Corporate Vices What's gone wrong with business?

This book will help you rediscover the simple, unchanging, first principles that lie behind todaya s complex and logically challenged corporate world. Only the simple things are sharp enough to help you cut to the heart of some of the most stubborn problems in organization, leadership, technology and management. This is a book about how to choose.

"If you have been wondering over the last few years why much of received business wisdom and management consultant speak seemed to make no sense this book is a must. More Bill Bryson than McKinsey, Charles Cohen picks apart many business myths with the clarity that only someone who has been in the front lines themselves can manage. Real insights and great fun to read." - Mike Lynch, founder & CEO of Autonomy

"It is rare today that one finds a book which has an entirely fresh perspective. Charles has captured the essence of a period in corporate life shaken it up and most importantly made it readable. The book is a must read!" - Philip Crawford, former CEO, Oracle UK

"Savanorola meets Groucho meets Warren Buffett. This book is a great read, with something to infuriate everyone. Charles Cohen first takes pot shots at the flavour-of-the-month corporate vices: dubious accounting, executive greed, and value-destroying acquisitions. But he also goes for politically correct trends such as touchy-feely HR policies and corporate social responsibility. Leaving almost no turn unstoned, he puts some more sideswipes into advertising, IT, and managers' fixation with the macroeconomy. Behind all this knockabout stuff is a simple back-to-basics message: business is about underlying productivity, it's hard work, and there are no big short cuts". - Prof Patrick Barwise, Prof of Marketing at the London Business School.

"It was a quite extraordinary moment when I began to read this, one of those moments when the hairs tingle on your neck and you start nodding to yourself, talking out loud and wondering if you're reading something you have written yourself but can't remember when going 'Absolutely' and 'I couldn't agree more'. Quite frankly I'm just amazed that anyone is surprised 'corporate governance', 'alignment of the energy' and the quaint stuff like 'trust' and 'respect' in business has taken so long to get here, people have been getting screwed by the age old structures for so long and Charles' refreshing and 'been there' reality truly hits home"- John Caswell, CEO of Group Partners

"Charles paints a contemporary business landscape that is hurtfully real, using the colours of recent experience, which are hugely instructive, poignant and with a great touch of humour" -Rene Carayol, best selling author, My Voodoo and Corporate Voodoo.

"Charles Cohen has hit the nail firmly on the head. His ten corporate vices are loaded with common sense and right on the money." - Dan Wagner, founder of MAID plc. and now Venda.