Recent Books

Jimmy Choo Story

Lauren Goldstein Crowe and Sagra Maceira de Rosen; Translated by Kim Min-joo and Song Hee-ryeong from English to Korean; Miraebook Publishing: 376 pp., 14,000 won

Shoes are more than just footwear for women. They sometimes symbolize the vanity of women and they have indisputably evolved into the essence of fashion.

Jimmy Choo, a luxury brand better known for its shoes, shows how quickly brands have changed in recent years. The brand has a short history of less than 20 years but is equivalent to classical top brands such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Gucci.

Rather than tradition and history, Jimmy Choo relies on fast trend-setting, fresh public relation strategies and innovative designs. Among others, its celebrity marketing has worked well to build up its reputation.

The book tells the story of the brand's birth and the current business management system and its brand value.

Named after the shoemaker Jimmy Choo, a Malaysian immigrant opened the business with Tamara Mellon. But Choo stepped out because of internal disputes at the company and Mellon took the company to the top brand along with Robert Bensoussan. The book offers not only a story of fashion trends, but also of a successful business.

-Chung Ah-young

The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling

Arlie Russell Hochschild. Translated from English to Korean by Lee Ga-ram. Imagine: 366 pp., 17,000 won

In the 2009 film ``Hand Phone,'' actor Park Yong-woo gave a skin-crawling performance as a retailer manager who would act out aggressively to relieve the stress of smiling too much at work.

This book, titled ``Emotional Labor'' in Korean, looks into various emotional states that are involved in modern-day professions, such as flight attendants who are trained to be kind and hospitable even under the most infuriating circumstances.

It is a particularly intriguing read in light of the unique local customer service culture.

The author, a sociology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, examines how feelings ― which were traditionally considered to comprise the private realm of individual experience ― have become a part of labor and thus commercialized. She also gives a sketch of social trends associated with the phenomenon and how it affects the individual.

Many people who are required to smile at work often find themselves becoming increasingly sensitive, impatient or even aggressive as customers or at home.

One chapter analyzes the ``sale'' of human feeling from both producer and consumer viewpoints; as a laborer one must try to appear genuinely gracious while consumers become increasingly sharp in discerning between wholehearted and artificial gestures. In the end, both parties become more introverted when it comes to their true feelings and sense of identity.

-Lee Hyo-won

Burj Khalifa

Seo Jeong-min; Gloyeon; 212 pp., 15,000 won

Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world, and the magnificent centerpiece of downtown Dubai, a world-class destination.

The world's tallest building at 828 meters high is the cream of the crop of 21st century architecture. But it has also opened a new era of aesthetics, engineering and even business areas.

The book articulates that the building is the feat of Korean supervisors who fought against the sweltering heat (some 50 degrees Celsius) with passion and through sacrifice.

It is also a landmark in Dubai and at the same time represents the national pride of Korea, the author said.

The writer, an expert of Middle Eastern studies, reveals the stories behind the construction.

The book introduces the regional and architectural meaning of the structure; how difficult the process of construction was; what benefits Dubai and the Middle Eastern world will get politically, economically, socially and culturally; and what the building means to Koreans.

Korean Industry

Lee Ji-hyo; Book Force:320 pp., 15,000 won

Understanding your place within your environment is crucial to survival. The same goes for industries and businesses. The new book ``Korean Industry'' tackles numerous industries in Korea and their stance in the international arena.

``The Korean economy does not move according to exchange rates or foreign investors. Many Korean businesses build up an industry, and these industries get together to move the Korean economy,'' the author Lee Ji-hyo writes in the preface.

The book looks into the world of both successful and emerging industries, analyzing the pros and cons, eyeing the future and pointing out the opportunities Korean industries have that others do not.

It shows where local companies are heading, how successful ones have reached their position over the years and also how to thrive in the rapidly changing environment we live in.

For some, reading about the economy can be worrisome; where do you start and how does it affect us? With the book ``Korean Industry,'' readers can easily get a glimpse of what is happening here and now, what Koreans are doing to reach the top and how they are doing it.

-Han Sang-hee