Editorial Review

Spawned by a 10-year study of 2,000 firms conducted at Bain & Company, a global consultancy specializing in business strategy, Read more

Reviews (28)

Define your core business clearly
The authors of this book see 3 essential elements separating a good growth strategy, one that is successful from a poor growth strategy, one that fails:
Skip this one and read the sequel instead
This is not a terrible book- it has some interesting case studies which the authors use to prove their points. However, there is not a great deal in here that is new if you've read the sequel to this book first ("Beyond the Core", Zook), and have read other
Very Realistic and very useful
This book is very good, it explains very clearly the different growth concepts with clear definitions, and a very interesting growth matrix. in addition, unlike other books, this book uses a lot of real world examples to illustarte the different concepts and growth startegies. It explains how companies, that succeded, evolved from their core business and developed new products without getting lost in the process. Also, explains why and how some companies failed. The book is realistic, and gives you some tools and matrix that you can apply when analyzing and developing a growth strategy. You should also check out the web site, it has some examples of how to apply the gowth matrix. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Corporate & Business History - General    5. Corporate Finance    6. Corporate profits    7. Corporations    8. Entrepreneurship    9. Growth    10. Industrial management    11. Management - General    12. Strategic Planning    13. Business strategy   

Reviews (12)

Guide, menu, toolbook, cookbook, non Toyota case studies...whatever you name it. It helps!
For those who had been deeply impressed by "The Toyota Way" and want to implement it to your business, this book is an excellent pracctical guide. There are plenty of charts, flow diagrams, tables, checklists, non Toyota examples, action plans, report forms etc etc which I find very helpful. I particularly like the "Reflect and Learn from the Process" Section (summary/key points/action items) in the end of each chapter. A book well worths its price! Highly recommended! However, please read "The Toyota Way" before this.
So you think your company is lean? Think again......
...read this book and I will guarantee you will look at your
Review
Absolutely an excellent book that takes the "theory" of Lean, and converts it to reality in a very clear, understandable manner. If you are going to implement Lean...read this book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automobile Industries (Economic Aspects)    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Corporate & Business History - General    6. General    7. History Of Specific Companies    8. Industries - General    9. Management - General    10. Business & Economics / General    11. Management & management techniques    12. Industrial Management    13. Manufacturing processes   

Reviews (16)

Entertaining, Realistic, Sarcastic
If you want to get a peek at the investment banking world, then this book is the one.I found the book to be entertaining and insightful.It is difficult to find detailed, objective accounts of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, and Jonathan provides that here.
Stay on Story
As an I-Banker at a regional firm I always enjoy reading books such as this.This is a mixed bag.Knee starts the book discussing his internship in London, what a "rookie" does, what he did well, what he did not do well, and why he didn't want to do this forever.But, after an MBA and a short career with an airline, he's back at it again, and with success.He "accidentally" fell into a role and used his wit to carve out a successful niche.This is where this book is at its best and an excellent, fast read.
Entertaining and Insightful
The Accidental Investment Banker is an excellent and entertaining history of investment banking.Mr. Knee uses his experience and knowledge to accurately describe both the intricacies of the job and the role investment bankers actually play.Most importantly, he provides thoughtful insight on trends in the industry over the past ten years witnessing firsthand the decline of relationship banking and the impact of the internet bubble.
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Subjects:  1. Banks & Banking    2. Business    3. Economic History    4. Economics | Business   

Reviews (181)

Required reading for anyone serious about working on Wall Street.
Everyone has read this, and its easy to understand why. One of the best written books about Wall Street ever, Michael Lewis is superb as he goes about describing his experience at Salomon Brothers during the 1980's as a bond salesman. Introduces us to the legendary trader John Meriweather before he started Long Term Capital Management.

