Four Books Every Business Student Should Own

A business student’s bookshelf should be a well-stocked place. From War and Peace to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – books can say a lot about your character. So, what should a high-flying student have on their shelves for business networking purposes? If you have a dinner party, drinks soiree, or any other networking event in your humble abode while enrolled on an EMBA course, or any other executive business course for that matter – you need to be sure that your books make the right impression.

Here is TopMBA’s choice of top business books to get your serious, career-focused mindset across to your colleagues sufficiently. Winnie the Pooh is actively discouraged.

Top tip: display these inconspicuously on the coffee table under a copy of The Financial Times for optimal business networking points.

Made in America – Sam Walton

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos names this autobiography as one of his top business books. What more reason do you need to read it? Well, there are a few actually! Made in America was penned by Walmart founder Sam Walton – yes, the man who created one of the biggest and best-loved supermarkets in history, which started off with just a $20,000 loan from his father.

Walton’s book is a homage to the American Dream. He describes the moments, decisions and even failings in his life that ultimately brought him the success that is Walmart today. If you are in the mood for an inspirational story – with a hearty dollop of patriotism – then this is the book for you.

Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance – Michael E Porter

Have you seen the name of this book? It’s enough to get any CEO to drop their cocktail in sheer awe over your potential prospect as an employee during a drinks soiree.

“Oh, this old thing?” you’ll say, as you pick his or her martini glass up off the floor, “just a little light reading before bedtime. I’m thinking of writing a similar book myself.” The whole room will be eating from the palm of your hands.

You’ll most likely have heard the phrases ‘competitive advantage’ and ‘sustainable competitive advantage’ being used during your business career. Well, these were both coined by Michael E Porter in this book, considered one of the top business books ever written. If you want to understand the roots of competition and how to deal with competition, this is the book for you.

He penned another book too, called Competitive Strategy, which is the partner to this publication, albeit with a far less impressive name. As such, this can be confined to the bookshelf for reference if somebody asks you whether you have Porter’s set of books. “Why yes, Mr/Ms Influential CEO, I do indeed. Let me lead you this way…”

The Establishment – And How They Get Away With It – Owen Jones

Ladies and gentlemen, I cannot impress upon you enough the importance of featuring this book on prominent display during a networking event with your clients and colleagues. It gives just the right message about you and says all there is to know about your quality of character in the business world – but only when placed strategically next to the roll in the bathroom.

The delight this will provide your guests during an otherwise mundane trip to the bathroom will be worth the mortification of having to actually buy the book yourself. If you’re feeling particularly mischievous, then why not place Russell Brand’s book, Revolution, on standby in the second bathroom, or perhaps among the comedy section of DVDs in the living room? Remember, it’s all about giving out the right message. Just be careful not to leave any copies of these on your actual bookshelves next to readable books; this will cause confusion, convulsions and sadness for all.

Compassionate Capitalism: How Corporations Can Make Doing Good an Integral Part of Doing Well – Marc Benioff, Karen Southwick

The perfect response book to any liberal minded guest who pulled you up over your offensive stunts in the bathroom. This will show your soft side to potential business connections – and is also a cracking read.

The book discusses how large and small business can incorporate philanthropy into their business practices and uses a variety of examples from businesses across the globe. In an age where bankers and business leaders have had their names dragged through the mud by the media in the US and UK, this book will show you have the right forward-thinking attitude in approaching business.

If, on the other hand, you find yourself entertaining a large group of hard-nosed businessmen from the nicotine or adult entertainment industries, then simply fling the book into the bathroom and get your emergency copies of Playboy on standby next to the drinks cabinet and cigars. Phew, that was a close call. Know your audience!