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Bookshelf Nobody wants to fail, but if it's handled correctly, failure can energize an individual and boost a career. It's the part about "han- dling it correctly" that's tricky. In Firing Back, Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and University of Georgia professor Andrew Ward carefully lay out a blue- print for overcoming adversity. Their goal is to offer the "first integrated model of resilience through wide application to situations of adversity and catastrophe, drawing upon the lessons of multiple disciplines." Thus, they discuss post-traumatic stress response and the stages of grief while offering detailed pro- files of people who did—and did not—triumph over heavy losses. While some of their examples are from the fields of sports and entertainment, most are business figures, including Donald Trump, Michael Milken, and Martha Stewart. Most inspiring is the story of Jimmy Dunne, CEO of Sandler O'Neill & Partners, which had offices on the 104th floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center. His story not only defines tragedy, but serves as a living example for how to rebound from it. (Har- vard Business School Press, $29.95) From 1997 to 2000, the Kellogg Com- mission on the Future of State and Land Grant Universities issued a series of reports aimed at redesign- ing public university education to focus more on student engagement and the public good. Among other things, the commission examined the widespread decentralization of the university as individual depart- ments became their own manage- 66 BizEd MAY/JUNE 2007 ment centers and faculty research led to greater fragmentation and spe- cialization. Using the commission reports as a springboard, 16 essayists in Fixing the Fragmented University discuss how to balance research and teaching while providing an excel- lent education for all. Editor Joseph C. Burke leads the way by declar- ing, "The answer...is not to end decentralization, which is necessary for faculty creativ- ity and innovation, but to add direction, which is essential for institutional responsiveness and accountability." (Anker, $39.95) Companies that want to market to the poor in India's rural areas can't rely on traditional meth- ods of marketing and dis- tribution. When Castrol Engine Oils wanted to reach these customers, it redesigned products in smaller packages, at lower price points, and began selling them at mom-and-pop stores, markets, and fairs. That's just one brief story included in the dense, wide-ranging, and fascinating Business Solutions for the Global Poor, edited by V. Kasturi Rangan, John A. Quelch, Gustavo Herrero, and Brooke Barton, all of Harvard Business School. The book's essays are based on presen- tations made at Harvard's 2005 "Conference on Global Poverty: Business Solutions and Approaches." They're broadly divided into six top- ics: defining the poor, meeting their needs, building value at the base of the pyramid, designing business models for that market, understand- ing the role of government, and creating economic and social value. While the authors believe that there is a market to be served and a profit to be made at the bottom of the pyramid, they also strongly argue for social responsibility. "Compa- nies must strike a delicate balance, keeping in mind both their legal obligation to return profits to their investors, as well as their social obli- gations to the societies in which they operate," write the editors. Markets all over the world are covered in this important, engrossing read. (Jossey- Bass, $55) Among the hundreds of books written about leadership, Exploring Leader- ship is unusual in that it is aimed straight at "college students who want to make a difference." Authors Susan R. Komives, Nance Lucas, and Timothy R. McMahon are professors or faculty consul- tants involved with leadership initiatives, and their book seeks to put current theories into a sen- sible, practical format for students in a wide range of academic disci- plines. While it discusses the "great man" approach to leadership, the book really focuses on self-aware- ness, understanding of others, fol- lowership, and collaboration. True leaders, they say, are purposeful, inclusive, ethical, empowering, and process-oriented. The book works well as a handbook for students, covering a great deal of material in a thoughtful and inspirational manner. (Wiley, $30)