Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
16 used & new from £8.13
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Timid Corporation: Why Business is Terrified of Taking Risk
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

The Timid Corporation: Why Business is Terrified of Taking Risk (Hardcover)

by Benjamin Hunt (Author) "Part One of this book examines the enormous rise of self-regulation in the business world ..." (more)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
RRP: £39.99
Price: £33.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £6.00 (15%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 2 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Friday, July 17? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
14 new from £8.13 2 used from £62.52
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Unknown Binding Order it used

Product details

  • Hardcover: 264 pages
  • Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (14 Mar 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0470843683
  • ISBN-13: 978-0470843680
  • Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 15.4 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 966,160 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

  • See Complete Table of Contents

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
Business Risk
   www.RSA.com    Manage Risk w/ Business Continuity Plans. Free Tower Group Whitepaper. 
  
 

Product Description

Review
"…Hunt’s book is recommended – and his rallying cry against risk aversion is attractively original…" (IT Week, 21 March 2003)

"…a penetrating new book…" (Morningstar, 17 April 2003)

"…Hunt does a good job of taking apart many of the assumptions that inform current business practice…" (Spiked–risk, 29 May 2003)

"…remarkable…contains some thought–provoking moments…" (Supply Management, 3 July 2003)

"…this book aims to provide reassurance…" (Gulf Business, August 2003)

"…Hunt has made a provocative case that business today is quite timid…" (Wall Street Journal, 27 August 2003)

"…Hunt is on to something: Most companies are shrinking back from bold moves…" (www.conference–board.org, September 2003)

"…Hunt has hit on a highly provocative theme.." (European Business Forum, Autum 2003)

"…Hunt is absolutely right…" (Ethical Consumer Magazine, October 2003)

Review
"…Hunt’s book is recommended – and his rallying cry against risk aversion is attractively original…" (IT Week, 21 March 2003)

"…a penetrating new book…" (Morningstar, 17 April 2003)

"…Hunt does a good job of taking apart many of the assumptions that inform current business practice…" (Spiked–risk, 29 May 2003)

"…remarkable…contains some thought–provoking moments…" (Supply Management, 3 July 2003)

"…this book aims to provide reassurance…" (Gulf Business, August 2003)

"…Hunt has made a provocative case that business today is quite timid…" (Wall Street Journal, 27 August 2003)

"…Hunt is on to something: Most companies are shrinking back from bold moves…" (www.conference–board.org, September 2003)

"…Hunt has hit on a highly provocative theme.." (European Business Forum, Autum 2003)

"…Hunt is absolutely right…" (Ethical Consumer Magazine, October 2003)

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
Part One of this book examines the enormous rise of self-regulation in the business world. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
risk taking
economics
business and economics
business

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful!, 8 Jun 2004
By Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract.com" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This book offers a passionate and stupendously irreverent slap in the face to virtually every management orthodoxy and business shibboleth. Nothing escapes the scathing criticism of this corporate Jeremiad. Managing for shareholder value? Woe to you, sinner! Think the brand is important? Out with you, infidel! There's plenty to find fault with in author Benjamin Hurt's presentation of his case. He's vengefully biased, and never lets a silly fixation like "balance" get in the way of a good zinger. He's set himself to dig holes in the dikes that hold the wild waters of skepticism at bay. This book will make you mad, make you protest, may even make you throw it against the wall in disgust. But any book that makes you react that way has something going for it. At least, it's a bracingly different perspective from anything else you'll read about management, marketing or finance. With that caveat about balance firmly in mind,
We suggest reading this decidedly eccentric, provocative original, if you dare to take the risk.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Up-to-the-minute analysis with a powerful message, 16 Sep 2003
We all know that "corporate governance", "regulation", "shareholder value", "economic value added" and "risk management" are amongst those dull but important terms that anyone involved in business should be interested in. But too often our eyes just glaze over. If so, then this is the book for you. Benjamin Hunt combines a journalist's flair with an academic's rigour to bring these things to life, arguing persuasively that the modern company is failing in its principal purpose - to take risk in the interests of creating new products and new markets. In short, he believes that business has lost its way. Hunt is an expert on risk management - a subject he has made his own by writing on it for a variety of publications, and this book benefits from a year-long trek around the world's financial markets gathering primary data. He sets risk management in a wider context making the necessary connections with sociology, economics, technology and management theory. His fundamental theme is that capitalist society's confidence in experiment and progress has evaporated and companies mirror that loss of belief. Innovation has been dumbed-down, the notion of growth has become defensive, self-regulation is a dead hand and entrepreneurialism is being reined in. Employees are frustrated and under-perform, caught in a web of ethics and risk management. What is striking about this theme is that it is not one your average management consultant espouses, because it does not lead to fat fees. Hunt argues that we need to look more critically at the role of regulation. We behave now as if the world is riskier and more out-of-control, and people are more unethical. In fact, there are fewer uncertainties in the world (even though it never seems so at the time) and the morality of society has improved, not deteriorated. Tolerance of unethical behaviour has declined. Yet we are beset by irrational caution and restraint. It is a refreshing theme and one that Hunt carries with a a vibrant mix of quotes, references and observations, making connections as he proceeds. It's also a quick read - one to shove in a CEO's briefcase as he or she leaves for the airport, one that may remind them of what they're actually supposed to be doing to merit those fancy remuneration packages.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Shaky start but lots of good points later, 27 April 2004
By Barton Keyes "barton keyes" (England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
After a shaky start in his introduction, where Hunt makes points that areeasy to shoot down, this book rapidly gets into its stride in making somevery well-aimed pot-shots at the afflictions of modern business --short-termism and a Stock Market divorced from reality, coupled with anincreasingly litigious blame culture. Hunt is a bit wobbly in trying sohard to make every regulatory development fit his hypothesis that theworld is going to hell in a handcart because of over-officious meddling(there are genuine ills that need correcting) but there is much food for thought on whether it is all really necessary and whether more regulationisn't simply counter-productive. Overall the book is a timely call forsome reflection on where this trend -- of knowing the price of everythingand the value of nothing -- is leading us.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting read
The author has certainly made business risk a more interesting read. I found the book most compelling.

If you need to read about 'risk', then you need to read this book. Read more

Published on 14 April 2003 by Johnny Zen

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]

   

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Fun for Everyone

Christmas Gifts
Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

  

Let Olay Amaze You

Olay Total Effects Day Moisturiser SPF15 50ml
Amazon.co.uk sells all your favourite ranges from Olay, including Regenerist and Total Effects.

›Discover Olay at Amazon.co.uk

  

We've Got Converse

Converse
Stock up on your favourite styles with great deals on Converse shoes.

›Shop Converse

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates