Reviews (25)

Concise, helpful, and interesting
This chapter turned book, provides some nice insights into the intersection of Collins's business practices and the nonprofit sector.A helpful read for those interested in social enterprise.

Five Challenges for Non-Profits to Achieve Greatness
I have direct experience in the social sector with over twenty-five years as an advisor or board member of several, varied non-profits. "Good to Great and the Social Sectors" resonated with me as it fills a very deep void in social sector leadership guidance.
Provides the Missing Link for Nonprofits to Grow from Good to Great
"Good To Great" remains my favorite leadership book, for a variety of reasons. The only shortfall has been in applying some of its tenets to our nonprofit organization. This monograph is very useful in making the book work for an organization that is driven by a different kind of results. The monograph also allows you to get this info without having to buy another copy of Good to Great,so it is well worth the cost for its small size. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business Organization    3. Business/Economics    4. General    5. Management    6. Nonprofit organizations    7. Organizational change    8. Sociology    9. Sociology - Social Theory    10. Strategic planning    11. Business & Economics / Management   

Editorial Review

Economics is not widely considered to be one of the sexier sciences. The annual Nobel Prize winner in that field never receives as much publicity as his or her compatriots in peace, literature, or physics. But if such slights are based on the notion that economics is dull, or that economists are concerned only with finance itself, Steven D. Levitt will change some minds. In Read more

Reviews (1164)

Fluff and Nonsense
The underlying theme of this book seems to be that if one can come up with enough provocative theses and find some support, however tenuous, for them, perhaps one can write a thin, light weight book which will attract attention and thereby gain one's 15 minutes of fame.
Compelling, but superficial arguments
The storytelling and economic science are the backbone of this compelling book and the scattered topics aren't enough to minimize Levitt's or Dubner's effort.The superficiality of the ideas is, however, and the wild concepts that the self-proclaimed freakonomist advances are easily put to question by simple thought experiments.For instance, the most controversial proposition that Levitt makes is that the legalization of abortion in the '70s was the single most important factor in the steep decline of crime in the US in the '90s, and that can be scrutinized easily.Levitt says that the people who would have been born to those mothers in the '70s would have gone on to live lives of the unwanted and been more likely to commit crimes in their late teens and early twenties (the '90s).Since millions were aborted, they weren't there to commit those crimes later.This eerie idea may be hard to stomach, but that's not the reason it should be doubted.If the aborted children would have a higher chance of becoming criminals, they would, no doubt, also have a higher chance of becoming poor, but the poverty rates for people above 18 remained relatively stable through the '80s and since.
It's about time Statistician speak out
I originaly bought this for my son (in college on the mainland) based on an article I read in the sunday paper. When I saw it in the library I decided to pick it up and see if the book was any good. Well I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this was a very worthy book. After all how many people would ever consider a Statistician's opinion, well this is one time where you should. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Economics    5. Economics (General)    6. Economics - General    7. Economics - Theory    8. Psychological aspects    9. Social aspects    10. Sociological aspects    11. Business & Economics / General   

Reviews (93)

Beyond expectations for firms searching for answers
I admit I was skeptical of the promises this book made.The book went beyond my expectations.It gives a structured framework for culling newness out of tired competition.
Profound Insights into Marketing and into Life!
The authors show us examples of companies who were not satisfied with the socially accepted business paradigms of their industry and were eventive enough to create a whole new market for themselves with their intuition, grit and determination. Exciting! May even change your life!

If you do not own your own business, his could be fun reading
I have never made the time to review a book, but this book came highly reccommended by other reviewers.Since I cant know their business backgrounds, I'd like to help someone else in making the decision of reading this book.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Investments & Securities - General    5. Market segmentation    6. Marketing - General    7. Marketing Management    8. New products    9. Product Management    10. Strategic Planning    11. Business strategy   

Reviews (82)

Re-reading the Classics
The canon of Sales Lit goes back only a couple of decades.In that canon, Neil Rackham's first "Spin Selling" takes a special place as one of the classics or founding texts.So, if you need help preparing a meeting with one of your largest accounts, take the time to re-read this classic text.
Revealing selling process
SPIN Selling illustrates the validaty of the method by showing how real Fortune 500 sales forces have improved by asking the right questions to uncover customer pain.This book will enlighten sales managers and any representatives who manage large sales transactions. Also, executives can benefit from the insights about large sales. I have personally improved my sales numbers greatly after utilizing the ideas in SPIN Selling.This book deserves a place in all-time sales manual classics.

