Strategy

Felicia Scott is a truthteller who spurs you to action. She has a matter of fact way of presenting issues and solutions that actually empowers the reader. Thrive! is a must-read, especially for that person looking to grow and is willing to turn within to experience their own greatness. --Cheryl Smith, KKDA-AM, Dallas, TX

Felicia Scott's book provides an eloquent, insightful and humorous pathway to those who seek guidance down life's rocky road. She maps out a no-nonsense guide on how to deal with issues-she inspires us to take control, get over it-and move on. Ms. Scott's beautiful poetry is an added bonus. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is feeling sorry for themselves-you will feel empowered to move on by the end of the book.

THRIVE! 7 Strategies for Extraordinary Living is like the perfect blend of WOMAN THOU ART LOOSED and CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE WOMAN'S SOUL. It will capture the heart of every woman who felt she was the only one going through and assure her that she can overcome; she can rise to every occasion. Yes, she can survive! In fact, she can do more than that - she can Thrive!

Ms. Scott, thank you for your transparency, insight and courage in writing this book. Sometimes I felt like I personally knew you and even more than that...you personally knew me. You were all up in my business!

It's more than a book to me. It's more of a life reference guide that I will turn to again and again for encouragement, wisdom and inspiration. I'm very excited about using the journaling guide in the back to help me dig out the beautiful woman that's inside of me.

Thank you so much for writing this book! I know what my friends are getting for Christmas this year.

My son was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 4. I was lucky enough to have a friend recommend I attend a conference dealing with Applied Behavioral Analysis(ABA). During the break I wandered through the hundreds of books available for purchase in the lobby. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed.

Surrounded by parents of Autistic children, caregivers, special education teachers and psychologists, I decided to ask for help. Each person I asked "which is the best book to buy first?" pointed to "A work in progress".

2 years later this is the book I recommend to anyone interested in learning about ABA, or implementing a behavioral program for their child.

From toilet training to social skills, how to teach imaginative play to basic conversations, Ron Leaf left no stone unturned.

The instructions, explanations and examples are clear and concise. You will learn about ABA and how to implement a home program with this easy to use guide. For professionals and novices alike, this book will be a tremendous help. Though we have moved on to the more advanced "Teach me language", "A work in progress" is always close at hand.

"Nothing is impossible, some things just require more steps"

I have an Autism child. I am very pleased with this book which it really straight to the point to describe the practical and good techniques to teach children with Autism. This book also described a lot of good and true example of challenges that the parents and the therapists faced in their daily life.

This is a very readable book on ABA. We set up our son's program using this book while deciding on a trainer. I found this much easier to use and understand than other books on curriculae (ie. the Maurice book), although we have taken ideas from both. I did think also, there are more understandable ideas on building on each trial you start.

This book review consists of two parts. The first focuses on who could
benefit from studying and using the book. The second part reports on and
elaborates some relevant or interesting aspects of the book.

This book can be highly useful to financial advisers, and to entrepreneurs
who plan to start a new business or who are already running a business of
their own. The book can be used effectively in courses on entrepreneurship
taught in Schools of Business (Management), or sometimes in Law Schools.
Some of the book's chapters as 3, 4, 10, and 18 can be assigned in
introductory courses on management. If the instructor does not require
students to buy the book, then the college or university library should
acquire a few copies of the book so that the relevant chapters could be on
a reading list for introductory management courses.

The book has very good explanations of many topics related to
entrepreneurship.  We describe below, a few of such well treated topics.

Many of my MBA students would like to eventually, or right after
graduation, found their own business. They ask many questions about what
legal form should their entrepreneurial venture take. Lane's book provides
an exhaustive explanation of the benefits and costs of several legal
organizational forms:  proprietorship, partnership, corporation, S
corporation, and incorporation in Delaware or in another state. The book
also reports on a more recent legal form entitled: Limited Liability
Company (LLC).

Lane's book provides a well-written explanation of how to evaluate a new or
existing entrepreneurial venture. He describes the ins and outs of
breakeven analysis, simple forecasting financial models, and relevant
aspects of financial statements which the entrepreneur must be able to
understand for his/her own sake as well as for presentation to his/her
audience of potential investors. The book is a good source for providing
knowledge of other topics which the entrepreneur must understand to be able
to run his/her business efficiently. These include the ebbs and flows of
the processes of cash and receivables. Additionally, it provides a
discussion of other business processes. If the entrepreneur's business is
one of producing or reselling physical manufactured goods, then for such a
situation the book provides a good discussion of the inventory process.
Also provided in a comprehensive discussion are the ups and downs of the
liabilities process which has to be monitored closely by the entrepreneur.
The book performs well in providing the necessary understanding of business
processes. It presents its concepts and ideas in a lucid and clear fashion.

