Big Shots: 10 Secrets of the World's Greatest Deal Maker - Business the Rupert Murdoch Way (Big Shots Series) Book

Rupert Murdoch is a man about whom almost everyone has an opinion. To write about his approach to business with any objectivity would, therefore, seem to be a tall order. Fortunately for Stuart Crainer, the publisher's brief for this volume was to write about what makes Murdoch successful. Crainer has a string of business books to his name, and his experience shows through in the command he exercises over his material here. After a few brief biographical notes, Crainer sets out to describe in 10 chapters, 10 "secrets" of Murdoch's business success, beginning with his ability to "Go with the Flow"--in other words, to be pragmatic--and ending with "Drive the Company", a short essay on the man's incredible energy. Through it all, Crainer's fast-paced narrative ably disguises the Old Testament arbitrariness of the publisher's format (why 10 "secrets" rather than 12?). Crainer's technique in many of these chapters is to hold Murdoch's management practice up against the theory of one or another management guru. Amongst others, he invokes Hamel on strategy, De Geus on corporate longevity and Warren Bennis on leadership. This eclectic approach should, perhaps, come as no surprise from the man who brought us The Ultimate Book of Business Gurus. And Crainer's tell-it-like-it-is prose style makes for easy reading for the busy manager. --Nigel ShardlowRead More