Reviews (4)

Bought for class..
if your class is using this txt, i would highly recommend buying a used copy... new editions come out on almost a yearly to bi-yearly basis... after i completed my course, my book store would not buy the book back because the professor ordered a different edition for next semester...

Strategic managment -- a clear choice
This is an excellent text that is the bible of many strategy professors around the US.It is clear, concise and very thorough.the case studies at the back of the book offer a great deal of practical examples.I highly recommend making this book part of your professional reference library.

Strategic Management in the Context of Globalizatiion
This book is a detailed investigation of strategic management in the context of globalization and competitiveness. An integrated approach is used, but firm-based theory of strategic management is stressed throughout the book.Cases included in the book are chosen properly in relation with the topics, that is theory is clearly connected to the real experiences. Especially, topics titled as "Cooperative Strategy" , "Corporate Governance" , "Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation" will be very useful to better understand the planning dynamics.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Industrial management    5. Management - General    6. Strategic Planning    7. Business & Economics / Systems & Planning    8. Business strategy   

Editorial Review

What do the Honda Supercub, Intel's 8088 processor, and hydraulic excavators have in common? They are all examples of disruptive technologies that helped to redefine the competitive landscape of their respective markets. These products did not come about as the result of successful companies carrying out sound business practices in established markets. In Read more

Reviews (140)

Mind-Expanding
This is one of the best -- and scariest -- business books I've ever read. Christensen clearly illustrates why many of the 'tried and true' formulas really don't work. His research is compelling and is presented clearly enough for non-technical readers. I can't recommend this book highly enough!

Counterintuitive, well-supported, and powerful
This text excels on several levels:It is very readable, and tells a story which is understandable and compelling even at a cursory pace.For the motivated reader, digging deeper, especially spending time on the introduction and each chapter's endnotes, there is a huge amount of data and insight into that data that is well-structured for assimilation.Finally, the theories presented, once understood, become both a lens for interpreting past and current market dynamics, and set the stage for deployable actions in a number of industries.

It must have been mistaken identitiy...
During fourth of july vacation, I had a chsance to see an old college friend, who is a vice president for a large computer hard drive firm... he was showing offf his new Toyota hybrid when we began talking about the market forces, which interfered with large companies responding to the emerging needs and changes in the marketplace.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Creative ability in business    5. Customer services    6. Development - Economic Development    7. Economics - General    8. Economics - Theory    9. Entrepreneurship    10. Industrial management    11. Management - General    12. Success in business    13. Business & Economics / Economics / General    14. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (34)

Helpful method to direct thinking patterns
All of Dr. de Bono's book are full of tips that make you think about thinking, some go into deep technicalities while other repeat variations-on-a-theme. This book is one of the best I've read on a coherent method to adopt as a group and to even impose on others so as to to have every thought and emotion in its proper and valid compartment.
De Bono will make you THINK
Every so often you read a book that is so obvious that you are amazed you did not see it before. For me, this is such a book. Yes, I could argue about the slow nature of the book, about the style or choice of phrase. However, the very simple idea (singular) at the core hit me like a billiard ball between the eyes at three paces.
Powerful tool - simply explained
Dr. de Bono's method is a simple and powerful one - by concentrating all thinking in one direction and making sure all competing views get attention, a very strong output can be achieved in the minimum timespan. I would recommend it to any team going through a problem solving exercise. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Life - General    4. Business/Economics    5. Entrepreneurship    6. General    7. Management - General    8. Thought and thinking    9. Business & Economics / Management    10. Creativity   

Editorial Review

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Features

• Audiobook

Reviews (633)

Life is to live...
I think deep thinking people tend to be unhappy because they're not living life.They're idealizing and rationalizing life.Some of the concepts here may be good, but reading this book will leave you feeling empty, even if you agree.It's better to spend the time living your life than reading these kinds of deep books.

