Corporate America: Surviving Your Journey Towards Success

Book Description

Corporate America: Surviving Your Journey Towards Success is much more than just a good read, more importantly itÂ's an invaluable tool that one can utilize and apply throughout their career. This wonderful book not only tells but also shows by numerous examples Â“howÂ” to succeed. Containing everything from hands on exercises to recommended daily rituals, from locating and utilizing career counselors to providing input from various professionals, this book is all encompassing for everyone, at any level in their career. Â- Monalisa D. Moody, Editor/Founder, Profound Word Magazine

~~~

Anderson takes a creative observation into corporate politics in the pursuit of succeeding the trials and tribulations. Beginning with our attitudes that are crucial to surviving the journey, Anderson outlines pertinent questions that are answered by CEOÂ's, managers, and non-salaried employees to overcome pitfalls in corporate America.

Corporate America: Surviving Your Journey Towards Success presents an exceptional investigation of the working relations with fellow colleagues in a successful and fulfilling approach. A great resource for current corporate America workers as well as college students beginning their career in Corporate America, in order to discover what to expect and how to succeed.

Customer Reviews:

A GOOD READ, Geared towards professional & personal success.......2003-03-20

Throughout the book, Corporate America: Surviving Your Journey Towards Success, the author, Nichel Anderson uses the word `effect' abundantly:

>"...my initiative is to show you how to effectively maneuver the often-tidal waves of Corporate America"

>"What are the effects of having a good attitude or a bad one?"

>"...the inner politics of Corporate America must be understood and respected in order to be an effective player"

>"...an effective appearance is a balance of knowing what is appropriate in the workplace and being within the workplace guidelines"

And so on...

Whether an individual is striving to succeed going the corporate route, or looking to venture into the world of entrepreneurship, or just in general trying to maintain and nurture everyday relationships, the goal is always to bring forth desirable results, in a word, to be effective and succeed in these endeavors.

The reader's journey through this book begins with self-analysis exercises and appropriately so. I believe that the strength of this book lies in Nichel Anderson's approach to start off by having readers examine the core of their primary influence towards success: Ones own self. The author obviously believes that once an individual can recognize and obtain positive emotional and spiritual health, that their chosen career path and related decisions will effectively produce positive outcomes. Readers are encouraged to explore their attitude, emotional balance, and patterns of interaction with others. One of the many thought-provoking quotes offered within this book goes: "Open your eyes and look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?"

Not forsaking the professional tools also essential for one to succeed on their chosen career path, this book thoroughly examines everything from Effective Cover letters, Resumes, and Interviewing techniques to ongoing, Effective Verbal and Written Communication whilst on the job.

Corporate America: Surviving Your Journey Towards Success is much more than just a good read, more importantly it's an invaluable tool that one can utilize and apply throughout their career. This wonderful book not only tells but also shows by numerous examples "how" to be effective and succeed. Containing everything from hands on exercises to recommended daily rituals, from locating and utilizing career counselors to providing input from various professionals, this book is all encompassing for everyone, at any level in their career. This book is an easy read that contains a wealth of information geared towards not only professional success, but personal growth and success as well. I envision this book being a resource that various facets of business implement into their employee career development practices.

Monalisa D. Moody,
Editor, Profound Word Magazine

Amazon.com

Michael Useem, a professor of management at the Wharton School of Business, explains an economic transformation that is not only changing corporate America but is having profound effects on the rest of society. Namely, that the managers of mutual funds now command so much power that corporate CEOs practically plead to have their stocks included in the fund. In turn, to make their stock appear attractive, CEOs are downsizing and restructuring companies in any way Wall Street deems favorable. And, strikingly, we approve of this action by supporting mutual funds. A revealing work.

Book Description

A behind-the-scenes look at today's kingmakers: institutional investors. Out of the public eye, a small group of professionals--investment experts who handle other people's monies--are exerting ever-greater control over corporate managers, firing CEOs and pushing through 'restructurings' that cost thousands of jobs. Michael Useem's "Investor Capitalism" portrays the quiet, veiled nature of this dance of elephants, and portrays the enormous implications of its results. --John Rekenthaler, Publisher, Morningstar, Inc.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Beginning, then becomes painfully repetitive.......2006-06-02

Although this book is out of date now, it is still a good intro to the conflict between investors and corporate management. It does a good job of introducing concepts and has excellent footnotes and supporting data. However, halfway through I had to stop reading as I realized that it had become painfully and obviously repetitive. If not for that I would have given it 5 stars. The book is in desparate need of a good editor. The type of people who would most likely read this book are also the type of people whose time is very valuable and would be turned off by reading paragraph after paragraph of essentially the same content.

