April 2023 MBR The Business Shelf

The Business Shelf

Next Generation Retail
Deborah Weinswig, author
Renee Hartmann, author
Kogan Page Inc.
8 W 38th Street, Ste 902, New York, NY 10018
www.koganpage.com
9781398609648, $80.99, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Next-Generation-Retail-Technology-Innovate/dp/1398609641

Synopsis: While change is a constant in retail marketing, flux has accelerated in innovation, digital disruption and changing consumer demands and expectations. Written for both digital-first and physical retailers, with the publication of "Next Generation Retail: How to Use New Technology to Innovate for the Future" by co-authors Deborah Weinswig and Renee Hartmann describes how to respond to the needs and expectations of today's consumers and connect with Generations Z and Alpha in an authentic and relevant way. Highly practical in approach, Next Generation Retail" explores the latest opportunities and pitfalls to avoid for developments including the metaverse, livestream shopping, instant commerce, blockchain and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

"Next Generation Retail" also describes how to create compelling content and retail media to drive commerce and monetize data while maintaining customer trust. Featuring original research and interviews with top industry experts, "Next Generation Retail" contains examples and case studies from a range of brands and organizations including Lancome, Burberry, and Walmart.

Critique: An essential resource for retailers of all sizes having to adapt, compete and thrive in today's business environment of breakneck change and innovation, "Next Generation Retail: How to Use New Technology to Innovate for the Future" is exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and presentation. A complete course of instruction for corporate executives, marketing directors, advertizing managers, entrepreneurs, MBA students, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject, "Next Generation Retail" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, corporate, and academic library Retail Marketing and Business Management collections.. It should be noted that "Next Generation Retail" is also available in a paperback edition (9781398609631, $27.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.39).

Editorial Note #1: Deborah Weinswig (https://www.deborahweinswig.com) is the founder and CEO of Coresight Research, a firm which helps retail clients accelerate innovation and growth. Based in New York City, New York, she was previously Managing Director and Head of the Global Staples and Consumer Discretionary team at Citi Research. A frequent conference keynote speaker, she sits on the advisory board of the World Retail Congress and has been recognized as a Top Retail Influencer of 2022 by RETHINK Retail. She is frequently quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Bloomberg and Forbes.

Editorial Note #2: Renee Hartmann (https://renee-hartmann.com) is the Co-Founder of CLA, a research and strategy consulting firm that advises consumer brands which include Giorgio Armani, Fendi and Yves Saint Laurent on international expansion and strategy. Based near Los Angeles, California, she has worked as a brand owner, retail operator, consumer researcher and branding and market entry strategist for the last 25 years.

The Decisive Manager
Barbara Mitchell, author
Cornelia Gamlem, author
Career Press Inc.
c/o Red Wheel/Weiser
65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950
www.redwheelweiser.com
9781632652010, $19.95, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Decisive-Manager-Results-Morale-Deserve/dp/1632652013

Synopsis: With respect to 'people issues' in the workplace, they often seem to arise out of nowhere and just don't go away. It's critical that business managers handle them right.

As a manager, you need to know so many things about managing people, but you don't even know what to ask! That's where "The Decisive Manager: Get Results, Build Morale, and Be the Boss Your People Deserve" by co-authors Barbara Mitchell and Cornelia Gamlem can help.

With examples of typical situations that managers encounter and advice on how to handle them, "The Decisive Manager" is an easy-to-use guide for people managers and has information on hiring to firing, and everything in between. It covers: Finding and Hiring the Best Talent (recruiting, interviewing, job posting, job offers, onboarding, and more); Creating a Positive Employee Experience (employee engagement, retention, and employee motivation); Paying and Rewarding Employees (compensation transparency, employee wellness and mental health, and rewards and recognition); Helping Employees Grow and Develop (creating a learning culture, strategies for doing so, and the manager's role in employee development); Understanding Policies and Practices (the role of policies, applying them to specific situations, harassment and office romance); Ensuring Graceful Endings (layoffs, terminations for cause, exit interviews and more).

The important issues surrounding remote and hybrid work are also addressed, including how to best support your staff, onboarding from afar, and keeping accountability yet flexibility for all.

Concerned about navigating the changing workplace and avoiding legal pitfalls? There are questions and essential answers about these issues, too. Managing people correctly is critical to every manager's success. "The Decisive Manager" will help with those unexpected challenges that arise too often.