Give this book as a present for anyone you care about
The more you read this book and go deeper into the principles of Covey the more you discover yourself and others. For many people reading Covey's book or listening to him speak literally changes their lives. This is a powerful and effective recipe for success indeed and highly recommended for people in training.
All Time Classic
This book is an exceptionally well thought, intellectual work. I admire Mr. Covey for his in-depth analysis of human relationships and the new concepts he introduced like emotional bank account, paradigm shift, and writing a family mission statement. I truly believe that it is extremely important for everyone to read this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Business/Professional    2. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    3. Business Life - General    4. Motivational    5. Personal Growth - Happiness    6. Personal Growth - Success    7. Self-Help    8. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    9. Popular psychology    10. Self-Help / Motivational    11. Business Life   

Subjects:  1. Environmental Science    2. General    3. Geography    4. Globalization    5. Political Science    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Travel - General    8. Regional geography    9. Science / Geography   

Reviews (13)

Wow!
I had heard of Bowerman from the Nike brand of shoes I've worn and from the Pre movie "Without Limits".I had no idea what an amazingly big life Dave Bowerman had.The major events in his family's and his own history make for a good read.Kenny Moore is an able writer and you can tell he's spent time with the familly and friends to come up with this history of the father of the modern day running shoe.But he shows him to be more than a shoemaker.His experiences during WWII, the various Olympics (including Munich), founding and running BRS/Nike, and his battles against the Bhagwan (!) were a surprise that filled out my knowledge of the man and the Men of Oregon.Worth reading esp. if you love anything about running and track and field competition.

Great read!
Kenny Moore writes as only Kenny Moore can in this wonderful account of Bill Bowerman and the history of running at Oregon. Great book!Thanks Kenny!

Comprehensive Portrait of a Coaching Legend
Well-written and researched, this biography paints virtually every facet of Bill Bowerman's life and character across a canvas as broad as the Western skyline.From Bill's adventurous ancestors' settlement in Oregon, to his fatherless upbringing, to his high school sports and military successes, to his coaching, and finally to his entrepreneurial undertakings as a Nike founder, the narrative progresses in a logical, well-organized fashion.Even knowing that Kenny Moore, as one of Bill's unwavering supporters over the years, must have skewed this character study a bit toward the positive, I turned the last page convinced that Bill Bowerman was a multi-talented man of high principle and inquisitive Promethean temperament, who left the sport much better than he found it.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Bowerman, William J    4. Business    5. Business History    6. Corporate & Business History - General    7. Running    8. Running & Jogging    9. Sports    10. Sports & Recreation    11. Sports - General    12. Track and field    13. Track and field coaches    14. United States    15. University of Oregon    16. Sports & Recreation / Running & Jogging   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Economics    5. Economics (General)    6. Economics - General    7. Business & Economics / Economics / General   

Reviews (21)

enjoyed
I enjoyed reading this book.It was written in a concise manner and still managed to explore the details of negotiation.

Wonderful tool for handling transitions of all kinds
Whether we are leading a team, a family, or even ourself through a transition, this book gives us the necessary tools to thrive through it. You get the theory and the practice. Since we all undergo change which sparks transitions, this book will benefit everyone.

Start-ups and Managing Transitions
The focus of the venture capital community is on the change a new disruptive company intends to bring to the world, and little, if any, attention is paid to the changes and transitions that the company, as it moves from concept development to full commercialization, will have to negotiate to achieve its vision. "Transition Management" provides an excellent `how to' book for young, fragile companies as they negotiate the never ending changes and transitions that they will be forced to make.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Economics - General    5. Entrepreneurship    6. Industrial management    7. Management    8. Management - General    9. Organization Theory    10. Organizational change    11. Structural Adjustment    12. Management & management techniques    13. Personnel & human resources management    14. Takeovers, mergers & buy-outs    15. Business and Management   

Editorial Review

Sometime during the last 30 years, the service economy emerged as the dominant engine of economic activity. At first, critics who were uncomfortable with the intangible nature of services bemoaned the decline of the goods-based economy, which, thanks to many factors, had increasingly become commoditized. Successful companies, such as Nordstrom, Starbucks, Saturn, and IBM, discovered that the best way to differentiate one product from another--clothes, food, cars, computers--was to add service.Read more

