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   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (21)

Overview, technique and implementation
An outstandingly well written book that decribes the balanced scorecard and provides excellent examples. An effective, practical guide for C-level executives and mid-level managers for implementing strategic scorcarding. I recommned this book for the breadth and depth of the explanation of the subject matter and concise implmentation examples.

If you can measure it, you can manage it
The Balanced Scorecard was initially designed as a financial and non-financial corporate performance measurement tool.Organizations focused on strategy have taken the Balanced Scorecard and transformed it into a strategic tool for measurement.These 5 key principles transform the Balanced Scorecard:
Highly Recommended!
The fact that executives keep trying new strategic initiatives despite their abysmal rate of failure is, like second marriages, a triumph of hope over experience. Or, it may indicate just how much pressure top managers face to improve their profits. By one estimate, nine out of ten companies fail to execute their strategic visions. Yet, CEOs - who witness a world in constant flux - continue to introduce change initiatives. Are they trapped in the operational definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? Or, are they just ready for this book? Authors Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton offer wise counsel to help executives break the cycle of strategic flops. They advise executives to transform their companies into "Strategy-Focused Organizations" using the "Balanced Scorecard" and "strategic mapping" tools. With these initiatives, CEOs can ensure that every employee pays attention to strategy implementation. Kaplan and Norton, the all-star co-author team who wrote "The Balanced Scorecard" and "Strategy Maps", have done it again, in this well-organized but somewhat dry volume. We strongly recommend this book to any manager who is responsible for designing or implementing a strategic change initiative. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Corporate Planning    5. Entrepreneurship    6. Executive Management    7. Forecasting    8. Leadership    9. Management - General    10. Strategic Planning    11. Business strategy    12. Organizational theory & behaviour    13. Performance Measurement   

Reviews (13)

A good place to start
When i started preparation for the PMP certification exam the first book i read was the PMBOK guide. i must admit i found it a bit difficult to understand. Acting upon the advice of a friend i procured a copy of this reference and wnet through it. Its pretty straightfwd but at the same time it enhances one's ability to appreaciate the concepts of the PMBOK guide which because clearer to my mind. hence, i would say its a good reference to start with. going back to basics is sometimes good!

A bit too disjointed
I find this a bit jumpy, hard to keep the context. Examples may be a bit dated.

Good introduction to Project Management
This is a good book for beginners. If you are a seasoned Project Manager, you probably won't find this book of much interest.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Entrepreneurship    5. Forecasting    6. Management - General    7. Project Management    8. Business & Economics / Project Management   

Reviews (8)

Great reference book!
I've been in the field for a few years now and I finally found a book that explains and summarizes the forecasting theory so good.This is my reference book now.I use it to teach my engineers in the subject and for personal reference as well.It provides new information that wasn't available 10 years ago.The explanaitions are good and the examples clear.

DecisionPro Users must have!
Was referred to this book while evaluating several software packages for forecasting and this really helped us make the right decision.We decided on Vanguard Software DecisionPro as it supports all the methods (many of which I had no idea existed) that are outlines in this book.This book (and the software) are great.This is a great add-on for anyone doing forecasting!

This book has the formulas.
Chapters 3 and 4, and on covered the vital information that is useful for inventory system forecasting at the SKU level, and for measuring the accuracy of the forecasts. This book was extremely helpful in that regard. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Forecasting    4. Business/Economics    5. Economics - Microeconomics    6. Forecasting    7. Management - General    8. Management Science    9. Operations Research    10. Statistical methods    11. Business & Economics / Planning & Forecasting    12. Business & Management    13. Economic forecasting   

Reviews (1)

Fantastic Feast of Ideas
The Extreme Future is a fantastic feast of ideas.So many books about the future are predictable or simply boring.This book is a whole other experience. Canton's mind is a non-stop treasure trove of complex insights, wild ideas, brain-stretching posssibilities and just plain fun.I wholeheartedly recommend The Extreme Future to anyone who would like to step outside the box and look at everything - from global politics to mind control to enhanced humans - in some pretty incredible ways. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Economic Conditions    5. Economic Forecasting    6. Forecasting    7. Forecasts    8. Social change    9. Social prediction    10. Twenty-first century    11. Business & Economics / Planning & Forecasting   