Critique: For both novice and experienced mangers alike, "The Decisive Manager: Get Results, Build Morale, and Be the Boss Your People Deserve" is an essential and indispensable instructional guide and 'how-to' resource that will prove to be enduringly valued. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99). "The Decisive Manager" is especially and unreservedly recommended for professional, community, corporate, and academic library Business Management collections and MBA supplemental curriculum Human Resources & Personnel Management studies lists.

Editorial Note #1: Barbara Mitchell and Cornelia Gamlem are authors, speakers, and consultants. They bring a wealth of business and human resources experience to their writing. Both held positions at major corporations before starting their individual consulting practices, where each worked with a variety of organizations. Together, they wrote The Big Book of HR, The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook, The Conflict Resolution Handbook, the award-winning Manager's Answer Book, and They Did What? Barbara is also the coauthor of The Essential HR Handbook.

Forward: Leading Your Team Through Change
Elizabeth Moran
https://www.elizabethmorantransformation.com
Business Books
c/o John Hunt Publishing
www.johnhuntpublishing.com
9781782792895, $19.95, PB, 200pp

https://www.amazon.com/Forward-Leading-Your-Through-Change/dp/1782792899

Synopsis: Every week thousands of leaders have to guide their teams through a change that they didn't initiate. They do what they can, but too often they feel unprepared and pressed for time. Needing to quickly get the word out, they announce the change through an email and hope for the best. If there's resistance, they increase the frequency and pressure in their messages. Not surprisingly, this rarely works.

Dr. Elizabeth Moran is a self-described "change nerd" who guides some of the most successful companies in the world, and with the publication of "Forward: Leading Your Team Through Change" outlines her practical, communication-based approach, offering proven advice, actions, and tools to help team leaders navigate their own transformation challenges.

Grounded in neuroscience and written with humor, "Forward" is the playbook business leaders need, complete with beginning-to-end action steps, team and individual conversation guides, and a clear approach to measuring success. Of special note are the specific chapters helping readers tackle some of the toughest and yet most common transformation challenges happening today in the business community, like changes that involve job loss, and how to build long-term resilience.

Critique: Timely relevant, informative, thought-provoking, insightful, needed, "Forward: Leading Your Team Through Change" should be considered essential reading for anyone tasked with business management responsibilities. While unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, corporate, community, and academic library Business Decision Making and Conflict Resolution/Mediation collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of MBA students, academia, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Forward: Leading Your Team Through Change" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Elizabeth Moran (https://www.elizabethmorantransformation.com) is passionate about helping leaders, teams, and organizations navigate and evolve through constant change. She is a consultant and executive coach, and holds masters and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Rising Together
Sally Helgesen
Hachette Go
c/o Hachette Book Group
www.hachettebookgroup.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9780306828300, $30.00, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Together-Divides-Inclusive-Workplace/dp/0306828308

Synopsis: Participants at leadership conferences often tell Sally Helgesen, "Please don't spend your time telling us why developing and retaining a diverse workforce is important. We get it. The problem is, we don't know how to do it."

With the publication of "Rising Together: How We Can Bridge Divides and Create a More Inclusive Workplace", Sally provides that missing 'how' in full detail by identifying both what holds us back and specific tactics that can help us move forward.

First, Sally identifies the eight common triggers most likely to undermine our ability to collaborate across divides -- not only of gender, but also of age, ethnicity, race, sexuality, and life experience. These triggers are widespread, yet rarely acknowledged. They include differences in how people from different backgrounds view ambition, competence, perceptions, fairness, communication, networks, attraction, and humor.

Second, Sally then offers specific practices designed to address these triggers: simple behavioral tweaks that we can use on a daily basis; a method for informally enlisting allies to hold us to account; and a means for cultivating and disseminating the dynamic power of we.

"Rising Together" is relevant for readers at every stage and level in their careers who recognize that building a broad range of relationships is essential to their advancement, now and in the future. It also serves as an indispensable guide for HR, diversity, and leadership professionals tasked with addressing the misunderstandings, resentments, and derailments caused by the eight triggers. Sally's focus on behaviors (how we act and how we think) promises to redirect the inclusion conversation in a grounded, real-world way that brings us together.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Rising Together: How We Can Bridge Divides and Create a More Inclusive Workplace" will be of particular and practical value to readers with an interest in workplace culture. While unreservedly recommended as a core addition to personal, professional, community, corporate, and academic library Business Management/Human Resources collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists, "Rising Together" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781668629888, $45.00, CD) for MBA students, academia, corporate executives, Human Resource staff members, and non- specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

Editorial Note: Sally Helgesen (https://sallyhelgesen.com) is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker, and leadership development consultant. Her latest book, The Female Vision: Women's Real Power at Work, explores the strategic dimension of women's leadership. Her other books include The Female Advantage: Women's Ways of Leadership, hailed as "the classic work" on women's leadership style, translated into 12 languages and continually in print for twenty years, and The Web of Inclusion: A New Architecture for Building Great Organizations, cited in The Wall Street Journal as one of the best books on leadership of all time.

