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by Shawn Achor (Get the Book)
Achor (CEO of Aspirant, a research/consulting firm that applies positive psychology to the workplace) describes seven principles for achieving success and achievement. Gleaned from selected research in positive psychology, these principles spring from that area of scholarship. The author combines them with insights from personal experiences in consulting and training. The result is not a scholarly treatment of research but instead a self-improvement book much like Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (1989). That said, one can learn scientific lessons from Achor's analysis, and his concepts apply across a wide spectrum of human activity. Summing Up: Optional. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates, technical students, professionals, and general readers, particularly in psychology and business. --Choice
by Scott Reynolds Nelson (Get the Book)
The major strength of Nelson's (Leslie and Naomi Legum Professor of History, Coll. of William and Mary; Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of an American Legend) latest work is in showing that the 2007-09 recession is not unique. Throughout U.S. history, murky monetary ties and unwarranted financial risks have periodically, almost predictably, incited panics and doomed investors. The recent Great Recession is only one of many crises Nelson documents, covering from 1792 to 1929. What seems to change each time is the underlying commodity appraised and (over)valued-land, cotton, even plantation and slave prices. What stays constant is the ensuing doubt over valuations, fear, sell-off, panic, and political and economic repercussions. The author explains the monetary links in sometimes painstaking detail, but this proves his point all the more: the very fact that links are numerous and opaque ultimately leads to the lender's inability to correctly assess risk, which in turn leads to speculative bubbles in various commodities. VERDICT Recommended as a resource to put financial crises in proper perspective. Nelson's broad historical knowledge allows him to contextualize policy developments, geopolitical movements, and personal stories. Readers will gain a deeper grasp of the ebbs and flows of the American economy, and may be more likely to recognize the patterns of the next panic before it is too late. --Library Journal
by Roger Jacob Alexander Sidelski (Get the Book)
In the wake of the financial crisis of 2008 and a continued period of global economic unrest, the Skidelskys, a father-son team composed of University of Warwick emeritus professor of political economy Robert (Keynes: The Return of the Master) and Exeter University lecturer Edward (Ernst Cassirer: The Last Philosopher of Culture), tackle age-old questions regarding the relationship between wealth, happiness, and satisfaction in this enlightening read. While the book's scholarly tone and laborious construction may not appeal to the casual reader, the questions posed and the research and conclusions presented are timely, relevant, and thought provoking. The authors begin by disputing economist John Maynard Keynes's 1930 prediction that as per capita income rose and basic needs were met, leisure and free time would increase. In fact, they point out, in modern times, though our income has risen, we work harder than ever, have less leisure than in previous eras, and have less happiness and satisfaction in our lives. The authors turn to historical fiction, philosophy, and political theory, drawing on Faust, Marx's critique of capitalism, and Aristotle's uses of wealth. Their conclusion that concepts like respect, friendship, and community are more likely to contribute to satisfaction and overall happiness than wealth makes for a fascinating, if cerebral, read. --Publishers Weekly