Reviews (19)

Toffler's Help Make Sense of Our Complex World
Don't you just love it when you find a book out there that just completely blows you away?Me too.I read a lot of business books, and most of them have great things in them, but it's rare that I find one that really turns my thinking upside down.
Future Optimism
This book is a delight to read.Written in an informal, personal style, the authors go over past and current trends and extrapolate the future.It is not an academic textbook by any means; however, we learn that education is a 400 billion dollar a year system and that Helium-3 could be the future of fuel/energy, along with other interesting tidbits.The book is not intended to be anything more than an incredible conversation about what the future may bring. If you are looking for a literary jaunt through technology, politics, economics, and history, you will enjoy this book.Ultimately, the old adage--that "the more things change, the more they remain the same"--may not hold true in the future.

Alvin Toffler is God
I just brought and if this is the best description of society, economy, government and revolution for NOW I've read
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Economic Conditions    5. Economic Forecasting    6. Economics - Theory    7. Forecasting    8. Future Studies    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Social Forecasting    11. Social History    12. Social change    13. Sociology    14. Wealth    15. Current Events / General   

Reviews (32)

Very good read, more intellectual rigor perhaps
I thoroughly enjoyed the book.Almost 2 years before the fact, it was pretty predictive of what might happen to the housing bubble.Actually I am thinking about making career moves in the direction of Behavioral Finance/Economics so was happy to see a 'popular" book in this area. But this is also the problem, I am looking for more scholarly accounts too!

Almost 5 stars; and a very enjoyable read.
A great read; appeals to the counter-intuitive insights of successful investors and explains a lot of human nature and how destructive it can be from an investment standpoint.
Insightful and Fun!
I found my time well spent reading this book. For would be readers - it seemed to me that there really were two parts to this book:
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Finance    5. Finance, Personal    6. Forecasting    7. Industrial Psychology    8. Investment Finance    9. Investments    10. Investments & Securities - General    11. Self-management (Psychology)    12. Business & Economics / Investments & Securities    13. Finance & Accounting   

Reviews (13)

Future of marketing...
Caveat - I see most things from a marketer's prospective, hence, I read this book in that context. I think the ideas of Prahalad and Ramaswamy are the future of marketing.If you take a look at a few of today's successful companies, including Amazon.com and eBay for instance, you will see that one of the reasons they have been so successful is because they worked with their customers.I think the book should be required reading for anyone going into the marketing field.

Nothing insightful that is worth the onerous read
The authors have created a massive text that does not add much to the earlier paper they had published. The book has mainly two messages - maximizing customer experience is the basis of value creation and firms have to be experience-driven rather than product-centric. (BTW, these are the author's buzz words not mine Breakthrough Thinking for higher IQ managers
The concepts presented in the book are deceptively easy to gloss over. I do not blame the reviewers at this site who did not 'get it'.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Competition    5. Customer Service    6. Customer relations    7. Customer services    8. Economic value added    9. Forecasting    10. Leadership    11. Marketing - Research    12. Strategic planning    13. Business strategy    14. Sales & marketing   

Reviews (42)

Radical theory!!
Whether you are a manager or CEO of an established company, an enterpreneur or graduates/MBAs, you will find radical insights in this book.
excelling value - makes you think
This book goes right along with its predecessors in demonstrating how to predict what various members of an industry are driven to do.This book inspired great ideas I had never realized were true; it is much more practical and applied than the previous two books, but you really need to read all 3 to gain the most from what this book offers.
The Next Step in Developing a Powerful Theory
"The Innovator's Solut!on" is a worthwhile follow-on to "The Innovator's Dilemma".Some similar case studies are provided, as well as completely new material.Where the "Dilemma" book went deeply into theory and just hinted at solutions, Christensen et al. have advanced and amplified on the original work.If I had to recommend only a single book, I'd put forward "Solution" as it covers much of "Dilemma" and provides new material.However, It is quite worthwhile to take the full depth of background provided in "The Innovator's Dilemma", especially if you find yourself in the position of needing to sell these challenging theories inside a mature organization.Highly recommended, highly actionable, has the potential to be a "game changer"! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Creative ability in business    6. Customer services    7. Forecasting    8. Industrial management    9. Management - General    10. Success in business    11. Business strategy    12. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (3)

Great for someone in business or already in business
Found that this book covered all the bases of writting a great business plan.As some one who has taken a couple of business courses, this was one of the best sources of information on writting a business plan.
Spectacular book
Wonderfully helpful book. I love this series and can't wait to read them all. While writing my business plan, this book as been by my side, every second, for reference. I don't know what I would have done without it!

