Pay Check: Are top earners really worth it?
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Pay Check: Are Top Earners Really Worth It? for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
|
There is a newer edition of this item:
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"This is a thoughtful, persuasive and well-written book. It is a timely and powerful contribution to the debate about the corrosive effects of the banking bonus culture. I commend Mr Bolchover's work to anyone who cares about the future of capitalism." --- Luke Johnson, Chairman Channel 4; Columnist Financial Times; Entrepreneur.
"There is, in my view, no better writer on the modern workplace than David Bolchover. With this book he has done it again. He has asked one of the questions that really matter."
---Daniel Finkelstein, The Times
"This is a thoughtful, persuasive and well-written book. It is a timely and powerful contribution to the debate about the corrosive effects of the banking bonus culture. I commend Mr Bolchover's work to anyone who cares about the future of capitalism." --- Luke Johnson, Chairman Channel 4; Columnist Financial Times; Entrepreneur.
"There is, in my view, no better writer on the modern workplace than David Bolchover. With this book he has done it again. He has asked one of the questions that really matter."
---Daniel Finkelstein, The Times
Pay Check is a bold and impassioned book, rich in wry humour, thoughtfully argued throughout...highly persuasive...the starting-point for a worthy and necessary discussion about the nature of "talent". --The Economist
"[Bolchover's] criticisms of the way top pay is handled crisply and with good use of data. Many of the hand grenades he throws hit their targets. He is withering about the clichéd term "talent", which is used to justify excessive pay." --The Financial Times / Los Angeles Times
"a great little book" --Merryn Somerset Webb, Editor, MoneyWeek
"A must read for anyone interested in the topic." --Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice, London Business School
"A useful reminder for remuneration committees to start asking: how much is too much?"
--Katherine Turner, Towers Watson remuneration practice, Management Today
"There is, in my view, no better writer on the modern workplace than David Bolchover. With this book he has done it again. He has asked one of the questions that really matter."
---Daniel Finkelstein, The Times
"This is a thoughtful, persuasive and well-written book. It is a timely and powerful contribution to the debate about the corrosive effects of the banking bonus culture. I commend Mr Bolchover's work to anyone who cares about the future of capitalism." --- Luke Johnson, Chairman Channel 4; Columnist Financial Times; Entrepreneur.
"There is, in my view, no better writer on the modern workplace than David Bolchover. With this book he has done it again. He has asked one of the questions that really matter."
---Daniel Finkelstein, The Times
Pay Check is a bold and impassioned book, rich in wry humour, thoughtfully argued throughout...highly persuasive...the starting-point for a worthy and necessary discussion about the nature of "talent". --The Economist
"[Bolchover's] criticisms of the way top pay is handled crisply and with good use of data. Many of the hand grenades he throws hit their targets. He is withering about the clichéd term "talent", which is used to justify excessive pay." --The Financial Times / Los Angeles Times
"a great little book" --Merryn Somerset Webb, Editor, MoneyWeek
"A must read for anyone interested in the topic." --Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice, London Business School
"A useful reminder for remuneration committees to start asking: how much is too much?"
--Katherine Turner, Towers Watson remuneration practice, Management Today
Product Description
Reviews “This is a thoughtful, persuasive and well-written book. It is a timely and powerful contribution to the debate about the corrosive effects of the banking bonus culture. I commend Mr Bolchover’s work to anyone who cares about the future of capitalism.” - Luke Johnson, Chairman Channel 4; Columnist Financial Times; Entrepreneur. “There is, in my view, no better writer on the modern workplace than David Bolchover. With this book he has done it again. He has asked one of the questions that really matter. And the answer? Well, read it for yourself…..” -Daniel Finkelstein, The Times Synopsis Who deserves what they earn? Seldom has this question been more relevant than now, as senior executives grab outrageous salaries while the companies they manage go bankrupt, and British parliamentarians fiddle their expenses. From jargon-spouting consultants to the financial “whiz kids” undertaking risky deals, oversized pay packets are justified on the flimsiest of grounds – that the recipients possess extraordinary talent without which no company or organisation could prosper. But the evidence suggests otherwise. This book explodes the myth of “talent”, and shows how the term has been deliberately misused and abused. Pay Check aims to win capitalism back for those who actually take the risks, and expose those who merely snatch the rewards.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book will change the way you think about one of the most controversial questions of the day: why do some people get such extraordinarily high pay and do they really deserve it? Amid all the cliches from the politicians and mainstream commentators, the debate has been crying out for some fresh thinking.
Bolchover provides precisely that in a superbly argued and concisely written book which eschews the envy driven polemics on one side of the debate and the hero worship of top executives on the other. He argues that some people -- entrepreneurs who risk everything to build a business from scratch; sports stars possessed of genuine talent -- do indeed deserve the kind of stratospheric incomes that most of us can only dream of; while others -- the slick chief executives who have risen to the top through a canny aptitude at playing corporate politics -- do not.
The core of his argument is that high pay can only really be justified with reference to the rarity value which generates it. Manchester United soccer star Wayne Rooney has a talent that millions of young boys aspire to, but sooner or later realise they can never attain. So few people have the ability to do what Rooney does that most of us accept that his exceptional abilities deserve to be rewarded. Ditto great entrepreneurs such as Alan Sugar or Richard Branson who built huge empires through grit, determination and an extraordinary ability to turn an idea into a reality.
