Opening Sentence:If you ask someone which country ranks first in global competitiveness in business, the most common answer would be the U.S. or Singapore or Japan.
Synopsis:Finland, Cultural Lone Wolf is the story of an accomplished nation and her extraordinary people. Pursuing a “Lone Wolf” policy, Finland raised itself from a struggling, war-battered state in 1945 to one of the most developed countries in the world. The exponential rise of Nokia from tire and timbers to leading the world’s telecommunication industry is indicative of the Finns and their characteristic business style. These remarkable people speak a language unique in its origins and have kept their cultural identity intact despite the influence of powerful neighbours, Sweden and Russia.

Uniquely qualified to write about Finland, best-selling author Richard Lewis traces the fascinating Finnish origins, as well as their history, geography, values and culture. His extensive experience with Finnish business provides him with a keen insight on leadership style, negotiation strategies and the uniquely Finnish suomi-kuva (Finland image). And Lewis shines when describing Finnish humor, complete with hilarious jokes and stories. Finland, Cultural Lone Wolf shows a nation and a writer at their best.
Genre:Travel
Rating:@@@
Pages:202
ISBN:1-931930-18-x
Year:2005
Format:Paperback
Comments:This book is a little repetitive in places and, considering there are only 202 pages, it did seem to drag a bit. Having said that, the content itself is absolutely fascinating. Before reading this book, I rarely thought about Finland except to note that they had a good education system – I didn’t even know where they are located on the map. Finland, Cultural Lone Wolf has opened my eyes to the unique and admirable nature of this people.

Finland ranks among the top few countries for global competitiveness, environmental sustainability, water resource management, minimal bureaucracy and least corruption. They lead the world in health, technology, education and gender equality, are known in the United Nations as the ‘Super Peacekeeper’ and are proportionally the biggest library users in the world – six million visits per annum.

This book is an interesting study of one of the world’s least lauded nations, and it has left me with an immense respect for the Finnish people.

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• Human rights activist reports new case of children taken away from Russian mother in Finland (rbth.ru)
• Ten Strange and Interesting Facts About Finland (finlandandback.wordpress.com)

Categories: Impressions

Tags: books, business, finland, Finns, japan, Nokia, Russia, Singapore, united nations