Economic-exposure Books

Ken,
I purchased your book last month, "The Expert's Edge" (McGraw ill,2008), and gave it a read while on a 6 hour flight to Alaska for a 2 week vacation. Emerson would be proud of you! It was time well invested.

Your book gave me a clearer focus on concepts I knew, served as a refresher in other areas, and introduced me to new ideas that will lead me closer to not only becoming a thoughtleader in my subject field, but also a "Thoughtleader of Choice".

Thank you for taking the time to write such a valuable guide. I appreciated the fact that your writing "tone" was one of talking with me, not at me.

Your book has motivated me to not only get my own book idea moving forward, but also to get moving on another division of my company, "ClearVision Assessments LLC", where my original, well-researched psychological assessment tools will be published and serve as a distributorship for it and other respected assessment tools, thus
serving as a focus for the assessment activities of my practice.

Now I must not forget to bring the book with me when I see you again so I can have my copy signed! Wishing you all the best of success.

Dr. Robert W. Sopo, PhD, CHRP, CMC
President & CEO
RWS Group, Inc.

How would *you* market a new product? The usual approach is to talk about your product - and talk and talk and talk. Brag about it. Tell the world how amazing it is (or how cheap, or how desirable). Common wisdom says that the louder and longer you brag about it the more you will sell.

Ken Lizotte has a very different approach. He points out that people buy particular products or services because they know and trust the people behind them. Here's a vivid example (not from Ken's book):

Let's say you are choosing among three possible investments. One has an ad campaign with lots of statistics that demonstrate how rich other investors have gotten. The second investment's ad campaign features a famous sports figure doing a testimonial. The third investment is simply recommended by Warren Buffett in a New York Times interview. Which would you choose? I think I would trust Warren Buffett over the ad campaigns.

So did the big-spending campaigns win *your* mindshare? Or were you swayed by the credibility of one special individual?

According to Ken, your personal credibility and visibility are potentially the most powerful promotional tools you will ever have. You should be using them for personal gain and for the benefit of any endeavor you are associated with.

Ken's book is a concise, easy-to-understand guide for doing exactly that. There are two parts to the book. First, Ken explains what he means by becoming an expert (e.g. creating personal credibility and visibility). Then he gives the reader very clear step-by-step instructions for achieving expert status. And all of this is backed up by research and real-life anecdotes.

But don't expect instant results. Building credibility and visibility as an expert takes time - not because you need to amass more knowledge, but because you need to demonstrate your expertise in many, many venues. Ken makes a strong case, however, that the benefits are worth all the time and effort. After reading Ken's book, I would wholeheartedly agree.

Hamlet? A high school term paper compared to Lizotte's book. The Bible? A confusing rant of disconnected stories next to Ken's perfectly crafted epic. And don't even get me started on Hemingway, whose combined works in light of Ken's latest masterpiece are not even worthy of lining my bird's cage. No my friends, what Lizotte has done here has shaken the publishing industry to its very core. No more books need ever be written -- read this and sleep peacefully, knowing you've experienced all you'll ever need in wisdom, entertainment and humanity.

Ken's new book is wonderful and a must read for all consultants! It essentially outlines a road map for successfully navigating your way from professional with pearls of wisdom to savvy expert / thought leader. Throughout my consulting career I have had the pleasure to work with Ken first hand. And he has effectively captured this transformation process in his new book. His book is an easy read. It provides an overall strategy, practical approaches and how to's, testimonials from successful thought leaders and makes the business case for why you should invest your time and energy. When working directly with Ken you also benefit from his unconditional support and great sense of humor as you forge ahead. So, at a minimum read the book. If you have the opportunity to work with Ken then do that too! Happy reading!

Carol Bergeron
President of Bergeron Associates(tm)

Ken is nothing short of a wizard at making people famous. While working with him I've had more articles published in all the best places. Now he's captured the best of his wisdom in The Expert's Edge, and you have no excuse but to follow his advice and make a name for yourself that will produce dividends now and for years to come!

I will be using Sandra's title as a recommended resource in my upcoming High Profile Hiatus: Career Comeback Series starting June 2, 2008.
The 8-week tele-course will show ambitious career women, entrepreneurs and other professionals seeking to re-enter the workforce how to stay visible, credible, confident and connected "during a hiatus" or lay-off to help them avoid career suicide, re-launch their careers with confidence and ease the re-entry process when they're ready to return to work.

Barbara Bamba is a career hiatus expert who specializes in "career hiatus marketing and management." She is the founder and former owner of the Philadelphia Speakers Bureau, a sought after speaker and creator of the High Profile Hiatus: Career Comeback Series for ambitious women, entrepreneurs and other professionals who step-out, opt-out or get pushed-out of the workforce. Contact Barbara for more info at: barbarabamba@aol.com [...]

