Business thinking between the covers compiled by FRANK DILLON

Unfair Trade

by Conor Woodman

Random House €12.99

Economist, author and broadcaster Conor Woodman travelled widely around the world to investigate the ethical practices of multinationals. Here, he lifts the lid on some sharp practices.

His findings confirm the widespread exploitation of workers in underdeveloped nations. Woodman goes diving with lobster fishermen in Nicaragua who, he says, are dying in their hundreds to keep US restaurants stocked. He also goes undercover in Laos to visit rubber plantations supplying Chinese factories that are selling cheap goods into the West.

The author is critical of the attempts by many companies to appear more ethical than they are by getting involved in social projects. Its too easy for big business to see philanthropic donations as a means to an immediate PR win and many of these initiatives are unrelated to needs, Woodman maintains.

Transparency is vital if things are to improve in this area. The internet is already beginning to have a positive effect as Chinese workers share stories about pay and conditions.

Consumers can have a crucial role to play if they educate themselves and support genuinely ethical businesses. Governments also need to legislate in such a way as to prohibit the worst practices and encourage the best, he says.

Succeed Despite Greed

by Joseph Foyle

Self-published €10

This self-published work by veteran economist and commentator Joe Foyle is a call for a return to less materialistic values.

Foyle says our economists have been negligent in not informing us that greed, combined with a high birth rate and aspirations to middle class lifestyles similar to those in the UK and US, mean that high levels of forced emigration are inevitable.

The author laments the passing of traditional Catholic beliefs and practices such as consciousness of the hereafter and Mass attendance and says that irresponsibility and lack of morality exist at the highest levels in our society. He provides a gloomy account of the prospects for our economy, which won’t be able to pay for the bloated public service that is the legacy of the years leading up to 2008.

With so many disaffected people in society, there is a now a serious danger of atrocities such as that witnessed in Oslo last year occurring here, Foyle warns.

Little Bets

by Peter Sims

Random House €12.99

The most ground-breaking ideas in business don’t emerge from a single eureka moment, but are the result of multiple experiments. Failing first and then trying over and over again until you find the right result is how it is done, says Sims, who previously co-authored the best-selling book True North.

Companies such as Amazon, he notes, embrace an experimental discovery-friendly mentality. Employees there are constantly encouraged to try new things and develop new ideas – it even features as part of their performance reviews.

Knowing which ideas will fly and which will flop is difficult, so Amazon tries features out on its site to see what customers think. If the idea fails, its originators are not criticised.

It makes more sense to act first and do the thinking later, as it is more efficient to fail fast and find out what doesnt work, the author says.

A playful, improvisational and humorous atmosphere quietens our inhibitions when ideas are incubating or newly hatched and prevents creative ideas from being snuffed out or prematurely judged.

Generously laced with case study examples, Sims’ breezy, highly readable book gives some fresh insights into the thinking of some of the leading innovative companies around the world.