Great book on asking the right questions
A very good and interesting book and very easy to read. For me this book was very convincing for 2 important reasons: 1. SPIN selling is based upon scientific research of many sales calls for many years. 2. The idea of SPIN selling is about the fact that customers decide whether they buy somehting (or advance the sales call) upon their own ideas, their own beliefs, their own assumptions.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Sales    5. Sales & Selling - General    6. Sales & Selling - Techniques    7. Selling    8. Business & Economics / Sales & Selling    9. Sales & marketing   

Reviews (11)

Valuable Knowledge
This book was used in our MBA finance course. Many parts of financial management in this book are useful for a financial leader. This book has easy, logical, and coherent valuation formulas related to WACC and other financial measurements. Certainly speaks real life application - I intend to keep this book beyond my MBA program.

Great Explanations
Overall, this text is well put together.It has good explanations and examples in each chapter.If you choose to take the time and do the self test questions at the end of each section, the answers are in the back.Also, the end of the chapter problems have answers that you can check your work.I haven't used the supporting web material yet, but there are tools and supporting material to download.

good enough for undergrads + serious MBAs
Terrific intro-level book to corporate finance -- those thinking the book is too basic could not be more wrong: top MBA programs around the country are adopting this book back into their cirricula. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Corporations    5. Economics - General    6. Finance    7. Management - General    8. Budgeting & financial management    9. Business & Economics / Finance   

Editorial Review

This grandfather of all people-skills books was first published in 1937. It was an overnight hit, eventually selling 15 million copies. Read more

Reviews (434)

Outstanding!
Dale Carnegie is one of the authors I have admired for so long. There are numerous reasons why this book is a classic one. He deeply believes that in every person there is good and you can approach it. Of course, there are many negative people who don't like this book because they see everything in black and white. Carnegie on the other side advocates a really delicate, positive and humane approach to everyone around you. It comes very close to "treat the others as you want them to treat you". I am sure that if everyone read and apply the principles in this wonderful book, the world will be a better place. I am sure that you will be pleased as well with his talent to really understand what drives people. Some of the key and basic motivators he discussed are sex and being important. His viewpoint is very close to the one of the bestselling author of scientfically guaranteed male multiple orgasms and ultimate sex. After all genius things are usually simple. Carnegie explores the human nature and common hot buttons together with the reader and gives you tools to manage and push them at your will with the help of numerous examples. I liked that the book is practical, easy and fun to read, and most of all that it delivers great value. I can not say the same for many other books. Definitely get a copy especially if you are a "good" person and prefer to treat people with respect and dignity.

If only...
If everyone in the world read this book just once, it would be such a more enjoyable place to live in...

Classic of Self Help Genre
This book may be the one that Created the genre.And what was true then is just as true today.One of the loveliest parts about this book are the stories and anecdotes from the time when it was written.It was a simpler time back then.And the people faced such different dilemas than we do today.Yet, the more things change, the more things stay the same.The humanity of this books comes through loud and clear. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business Communication - General    3. Business/Economics    4. Careers - General    5. Interpersonal Relations    6. Personal Growth - Success    7. Psychology    8. Psychology, Applied    9. Success    10. Self-Help & Practical Interests    11. Self-Help / General   

Reviews (44)

"the book" for all executives and managers
It is not a book focus on "managing career transmission" as suggested by the title of the book. Actually it is the guide book on all management related topics on management effeciveness, leadership, negotiation and organizational behavior. Very clearly articulated, easy to read and down to earth. Another excellent example of Harvard's high intellegence assets.

