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   

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

Reviews (45)

SirWired
Last night at our Investors Group meeting we listened to the speaker explain the basics of the plan in the book.Before I bought it I wanted to read the reviews.Yours was very good, except that I wish you would read the book and then come back and tell us what you think.I haven't bought it yet.
Awesome..definitely "outside the box" material
I could NOT put this book down. If you seriously want a financial plan that has ALL the benefits, then embrace this book.

This will change the way you think about finances!
This book blew me away with the concepts and idea's.It has completely changed how I will approach my mortgage and other retirement savings in the future.The concepts at a high level make a lot of sense.Getting down to the details on how to put all of these concepts together becomes more difficult.I recommend this book to everyone.I really enjoyed it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Consumer Finance    3. Finance, Personal    4. Financial security    5. General    6. Investments    7. Personal Finance    8. Personal Finance - Financial Planning    9. Personal Finance - Investing    10. Personal Finance - Money Management    11. United States    12. Business & Economics / General    13. Business ethics   

Reviews (1)

One of the best textbooks i've ever read!
The author of this book really had the student reader in mind. He includes every aspect of business and financing in the text.He is broad but simple at the same time.I would recommend this book to anyone that is beginning to get into the business world of learning! ... Read more

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

Reviews (14)

Feast for the Soul...and your business
Dr Cloud serves up a delish and varied plate in his most recent offering toward healthy living. This book is highly readable, yet worthy of slow savoring as opposed to a quick snack.
Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Relity
For those in business, ministry, and anyone with a relationship, this book is a must read. The principles that are learned will change your life, I just thought I knew what integrity was, now I see the areas I need to improve in my life so that my relationships will be so much better. An excellent book!

Generalized overview with little new insight
I agree completely with the Becksted review (I also noted that it was helpful, but I meant it would have been helpful had I read it before I bought the CD).
Read more

Subjects:  1. Applied Ethics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Life - Inspirational    4. Character    5. Ethics & Moral Philosophy    6. Integrity    7. Leadership    8. Personal Growth - Success    9. Personal Guidance    10. Self-Help    11. Business & Economics / Management    12. Christian Interest    13. Christian life & practice    14. Religion / Christian Life   

Reviews (9)

Finite Mathematics for Business Economics, Life Sciences and Social Sciences (10th Edition)
They sent me the wrong book. I ordered theFinite Mathematics for Business Economics, Life Sciences and Social Sciences (10th Edition)by Raymond A. Barnett and received the solution manual. I feel very disapointed with this purchase.
NOT USER FRIENDLY!
I am using this textbook for my Math for Business and Economics class and it is terrible.This book is not written taking into consideration the audience "Business Majors". Concepts are better explained in the Chapter review than under the sections they are being presented.There is only 1 example for each new concept and definitions are written using one or two definitions of new concepts within it.If this book is intended to take the student from the abstract concept to the real world it sure doesn't do this.I understood the material better in my Intermediate Algebra class than I do now.

Sound choice for a finite math textbook
This is a very sound choice as a textbook for a course in finite mathematics. The coverage is appropriate, the level suitable for the non-math major, the explanations are excellent and the authors take the title seriously. Read more

Subjects:  1. Biomathematics    2. Finite Mathematics    3. General    4. Linear Programming    5. Mathematics    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Social sciences    8. Statistics    9. Applied mathematics    10. Mathematics / General   

Editorial Review

If the prescriptions for getting rich that are outlined in books such as Read more

Reviews (279)

...like giving or getting Galileo's book on the solar system as a Christmas gift in 1632
My professional work involves evaluating money managers and trying to "understand" a manager's skill vs luck and where the manager might fit in an overall portfolio.So I have spent 30+ years slashing my way through the jungle made by academics who think they can put markets and reality into nice, predictable models; and worse, listening to the sales pitches of money managers and other financial salesmen who want you to believe they are predictably worth paying very high fees and subjecting your money to untold risks.
interesting but too long and arrogent
The author has some interesting things to say on randomness and probability and how it effects our day to day life. However what could have been an interesting long essay does not a book make! Furthermore he is really annoying in the way he makes snide and unjustified remarks about various people. For example - he may think Buffet is a lucky fool and he may be right (I do not understand the markets enough to judge this one). However he doesn't stop there. He goes on to attack Buffet for living a moderate life style (so what) and ends with musing if money isn't importent for Buffet why doesn't he become a monk or a social worker. Well this was before Buffet gave away most of his fortune and I hope Taleb is suitably shamed. I suspect this guy is fueled by envy and probably an inferiority complex (as he comes across as sooo superior).
Oh, what could have been
As someone with a taste for statistical theory, this one was disappointing.Taleb is constantly casting around for what exactly he wants to write about.Yes, he passably develops his theory that people read far too much into random events.He does this through a series of personal stories, which unto themselves are entertaining.But, it's never clear if he's writing an autobiography or discussing randomness and I came away from this book no more enlightened about randomness than I had been before.If you are a novice in the area and are looking for a light introduction on the subject, it's a good book.If you're already familiar with the concept of randomness, don't bother. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Chance    5. Economic Statistics    6. Finance    7. Free Will & Determinism    8. Investment Analysis    9. Investments    10. Investments & Securities - General    11. Random variables    12. Statistics    13. Business & Economics / Finance   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Decision Making & Problem Solving    5. Economics - General    6. Leadership    7. Management - General    8. Business & Economics / Skills    9. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (155)

