Title: A Common Vision: A Journey Towards Ethical Business Wisdom and Beyond
Author: B. Sham Moteelall
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1-6698-7342-6
Pages: 186
Genre: Business/Self-Help
Reviewed by: Arthur Thares

Read Book Review

If you read many books about business, they can all start to sound the same, which is
the direction this book felt to me as I was going into the beginning. Thankfully, it veered
off course just enough in originality to take it from a generic business book to a
genuinely helpful tool. The differences are easy to perceive when you realize the
benefits this book provides. A Common Vision: A Journey Towards Ethical Business
Wisdom and Beyond by author B. Sham Moteelall shouldn’t just be a book passed
around the office – but rather required reading for kids learning about business and
entrepreneurship.

At first blush, this book really feels like every run-of-the-mill book about common
business practices, so much so that sometimes it felt more like a company manual than
a book meant to teach about general business practices. That said, when given the
chance, the book dives much deeper into both business and social constructs giving
everyone, but especially people new to the workforce, a deeper understanding of
business practices. The best part about A Common Vision is the analogies the author
uses, such as the story of the hotel bellhop and the missing dollar. While much of this
book is common sense to those who have been in the business world a while, these
anecdotes, plus a few hidden gems strewn throughout the book, make it well worth the
cover price.

I highly recommend this book as it exemplifies a mature, sophisticated knowledge of the
world of business and many other topics. B. Sham Moteelall masterfully threads the
needle of multiple hot-button political topics without taking sides. His
straight-down-the-center statements of facts and stopping when it comes to his personal
opinion is more like reading poetry due to the reduction of verbosity and distilling down
to the essence of the issues.

Ultimately, this is an all-encompassing business book written by an author who cares
more about making the world a better place than selling a product. B. Sham Moteelall’s
down-to-earth mentality shines through on the page, and his ideas are everything young
people making their way into the business world should know. While much of it may
seem like common sense, some of the ideas in this book may jump start the people who
read it to become the head of their department. If I were teaching a business class, I
would absolutely make A Common Vision a required supplemental reading to the
students. This book is ideal for the entrepreneur, business owner or anyone interested
in business related books, and will inspire you to think about your role in creating a
more sustainable world.