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THAT'S what we were taught in school. But Vivek Mehrotra dares question the age-old saying in his new book, Why my Horse Doesn't Drink, from Viva (www.vivagroupindia.com). "The word `motivation' is among the six most-used words in any company's documents," begins the intro. It then goes on to give the equation P = F (M, A, E), where the letters stand for performance, function, motivation, ability, and environment.

The first myth that Vivek debunks is that money is always an effective motivator. "Money and job satisfaction are the two wings of a bird. One is enough for survival, but to fly high both are required," he explains with an apt graphic. Similarly, people may keep working for a company for the sake of money, without necessarily producing extraordinary results. The book quotes Peter Davis, "Motivation is like food for the brain. You cannot get enough in one sitting. It needs continual and regular top-ups," blasting another myth — once motivated, always motivated. Essential read, I'd say, but alas, I can only lead a horse to water!

Looting kills small businesses

YOU can save your small business, assures William Manchee in Yes, We're Open from Corpus Collosum (www.corpuscollosum.com). "There are few experiences in life as painful and brutal as the failure of a small business," empathises Manchee in the intro. "For, a small business conceived and nurtured by its owner is like a living, breathing child." Why do small business fail? "Many small businesses are doomed from day one — not from competition or the economy, but from their owners," writes the author. "Many businesses look deceptively simple and people think they will be easy to run. Rarely is that the case. Running a business without training and experience can be as tricky and dangerous as piloting an airplane for the very first time." The primary reason for failure, according to the book is, hold your breath, `looting'. This results from the mistaken belief that the small business owner is owed a certain standard of living, points out William. "The owner either sets an arbitrary salary or takes money from the business as he needs it." A book worth looting, may I suggest?

Outlandish brand

UPA, you know, but what's UBA? Utility, Benefits, and Attributes, explain Gopalakrishnan and Prakash in India Brandished from English Edition (www.englishedition.net). UBA, for your information, is what customers look for in the PSB or product-service bundle offered by firms. The book is an evangelistic promotion of the country as a potential winner brand, if you're patriotic enough to swallow anything, such as: "All this India Brand awareness began with the Miss Universe title won by Sushmita Sen. That was perhaps the first time that India was taken note of in terms of a cultural brand." Or, this: "The real religion of India, the game of cricket, is another facet of Brand India."

A blatant brandishing of quite outlandish arguments that I'd suggest you to steer clear of.

Give them their space

LEELA Gulati and Josodhara Bagchi have edited an interesting collection of `personal narratives of twelve women' in A Space of Her Own from Sage (www.indiasage.com). Departing from the usual focus of how women have been subjugated by men, the book looks at the struggles among three generations of women in families. As the intro by Carolyn M. Elliott summarises, the record of memories depicts how women who were denied a personal space suffered from distorted relationships. These narratives lament not only lost opportunities and wasted talent, but also the difficulty of sustaining a flourishing personality under the weight of unreasonable obligations and ignorance of human needs, adds the intro. A moving account that deserves some space in your bookshelf.

Rentier effect

EARLY discourses on international investments can be traced back to late nineteenth century, writes Sunanda Sen in Global Finance at Risk from Oxford (www.oup.com). The rise of banks and stock exchanges in the industrially advanced countries, set the stage for an unprecedented scale of international capital flows, but the First World War interrupted the growth, recounts the author. Greenfield FDI flows are the potential source of real growth not only in the host countries but also in the home economies, argues the book. "Advanced nations which are demand deficient can benefit from only when the trade-creating effects of these flows are strong, both with capacity created and output generated in the capital-importing countries," explains Sunanda. Apart from the `trade effect' there is also the `rentier effect', that is, "the related leakages from income stream of the home country due to the additional savings as well as imports as are generated from FDI-related investment income inflows to the home country." And you thought economics was easy?

Life is 90 per cent how you take it

JOHN Marks Templeton, the name behind Templeton Funds, is a `fulltime philanthropist at 92', according to www.templeton.org . "He gives away about $40 million a year — especially to projects, college courses, books and essays on the benefits of cooperation between science and religion," states the site. And now, here's his book, Discovering the Laws of Life, from Manjul (www.manjulindia.com). "This book has been written from a lifetime of experience and diligent observation in the hope that it may help people in all parts of the world to make their lives not only happier but also more useful," writes the author in the intro to a collection of 200 laws including what one may consider old-fashioned. Week Seven, law B catches my attention, as I thumb through; it begins with a quote by P. Dorman, "Life is ten per cent what you make it and ninety per cent how you take it." And there's another in Week Thirteen: "The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention," Richard Moss. A book that merits the purity of your attention!

Tailpiece

"Pollution on the road is so heavy... "

"That you ended up with a black face?"

"And, it added to my weight too!"

ReadingRoom@TheHindu.co.in

D. Murali

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