Interesting and well written...
This should be required reading analysts and associates along with `Monkey Business: Swinging Through the Wall Street Jungle' and `Goldman Sachs: The Culture of Success'. Each gives a different and illuminating perspective on the ups and downs of the many different departments that make up large, institutional finance organizations. Moreover, there are in totality especially useful if you have no idea about how finance actually operates on a day-to-day basis beyond what you see in your economics courses (definitely the case at Harvard, U Chicago, MIT and the like, where these firms heavily recruit). Can definitely give those without and an internship or direct experience the ability to level the playing field to a large degree.

Wall Street Demystified
For those of us that have an innate disbelief for brokers, traders, advisors and the likes working from Wall Street, this is a must read.For those of you who take lessons and advise from financial advisors, money experts, radio and TV charlatans, this book should be mandatory.
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Subjects:  1. (Michael M.)    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Bonds    5. Brokers    6. Business    7. Business / Economics / Finance    8. Business/Economics    9. Corporate & Business History - General    10. Investments & Securities - General    11. Investments & Securities - Stocks    12. Lewis, Michael    13. Salomon Brothers    14. United States    15. Business & Economics / Economic History   

Editorial Review

This analysis of what makes great companies great has been hailed everywhere as an instant classic and one of the best business titles since Read more

Reviews (133)

Should be from bad to worse
Despite trying very hard to deny that this is just another fad management book - there is nothing new in this title.Clueless managers will recite the core principals of this book and treat them as gospel as they try to improve their bottom line.It is also worth noting that at least one of the "great" organizations in the book, Fannie May, has imploded in an accounting scandal.Not the worst fad management book ever written, but that isn't saying much.

How Companies Succeed by Collins and Porras
The book separates core values from the operating practices of
A huge business hit of the early 90s that has aged pretty well
This is one of the business classics in the past twenty years.It has sold a huge number of copies and I am sure many of those purchased copies were actually read!As impressive as its sales numbers have been, the way it has affected the approach to the way business was discussed and talked about for the past dozen years has been even more impressive.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Corporate & Business History - General    5. Corporate & Business History - Strategies    6. Development - Sustainable Development    7. Entrepreneurship    8. Industrial management    9. Management - General    10. Success in business    11. United States    12. Business & Economics / Management   

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   

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 (6)

Very Helpful
The world is full of experts at what is wrong with the things that we do. Dr. Carver has a rock-solid, well thought out suggestion concerning how to do it right. One reviewer complained that Dr. Carver's suggestions are not realistic. Right isnot often realistic, but right is always right. It's far better to start with an ideal and compromise from that point than to capitulate from the outset. Boards that Make a Difference is well worth reading.

Idealistic
The carver style of governance is a tad idealistic and perhaps overly optimistic.I have read everything Dr Carver has written concerning this field and enjoy this material at an academic level.But when it comes tooperationalizing this model in boardrooms I've seen it fail time and timeagain.Not to say that the model is flawed because in fact the model isnormative and conceptually complete.However it doesn't capture thatelement of reality from which, in my experience, the model requires -practicality and real-world application.Dr Carver's notion that Boardscan do without Finance and Audit Committees is very naive.Mostconsultants from the chartered accountant genre are saying the completeopposite.In fact most government policy initiatives are moving towardmore control of financial affairs of organizations for boards from chartsof accounts to fiscal policy.So I don't think the elimination of Financeand Audit Committees is realistic nor is it a terribly bright suggestion. I guess my only crticism is that the carver model is far to idealistic andphilosophical for a practical application in the form Dr Carver suggests. Sorry but a hybrid model of traditional Board governance and the carvermodel may work given the commitment required from directors tofollow-though on everything suggested in that system of governance,

A must-have for not-for-profits!
This book was the core piece of a radical change in our board room. It led us down the path we knew we wanted to go but didn't know how to get there. His model for board room organization could revolutionize boards ofcompanies in transition, like those of the rural electric program inAmerica. It's a road map for where you already know in your heart that youwant to go. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Associations, institutions, et    2. Associations, institutions, etc.    3. Business & Economics    4. Business / Economics / Finance    5. Business/Economics    6. Corporate & Business History - General    7. Directors of corporations    8. Leadership    9. Management    10. Non-Profit Organizations Management    11. Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    12. Nonprofit organizations    13. Public Administration    14. Business & Economics / Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    15. Civil service & public sector    16. Management decision making   