Complete Publicity Plans: How to Create Publicity That Will Spark Media Exposure and Excitement (Adams Streetwise Series)

as a public relations director, i was really missing this book. It refreshed my knowlege and added new inputs to me. this book is good for beginners as well as PR professionals. I highly recommend it for those who want to grasp pulbic relations and corportat communications subjects.

As PR has become more of a necessity for more companies, the world of public relations has become just as cluttered as the world of advertising, yet it remains a completely distinct animal. Gone are the days when writing a decent press release was enough to get you exposure. Today you need to take a strategic approach and have a complete plan. This book helps you develop that plan (and also helps you with how to write a good press release if you've not done that before).

As the host of a radio show called The Publicity Show, I have spoken with a lot of publicists and PR professionals. This book gives an insiders view on what it takes to break through the clutter that reporters are bombarded with and create real momentum that will snowball. If you are looking for how to get consistent exposure instead of just a quick hit, this is the book.

This is an excellent book to create publicity for your business. It tells you step by step how to write and implement a publicity plan to promote your products or services. I cannot recommend it more highly.

I classify business books as follows: read and forget, take notes and dump, keep for reference. This book is definitely in the latter category. For small businesses, typically characterized by a tight budget, PR is often a mystery. How do so many businesses get into the media - sometimes repeatedly? This book demystifies PR in plain language. It also has formats, elements and numerous examples of the varius types of press releases. The book also makes the valid point that money is better spent on PR than advertising. Buy this book, save thousands of dollars for a consultant, and increase the probability to make thousands for your business.

this is the best book i've ever read. amazing primer on the movie business. BUY IT!

I just finished this book, and Cliff Robertson is actually a very minor character. In fact, the subject of him being "blackballed" is barely mentioned. (It receives one paragraph in the Epilogue.) Robertson was the first person to suspect something was amiss at Columbia, but the book is actually about the power struggle between the President of Columbia, Alan Hirschfield, and the controlling interests of the shareholders, led primarily by Herbert Allen Jr. This is a long book, but it was so riveting that I found it difficult to put down. It is really well written, even if it does not paint any of the characters in a terribly sympathetic light. I can't help but think that if Hirschfield had shown more backbone in the beginning and stuck by his decision to fire the check-forger Begelman instead of caving in to Allen's demands, none of this epic battle would have happened.

This is not really a tale of embezzlement and disgrace - it is the store of power struggles between the Board of Directors for Columbia Studios, who were clearly had personal loyalty in their underlings as their top priority, and the CEO, Alan Hirschfield, trying to do what he needed to do to save the studio.

I don't have access to people at this level, so I appreciate the peeping-Tom aspect of viewing the thought processes and actions of people who normally hide behind lawyers, secretaries, and call-screeners.

The author obviously interviewed many many people to put this book together, and I appreciate how he reported on the media coverage, as well. I never really thought of how people manipulate the news as part of the story, but course it is.

The book is like a newspaper story in that it is filled with information, but the narrative reads like a novel - very easy to read. The author does a good job of developing story-lines, so we have a sense of completeness, and a sense of an overview, while also sprinkling the famous names and the glamour that makes Hollywood so compelling to people.

I've never understood why Hollywood turns out bad movies month after month, year after year, when it is so easy to tell from the beginning that a movie is going to be awful. Why make awful movies?

This book doesn't directly address that issue, but it shows how irresponsible and irrational the leading powers that control Hollywood on both coasts are, and how corrupt the whole system is. It's obvious that normal things like making a good product become irrelevent to their attention span.

I guess it's not really corruption, if everyone knows it's happening, and it's just a way of getting things done.

My only complaint is that I wish I had more of a reality on the Board Directors. Their actions seem so irrational, but I'm sure it's because they were not forthcoming in their interviews, and did not take the opportunity to express their points of view. People at that level are notorious for avoiding the press, so it is not surprising.

I bought this book when it first came out and have reread it every year or so. Tends to be a bit long and sometimes slow, but it's great. Buy a used copy, or check at the library.

Being from the Washington D.C. area I kept constantly asking why someone didn't leak this to the press and blow the whole compiristy.

The only comparable book is "The Great Salad Oil Swindle"

David Begelman, powerful head of a studio thinks he is above the law, until an actor by the name of Cliff Robertson exposes him. This book is a well written tale of immorality in a town known for it's lack of scruples. Hollywood insiders should not be surprised at this tale, but I was. The check Begelman forged was for a small amount. The man made more than that in a month. The book exposes the reasons why a man who had it all, would choose to commit such a crime and fall from grace. I was quite disappointed by Robertson's treatment by Hollywood's hierarchy when he was the victim, not Begelman. But it proves just how far studios will go to protect the bottom line. I read this book when it was first published years ago and I'm reading it again. The list of books I will read more than once is a short one. I highly recommend it.

