peter Crowther writes in the foreword, "In this immensely readable book, Jeremy treads assuredly the fine line which separates the high ground of research from the obsessive. Most of the great movies are here, covered in great and loving depth. Jeremy has combined extensive original research with numerous quotes and comments from a barrage of biographies, autobiographies and other film books, each of them cross-referenced for those who wish to delve further." One quibble: the footnotes for chapter 8 are missing.

Customer Reviews:

Horror within Film History.......2001-01-08

This book illuminates the commonly neglected genre of Horror. Great detail is given to the films examined in the book which is sometimes tedious but mostly very intriguing. It is within the detail that the elements of the genre are connected to other films, from Citizen Kane to the greater Film Noir catalog. It is difficult to repel Dyson's enthusiasm for the genre and the book is definitely a rewarding read.

Bright Darkness - The Lost Art of the Supernatural Horror Film

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Bright Darkness - The Lost Art of the Supernatural Horror Film
Jeremy, Dyson
Manufacturer: Continuum Intl Pub Group (Sd)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSX1KY

Amazon.com

From a delightfully caustic 1965 review of Henry Miller's Sexus ("Arcane words are put to use, often accurately") to a brief response to the homophobic torture and murder of Matthew Shepard in 1998, Sexually Speaking brings together some of Gore Vidal's best essays on sex and sexuality. Although some of the essays are explicitly political, such as the 1979 Playboy article "Sex Is Politics," many seem to be included simply because they mention the sex lives of people Vidal has known. (One doesn't really need an excuse to republish his delicious reminiscences of Eleanor Roosevelt, Christopher Isherwood, or Tennessee Williams; the Roosevelt piece in particular feels somewhat wedged into the present volume.)

There are also three interviews: two from the mid-'70s, although written for semi-underground gay magazines, touch upon a variety of political and literary issues; a 1992 conversation finds Larry Kramer practically badgering Vidal to admit that he's a homosexual. As he has throughout his career, Vidal refuses to be categorized on the basis of sexual acts: "I've never applied [these labels] to myself nor have I applied them to anybody else, even when they have invited me to." Sexually Speaking is as entertaining as it is provocative, an interesting supplement to the more comprehensive The Essential Gore Vidal. --Ron Hogan

Book Description

Gore Vidal: Sexually Speaking presents the author's often provocative and always engaging thoughts on sexuality. Here, fourteen essays and three rare, vintage interviews published over the past four decades tackle hot-button topics such as gay American founding fathers, sex and the Catholic church, gay bashing and the U.S. Congress, and bedding Jack Kerouac. “Vidal's erudition, candor, and exceptional sense of humor shine.” — San Francisco Chronicle

Customer Reviews:

Gotta Balance these Stars.....NOTHING deserves 5 ...-kisses.......2003-01-15

Great for people who haven't read the essays before. Vidal rules the psycho-sociological TAKE on historical relevance in today's "situations".....or "acts," if you prefer. He knows where to provide the JUICE in each issue and has a backlog of great lit & history that helps swirl the goodies with great authority. Who knows what he's up to. ARe the days of cruisin for boys over, or does he resort to the South American tradition of "little boys'" parties. I seriously doubt it, but it would be funny. The book CRADLE OF EROTICA by Kinsey & Masters (Kinsey's ghost name is Allan Edwardes) is a great side book to have along the ride. Unfortunately he "peppers"(a word he humiliates in the essays) the good stuff with opinions on population control. Hell, the supply of young nubile boys enjoyed by the literary elite would certainly go down if his ideas were to be applied!!!

Anyways, Vidal could write more of this good stuff, but his grumblin' needs to get the TRUTH out prevents it. That's fine, but that just requires his reading public to savor every word, if ya ask a true fan.

Funny and thoughtful.......2002-08-31

Gore Vidal is one of my favourite USA writers, because we share some ideas, which is logical and it explains why he lives in Europe, USA is very rightish this years...But it is a country where critics to the system could be thought and published (think of Chomsky, for instance), and that's good, although I'm not sure if Gore Vidal has got many readers in his own country. Anyway, he talks about sexuallity in USA, specially homosexuality, with a high sense of humour -very entertaining, indeed. And listen, the idea that there're not "gays" and "straights" is not his, you can also read it in Marvin Harris books: our Western society is the only one that qualifies somebody because of his/her sexual tendencies.

