Summer Reading

The National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship has offered their choices for summer reading:
Thomas W. Malone, The Future of Work: How the New Order of Business Will Shape Your Organization, Your Management Style, and Your Life. Cambridge: Harvard Business School Press, 2004
This is an interesting look at the new face of employment relationships. My take on this it that even if you are not planning to be an entrepreneur you better learn about it. Malone sees management become more a group of free agents that sell their expertise and services to many different companies. You basically better plan to treat your career like it is your own business if Malone is correct.
Nicholas Carr, Does IT Matter? Information Technology and the Corrosion of Competitive Advantage. Cambridge: Harvard Business School Press, 2004.
NDE has this take on this book:
“Carr argues that executives must now treat IT as simply another part of the business; it should no longer drive a company?s strategy. This also means that firms should spend less on IT, and that claim certainly doesn?t sit well with IT companies. Even if you disagree with Carr, this is a provocative book that will make you think about where IT fits in with your business or your local economy.”
David Bornstein, How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas. Cambridge: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Social entrepreneurs are those people who channel their entrepreneurial passions into the non-profit world. A growing area of interest with many potentially very positive social implications.
Sharon Whitely, Connie Duckworth, and Kathy Elliott, The Old Girl?s Network: Insider Advice for Women Building a Business in a Man?s World. New York: Perseus Books Group, 2003.
Lindy Woodhead, War Paint: Madame Helena Rubenstein and Miss Elizabeth Arden, Their Lives, their Times, and their Rivalry. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2004.
My instincts tell me that the entrepreneurial world is becoming more gender blind. I think if you focus on your own small network, you limit your possibilities.
Stephen Spinelli, Robert M. Rosenberg, and Sue Birley, Franchising: Path to Wealth Creation. New York: Prentice Hall, 2003.
Steve Spinelli was involved with Jiffy Lube and now teaches at Babson. Should be a good book for any interested in franchising your business. I do caution any entrepreneurs thinking about franchising their businesses, however, as many attempts have failed due to poor business models. Corporate overhead has killed many of attempts at growing a business this way. Also, before you decide to franchise your business take a look at all of the attorneys who specialize in this area. That should tell you something about what lies ahead!