This is a must for the articulate and must be read carefully, consistently or the extensiveness and expertise will cause one to re-read excerpts. Forwarning: create word document to capture the depth of the content to enable review of materials. The book is precise and very well organized. Only one area of weakness in material is more detail regarding corporate minutes. Unless you have been a corporate secretary and done this kind of work you won't grasp the critical issues in doing acquisitions and questions to seller. I do M&A-well worth the money.

Alexandra Reed LaJoux has done it again. Her most recent book on "The Art of M&A Due Diligence" is a valuable tool for the seasoned practitioner as well as the neophyte. She and her co-author Charles Elson effectively combine the big picture with relevant detail so that the reader has a clear understanding of not only the critical concepts but of the process of "due diligence." I found the chapter dedicated to "transactional due diligence" particularly useful. I would recommend this book to anyone serious about transactional work, either as a lawyer, investment banker, or businessperson.

When purchasing a company you need to know what to look for and where to look for it and what it is you are looking at when you get the information you asked for.

If you are selling your company you need to know what someone SHOULD be looking for, where they will look for it, and the kinds of conclusions they should be drawing from what they are seeing.

This book is an incredibly valuable resource in this process. It is organized very logically and is a series of questions and answers so you can hop around to the information you need for the moment. However, it is also written in such a lively manner that it is easy to read from beginning to end. I happen to be fascinated by this topic and think this is an incredibly helpful handbook.

I think that the way you conduct due dilligence says a lot about your chances of success with an acquisition. And I also think that if someone is trying to buy you, you can tell a lot about them by what they want to know and the conclusions they draw from what they see. In either case it behooves you to invest time and a couple of books in a book like this. Well, in this book.

Alexandra Reed LaJoux has done it again. Her most recent book on "The Art of M&A Due Diligence" is a valuable tool for the seasoned practitioner as well as the neophyte. She and her co-author Charles Elson effectively combine the big picture with relevant detail so that the reader has a clear understanding of not only the critical concepts but of the process of "due diligence." I found the chapter dedicated to "transactional due diligence" particularly useful. I would recommend this book to anyone serious about transactional work, either as a lawyer, investment banker, or businessperson.

If I ran a public relations firm, this book would be an important part of the welcome kit for every new hire, no matter how senior or junior. An excellent corporate communications primer!

Once a stodgy and sleepy thing, today's business news media is anything but fueled by a national obsession for investing. Business news has become the hottest media sector in America and the world. Which is wonderful news for companies that can get their intended message across, and seriously bad news for those that can't. They risk being ignored, misrepresented, or-worst of all-left vulnerable to damaging hearsay and rumour.

The rise of the business news media, the emergence of the consumer-investor, and the technological developments that have opened up the world into a 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week superstore of information and opinion have occurred almost overnight. So swift are the changes that even companies considered to be leaders in communications are scrambling to keep up. Consumers of news, too, are overwhelmed with information overload, uncertain about what's reliable and what's not. And yes, even the media are having difficulty keeping up with its own growth in terms of finding talent to keep the big new media pipeline full of credible and useful information and insight. Everyone on all sides of the new media equation is struggling to keep pace.

This book is for those who want to understand more about the increasing dynamic relationship between companies and the news media that covers them. A company that blames the news media for creating or contributing to its problems is misleading itself. Similarly, a reporter who blames a company for trying to promote or protect itself through public relations-and thereby somehow "obscuring truth"-is failing to understand that a company's main reasons for being are to survive and succeed, not cater to the news media's agenda.

In between what a company wants and what a reporter wants lies the issue that is the focus of this book. It is, quite simply, a knowledge gap. Many companies, particularly young ones, don't know how to tell their stories to the media properly. Many reporters, particularly those new to the business beat, don't know enough about the complexities of business to make sense of information and give it meaningful insight for their audiences. Complicating the process is technology, which gives both sides the false impression that the ability to move more and more information around the world 24 hours a day is useful. Without context, this information overload is far from useful-it is downright confusing. Add to this a growing hunger for insight, not just information, from a new generation of consumer-investors who are taking more responsibility for their financial futures, and the knowledge gap becomes even wider.

Companies that understand the knowledge gap and take steps to close it will see benefits. Most established companies that have been around the media for some time get the point. But many young, small companies, particularly those that are newly public, may not have caught on the issue. They haven't learned how to promote or protect themselves. It is these companies, especially, and the executives who run them, that this book is directed.

