by Tom Veblen ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2017
A lucidly argued, if less than original, account of the moral implications of commerce.
A brief but wide-ranging book of thoughts on the nature of business.
In 1993, author Veblen (The Way of Business, 2011) assembled a group of businessmen—The Superior Business Firm Roundtable—to collaboratively unpack the essence of business itself. They were initially unable to arrive at a neat consensus, but they continued to gather to discuss the constituent principles of commerce, and this book synoptically catalogs these discussions. Veblen defines business as the creation of wealth, and in this work, he supplies a surfeit of sensible advice regarding its proper pursuit. How to construct a winning idea, the significance of innovation and the adoption of a global perspective, and the basic principles of leadership are just a few of the topics that he considers. However, although the book largely approaches the nature of business from a practical rather than theoretical perspective, it manages to be both philosophically broad and morally ambitious. For example, Veblen considers commerce to be a messily human affair, resistant to any sort of facile distillation, and therefore only comprehensible via its social and cultural context. This leads to a consideration of business as a political phenomenon, and an examination of the relationship between wealth production, a commercial society, and a healthy and enlightened democracy. He also draws a connection between wealth creation and the service of a higher good, which, he asserts, is conducive to both profitability and the betterment of society. The study is filled with concrete case studies, ranging from the overall U.S. food system to the McDonald’s restaurant chain, that helpfully illustrate its worldview. Despite navigating some muddy theoretical waters, Veblen’s prose never devolves into prohibitively technical jargon or conceptual abstraction. This is, first and foremost, a practical guidebook for the active or aspiring entrepreneur, but it’s also written for a broad audience that includes both veterans and novices. The author’s purview is remarkably panoramic, and he consistently attempts to articulate the moral and social power of business, and the responsibilities that such power entails: “The superior practitioner,” he says, prizes “integrity and knowledge over power and fame, reality over idealism, wealth creation and its management over profit-making, and entrepreneurship and open dealing over tradition and secrecy.” His book is as much a manifesto as it is an instructional manual—a kind of clarion call to a more moral outlook. However, it never treats truly difficult questions—such as how, precisely, to square the race to wealth with an ethical chastening of avarice—rigorously enough to fully persuade the unconvinced. Also, much of the counsel here, while perfectly reasonable, is also timeworn and familiar, as when Veblen encourages the reader to keep his or her promises, extols the virtue of persistence, and implores businesspeople “to make things work right.” The principal value of this work is to provocatively assess business in a larger frame and to possibly generate a deeper conversation about the advantages that it bestows upon the world.
A lucidly argued, if less than original, account of the moral implications of commerce.Pub Date: May 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5451-8386-1
Page Count: 220
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Share your opinion of this book
by William Strunk & E.B. White ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 1972
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
Share your opinion of this book
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
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
Share your opinion of this book
More by E.T.A. Hoffmann
BOOK REVIEW
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson
BOOK REVIEW
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.