Inclusion Uncomplicated
Dr. Nika White
Forbes Books
18 Broad Street, Suite 300, Charleston, SC 29401
https://books.forbes.com
9781955884150, $27.99

https://www.amazon.com/Inclusion-Uncomplicated-Transformative-Guide-Simplify/dp/1955884153

At a moment in history when institutions are collapsing, violence and injustice are skyrocketing, and the outcomes of systemic oppression go viral on a daily basis, Dr. Nika White's, Inclusion Uncomplicated has arrived at the perfect time.

This book is the guide you have been waiting for: one that unravels the complexity of diversity, equity, and inclusion, teases out root causes of systemic oppression, and delivers simple, actionable tools for real change. Right now. When it's needed the most. The wisdom contained within these pages comes from Dr. Nika's twenty-plus years of helping companies across the globe create more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable cultures. Dr. Nika's philosophy is simple - DEI is a responsibility we all share. It's going to take each one of us moving from passivity to impact within our unique spheres of influence.

That's why this book is written in a straight-forward, conversational style that speaks to the leader in all of us. From real-life, workplace scenarios, to the latest research on what works and what doesn't, to strategies for untangling the gnarled threads of bias - readers will find everything they need to become DEI allies, changemakers, and inclusive leaders, no matter where they are on the DEI journey.

From Marginal to Mainstream
Helen Edwards
Kogan Page Inc.
8 W 38th Street, Ste 902, New York, NY 10018
www.koganpage.com
9781398604339, $84.00, HC, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Marginal-Mainstream-Tomorrows-Growth-Fringes/dp/139860433X

Synopsis: Mainstream brands are besieged when it comes to being innovative, developing new products and taking new services or goods to market. Legacy brands seek out small and comfortable advantages within their market sectors and while this may produce a small market share uplift, it will never bring about sensational brand growth.

With the publication of "From Marginal to Mainstream: Why Tomorrow's Brand Growth Will Come from the Fringes - and How to Get There First", Helen Edwards shows why businesses, marketers and product development teams need to break through mainstream inhibition and turn their attention to those brands that are currently in the margins -- to confront, evaluate and embrace the strangeness of brand strategies, behaviours, ideas, marketing and the way of life at the fringes.

This may be an unpromising, untested, weird and even sometimes frightening place, yet studying the behavior of marginal brands (what they get right, how they engage with customers, how they develop products) can point the way to new innovation, new routes to market and exciting new category creation.

As Helen Edwards points out -- Today's margins are tomorrow's pot of gold - if you know where and how to look!

Critique: Of special value and extraordinary relevance to readers with an interest in the subject of business marketing in today's ever evolving and competitive market place, "From Marginal to Mainstream: Why Tomorrow's Brand Growth Will Come from the Fringes - and How to Get There First" is deftly organized into three main sections: The Margins and Why They Matter; How to Read the Margins; A Strategy for Growth. Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion an informative Introduction, twenty-two pages of Notes, and a five page Index, "From Marginal to Mainstream" is especially appropriate and recommended for professional, community, corporate, and academic library Business Management/Marketing collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of entrepreneurs, corporate executives, brand development marketers, MBA students, and non-specialists with an interest in the subject that "From Marginal to Mainstream" is also available in a paperback edition (9781398604315, $29.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.39).

Editorial Note: Helen Edwards (https://www.marketingweek.com/columnist-helen-edwards) is a branding consultant, based in London, UK, and an award-winning columnist at Marketing Week, focusing on brand positioning and brand strategy. She is the director of Passionbrand, a Teaching Fellow in Marketing at London Business School and is the author of Creating Passion Brands. She founded Passionbrand in 2005 - a boutique brand consultancy based in London, combining strategic and creative skills. Clients include Johnson & Johnson, 3M, Avon, Tesco, MetLife, Nationwide, EDF Energy, BBC Worldwide, Smith & Nephew, The World Economic Forum.

