Enduring success: what top companies do differently

By Franz Bailom, Kurt Matzler and Dieter Tschemernjak, Palgrave, $49.95

Are European companies different? In a globalised world, this is a key issue and Enduring Success brings an impressive amount of data and insight to bear. The research entails examinations of 1100 large companies across western Europe, but the core of the analysis is on companies in the German-speaking countries.

It is interesting to hear more about companies like Siemens AG, Deutsche Telekom, Nestlé and Swarovski, and how they have sustained their leading positions.

A crucial part of the answer is a corporate culture that emphasises innovation and provides clear avenues for the input of employees. But this can only work if those at the top are also seen as dedicated to the firm's future, and themselves have an innovative spirit.

A particularly useful part of the book is a series of interviews with the company leaders. Several of them note the importance of keeping the organisation lean, and that includes the senior management and board members being part of the workforce rather than part of an elite group. No room for corporate celebrities here, even though there is often a visionary figure at the centre.

Interestingly, most of these firms have stayed within a specific area, expanding slowly into related fields rather than leaping industry boundaries. There is a determination to look forward rather than back, but the balancing act is to keep the process of change within foreseeable limits.

A striking aspect of Enduring Success is the similarities with the books Built to Last and Good to Great, which looked at American companies, and Australia's First XI, which examined the best of the home team.

There is a common emphasis on dynamic, innovative culture and a sense of humility at the top levels. European companies might have their own dark-suited, underplayed tone, but the ingredients of long-term success, it seems, are universal.

Creating a world without poverty: social business and the future of capitalism

By Muhammad Yunus, Public Affairs, $29.95

There are those who do, and those who talk about doing, and Yunus is one of the former. As founder of the Grameen Bank, he pioneered the idea of micro-credit as a solution to poverty in the developing world, and helped to create an army of entrepreneurs working their way up the economic ladder. In this book, he proposes a new wave of businesses, financed by private-sector lenders and donors (and the proceeds of the Nobel Prize awarded to Yunus in 2006) to focus on issues such as health and education in developing countries.

The key, he says, is to retain a local emphasis, linking projects to the communities they serve. It might sound like a small drop in a huge bucket, but Yunus has already shown what can be achieved with an open mind and an innovative outlook.

How to buy & sell art

By Michael Reid, Allen & Unwin, $35.00

The Australian art market is surprisingly dynamic and potentially lucrative, but there are plenty of traps for the uninformed. Reid, a commentator with long experience of the field, covers a great deal of ground, from the current hot artists to issues such as tax, superannuation-related investment, and dealing with fakes. The chapters dealing with auctions are particularly interesting, and Reid provides a comprehensive list of resources. Whether you are building a corporate collection, adding art to an investment portfolio, or simply wanting a piece for your wall, this book is likely to be a useful tool.

Unmarketable: brandalism, copyfighting, mocketing, and the erosion of integrity

By Anne Elizabeth Moore, New Press, $32.00

Moore is an independent publisher who is under the impression that indignation is revolutionary. She has a great deal to say about the way that a new generation of 'underground' (her word) artists, musicians, and DIY entrepreneurs in her native Chicago are opposing what she sees as the hegemonic nature of corporate commerce and marketing. Moore stamps her foot in outrage when discussing how various companies and marketing firms have co-opted indie ideas and techniques for their own purposes.

If you can get past Moore's wounded self-righteousness, the book has some interesting things to say about how alternative cultures and the world of commerce can interact and shape each other's paths.

Reference: June 2008, volume 78:05, p. 75