HRB's New Editor

This is the first of several posts this week covering my review of the July-August 2009 issue of the Harvard Business Review. I recommend getting a copy.

This issue (July-August 2009) is the first issue under new editor Adi Igntius. We can already see changes and rumor has it that more is to come.

For example, “The Decent of Finance” by Niall Ferguson (a new author to the Review) is intelligent prospective on how the US economy may well undergo a deeper depression, what he calls The Breakdown, which will leave the US with a shrinking economy, and the rest of the world in even worse shape. Ironically, the US could provide a safe haven for other countries hit by economies that grind to a grindingly slow pace…calling for the US to act as the global cop, keeping would be bandits at bay.

Another example of a new, exciting author (in the July-August issue), the type heretofore rarely seen in the Review is science fiction writer Cory Doctorow (no relation to E.L. Doctorow I’m told). Cory is a big proponent of copying from the Internet. He sees the Internet as the great enabler of personal freedom—others have called it the great democratizer of knowledge. He also is for relaxing the copyright laws and admitting that most of us do every day—download and freely use information from the Web. He’s got a very different slant on the world…refreshing as is the newly evolving Review.

This issue focuses on what happens after the recession—regarding trends, leadership, economics, and consumers. This week, I’ll explore the highlights of the issues, and as always, I suggest subscribing every C-level officer in your company. It’s well worth the price and the discussions it will spawn for your company will be priceless.