Frontiers of Fortune: Predicting Capital Prospects & Casualties in the Markets of the Future (Financial Times Series) - Hardcover

This book is a wake-up call to all managers of international business. Look beyond products and markets into politics and society to understand the real drivers of change. Jonathan Story provides a sparkling array of ideas and ways of thinking to help make sense of what is happening every day and to develop more appropriate measures of business risk. His racy style draws the reader painlessly into complex arguments". John Stopford, Professor of International Business, London Business School "Here is a book of unconventional wisdom--we need it. There is so much glib talk about globalisation as if it were only an economic force. Story sensibly and stylishly set economics in its cultural and political context. He manages to be both visionary and realistic, radical and reassuring, and above all it reminds us of the primacy of politics in economics. We have to reset the timetable of things to come: the vision of a predominance of Asia is 50 years too early". Sir Peter Parker, Chairman "Jonathan Story's range, imagination and scholarship are remarkable, and he has combined them all to write a provocative and stimulating account of the world's economic and political future. Whether predicting the stagnation of Japan or the rise of India, Story demands his readers engage in the globalizing world as it is, rather than resort to the simple market determinism of many economists or the wishful thinking of many business and political leaders. A welcome and overdue intervention in the argument." "Will Hutton, Editor in Chief, Guardian" Will Hutton, Editor in Chief, The Gurardian and The Observer "I found this an extremely thought provoking study of world markets and the world economic system. Jonathan Story challenges some of the conventional thinking on future economic trends. All managers and leaders, both in business and politics need to think seriously on these matters, as they attempt to chart their courses through the uncertain waters of the future. This book is an excellent starting point to take the debate into the new millennium." M.C. Ramaphosa, Executive Deputy Chairman, New Africa Investments Limited Rating AAA There is only one problem reviewing this book: whatever I say will fail to do it justice. The Frontiers of Fortune is a book written with style, passion and conviction, which oozes informed analysis from an expert advisor with a terrific capacity for insight. If that's not gushing enough, then try this: just buy this book. Still not convinced? There are a host of great books out there on globalisation such as "The Lexus Tree and the Olive Tree" et al but nothing really approaches the angle taken by INSEAD Professor Jonathan Story as he co-mingles history and current analysis to provide a breathtaking review of how politics, business and finance interact. The story is not without humour either, the wry self-deprecation is perhaps best when Story relates how his analysis that the Soviet Union was uneconomic and must breakdown led to various "business leaders" demanding his dismissal from the INSEAD campus for his complete incapacity to really understand business. Ah, it's always refreshing to hear just how linear some supposed captains of industry can be I suppose. Global macro books are often written by people who seem to have had a fair few trips but never really interacted with the more disparate parts of the globe to which their theories relate. In the case of Jonathan Story, there seems to be an innate focus on every part of the world at both a micro and macro level which is truly incisive. A fascinating example is Story's discussion of how business cannot really conceive of political change in China - quite often a linear focus by the self-same companies who lost heavily through expecting the maintenance of the status quo in Iran before the fall of the Shah... At the core of this book is that old chestnut, does economics drive politics, or politics economics, or business either or both of the above (and vice versa). I'm not going to tell you Story's conclusion because: *I can't do it within the scope of this review; *As I mentioned before, you need to do this for yourself... This is a book for which a triple-A rating doesn't say enough. Everybody within, without and on the periphery of financial markets needs to read this volume Erivatives Review

"Examining the world as it is, is definitely not a recipe for spiritual fulfilment, but it is a pre-requisite for sound business practice ...Rapid economic growth is not a stabilising factor, but a sure-fire prescription for political instability" Jonathan Story Is our global village heading to One World governance, towards the disasters of the past, to a war of civilisations or to a boundariless world market? Business leaders have to think about the future because that is where expected costs and rewards are located. Frontiers of Fortune, looks at predicting capital prospects and casualties in the markets of the future. This wide-ranging and insightful book explores the dynamics or a changing world economic order and answers these questions:" " "What does the future hold for world markets? Now, more than ever, we need a more pragmatic and politically informed framework for pursuing opportunities in the new world order." Politics drives the world economy, because history is made by humans. Can there be such thing as a politically neutral business decision? " "Do economic prosperity and political tranquillity go hand in hand?""Will a homogenous order of political market economy prevail throughout the world? " "Frontiers of Fortune "suggests that nations, cultures and civilizations are all active participants in the economic world, and that business leaders and decision-makers ignore this at their peril. Frontiers of Fortune examines the idea that economic policy within and between states is about different conceptions of politics, that politics drives the world economy because history is made by humans. States change over time, companies adapt, and both alter the context within which the other operates. Frontiers of Fortune introduces the concept of world and local time. World time is instantaneous, tied to the expanding reach of modern communications, future-oriented and trade-off based. It also contains local time, the inherited sphere in which most people live. Most people are also parts of cultures and civilizations, with their own mental landscapes and holy places. The US stands as the lone power. Japan is the sick man of Asia. Russia's economy is smaller than Indonesia's. China is a distant challenger and India has to pick up China's gauntlet.The EU contains the wealth, but its political logistics are byzantine. Is our global village heading to One World governance, towards the disasters of the past, to a war of civilisations or to a boundariless world market? Praise for "Frontiers of Fortune" "Jonathan Story provides a sparkling array of ideas and ways of thinking to help make sense of what is happening every day and to develop more appropriate measures of business risk. His racy style draws the reader painlessly into complex arguments". "John Stopford, Professor of International Business, "London Business School" "Jonathan Story's range, imagination and scholarship are remarkable, and he has combined them all to write a provocative and stimulating account of the world's economic and political future. Whether predicting the stagnation of Japan or the rise of India, Story demands his readers engage in the globalizing world as it is, rather than resort to the simple market determinism of many economists or the wishful thinking of many business and political leaders. A welcome and overdue intervention in the argument." "Will Hutton, Editor in Chief, Guardian" "Here is a book of unconventional wisdom--we need it.There is so much glib talk about globalisation as if it were only an economic force. Story sensibly and stylishly set economics in its cultural and political context. He manages to be both visionary and realistic, radical and reassuring, and above all it reminds us of the primacy of politics in economics. We have to reset the timetable of things to come: the vision of a predominance of Asia is 50 years too early". "Sir Peter Parker"