Reading suggestions

Bolder, Markus, and Wergers, Matthias: Modell „Bad Bank”: Hintergrund – Konzept Erfahrungen [The “bad bank” model: Background – Concept – Experience]

Gabler-Verlag, 318 pp, €49.95, ISBN 978-3-8349-3345-4

The “bad bank” model is not new, but since the financial crisis it has grown enormously in importance, not only in Germany, as an instrument of the bank bailout. It’s about running down billion-dollar – some “toxic” – portfolios, and often about taxpayers’ money. Are “bad banks” really “bad banks” or a good solution in a crisis? Why were they created? What kinds of “bad bank” are there? And what is at issue in order to successfully implement the models and turn them on and off? Previously a sound, comprehensive presentation of the topic to the public, or even for the professional audience or in science, was lacking. This anthology thus fills a gap. Professionals who helped build Germany’s first winding-up agency (EAA) bring their findings together in this practical report: from financial-theory, legal and business-oriented perspectives. The authors are board members of the Erste Abwicklungsanstalt, Düsseldorf.

Eberl, Peter, Geiger, Daniel, and Koch, Jochen: Komplexität und Handlungsspielraum – Unternehmenssteuerung zwischen Ordnung und Chaos [Complexity and room for manoeuvre – Corporate management between order and chaos]

Erich Schmidt Verlag, 305 pp, €59.95, ISBN 978-3503-133679-7

If social systems are too complex or too simple, room for manoeuvre gets lost, enabling organizations to suddenly fall into existential crises.The ability of social systems to move precisely between order and chaos thus becomes central to control. In practical terms, the point is to prevent internal structures becoming unmanageable while avoiding the risks of too-simple environmental processing. With this backdrop of modern enterprise management, inspired largely by Georg Schreyögg, well-known experts discuss all this from different perspectives. The book provides a stimulating overview of the current state of development of corporate governance.  Peter Eberl is Professor of Business Administration with a focus on personnel management and organization theory at the University of Kassel. Daniel Geiger is Professor of Business Administration with a focus on International Management at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern. Jochen Koch is Professor of Business Administration with a focus on business management and organization at the Viadrina European University in Frankfurt (Oder).

Koch, Wolfgang: Praktiker-Handbuch Due Diligence [Practitioner’s Guide to Due Diligence]

3rd ed., Schäffer-Poeschel Verlag, 233 pp, €69.95, ISBN 978-3-7910-3079-1

The manual provides guidance for planning and implementation of a holistic business analysis for corporate executives and directors, supervisory and advisory board members, investment managers, business consultants, lawyers, accountants and investment bankers. It examines all relevant issues of due diligence and the most important special cases in practice as well as giving a compilation on the analysis of leading indicators for business valuation.

Lindmayer, Karl H.: Geldanlage und Steuer 2012 [Investment and tax 2012]

Gabler-Verlag, 490 pp, €59.95, ISBN 978-3-8349-2938-9

With the euro crisis, the entire investment portfolio should be put to the test. This standard work, published annually, is a helpful guide. Focal points of each chapter are building wealth and securing and systematically expanding savings. On the Internet (www.geldanlageundsteuer.de) there are also practical and useful calculation aids and additional material, such as tax forms, tax treaties and the most important current legal texts.