By the way, I read parts of other chapters to conclude that the painful repetition continued and was not just a minor flaw occurring in the middle of the book. The repetition of content is so bad it becomes comical at certain points.

If this book had been "restructured" and pared down to 180 pages, it would be an excellent book, a classic, and 5 stars. Like many of the companies it talks about it is desparate need of management (editor in this case) who will significantly downsize it.

Refreshing and forward looking.......2004-11-06

Le livre de Michael Useem vient à point nommé pour rappeler que les performances économiques dépendent étroitement du système de Gouvernement d'entreprise. En effet, l'économie américaine est en train de vivre une véritable révolution managériale avec l'apparition d'investisseurs institutionnels qui ne se contentent plus de placer passivement leurs fonds, mais militent activement pour que celles qui en bénéficient améliorent sans cesse la valeur actionnariale, objectif suprême du dirigeant.

Certes, l'entreprise a des clients, des fournisseurs et des salariés, mais si elle néglige l'intérêt de ses actionnaires, elle n'aura plus les moyens de son développement, et, à terme, portera un préjudice à tous ses autres partenaires. La valeur actionnariale impose ses règles pour le plus grand bien de l'entreprise. Ce n'est pas seulement pour l'investisseur que l'entreprise doit privilégier la valeur. Elle doit le faire pour elle-même. C'est la condition de sa survie, la marque de son succès et de sa profitabilité, bref c'est le signe de son efficacité économique.

Cette révolution qui fait disparaître progressivement le capitalisme des managers au profit de celui des investisseurs commence à toucher les pays européens, et en particulier la France. Elle a des conséquences importantes dans de multiples domaines du management.

* Le système financier doit être totalement reconsidéré. La diversité des objectifs stratégiques et financiers au sein d'une entreprise engendre incohérence et dispersion des efforts. Elle doit laisser place à un système unifié autour d'un indicateur représentatif de la création de valeur (comme le profit économique). Toutes les décisions de gestion (budget et plans, choix d'investissement) doivent être prises en fonction de cette mesure unique et le contrôle de gestion doit naturellement intégrer cette dimension.

* La politique financière doit se moderniser. C'est ainsi qu'une entreprise en maturité qui dégage un flux de liquidité important doit avoir une politique de distribution de dividendes active, plutôt que d'accumuler des réserves improductives qui pénalisent la valeur actionnariale. Elle peut aussi envisager un rachat partiel de ses actions (comme Parfinance ou Pernod Ricard). Un autre exemple est donnée par la vague des scissions de groupes diversifiés incapables de créer des synergies entre des activités profondément différentes.

* Les modes de fonctionnement de l'entreprise doivent être revus. La mise en uvre d'une gestion de la valeur passe par la mise en place de structures décentralisées dont les responsables sont jugés en fonction de leur capacité à maîtriser l'importance des actifs utilisés et à améliorer leur rentabilité économique. Une politique de rémunération soucieuse de la valeur actionnariale doit transformer les managers en actionnaires afin d'aligner leurs comportements sur les attentes de leurs mandants.

* L'organisation des pouvoirs au sein de l'entreprise doit repensée afin de permettre aux actionnaires de s'exprimer. Contrairement à ce que pensent les chefs d'entreprises, les actionnaires professionnels ont une perspective à long terme. Leur approche est différente, et les études montrent que lorsqu'ils s'expriment par le biais du marché financier, leurs anticipations sont souvent plus justes que les analyses internes effectuées par le management. Un dialogue institutionnel ou informel plus fréquent avec les actionnaires significatifs permettrait de mieux comprendre leurs objectifs et enrichirait la prise de décision.

* La communication financière doit aussi être profondément transformée. L'efficience des marché financiers conduit les investisseurs à rechercher les informations privilégiées auprès des partenaires de l'entreprise ou des observateurs avertis. Pour contribuer à la gestion de la valeur, la communication financière doit intégrer une dimension marketing : à l'avenir le manager devra sélectionner ses actionnaires, écouter les attentes du marché, et lui adresser des signaux clairs quant aux principes d'action qu'il entend suivre.

Ces transformations ne pourront pas voir le jour sans un renouvellement culturel et professionnel de nos dirigeants entreprises. Ceux-ci devront tout d'abord accepter de soumettre leurs performances au jugement du marché et organiser un meilleur équilibre des pouvoirs au sein de leur entreprise. Ensuite, ils devront acquérir de nouvelles compétences : compréhension des marchés financiers, maîtrise des techniques d'évaluation et d'ingénierie financière, acquisition de qualités commerciales pour promouvoir les titres financiers de l'entreprise.

