Business

Brief Summary Lessons from the Front Line: Market Tools and Investing Tactics from the Pros. Do you ever get the feeling that there is a world of strategic investing intelligence from which you are being excluded? Do you even wonder how much further you could go as an investor if only you were familiar with the tactics and tools used by the real front-line market strategists and the professional money managers? Well, stop wondering, because in Lessons from the Front Line a leading financial reporter reveals the secrets behind the tactics of today's most successful money managers. For over a decade, Michael Brush has been covering the markets for the New York Times, the Economist Group, and Money magazine. During that time he has interviewed many top money managers, listened to their war stories, and observed them in action. In follow-up interviews with these managers for this groundbreaking book, he develops what he's learned into 21 powerful lessons for smart individual investors, traders and day traders-lessons you won't find anywhere else. In a series of concise chapters, liberally peppered with quotes by leading money managers, analysts, and academics, Brush describes how the pros develop investor intelligence, exploit stock market patterns, make use of advanced investment tactics, and manage crises. • Read between the lines of analysts' reports • Decode conference calls between companies, money managers, and analysts • Interpret the buying and selling patterns of corporate insiders • Make the most of IPOs, biotech stocks, earnings confession season, selloffs, and rollups • Learn easy ways to spot trouble in financial statements before others do A stock-picking guide for today's new breed of savvy investor, Lessons from the Front Line arms you with the professional tools you need to dramatically increase your profit and performance. ISBN:9780471350170 Author:Michael Brush

Brief Summary Day of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance—and Why They Fall In a little over two centuries, America has grown from a regional power to a superpower, and to what is today called a hyperpower. But can America retain its position as the world’s dominant power, or has it already begun to decline? Historians have debated the rise and fall of empires for centuries. To date, however, no one has studied the far rarer phenomenon of hyperpowers—those few societies that amassed such extraordinary military and economic might that they essentially dominated the world. Now, in this sweeping history of globally dominant empires, bestselling author Amy Chua explains how hyperpowers rise and why they fall. In a series of brilliantly focused chapters, Chua examines history’s hyperpowers—Persia, Rome, Tang China, the Mongols, the Dutch, the British, and the United States—and reveals the reasons behind their success, as well as the roots of their ultimate demise. Chua’s unprecedented study reveals a fascinating historical pattern. For all their differences, she argues, every one of these world-dominant powers was, at least by the standards of its time, extraordinarily pluralistic and tolerant. Each one succeeded by harnessing the skills and energies of individuals from very different backgrounds, and by attracting and exploiting highly talented groups that were excluded in other societies. Thus Rome allowed Africans, Spaniards, and Gauls alike to rise to the highest echelons of power, while the "barbarian” Mongols conquered their vast domains only because they practiced an ethnic and religious tolerance unheard of in their time. In contrast, Nazi Germany and imperial Japan, while wielding great power, failed to attain global dominance as a direct result of their racial and religious intolerance. But Chua also uncovers a great historical irony: in virtually every instance, multicultural tolerance eventually sowed the seeds of decline, and diversity became a liability, triggering conflict, hatred, and violence. The United States is the quintessential example of a power that rose to global dominance through tolerance and diversity. The secret to America’s success has always been its unsurpassed ability to attract enterprising immigrants. Today, however, concerns about outsourcing and uncontrolled illegal immigration are producing a backlash against our tradition of cultural openness. Has America finally reached a "tipping point”? Have we gone too far in the direction of diversity and tolerance to maintain cohesion and unity? Will we be overtaken by rising powers like China, the EU or even India? Chua shows why American power may have already exceeded its limits and why it may be in our interest to retreat from our go-it-alone approach and promote a new multilateralism in both domestic and foreign affairs. ISBN:9780385512848 Author:Amy Chua

Brief Summary NEW from the bestselling HBR’s 10 Must Reads series. The best leaders know how to communicate clearly and persuasively. How do you stack up? If you read nothing else on communicating effectively, read these 10 articles. We’ve combed through hundreds of articles in the Harvard Business Review archive and selected the most important ones to help you express your ideas with clarity and impact—no matter what the situation. Leading experts such as Deborah Tannen, Jay Conger, and Nick Morgan provide the insights and advice you need to: • Pitch your brilliant idea—successfully • Connect with your audience • Establish credibility • Inspire others to carry out your vision • Adapt to stakeholders’ decision-making styles • Frame goals around common interests • Build consensus and win support ISBN:9781422189863 Author:Harvard Business School Press