The claim to a similar degree of exceptional talent by corporate executives -- the banking chiefs, for example, who ruined Western economies -- is manifestly false. Many thousands of people could do the jobs that they do (and often do them better). In contrast with the entrepreneur, they simply sat on the gravy train in the safe, risk-free environment of the corporate office where they learned to play the necessary political games. In the absence of real talent they have created a "talent myth", a false claim to exceptional abilities designed to justify their exceptional levels of pay. The tragedy is that many of us have bought into such thinking.
Bolchover tears apart the myth of talent in a book full of insights which will open your mind.
Bolchover provides precisely that in a superbly argued and concisely written book which eschews the envy driven polemics on one side of the debate and the hero worship of top executives on the other. He argues that some people -- entrepreneurs who risk everything to build a business from scratch; sports stars possessed of genuine talent -- do indeed deserve the kind of stratospheric incomes that most of us can only dream of; while others -- the slick chief executives who have risen to the top through a canny aptitude at playing corporate politics -- do not.
The core of his argument is that high pay can only really be justified with reference to the rarity value which generates it. Manchester United soccer star Wayne Rooney has a talent that millions of young boys aspire to, but sooner or later realise they can never attain. So few people have the ability to do what Rooney does that most of us accept that his exceptional abilities deserve to be rewarded. Ditto great entrepreneurs such as Alan Sugar or Richard Branson who built huge empires through grit, determination and an extraordinary ability to turn an idea into a reality.
The claim to a similar degree of exceptional talent by corporate executives -- the banking chiefs, for example, who ruined Western economies -- is manifestly false. Many thousands of people could do the jobs that they do (and often do them better). In contrast with the entrepreneur, they simply sat on the gravy train in the safe, risk-free environment of the corporate office where they learned to play the necessary political games. In the absence of real talent they have created a "talent myth", a false claim to exceptional abilities designed to justify their exceptional levels of pay. The tragedy is that many of us have bought into such thinking.
Bolchover tears apart the myth of talent in a book full of insights which will open your mind.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A very good book and recommended to anyone interested in learning a little bit more about the arguments for, and against, the very high wages paid to executives in, especially, the UK and US.
The book's surprisingly concise, which actually turns out to be an absolute plus as it's very easy to pick up and read when you have half hour to spare, and doesn't get too bogged down with details and specifics and doesn't get too dry.
Considering the subject matter it's written with quite a light touch which works very well.
Highly recommended.
The book's surprisingly concise, which actually turns out to be an absolute plus as it's very easy to pick up and read when you have half hour to spare, and doesn't get too bogged down with details and specifics and doesn't get too dry.
Considering the subject matter it's written with quite a light touch which works very well.
Highly recommended.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The dominant feature of today's economy is failure. Even pre-credit crunch, around 80 percent of new products failed within twelve months. The truth is that business success is now incredibly difficult to sustain. The rapid evolution of technology alone provides companies with an overwhelming number of strategic opportunities. Backing the wrong horse can be ruinous with share prices mauled and profits eroded. But it's not just corporates that are feeling the pinch; many of the bright young ventures started by bright young things at the turn of the century are trading at a fraction of their high-tide valuation. That is, of course, if they're still trading at all.
But it's not all gloom. As Homer Simpson might say, the best way to avoid failure is to stop trying to succeed. For many, actually doing the job can be counter-productive. Any reasonably sized company will have enough soft projects for you to cut your teeth on. There's enough corporate rebranding, strategic realignment, market analysis, brand development and product management to get done, without having to worry about producing something, achieving anything or -- God forbid -- actually making a difference. It is now entirely possible to enjoy a successful career without achieving anything, without ever having to work for a successful company or be involved in a successful project.
It should be no surprise then that this culture of success without achievement goes right to the top. The rewards for failure have never been greater. The prize for ruining a company like Marconi, Northern Rock or even the England football team can be a multi-million pound pay-off. How often do we hear about CEOs who have just announced record losses, accepting gilt-edged severance agreements or golden goodbyes?
Bolchover demonstrates how we have become ensnared by the damaging misconception that hard work in the knowledge economy should still be measured by the same archaic criteria as ever. Which in turn begs the questions: How do we measure performance in the new economy of ideas, where there are no rewards for endeavor? And how do we identify and remunerate those who make a genuine contribution and root out those who exploit the contemporary blurring of image and reality?
But it's not all gloom. As Homer Simpson might say, the best way to avoid failure is to stop trying to succeed. For many, actually doing the job can be counter-productive. Any reasonably sized company will have enough soft projects for you to cut your teeth on. There's enough corporate rebranding, strategic realignment, market analysis, brand development and product management to get done, without having to worry about producing something, achieving anything or -- God forbid -- actually making a difference. It is now entirely possible to enjoy a successful career without achieving anything, without ever having to work for a successful company or be involved in a successful project.
It should be no surprise then that this culture of success without achievement goes right to the top. The rewards for failure have never been greater. The prize for ruining a company like Marconi, Northern Rock or even the England football team can be a multi-million pound pay-off. How often do we hear about CEOs who have just announced record losses, accepting gilt-edged severance agreements or golden goodbyes?
Bolchover demonstrates how we have become ensnared by the damaging misconception that hard work in the knowledge economy should still be measured by the same archaic criteria as ever. Which in turn begs the questions: How do we measure performance in the new economy of ideas, where there are no rewards for endeavor? And how do we identify and remunerate those who make a genuine contribution and root out those who exploit the contemporary blurring of image and reality?
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