Ce chemin de Damas sera difficile, mais la pérennité et la prospérité de notre système économique est certainement à ce prix.

An instant classic in the field of corporate governance.
.......1996-10-14

Managerial capitalism ascended during the century's middle decades. "The decisions they made often affected the lives of thousands of people, yet they were seemingly accountable to no one." The large holdings of institutional investors and the growth of indexing as a major investment strategy have prevented the ready selling of underperforming companies; investors are now more likely to "speak out than to cash out." Whereas managerial capitalism tolerated a host of company objectives, Useem argues that under investor capitalism enhancing shareholder value has become paramount.

According to Useem, the struggle for corporate control is no longer "just another squabble among the rich and powerful," since most Americans now "derive a substantial fraction of their current or future livelihood from the performance of companies whose stock they directly or indirectly own through pension funds and mutual funds." Critical to the book's many informative insights are a series of interviews the author conducted between 1991 and 1995 with a wide array of corporate and investor executives. The result, is a rare behind the scenes look at how "investor capitalism" is reshaping the corporation.

The dismissals of top executives at GM, Digital, IBM, Kodak, Kmart, and others were only the "most visible edge of a more widespread development." "Shareholders can replace directors, directors can replace managers, and managers in turn can replace shareholders." Each party is now on a more equal footing. Institutional investors put out their Focus List but corporations now use their investor relations staff to hold "shareholder mix" campaigns. Such campaigns usually seek to increase the holdings of employees and individual investors with modest holdings.

Yet, for all the changes increasing the voice of institutional investors, only 6% of 375 major firms surveyed in 1992 received a single director nomination from an institutional investor. Another study cited by Useem shows that "directors' careers bear little or no relationship to their performance on behalf of shareholders."

The book contains a wealth of information and behind the scenes examples. Useem's description of an executive's frustration with pension fund managers in comparison with mutual fund managers is particularly interesting. "Mutual fund managers pay more attention to strategic directions, product performance, and prospective risks. Strong pension managers, by contrast, seem more preoccupied with the formalities of governance." For the CEO the "challenging--and useful--questions lay in product strategy rather than broad policy." This guided how he allocated his time. However, with the average mutual fund turning over their stock every 6 months, instead of once every 7.5 years for the average public pension fund, I have to wonder if the vision of this and similar CEOs might be just a little short sighted, especially given the importance that "corporate governance" issues may play as money moves more widely abroad.

Useem points to the recent dramatic increases in the global market. Capitalization of the Hong Kong market, for example, went from $74 billion in 1988 to $385 billion in 1993. Prior to 1990, 20% or less of new equity investments went to foreign stocks; by the beginning of 1994 that was up to 40%. These investments have displaced the investments of the World Bank, national governments and private creditors as the largest source of external financing. International bodies are harmonizing accounting and securities standards. The Department of Labor requires pension fund managers to cast informed proxy votes with the same diligence as in the U.S. CalPERS has announced a program to expand international holdings from 13% to 20% of its assets. Convergence is seen as a major theme.

Convergence is also carried over when Useem brings the split between corporate and money managers down to the personal level. Company executives see each other at the Business Roundtable, Committee for Economic Development and Bohemian Grove. "They frequent the same clubs, sometimes the same schools, occasionally the same islands." Those presiding over public pension funds and investment companies, however, remain remote from the "higher reaches of traditional business community." Their networks instead lead to such professional circuits as the New York Society of Securities Analysts and the Association for Investment Management and Research. For Useem, as a professor at the most highly rated business school in the country, the M.B.A., as the "credential of choice for movement into top management at both large firms and large investors," will result in "two years of shared training...each of the two sides will have a lingering appreciation for the concerns and challenges of the other."

The strength of Investor Capitalism lies in its vivid descriptions of personal communications derived from dozens of interviews and Useem's unique ability to draw on a large number of surveys from other reputable sources. While personal relations will be critical to building the next stage of development, it is also important to examine the process constraints within the current system which shape our everyday behavior.

For example, open-ended mutual funds have liquidity problems which discourage "ownership" and long-term holding. Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires shareholders with 10% or more of a stock to return short-swing profits, even if the trading was done without inside information. Most pension funds exist in a culture of "blame avoidance" built around the legal concept of "prudence." Although portfolio theorists generally agree that 99% of the risk management value of diversification can be achieved with a portfolio of only 100 stocks, pension plans continue to over diversify. Congress and/or the Securities and Exchange Commission could provide mechanisms for hybrid "relational" type mutual funds by allowing funds to require some notification prior to withdrawal and by adjusting 16(b) requirements. Congress and/or the Department of Labor could clarify that prudence, under ERISA, is to be evaluated on a portfolio-wide, rather than individual investment basis. The mutual cooperation between long-term owners and corporate executives which Useem envisions appears unlikely to be fully realized, regardless of the benefits of shared educational experiences, unless such structural reforms are made.