Reviews (32)

How to Sell the Sizzle
Authors B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore look at the ways that corporations create engaging experiences for their customers to boost sales. They amass examples that confirm the developing trend toward an "Experience Economy." Their premise is that the post-industrial economy has evolved beyond delivering commodities and services, and is now poised to deliver "experiences." These experiences can include everything from a meal at a theme restaurant to a Disneyland vacation. The premise is interesting, but before you hit the trend button, realize that this is not the first time marketers have courted customers with powerful retail experiences. However, it may be the first time sellers have used virtual reality and Hollywood-style animated props. This intellectually interesting book dares to be far out and to pursue the concept of engaging customers to its extremes. We recommend this book to business owners or marketers more as a theoretical introduction to the "Experience Economy" than as a marketing manual. If you feel intrigued and engaged, that's the point. For more information, please refer to Disney World.

Curtain-Call Economics
Wow!I was so fascinated with this insightful book that I coined the above phrase.Curtain-call economics is the thrust of this book.How would your customer describe his experience with your company?How entertaining, how engaging, how educational and how beautiful was his experience?This book is chock-full of real-life examples of how to capitalize in this new arena comprising our economy.First there arose an industrial era, then a service era, now, an experiential era.With all types of services abounding and ubiquitous, your differentiation will be in providing the superior experience.This book categorically and metaphorically allies you with the absolute fundamentals for positioning your establishment for success.So, in keeping with one of the teachings of this book on building suspense, I will just say that there is an era immediately following this 'experience' economy that is delineated with much delight at the conclusion of the book.

More Exciting Than it Sounds
With a title like "The Experience Economy" and a tagline that reads "Work is Theatre and Every Business a Stage," one would think this would be an exciting and daring book on innovative business strategies. Daring it most certainly is; the metaphor comparing work to theatre is adventurous and eye-opening. But it is also overdrawn, and is rooted too much in theory and not so much in practical example. A particular disappointment was that the book did not really address how online businesses can create experiences for their clients; it is geared primarily towards offline busineses. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Customer services    5. Development - Business Development    6. Diversification in industry    7. Entrepreneurship    8. Marketing - Product Management    9. Product Management    10. Business strategy    11. Sales & marketing   

Reviews (16)

Well Explained Option Strategies
This is an excellent book.It has a logical progression and thoroughly describes option strategies from the conservative to the aggressive.My only suggestion to enhance the book's practicality would be to have an appendix showing profit and loss worksheets for each strategy.His website, The Option Strategist, has some useful option market commentary.

Nitty-gritty street smarts for options traders
"McMillan on Options" is a rare kind of book, and one of the very best.Especially revealing are the discussions in Chapter 4, "The Predictive Power of Options", on how certain patterns of option trading volume and implied volatility can be tip-offs to insider activity and sharp moves in the underlying stock, and on how to take practical advantage of such patterns.The chapters on trading systems and on how to trade volatility and the volatility skew were also well written and useful to the active options trader.All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone seriously contemplating getting involved in the options game.
Exercise your option and buy this book!
As a ROP (registered Options principal) I feel I am uniquely qualified to review this book. First, understand that Larry McMillan is considered by many to be the best options mind on Wall Street (sorry Bernie Schaeffer). His knowledge of this less-than-logical derivative investment is the equivalent of Alan Greenspan’s knowledge of the economy.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Finance    5. Futures And Options Trading    6. Investments & Securities - General    7. Investments & Securities - Options    8. Options (Finance)    9. Business & Economics / Finance    10. Business strategy   

Reviews (3)

Attitude does make the difference
This book was very informative and easy to read.John Maxwell wrote in a language that is very to easy to understand and kept it very interesting and to the point.I recommend this book to everyone that would like to succeed in their personal and professional life.

makes you and breaks you
there is not need to get a rocket science degree to understand the magic of your attitude, keeps it high under all the circumstances no matter what and build necessary skills for the development of your own career, attitude alone cannot help you to reach the top step of a ladder but it would be plus if you have it with other skills, skills are important to take you the place you are dream about. It is a good book if you can pick up one or two good things out of it and implement them in your life, you will see the big difference between the Difference Maker and the Difference Taker. The rest is history.

Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude
This is a concise and straightforward read on how your attitude -- when blended with competence and other key qualities -- can be a "game breaker" in your favor in life.Maxwell is a motivational caffeine pill and this book reinforces what we sense is true anyway. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Attitude (Psychology)    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business Life - General    5. Business Life - Inspirational    6. Business/Economics    7. Leadership    8. Leadership In Business    9. Personal Growth - Success    10. Success    11. Business & Economics / Leadership   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business planning    4. Business/Economics    5. Entrepreneurship    6. Leadership    7. Management - General    8. Business & Economics / Leadership    9. Business strategy   

Reviews (4)

A good "door" to be opened by those interested for Innovation
A collection of reviews in Innovation Strategies/Policies/Theories/Practices some of them related with case studies in big companies.
state of the art on innovation
I'm searching for new ways to develop an entrepreneurial area at the university, and this book gave us more tools and knowledge to center in creativity rather than business plan the entrepreneurial curricula.
A Good Introduction to Innovation
While by no means a great book, this collection of articles on innovation from the Harvard Business Review is a good introduction to the art of innovation, as it is written in a simple but effective style. The articles also address the topic of innovation in a variety of ways, thus ensuring that almost everyone will find something useful that is written in a style conducive to their preferences.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Development - Business Development    5. Entrepreneurship    6. Organizational change    7. Organizational effectiveness    8. Structural Adjustment    9. Technological innovations    10. Project management   

Reviews (14)

Do not pass GO, READ this book
I am a big fan of Pfeffer and Sutton. We refer to their "Smart Talk Trap" phrase and article in our book, "The Thin Book of Naming Elephants." So when I saw this title, I immediately ordered it.
An End to Faddism!
The marketplace for business advice is crowded with conflicting advice, many of which are retreads of older versions claiming to offer breakthrough results.The "really bad news" is that breakthroughs rarely happen - the wise manager will not simply jump for what is in vogue.
Back to management based on evidence
Jeffrey Pfeffer is Professor of Organizational Behavior and Robert I. Sutton is Professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. They are the author of business bestseller `The Knowing-Doing Gap' (2000). This book was published in 2006 and consists of 9 chapters.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Decision Making & Problem Solving    5. Decision making    6. Industrial management    7. Management    8. Management - General    9. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (4)

No Spark in this book...
After watching one of their performances, I wanted to read this book to find out more about Cirque du Soleil but this book left me frustrated.
How much of The Spark is contrived?
I picked up this book at my library and as I read through it, found myself excited and inspired - at first.Then doubts began to creep in.Why was the narrator addressed as Frank (this was supposedly a first-person account by a sports agent named Frank Castle) when, on the book's coverit says "Created by Lyn Heward and written by John U. Bacon"?According to the inside-back cover of the dust jacket, Heward is "the former President and COO of Cirque du Soleil's Creative Content Division and is currently acting as executive producer for a variety of special projects."Bacon, is (same dust jacket inside-back cover) a veteran journalist and public speaker who's "won numerous writing awards and is the author of three books."Apparently this is his experience.But because this book chooses to give him a phony name, from here on in "Frank Castle" will be in quotation marks for your protection.
Great for managers in any type of business

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Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Business Life - Inspirational    3. Circus    4. Creative ability    5. Creativity    6. Imagination    7. Leadership    8. Personal Growth - Success    9. Self-Help    10. Business & Economics / General    11. Business & Management   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Economics - General    5. Marketing - General    6. Business & Economics / Marketing / General    7. Sales & marketing   