Editorial Review

Since 1987, Starbucks's star has been on the rise, growing from 11 Seattle, WA-based stores to more than 1,000 worldwide. Its goals grew, too, from the more modest, albeit fundamental one of offering high-quality coffee beans roasted to perfection to, more recently, opening a new store Read more

Reviews (105)

Marketing Master, yes. Quality Coffee roaster.....Now he's full of ____!
Being a specialty roaster since 1975 and being part of a local specialty roaster group. I can tell you that starbuck's main accomplishment is their marketing ability. The coffee they distribute is garbage, and this doesn't have to come from my mouth, it comes from people who come to me after tasting their supposed "specialty coffee."Starbucks lost their specialty status the moment you could find them on every street corner and/or supermarket. Where they beat most is their non stop advertising and brainwashing of people. The reason starbucks got big was because there was noone around to fill that demand, or more importantly, due to the nature of the specialty market, noone who wanted to fill that position.The amount of coffee they are forced to produce lead to only one scenario, inferior quality.Concepts of mass production. Economics 101. The higher the demand, the less likely quality is to have influence.

How Starbucks changed the World
What a great read! This is a story of how Starbucks changed the world. Howard Schultz, the CEO, tells the history of Starbucks starting with its founding in 1971 up until 1999. Schultz tells how he came on board,later bought the company and its sky-roacketing growth.
One of the Greatest Models of Superior Business that Cares About People
This is a FANTASTIC book about passion behind business, dealing with major growth, serving the customer, helping people from the heart, actually caring about the consumer, and caring about humanity at the same time.
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Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Business    3. Business & Economics    4. Business/Economics    5. Corporate & Business History - General    6. Corporate & Business History - Strategies    7. History    8. Industries - Hospitality, Travel & Tourism    9. Restaurants    10. Restaurateurs    11. Schultz, Howard    12. Starbucks Coffee Company    13. United States    14. Business & Economics / Corporate History    15. Business & Management    16. Food manufacturing & related industries   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Corporate & Business History - General    4. Reference - General    5. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (47)

Both Honest, and Dishonest, Just Like the Magic Kingdom
I can't give this book a one because it does summarize Disney's business morals well, BUT, it leaves out what is obvious, it's lack of respect for God. Disney, as this book shows, relies on pleasing the customer, not God. It's also helpful in that it does give business advice, although not totally.
Seven Keys to Success
This is a fun book, easy to read, great ideas to make your business more successful and customer friendly.I would recommend it highly and it is a great tool for a staff training or retreat.

Customer Service 101:A Must Read for Your Staff
This is an excellent tool for managers.While a good manager knows the seven secrets, the presentation in this book reinforces what you know.The secrets are presented in a different format that makes you think of other ways to motivate your staff.What makes this book really stand out is it is an easy, interesting book to read.Most books of this type are presented in a boring, academic format...while this is presented through various characters...those we have in our workplaces.I would recommend this book for all managers...especially those first time managers. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Corporate & Business History - General    5. Entrepreneurship    6. Management    7. Management - General    8. Recreation Industries (Economic Aspects)    9. Walt Disney Company    10. International business    11. Social history    12. USA   

Reviews (4)

The Inside Story of Successful Companies
"Stories play a major therapeutic role in life. As earthly sojourners in the 21st century we experience the outer world in society, organizations and communities as paradoxical, rapidly changing, and becoming more globally inter-dependent. This out world many times is at variance with our own inner world. And this is the therapeutic power of storytelling." ~David Dunning, Corporate Leadership Psychologist
Leaders Who Want To Be GreatNeed To Read This Book
Eveyn Clark has written a wonderful book about corporate storytelling and in the process has told us a wonderful story. She has gathered us around in a corporate, global campfire circle and inspired, entertained, and taught us the value of storytelling. She gives us role models to follow and insights to understand why this is so important in today's business world. She gives guidance as to how to implement storytelling into our own corporate lives. A very important book in this digital world we live in.

