Disconnected: Deceit and Betrayal at WorldCom

Author - Lynne W. Jeter ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Paperback Book item from Wiley was reviewed on 16-Oct-2008.

Search ISBN:0471647470 offer from Abebooks or used books from Alibris. Disconnected: Deceit and Betrayal at WorldCom Reference Book. Classifications : All Amazon Upgrade Amazon Upgrade Custom Stores Specialty Stores Books Business & Investing Amazon Upgrade Custom Stores Specialty Stores Books Engineering Amazon Upgrade Custom Stores Specialty Store . Click the following link to view the cover of Disconnected: Deceit and Betrayal at WorldCom.

Related topics: All Amazon Upgrade. Amazon Upgrade. Custom Stores. Specialty Stores. Books. Amazon Upgrade. Custom Stores. Specialty Stores. Books. Engineering.

1) Paperback Book Disconnected: Deceit and Betrayal at WorldCom by Wiley. Very descriptive, good insight, a must read for any masters level student MBA,HR,Edu, etc...¤

2) Paperback Book Disconnected: Deceit and Betrayal at WorldCom by Wiley. The book is presenting facts in a not too organised way. The most interesting facts are already presented at the beginning so that the following 150 pages just give more details.

It might have been better to focus more on the problem/case itself instead of describing early history in every detail.

Weakest point of "Disconnected" is that the book ends in the middle of the ongoing story and the reader does not know what was the outcome of this scandal.¤

3) Paperback Book Disconnected: Deceit and Betrayal at WorldCom by Wiley. It´s a pity that the only currently available book on the WorldCom meltdown is "Disconnected." While I´m sure Ms. Jeter is a respected writer on Mississippi business "Disconnected" is a perfect example of what can go wrong when a journalist/columnist tries to write a book; it reads more like a series of columns cobbled together rather than anything coherent and unified, which is a shame as the WorldCom fiasco deserves better than this. As a former legacy-MCI middle manager I was hoping "Disconnected" would be an incisive look into how it all went wrong and while it does that to varying degrees of success it´s a major effort to get through the book, primarily due to the poor writing. Jeter has a pronounced tendency to repeat herself, which often left me wondering if these were old columns "cut and pasted" together to make a book. One particular problem is Jeter´s habit of introducing a player and 40 pages later mentioning them in passing without putting them back into context. A great example of this is Diana Day-Cartee who was involved in WorldCom´s forerunner LDDS and allegedly one of Bernie Ebbers many mistresses. She´s mention in Chapter 3 "The Spending Spree" (pages 30, 36, & 37) then disappears until page 72 when she pops back up again casually mentioned in passing as, "Diana (Day) married some music executive." Huh? Would it kill Jeter just to append a quick "Bernie´s alleged former lover" or "Early LDDS stalwart"? This is typical of Jeter´s treatment of characters in the book, she fails to provide context as to who they are and how they´re relevant leaving you to flip back and try to recall who the heck they were. Again, this is typical of the problems when a journalist tries to expound things to book-length, but it isn´t always like that as witnessed by Neil Hayes´s "When the Game Stands Tall." Jeter takes great pains to try and be impartial, which was probably due to the fact this was written and rushed to press before Ebbers trial and there was no way of knowing how the verdict would go.

Jeter´s book also lacks depth as it is told primarily from the legacy-WorldCom side of things and often ignores the perspective of the other companies forced into WorldCom. Some things in the book are spot-on, dead-accurate, and at times it was like a sickening trip down an unpleasant memory lane. But Jeter also gets some things absolutely dead-wrong which tells me she was over-relying on WorldCom sources rather than speaking to ex-MCI employees, which is sad as most of them would have been all too happy to talk (myself included). "Disconnected" would have benefited from a much more diligent editor and the book as considerable dead-space thanks to its odd layout (blank pages). Most of the recommendations on the back dust jacket are puff pieces from fellow Mississippians who likely never read the book beforehand and include her editor at the Mississippi Business Journal and a travel writer (!?). While I did find "Disconnected" a compelling page turner that I read rather quickly I was particularly interested in the subject matter. If it were anyone else I don´t know they´d slog through this mess. With Ebbers and Sullivan rightly convicted its time for an updated version that fixes these problems, but preferably I´d rather see someone else just start from scratch.¤

