Ken Eaton: This book is filled with some of the great business stories. Worth a read to learn from history in an engaging storey telling way.
United Kingdom on Nov 05, 2023
Paola: Great book
United Kingdom on Aug 29, 2023
S.L.: Not the most technical nor referenced book, but interesting old stories and nice storytelling
Italy on Apr 07, 2023
Stiven Skyrah: I had heard, as I think everyone else has, that Business Adventures was a favourite book of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. I read the ebook, and I understand a print version will be forthcoming in September.
This book makes me feel as though I'm sitting at the knee of my grandfather, listening to wise recollections.
A writer of articles in the 1950's and 1960, many for the New Yorker, the author intelligently and thoughtfully steps through 12 events, one per chapter.
At first, I thought perhaps I was particularly dense and wasn't getting the message. What held these stories together? Eventually, I realized that the author is not driving home a point, selling anything, or giving advice. His observations leave room for the reader to consider events, their connections, their parallels to today, the importance of character, and the question of morality in business. It was refreshing not to be told what to think.
I enjoyed the stories of Ford's Edsel, Piggly Wiggly, Xerox, Goodrich vs Latex.
The chapter on the federal income tax is particularly relevant, given the wide-spread debate about taxes and modern conversations about the 1%.
John Brooks'...
United Kingdom on Mar 03, 2018
LF: While it would be easy to criticize Business Adventures, a book first published generations ago, for detailing business stories that took place generations ago, the book still gives some insight useful for today’s business world.
Strengths. This book covers many well-known companies that would probably be recognized by people who were baby boomers or older. The book covers a wide range of industries including automotive, aerospace, office equipment, and utilities.
While strategy books often cover the good decisions good companies make and the poor decisions that doom failing companies, Business Adventures also adds in some poor decisions good companies make. The Edsel chapter features Ford making a poor decision in releasing a new product. There is even a chapter about G.E., a very well known company, which is used to display how poor communication can having devastating effects on a company’s employees.
Business decisions are not made inside of a vacuum. Business Adventures provides useful information about the events leading up to decisions. When telling about the crash of ‘62, it tells how the delay in getting in orders precipitated panic that led to...
United States on Apr 26, 2016
Daniel E. Eaton: I read Bill Gates's July 12, 2014 review of this book in The Wall Street Journal, and watched the embedded video, just as I was deciding what book to assign my undergraduate business ethics class, consisting mostly of seniors majoring in management. I read the Xerox essay that Mr. Gates made available on his website before the book was republished in August. That convinced me that this was the right book.
The essays are exceptionally well-written. Yes, they come from a different era, and not all of the essays were usable for my purpose. But most of the essays focused on issues that are very much with us today. With little effort, I was able to bring the lessons to life in my interactive class by drawing connections to current issues in the business press, sometimes simply by referring to recent developments in the companies covered in the essays.
The Xerox essay was useful to illustrate the role of corporations in politics and public policy. I updated the discussion of that company by addressing the company's 2014 report on Corporate Global Citizenship. We discussed the Xerox essay not long after The New York Times reported on the relationship between state attorneys...
United States on Jan 08, 2015
Business Adventures: 12 Timeless Stories from the World of Wall Street | Exploring Discrimination and Disparities Through the Work of Thomas Sowell | Unveiling the Truth Behind Corporate America's Exploitation of Social Justice Movements | |
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B2B Rating |
77
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99
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97
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Sale off | $15 OFF | $12 OFF | $11 OFF |
Total Reviews | 91 reviews | 199 reviews | 201 reviews |
Item Weight | 1.16 pounds | ||
Paperback | 400 pages | ||
Commerce (Books) | Commerce | ||
Language | English | English | English |
Publisher | Open Road Media; Reprint edition | Basic Books; Enlarged edition | Center Street |
Best Sellers Rank | #18 in Commerce #174 in Company Business Profiles #792 in Business Management | #11 in Theory of Economics#54 in Discrimination & Racism#63 in Political Conservatism & Liberalism | #18 in Theory of Economics#26 in Political Philosophy #70 in Political Leader Biographies |
Customer Reviews | 4.2/5 stars of 5,278 ratings | 4.9/5 stars of 4,035 ratings | 4.7/5 stars of 3,659 ratings |
ISBN-13 | 978-1497644892 | 978-1541645639 | 978-1546090786 |
Company Business Profiles (Books) | Company Business Profiles | ||
Business Management (Books) | Business Management | ||
ISBN-10 | 1497644895 | 1541645634 | 1546090789 |
Dimensions | 5.25 x 1.1 x 8 inches | 6.35 x 1.5 x 9.55 inches; 1.23 Pounds | 6.4 x 1.4 x 9.3 inches; 1.3 Pounds |
Amit Thakur: Fabulous
India on Nov 30, 2023