Because of the contemporary drive to link the corporate and educational worlds, Alison Kirk compares and contrasts the business and academic ways of thinking. Often irreverent and humorous, and always brief, she discusses commonplace words and concepts as they are used in both business and education, presenting a side-by-side exploration of the two major American institutions as reflections of our common and often contradictory cultural values.

Using humor as a tool, Kirk makes readers think about the relationship between education and businessor learning and "real life." She combines...