What business books I’m buying and reading
I just received my latest book shipment from Amazon.com – it’s a tasty pile and I thought I’d share the list in case people are interested. Friendfeed is a nice way to share my various activities, but doesn’t include book purchases, which I’d probably prefer to share on an ad-hoc basis anyway.
Below are the books, together with brief comments. In most cases I haven’t read them cover to cover yet, but I’ll offer my thoughts either through reputation or having had a browse.
The predominant themes of Enterprise 2.0 and influencer marketing are obvious. We are writing our own Implementing Enterprise 2.0 report, as well as running our Enterprise 2.0 Executive Forum soon, and it’s good to see what else has been written on the topic. As any regular readers of this blog will soon discover, influence will be a major theme for my companies in 2009.
By: Niall Cook
A succinct report-style overview of Enterprise 2.0 from an executive perspective, written by Niall Cook of PR firm Hill & Knowlton.
By: Aaron Newman, Jeremy Thomas
An extensive examination of Enterprise 2.0 implementation. It is written primarily for technical people, including some code examples, though is certainly accessible to non-technical people.
The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom
By: Yochai Benkler
I’ve been long overdue to get this on my bookshelf. Already a classic, it covers the political and economic implications of a networked world.
Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online
By: Andy Beal, Judy Strauss
Andy Beal and Judy Strauss run through all the fundamentals of online presence, including blogs and social networks, then go into the realities of managing corporate reputation online, using extensive case studies.
Management Speak: The Live Oratory of Management Gurus
By: David Greatbatch
A fascinating book by academics who do detailed analysis of the keynote speaking styles of Tom Peters, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Gary Hamel and , trying to uncover the common themes of how management gurus communicate their messages.
By: Constantinos C. Markides
Markides of London Business School is one of my favorite strategy writers. Here he examines business model innovation and the corporate structures that help make that happen.
By: Amy Shuen
An excellent, thoroughly referenced overview of strategy for Web 2.0 companies, including examination of the underlying network economics and through to business plan creation.
Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide
By: Henry Jenkins
Henry Jenkins of MIT has brought together much of his thinking to pinpoint how culture and media intersect and engage when media is being transformed.
Influencer Marketing: Who Really Influences Your Customers?
By: Duncan Brown, Nick Hayes
A broad, practical primer on influencer marketing written for traditional marketers.
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
By: Chip Heath, Dan Heath
Bestseller on how to create ideas that stick, using stories and many other of its own techniques to get the message across.
The Networked Enterprise : Competing for the Future Through Virtual Enterprise Networks
By: Ken Thompson
Brief, highly bulleted description of how to make Venture Enterprise Networks function well, including interesting case studies.
Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies
By: Charlene Li, Josh Bernoff
Perhaps the most successful book on social media yet, describing the breadth of impact and action required as we shift to a social world.
The New Influencers: A Marketer’s Guide to the New Social Media
By: Paul Gillin
Good overview of how marketers should shift to include influencers, including industry impact and influencer profiles.