Useem notes that "when U.S. company executives describe the relations they have established with investors, few cite other company experiences and none allude to non-U.S. models." He concludes that "companies have, of necessity, invented their own solutions to the problems of managing a far more concentrated yet still remarkably diverse ownership base." The increasing use of books such as Michael Useem's Investor Capitalism, Monks and Minow's Watching the Watchers, Mark Roe's Strong Managers, Weak Owners, and Margaret Blair's Ownership and Control in MBA programs should go a long way, both in reducing the need of company executives to continually reinvent emerging solutions to problems in the area of corporate governance and in furthering their dialogue with shareholders.

James McRitchie is the editor of Corporate Governance, http://www.wp.com.corpgov

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Investor Capitalism: How Money Managers Are Changing the Face of Corporate America
Michael Useem
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K1DDWG

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Introduction to Criminal Justice: Updated Edition, with PowerWeb
Keith N Haley Robert M Bohm
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OGN8N6

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Encyclopedia of Human Biology, 8

Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biology | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Biology | Biological Sciences | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0122267583

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Encyclopedia Of Human Biology, 8
Renato Dulbecco
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OH2X7C

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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, VOLUMES 1-8
Renato, ed. Dulbecco
Manufacturer: Academic Press (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich) San Diego et al
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IWI6Q0

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Encyclopedia of Human Biology/Vols 7-8

Manufacturer: Academic Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0122267508

Book Description

This book describes the thermal and hydrodynamic instabilities appearing in laser-matter interactions at moderate intensities. These instabilities result in the distortion of phase-transition front, dispersion of target material in condensed phase, formation of dissipative surface structures, generation of complex oscillatory evaporation modes, and so on. These effects, in turn, lead to the appearance of liquid droplets in an expanding vapor, non-uniform removal of a solid material, and the enhanced light absorption in the vapor plume. This book focuses on nonresonant interactions. It concentrates on the range of low and moderate laser intensities that are important for technological applications of lasers. Instabilities in Laser-Matter Interaction provides a theoretical background to the interpretation of experimental results and an understanding of the effect of instabilities on the processes of laser technology.

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Not as enthusiastic as the others

Anecdotes tell of science's applicability to people

A pleasure to read

Pepper and Handsprings

The scientific mind at work .... and loving it

How to Dunk a Doughnut: The Science of Everyday Life
Len Fisher
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books
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Weighing the Soul: Scientific Discovery from the Brilliant to the Bizarre

The Fly in the Ointment: 70 Fascinating Commentaries on the Science of Everyday Life

Why Things Break: Understanding the World By the Way It Comes Apart

That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles: 65 All-New Commentaries on the Fascinating Chemistry of Everyday Life

The Time and Space of Uncle Albert

ASIN: 0143034383
Release Date: 2004-09-28

Book Description

Praised as “the man who put the fun into physics” by the International Herald Tribune, Dr. Len Fisher has written an exceedingly lively and entertaining book on the science of everyday life. Following the routine of a normal day, Fisher shows how the seemingly mundane can provide insight into the most profound scientific questions. He explores the art and science of dunking, how to boil the perfect egg, how to tally a supermarket bill, the science behind hand tools, the secrets of haute cuisine, catching a ball and throwing a boomerang, bath (or beer) foam, the physics of sex and much more. With wit and aplomb, How to Dunk a Doughnut uses easy-to-digest concepts and a sense of humor to show nonscientists what science is really all about.

Customer Reviews:

Not as enthusiastic as the others.......2006-04-23

This book didn't work for me as well as it apparently did for others. I do think that it succeeds handily at two important things: showing how science is involved in everyday things, and showing that while we tend to think of science as an ivory-tower exercise for super-geniuses, much of science is actually a process involving intuition, experimentation, collaboration, persistence and luck that any reasonably intelligent person can contribute to if they are interested.

My problem with the book is that parts of what he talks about just didn't hold my interest well, e.g. How To Add Up A Supermarket Bill and The Art And Science Of Dunking. And Catch As Catch Can left me thinking that surely what happens in the human brain is quite different from the complex sort of computation he talks about.

I did like parts of the book, but I liked the book "The Secret House" better (although perhaps it is unfair to compare them because "The Secret House" does not dive so deeply into any topic).