Great Topic - kudos Mr Watkins!
My husband took the book out from the library for me and after reading the first few chapters I decided that this was a book to own. As you will keep going back to re-read the roadmap to help you on your new venture(s).
Most helpful!
Sound, practical advice for anyone climbing the corporate ladder. Great exercises and guidelines for conversations with new bosses as well as new underlings. Great help for those first 90 days and beyond. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Decision Making & Problem Solving    5. Executive ability    6. Leadership    7. Management    8. Strategic planning    9. Structural Adjustment    10. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (61)

The Antithesis of Winner-Take-All
If you became hopelessly depressed after reading "The Winner-Take-All Society" by Frank and Cook, then "The Long Tail" will provide you with some solace. Nothing ever reaches its logical conclusion, and economic rewards will not aggregate to the top ad infinitum. The ability to make an infinite number of copies of the "best" song or movie or book contrasts with the infinite shelf space available on the internet. "The Long Tail" demonstrates why that shelf space will be a highly democratizing force. People are always looking for something new, and the traditional, monopolistic channels (or gatekeepers) are under siege, even now.

Pop-science goes marketing
The big thing these days seems to be science writers like Malcolm Gladwell coming up with best-sellers that, charitably put, are very light on facts and very long on sometimes outlandish assertion. Chris Anderson, editor in chief of Wired magazine, joins the parade with his silly - yes, silly - claim that businesses like music and movies are no longer driven by hits, but by the "long tail." That it is the thousands of titles that people buy or rent infrequently. Somehow, according to Anderson, the idea of web merchants making a zillion titles available and some of those titles being sold or rented once or twice will be the "transformation . . . coming to just about every industry imaginable." Uh, no it ain't. Nowhere in the book does Anderson factor in the reality that someone pays for the production of all those videos and music tracks that rent or sell infrequently. Nor does he account for the reality that not every web merchant can acheive the volume of an Amazon or eBay. In other words, Anderson has discovered the obvious: if you make 30,000 movies available for rental, let's say, through a Netflix, many of the cult titles and dogs will be rented. Anderson pounds on this "long tail" effec while glossing over the fact that the neighborhood video rental store won't carry 30,000 titles. The profits from the occasionl rental of the 30,000th item on the list won't match the cost of acquiring and keeping it in stock in a store, while it makes little difference to a Netflix.
Insights that influence Google's strategic thinking.
98 Rule: Netflix reckoned that 95 percent of its 25,000 DVDs rented at least once a quarter. Amazon using an independent academic research on its book sales suggested that 98 percent of its top 100,000 books sold at least once a quarter.Digital space cost per DVD is very cheap and represent almost no physical inventory space excepting magnetic medium storage.In the sale of one or two DVDs, the traditional retail runs out of steam because it can turn inventory fast enough to pay for physical space, but the economics of online retail keep going.Eventually, Amazon will localize and print digital media using high-speed printers producing a book in seconds from an electronic catalog, the birth of a book replication. DVDs will be replaced by wireless iPods, who are paying subscribers to iTunes, will increase the speed of distribution and volume of sales of the media they prefer. The 80/20 rules are changing.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Consumer Behavior - General    5. Economic Conditions    6. Economics (General)    7. Economics - General    8. Internet marketing    9. Market segmentation    10. Marketing    11. Marketing - Research    12. Sales & Selling - General    13. Technological innovations    14. Business & Economics / Economic History   

Reviews (125)

Pretty Good
Yeah I was forced to read this by my boss...but it was quick and worthwhile.I am an experienced manager but I still picked up some valuable tips. This is worth while reading- short, to the point, and informative

Universally applicable!
This is one of my favorite books. It is geniusly simple, respectful and powerful. I was surprised to find out that I can easily apply the 3 principles in almost every relationship. So many people around deserve to be praised and taught a lesson and it is very important HOW you will do it because the final result can be very positive or just the opposite. It is a very valuable book which is very well written and is a fast read. I also highly recommend the other books from the One Minute Manager series because every book has a lot to offer and they will be especially helpful if you are in a business environment.