4) Paperback Book Disconnected: Deceit and Betrayal at WorldCom by Wiley. I was expecting this book to be a great story, but very disappointed. I cannot believe the publisher allowed the author to publish this book as it is. The book is insipid and dull, has no flow, no story, or no plot. Let me present an example. I have read many insightful Newsweek articles by a writer Allan Sloan. For example, Sloan describes a Sprint merger event in this way, "If talk is getting cheaper, why did MCI WorldCom pay $115 billion to buy Sprint? The once staid phone companies have launched a merger blitzkrieg in an effort to emerge at the center of the wired world. Can regulators handle the complex new order....." It has a clear logical axis, and has a force to attract readers into it.

But Jeter describes it like this, "The merger announcement of WorldCom and Sprint spurred building activity around Worldcom headquarters as real estate developers readied for economic prosperity. The real estate inventory swelled with new planned unit....." It always presents off-center, trivial detail which makes a reader bored. 70% of books are consumed to described a dry and dull fact, like "the merger of company A & B raised the stock to $X" etc. There is no insight here.

But unfortunately, unlike Enron scandal, there is no other book that centered on the Worldcom scandal. You would get much better comprehension by collecting articles in Newsweek or Business Week, if you have LexisNexis or EBISCOhost.¤

5) Paperback Book Disconnected: Deceit and Betrayal at WorldCom by Wiley. This book could have been much better if it progressed in a linear fashion. Much time is spent talking about small time players and the industry in general, but Worldcom and Bernie Ebbers seem to be on the backburner. The scandal is not brought up until the last 15 pages of the book, with only vague reference to "cooking the books" and writing off capital expenses.

It´s an easy, quick read that is mildly entertaining. Unfortunately, it falls short in the facts and research department.
¤

6) Paperback Book Disconnected: Deceit and Betrayal at WorldCom by Wiley. The first inside look into the fall of the telecom industry pioneer
Disconnected is the first book to tell the tale of the once powerful telecom pioneer whose corporate scandal eclipses the Enron fiasco. During the summer of 2002, WorldCom, once a leading carrier of Internet traffic, filed the largest bankruptcy claim in American history due to accounting errors totaling over $7 billion-and now finds itself on the brink of corporate extinction. Disconnected offers an engaging account of what really went wrong at WorldCom and why no one saw this corporate collapse coming. Author and award-winning journalist Lynn Jeter has been covering WorldCom since 1984 and provides a one-of-a-kind look into the inner workings of this global telecom giant. Readers will take a front row seat as Jeter explores the personalities and factors that led to WorldCom´s rise and dramatic fall-such as the failed Sprint merger in 2000 and the revelation in June 2002 of their overstatement in earnings. Digging deep to uncover the mistakes, missteps, and outright unethical behavior that engulfed WorldCom, Disconnected also takes a closer look at former CEO Bernie Ebbers who was on the frontline during the years leading up to this corporate debacle. Disconnected: Deceit and Betrayal at WorldCom gives readers the most telling account of a one-time industry giant.
Lynne W. Jeter (Hattiesburg, MS) has been the primary WorldCom reporter for the only statewide business journal in Mississippi (home of WorldCom headquarters), The Mississippi Business Journal. Jeter has closely followed the company´s rise and fall since its inception as LDDS in 1983. As a native Mississippian, Jeter has a solid knowledge of the unique business climate of the Deep South and access to a wealth of information and contacts that no other reporter could possess on this topic.¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 13-Nov-2008, 04716474709780471647478, 680-960-700-120-330-080-8

Disconnected: Deceit and Betrayal at WorldCom, Book, Image © Wiley

Search: Wiley, Book Posters, Book Art