Another AK Best Seller.......2002-06-26

14 essays and three rare, vintage interviews published over the past four decades tackle hot button issues such as gay American founding fathers, sex and the Catholic church, gay-bashing in the US Congress, and bedding Jack Kerouac.

Bisexuality, Global Overpopulation, Childless by Choice..........2002-05-25

... Environmental Consciousness, Political Awareness and generally not succumbing to the mindless morass of pedestrian thought and values -- which are neither thought-through nor truly valuable. Gore Vidal's compiled essays on sexuality -- both in terms of the act as well as gender and sexual orientation -- is an invaluable comfort to anyone whose rejection of "The American Dream" has been met with resistance and criticism.

Read Vidal, and then remember that being who you are is more important than succumbing to who other people try to convince you to be.

one of the greatest.......2002-02-20

This is one of the most insightful books I have ever read. Once I got started reading I couldn't stop. Gore Vidal has proven himself to be one of the greatest essayist/satirist in the business, if not of all time. The way he writes and the subjects he writes about all prove to be relevant today. My favoite articles were the Larry Kramer interview and the Sex is Politics. These show Vidal at his smartest and funniest. This is a must read for any Gore Vidal fan or just about anyone interested in reading at all.

Sexually Speaking Collected Sex Writings

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Sexually Speaking Collected Sex Writings
Gore (Donald Weise, editor) Vidal
Manufacturer: San Francisco, CA Cleis Press 1999.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J5L5XM

Customer Reviews:

Retrospective.......2006-06-12

The best part of the book is the retrospective on the evolution to this then current 3rd incarnation. Covers the different versions for the vast array of game systems all MKs were on. You know it is a act of love not pure cash in when Street Fighter and Night Trap (the infamous uber censored "hot" game)are mentioned and given screen shots in the first few pages!

All in all this is a great strategy guide for any mk fan.......1999-07-26

first off i liked all of the graphics and pictures in this book. I hate guides that only tell you what to do and leave out a picture (it can make a game more confusing than before). i liked all the fatalities and animalities that they show.And it one of the only sega genesis player guides still on the market. A good buy for anyone i highly recomend it!

Book Description

Authors James D. Gwartney, Richard L. Stroup, Russell S. Sobel, and David Macpherson, believe that a course on principles of economics should focus on the power and relevance of the economic way of thinking. It is this belief and corresponding writing approach that has made Economics: Private and Public Choice one of South Western most solid and enduring texts. Throughout this text, the authors integrate applications and real-world data in an effort to make the basic concepts of economics come alive for the reader.

Customer Reviews:

Teaches basic economics .......2007-02-03

If you have time and want to learn macro and micro economics fundamentals and how it can applied in a practical setting, then is the book for you. I used this book for my MBA program.

The author has used examples, charts, graphs , figures etc to drive home the concepts.

If you want to learn economics in 24 hrs, this is not the book for you.

Well in time.......2005-10-05

Product was well packaged and delivered in time. Will do business again.

When did textbooks become so interesting?.......2004-10-04

I concur with the other reviewers...this is one textbook that is worth every dollar. The authors use color and layout so well in their instruction...a wonderful feature since economics, even with all its fancy graphs, can be very boring. The text is even engaging. It's a bookshelf staple for anyone who is interested in economics, student or not.

Economics primer with a right-wing bias.......2004-07-08

As others have written, this text is reasonably well-written and organized. However, it has a clear bias, presenting and defending a right-wing agenda. For example:

*Taxes, unions, environmental protection, transfer payments are bad.
*School vouchers, social security reform to presonal retirement accounts, medical savings accounts are good ideas.

Of course I oversimplify (slightly), but whatever side of these and other issues one might fall, it's pretty clear that the other side is given short shrift.

A minor beef I had with this text is that too many of its examples cater to the college student.

