Corporate Caveats

Despite what the title suggests, Billion Dollar Lessons (Portfolio, $25.95) is not about Wall Street’s current hard luck. Yet the subject matter is all the more relevant when the markets are down for the count. Armed with ample anecdotes, authors Paul B. Carroll and Chunka Mui describe seven business strategies with a history of failure, such as “Staying the (Misguided) Course” (think Kodak during the digital camera revolution) and “Fumbling Technology” (Motorola’s foray into the Iridium satellite system, which went bankrupt nine months after launch). The authors then peel back the corporate facade and reveal the human nature and boardroom dynamics that explain why—or at least how—poor strategies are chosen. Before your next big move, here’s a chance to consider what
not to do.

Other Titles in the Jungle Queue:
Capitalizing on Kindness: Why 21st Century Professionals Need to Be Nice [Career Press, $15.99]
The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It [HarperCollins, $25.95]