May 2004

Alumni Bookshelf

Business School alumni/ae write about everything from business to romance, soccer, and murder. Here are some of their recently published books. Not included are books mentioned in earlier issues of this magazine and books published in languages other than English. For more alumni authors, select "alumni" from the School's website at www.gsb.stanford.edu.

Active Investment Management: Finding and Harnessing Investment Skill
Charles Jackson, MBA '78
John Wiley & Sons, 2003
Jackson describes active investment management and why investors find it desirable. He analyzes investment and business strategies that he says will shape future fund management.

The Board: Behind Closed Doors with the Directors of DFP, Inc.
James R. Ukropina, MBA '61
1stBooks Library, 2003
Drawing on his legal and corporate background, Ukropina writes about what goes on inside the boardroom in a fictionalized account of corporate life at a global food conglomerate.

Business Euphoria: Powering Relational Organizations with Gangs, Gall, and Gossip
Duncan Robins, MBA '93
Xlibris, 2003
Robins describes relational management as a way to make organizations entrepreneurial, flexible, and creative, and advises on tapping social energy to build economic and social value.

Cuckoo
Avner Mandelman, MBA '76
Oberon Press, 2003
The cuckoo is a bird that lays its eggs in other birds' nests. Most of the stories in this collection take place in Israel, where for generations the occupants of the land have been disputing who is the rightful owner and who is the cuckoo.

Do No Evil: Ethics with Applications to Economic Theory and Business
Michael E. Berumen, SEP '91
iUniverse, 2003
Berumen addresses business issues through a discussion of moral philosophy. Topics include moral relativism, social contract theory, capitalism, and fiduciary responsibility.

Don't Come Back!
Reiko and Robert Elliott, SEP '84
National Pacific Press, 2003
The true story of a Japanese woman who takes the unusual step in the 1970s of leaving her famous family to start a new life and a career as an artist with a foreign husband in New Zealand.

The Double-Goal Coach: Positive Coaching Tools for Honoring the Game and Developing Winners in Sports and Life
Jim Thompson, MBA '86
HarperResource, 2003
Teaching tools and strategies for youth sports that reflect the best practices of elite coaches and the latest research in sports psychology. Framework for parents and coaches to teach young athletes life lessons while they enjoy sports.

Engineering Your Start-Up: A Guide for the High-Tech Entrepreneur
James A. Swanson, JD/MBA '74, and Michael L. Baird
Professional Publications, 2003
Founders of Los Altos Incubator offer insider advice on launching a startup in this completely revised second edition.

Four Days to Veracruz
Owen West, MBA '98
Simon & Schuster, 2003
West's second novel featuring the ex-Marine Gavin Kelly, who this time runs afoul of a drug lord while honeymooning in Mexico.

How Great Decisions Get Made: 10 Easy Steps for Reaching Agreement on Even the Toughest Issues
Don Maruska, MBA '80
Amacom, 2003
Ten-step process and six strategies show how to bring out the best in people, so that the process of decision making cements groups together rather than pulling them apart.

How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life
Peter Robinson, MBA '90
Regan Books, 2003
Drawing on journal entries from his days as a speechwriter in the Reagan White House, Robinson offers 10 life lessons he learned from the 40th president.

How to Use Google: The 30 Most Important Tips, Hacks, and Tricks
Tod Sacerdoti, MBA '03
Titanium Books, 2003
Designed for beginner to intermediate-level users who want to increase their efficiency and productivity at using the popular search engine.

Kepler's Conjecture: How Some of the Greatest Minds in History Helped Solve One of the Oldest Math Problems in the World
George G. Szpiro, MBA '75
John Wiley & Sons, 2003
According to famed astronomer Johannes Kepler, the most efficient way to pack spheres is to follow the example of grocers stacking melons-but where's the proof? A popular account of the solution to one of the great problems of mathematics.

My Dog Ate My Retirement Plan: How to Find an Extra $1,000 a Month When You Retire
Geofrey J. Greenleaf, MBA '68, and Robert G. Allen
Greenleaf Book Group, 2003
Founder and principal of an investment management firm, Greenleaf suggests ways to invest that do not rely on the stock market's ups and downs.

The New Business Road Test: What Entrepreneurs and Executives Should Do Before Writing a Business Plan
John W. Mullins, MBA '69
FT Prentice Hall, 2003
Building on lessons learned by studying entrepreneurs, Mullins describes seven domains for the assessment of new business ideas.

