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Best Books 2005

getAbstract presents the best business books of 2005. Our editors summarize the top books from thousands of titles that they review each year, and these winners represent the cream of the crop. Enjoy the read!



		Irrational Exuberance Robert J. Shiller Princeton UP 2005 Recall the stock market bubble and crash in 2000? Real estate prices are doing the same – and here`s the warning bell.


		Scenarios Kees van der Heijden John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2005 Done fearlessly, scenario planning tests your organization's alternative futures: life or death, struggle or success.


		Never Eat Alone Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz Copyright © 2005 by Keith Ferrazzi Published by arrangement with Currency Books/Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. www.randomhouse.com 2005 To make friends, help other people make more friends. Warmth and a dose of vulnerability will make your network strong.


		The One Thing You Need to Know Marcus Buckingham Copyright © 2005 by One Thing Productions, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Free Press, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., N.Y. 2005 Great leaders make people believe and follow their vision of a better future. That`s it. The rest is practice.


		The Fabric of the Cosmos Brian Greene Copyright © 2004 by Brian Greene Used by arrangement with Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. www.randomhouse.com 2005 What`s real is unreal. Space and time do not exist, but spacetime does. Welcome to Quantum Physics for the rest of us.


		The World is Flat Thomas L. Friedman FSG 2005 All business used to be local; now it's global. What forces are flattening the global market and how do they affect you?


		Done Deal Michael Benoliel and Linda Cashdan Adams Media 2005 Famous negotiators explain how to research, plan, get control, learn from the other side, make them trust you and win.


		The Employer Brand Simon Barrow and Richard Mosley John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2005 Appeal to your best salespeople – your employees – to create a strong company identity.


		The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves Copyright © 2003 by TalentSmart Copyright © 2005 by Travis Bradberry, Ph.D., and Jean Greaves, Ph.D. Reprinted by permission of Fireside, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., N.Y. 2005 Use emotional intelligence to make sure you are making the most of your talents.


		Conspiracy of Fools Kurt Eichenwald Copyright © 2005 by Kurt Eichenwald Published by arrangement with Broadway Books, a division of Random House, Inc. 2005 How lies and greed brought Enron to its knees (the truth is even worse than you expected).


		Blue Ocean Strategy W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne Summarized by permission of Harvard Business School Press. Copyright 2005 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. 2005 To be in the same boat as Starbucks and Curves, sail your "blue ocean strategy" into uncharted, uncontested waters.


		The People's Tycoon Steven Watts Copyright © 2005 Steven Watts Used by arrangement with Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc., 2005. www.randomhouse.com 2005 Drive down the road with the inventive, irascible, contradictory and completely fascinating Henry Ford.


		And the Money Kept Rolling In (and Out) Paul Blustein Public Affairs 2005 Argentina`s fiscal rise and fall, due to bad government, global economics and unrestrained debt, teaches many lessons.


		Making Innovation Work Tony Davila, Marc Epstein and Robert Shelton Wharton School Publishing 2005 You don't have to wait for innovation to happen. Plan for it, and make it happen methodically in your company.


		Winners Never Cheat Jon M. Huntsman Wharton School Publishing 2005 Kindergarten values – share, don't cheat, tell the truth – can make you a business leader. Now, go play well with others.


		Managing Customers as Investments Sunil Gupta and Donald R. Lehmann Wharton School Publishing 2005 Some customers may actually be costing you money. Learn to calculate which ones are worth finding and keeping.


		The German Economy Horst Siebert Princeton UP 2005 Germany can solve its economic problems in education, social parity and telecommunications – but some people won`t be happy.


		Wedding of the Waters Peter L. Bernstein W.W.Norton 2005 Did the New Yorkers who fought to build the Erie Canal in 1817 know that they were opening America for global business?


		iCon Steve Jobs Jeffrey S. Young and William L. Simon John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2005 How Apple and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs survived his past and his failures to become a giant in movies, computers and music.