One of the Best Chopra Books! The Core of it all.
Exceptional and brief book that hits the nail on the head with the main ideas and practices that can transform your life and help you to achieve what you want. I believe that Chopra initially did not like the word success for this book because it often registers for people as more materialistic than he means. This is a about life success in a grand and overarching way. Outstanding and HIGHLY Recommended!
NOT TO SURE~!
This book was a definite let down fo me.
Another Great Book from Deepak!
I have read most all of Deepak Chopra's books - this one has a different presentaton style and makes for an entertaining reading and learning experience! I think everyone else in their book reviews have nailed the importance of this book and what it is about - but for me it was one one of his best books! A great gift buy for someone you love!
Read more

Subjects:  1. Personal Growth - Success    2. Psychological aspects    3. Psychology    4. Religious aspects    5. Self-Help    6. Spiritual    7. Success    8. Success in business    9. Wealth    10. Advice on careers & achieving success    11. Mind, body, spirit: mysticism & self-awareness    12. Self-Help / Personal Growth / General   

Reviews (4)

Organizational Behavior
This text book does an adequate job of looking at the topic of Organizational Behavior. For someone that has been in business for several years, there is not a lot of new information, good review and some common sense stuff.

Must read book
For me this book had a great value. I used it on a college course after having faced the experience of being working on an IT company for 8 months. Actually I would say this book doesn't say anything anyone could not come up with; but I think that's as phylosofy is, common things we are used to, but that hardly we note to be able to do something about. I think this book is being very useful for me even after almost 3 years of be working, I think it helps you understand most of those frustrating situations we have to face daily on a company, allowing us to feel better on our work enviroment, be better partners on work, and make our work a little more productive. Definitly I recommend this book.

Common sense in a bound volume
This book discusses a topic that is a grab bag of different disciplines and has nice illustrations but i dont know if it is worth close to $100. Anyone who has significant work history intuitively knows a bulk of the material in this book. The book could be condensed to include the hard data and scientific findings and leave out much of the intuitively obvious commentary. This book is no worse than scores of similar textbooks on 'soft'topics but with the way prices are going many students are captive buyers,forced to buy textbooks at the teacher's request for perhaps questions used in the book for grading purposes while the general info can readily be found in college libraries. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Career/Job    5. Human Resources & Personnel Management    6. Organizational Behavior    7. Organizational Behavior In Business    8. Business & Economics / Human Resources & Personnel Management    9. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (8)

Used in MBA program - not that useful
We used this book in our negotiations class and actually found Getting to Yes to be more useful.This is one of those textbooks that I have written about in other classes that has a lot of common sense in it but it actually makes thinking about negotiation harder than it really is.The book could easily have been shrunk from 430 pages to about 150 pages.The book actually presents too many things to think about in a negotiation that you end up becoming confused about which strategy to use or how to play defense.Of course, like any book some people might like it but I know myself and other classmates did not find it that helpful.

excellent book.
Definitely recommended for anyone interested in learning more about the topic.I enjoyed Thompson's no-nonsense approach to negotiation.This book is full of interesting case examples from the real world.It is substantive and practical.Definitely a good buy.

Great Information - Complicated Read
A good introduction to negotiations. Although it is complicated to read through the chapters, it contains valuable information about many different aspects of negotiations and strategies. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Human Relations In Business    5. Leadership    6. Negotiating    7. Negotiation in business    8. Business & Economics / Negotiating    9. Business negotiation   

Reviews (12)

Strategic leaders at NPOs should read this book
The authors of this book do a nice job of condensing the content of their book into a diagram at page 15 that they entitle: "The Strategic Planning Process." Then they explain the diagram chapter by chapter. The chapters are full of good information and lots of exhibits, worksheets, and real-life examples. Job well done! I recommend to anybody interested in preparing a business plan for a for-profit or a nonprofit to read this book. And I also recommend all strategic leaders (i.e. executive directors, board chairs, and CEOs) read this book. It should be helpful to them in performing their job duties.
good basic introduction
Book provides a good basic introduction to strategic planning from the non-profit perspective. Although I already knew strategic planning from the corporate side, this book showed how it differs when applied to the non-profit arena. The review of the SWOT process was a bit simplistic, but I found the checklist for evaluating projects helpful. The disc and the worksheets were definitely worth the price of the book

