'MoneyBall'

Paper Summary:

This paper briefly overviews Michael Lewis' text, 'Moneyball', by examining three main questions. The writer looks at why the Oakland A's are successful despite their relative lack of funds. The writer examines whether the "A's approach" could be applied to other business models and how effective (or ineffective) Billy Beane's leadership style is. The writer demonstrates a picture of an organization that loves numbers - but has not yet been able to translate its off-field rationality into on-field success.

From the Paper:

"Michael Lewis' 'MoneyBall' is a fascinating book about the inner workings of Major League Baseball. The following paper reviews Lewis' text by answering three broad questions: Firstly, why are the Oakland Athletics, a fairly impecunious organization, able to put together a successful organization despite their budgetary constraints? As an addendum, what are the drawbacks to this system that keep other franchises from adopting the A's system? Secondly, from a business perspective, could the A's approach be applied in other workplaces? Finally, what is it about Billy Beane's leadership style that makes him that effective? Or, conversely, is he that effective? In the end, this paper examines the Oakland Athletics and MoneyBall in much the same way as grizzled scouts have always examined raw baseball recruits. Beane's basic objective, when it came to the business of baseball, was to bring `reason' to baseball's front offices."

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