A must read!
This is a must-read book for anyone thinking about starting or expanding a business. Rather than simply another book about writing a business plan, Sutton makes the case early and often about why such a plan is needed - and it isn't always to raise money.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Communication - General    4. Business Writing    5. Business planning    6. Business/Economics    7. Communication In Business    8. Forecasting    9. Investments & Securities - General    10. Management    11. Personal Finance - General    12. Strategic Planning    13. Business & Economics / Personal Finance / General    14. Business strategy   

Reviews (11)

Immediately applicable tools for dealing with change
In part because author Daryl R. Conner applies common sense ideas, and in part because his ideas have spread throughout corporate culture, some aspects of this book may seem familiar. Conner would probably count that as a positive development, because one of his core premises is that change is exhausting and, therefore, you should try to make changes as palatable as possible to the people they will affect. Thomas Edison did this by making the first electric lights resemble the already-familiar gas fixtures. But even if you've heard all of this before, don't underestimate the book's usefulness. Conner's theories may not surprise you, but he offers many immediately applicable tools for dealing with change, and he uses clear, expressive language to do so. Because you'll learn several useful tips if you read even a few pages, we recommend this book to anyone guiding any kind of organization - family, nonprofit, business or school - through change.

An excellent book for anyone involved in major change initiatives
An excellent job of putting all of the issues, concerns, and challenges regarding change into perspective --- and to provide a model for addressing changes. The approach presented in this book will be very useful to me in my work as a consultant helping corporations through major re-engineering and system upgrade projects. Daryl Conner shows how broadly changes affects people at all levels, and provides a practical model for individuals facing change, that can help them work through it in constructive ways.

A Real Guru Explains the Dynamics of Change
Daryl Conner probably knows more about the phenomenon of change in organizations than aybody in the world. This is his first major book on the subject, and it's a good one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Executive Management    5. Forecasting    6. Management    7. Management - General    8. Management Science    9. Organizational change    10. Business & Economics / General    11. Management & management techniques   

Editorial Review

Six Sigma is a data-driven management system with near-perfect-performance objectives that has been employed to acclaim at leading corporations like General Electric. Its name is derived from the eye-catching statistical target of operating with no more than 3.4 defects per one million chances, but Peter Pande, Robert Neuman, and Roland Cavanagh--associates in a firm providing Six Sigma implementation, training, and management services--contend its principles can be applied in businesses of all types to routinely reduce costs, improve productivity, increase market share, and achieve other positive results. Read more

Reviews (22)

Cost Reduction, Increased Productivity, and Loyal Costumers - All Achievable with Six Sigma
Six sigma is a quality system that has helped world class companies save millions and gain costumer. It was brought into fame by the legendary Jack Welch during his years at General Electric.
The definitive introduction to the subject
For those who want a clear, concise (if not comprehensive) introduction to Six Sigma, this is the place to start. The authors offer an enticing glimpse into the real-world application of Six Sigma tools and techniques. While not to be considered the be-all, end-all (see authors like Breyfogle or Pyzdek for that), The Six Sigma Way is the book to read if you're contemplating a Six Sigma effort and need fundamental knowledge, a starting point for more thorough treatment of the subject (which can be daunting in its comprehensiveness). Highly recommended, especially with the companion guide.

