- Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (Jan 8 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0375725121
- ISBN-13: 978-0375725128
- Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 2 x 20.1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 227 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #291,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"Reich is a big thinker and a great writer." –The Washington Post
“A valuable work. . . . Reich has a talent for mastering economic and social complexities and making them easy for the layperson to grasp.” –The Wall Street Journal
"A well-researched and documented analysis of the present state of working life in America." –The Plain Dealer
“Reich writes in ways unusual for an economist; he is self-effacing, witty and more interested in exploring the world’s complexities than in uncovering unvarying laws.” – The New York Times Book Review
“A valuable work. . . . Reich has a talent for mastering economic and social complexities and making them easy for the layperson to grasp.” –The Wall Street Journal
"A well-researched and documented analysis of the present state of working life in America." –The Plain Dealer
“Reich writes in ways unusual for an economist; he is self-effacing, witty and more interested in exploring the world’s complexities than in uncovering unvarying laws.” – The New York Times Book Review
Book Description
If you think it’s getting harder to both make a living and make a life, economist and former secretary of labor Robert Reich agrees with you. Americans may be earning more than ever before, but we’re paying a steep price: we’re working longer, seeing our families less, and our communities are fragmenting.
With the clarity and insight that are his hallmarks, Reich delineates what success has come to mean in our time. He demonstrates that although we have more choices as consumers, and investors, the choices themselves are undermining the rest of our lives. It is getting harder for people to be confident of what they will be earning next year, or even next month. At the same time, our society is splitting into socially stratified enclaves--the wealthier walled off and gated, the poorer isolated and ignored. Although the trends he discusses are powerful, they are not irreversible, and Reich makes provocative suggestions for how we might create a more balanced society and more satisfying lives. Some of his ideas may surprise you; all should spark a healthy–and essential–national debate.
With the clarity and insight that are his hallmarks, Reich delineates what success has come to mean in our time. He demonstrates that although we have more choices as consumers, and investors, the choices themselves are undermining the rest of our lives. It is getting harder for people to be confident of what they will be earning next year, or even next month. At the same time, our society is splitting into socially stratified enclaves--the wealthier walled off and gated, the poorer isolated and ignored. Although the trends he discusses are powerful, they are not irreversible, and Reich makes provocative suggestions for how we might create a more balanced society and more satisfying lives. Some of his ideas may surprise you; all should spark a healthy–and essential–national debate.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
WE ARE ENTERING the Age of the Terrific Deal, where choices are most limitless and it's easy to switch to something better. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
WE ARE ENTERING the Age of the Terrific Deal, where choices are most limitless and it's easy to switch to something better. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting Commentary On Our Changing Workplace,
By Jeff Antos (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Future of Success: Working and Living in the New Economy (Paperback)
Although the title is overly ambitious, The Future of Success is an interesting commentary on our changing workplace. The author, Robert Reich, a Brandeis University professor, was the Secretary of Labor during President Clinton's first term. Consumed by work and neglecting his family, Reich decided that the toll was too great and left his cabinet position to return to academia and write this book. Reich's work is important because he explains the drivers of our new economy with its great consumer deals, endless workweeks and vanishing job security. In this new world, rewards are given for results, not seniority within the company. We can conclude therefore, that since teams are typically formed to achieve specific results, they will continue to be an important organizational structure in the new economy. Increased competition is driving most businesses to focus on results. This philosophy favors a results-based organization structure in which teams are the basic building block. Although the reader expects Reich to end this book with stunning insight on balancing the vast benefits of the new economy with its requirement of personal sacrifice, the author provides no specific recommendations. Instead, the disappointing final chapter provides some vague recommendations for increased dialogue and improved public policy. Nevertheless, the book's compelling content makes up for its tepid epilogue. Reich's background gives him unique qualifications to describe the driving factors behind the new workplace. I recommend that you put this on your list.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good book on the economics behind the life/work balance.,
By
This review is from: The Future of Success: Working and Living in the New Economy (Paperback)
Reich explains very well all the economic trends that make our society increasingly consumer friendly. Thanks to competition you can get more products and services at a cheaper price than you ever could. The dark side of this 24/7 consumer society, is that it is also a ruthless 24/7 workaholic society. The U.S. is a wonderful place to be rich (ideally financially independent). But, it is an increasingly competitive place to make a living. In other words, the U.S. is a consumer's paradise, but often a supplier's hell. Reich develops great metaphors to describe working people in few words. One of them is the Geeks and the Shrinks. The Geeks are the ones who know how to gather and manipulate data so as to develop new products and services. The Shrinks are the ones who research and understand what consumers really want through market research, focus groups, and other tools. The Geeks and Shrinks are like the Yin and Yang of this new business world. They both need each other to create new markets of products and services.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dissects the modern Work/Life balance problem,
By
This review is from: The Future of Success: Working and Living in the New Economy (Paperback)
This was a great, insightful, enjoyable, well-written book. It clearly dissects the problem of why it's so hard to achieve a suitable work/life balance today, and clearly describes some underlying causes. For me, it certainly lived up to the praise it has gotten. In short, Reich's central idea is this: as consumers, we love the terrific products and deals we're getting in today's marketplace as a result of increased competition. However, the dark site of this is that we must work longer hours as employees and be more innovative to ensure our companies outpace the competition. These time pressures are fragmenting our personal lives as we reduce the time we spend with friends, family and community. Reich has many interesting insights and observations beyond this overall theme as well. Overall, I recommend this book -- reading it was time well spent.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Business & Investing > Economics > Labour & Industrial Relations
- Books > Business & Investing > Economics > Theory
- Books > Business & Investing > Popular Economics > Labour Policy
- Books > Nonfiction > Economics > Labour & Industrial Relations
- Books > Nonfiction > Economics > Theory
- Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Sociology
- Books > Professional & Technical > Accounting & Finance > Economics > Labour & Industrial Relations
- Books > Professional & Technical > Accounting & Finance > Economics > Theory
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
