Amazon.com: Flavor of the Month: Why Smart People Fall for Fads (9780520246263): Joel Best: Books. While fads such as hula hoops or streaking are usually dismissed as Flavor of the Month. Why Smart People Fall for Fads $21.95, £14.95 hardcover. 9780520246263 . 800ceoread.com product page for Flavor of the Month: Why Smart People Fall for Fads by Joel Best. ISBN: 9780520246263.
From Publishers Weekly
Sociologist Best (Damned Lies and Statistics) dissects the dangerous hula hoops of business, medicine, science and education in this light exposition on institutional fads. According to Best, American attitudes toward progress (colored by optimism, competitiveness, a belief in positive change and a fear of being seen as old-fashioned) serve as kindling to the fire of the next big cure, technological revolution, business management secret or teaching method. Best delineates stages of the fad life-cycle ("emerging," "surging," then finally "purging") and identifies conditions and players essential to creating a successful fad (a problem needs a solution, which is then proposed by originators and pushed by promoters), and though he makes an intuitive and immensely readable case, his book suffers from a dearth of hard data and case studies (the hypothetical "Dr. Michael" and "Professor Alice" used to illustrate Best's points feel contrived and simple) Read More
Joel Best Flavor of the Month Why Smart People Fall for Fads. $21.95, £14.95 hardcover. Flavor of the Month. Why Smart People Fall for Fads. Flavor of the Month: Why Smart People Fall for Fads by Joel Best Format: Textbook Hardcover, 222pp; Sales Rank: 350,984.
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