Excellent Resource for Non-profit Boardmembers
This book is a step by step guide with suggested modifications to fit the needs of any group.The worksheets, included on an accompanying CD, are very useful.I highly recommend this book to anyone involved in strategic planning for any organization - public, private or non-profit. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Management    5. Non-Profit Organizations Management    6. Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    7. Nonprofit organizations    8. Strategic Planning    9. Business & Economics / Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    10. Business strategy    11. Non-profitmaking organizations   

Reviews (5)

Cindi did it again? Did she, really?
I recently purchased the "Complete Reference Business Objects XI (R2)" by Cindi Howson.
Good overview for the new BO user...
All the basics are covered here.It will be particularly valuable for someone coming from a Crystal 10-or-earlier environment, or from a BusinessObjects 5.x environment.
An insightful book
BusinessObjects XI (Release 2): The Complete Reference is not just about how to use this module or that module, it is also about how to maximize your Business Objects (BOBJ) investment.Cindi does a great job explaining how to use many of the modules (she focuses on the core products) but she opens the book with valuable advice on managing Business Objects across your company.BOBJ is not just another little application for a specific project, it, as with many BI tools, can transform your business if you allow it to (and save you alot of money).
Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Languages    2. Computers    3. Computers - Languages / Programming    4. Programming - Object Oriented Programming    5. Business information systems    6. Computers / Programming / Object Oriented    7. Database software   

Reviews (6)

A MUST
If I were to be deprived of all the trading books in my collection but one, that would beThe Encyclopedia. Unlike other literature on the patterns, in this book you will not find clauses like "most of the time", "usually", "seldom". All the information as it'srelated to the pattern trading is thoroughly backtested.
Dictionary for good
This book is just like a dictionary that you can always turn to whenever you have unfamiliar words in the stock markets. It's a good company that you can keep by you side and frequently flip to pages of charts which you are foreign to.

a complete guide to all pattern
without doubt this book is a complete cyclopedia of chart patternsbut some parts are so streched . ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Charts, diagrams, etc    5. Commodities    6. Commodity futures    7. Investment analysis    8. Investments & Securities - Futures    9. Investments & Securities - General    10. Investments & Securities - Stocks    11. Stocks    12. Business & Economics / Investments & Securities    13. Economic statistics   

Reviews (13)

Great Conflict Resolution Lessons
In particular, the lessons you can learn about identifying and resolving conflicts are absolutely priceless.This and Corporate Canaries are MUST buys if you are a manager in any sort of capacity!

The story is everything
For books like this to work, they have to have both an engaging storyline and real-world characters.This book has both, and I found myself re-learning a lot about dealing with change, managing difficult people, and understanding how different types of people have different styles of working.The group discussion questions in the back are particularly useful.I will probably suggest that my whole department get copies and read it together.There are some on my team who need a little coaching, and this is a very non-threatening way to deal with difficult issues.Great job!

Lessons from the Hive
Charles Decker is vice president of an electronic publishing company, does work with business publishing initiatives, and has coauthored Beans: Four Principles for Running a Business in Good Times or Bad.Lessons from the Hive is about a fictionalized organization that is reinventing itself and was created to teach positive ways of viewing changes in an organization, how to deal with fears of the unknown, the importance of trust, and how to deal with conflicting interpersonal relationships. It is of the business-fable genre that uses a week-in the-life approach for five players in an organization including a recently installed CEO, a newly hired employee, and a seasoned director of marketing with personal struggles at home and at work. The junior change agent uses mantras many people call clich�s such as Happiness is a choice; Inspire yourself, others will follow; Vanity is not a team sport; Enthusiasm will take you 90 percent of the way; and Change your thinking, change your life. This book can be used in classrooms and in businesses. Many people learn better by stories and examples than by other methods. This is a brief but powerful message. There are questions at the back of the book to assist reflection about each chapter. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Consolidation and merger of co    5. Consolidation and merger of corporations    6. Management    7. Management - General    8. Mergers & Acquisitions    9. Organizational Behavior    10. Organizational change    11. Business & Economics / Management    12. Business & Management   

Reviews (63)

A Useful Book for the Right Type of Person
Michael Port has written a very useful book with proven techniques and strategies for being successful. There are three main aspects to this book:
How to "let" a client find you
The owners and employees of client-based businesses often end up doing it all, providing the service or product, managing the office, and handling sales and marketing - often the entrepreneur's least favorite chore. Now, you can learn to love it or at least to do it well with less pain. Author Michael Port cites many applicable marketing activities that you probably already know about, but he pulls them together in an organized manner supported by lists of questions and answers. He begins with the foundation of your business, including your motivation and area of specialization. Then he teaches you how to build credibility with clients. Next, he covers marketing and outreach, including tactics for promoting yourself. The book's concepts are easy to grasp and implement, including advice for conquering online marketing. You may already be carrying out some of these strategies, but this book can take you to the next level. We recommend it to those who want new clients badly enough to make sales and marketing a regular part of their jobs for a few hours a week. If you are a new entrepreneur, this resource will help you learn the art of rainmaking.

