Book Reviews | Cooler Insights

How Pleasure Works – Book Review

January 25, 2013 • Book Reviews • disabled comments

Why does pain sometimes feel like pleasure? Why do we enjoy music and art even though there aren’t any adaptive advantages? When does “one man’s meat” become “another man’s poison”?

The answers to these human behavioural puzzles (and more) can be found in How Pleasure Works. Written by Yale’s evolutionary psychologist Paul Bloom, the book uncovers the “new science of why we like what we like”. By delving into the fields of anthropology, evolution, history, biology and psychology, the book investigates why we humans are so different compared to our fellow earthlings.

January 13, 2013 • Book Reviews, Public Relations • disabled comments

Have you wondered what works (and doesn’t) in Facebook?

Or how you can undo an ill conceived tweet let loose in a fit of anger?

Internal Drive Theory – Book Review

December 31, 2012 • Book Reviews • disabled comments

Image of girl courtesy of Children’s Education Zone

Life as a parent of schooling kids isn’t a bed of roses.

After a hard day’s work, you’ve got to become teacher, coach and mentor to your precious ones. You need to find ways and means to nurture in him or her the joy of learning while fighting fatigue. Exams. Tests. Music. Dance. Sports. CCAs. The list appear to never end.

Great By Choice: Book Review

December 6, 2012 • Book Reviews • disabled comments

Why do some companies succeed in turbulent times while others fail?

Is there a “secret sauce” to enduring corporate performance?

We’ve seen it happen time and time again.

A company starts off with great fanfare, led by a charismatic and visionary leader. She or he brings it to new heights. Growth is healthy and flourishing – year after year.

There is crystal clarity in what the company does. It attracts a loyal tribe of customers and fans.

Innovate the Pixar Way: Book Review

October 9, 2012 • Book Reviews • disabled comments

From its first animated feature Toy Story to Finding Nemo, Up, and Cars, Pixar Animation Studios is probably the world’s leading producer of animated features. Renowned for producing cartoon movies that stir the imagination and touch the heart, Pixar’s ability to allow “artists and geeks” to flourish makes it one of the world’s most innovative organisations.

The secrets behind Pixar’s success is ably captured in “Innovate the Pixar Way – Business Lessons From The World’s Most Creative Corporate Playground“. Written by Bill Capodagli and Lynn Jackson of The Disney Way, the book relates how Ed Catmull, Alvy Ray Smith and lengendary animator John Lasseter created a company which captures the imagination of childhood while making dreams come alive. The terrific trio did this by embracing four key principles:

Our Iceberg is Melting: A Book Review

September 26, 2012 • Book Reviews, Business and Management • disabled comments

In this day and age, change is the only constant. Global economic uncertainties, socio-cultural shifts and technological breakthroughs make it necessary for organisations to adapt and transform themselves to remain relevant.

The question, however, is how one can drive change successfully in a stage littered with numerous failures.

Execution – How Top CEOs Lead World Class Companies

September 17, 2012 • Book Reviews, Business and Management • 1 comment

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How do companies like GE, Wal-Mart and Honeywell succeed? What is the secret of Jack Welch, one of the most legendary CEO in the business world today?

The answer, according to Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, is Execution. Subtitled The Discipline of Getting Things Done, the New York Times bestseller emphasises the importance of execution in business, how companies with an execution culture conduct their business affairs, and its three core processes: people, strategy and operations.

Who Killed Change? – Book Review

September 13, 2012 • Book Reviews • disabled comments

Written by Ken Blanchard of “The One Minute Manager” fame, together with his co-authors John Britt, Pat Zigarmi and Judd Hoekstra, “Who Killed Change?” is a whodunnit with a business twist. The slim volume is easily read in one sitting and imbues one with useful pointers when implementing change management.

The plot goes like this. Somebody in the ACME organisation has killed Change. In this case, Change of course represents Change Management – a very necessary ingredient for enduring organisational effectiveness when things no longer become business as usual.

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