Business & Finance Books > Michael Lewis Business & Finance Books

Advantages: Reads like a novel whilst also giving a great insite into the powerhouse institutions of the 80's
Disadvantages: technical terminology could be a problem for some, occaisionaly loses focus

One of my electives at university is Technical Analysis and market psychology, and my lecturer (a very successful trader in his own right) recommended this book to all of us students. I can now say that i am very glad that i followed his advice and bought it! Written by former Salomon Brothers employee and trader Michael Lewis, this semi-autobiographical book is a wonderful account of life for the financial powerhouses of the 1980's, a period which ...
...Saloman brothers. From the very start it is a gripping account of the culture that dominated the company, including delicious details of the abuses suffered by the newly hired 'trainees', as well as the hilarious excesses of the top brokers, or self named 'big swinging dicks'. A large section of the book illustrates the importance bonds, and charts the Salomon Brothers rise to complete dominance of the market, and then onto the period of complete ... Read review

Advantages: Well written insight into the mind of a billionaire
Disadvantages: none

...Lewis sets out to find the worlds most important technology entrepreneur, the man who embodies the spirit of the coming age. He finds him in Jim Clark, who is about to create his third billion dollar company, Healtheon. After already successfully navigating his two other companies to entrepreneurial stardom, Silicon Graphics and Netscape, he sets out to create a shake up in the American health care system. Although One would think, that Jim Clark ...
...the planet. His near obsession with his yacht, Hyperion has him in trouble more than a few times as his willingness to spend hours on creating computer programs to run this vessel leads him to entrust the running and the building of the concept which is Healtheon. This story is basically the building of Healtheon and is seen through the eyes of Michael Lewis who was Jim Clarks sidekick for months in order to track Clarks every move. Lewis writes ... Read review

Advantages: First kill your rabbit
Disadvantages: May cover too many subjects at expense of depth.

You do not know how surprised I was to see this book on the ciao ratings list. However, once I realised that it is published by Dorling Kindersley, who have a wide range of educational, reputable and innovative titles on their list and have been involved with ciao.co.uk in the past, it made sense. John Seymour was an early guru of the self sufficiency movement. He began his working life in living in the African bush, which informed his outlook for ...
...the UK, he put his experience to good use finding ways to live off the land in Suffolk, the West Country and finally in Ireland. As an elderly man, he attended the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 and until his death a few years ago, was still running his self sufficient small holding and school in rural Ireland. Dorling Kindersley were a small struggling publishing company just starting out in the early 19709's and the publication of this radical book helped ... Read review

Advantages: Great cartoons :), Good cross referencing with various organisational theorists
Disadvantages: Little expensive

Having just completed a FdA Contact Centre Management course, the book I found I referred to this book the most as it provides a multidisciplinary approach to organisational behaviour. This is done through explaining various theories, models and concepts in a way, which is easy to understand, by student with teaching resources for lectures. A hefty book with 958 pages the contents covers 1. The Organisational Context a. The world outside b. Technology ...
...e. Motivation 3. Groups and Teams in the organisation a. Group formation b. Group structure c. Individuals in groups d. Team working 4. Organisational process a. Organisational development b. Organisational change c. Organisational culture d. Human Resource Management 5. Organisational Management a. Leadership b. Decision-making c. Conflict d. Power and politics 6. Glossary 7. References 8. Name index 9. Subject index However, ... Read review

Advantages: Good advice, balanced
Disadvantages: Sometimes sounds a little patronising; not much regarding pensions

...know exactly how to sort your life out" tone, there is a wealth of valuable information in this book. I found the balance of the book about right in terms of debt management, savings, investments and other financial problems. A lot of books tend to focus on investments, when for a lot of people, this is a long way off being realistic. In terms of practical advice, a major theme is changing your mindset to becoming more financially responsible and ...
...the first chapter "Money and Your Mind". Alvin proceeds to discuss consumer debt and how to get out of it, how to make a start at saving, and how (or whether) to get onto the property ladder. The latter is really useful as it made me realise the various expenses involved in buying a house - there's a few that many people wouldn't think of. The advice about saving a decent deposit is particularly salient in the current credit crunch. There's a 2 ... Read review