[Books of the Week] "Battery War" and More

Battery War

Batteries have emerged as the driving force behind advanced industries. From electric vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles to humanoid robots and smartphones, it is now difficult to imagine technology in our daily lives without batteries. If semiconductors are the brain of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and displays are the eyes, then batteries are undoubtedly the heart. This book is the result of an in-depth exploration by a journalist specializing in batteries, covering the entire spectrum of the battery field, including industry, technology, history, and investment. The author vividly depicts the fierce competition in the global battery market, where Korea, China, and Japan lead, while the United States and Europe follow. (Written by Kang Heejong | Bookie)

Break the Chain of Complexity

Many companies are busy, yet fail to achieve meaningful results. The author explains this as the "Complexity Doom Loop." Through five stages-Goldilocks, Siren, Tornado, Tsunami, and Doom-he presents real-life cases of organizational collapse. The author diagnoses complexity in four areas: strategy, products, processes, and organizations, and introduces companies like Hyundai Motor and Apple that revived themselves through simplification. He emphasizes that managing complexity is no longer a choice, but a prerequisite for survival. (Written by Ji Yonggu | Miraeui Chang)

Don Quijote: Manage by Breaking Common Sense

In June 2024, Don Quijote, a retail company in Japan, surpassed 2 trillion yen in annual sales. Even in Japan, it is called a "strange company" because it has consistently made unconventional choices, such as entering the nighttime market that others ignored and granting store managers autonomy over operations. The company also turned failures into marketing assets. As a result, Don Quijote has steadily increased its sales and operating profit since opening its first store in 1989, thanks to its unique strategies, including the "failure market," amusement-style stores, and bold private label products. This book reveals the story behind these achievements. (Written by Sakai Daisuke | Sigma Books)

Productive Finance

This book identifies the root causes of Korea's economy, which is mired in low growth, high debt, and polarization, in the distorted flow of finance. Diagnosing that "finance has flowed into assets rather than industry," the author emphasizes that "what is needed now is not the quantity of money, but its direction." He proposes restoring an "industrial cycle" that goes beyond a real estate collateral-centered structure and leads to industry, innovation, and employment. The author presents three key strategies: productive transformation, inclusive finance, and restoration of public interest. He stresses that Korea's economy can take off again only when finance once again supports the growth of people and industry. (Written by Kim Yongki | Medici Media)

Words Like Fear

This reportage tells the true story of Miriam Rodriguez, a Mexican woman who personally tracked down the "Zetas" drug cartel that kidnapped her daughter. New York Times journalist Azam Ahmed exposes, through four years of reporting, Miriam's desperate struggle and the violent structure of Mexican society. The process by which an ordinary woman apprehended the criminals amid incompetent law enforcement is both deeply moving and a stark revelation of a system where state ineptitude and criminal organizations coexist. (Written by Azam Ahmed | Dongasia)

A Word Worth a Thousand Gold Pieces

This book contains the management quotes of 42 Japanese CEOs who led their companies with their own language even in times of crisis. More than a simple collection of sayings, it is a record of survival philosophies distilled from decades of trial and error and discipline. Phrases like "Make something as sharp as a blade" (Kazuo Inamori) symbolize the essence of corporate spirit and leadership. Author Lee Jaewoo describes these as "priming water drawn from the reservoir of aphorisms," and urges today's leaders to establish a new language of management. (Written by Lee Jaewoo | Secret House)