Economy

What did the investment bankers at Bear Stearns ever do to earn their millions of dollars in bonuses? Where were the regulators when traders at Bear and other Wall Street firms peddled trillions of dollars in mortgage-backed bonds and derivatives, only to realize, too late, that no one had a clue what they were worth? The author keeps the you-are-there factor high much like a Shakespeare play, complete with three acts and characters dialoguing their way on and off stage. Words: 689

The global economy has entered a new era, and a mercurial corporate form that the author calls the Protean Corporation will become the dominant species by the middle of the next decade. "These Protean Corporations," he writes, "will behave like perpetual entrepreneurial startups, continuously changing their form, direction, even their identity. They will be true corporate shape-shifters." Words: 661

Readers are introduced to a host of little-known Lehmanites, many of whom vilify the company's top management, among others. Lehman "was headed directly for the biggest subprime iceberg ever seen," but unlike the captain of the RMS Titanic, McDonald writes, CEO Dick Fuld and his No. 2, Joe Gregory, didn't try to swerve. Words: 560

Anecdotes and common practices of super successful companies are distilled into lessons ending each chapter plus a list the 10 best characteristics of leaders at trailblazing companies such as stressing innovation, creating networks, and treating employees as if they were volunteers. Words: 649

A sunny vision of that region's future that should interest anyone concerned with global business or politics. He argues that entrepreneurial, religiously conservative contingents in such countries as Turkey, Pakistan, and Iran can propel the Middle East into a democratic and prosperous 21st century. Words: 676

This new book is a must-read for people who want to bake into their corporate cultures ingredients such as research, design and innovation. One of the greatest challenges in doing so, which the book deals with, is blending the two solitudes -- the "innovator" culture with the "bean-counter" culture. This is never easy, he writes, because they talk different languages and rely on different benchmarks. But winning companies have learned how to merge them, and then surgically select the best from each. Words: 451

A dollar crash might happen because foreign investors decide that the U.S. has fallen into a so-called tax trap, which occurs when a nation is unable to increase revenue by lifting tax rates. This circumstance, paired with mounting deficits, can lead to wholesale flight from a nation’s assets. The Chinese will only lend money if they think we will pay it back. Words: 697

Motianey is an engaging writer and “Supercycles” should be considered a must read for economic junkies. His ideas are fresh and innovative and he attempts to avoid the dogma that frequently leads those in the profession astray. Words: 700

What actually is inflation? Is it inherent in a free market economy? Who or what is the cause? Can inflation be stopped, and how? What to do? Most people are desperately confused and searching for answers. Society is facing nothing short of a crisis. Words: 850

America's massive debt and unfunded liabilities make inflation the only viable option for today’s policymakers because when the value of future dollars is diminished, future obligations in those depreciated dollars are diminished. Words: 2808