What a load of c***!
I never read the book, but the CD is such a masterfully "abridged" version of the book that it manages to tell you for hour HOW WONDERFUL six sigma is, while totally neglecting to tell you WHAT SIX SIGMA ACTUALLY IS, or HOW IT IS IMPLEMENTED. In short, the CD contains nothing but self-marketing bull. If you have money to waste, go buy it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Corporate Planning    5. Entrepreneurship    6. Forecasting    7. Management    8. Management - General    9. Production management    10. Quality Control    11. Statistical methods    12. Business & Economics / Quality Control    13. Business strategy    14. Management & management techniques    15. Production & quality control management   

Reviews (24)

Great for building your plan
I bought this book, and then purchased the Electronic Worksheets from the publisher!They are great together, and both really helped get the plan started and crunch those vital startup numbers.The book is very well written and easy to follow!

A must if you are writing a business plan
THIS is the STANDARD.. must read before writing any serious business plan!!!

Excellent resource
While taking a Businees Plan course in my MBA course I bought this book as a guide.Needless to say, I got an A on the B Plan.This is a valuable resource and better than the other books in this catagory. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Accounting - General    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business planning    5. Business/Economics    6. Development - Business Development    7. Entrepreneurship    8. Forecasting    9. Management    10. New business enterprises    11. Planning    12. Strategic Planning   

Reviews (19)

The title says it all
The author uses a narrative and graphical approach to illustrate his point. It's indeed a common sense approach
Highly informative! For professional analysts, researchers, economists, strategists but not investors/traders
Actually my review title says it all. It might be the most comphrehensive book on economic data analysis. As a pro, I have no hesitation to recommend it to any pro as a tool book or reference book, in particular those who take the FA Macro Top down long term investment approach, but not others who spend less than at least 2 hours a day for economic data collection, compilation, analysis.....The workload is just impossible for amateurs.
Making Sense of All of Those Economic Indicators.
Joseph H. Ellis' ability to see ahead of the curve served his clients so well that he was ranked the #1 retail analyst by "Institutional Investor" for 18 years. In "Ahead of the Curve", Ellis presents his method for forecasting market cycles, learned and tested over 24 years at Goldman Sachs & Co., clearly and concisely so that we all might benefit. He tells us how to find meaning in the myriad of abstruse and contradictory economic indicators that we puzzle over in order to "demystify the economic cycle and the stock market's historically consistent relationship to it". Ellis doesn't ask us to believe anything that we cannot see for ourselves. All of the economic data series that he discusses are clearly charted against bear markets, recessions, and other data series, typically from 1960 to 2004. "Ahead of the Curve" offers a new, simpler, and hopefully more accurate means for business managers, analysts, and investors to predict overall market trends that can also be applied to a particular sector or company.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Economic Forecasting    5. Forecasting    6. Management - General    7. Marketing - General    8. Business & Management    9. Economics, Finance, Business and Industry   

Reviews (3)

Simply Fantastic!
Excellent introduction to the field. Will get your basics sound. Worth every penny I spent on the book.
Great textbook on competitive strategy
Excellent textbook on competitive strategy using an economics approach. The first edition complemented my business and economics studies at grad school. Includes a chapter on regulatory (public policy) impacts on business; a topic usually missing from strategy texts. Shows how a 'bill becomes a law' from the business/market perspective !

Required at Chicago GSM
An excellent MBA-level textbook introduction to the principles of competitive strategy, with clear explanations and definitions of basic concepts.� Especially good if you feel like you need a better grounding inbusiness-level strategy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Competition    5. Corporate Planning    6. Entrepreneurship    7. Forecasting    8. Management - General    9. Management Science    10. Strategic Planning    11. Business & Economics / Management Science    12. Business competition    13. Business strategy    14. Business | Management    15. Microeconomics   

Reviews (2)

frustrating
I bought this book to do forecasting for work. The authors' names looked familiar, but I thought maybe an obscure article or footnote was the reason. Then, after going through this book, I realized the reason - Wichern is the same guy who wrote the utterly confusing, frustrating, and represensible Multivariate textbook myself and fellow graduate students were subjected to (and promptly ignored in favor of better books on the subject).
A good text, but frustrating.
The book presents the topic of forecasting in good, methodical way with examples and illustrations from Minitab.It the book also illustrates the procedures on how to work with Minitab.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Economic Forecasting    5. Forecasting    6. Management Science    7. Project Management    8. Business & Economics / Project Management    9. Business strategy    10. Economics, Finance, Business and Industry   

Reviews (42)

Old predictions that have not come true
This book is old news and is filled with predictions for 2005 & 2006 - most of which are inacurate.His boom and subsequent bust theories are not materializing - and at this point even if they do will be of much smaller scale than his grand predictions (DOW over 40,000) presented in this book.