No Margin, No Mission: Health Care Organizations and the Quest for Ethical Excellence
Steven D. Pearson; James E. Sabin, SEP '83; and Ezekiel J. Emanuel
Oxford University Press, 2003
Physician-ethicist authors analyze the ethical challenges facing health care organizations as they compete for marketplace survival. They include real-world examples of practices they consider exemplary.

Please Don't Feed the Bears (Your Portfolio): Investment Strategies in an Uncertain Market
Gary E. Marsella, MBA '57
Poppy Lane Publishing, 2003
Introduction to the complex world of investing, with a chapter on special situations.

Global View: Capturing the Contours of a Global Economy

Global View: The Business of Fighting Poverty

Global View: Latin American Conference Looks at Changes

Alumni Bookshelf: The Latest Alumni Authors

Alums Take to the Pen: Walt Disney's Revolution, by Buzz Price, MBA '51

Alums Take to the Pen: Preparing Heirs to Run Family Fortunes, by Victor Preisser, MBA '64

Work Teams: Differing Views Cultivate Better Decisions

Work Teams: Gains Worth Pains of Diversity

Leadership: Grove Offers Sobering View of America Dream

Counterpoint: The Value of Health vs. The Cost of Medicine

The Publishing Industry in China
Robert E. Baensch, SEP '80
Transaction Publishers, 2003
Critical analysis of present conditions and future trends in China's book, magazine, and online publishing industry.

The Pureed Gourmet
Henry, MBA '91, and Jane Evans
Scott Publishing, 2003
Forced to eat all his meals pureed after a massive brain-stem stroke left him with an eating disorder and quadriplegic paralysis, Henry Evans coauthored this cookbook by typing through an eye-tracking device. With a joke on every facing page, the book is for anyone who likes to eat-most recipes are also good when not pureed-and laugh.

Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
Seth Godin, MBA '84
Portfolio, 2003
Godin describes how to win consumers by drawing attention away from the brown cow "business as usual" with attention-getting products or services that are as remarkable as a purple cow in a herd of Guernseys.

Reconstructing Eden: A Comprehensive Plan for the Post-War Political and Economic Development of Iraq
Thomas E. White; Robert C. Kelly; John M. Cape, MBA '91; and Denise Youngblood-Coleman
CountryWatch, 2003
Former Secretary of the Army Thomas White and three others offer a detailed review of the events leading up to Operation Iraqi Freedom and the objectives associated with successful nation building in Iraq. Cape writes about Iraq's natural oil and gas resources.

Setting Limits Fairly: Can We Learn to Share Medical Resources?
Norman Daniels and James E. Sabin, SEP '83
Oxford University Press, 2002
Discussion of the lack of consensus on how to allocate health care resources. Proposes a set of principles to create fair decision-making processes for setting limits on health care.

Upward Bound: Nine Original Accounts of How Business Leaders Reached Their Summits
Jerry Useem; Paul Asel, MBA '91; and Michael Useem
Crown Business, 2003
Collection of essays that discuss business lessons learned from mountain climbing. Contributors include Jim Collins, MBA '83.

Us v. Them: Journeys to the World's Greatest Football Derbies
Giles Goodhead, MBA '87
Penguin Books, 2003
Soccer fanatic travels around the world to experience the sport's famous grudge matches. Less an analysis of the games than a commentary on tribalism around the globe.

Walt's Revolution! By the Numbers
Harrison "Buzz" Price, MBA '51
Ripley's Entertainment, 2003
History of the park attractions industry, 1951-2001. Until Disneyland, an amusement park was a collection of rides and games that were frequented by guests who stayed a few hours. The revolutionary theme park in Southern California was designed to attract overnight guests.

Inside Intuit: How the Makers of Quicken Beat Microsoft and Revolutionized an Entire Industry
Suzanne Taylor, MBA '90, and Kathy Schroeder, MBA '90
Harvard Business School Press, 2003
Intuit veteran Taylor and marketing executive Schroeder were granted exclusive interviews with founder Scott Cook and other key figures to tell the story of how a tiny startup became a multibillion-dollar business that changed the way people manage their finances.

Preparing Heirs to Run Family Fortunes, by Victor Preisser, MBA '64