Among other analyses, the book offers in-depth analysis of risk management
for the entrepreneur. It discusses and explains the very important
insurance principle. It delves into the types of insurance that are
relevant for any business enterprise: property insurance, liability
insurance, self-insurance,
and specific insurance for directors and officers of the business entity.

Another important topic received a thorough going treatment: valuing the
business. This topic is especially of interest to entrepreneurs who own
their businesses and whose ventures achieved a measure of success. When
success and growth become permanent features of the business the notion of
selling the business to other entrepreneurs or to a large company may
become an option.  Some older owners would like to sell to attain a
comfortable retirement without the pressures of running a business. Young
owners may wish to sell, cash in, and move on to other experiences. Thus a
guide to valuation and selling is a useful part of the book.

This review focused on a few of the many interesting topics covered in
Lane's book. However, it should be borne in mind that the book covers many
more topics of interest. The book unravels its presentation over 310 pages
and 18 chapters.  It contains a wealth of information relevant to the
founding, running, financing and selling of business enterprises. It is and
will be useful for financial advisors and entrepreneurs...

Whether you are starting a business, buying or selling a business, or are just curious about the most important financial issues in doing so, this book is a comprehensive "must-have" guide. I found Chapter 12 (Buy-Sell Designs) to be particularly well written and informative, and believe that this single chapter is well worth the entire purchase price of the book.

I bought a few business planning books over the last months because I am starting my own hair salon. They all had these big lists of things to do, but never really explained why. I asked my brother-in-law, the accountant, for some help, but he gave me the same sort of stuff, which I still didn't get. This book I can take at my own speed while I am on the train. When I did meet with an attorney last week, I had a list of everything that I thought was important that I got from the book. He was impressed and my dream is closer than ever to coming true. Thanks, Marc!

This is the best strategy book that I have ever read (and I have read a few including Gary Hamel's books). This book clearly lays out the need for and process of developing a business innovation strategy. It does this without getting too preachy. Another reason that this book is so good is that it effectively builds on powerful concepts in organizational learning and new product development, thereby integrating some important concepts from these fields to build a strong, broad position for strategy and strategic thinking. If you are interested in innovation strategy, organizational learning and new product development, you need to read this book.

All the Right Moves

Markides provides a cohesive and comprehensive guide to crafting breakthrough strategy for ANY organization. The basic premise of his book is that "superior strategy is all about finding and exploiting a unique strategy in the company's business while at the same time searching for new strategic positions on a continuing basis." He organizes his materials as follows:

Part I How to Create a Unique Strategic Position

• How to decide what your business is

• How to decide who your customers and what to offer to them

• How to "play the game"

• How to identity and secure strategic assets and capabilities

• How to create the right organization environment

• How to develop a superior strategic position

Part II How to Prepare for Strategic Innovation

• How strategic positions develop

• How to evaluate and respond to strategic innovation

• How to take a dynamic view of strategy

In the final chapter, Markides concedes that "designing a successful strategy is a never-ending quest. Even the most successful companies must continually question the basis of their business and the assumptions underlying their 'formula for success.' (In fact, in one way or another, this is what most successful companies have done to get where they are.). New who/what/how positions are constantly popping up around the mass market, and established companies must be on the lookout for them. Like a modern-day Christopher Columbus, each company must set out to explore its industry's evolving terrain, searching for new and unexploited strategic positions."

In this brilliant book, Markides explains HOW.

Markides argues:

"The essence of strategy is to choose the one position that your company will claim as its own. A strategic position is simply the sum of a company's answers to these three questions: Who should I target as customers? What products or services should I offer them? How should I do this? ... Ultimately, strategy is all about making choices, [to achieve] a distinctive strategic position ... The most common source of strategic failure is the failure to make clear and explicit choices in each of these three dimensions."

In itself, the statement is simple, even obvious. But, as he points out, many companies fail to make these explicit choices.

The value of the book lies in how the author works through these propositions. The advice is good common sense, laced with valuable insights. The language is clear and simple. The approach is systemic - the author is as concerned with how all the elements fit together within a dynamic market as with the elements themselves. Each chapter ends with a good summary of the arguments.

Even highly complex and highly dynamic strategies rest on these simple foundations. The book therefore provides both an excellent guide for those new to wrestling with strategy and excellent 'mental furniture' with which to approach more complex formulations.

If Andy ever reads his reviews, I wish to extend a personal thanks for this 1 book.

Beyer on Speed is the Bible of Speed Figures. It sets forth a principle and reliable pattern to allow the advanced handicapper to find horses he might never have played before.

This book is the single most important book for Horse Racing speed Figures.

G-d Bless Andy Beyer,

Best Regards MC - TheStickRules.Com

I had had winning days at the racetrack before I read this book. I knew how to watch races, to look for troubled trips, to read the information in the Daily Racing Form, and to keep an eye out for sharp trainers and the patterns they employed with horses. I knew how to do just about everything but win.