Excellent book - A Must Read!
This book is a must read for anyone interested in demographic stock market trends from the early 1900's to present.His analysis of the coming boom in the stock market, specifically the large capitalization equity markets, is both insightful and mesmerizing.The author does an excellent job in showing demographic/technology driven market cycles and how they CAN be forecasted accuratly. He manages to do it in a way that keeps the reader interested and makes some startling comparisons to the roaring 20's stock market boom and the last great boom cycle that we are currently experiencing.Harry S. Dent proves that the baby boom generation will change the world we live in and the economic market conditions for decades to come.When you read this book, these economic cycles become both exciting and frightful. This book is highly recommended and it is hard to put down.

An awkwardly written look at booms and bust ahead
This bestseller has some methodology problems and it is written awkwardly, but it might nonetheless be true. Author Harry S. Dent, Jr., claims to have predicted the great stock market boom of the 1990s. He contends that demographics, economics, modern markets and information technology make the future almost surely predictable, though most experts would disagree. In fact, common knowledge challenges some of his data, such as his contention that newspapers are a growth opportunity. However, his suggestion that a stock market bubble in the first decade of this new millennium will end in a crash of historic size is a possibility worth considering. Moreover, his comments about demographic trends, especially the slowing of population growth and the graying of developing-country populations, have ample support from other sources and should be part of the calculus of any international investor. We suggest reading this intriguing book with the caveat that soothsaying is a chancy undertaking. Read this book as you would read science fiction - with the thought that, in spite of everything, it just might come true. In other words, keep Dent's advice in mind, but don't get carried away. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 2001-    2. Bull markets    3. Business & Economics    4. Business / Economics / Finance    5. Business/Economics    6. Economic Conditions    7. Economic Forecasting    8. Forecasting    9. General    10. History - General History    11. Investment Finance    12. Investments    13. Investments & Securities - General    14. United States    15. Business & Economics / General    16. Finance   

Reviews (12)

Practical and Insightful
What is especially useful about this book is that it is practical. It gives advice for every stage of an adjacency expansion, from strategy development to execution, on how to increase the likelihood that it will be successful. The case studies are interesting and the analysis is insightful.
An Outstanding Growth Guide for Global Business Leaders
As a second year MBA student at the Kellogg School of Management and a future corporate strategist for a global financial services firm, I found reading Beyond the Core to be one of the best time investments that I've made over the last few years.Chris Zook seems to have a knack for writing great books that not only stand the test of time but that are also highly relevant to the current business and economic environments.Specifically, his first book, Profits from the Core, which focused on maximizing the value of the core business, was launched when businesses needed it most - during the economic downturn.Now, Beyond the Core is perfectly timed since, from what I and other MBA's are observing in the market, most businesses are remobilizing for growth. Questionable Choice of Examples and Lack of Definitions!
Many people who have been burned by going into new areas will grade this as five-stars for encouraging caution in expanding a company's scope.If that's all you want from a book, this is a five-star book.If you want to learn what the exact lesson is, and why that lesson is true, you'll have to look elsewhere however.If you want to learn how to beat the odds in this area, you will also have to look elsewhere.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Corporate profits    5. Corporations    6. Forecasting    7. Growth    8. Industrial management    9. Marketing - General    10. Strategic planning    11. Structural Adjustment    12. Business strategy   

Reviews (5)

On Target - Bullseye - Should have seen it coming
Anyone who has worked for some sort of organization, government agency, business, university or whatever, will empathise with "Predictable Surprises" by Bazerman and Watkins. This book focuses on the early and late warning signs, the cover-ups, the denials, and the eventual consequences of failing to take action to avert disaster.I've been in far too many situations where I observed that the peple "in charge" (really??) were blindsided by their own limited vision to the realities of what was happening within their organizations.