Advice on business literature from Helen Edwards

A new set of books selected by SKOLKOVO Library project manager Helen Edwards. We wish you an exciting reading experience!

1. Being the boss: the 3 imperatives for becoming a great leader
Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback
Harvard Business Review Press, 2011.
xvi, 284 pages

What makes a great boss and how can you become one? After the initial discomfort of taking on a management role many managers become complacent and settle for "managing" in the worst sense - getting by. This book presents a model of managing self, network and team. The book follows the progress of a new manager, each chapter presenting him with a new challenge and discussing how to cope with it. There are self assessment questions aimed at developing self reflection, key to progressing on the management journey. The goal of this journey is to close the "opportunity gap"; the difference between current performance and the best the group is capable of doing.

2. Onward: how Starbucks fought for its life without losing its soul
Howard Schultz with Joanne Gordon
Wiley, 2011
xii, 336 pages

After many years of unprecedented success, in 2007 Starbucks profits stopped increasing. This book is the personal story of Howard Schulz who had stepped aside as CEO almost eight years previously but who then returned to deal with the crisis. He found that Starbucks had neglected its core business. Some innovations such as the introduction of breakfast sandwiches - with the all too often smell of burnt cheese rather than delicious coffee - detracted from the experience. Reviewing every aspect of Starbucks' operations, taking into account new customer expectations such as ethical treatment of suppliers and facing up to the competition, Schultz succeeded in returning Starbucks to sustainable profitable growth.

3. The new Brazil
Riordan Roett
Brookings Institution, 2010.
178 pages

This book shows how Brazil has moved from being a neglected Portuguese colony to a major political and economic power. Key factors influencing the rise of Brazil include fiscal and social policies which lifted millions of Brazilians out of poverty, energy independence through the country's natural resources and ethanol policy, welcoming foreign investment and integrating the financial sector into world markets.

4. When oil peaked
Kenneth S. Deffeyes
Hill and Wang, 2010
176 pages

Some experts believe that oil production peaked in 2005. This book analyses and reinforces this prediction. It explores how sky high oil prices led to the recent recession and reviews the status of the oil industry today. The author looks at the pros and cons of alternative energy sources. Today the planet contains 100 years worth of coal and uranium and, once that is gone, we will have to rely on sustainable substitutes - solar, wind, wave and hydro. Also investigated is the demand for fuel, measures for reducing this and the impact on the environment. Also on the subject of finding replacements for oil, strategy + business have just published Will your next electric company be a global oil enterprise?  looking into the advantages for oil and gas companies of diversifying into power generation.

5. Management tools and trends 2011
Darrell Rigby and Barbara Bilodeau
Bain&Company, May 2011

Bain's annual survey of which management tools executives like best shows a move away from the downsizing and outsourcing of recent years towards innovation, scenario planning and price optimization. Bain has been tracking executives' attitudes and behaviors since 1993 and the authors identify how the popularity of management tools is affected by economic cycles. Also available from the site is Management tools 2011: an executive's guide (76 pages) which describes key tools such as Balanced Scorecard, Core Competencies, Customer Segmentation and Satisfaction and Loyalty Management.