Book Reviews | Cooler Insights

The Rise of the New East: Book Review

Ben Simpfendorfer of Silk Road Associates

Are China and India still the “factory” and “outsourced service provider” of the world? How big is the market for Muslim-friendly products and services? What are the promises and perils of trading in the East?

In a sweeping expose on the dynamic forces shaping the “New East”, Ben Simpfendorfer’s The Rise of the New East provides an in-depth view of how the economic resurgence of Asia and the Middle East are changing global markets. Spanning halfway round the globe – from Turkey to the United Arab Emirates to India, South East Asia and China – the book brings one on a fascinating tour of the complex business characteristics governing our neck of the woods.

How Asian Women Lead: Book Review

How do Asian women experience leadership? What challenges do they face?

More importantly, how can organisations recognise, nurture and celebrate Asian women leaders?

May 18, 2014 • Blog, Book Reviews • no comments

By now, everybody agrees that the Internet is the biggest and most disruptive force in the 21st century. It switches our world order and democratises power like nothing before.

Every aspect of our lives – the information we consume, the governments we vote for, the way we work, the way we learn, and the way we enjoy – is influenced by the Web.

The Language of God: Book Review

April 13, 2014 • Book Reviews • no comments

Are science and faith compatible? Can we reconcile our religious beliefs with scientific evidence of how life began?

Enter The Language of God.

Written by former esteemed Director of the Human Genome Project, Dr Francis Collins, the bestselling volume is an ambitious effort to marry Collins’ Christian faith with his beliefs as an eminent scientist.

David and Goliath: Book Review

March 5, 2014 • Book Reviews • 2 comments

Why do underdogs triumph over mightier enemies? How does one turn a weakness into a strength?

In yet another entertaining trip of the intellect, Malcolm Gladwell’s latest volume David and Goliath tackles perennial paradoxes with much aplomb. Written in his usual captivating prose, Gladwell’s book – subtitled Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants – provides one with much food for thought while challenging conventional wisdom.

The Necessity of Strangers: Book Review

November 28, 2013 • Blog, Book Reviews • no comments

Since time immemorial, we’re told that our network of friends and family members are vital to our success. Who haven’t heard that “a friend in need is a friend indeed” or that “blood runs thicker than water”?

Well, the tables may soon be turned. At least according to innovation consultant Alan Gregerman.

Buyology – Truth and Lies About Why We Buy

September 11, 2013 • Book Reviews • 3 comments

Imagine that you are a smoker. You pick up a pack of cigarettes.

On the front of the pack are gory images – a hemorrhaged brain, blackened lungs, deformed baby, ugly cancerous growth – coupled with stern admonitions like “SMOKING KILLS”.

How would you react to these gruesome warnings?

Reflections from The Alchemist

September 4, 2013 • Book Reviews • 3 comments

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:21

As a business blogger, I don’t often read fiction. However, I couldn’t resist picking up Paulo Coelho’s mega-bestseller The Alchemist after hearing so much about it from friends.

To Sell Is Human: Book Review

August 7, 2013 • Book Reviews • 1 comment

Do you know that 40% of our time at work is engaged in selling, even if we’re not in sales? Or that “Bob the Builder” can be a sales trainer?

Sprinkled with discoveries from fields such as behavioural economics, life coaching, and improv acting, To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by bestselling author Daniel H. Pink scores. Interspersed with charming anecdotes on septuagenarian Fuller Brush salesperson Norman Hall (Pink’s unsung hero who was the last such salesperson), To Sell Is Human is neatly divided into three parts.

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