		The Intelligent Investor Benjamin Graham Copyright © 2005 by Benjamin Graham Summarized by arrangement with Collins Business, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 2005 In 1949, Benjamin Graham wrote the seminal book on value investing – and his counsel still works decades later.


		The Art of Civilized Conversation Margaret Shepherd and Sharon Hogan Copyright © 2005 by Margaret Shepherd and Sharon Hogan Published by arrangement with The Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. 2005 You can say anything, if you know how: a guide to sophisticated conversation techniques.


		How to Grow Leaders John Adair Kogan Page 2005 To build leaders, companies must nurture talent, offer leadership opportunities, provide mentors and get out of the way.


		Terrorism and Personal Security William M. Epps Thomson South-Western 2005 How to avoid being a victim of terrorists – and (info we hope you never need) how to survive if you are held hostage.


		The End of Poverty Jeffrey D. Sachs Copyright © Jeffrey D. Sachs, 2005 Used by arrangement with Penguin, a division of Penguin Group (USA), Inc. www.penguin.com (1-800-253-6476) 2005 If you could, would you work to end crushing poverty around the world? Keep reading.


		The Al Jazeera Phenomenon Mohamed Zayani Pluto Press 2005 Al Jazeera is more than a TV network, but is it a PR tool, a fresh way to foster change or a political diversion?


		Trillion-Dollar Moms Bonnie W. Ulman and Maria T. Bailey Dearborn Trade Publishing 2005 To tap into mothers` lucrative budgets, appeal to the roles moms play at home, on the playground and in the boardroom.


		Project Management JumpStart Kim Heldman Jossey-Bass 2005 Projects are not business as usual. Managing them requires special skills, from logistics to communication.


		Out of Gas David Goodstein W.W.Norton 2005 Humankind must confront its energy crisis before the oil – and the time – runs out. (Or, do you still have a horse?)


		Strategy Bites Back Henry Mintzberg, Bruce Ahlstrand and Joseph Lampel FT Prentice Hall 2005 Business strategy is not nearly as simple, straightforward or serious as you think. Try it with a twist.


		Why Most Things Fail Paul Ormerod Copyright © 2005 by Paul Ormerod Used by arrangement with Pantheon, a division of Random House, Inc. 2005 Evolutionary biology may reveal more about business failures than random economics explains.


		The Dark Genius of Wall Street Edward J. Renehan Copyright © 2005 by Edward J. Renehan, Jr. Published by Basic Books, a subsidiary of Perseus Books LLC. 2005 Was Jay Gould a rapacious and ruthless robber baron, or a driven escapee from a dreadful childhood, or both?


		The Happiness Hypothesis Jonathan Haidt Basic Books 2005 Presenting the history of philosophy in a nutshell – the well-lived life was never so close at hand.


		Forced Ranking Dick Grote Copyright © 2005 by Dick Grote Summarized by permission of Harvard Business School Press 2005 The be-good-or-be-gone concept of forced ranking stirs controversy. Is it necessary to make the work force forceful?


		Thinking For a Living Thomas H. Davenport Copyright © 2005 Thomas H. Davenport Summarized by permission of Harvard Business School Press 2005 The best way to manage knowledge workers is to be one, to see what works and to adapt systems to your specific tasks.


		One Billion Customers James McGregor Copyright © 2005 by James McGregor Reprinted by permission of Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., N.Y. 2005 Navigating the world of China without a guide could mean a fruitless journey, but a wise venture can be fruitful indeed.


		The New American Expat William Russell Melton Intercultural Press 2005 Become the expat of your dreams: adaptable, communicative, at home in the world. How to enjoy the high road...everywhere.


		Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Mary L. Boland Sourcebooks 2005 Sexual harassment can end careers, cost millions in damages and disrupt your workplace. Find out how to prevent it.


		The Case for B2B Branding Bob Lamons Thomson South-Western 2005 Navigate the labyrinth of business-to-business brand marketing with this practical guidebook.