Very well written.......2003-04-07

This book will make you love economics. It covers both microeconomics and macroeconomics. It also explains how monetary policy and fiscal policy affects the economy. Some of the reasonings are counter intuitive however the authors provide very good examples to illustrate their point. I gained a very good understanding of aggregate demand and supply and how they get affected because of fiscal and monetary policy, employment, economic growth, taxes, trade tariffs, exports, imports, and other factors.

Macroeconomics: Private and Public Choice with Xtra! CD-ROM and InfoTrac College Edition

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Macroeconomics: Private and Public Choice with Xtra! CD-ROM and InfoTrac College Edition
James D. Gwartney , Richard L. Stroup , Russell S. Sobel , and David Macpherson
Manufacturer: South-Western College Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0030344743

Book Description

Authors James D. Gwartney, Richard L. Stroup, Russell S. Sobel, and David Macpherson, believe that a course on principles of economics should focus on the power and relevance of the economic way of thinking. It is this belief and corresponding writing approach that has made Macroeconomics: Private and Public Choice one of South Western Thomson Learning's most solid and enduring texts. Throughout this text, the authors integrate applications and real-world data in an effort to make the basic concepts of economics come alive for the reader.

Customer Reviews:

Pre-cholesterol........2001-06-17

As I read this book, and browsed through the recipes, I remembered when I happily consumed many of these delious edibles (as well as tactfully avoided the equally noxious ones) in blissful ignorance. I still consume many of these traditional Lutheran dishes at church functions, now usually held in the Lutheran School building. Today, though, I am required to feel guilty about consuming them, can very nearly HEAR them clogging arteries. That basement holds many fond memories of more innocent times!

This book applies not only to Lutherans but also Catholics........1999-05-02

At one time a Lutheran and now a Catholic--I know these women and they are alive in every church kitchen in the world,and we have a sense of humor!!!!! The recipes send my mind scurrying back to my home town of Ada, Minnesota and I can once again enjoy the companionship of my family.

Fondest memories of my Lutheran upbringing in Wisconsin!!.......1999-02-20

My grandmother was a Norwegian immigrant who lived in a apartment down the street from our Lutheran church in Wisconsin. This book covers every recipe and nuance I remember from life in the Lutheran church, right down to the aprons. The explanations and footnotes about life as a Lutheran church basement woman are accurate and delightful. The descriptions of rituals and preparations for events are accurate to a fault, right down to the dead spreads. The hints about gossip and the social structure of these women are perfect. This book is a joy!!

Ja, sure, lots of fun.......1998-10-24

A light hearted look at the traditional role of women and their work in Church kitchens. While I am a lifelong Lutheran, I appreciated it more after moving to the Midwest. The only book I have seen that pays homage to red Jell-O.

On a more serious note, I am glad that the mores honored here are changing. At my church the men join in the cooking and cleaning, and the women have many other roles too.

Average customer rating:
Lutheran Church Basement Women
Janet Letnes Marten and Allen Todnem
Manufacturer: Redbird Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UREQWG

Amazon.com

As soon as you hear the conceit of this book--that there are two great opposing forces at work in the world today, border-crossing capitalism and splintering factionalism, and that they are the two biggest threats to democracy--you know it rings true enough to be worth reading. Although capitalism could have only grown to current levels in the soil of democracies, Benjamin Barber argues that global capitalism now tends to work against the very concept of citizenship, of people thinking for themselves and with their neighbors. Too often now, how we think is the product of a transnational corporation (increasingly, a media corporation) with headquarters elsewhere. And although self-determination is one of the most fundamental of democratic principles, unchecked it has lead to a tribalism (think Bosnia, think Rwanda) in which virtually no one besides the local power elite gets a fair shake. The antidote, Barber concludes, is to work everywhere to resuscitate the non-governmental, non-business spaces in life--he calls them "civic spaces" (such as the village green, voluntary associations of every sort, churches, community schools)--where true citizenship thrives.