After reading this book, I went to Hollywood Park on a Friday night and won. It didn't win because of some shocking new revelation, but because Andy Beyer stresses where the handicapper's attention should be, what information is crucially important and what is not. After reading this book, I felt as though I could see the way a race would take shape in my mind, who would go to the lead, who would go four wide on the far turn and make a move. Everything suddenly made sense. I have a lot to look forward to the next time I go to the racetrack, and most of the credit for that is because of this book.

One of the best available right now! Looking forward to a new one from the same author.

I really enjoyed this book. I was vacationing at a Marriott Hotel and actually bought this book I wanted to read it so much (even though I thought it should just be given away to the guests). It did not disappoint me. As one of the other reviewers noted, it was a well-written, easy read.

Mr. Marriott inspired me with the business tips contained in the book. I especially enjoyed reading about the checklists that Marriott Hotels uses in its business. I really like checklists too. Why invent the wheel everytime you want to do something? Why try to remember all of the steps needed to complete a task, such as making up a room at a Marriott Hotel? Why not just find out what works and put it on paper?! In this way, a business can create a standardized process that can be taught to its employees, instead of relying upon each individual's whim. This idea is also discussed in Michael Gerber's excellent book, The E Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It.

I also enjoyed reading J. W. Marriott, Jr's criticisms of his father's way of making decisions (I also thought it was interesting that he was so negative with regard to his father, in a published book). Jr. said that his father fretted too much about decisions and basically drove himself crazy. Jr. says in this book that one should not try to make a perfect business decision. That involves too much angst and is a waste of time. One should gather the necessary information to make an informed decision as best as one can, then actually make the decision. The price of pefection is prohibitive.

I hope you find this book as enjoyable and as inspiring as I did.

Ran into a copy of this succint biographical book at the Sydney Marriott alongside the Bible/Gita/Buddhist manual, and I wasn't too sanguine about something from the hospitality industry being too relevant to me. But this slim, easy read may actually connect with almost any business person. More so if you are in any way related to customer services or marketing.

Without skipping any beat on chapters of glorious prose, ala TypicalBusinessBook, it shoots straight from the gut about the tenets of Marriott -- how with sheer determination it shot to the big league from a small cottage inn, the MBE leadership style of Marriott (the younger Marriott that is) who prefers to walk his troops instead of boardroom inertia, lessons in team building, the importance of listening to all the levels of the organization, codifying past experiences into business philosophies (not the usual "Best Practices" bromide that is bandied about in elite echelons of business) etc etc.

In all respects, a hidden business gem of a book.

Now the million (ok, 11) dollar question. You can imagine how I got my copy. So would I *buy* this book if I had to? For the basement price, and for the simple but compelling REAL WORLD lessons, most likely yes.

I stayed at a Marriott in Denver last week and found a copy of this book in the nightstand. I expected it to be hogwash and instead found it to be the most useful business book I've ever read. It is a quick read (about 150 pages, not the 240 mentioned in the Amazon catalog). It is entertaining without being self-indulgent and informative without being preachy. The anecdotes revealed an appropriate level of introspection (my one quibble is that Mr. Marriott claims that his family and faith come before business and yet also describes himself as a workaholic). I'm not in the hospitality industry and yet I found dozens of parallels to my own business (computer software and book publishing). Most interesting were the frank assessments of Marriott's business mistakes. He truly used them as an opportunity to learn. The book is chock full of excellent and thought-provoking strategies and totally devoid of the cheesy buzzwords so prevalent in, say, the latest Tom Peters books. Although I have no association with Marriott, the book will cause me to examine the entire service industry in a new light.

I love the game, and i enjoyed this book. I would also recommend, Gregorian Strategy for multiple deck blackjack.

I liked the opening blackjack IQ test which grades your current level of knowledge. The book has a very complete basic strategy section including a multi-color hand playing chart, plus many typical problem hand explanations. It also has a unique chapter on fine points of the game that go beyond basic strategy without counting cards.
The card counting section begins with some downright casual methods, then progresses to mainstream and advanced type systems. The upgradable KISS Count looks similar to the KO count and is very clearly laid out, along with supporting performance data. In fact the whole book is presented in an easy to follow and thorough writing style.
In my humble opinion, it is an excellent modern textbook and reference guide for serious players.

