5 December 2017

7 Must Read Business Books of 2017

Do you need a little light reading over the summer? We’ve got you covered with a curated list of the top business books to read, with a little help from the likes of Business Insider’s recommended, McKinsey’s finalists and the Financial Times’ Best books of 2017: Business. There’s a little bit of everything here to peak your curiosity – big data and AI, Apple’s dominance in the smartphone market, and one of the greatest scams to hit Wall Street since the GFC. 


The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone 

By Brain Merchant 
Merchant delves into the history of the device that has transformed the way people interact with technology and each other. It examines the cultural impact of the iPhone and the developments and breakthroughs in the manufacturing process.

"'The One Device' is a road map for design and engineering genius, an anthropology of the modern age and an unprecedented view into one of the most secretive companies in history. This is the untold account, ten years in the making, of the device that changed everything," the Financial Times says.

The Captain Class: The Hidden Force that Creates the World’s Greatest Teams 

By Sam Walker 
Deputy editor for enterprise at WSJ and former sports columnist, Walker developed a process to determine the 16 greatest professional sports dynasties from around the world from the last century. An in-depth analysis of each influential captain was conducted to identify the commonalities – to identify what it takes to be an elite leader in any field.

"This wonderfully written and wildly entertaining study of the most winning sports teams in history has more to say about leadership, engagement, and the chemistry that sparks and sustains extraordinary achievement than a decade's worth of leadership books," says Strategy + Business reviewer Sally Helgesen.

Machine, Platform, Crowd: Harnessing Our Digital Future 

By Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson 
The authors from MIT's Sloan School of Management explain how businesses can best use artificial intelligence and crowd wisdom and how leaders should manage amid these massive technological changes.

"Beneath all the concrete problems it raises, an intriguing question lies at the heart of the book: Given the rise of algorithmic decision making, the ability to outsource tasks to the crowd, and such technologies as blockchain, will the corporation as we know it become obsolete?" writes Strategy + Business reviewer James Surowiecki.


The Spider Network 

By David Enrich 
Here’s the inside scoop into the Libor scandal, the deliberate manipulation of the key banking interest rates, and its spectacular demise.

"'The Spider Network' is the almost-unbelievable and darkly entertaining inside account of the Libor scandal – one of history's biggest, farthest-reaching scams to hit Wall Street since the global financial crisis, written by the only journalist with access to Tom Hayes before he was imprisoned for 14 years," the Financial Times says of its top pick.

Everybody Lies 

By Seth Stephens-Davidowitz 
Harvard-trained economist and former Google data scientist, Stephens-Davidowitz explores the myriad uses of big data and the Internet, and how the very definition of ‘data’ is constantly expanding. Sometimes the new data will deeply disturb you.

"Freakonomics on steroids – this book shows how big data can give us surprising new answers to important and interesting questions. Seth Stephens-Davidowitz brings data analysis alive in a crisp, witty manner, providing a terrific introduction to how big data is shaping social science." writes Raj Chetty, Professor of Economics at Stanford University.

Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change 

By Ellen Pao 
This is Pao’s story of suing Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers for discrimination and a culture of bias. Despite losing the suit, the litigation brought attention to the overwhelmingly white, male culture of Silicon Valley.

"Ellen K. Pao's Reset is a rallying cry – the story of a whistleblower who aims to empower everyone struggling to be heard, in Silicon Valley and beyond," the Financial Times says of its selection.


The Great Leveler 

By Walter Scheidel
Stanford historian, Schediel attempts to trace the history of income inequality throughout the entirety of man’s existence. He argues that the only effective means of closing vast income gaps has been through violent movements.

"Mr. Scheidel's depressing view is bound to upset [those] who quite naturally might prefer to live in a world in which events might move political and social systems to figure out a more equitable way to distribute the fruits of growth without the plague, the guillotine or state collapse."--Eduardo Porter, New York Times

Written by Cindy Ngo.
Current Bachelor of Commerce student at the University of Sydney Business School.

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