Owner of a research company and author of more than 30 books Plunkett discusses the factors that will influence the demands in the future economy.
Plunkett (Plunkett’s Telecommunications Industry Almanac 2011, 2010, etc.) takes an optimistic view of the near-future economy, which he defines as anytime from now to 2025. Between increasing worldwide populations and the needs of America’s own aging baby boomers, Plunkett sees markets expanding, demands shifting and the United States as the technology leader that will fill the needs of the changing landscape. Overall Plunkett’s style is polished and engaging for both business experts and lay audiences. Throughout the book, the author demonstrates his ability to easily and clearly present information, laying out arguments so logically that some otherwise surprising predictions, like an African “breadbasket,” seem plausible. Even explanations of scientific concepts, such as nanotechnology, are simplified and approachable. While having a wealth of knowledge and research behind him, the author seems particularly eager to inspire conversation among readers, offering lists of resources, discussion questions and links to an online discussion forum at the end of each chapter. For those who have a sincere interest in the world economy, Plunkett’s text contains the numbers and analysis that will strike a positive chord; however, for others, the book may come off as too data-heavy, with paragraphs full of facts, figures and sources, especially when compared with the watered-down counterparts of the genre. Despite the well-reasoned presentation and substantiating facts, readers will find that some of the author’s predictions feel incongruous with one another. For example, when it comes to technologies, Plunkett looks forward, visualizing acceptance and spread of sometimes controversial technologies, such as genetically modified foods; in other places, the viewpoint feels stagnant in our own time, such as the author’s confidence in fossil fuels. Yet these difficulties don’t harm the reading experience; instead they provide thought-provoking content for discussion with reading groups or even on the book’s LinkedIn group. Humble, honest and fact-filled, Plunkett’s book is a great option for those interested in learning more about and discussing the factors that will influence the world’s near-future economy.
Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2011
ISBN: 978-1608799992
Page Count: 274
Publisher: BizExecs Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
These are not hard and fast rules, but Meyer delivers important reading for those engaged in international business.
A helpful guide to working effectively with people from other cultures.
“The sad truth is that the vast majority of managers who conduct business internationally have little understanding about how culture is impacting their work,” writes Meyer, a professor at INSEAD, an international business school. Yet they face a wider array of work styles than ever before in dealing with clients, suppliers and colleagues from around the world. When is it best to speak or stay quiet? What is the role of the leader in the room? When working with foreign business people, failing to take cultural differences into account can lead to frustration, misunderstanding or worse. Based on research and her experiences teaching cross-cultural behaviors to executive students, the author examines a handful of key areas. Among others, they include communicating (Anglo-Saxons are explicit; Asians communicate implicitly, requiring listeners to read between the lines), developing a sense of trust (Brazilians do it over long lunches), and decision-making (Germans rely on consensus, Americans on one decider). In each area, the author provides a “culture map scale” that positions behaviors in more than 20 countries along a continuum, allowing readers to anticipate the preferences of individuals from a particular country: Do they like direct or indirect negative feedback? Are they rigid or flexible regarding deadlines? Do they favor verbal or written commitments? And so on. Meyer discusses managers who have faced perplexing situations, such as knowledgeable team members who fail to speak up in meetings or Indians who offer a puzzling half-shake, half-nod of the head. Cultural differences—not personality quirks—are the motivating factors behind many behavioral styles. Depending on our cultures, we understand the world in a particular way, find certain arguments persuasive or lacking merit, and consider some ways of making decisions or measuring time natural and others quite strange.
These are not hard and fast rules, but Meyer delivers important reading for those engaged in international business.Pub Date: May 27, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-61039-250-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Review Posted Online: April 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2014
Occasionally wonky but overall a good case for how the dismal science can make the world less—well, dismal.
“Quality of life means more than just consumption”: Two MIT economists urge that a smarter, more politically aware economics be brought to bear on social issues.
It’s no secret, write Banerjee and Duflo (co-authors: Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way To Fight Global Poverty, 2011), that “we seem to have fallen on hard times.” Immigration, trade, inequality, and taxation problems present themselves daily, and they seem to be intractable. Economics can be put to use in figuring out these big-issue questions. Data can be adduced, for example, to answer the question of whether immigration tends to suppress wages. The answer: “There is no evidence low-skilled migration to rich countries drives wage and employment down for the natives.” In fact, it opens up opportunities for those natives by freeing them to look for better work. The problem becomes thornier when it comes to the matter of free trade; as the authors observe, “left-behind people live in left-behind places,” which explains why regional poverty descended on Appalachia when so many manufacturing jobs left for China in the age of globalism, leaving behind not just left-behind people but also people ripe for exploitation by nationalist politicians. The authors add, interestingly, that the same thing occurred in parts of Germany, Spain, and Norway that fell victim to the “China shock.” In what they call a “slightly technical aside,” they build a case for addressing trade issues not with trade wars but with consumption taxes: “It makes no sense to ask agricultural workers to lose their jobs just so steelworkers can keep theirs, which is what tariffs accomplish.” Policymakers might want to consider such counsel, especially when it is coupled with the observation that free trade benefits workers in poor countries but punishes workers in rich ones.
Occasionally wonky but overall a good case for how the dismal science can make the world less—well, dismal.Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-61039-950-0
Page Count: 432
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Review Posted Online: Aug. 28, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019
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