Anecdotes tell of science's applicability to people.......2004-11-09

Dr. Fisher was award an IgNobel Prize in 1999 for his work on the physics of cookie dunking, and his How To Dunk A Doughnut extends his research into the everyday world in an effort to relate science to everyday life. Anecdotes tell of science's applicability to people, from beer foam and the meaning of life to chewing and its relationship to perceptions of taste. Even the most reluctant science reader will find these vignettes compelling reading.

A pleasure to read.......2004-02-14

It is very rare to find an author who writes with such enthusiasm about their subject, particularly in this kind of field. The information isn't just presented in a factual way, it is made into interesting accounts of the author's (sometimes failed) experiments, that can be related to tribulations of everyday life, such as knowing when the Sunday roast is cooked! As a student, I found this book very interesting and worthy of the highest praise.

Pepper and Handsprings.......2003-12-08

As a non-science oriented person, I found myself skipping around in this book, skimming parts about claw hammers and boomerangs, but reading the entire chapter on supermarket bills. Frankly, that doughnut on the cover got my attention, and the fact that I had just heard about the Ignobel Prize on the radio, which the author of this book won several years ago.

I enjoyed the chapter on The Physics of Sex, but had to read the notes to find out why a woman taking the antidepressant clomipramine supplemented her dosage with pepper. (You'll have to read it yourself, I don't want Amazon removing my review!)

In addition to making science more accessible, Fisher makes scientists seem more human. He describes colleagues of his reacting to successes by singing, shouting, and one who removed all his clothes and did a series of handsprings. Now that is a happy scientist.

The scientific mind at work .... and loving it.......2003-05-12

With an enthusiasm that is clearly contagious, the author applies scientific reasoning and methodology to better understand certain things in everyday life that we may take for granted. Topics that are examined under the microscope of the author's sharp and witty mind include: the science of cooking, the scientific principles behind tool usage, boomerang design and throwing, quick determination the cheapest supermarket, the physics of sex, and more. The author's excitement in describing his scientific approach to these matters stands out - much as an excited child describing the joys of discovering something new and wonderful, but in a clear, lucid, even funny, way. Complete with lots of diagrams and charts, this book is pleasure to read. The author has definitely succeeded in clearly illustrating how the scientific method and the scientific mind work, and all this in a most enjoyable way.

Como mojar una galleta/ How dunk a doughnut: La Ciencia en la vida Cotidiana/The Science of Everyday Life

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Como mojar una galleta/ How dunk a doughnut: La Ciencia en la vida Cotidiana/The Science of Everyday Life
Len Fisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

Ann Petry (1908-1997) was a prominent African American writer during a period in which few black women were published with regularity in America. Her novels Country Place (1947), and The Narrows (1988), along with various collections of short stories and nonfiction, poignantly described the struggles and triumphs of middle-class blacks living in primarily white communities.

Petry's ancestors, the James family, served as inspiration for much of her fiction. This collection of more than four hundred letters among various family members shows a broad spectrum of middle-class black life and opinion. Collected and edited by the daughter of Ann Petry, Anything that Can Beat White? A Black Family's Letters is an engaging portrait of black family life from the 1890s to the early twentieth century, a period not often documented by African American voices.

Ann Petry's maternal grandfather, Willis Samuel James, was a slave taught by his children to read and write. He believed "the best place for the negro is as near the white man as he can get." He followed that "truth," working as coachman for a Connecticut governor and buying a house in a white neighborhood in Hartford. Willis had sixteen children by three wives. The letters in this collection are from him and his second wife, Anna E. Houston James, and five of Anna's children, of whom novelist Ann Petry's mother, Bertha James Lane, was the oldest.

History is made and remade by the availability of new documents, sources and interpretations. Anything that Can Beat White? contributes a great deal to this process. The experiences of the James family as documented in their letters challenge both representations of black people at the turn of the century as well as our contemporary sense of black Americans.

Customer Reviews:

A fascinating history lesson.......2005-11-15

I'm not a history buff per se but I found the James family collection of letters fascinating because it tells the story of an African-American family that was solidly middle class in the late 1800s at a time in America's history when most people were poor or struggling. Though historically rich, the book is told through the original voices of family members through their letters to one another so the reading is engaging and fast-paced. I wish I had read more like it when I was in school.

Can Anything Beat White? A Black Family's Letters.(Book review): An article from: Journal of Southern History

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Can Anything Beat White? A Black Family's Letters.(Book review): An article from: Journal of Southern History
Kent Anderson Leslie
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000NPWBKO
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Southern History, published by Thomson Gale on February 1, 2007. The length of the article is 589 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Can Anything Beat White? A Black Family's Letters.(Book review)
Author: Kent Anderson Leslie
Publication: Journal of Southern History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 73 Issue: 1 Page: 208(2)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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