The Carrot and the Stick: A Strategic Control Approach to Winning in Today’s Interconnected Markets is Professor William Putsis’ extensive examination of how modern business can best control their particular markets and, provides a solid process for doing so, and incentive alignment possibilities. The dense amount of research informing the book shows Putsis’ thorough command of the subject without ever lecturing the reader. It might seem remarkable to say for some readers, but this is a far from dull book despite its obvious academic inclinations. Putsis displays immense intellectual rigor that keeps you engaged from the outside and I find his forceful yet utterly clear writing to set a brisk pace for this study.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: https://www.linkedin.com/in/putsis/
He intersperse his observations with numerous charts, graphics, and occasional photos to help better illuminate the discussion. Likewise, his obvious passion and knowledge for history is another key attribute for helping make his case to readers. Though I was familiar with some of his historical references, I found his accounts of Vanderbilt especially riveting. Individuals with an interest in America’s development will flock to these entries and walk away impressed with his understanding of how they shaped the world we live in today.
I confess I am a bit befuddled by game theory but that is my own limitation rather than reflective of his failure to convey its essential points. The wealth of business research underpinning his arguments may seem a bit daunting for some; readers can likely spends weeks alone pouring over his secondary materials. He builds the book in systematic and linear fashions; interested readers are well advised to read from first page to last rather than attempting to absorb The Carrot and the Stick piecemeal. They would undoubtedly lose the full effect of Putsis’ ideas.
He breaks the text up into three distinct parts, but none is lengthy reading experiences. T he Carrot and the Stick: A Strategic Control Approach to Winning in Today’s Interconnected Markets doesn’t exceed two hundred pages which makes it all the more remarkable that Putsis packs so much detail into the work. It is, once again, a testament to the mammoth work he has put into developing his ideas alone and in concert with others.
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Carrot-Stick-Leveraging-Strategic-Control/dp/148750165X
He has surprising storytelling flair and never overwrites. The language is pared, exacting, and focused on conveying the thrust of his ideas. This makes tackling its information an even easier experience throughout the book despite my lamentable incomprehension of game theory. T he Carrot and the Stick: A Strategic Control Approach to Winning in Today’s Interconnected Markets proves, if nothing else, that the University of North Carolina has one of the globe’s leading thinkers on the subject of modern business and should be a great asset to business leaders willing and open to its messages. I heartedly recommend it and whatever flaws it might pose for readers are infinitesimal compared to the potential rife throughout the text. It is cutting edge thinking for a rapidly changing and complex business world that demands attention from anyone concerned with such issues.
Garth Thomas