Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/61383
Bookshelf prose, the authors present the factors that shaped the "greed, disaster, and greatness" of the 1990s and the powerful forces that caused the market bubble to explode painfully. Chapter by chapter, they dissect global financial markets of the era: the role of Wall Street, the impact of emerging markets, the currency crises in foreign exchange markets, the globalization and anti-globaliza- tion movements, and the Asian influence. Their careful, compre- hensive overview of a fascinating period in world finance is placed within a historical con- text of similar boom- and-bust periods driven by technological advances and market interdependence. The reader is left not only with a better understanding of recent market fluc- tuations, but with a conviction that the world has not yet seen the final fallout from this most dramatic time. (Wiley, $62.50) Ride of the Century The 1990s ushered in one of the most impressive and volatile eras for world financial markets, and Jane Elizabeth Hughes and Scott B. MacDonald examine that wild ride in Carnival onWall Street. "The decade between 1991 and 2001 was one of excessive wealth, greed, and glory, all based on the premise that the free flow of capital was an ennobling force for economic devel- opment." they write. "This view was molded by a strong faith in global- ization, the ability of models to pre- dict markets, and the interrelated belief in the power of technology to surmount any obstacle." In extremely clear and detailed 68 BizEd MARCH/APRIL 2004 Women in the Workplace Pretty much since women first set foot in the factory, hospital, or office, people have been trying to figure out how they fit in. In the last 30 years, a wealth of manage- ment texts have been written about the role of women in the workplace. An overview of those texts and a host of new analyti- cal essays both appear in Reader in Gender,Work, and Organization, edited by Robin J. Ely, Erica Gabrielle Foldy, and Maureen A. Scully and produced under the auspices of the Center for Gender in Organizations at the Simmons School of Management. The authors note that, in the past, three frameworks have been devel- oped to understand women in the workplace. In the "fix the women" frame, women are perceived as lack- ing skills in playing the corporate game; in the "celebrate the differ- ences" scenario, the corporation is perceived as not understanding the special skills women possess. A third frame, "create equal opportunities," advocates lev- eling the playing field so that men and women have the same chances. The authors have devised a fourth frame, which views gender issues as "the central organizing fea- ture of social life, with impli- cations for women, men, and how we get work done." They call this the "revise work culture" frame, and many chapters propose ways to do just that. But the book is more nuanced than that. It brings together a diverse and fascinating collection explored as they relate to leadership, organizational behavior, globaliza- tion, and other hot topics of the day. For anyone interested in the topic of women in business, the book is an illuminating read. (Blackwell Publishing, $44.95) of essays that have charted women's progress through those three frames—including excerpts from classic treatises by Margaret Hennig and Anne Jardim, Sally Helgesen, and Rosabeth Moss Kantor—while looking at gender as influ- enced by issues like race and culture. Some of the essays were written more than 20 years ago; others were prepared for the book. Gender issues are Quick Looks Monumental social and financial shifts have reshaped the economies in Central and Eastern Europe in the past decade. Bruno S. Sergi, a con- tract professor at the University of Messina in Italy, has been studying the economic dynamics of these countries and the methods they're using to restructure their markets, increase international trade, and improve relations with the European Union and the rest of the world. In Economic Dynamics in Transitional Economies, he advocates a "Bruxelles consensus"—his term for a collabora- tion between Eastern European countries and the European Com- mission—instead of a "Washington consensus" in determining how these countries should move forward into the new century. Dense and compre- hensive, the book is a technical textbook with a passionate heart. (The Haworth Press, $34.95)