Maximize Your Capacity -- Full of useful tools.
A wonderful book! It contains useful, understandable, and actionable information on every page. While at face value the author's breakdown of his processes into tiny, custom-named tools may seem simplistic, it is a powerful approach to allowing both the beginner and the seasoned professional to successfully compartmentalize and execute the steps. THIS BOOK WILL HELP YOU GET BOOKED SOLID. But beyond that, it will teach you how to better COMMUNICATE and COLLABORATE with your customers by building meaningful, lasting relationships. You will then be better serving their NEEDS, for which they will handsomely pay. The book is best read over a period of a few weeks or more, to give ample time to apply each concept and compound the benefits of each subsequent tool the author provides. I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Marketing    5. Marketing - General    6. Sales & Selling - General    7. Sales Management    8. Selling    9. Strategic Planning    10. Business & Economics / Marketing / General    11. Sales & marketing   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Finance    5. Forecasting    6. Investments & Securities - Stocks    7. Reference - Almanacs/Yearbooks    8. Business & Economics / Finance    9. Stocks & shares   

Reviews (9)

Best Self-Help Book EVER!!
I have read a lot of self-help books, and none of them have ever broken things down into small enough steps so you could actually DO what they're encouraging you to do!! It's like the self-help of Self-Help books. So besides having a lot of GREAT and innovative ideas, it's also very practical as well.

Essential "Energy Management" Manifesto
As opposed to simple time management, this book covers the much-neglected dimension of energy management, arguing that it's more effective to focus on structuring your energy to optimize your productivity and your experience. To do this, the four dimensions of energy are covered (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual), and exercises and scorecards are provided to help you gauge yourself in these areas.
Ideas worthy of incorporating into your life
In the realm of self-help and self-renewal books, I would describe myself as curious but skeptical.So often authors don't deliver on their promises and claims.Despite its self-helpish title, I think this book provides a fresh look at personal renewal and practical solutions that are carefully described in the lives of the people they talk about.It's written to address overworked executives, but it applies to anyone whose life is OUT OF BALANCE. You may not relate to the stories of the executive life, but the tools are thoughtful and invaluable.Using rituals is an old idea, but in the context of managing energy, it takes on greater significance.I finished the book with a sense of joy that I could accomplish so much more than I thought just by managing my energy better.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business Life - Health/Stress    3. Business/Economics    4. Management - General    5. Personal Growth - Success    6. Psychological aspects    7. Psychology    8. Stress Management    9. Success    10. Self-Help / General   

Reviews (51)

Everyone could use an "atta boy"
This was the third Blanchard book that I have read and so far it is my favorite.The fact that I was staying in Orlando right next to Sea World when I started reading it was a total coincidence, but it made some of the elements of the story really come alive for me. The ideas expressed here can apply to anyone or everyone, not just a manager of some business firm.Although, I have to admit that like many of Blanchard's books it was a little predictable and felt a little pollyannaish.
AMERICA'S 32nd PRESIDENT AGREED!!!
"To meet by reaction that danger of radicalism is to invite disaster. Reaction is no barrier to the radical. It is a challenge, a provocation. The way to meet that danger is to offer a workable program of reconstruction, and the Party to offer it is the party with clean hands.
Why do you think we love it so much?
Have you ever taken a look at the reviews on Amazon?The ones that said they were most helpful were the positives.All of us seek the good, we seek a better place, the POWER of positive in our life.Read a book with positive all over it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Careers - General    4. Interpersonal Relations    5. Love / Sex / Marriage    6. Management - General    7. Motivation (Psychology)    8. Business & Economics / Management   

Reviews (9)

Workflow Modeling - This Book Flows...
Workflow Modeling serves both as a primer to a process approach to management, and a step-by-step guide for modeling the workflow required to achieve the process goals. The skills it teaches are critical as modeling is often the first step within larger improvement projects of all kinds.
Top Notch Workflow and Process Improvement Guidance
I've found this book to be an invaluable resource for guidance on how to gather requirements for my company's business process improvement projects.The presentation is logical, understandable and most importantly actionable in a real project setting.

Great how-to guide for understanding/improving processes
Can you clearly identify what is a process and what is not?