"A devastating bombardment of managerial thinking and the profession of management consulting…A serious and valuable polemic." —Wall Street Journal Fresh from Oxford with a degree in philosophy and no particular interest in business, Matthew Stewart might not have seemed a likely candidate to become a consultant. But soon he was telling veteran managers how to run their companies. In narrating his own ill-fated (and often hilarious) odyssey at a top-tier firm, Stewart turns the consultant’s merciless, penetrating eye on the management industry itself. The Management Myth offers an insightful romp through the entire history of thinking about management, a withering critique of pseudoscience in management theory, and a clear explanation of why the MBA usually amounts to so much BS—leading us through the wilderness of American business thought.

The must-read summary of Matthew Stewart's book: "The Management Myth: Why the Experts Keep Getting It Wrong". This complete summary of the ideas from Matthew Stewart's book "The Management Myth" shows how many believe that business management is a body of discrete and specialised technical expertise which is a formal academic discipline. However, this is an illusion which has been created by self-proclaimed business gurus, business book authors and the business school industry. In his book, the author reveals the truth about business management and claims that “a good manager is nothing more or less than a good and well educated person”. Added-value of this summary: • Save time • Understand key concepts • Expand your management skills To learn more, read "The Management Myth" and discover the true key to good management.

Is it really true that working longer hours makes you more successful? Do you really need to hide your emotions in order to gain respect as a manager? Does higher pay really always lead to higher performance? The world of management is blighted by fads, fiction and falsehoods. In Myths of Management, Cary Cooper and Stefan Stern take you on an entertaining journey through the most famous myths surrounding the much-written about topic of management. They debunk false assumptions, inject truth into over-simplifications and tackle damaging habits head-on. Fascinating insights from psychology, leadership theory and organizational behaviour provide you with a compelling and practical guide to avoid falling into the trap of cliché, misinformation and prejudice. This engaging read offers you authentic insights into the reality of work, drawn from extensive research and real-world business examples, to give you the essential knowledge you need to become a better manager. Whether cheesy, naïve or even destructive, management myths could be holding you back and stifling your team's potential. Myths of Management is the guide you need to become an enlightened manager.

Addressing the beliefs and attitudes that can be detrimental to your organization’s competitiveness, Popular Manufacturing Myths: Eliminating Widely Held Beliefs That Reduce Competitiveness offers time-tested insight into the most common myths encountered in manufacturing environments. It classifies these myths into management myths, shop floor myths, and if appropriate, shared management and shop floor myths. Explaining the reasons why these deeply ingrained beliefs exist, the book outlines remedies that can help to quickly dispel them within your organization. It presents case studies that examine these myths and includes numerous real-world examples that outline simple, yet effective, solutions. Some of the myths dispelled in this book include: Increasing line speed always decreases quality and creates more scrap Reducing the cost of raw materials will decrease the cost of manufacturing Increased inspection will boost quality If it is successful in R&D, it will be successful in production Process problems can only be solved by changing one process parameter at a time Covering the basics of data collection tools, techniques, and analysis, the text offers simple methods to structure your data to assist in communicating clear and logical conclusions across the organization. The author keeps the arithmetic and statistics to a minimum, so readers only require a basic understanding of averaging and normal variation. However, for those who wish to understand a little bit more about a particular concept, technique, tool, or procedure, the book includes an addendum chapter with more detailed explanations and sample calculations.

The development of communication technology and the proliferation of centers that collect, interpret, and transmit information does not mean that communities have become a more transparent and enlightened environment. If anything, the pioneering research of modern communication signifies the ambiguity of individual and collective existence. Myth in Modern Media Management and Marketing is an essential reference source that discusses the analysis of the role of myth and mythical thinking in the operation of media organizations and their functioning on the media market. Featuring research on topics such as social media, brand management, and advertising, this book is ideally designed for social media analysts, media specialists, public relations managers, media managers, marketers, advertisers, students, researchers, and professionals involved with media and new media management.

Is management any more than common sense? Do employers really know how to recruit the best people for their firms? How important is training to employee development? Which management techniques motivate employees best? Is money the best motivator? These are key questions which every ambitious organisation should be asking about itself and the way it operates. Or do they simply represent the latest fashionable management fads promoted by trendy consultants?

Document from the year 2012 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, St. Lawrence University (POSTGRADUATE STUDIES), course: MBA/JD, language: English, abstract: It is an interesting book to read to for introducing one to the gist of management. [...] In today's tough and uncertain economy, a company needs strong managers to lead its staff toward accomplishing business goals. But managers are more than just leaders — they're problem solvers, cheerleaders, and planners as well. And managers don't come in one-size-fits-all shapes or forms. Managers fulfill many roles and have many different responsibilities at each level of management within an organization. [...]

`Alvesson and Deetz rehearse the arguments against neo-positivism and quantitative research very effectively... also make the important distinction between qualitative work in general and critical qualitative work in particular. The arguments here feel fresh and engaged, helped along by numerous illustrations and examples from particular research studies. ...a welcome antidote to the majority of methodology books, especially in a climate where research - especially at doctoral level- is increasingly prone to standardization. The value of the book in this regard cannot be overestimated, because it draws together insights and arguments. ...expect it to be widely read and cited, and to remain the standard text on critical management research practice for a good many years to come. This is an excellent text which combines a very impressive coverage of the literature while showing great care and thought in exposition′ - Management Learning Providing a detailed discussion of the practice of doing critical research in organizations, utilizing both qualitative research processes and critical theories of organizations, this textbook will be essential for all those involved in interpreting and researching contemporary institutions and organizations. This volume gives an authoritative and insightful framework for navigating critical theories and methods across the social sciences, but in particular in relation to the study of corporate organizations.

Customs administrations around the world face new challenges: an increasing volume of international trade, a revolution in new technologies, and fundamental changes in business models. The benefits of a well-performing customs administration are clear, as is the need to develop efficient, effective, fair, and modern customs administrations. Customs Matters analyzes the many changes and challenges customs administrations face and pro-poses ways to address them. By offering a cross-sectional view of the main aspects of customs ad-ministration, the book guides policymakers and customs officials as they evaluate the current state of their customs system with a view to developing, reinforcing, or relaunching their own roadmaps for customs modernization.