Book Description

"An important new book."
--Newsweek
"Mr. Barber is. . . the first to put Jihad and McWorld together in an inescapable
dialectic . . . . [It] stands as a bold invitation to debate the broad contours and future of society."
--Barbara Ehrenreich
The New York Times Book Review

"COMPELLING. . . IMPRESSIVE. . . A thorough, engaging look at the current state of world affairs."
--The American Reporter
Jihad vs. McWorld is a groundbreaking work, an elegant and illuminating analysis of the central conflict of our times: consumerist capitalism versus religious and tribal fundamentalism. These diametrically opposed but strangely intertwined forces are tearing apart--and bringing together--the world as we know it, undermining democracy and the nation-state on which it depends. On the one hand, consumer capitalism on the global level is rapidly dissolving the social and economic barriers between nations, transforming the world's diverse populations into a blandly uniform market. On the other hand, ethnic, religious, and racial hatreds are fragmenting the political landscape into smaller and smaller tribal units. Jihad vs. McWorld is the term that distinguished writer and political scientist Benjamin R. Barber has coined to describe the powerful and paradoxical interdependence of these forces. In this important new book, he explores the alarming repercussions of this potent dialectic for democracy.
A work of persuasive originality and penetrating insight, Jihad vs. McWorld holds up a sharp, clear lens to the dangerous chaos of the post-Cold War world. Critics and political leaders have already heralded Benjamin R. Barber's work for its bold vision and moral courage. Jihad vs. McWorld is an essential text for anyone who wants to understand our troubled present and the crisis threatening our future.
"CHALLENGING AND INSTRUCTIVE."
--San Francisco Chronicle
"BARBER IS WELL WORTH READING. . . FOR AN INTRODUCTION TO THE REAL WORLD, LOOK AT JIHAD vs. McWORLD."
--The Nation
"STIMULATING, TARTLY WRITTEN."
--Publishers Weekly

Customer Reviews:

interesting, but a little preachy.......2007-06-30

First of all, the cover art has been changed. Originally, it was a relatively prosaic cover, full of logos of religious symbols, corporate logos, and military equipment. The picture of the burka-clad lady sipping a Pepsi was undoubtedbly added after 9/11, to capitalize on world events. But the text has not been changed or revised, as far as I can tell....

On to the content. Almost half of the book is taken up by a description of "McWorld" (i.e. the multinational, comsumerist culture that would have us all drinking a Coke, going to McDonalds, wearing Nikes, etc., possibly to the detriment of local culture). Nothing I haven't really heard or read before.

Next, the author tries to describe "Jihad". (As an aside, although I am not a Muslim, I do know that Jihad is a specific Islamic term roughly meaning "struggle", but actually meaning different kinds of struggles, of which the violence that we hear about in the West is only one). In the book, the term "Jihad" is used to mean any opposition to "McWorld", or perhaps modernity or other cultures in general. I'm not sure that's appropriate; maybe another term, such as "neotribalism" (which actually is used in a few places in the book) might be more useful? Only a relatively short chapter talks about religion at all; it mostly tries to compare the Christian right (and far-right) in the US with the Islamic extremists.

A couple of chapters go over the "failure" of post-Communist Russia and East Germany; another describes the effects of "McWorld" on China and Japan. Also described in several places is the intersection of "McWorld" and "Jihad"; as "Jihadists" use the products and technologies of "McWorld" ,not only to propagate their ideas, but also as products for everyday living. (Maybe the new cover with the burka-wearing woman enjoying a Pepsi is more appropriate than I thought at first!)

According to the book, neither "McWorld" nor "Jihad" is a replacement for democracy. There are a number of social goals that are not met by either. Further, the current system of nation-states is no match for the power of the multinational companies; some sort of supra-national, global, democratic institution with power comparable to that of multinational capitalism. (Actually getting to that point, however, would require imposing democratic ideals on countries and communities that are now decidedly anti-democratic--this is not a task done overnight).

What I didn't like is that the book overestimates the power of "McWorld", portraying the multinational corporations worrying that some third-world kid is drinking tea rather than a Coke. Like all stereotypes, there is a kernel of truth in it, but that doesn't make it any less of a stereotype. The author plays favorites; the word "jihad" appears nowhere in the several pages on Hollywood domination of the movie industry in France; yet, right-wing American evangelicals, (rightly or wrongly) questioning changing societal values get dumped on the "Jihad" heap with the neo-Nazis and Islamic terrorists. The FCC gets dinged for not forcing a radio station for keeping its classical format (although setting formats wasn't, and isn't, a function of the FCC to begin with). And so on.