Timeless

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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Entrepreneurship    5. Management    6. Management - General    7. Motivational    8. Business & Economics / Management    9. Management & management techniques   

Editorial Review

With first-chapter allusions to martial arts, "flow," "mind like water," and other concepts borrowed from the East (and usually mangled), you'd almost think this self-helper from David Allen should have been called

Reviews (236)

Lots of good ideas, but not the whole story
I've been trying to organize my life for over 20 years, and have read innumerable books on the subject. While each one has offered something to add to the puzzle, none of them has told the whole story.
Great book
This book totally helped me out.Great book.I use a plugin for Gmail on Firefox called GTD that integrates these concepts into my email and my productivity has gone through the roof.Awesome book.

This book has made me a lot of money
I got a very valuable piece of advice from this book:
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Life - Health/Stress    4. Labor Productivity    5. Personal Growth - Self-Esteem    6. Self-Help    7. Time Management    8. Business & Economics / Time Management   

Reviews (17)

EC 301 Intermediate Micro
Easy to read, at least more so than accounting.If you can afford it, buy it.

Unneccessarily Long
This textbook takes microeconomics which can be explained in a technical, exact manner and makes it abstract and foreign.
A good book for intermediate level students
Organization of the books is good. Topics are discussed with enough clarity and each topic comes with lots of graphs and illustrations (which I think are a great help at that level). The level of algebra and math is at an intermediate undergraduate level (economics major). I think it is a complete book for anybody who wants to have an understanding of microeconomics. I am a Ph.D. student of economics now and if I am going to teach an undergrad micro course, I will certainly choose this textbook. ... Read more

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

Editorial Review

Using the story/parable format so popular these days, Read more

Reviews (123)

Helpful Insight
I've been on a leadership book kick lately, and this is one of my all-time favorites. It's short, easy to read, and is one of the best explanations of cognitive dissonance for the layman I've ever seen. It doesn't work for everybody though - some people are turned off by the "fable" format and simple writing style. I still find it very helpful, and it's the kind of book that can have a dramatic impact on some of its readers. It certainly does a good job of making the point that by focusing on our own behavior we can make any situation better.

Not About Leadership
This book is not really about leadership.It is about being nice to people.And remember, any problem you have with another person in life is your fault.So, apologize, start over, and be nice.

Leadership and Self-Deception
This is an excellent resource on dealing with conflict, in the business world or in family life.The authors present their ideas in a story format that is very easy to read.I would recomment this book to anyone, we all need the lessons taught in this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Careers - General    5. Economics - General    6. Leadership    7. Organizational Behavior    8. BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Leadership   

Features

• Abridged

Reviews (323)

stop reading the reviews and just buy it
The single most helpful book in changing the way I thought about myself and my goals.Buy it.

Recipe for Success
Napoleon Hill's gift to each of us who reads and rereads this astounding life recipe is priceless. I remain in awe of his rigour, insight and persistence. If you haven't read this book, buy it now, read it and read it again. Then do Hill's exercises exactly as he advises and the world will shift beneath your feet.

Great book.Cheap CD
Overly compressed burnt cd.Audio is slightly "tinny", because of over compression.CD and lack of packaging leave a bit to be desired. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business Life - Inspirational    2. Business/Economics    3. Motivational & Inspirational    4. Personal Growth - Success    5. Psychology    6. Advice on careers & achieving success    7. Popular psychology    8. Self-Help / Motivational   

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

Reviews (11)

Finally, a book on economics that even I can understand!
This is the book I have been looking for!I sure wish I'd found this book let's say five years ago or maybe $5,000 ago (lol)!Now I'm a big dummie, especially when it comes to economics, but I plan to make millions in the near future by gaining some kind of angle or secret.Mr CR McConnell breaks down all those confusing economic things that have stood between and my dreams of understanding just how money works for years. I recomend this book for anyone that wants to help themselves out economically and plans to help other people out with their money too.Look for me on the cover of Fortune Magazine!