Editorial Review

On any given day, one out of four Americans opts for a quick and cheap meal at a fast-food restaurant, without giving either its speed or its thriftiness a second thought. Fast food is so ubiquitous that it now seems as American, and harmless, as apple pie. But the industry's drive for consolidation, homogenization, and speed has radically transformed America's diet, landscape, economy, and workforce, often in insidiously destructive ways. Eric Schlosser, an award-winning journalist, opens his ambitious and ultimately devastating exposé with an introduction to the iconoclasts and high school dropouts, such as Harlan Sanders and the McDonald brothers, who first applied the principles of a factory assembly line to a commercial kitchen. Quickly, however, he moves behind the counter with the overworked and underpaid teenage workers, onto the factory farms where the potatoes and beef are grown, and into the slaughterhouses run by giant meatpacking corporations. Schlosser wants you to know why those French fries taste so good (with a visit to the world's largest flavor company) and "what really lurks between those sesame-seed buns." Eater beware: forget your concerns about cholesterol, there is--literally--feces in your meat. Read more

Reviews (1313)

Easy to get lost
If you like fact reading, you'll like this.I thought he was to discriptive and went on and on and on about nonsense. Some of the info was really good, but it was hard to stay focused and really take it all in.I found my mind wondering and thinking about other things.

Like a guilty little trip to the corner Mickey D's
Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation" is a thorough if somewhat slanted analysis of the fast food industry.The author hooks the reader early with sweeping invectives against the titans of fast food.Before you can say "Supersize Me," you've learned that Ray Kroc and his cronies are responsible for the homogenization of global culture, the spread of E. coli and other deadly pathogens, the obesity of America's children, and the exploitation of the unskilled masses.Take a deep breath - that's just the intro.
Top-notch Journalism
The author brings a high level of professionalism to his story about the growth of the fast food industry and the consequences of its ruthless pursuit of profits.
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Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Convenience foods    3. Corporate & Business History - General    4. Fast food restaurants    5. Food Industry Services    6. Food industry and trade    7. History    8. History: American    9. Industries - Hospitality, Travel & Tourism    10. Nutrition    11. Social History    12. Sociology - General    13. United States    14. United States - General   

Reviews (26)

Excellent
There is so much information in this book a review need only be brief."The Secrets of Economic Indicators" has the most accurate and concise definitions for terms, indicators, indexes, and general information about them than most other books on this topic.All of the contact information on these agencies and groups are provided.The brilliance in this book is its a) organization b) succinctness c) writing style.Written to point, and for the layperson.Easy reading.
Good Book
I used this book for a course at school and i coupled it to econoday.com and found the compbination of the two resources an excellent way to understand the real world of business.

Highly Recommended Reading
This is the book I suggest getting if you are trading reports in my group. Very well written and excellent research! I have been trading and teaching Fundmanetal Trading in foreign exchange for several years. This is a must have item for my students. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business forecasting    4. Business/Economics    5. Economic forecasting    6. Economic indicators    7. Economics - General    8. Investments & Securities - General    9. Business & Economics / Investments & Securities    10. Economic theory & philosophy    11. Investment & securities   

Reviews (10)

A Quick Guide to Venture Capital Thinking
This book, one claimed by the publisher to fall into the need-to-read category rather than the nice-to-read, is aimed at giving the businessman the information he needs to know to be able to hold an intelligent conversation with a venture capitalist.
Great Book - But Even Better is Author DVD Called Negotiating Term Sheets & Valuations in VC Deals
This author definitely knows his stuff - but even better is author's new product called Negotiating Term Sheets and Valuations in Venture Capital Deals (ISBN 1597010987).It is a 100 minute DVD that has a lot of different material in it that is critical for doing venture capital deals.It also covers specific negotiation strategies and roles and motivations for each key deal participant - which is not covered in this book or the authors other book (Term Sheets & Valuations).

Very Disappointed
After enjoying his first book, Term Sheets and Valuations, I was looking forward to this one.I regret to say that I found it a big waste of time and a bigger waste of money.
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Subjects:  1. Accounting - General    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Economics - General    6. Investments & Securities - Stocks    7. Business    8. Career    9. Finance & Accounting    10. Small Business - Capital Generation    11. Venture capital