Then there's the out-and-out fingerwagging; the aside on (American) slavery seems to lacks any real tie-in to the theme of "McWorld and Jihad", but more like the author coming out and telling us how we should think. This is true to a lesser extent of the "Bowling Alone"-type material in the "Global Democracy" chapter. (It's a big step from leaving one's comfortable suburban home and joining a bowling league with one's fellow suburbanites, and forming a global government with people halfway around the world who believe in who-knows-what!)

There are also a number of lists; media mergers and top films (relevant, since it shows the domination of multinational over local media) and energy use per country (less so, since equality of energy usage could theoretically be imposed by a non-democratic global system as well as by a democratic one).

To his credit, the author doesn't present "McWorld" as an evil conspiracy, but more like a natural market force that really ought to be checked by some theoretical one-world government. The "Jihad" side, however, is more of a minefield of the author's personal biases and "Things-That-Must-Be-Defended/Derided-At-All Costs".

The unity between religious fundamentalists and big business elites EXPOSED !.......2006-06-23

It's amazing how despite all the tragedies and wars, big business elitists are able to cash in on the damage while religious fundamentalists never get caught, much less held accountable. The idiots who show their hate of this book are from terrorist nations that have a knack of socializing poverty and terrorism while at the same time privatizing wealth. Despite all the big talk about winning the so-called war on terrorism, the ugly truth is wars have not taught us anything. If it weren't for Big Business funding Hitler, Hitler would have had a harder time killing the Jews. Sadly though, even after World War II ended, the Big Business elites that funded and continue to fund dictatorships like Hitler, Stalin, and the modern ones are not only not held accountable but often end up walking away as "heroes". If we're really going to win the war on terrorism and/or poverty, we're going to have to stop supporting big business elite and stop allowing our uber-corrupt politicians from exploiting peoples fears on terrorism even while maximizing poverty.

An Important but Very Flawed Work on Socio-Economics.......2006-04-03

I tried to embrace this book--I really did. It was tempting to want to have at last found a piece of academic writing that deftly encapsulates and explains this clash of titans: jihad and globalism. Barber's main title is, however, more tantalizing than explanatory. This book demonstrates the dangers of allegiance to dichotomies; there are other forces at work in society that grapple with the headline-stealing titans.

This is an important book at least insofar as it captures a growing sentiment among academics interested in the socio-economic forces that compel current events. It is not, therefore, an easy read for the layman (particularly the last part of the book) which is ironic given his call to grassroots citizen action.

Barber asserts--really insists with an uncomfortable brand of academic arrogance--in almost narrowly political overtones that the world is immersed in a battle of opposing ideologies: the corporate, amoral and homogenized one that really is without ideology and the local, or tribal, and rigidly moral and fragmented one that is part ideology, part myth-making.

Unfortunately, in his earnestness to construct and defend his convenient dichotomy, he conforms exceptions to his rule. The jihadists--whether ethnic hatemongers or terrorists--have for Barber retained some residue of moral dignity while the globalist--whether gullible, materialistic and indifferent consumers or manipulative, multinational executives--have altogether lost their moral compass.

His solution (which he fails to outline, thus making his work more of a polemic and manifesto rather than manual for change) is an activist citizenry fully appreciative of their need and ability to shore up the civil sector of modern societies. Here again Barber is remiss, revealing that writing from one's desk rather than the field has its limitations. He fails to acknowledge, for example, the extent to which the lack of a civic tradition in such nations as Russia and China impedes social progress of the sort he pines for. And the following further indicates his lack of awareness of Chinese cultural resiliency: "What is striking is that even here where a native culture might be thought to have its greatest chances against the children of the Western Enlightenment, McWorld seems irresistible."(190)

Aside from this concern, and his lack of concrete solutions and elusive, often inaccessible writing style, Barber tends to exaggerate the extent to which corporate influence is mitigated by both government and civic organizations, especially in the Western democracies. He is undeservedly far too pessimistic in this regard and fails to note the many ways in which a bygone American lacked a collective sense of civic duty. Moreover, his analysis is flawed, as I believe you will also discover, by his apparent aspirations to global citizenship. Nor, as other reviewers have noted, has he given due credit to the government and business sectors in creating a climate for a civic society to exist, must less flourish with some degree of autonomy. The symbolic assault on McDonald's is both tedious and unfair. While guilty of promoting unhealthy diets to some extent, it is a zealous stretch to accuse this and other multinationals of single handedly distorting the cultural landscape of developing nations. And even in the U.S., McDonald's has played a civic role via the Ronald McDonald House, it's management hiring practices and provisions for inner-city employment.