Rich Barbee, CEO, K/P Corporation, San Ramon CA
"I believe this work is a `must read and understand' for all senior executives. Quite simply, most CEOs tell the world their most important assets are their people.Yet, what they most often discuss are their financials and their markets.This book is a wonderful review of companies relating to their employees through storytelling and becoming more successful as a result."
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Communication - Meetings & Presentations    4. Business/Economics    5. Corporate & Business History - General    6. Corporate culture    7. Leadership    8. Storytelling    9. Success in business   

Reviews (19)

Lean Production for everyone
Japan manufacturing revolutionized the automobile industry.Japan transformed the automobile industry by applying ideal perfection conditions of zero defect products, reduced inventories, and the generation of endless product inventories.How did Japan accomplish this breakaway?Lean production is the answer.Lean production allowed the Japanese to reduce human labor by ½, manufacturing production space by ½, capital investment by ½, required engineering hours by ½, and reduced production time by ½. US automobile companies were on the defensive and rather than compete head to head in quality and competitiveness with their Japanese counterparts they sought refuge in the political system.
Misleading and dated
This is a fairly poorly researched book, despite the authors' credentials; their history of American automobiles is grossly inaccurate and only serves to reinforce incorrect stereotypes. They spend very little time actually describing lean production, preferring to talk about how every other company will go bankrupt because they don't have it. The misreading of the Volvo story is also rather galling, though to be fair, Volvo's team-based approach was already being dismantled (for non-
Takes a licking - keeps on ticking
For those of you long in the tooth you may recall John Cameron Swayze's love-in with Timex watches where in a 60 second commercial he would submit the watch to behemoth like torture, rodeo riding, outboard motors, and then hold the watch up and say, 'it takes a licking and keeps on ticking.'
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Subjects:  1. Automobile industry    2. Automobile industry and trade    3. Automotive - Industry    4. Business & Economics    5. Business / Economics / Finance    6. Business/Economics    7. Corporate & Business History - General    8. Entrepreneurship    9. Industries - Automobile Industry    10. Japan    11. Road vehicle manufacturing industry    12. Technology / General    13. USA    14. Corporate History    15. Engineering - Civil    16. Transportation   

Editorial Review

Enron was a $100-billion-a-year company in October 2001--America's seventh-largest. The Houston-based energy firm enjoyed warm ties with newly installed President George W. Bush. Earnings were up 26 percent from the previous quarter, while Read more

Reviews (114)

Well-reported but not close to the best on Enron
Eichenwald's style might be more easily "accessible," but Bethany McLean's Smartest Guys in the Room is BY FAR the better report of what actually went on at Enron.Buy that one, not Eichenwald's half-baked pretender.

As close as we'll ever come to knowing what went on inside Enron
Only those who lived life inside Enron will ever know the true story of what happened that caused the catastrophic corporate debacle.Even amongst Enron insiders, only a handful were in a position to know the truth.Kurt Eichenwald has done a great job in this book of pulling together as many of the sources as he can in order to give those of us on the outside a look at the inside.
Foolishness
As a bit player in the west coast energy crisis, I found the cast of characters and their foolishness were too close to home.I suspect that no matter what industry one is in, readers will find something to identify with.And if you are not in business, you should see what can happen within organizations that does and will affect your life.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business failures    3. Business/Economics    4. Corporate & Business History - General    5. Corrupt practices    6. Energy    7. Energy industries    8. Enron Corp.    9. General    10. History Of Specific Companies    11. Industries - Energy Industries    12. Other Miscellaneous Crimes    13. True Crime / Espionage    14. United States    15. White Collar Crime    16. Business & Economics / General   

Reviews (29)

Caveat Emptor
I came across this book after its mention by someone trying to get me into the Amway/Quixtar scheme. Pilzer's books try to financially educate the average person, make him aware that his lifestyle is being leveraged by large corporations for their benefit. Inasmuch, his effort is appreciated.