Good Books on Business

[BadJuju]

The world is in dire need of responsible, intelligent people of action ready to create more than they consume. I wish to be part of a new generation that brings sensible business back to the world. With that as my goal, I need to establish a foundation from which to begin building. The first step will be to acquire as much knowledge as possible about the nature of business itself.

That is why I am seeking you out, my dear iTulipers. Some of the brightest people in the world call this site home, and it is my hope that some of you will be willing to provide me with some direction on what I should get.

[*T*]

Re: Good Books on Business

The world is in dire need of responsible, intelligent people of action ready to create more than they consume. I wish to be part of a new generation that brings sensible business back to the world. With that as my goal, I need to establish a foundation from which to begin building. The first step will be to acquire as much knowledge as possible about the nature of business itself.

That is why I am seeking you out, my dear iTulipers. Some of the brightest people in the world call this site home, and it is my hope that some of you will be willing to provide me with some direction on what I should get.

So what's your question?

[BadJuju]

Re: Good Books on Business

What are some good books on business?! :p

[cjppjc]

Re: Good Books on Business

Not on business. But a good book nun the less.

Money and the Meaning of Life.

Great beginning and end. The middle is so so.

[vanvaley1]

Re: Good Books on Business

Who wrote "Neither a lender or borrower be."

[*T*]

Re: Good Books on Business

Who wrote "Neither a lender or borrower be."

Shakespeare, quoting the bible.

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man"

[Spartacus]

Re: Good Books on Business

Anywhere you turn people will try to fleece you (and more importantly, rob you of your time) selling you get rich quick schemes, and books too damn generic and simplistic to do you any good ("7 habits", "who shoved the cheese up there?, damn it hurts")

Example:
http://johntreed.com/Kiyosaki.html
IMHO, in this day and age "business" is too damn big a topic for anyone to write a practical guide. Even something as seemingly simple are real estate has so much misinformation and crap floating around it's sick.

I read Kiyosaki and I thought it smelled badly of fish. fishy, fishy fishy .... but I just did not have enough specific knowledge to see through it until I ran across that page.


I loved this, though. (probably Too small scale and low tech for modern tastes.)
http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalo...7062-179-6.cfm

I've recommended this one many times:

[BiscayneSunrise]

Re: Good Books on Business

Good business sense comes first and foremost from common sense. The most successful business people I know have NO "How To" business books on their shelves.

Having said that, here are a few that I like:

The "Richest Man in Babylon". by George Clason. Pretty basic stuff but a very quick and entertaining read on how to conduct one's personal business affairs.

"Black Swan" by Taleb. Great primer for laymen on how the black box quants get it wrong.

"The March of Folly" by Tuchman. A history book not a business book but a great read on how some really smart people can make some really stupid decisions.

[Sharky]

Re: Good Books on Business

Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal

[BadJuju]

Re: Good Books on Business

Thanks everyone for the replies. I am not looking for books that tell you how to create a business, but simply how business works. I want to know about logistics, about organization, about how a service is rendered or how a product is made and then delivered to be consumed. The mechanical side of business, you might say.

[vanvaley1]

Re: Good Books on Business

Shakespeare, quoting the bible.

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man"

Thank you. Figured it was one of my cousins cross the sea. Age makes waste of memories haste.

[plinko]

Re: Good Books on Business

I'm in a similar generation as BadJuju, and after realizing I don't have the money or talent to join Jim Rogers off in Singapore, I'm realizing I might as well try to be proactive and start a business in the US. Or at least buy some farmland :rolleyes:

[swgprop]

Re: Good Books on Business

I want to know about logistics, about organization, about how a service is rendered or how a product is made and then delivered to be consumed. The mechanical side of business, you might say.

BJJ - You may be able to find some generic texts that cover this but more likely you'll be better served by honing in on a specific activity as the "mechanics" are quite dependent on the nature of the business.

[quigleydoor]

Re: Good Books on Business

I am not looking for books that tell you how to create a business, but simply how business works. I want to know about logistics, about organization, about how a service is rendered or how a product is made and then delivered to be consumed. The mechanical side of business, you might say.

I recommend Organizing America by Charles Perrow, as a history of business and infrastructure in the 19th century. It is a bit dry, but I found the focus on industry and corporate law to be a refreshing change from histories that focus on government and outstanding individuals.

You can view business in 19th century America as a parallel universe, a different world plagued by the same flaws and virtues of the American system.

One of the most memorable aspects of this book is Perrow's effort to research alternative models of industry, which preceded the "huge corporation" model that we know today, or even coexisted with it. He describes the structure of the textile industry in Philadelphia, which differed from Lowell, Mass. In Philadelphia there were fluid small businesses which manufactured higher-quality textiles, and could adapt to changing market demands more quickly than the monolithic industrial plants of Lowell. Much better quality of life for the workers in Phila. He compares Philadelphia's model to Silicon Valley or Northern Italy today.

He also goes into great detail about the railroad industry, taking whole chapters to compare other writers' analyses to his own view of the historical record. Apparently the Philadelphia model existed in a way within railroads as well. In some places a team of engineers was its own small business, which the train and rail owners would hire on an ad hoc basis.

The most important lesson in the book is about the role of investment banking in shaping the country. If New York bankers had been less interested in wealth accumulation and more interested in efficiency, transportation infrastructure in the Midwest would have a completely different topology. Bankers and railroad managers created a fare structure that meant it was actually cheaper to ship food from Iowa to the Northeast, than internally within Iowa. One result was to stunt the development of cities in the interior. It prevented the Mississippi river system from carrying more cargo, and kept the Midwest more dependent on capital goods from the Northeast. And of course, it perpetuated the railroads' influence. It was like an interstate imperialism. There was a political movement called the Grangers which faught against this system.

If you want to read more, check out this review in Theory and Society.

[BadJuju]

Re: Good Books on Business

Thank you!