Empty Suit: Views of Life in Corporate America from a Middle-Aged, Middle Manager from Middle America - Paperback

by David a. Glazer (Author)

This novel tells the story of an over educated but otherwise unassuming man - Andy Greene - following his life in corporate America, from his upbringing in New York City through his days in college and beyond and into the politics and questionable policies of his tenure in the financial services industry. His scratch and claw rise into the ranks of middle management takes him through boom and bust economies, the stress of his career on his family life, and culminates with his struggles during and after The Great Recession of 2008-09. In his struggle, we see him carry his middle class ethics, his ethnic heritage, his prejudices and his battles to suffer fools gladly into corporate boardrooms and leadership roles. The story is told in flashback, where we first see the older and wiser Andy after a crucial career change, and wonder how he wound up where he is today. Empty Suit is so titled as a reference to those in corporate America who look the part, dress the part, seem to say the right words, but contribute little or nothing of value when it matters. In this story, the author fictionalizes some of his own first-hand experiences in the corporate world, including his development of alter egos to compensate for the frustrations of being undervalued and overlooked in business - as a part-time musician and bandleader, and eventually as a college professor. This story is not so unique; it is told over and over in the lives of countless thousands of similarly situated middle managers who may find themselves in many portions of this book - this trek through corporate America.

Author Biography

David A. Glazer currently serves as Professor and Chair of the Marketing Department at Berkeley College's Larry L. Luing School of Business, a 9-campus institution in New York City and suburban New Jersey. He has also done lecturing, both on site and online, at several other colleges. Previously, he was a marketing executive in the financial services industry with several national firms, managing the marketing support and product development functions in each. During his tenure in the industry, he served as a FINRA broker-dealer principal and registered representative and was also a licensed life and health insurance agent in several states. Dr. Glazer has earned four different graduate degrees in four different disciplines; a law degree from American University, a Masters in Financial Services from The American College, and both an MBA in Management and a Ph.D. in Marketing from George Washington University. His dissertation - The Effect of Commission versus Non-Commission Benefits on Customer Value: The Case of Life Insurance Policy Performance, was published in article form in Financial Services Review (2007) v.16, p.135-153. Dr. Glazer has also served as a Board member of the D.C. Chapter of the Better Business Bureau and is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) as well as a Certified Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC). He is as well a LIMRA Leadership Institute Fellow (LLIF), a designation identifying future senior executive talent in the financial services industry. And he has been a member of the Virginia State Bar for the past 40 years.