If you manage a company, whether small, medium, or large, there are a couple of things you need to do to make sure the gap between what you do know and what you don't know doesn't get wider. Because if it does, the consequences can be serious. And in an environment where the media are a determining factor in the success or failure of your company's reputation, you cannot afford to ignore what's going on.

First, make sure you incorporate communications, particularly media relations, into your strategic business plan. Communications should be as important as manufacturing, sales, and distribution. Through communications, including many of the aspects covered in this book, you can stay plugged in. When done properly, communications can be an excellent way to get your messages out and to receive information and insight from the environment in which you do business. A communications effort does not need to be elaborate. But you must get started. You must be part of this new environment. Every day you lose, you fall further behind.

Second, get professional communications help if you don't already have it. Consider good communications and relationships with the media to be as serious an issue as any other in your business. Just as you wouldn't think of attempting a merger or acquisition without an investment bank, or making a substantial investment for your company without a financial advisor, or tackle a serious legal issue without lawyers, you cannot face the media without the help of Public Relations professionals. The media is a specialized world that requires specialists to manage on your behalf. A reliable public relations agency or consultant can put together an effective plan, including proactive, reactive, and crisis elements, at a relatively modest cost.

In a nutshell, Total Exposure is the first book to offer senior executives and Public Relations professionals both a clear understanding of the transformation of business journalism and practical guidelines on strategically managing their company's image in this new environment. It explains how to:

* avoid overexposure by targeting credible journalists and media forums * find the right spokespeople and train them to say the right things * think like a reporter, understanding story angles and agendas, and more

With the exception of the introductory chapter, each of the 12 chapters of this book is summarized in bullet form at the end in a `Summary of Trends' section and a `Lessons for Companies' section.

Gustav Carlson is head of media relations for a major Wall Street firm, PaineWebber. He has been a business editor for both the New York Times and the Miami Herald and a vice president at Hill & Knowlton in New York.

Reviewed by Azlan Adnan. Formerly Business Development Manager with KPMG, Azlan is currently Managing Partner of Azlan & Koh Knowledge and Professional Management Group, a consulting practice based in Kota Kinabalu that represents global reputation management firm Shandwick International in Sabah. He holds a Master's degree in International Business and Management from the Westminster Business School in London.

Total Exposure serves as an extreme eye opener for the average businessperson and a useful guide for the public relations professional. Carlson's examples add insight to the whole media frenzy, and how the media shapes the business the public receives.

The information of this pocket-size publication is used world-wide as a guide for evaluation and controlling workplace exposures to chemical substances and physical agents. Threshold Limit Value (TLV) occupational exposure guidelines are recommended for more than 700 chemical substances and physical agents. There are more than 50 Biological Exposure Indices (BEI) which cover more than 80 chemical substances. Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) registry numbers are listed for each chemical. Introductions to each section and appendices provide philosophical bases and practical recommendations for using TLVs and BEIs.

Now even the most timid of us can lay a cable without fearing the consequences. Bashford explains, in laymans terms, the hows and whys of cable laying, and the legal ramifications thereof. He tells us how to find the perfect place to lay a cable in peace, what happens if you lay a cable on someone else's property, and what to do if the cable you lay blocks existing pipework. Buy this book, and lay a cable while you're reading it. Unbeatable.

A well-written, clear and comprehensive guide to the common legal claims against officers and directors, along with liability risk management principles and available insurance coverages. Highy recommended for profit and non-profit directors and officers

Leichenko and O'Brien present a framework for examining the multiple and overlapping processes of global change and, in particular, the places and ways in which the economic and the non-economic interact. Double exposure acts as a metaphor for cases in which particular localities or individuals are simultaneously or sequentially exposed to different processes of global change.

The book discusses a wide variety of examples in which double exposure is present. The examples include the melting of Arctic ice, Hurricane Katrina, and the liberalization of agricultural markets in India. The authors use the idea of double exposure to treat all these cases, showing how economic and environmental process interact in complex ways.

The book should be of great interest to social scientists working in interdisciplinary contexts, and could be useful for graduate seminars, advanced undergraduate courses, and general research purposes. My graduate seminar read it this semester, and it generated interesting discussions.

This book would also be a thought-provoking read for people with a general interest in climate change or economic globalization, since the case studies are presented in a way that is both illuminating and relatively jargon-free.

Best advice for any one looking at becoming a Homestay Host. This book will tell you everything you'll need to know whether you have one spare room or five. Found this entertaining, fun, and highly informative. If you need encouragement in starting a homestay biz, this is for you! Great stories from exerienced hosts that are amusing and educational. Particularly liked the do's and don'ts. This book is very well written and a easy read!