The Best Macroeconomics Text Available
As far as I'm concerned, McConnell's "Economics" is the most thorough and well-structured macroeconomics text available. The examples are smart and clear, and the information fresh and updated, unlike other texts in this area of study. My vote: 5 stars.
Close but no cigar.
McConnell and Brue do a B+ job in this book.However,it does not equal Samuelson's introductory textbookin economics in explanatory power in a number of areas.In this review I will concentrate on just one point of comparison concerning the paradox of thrift.McConnell and Brue effectively discuss this paradox at the macro economic level using the short run aggregate supply curve's three ranges-the horizontal Keynesian range,the upward sloping synthesis range and the Classical-Neoclassical vertical range.If the economy is operating in the Keynesian range or the lower part of the synthesis range,then McConnell and Brue correctly show that more current savings will lead to less future savings due to a decrease in investment and a reverse multiplier effect reducing spending.On the other hand, they correctly show that if the economy is operating in the vertical range,more savings will reduce inflationary pressures while making it possible for investment to increase IF(and only if)businessmen have correct expectations about the future.Samuelson also goes through this analysis.However, Samuelson goes one step further. Samuelson first discusses the linkage at the microeconomic level between the paradox of thrift and its microfoundations in the Production Possibilities Curve(PPF).Essentially, if the economy is operating inside the frontier(on the horizontal Keynesian range or upward sloping portion of the synthesis range),then more savings is detrimental and moves the economy deeper into the interior of the PPF.On the other hand,if the ecomomy is operating on the boundary of the PPF,then more savings can potentially be transformed into more investment,assuming that businessmen, operating in the private sector,have correct expectations about the future.Samuelson demonstrates that in the interior the micro optimality conditions break down and are not operational.McConnell and Brue do not cover this in their textbook. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Economics    5. Economics - General   

Editorial Review

In the revised and updated edition of Read more

Reviews (35)

Not one of Womack's best works
I personally do a vast amount of reading with lean enterprise being of special interest. Womack has done some great work, but this is a "tough read" even for serious lean enthusiasts. I typically finish a book of this length within 2-3 days then re-read it and highlight. It literally took me 11 weeks because I was lulled to a point in which reading further would be of no benefit and would have to put it back on the shelf and revisit it days later. I realize that scholarly and business writing is not especially exciting as I am constantly reading and doing research but this one was tough even for me, an avid reader.

Common Sense isn't so Common
This book provides a very unique perspective on how to run a business.These methodologies can be applied to any industry, as the authors suggest.
LEAN as it expands
After reading "The machine that saved the world" (which I recommend reading before this one) from the same great authors, I got more and more interested in the LEAN concept. As described in this book, by 1996, LEAN became a way of thinking and operating, expanding around the world in several industries. Although this book gives a clear explanation of LEAN principles, it is still oriented into manufacturing. This book is not enough if you are willing to implement LEAN in your organization, but rather convinces you of applying it if you are still hesitating. Check out the latest book in this series "Lean Solutions: How Companies and Customers Can Create Value and Wealth Together". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Entrepreneurship    5. Industrial efficiency    6. Management - General    7. Organization Development    8. Organizational effectiveness    9. Strategic Planning    10. Value added    11. Business & Economics / General   

Reviews (47)

Are you adding or destroying value ? - Find it out with The Balanced Score Card
The financial performance of an organization is essential for its success. Even non-profit organizations must deal in a sensible way with funds they receive.
Aligning four key business areas to your vision and strategy
This book has become a classic in the field of business management.The 'balanced scorecard' has surely been referenced enough to include it in the dictionary.Robert Kaplan is the Arthur Lowes Dickson Professor of Accounting at Harvard Business School.His co-author David Norton is the president of Renaissance Solutions, Inc.
Effective for top down planning
The balanced scorecard approach is a very effective tool for top-down planning initiatives. The method will ensure that any business unit initiative is cross-checked with the broader corporate goals.The book provides an easy-to-understand yet detailed how-to guide to strategy planning.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Corporate Planning    5. Entrepreneurship    6. Evaluation    7. Industrial Management    8. Industrial productivity    9. Management - General    10. Measurement    11. Organizational effectiveness    12. Strategic Planning    13. Budgeting & financial management    14. Business strategy   

Reviews (46)

Encylopedic Treatment of Econometrics
If you have taken a course in econometrics, this is one of the best econometrics references that you can have on your bookshelf.There is ample discussion on linear regression models and all the required concepts from mathematical statistics that are needed.It just hits on time series and panel data, but clearly those are topics for two different books altogether.This book gets updated frequently and the format is reorganized to make things easier to understand.However, some times the reorganization does not work for the best.