A Review of Take My Money and Modern Capitalism by David Plotz

“Modern Capitalism” by Gary Player. Book review of “The Business of Today: A Review of Twenty-First Century Ideas for Higher Education.” Pages 45 56. Oxford University Press. 4th ed. pp. 612.

The author, Gary Player, takes a detailed look at the theory and practicality of the twenty-first century business. He examines the business model as it relates to education. The corporate form of organization and the entrepreneurial mindset are explored as he uncovers how the theories of entrepreneurship can be applied to higher education. His general theoretical approach has a strong focus on business and what they do to create wealth.

“The Business of Today: A Review of Twenty-First Century Ideas for Higher Education” by Gary Player is a quick and easy read. It is written in an engaging style and offers several charts and graphs that illustrate all aspects of modern capitalism. The book describes itself as a study of contemporary theory and practice in business, making it a very accessible text. There is a good interpretation of many complex concepts, and this text would appeal to those who have an interest in business, or who want to learn more about their own business.

The author rightly claims that there are five “pillars” under modern capitalism that support his case. These are freedom of contract, markets, private property, markets based on merit and markets based on competitive merit. In addition, the author provides a thorough explanation of why the government should play a role in promoting business. The book is also helpful to those who are concerned with the direction their company is taking. The final chapter of the book describes in detail, how to make an impact on college and graduate business recruitment panels by participating in panel activities and events.

The take my money and modern capitalism argument is quite simple. A company that engages in outsourcing, for example, will lose money if it is not able to do its job properly, because of the competition from other companies that are able to do their work better. A business that is not competitive will not be able to attract and retain the best employees. A business that is not free to organize will not be able to prosper. The author makes quite a convincing case, but the reader might find some of his arguments a little off-putting.

The Take My Money and Modern Capitalism is an extremely useful primer on modern capitalism. The author is right that there are five key pillars that support modern capitalism, but he goes off-track sometimes with his explanations. The main problem is that he often simplifies things to make his point, and does not explain things in their proper context. For instance, he says that “free-riding” by businesses is due to competition, when it may simply be because they do not wish to pay for services that people want. This simplification reduces the message of the book considerably.

Overall, though, this is a good introduction to the ideas and concerns of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, which has become increasingly popular over the last twenty years or so as businesses and governments around the world take her ideas and make them into productive policies. The Take My Money and Modern Capitalism book is an excellent primer on how and why modern capitalism works. However, it would have been better had Carlin added a chapter on the topic of capitalism to the end, or explained more thoroughly the different forms of capitalism. Otherwise, this book is useful as a general primer on what Ayn Rand meant when she wrote “Atlas Shrugged.”