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Bookshelf The Chinese Mind As more and more business schools and multinational corporations turn their attention to China, now seems like a perfect time to study the mind- set of the Chinese people. In Inside Chinese Business, Ming-Jer Chen has already done some of the work. The author painstakingly and persuasively demonstrates how "modern-day Chinese business structures have their origins in ancient Chinese cul- ture and philosophy." In addition, he gives Westerners and other readers a solid grounding in how that culture and philosophy work. Ming-Jer Chen examines, for the Western worldview. Indeed, many of the charts offer an analysis of the Chinese way as compared to the Western way, in everything from negotiating a deal to understanding the flow of time. Chen makes a clear distinction example, the place of the family in Chinese society and its connection to business. He explains how a complicated network of fam- ily members can be more impor- tant than the names on an organizational chart. He describes the concept of guanxi, the extended web of friends and family members who are bound to each other by obligations and gener- ations of trust, and how guanxi often invisibly governs business decisions. He discusses familiar concepts—such as the Chinese desire to "save face"—but puts them in a business context that makes certain behavior patterns more understandable. Chen fills his pages with compara- between Chinese nationals living on the mainland and Chinese living overseas—noting that the latter "constitute the third-largest economy in the world, trailing only the United States and Japan in total assets." His other statistics are equally impressive; and though most people are familiar with the fact that about one-fifth of the world's population lives on main- land China, it's still a number that has great power. As an emerging market, the country offers enormous potential, both for business and for study. Any foreigner attempting to do business on Chinese soil would do well to study the country's histo- ry first, and Inside Chinese Business would be an excellent place to start. (Harvard Business Press, hardcover, 234 pages, $29.95) tive charts, brief case studies, and sta- tistics. His prose is clear, readable, and full of insights on a culture that often seems diametrically opposed to 58 BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2002 Business School Basics Irreverent, hip, chock-a-block with jargon and amusing anecdotes, B-School Survival Guide is a truly helpful handbook for candidates considering whether to enroll in business school—and wondering what they might face when they graduate. Produced by the editors of MBA Jungle and John Housman, co- founder of Jungle Interactive Media, the book is an up-to-the-minute look at the business school environment. (Perseus Press, trade paperback, 258 pages, $17) While it includes all the de rigueur sections on business school basics— what to read before you go, how to weigh full-time vs. part-time options, tions examine the low percentage of women enrolling in business school, the advantages of getting a degree in Europe, and how to behave at recruiting dinners. Longer sections cover crucial skills such as learning how to work in teams and develop- ing contacts. Notes the guide, "When it comes to networking, you can be whatever dwarf you want to be as long as it isn't Bashful." The appendices contain informa- how to choose a school— B-School Survival Guide is most inter- esting where it is most unexpected. Short sec- tion you might be able to get else- where, but not without considerable trouble. The most helpful items include a roundtable discussion on the value of rankings and a break- down of the nine top industries attractive to MBA graduates, includ- ing the major players and the salary potential. Current students may wish they had read the book before they signed up for classes, but they'll still find its tips helpful as they begin the interviewing process after graduation. Professors might recommend it to candidates who haven't yet decided whether or not an MBA is the career move for them. Efficient Solutions How do you manage the knowledge worker? Which is better, effectiveness or efficiency? What happens when a bad manager doesn't know how to handle talented, self-motivated employees? Even if you know the