One might imagine that with this title, Jennings (It's Not the Big That Eat the Small, It's the Fast That Eat the Slow) is setting out to proclaim the joys of downsizing and outsourcing. Fortunately, that's far from the case, as the author has instead assembled a lively and intelligent reminder of how businesses can cut out waste from the top to the bottom (e.g., if companies don't pay executives $80 million a year, they might not have to lay off 1,000 workers to improve the bottom line). Along with his research team of recent Princeton and Stanford grads, Jennings, who founded the media consulting firm Jennings-McGlothlin & Co., writes about a handful of organizations-e.g., Ryanair, IKEA, Lantech, Nucor-that seem to defy reality with their unbelievably impressive profits, productivity and employee loyalty. The book is written as efficiently as its subject companies operate, and Jennings conclusively proves a number of truisms: nothing improves worker loyalty and productivity like telling them the truth; don't hire people you'll have to lay off in a year; and don't lose focus. This plea for sanity in the post-Enron era will be a boon to managers struggling with inefficiency in their organizations.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Jennings, author of the popular It's Not the Big That Eat the Small: It's the Fast That Eat the Slow and founder of the media consultancy firm Jennings-McGlothin & Co., has undertaken to teach companies how to increase their productivity. He draws upon the experiences of successful programs for enhancing productivity and explains how businesses can emulate these programs to improve their own profitability. Thousands of companies were investigated by Jennings's research team, and those selected were scrupulously examined to weed out overexposed companies or potential Enrons. Each research-based chapter highlights what is special about these companies-whether it be vision, commitment, communication, customer relations, efficiency, or organizational culture. The book is readable and entertaining as well as informative, and the current economic climate is sure to make it a welcome addition to the popular management literature. Recommended for public libraries with a business clientele as well as academic libraries with programs in business management.
Rona Ostrow, Lehman Coll. Lib., CUNY 
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

250 Pages