Published on Stéphane Garelli (http://garelli.ch)

Home > New: Are you a Tiger, a Cat or a Dinosaur?

        "ARE YOU A TIGER, A CAT OR A DINOSAUR?"

     100 questions: How competitiveness influences your life!

Competitiveness, like social networks, sustainable development or climate change, is a topic that has captured the world. Politicians, businessmen and media constantly refer to it. What does it mean? How does it influence our lives?

The goal of this book is to move beyond academic analysis and illustrate the day-to-day realities of competitiveness. What are the most commonly asked questions? This book offers 100 of them. Some deal with competitiveness (Is boring competitive?), while others deal with leadership (Is failure the price of success?), society (Do we work too much?) and the world around us (What are things worth?). Finally, some are more personal (Are you irreplaceable?).

The style avoids technical terms since economics need not be complicated or boring to be relevant. The answers stress the impact of competitiveness on our daily lives. Why am I concerned? What can I do about it?

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Foreword. 9

1.      Are you a Tiger, a Cat or a Dinosaur?. 11

PART I: COMPETITIVENESS. 13

2.      Are you as competitive as Usain Bolt?. 14

3.      Is competitiveness like playing snooker?. 16

4.      When was economics first recorded?. 18

5.      When was work rationalized?. 20

6.      Can we trust statistics?. 22

7.      Does economics have a moral side?. 24

8.      Did Darwin defend only the fittest?. 26

9.      Why care about growth?. 28

10.        What shape will the new economic cycles take?. 30

11.        Do we need the rich?. 32

12.        Can you be rich and useless?. 34

13.        Is boring competitive?. 36

14.        Is “societal capitalism” the future?. 38

PART II: THE WORLD.. 40

15.        What are the roads to prosperity?. 41

16.        Have women been victims of the plow?. 43

17.        Is the world becoming less poor?. 45

18.        Where do our products come from?. 47

19.        Should we care about “Made in”?. 49

20.        Can China invent?. 51

21.        Are low wages necessary to be competitive?. 53

22.        Is the South becoming more competitive?. 55

23.        What products do the less poor need?. 57

24.        Is Africa the next Eldorado?. 59

25.        Are you part of the middle class?. 61

26.        Where does the new middle class come from?. 63

27.        Is the shadow economy useful?. 65

28.        Is tourism a false friend?. 67

29.        Should we fear international investments?. 69

30.        Should an economic strategy be aggressive or attractive?. 71

31.        What is the longest word?. 73

32.        Is a product more than a product?. 75

33.        Is quality expensive?. 77

34.        What are things worth?. 79

35.        Is there a future for small countries?. 81

36.        What is the recipe for a country’s success?. 83

PART III: LEADERSHIP. 85

37.        Do business leaders think?. 86

38.        Are we asking the wrong questions?. 88

39.        Is thinking dangerous?. 90

40.        Are you a born leader?. 92

41.        Should political leaders be better educated?. 94

42.        What makes a business legitimate?. 96

43.        Should managers receive honorary titles?. 98

44.        Does the learning organization exist?. 100

45.        How to avoid just doing more of the same?. 102

46.        Are specialists dangerous?. 104

47.        Should companies be in the countryside?. 106

48.        Do traditional sectors innovate?. 108

49.        Why do large companies disappear?. 110

50.        Who are your friends and who are your enemies?. 112

51.        Is ambition acceptable?. 114

52.        Is risk necessary?. 116

53.        Is failure the price of success?. 118

54.        What does a salesman who doesn’t sell look like?. 120

55.        Should we worry about details?. 122

56.        Do you need it or do you want it?. 124

57.        How can a good idea turn into a bad one?. 126

PART IV: SOCIETY.. 128

58.        Is austerity a vice or a virtue?. 129

59.        What is the legacy of corporatism?. 131

60.        Are you a neoliberal?. 133

61.        Can politicians decide quickly?. 135

62.        Why should we be productive?. 137

63.        Is inflation addictive?. 139

64.        Can consumers also produce?. 141

65.        What do the Japanese think about?. 143

66.        Why is English so successful?. 145

67.        Do you belong to the third culture?. 147

68.        How do value systems evolve?. 149

69.        Are our children intelligent?. 151

70.        Is math dangerous?. 153

71.        Do you understand young people?. 155

72.        Is the new generation that bad?. 157

73.        How about parachuting a laptop?. 159

74.        Are inequalities dangerous?. 161

75.        Do we work too much?. 163

76.        Is water tomorrow’s blue gold?. 165

77.        Should we eat our dog?. 167

PART V: YOU.. 169

78.        How many friends do you need?. 170

79.        Are people easily deceived?. 172

80.        Famous or infamous on the Internet?. 174

81.        Are you mobile?. 176

82.        Should we get up at 5 a.m.?. 178

83.        Are you irreplaceable?. 180

84.        How to reinvent oneself?. 182

85.        Do you have market value?. 184

86.        Do you really need an office?. 186

87.        How should you dress at work?. 188

88.        Making a speech or speaking to people?. 190

89.        Does success have its own rules?. 192

90.        Can one be overeducated?. 194

91.        Are we honest?. 196

92.        Are you happy?. 198

93.        Were you born at the wrong time?. 200

94.        Are you hooked on digital?. 202

95.        Will you age alone?. 204

96.        Is divorce a good business?. 206

97.        Is there a future for handwriting?. 208

98.        Will paper disappear?. 210

99.        Is art a good investment?. 212

100.     Why not?. 214