Description
Book SynopsisIn this collection of witty but thought--provoking essays, Bruce McComish takes a clear look at the anti--logic of the business world and financial markets. He questions with dry humor the very basis of Western financial systems and concepts such as bankruptcy.
Trade Review"McCormish has produced a well researched account" (Lloyds List, 31 August 2001) "... Bruce McComish has written a book that makes it clear that nothing is as it seems in the world of business and finance. Prepare to be shocked by the discovery that boardrooms and senior management ranks are populated by donkeys, market efficiency is a myth, accountants cook the books, ecomonists are charlatans, forecasting is useless and cash is a myth. McComish is the latest ina long line of writers, from Keynes to Galbraith, who enjoy exposing the self--delusion that characterises the world of business..." "The chapter on accounting is the best in the book... If any one needs further evidence that Antilogic is alive and well and thriving in business, just think about those telephone companies who spent billions of pounds acquiring 3G licenses, which despite all the evidence to the contrary, remain on the balance sheet as assets." (Sunday Times, 16 September 2001)
Table of ContentsPreface.
Introduction.
Believing Because of the Way Things are and Why We Think the Way We Do.
Believing the Corporation.
Guided by the Market.
Believing the Words.
Believing the Numbers: The Contribution of the Accountants.
Believing the Numbers: The Contribution of the Statisticians.
Buying the Forecast: Falling for the Non-Forecast-Forecast.
The Amazing Role of Cash.
Vapourcash Explained: Cash, Not as Real as You Thought.
Anticash Explained: Anticash and the History of Money.
Anticash: The Bankers and the Accountants.
Anticash More Real Than You Hoped.
References.
Index.