		Social Intelligence Karl Albrecht Pfeiffer 2005 Socially inept? Cure your blunders with SPACE – "situational awareness, presence, authenticity, clarity and empathy."


		Twilight in the Desert Matthew R. Simmons John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2005 Saudi Arabia`s oil is not infinite, but energy expectations are. Why isn`t society preparing for Saudi oil`s sunset?


		Empire of Debt Bill Bonner and Addison Wiggin John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2005 Record-breaking U.S. debt will damage everything from the country`s political relationships to individual bank accounts.


		The Secret Man Bob Woodward Copyright © 2005 by Bob Woodward Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc., N.Y. 2005 When aged W. Mark Felt outed himself as Deep Throat after 30 years, writer Bob Woodward got the message: No more hush hush.


		Capitalism at the Crossroads Stuart L. Hart Wharton School Publishing 2005 Socially responsible capitalism aimed at sustainable development could both make money and save the world.


		Fortune's Formula William Poundstone Hill and Wang 2005 What do information theory, hedge funds and blackjack have in common? Find out and learn how to beat the market.


		Medici Money Tim Parks Atlas Books 2005 History seen through banking: how the Medici ruled Florence for five generations of tyranny, war, usury and art.


		The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy Pietra Rivoli John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2005 Follow a T-shirt from cotton growing in Texas to Africa's used clothing market – a globalization case history.


		Birth of a Salesman Walter A. Friedman Harvard UP 2005 “Engine” Charlie Wilson famously said, “The business of America is business.” No, the business of America is sales.


		Mao Jung Chang and Jon Halliday Copyright © 2005 by Globalflair Ltd. Used by arrangement with Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. 2005 Chinese society made Mao possible. Mao indelibly marked Chinese society. You can`t know one without knowing the other.


		Ryanair Siobhán Creaton Aurum Press 2005 Ryanair: the airline so cheap, it almost never got off the ground, eventually found its wings by saving your wallet.


		The Undercover Economist Tim Harford Oxford University Press 2005 Each time you buy a costly cup of coffee, you're sipping the economic realities of the market: Why you are the economy.


		Medici Money Tim Parks Profile Books 2005 History seen through banking: how the Medici ruled Florence for five generations of tyranny, war, usury and art.


		The (Mis)Behaviour of Markets Benoit B. Mandelbrot and Richard L. Hudson Profile Books 2005 Just how risky is the market? Before risking your bottom line on orthodox thinking, read these unconventional heresies.


		Chasing Daylight Eugene O'Kelly McGraw-Hill 2005 How KPMG CEO Eugene O''Kelly used the last three months of his life to learn how to live – a heartfelt farewell.


		The Human Side of Enterprise Douglas McGregor McGraw-Hill 2005 This classic work on management advocates cooperation and persuasion, rather than force and authoritarianism.


		John Maynard Keynes Robert Skidelsky Penguin 2005 The definitive biography of John Maynard Keynes, one of the 20th century’s most pivotal financial figures.


		Collapse Jared Diamond Penguin 2005 Prosperity one century, cannibalism the next. National societal failure comes quickly.


		Project Management Harold Kerzner John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2005 Follow the industry’s “project management bible” and learn an ongoing technique that works.


		Delivered from Distraction Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey Copyright © 2005 by Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., and John J. Ratey, M.D. Used by arrangement with Ballantine, a division of Random House. www.randomhouse.com 2005 If you have ADD, you already know it can be a curse. Did you know it could also be a blessing?


		Time Management Harvard Business Essentials Copyright 2005 Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation Summarized by permission of Harvard Business School Press 2005 Do you spend your time wisely? Do you get everything done? It is possible. Just learn to plan and budget your time.


		Brand Sense Martin Lindstrom Copyright © 2005 by Martin Lindstrom Reprinted by permission of Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., N.Y. 2005 See it, feel it, touch it, hear it, even smell it: a sensory guide to making the branding experience more powerful.