This book, perhaps like this review, could have been thought out more and condensed considerably. For a far better articulated review of this book see Gary Rosen's piece online from the journal First Things.

Provactative but lacking in substance........2006-03-10

I read Barber's book in 1995, shortly after my return from my dissertation research in Indonesia. I was dismayed but what were clear errors in Barber's treatment of Indonesia. He talks about the marketing succes of Coke to sell the sweet syrupy beverage as a substitute to the more "native" tea. What he fails to see is for many if not most ethnic groups of Indonesia tea is served very sweet -- with what I hyperbolically refer to as "equal parts sugar and water." He also bemoan Indonesians taking up blue jeans in favor of saris. Saris? I know of no Indonesians who wear saris -- this is a garment better associated with India. Ok, I know these are perhaps trifiling errors. However, Barbers evidence is composed exclusively of little vignettes and reference like this. I do not know of the accuracy of his specific examples for other countries. However, if the problem he has with understanding the basic facts of Indonesian culture are replicated through all his examples, the argument he tries to support by them must be suspect.

That said, I found the book intriguing. I find the proposition that either the world will become a huge pave parking lot full of McDonald's Hard Rock Cafe's, and discos pumping MTV or it will be torn apart by attempts to assert local identity ludicrous. This idea of Barber's inspired me to write an article specificaly examine McDonald's in the Indonesian cultural landscape. In many important ways, McDonald's Indonesia is more Indonesian than it is anything else. And, it actively seeks to be so.

It came out shortly after the time I had Samual Huntington's Foreign Affairs article "The Clash of Civilizations" pointed out to me by my Indonesian Muslim interlocutors. I find Barber's argument interesting in regard to the Clash of Civilizations debate. Barber does not deal with either Bernard Lewis (who coined "Clash of Civilizations" or Huntington (who popularized it). However, I find in his work, the important corrective that the clash is not limited to Muslims but to all efforts to oppose global capitalism by emphasizing local identity. Also to the degree that there is such a clash, Barber's book can supply an understanding of its mechanism. Again, this was not Barber's point, but it can be drawn from his book.

With my critiques of this book, you might think that I discarded it shortly after reading it. I still have my original copy. I think that the book will make the reader think and if readers actually do that rather than accept it as gospel, then the book is very much worth the read. In fact, I will be assigning it as a test in course I will teach in the Fall of 2006.

Ron Lukens-Bull, PhD
Associate Professor of Anthropology
University of North Florida

McJihad vs. Reality.......2006-02-09

This book is inexplicably influential, probably due to its catchy but ultimately meaningless title. Barber fails to convincingly analyze an interesting thesis, instead delivering an exasperating 300 page-long list of every single thing on Earth that he disagrees with. Barber contends that natural human political behavior results in smaller and smaller ethnic enclaves trying to separate themselves from the larger world, while unchecked global capitalism is erasing ethnic flavor with bowdlerized mass-culture sameness. Interestingly, Barber contends that these two contrary movements are actually in an unholy alliance, using each other's excesses as excuses for their anti-democratic behavior. That is a fascinating thesis, which makes the weaknesses of this book all the more infuriating.

