Brian Keith Davis's enthusiasm for this sweeping study of human character by a Wharton business professor makes this audiobook fly. The premise is that people in organizational settings are mainly givers, takers, or people who seek fair interactions, matchers. Fascinating character portraits and extended case histories like that of taker Ken Lay, of Enron, provide ample narrative momentum. Davis's urgency is skillfully subtle and always in service of the author's achievement in delineating these personality types. More illuminating than instructive, Grant's book makes the case that a giving orientation can lead to more success than ruthless self-interest, provided that givers look after their own interests by carefully managing the way they negotiate, network, manage their time, and communicate with others.
Pub Date: April 9, 2013
Duration: 11 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781101621479
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The readers can't compensate for the unbearably pompous prose style of this extended parable about corporate politics and strategy.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
An engaging experience.
This audiobook deals with everything from the historic investments that led to world-dominating companies, such as the Chinese technology company Tencent, to predicting the products and services of the future. An audiobook of such complexity requires a narrator who can handle the task, and David Thorpe manages it admirably. Thorpe uses his masterly voice, which sits somewhere between that of a BBC World Service presenter and an easy, relaxed Home Counties accent, to guide listeners through a sea of numbers, acronyms, and terms such as YP, RPS, and market cap. Rather than simply reading, Thorpe presents the work with excitement and enthusiasm, and this enjoyment transfers to the listener.
An engaging experience.Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2026
Duration: 13 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781668103425
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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