Breaking Through
Sally Susman
www.sallysusman.com
Harvard Business Review Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
http://hbr.org/books
9781647823955, $30.00, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Through-Communicating-Hearts-Change/dp/1647823951

Synopsis: A global pandemic. A roller-coaster economy. Political tensions ready to ignite, and common civility at an all-time low. For business and political leaders alike, the pressures and the stakes could not be higher. And in such a stormy, often dangerous world, communications can no longer be considered a soft skill. The ability to reach people and drive public conversation is a rock-hard competency.

With the publication of "Breaking Through: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts, and Change the World", Sally Susman (the renowned head of corporate affairs at global biopharmaceutical giant Pfizer), tells the fascinating story of how the company managed the massive communications challenge that came with Covid-19 and the race to produce an effective vaccine.

Just as crucial as creating the vaccine itself was the task of winning people's hearts and minds, and Susman highlights the principles that enabled her to break through, connect, and help move people forward, not only at Pfizer but over a long and stellar career. She shows how clarifying and channeling your intention is an essential first step: What are you trying to say?

She also illustrates how leaders need to muster the courage to be candid in order to be effective and how, in order to connect, they must both disarm with humility and delight with humor. As a gay, married woman, she talks forthrightly about the challenges and opportunities of embracing who you are, both at home and in the workplace.

Susman's stories will draw you in with their warmth and humanity, and enlighten and motivate you with their insight and passion.

Critique: Essential reading for any business leader, corporate executive, or politician who faces the daunting challenge of communicating in our noisy, turbulent world, "Breaking Through: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts, and Change the World" is exceptionally well written and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation. While readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99), "Breaking Through" is a critically important, timely, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, corporate, and community library Public Relations, Communication Skills, and Leadership/Motivation collections and MBA supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Sally Susman (www.sallysusman.com) is Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pfizer. She is also Vice Chair of the Pfizer Foundation. She leads engagement with all of Pfizer's external stakeholders, overseeing communications, corporate responsibility, global policy, government relations, investor relations, and patient advocacy. Before joining Pfizer in 2007, she held several senior communications and government relations roles at The Estee Lauder Companies and American Express. Earlier in her career, she spent eight years in government service, focused on international trade issues.

Your Company Is Your Castle
Sandeep Chennakeshu
https://sandeepchennakeshu.com
Fedd Books
9781957616049, $24.99, HC, 328pp

https://www.amazon.com/Your-Company-Castle-Building-Resilient/dp/1957616040

Synopsis: Companies emerge from smart people with clever ideas. However, vision alone is not enough when only one out of three companies lasts ten years. It takes a systematic approach to making a company sustainably successful.

With the publication of Your Company Is Your Castle: Proven Methods for Building a Resilient Business", Sandeep Chennakeshu, a business transformation veteran, compares building a company to that of a medieval castle that has withstood the test of time, having weathered nature's elements and hordes of invaders. Sandeep ties eight structural elements of such castles to eight essential elements that make a company thrive.

He also describes how to assess and systematically build a company's business model, financial health, strategy, culture, products, sales channels, execution, and stakeholder confidence to make the company formidable. "Your Company Is Your Castle" will equip you with critical insights and principles to build strong businesses and in turn build yourself into a strong leader.

Using evocative examples from diverse companies and stories from his thirty-year career of transforming companies and launching trailblazing products globally, Sandeep gives entrepreneurs and managers at all levels and all disciplines in a company a blueprint and 'how-to' manual needed for not only building a lasting company, but defending, protecting, and expanding it.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Your Company Is Your Castle: Proven Methods for Building a Resilient Business" is ideal and instructive reading for entrepreneurs and small business owners wanting to not only successfully launch an enterprise, but to have it thriving year after year, decade after decade. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and business school Contemporary Business & Entrepreneurship Studies collections, it should be noted that "Your Company Is Your Castle: Proven Methods for Building a Resilient Business" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Sandeep Chennakeshu (https://sandeepchennakeshu.com) earned a postgraduate diploma in industrial management from the Indian Institute of Science and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University. He then entered the electronics industry and led the development and launches of technology that billions use every day via cell phones, electronics, medical equipment, and cars. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and a named inventor on 180 patents. After two decades in corporate roles as CTO of Ericsson Mobile Phones and Sony Ericsson, President of Ericsson Mobile Platforms, SVP at Freescale, President of BlackBerry Technology Solutions, and EVP of AMD, Sandeep is currently COO at Uhnder Inc.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no funds from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, internet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested individuals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "California Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwatch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview (dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugalmuse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publisher, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review