The first part of the book is an interminable tirade of lists within lists, of cultural trends that Barber disdains, in an avalanche of complaints that is not analytical but merely selective and arbitrary. It's all tied together with attempts at "edgy" pop culture references, made-up terminology (like the annoying "infotainment telesector"), and pseudo-intellectual quotations and namedropping. All is lumped together unconvincingly under the anemic term "McWorld," which is so vague and all-inclusive as to become meaningless. In his never-ending examples of how recent cultural trends are damaging the freedom and intelligence of the masses, Barber merely comes across as a condescending snob who thinks his own interests are superior, or a curmudgeon who thinks everything was better back in the good old days, or both. In the second part of the book, Barber proceeds to throw obtuse political science theories at various world hotspots, in which tribalism and separatism are damaging the integrity of nation-states. His umbrella term for this phenomenon is the dangerously loaded term "Jihad." Note that this book was published back in 1995, so that word was not as prevalent in Western discourse as it is now, but Barber still uses the term as a loose descriptor which is likely to offend both devout Muslims and ardent anti-Islamists.

When it comes to the specifics, many reviews here and elsewhere list out the numerous flaws in Barber's arguments, and there are so many of them that a lot of reviews are necessary for the task. You can agree or disagree with various critiques of Barber's contentions based on your own personal politics. But everyone will probably conclude that in this book's final section he does not deliver on the ironic implications of his initially intriguing thesis (embodied in the book's title), and simply forwards borrowed theories on civil society and the public sector. Overall, this book is mostly the longwinded grumblings of a nostalgic know-it-all who portentously predicts doom for every single cultural and political reality of the modern world. [~doomsdayer520~]

Jihad vs. McWorld: How Globalism and Tribalism Are Reshaping the World

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Jihad vs. McWorld: How Globalism and Tribalism Are Reshaping the World
Benjamin Barber
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OVFEEW

Book Description

When conservatives took control of the federal judiciary in the 1980s, it was widely assumed that they would reverse the landmark rights-protecting precedents set by the Warren Court and replace them with a broad commitment to judicial restraint. Instead, the Supreme Court under Chief Justice William Rehnquist has reaffirmed most of those liberal decisions while creating its own brand of conservative judicial activism.

Ranging from 1937 to the present, The Most Activist Supreme Court in History traces the legal and political forces that have shaped the modern Court. Thomas M. Keck argues that the tensions within modern conservatism have produced a court that exercises its own power quite actively, on behalf of both liberal and conservative ends. Despite the long-standing conservative commitment to restraint, the justices of the Rehnquist Court have stepped in to settle divisive political conflicts over abortion, affirmative action, gay rights, presidential elections, and much more. Keck focuses in particular on the role of Justices O'Connor and Kennedy, whose deciding votes have shaped this uncharacteristically activist Court.

Customer Reviews:

Good overview of post New Deal constitutional development.......2005-08-07

Prof. Keck has written an interesting book on Constitutional Law since the New Deal, focusing on the debate over the proper scope of judicial review in the Supreme Court(ie: should judges be activist and make their own substantive appreciations on policy questions or should they faithfully defer to other supposedly more democratic branches of government). The author nicely weaves this story with another one, that of the rise of judicial conservatism and judicial activism on the right that has been going on for more than twenty five years now. In so doing, the book sheds light on the conservative fallacy that conservative judges are more deferent to elected branches than liberal judges. However, the book does not really inquire into the structural features of American constitutionalism that make the practice of judicial review such a double edged sword for liberals and conservatives alike and does not tell much about collective decision making on the Court. Still well worth reading for its clarity and relatively broad historical sweep.

The Most Activist Supreme Court in History: The Road to Modern Judicial Conservatism

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The Most Activist Supreme Court in History: The Road to Modern Judicial Conservatism
Thomas M. Keck
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPJN3G

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Most Activist Supreme Court in History: The Road to Modern Judicial Conservatism
Thomas Moylan Keck
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPNFSK

Book Description

Air pollution damages materials, but it has changed dramatically in the past century, with a reduction in the concentration of corrosive primary pollutants in urban atmospheres. At the same time, architectural styles and types of materials have changed, as we have moved to more organically rich, photochemically active atmospheres.

Contemporary air pollutants have the potential to degrade organic coatings and polymers, which are of great importance to modern structures, while increasing amounts of fine diesel soot spoil the simple lines and smooth areas characteristic of many modern buildings.

This book examines a range of materials, discussing the ways in which they are likely to be damaged by air pollutants. It should be of interest to scientists and policymakers dealing with the effects of urban air pollution.

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