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Bookshelf
Welcome to the latest section of Alma Matters “Bookshelf” - a platform where people can share their comments, feelings and thoughts about various books they read. From business and economics to SCI-FI, thriller and comedy…please feel free to contribute to this section by writing to us at alumni_relations@isb.edu
Recommended Readings by Rajiv Nair
Rajiv is an alum from the PGPMAX Founding class and has been a retailer for over 18 years with companies like Shoppers Stop, Hypercity and Mothercare. He now heads a French fashion brand called Celio as the CEO for the India business. Besides work, Rajiv loves to follow cricket, mobile/ digital tech, rock music of the 70-90s & likes reading ( biographies, humor, fiction and history).
“O Jerusalem”, written by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins
A superb account of the conflict between the Arabs and the Jews for the holy land of Jerusalem in the background of the UN partition and the British exit. It's a touching human account of the struggles of war in vivid detail.
“Steve Jobs”, by Walter Isaacson
This autobiography of Steve Jobs is a myth buster about the near perfect Mr. Jobs. It is a candid look at the perfectionist Jobs in his passion for greatness at apple but identifies his follies as a human being & his complex relationship with his wife, daughter etc. The book presents a candid and balanced view of jobs & demystifies a complicated personality.
“ All Creatures Great and Small”, by James Herriot
One of the greatest light hearted books that I have read about a young vetinary doctor who takes up an assignment in rural England as the county's only vet. This is a hilarious account of how he deals with lives around a variety of animals (with all types of ailments) in a rural setting with some funny owners of these animals. This was not what this young vet had bargained for after a stint at medical school.
Recommended Readings by Shikha Bagai
Shikha is an alum from the PGPMAX Founding class. She works with IL&FS as Vice President and is a part of the Corporate team of IL&FS. She is also the CFO of IL&FS Securities Services Limited. By education, she is a Chartered Accountant and a Certified Public Accountant (USA) in addition to being a graduate of PGPMAX at ISB.
“How Stella Saved the Farm”, by Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble
This is a simple parable about making innovation happen. It’s a story most of us can relate to in our everyday lives at organizations – be it any type of organization. The story is about a farm in trouble and how a new leader needs to overcome the challenge of growth. Challenges worsen with selection of a new initiative and the threats of bankruptcy, being taken over by a competitor can only be met if the team pulls together and successfully innovates.
The main characters in the story—Stella, Deirdre, Bull, Mav, Einstein, Rambo, Maisie, and Andrea—are all like people we meet everyday including our own selves.This book can be enjoyed by anyone and delivers eight simple lessons to guide innovation initiatives to success.
“Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramahansa Yogananda
Autobiography of a Yogi is a spiritual classic about the spiritual journey of Paramahansa Yogananda. The author’s spiritual quest started early in life and was marked by miracles. In the book, the author talks about a number of Indian saints and gurus that he was introduced to along his journey. The first of the gurus that he writes in detail about is Lahiri Mahasaya whose disciple later turns to be his own guru, Sri Yukteshwar. Yogananda later spent many years in the ashram of his guru, and was trained in Yoga and spiritual knowledge.
He spent years mastering a branch of Yoga called Kriya Yoga. Yogananda later taught this practice to the western world by moving to USA and teaching the techniques there.In this book he explains his relationship with his guru, and his experiences at the hermitage in detail.
“Value -Added Selling”, by Tom Reilly
“Value-added” is an exhaustive view and approach to selling which focuses on the total value of a product and not merely its price. It includes everything that goes into a product, including organizational efficiency, after-sales services and other inputs and processes, which most companies consider to be outside the realm and definition of value, but is in fact essential to what makes a product valuable for customers. In the long run, organizations are great because they deliver a “valuable total experience” to their customers. How these companies deliver such an experience is the idea behind the “value-added” organization and why it works.