Next book

THE HIGH-RISK SOCIETY

PERIL AND PROMISE IN THE NEW ECONOMY

A thoughtful though limited discussion of a puzzling situation: Why, despite relative prosperity, is economic anxiety so high? Mandel, economics editor of BusinessWeek magazine, maintains that unlike the stable corporate world of the 1950s and '60s which offered low risks and high rewards, and the transitional period of the '70s and '80s, which imposed high risks and low rewards, we are now confronted with an era offering high risks and the potential for high rewards. Traditional business practices—loyalty, seniority, and a reliance on government regulation—no longer guarantee success. With quantum leaps in information technology, corporate downsizing, and government deregulation, the comfortable predictability of the good old days has been replaced by economic turmoil. The entire economy is now characterized by a dynamism previously limited to the financial markets, and success requires a bold strategy: Embrace risk. Corporations must invest in the development of innovative products and reorganize along untested lines; individuals must invest in future-oriented education and accept multiple job changes or self-employment; the alternatives are decreasing profits and income. The costs of the attendant uncertainty, however, are high, in terms of confusion in the marketplace, missed opportunities, cautious and confused investors. To mitigate the losses caused by this turbulent situation, Mandel proposes measures ranging from income averaging for tax purposes to linking compensation to futures markets. To his credit, Mandel acknowledges that those with substantial personal wealth and education are in a much better position to take risks, but he is more reticent about the increase in economic inequality that would result from his proposals. Accepting aggregate growth as the ultimate concern seems to crowd out serious consideration of distributive issues. While the trials and tribulations of uncertainty in economic life are not ignored, Mandel definitely looks at the current and future economy through rose-colored glasses. (12 tables, charts, and graphs, not seen) (Author tour)

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1996

ISBN: 0-8129-2637-4

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Times/Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1996

Categories:
Next book

THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE

50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...

Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.

Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").

Pub Date: May 15, 1972

ISBN: 0205632645

Page Count: 105

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972

Categories:
Next book

NUTCRACKER

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:
Close Quickview