Although I've been playing "advantage" blackjack for many years, I still found this book to be helpful and educational. It was a reading delight with a comprehensive sequential arrangement, smoothly moving from basic strategy - to basic refinement techniques - to amateur card counting - to advanced card counts.
Its chapter on the "art" of skillful play offered some advanced, yet easy tactics regarding camouflage, truing up an unbalanced count, etc. Even the pure recreationalists will find practical ways to improve their game beyond correct basic strategy by using information from the cards showing on board. There is also quite an interesting analytical perspective on betting progressions.
One thing I liked in particular was that nearly every strategy or technique presented was given a percentage value, backed by millions of computer generated hands. That gives us all a better feel for what our various efforts are worth; something I haven't always had.
Another big plus was all the card hand graphics that were used throughout to illustrate its strategic points. For hard to grasp concepts, the pictures were a big help.
After reading 20 blackjack books, if I can get just one or two new helpful things from the next one I consider it time well spent. This one provided lots of them.

This book helped to "fill in the holes" for me. I am a manager who has witnessed innumerable incidents aptly described in this book. There are no "official" guidelines or information available from my employer for addressing this phenomenon...if it doesn't fall within the classical "legal" definition of harassment...many of my peers either ignore the behavior, engage in the behavior or collude with the "system" to perpetuate it. This book and another great book, "Work Abuse: How To Recognize and Survive It" by Judith Wyatt and Chauncey Hare have been invaluable aids in helping me to identify and implement actions that have strengthened my management skills, by encouraging change and authentic healing.

Bullies get what they need personally because one of their major needs is to look good at the expense of others, especially in a
workplace that allows such behavior to multiply. Government organizations where executives prefer to isolate themselves from frontline workers are particularly vulnerable since the lies that bullies pass on to executives are accepted as de facto truth. Managing by walking around is unheard of in these places.

This book provided the one thing I found missing in all the similar books I have read: a valid theoretical explanation of why bullying occurs -- the characteristics and dynamics of both the targets and the bullies. Essentially, bullies and targets (victims of bullies) come in all varieties, except that targets have one quality in common: they foster collaboration. Bullies, in turn, also have one trait in common: they are hierarchial. This leads to the inevitable crash when the bully percieves that the target is "giving away" the very things that the bully wishes to "sell". The driving force behind bulling is the need to control other people. The vulnerability of targets lies in their incomprehension of why anyone would want to control others when they could instead cooperate with them. These mental models are fundamentally incompatible. In addition, bullies are comfortable using aggression to gain control while cooperators are not. Bullies want to crush targets, targets want to "get along" with bullies. This really excellent book explains the basis for the mental models, the dynamics of the interaction between bullies and targets, and offers targets strategies for survival.

This may not be what you expect. It is actually a book of annotated games. The annotations are appropriate to early intermediate players -- not full of deep variations, but also not just some dumb comment on every move (which is especially annoying in the opening). It's more like every 3rd or 4th move. This is perfect for describing strategies concisely.

The strategies are practical, not deep. The games were carefully selected to illuminate basic principles. These are not "brilliancies" with sudden, crushing defeats based on deeply analyzed tactics. These show one player making stronger moves than his opponent -- stronger, but still understandable. I think the author has done a good job with his selection.

Each section does have about 2 pages of text describing the principles, but it's mainly a book to be used with a chess board. Play the moves and read the author's comments. Sometimes he points out the tactical threats (which are obvious to an advanced player) and that's where a board is useful.

Unlike Chernev's "Logical Chess Move by Move", this is not for a beginner hoping to get a feel for the drama in the struggles on the chessboard. It is as instructive as Bronstein's highly praised annotations of the Zurich International, but at a much lower level.

USCF 1400-1700 rating.

4 stars as an inexpensive and comprehensibly annotated collection of elucidating games. But if you're on a budget, skip this book and buy one of Reinfeld's puzzle books.

This is indeed a clear, pithy middlegame book. But the one thing I have to add is that the Dover edition is a reprint and has been redone in *algebraic* notation.

One of the best intermediate level books you will ever see. It is truly astonishing how lucid and poignant this book on chess strategy. If you like great chess writing (e.g. Silman, Purdy, Marovic, Romanovsky, etc.) you must have this book. It is perhaps the most important summary of chess strategy that I have (and I have all of them!)

This husband was helped by the book. My in-laws were both problem parents, and they are now problem in-laws. Reading the book gave some measure of greater objectivity, outlined the specific types of problem in-laws, recommended not being 'brought down to their level,' and ways of handling the problem behaviors. Since my spouse is not able to set limits on her parents behavior, I would have to go-it alone with them. As such, physical distance and refusing to talk with them via any means are my best strategies. Methods of severing all ties are not covered in the book, and since I've known several families that followed that approach successfully, I think the book has it's major shortcoming in not discussing isolationism or how to achieve it, short of divorce.

Let me begin by saying there isn't a book by Susan Forward that isn't very helpful in making you understand what the problem really is and how to make it better. Her book on verbal abuse was so excellent. I think I have read ALL of her books. What makes this book great is that she gives numerous examples of different couples and their in-law problems so there is a very good probability you will find your specific problem in the book. The strategies given are ones you may not have even considered in your frustration of dealing with your obnoxious self centered in law(s). I was very angry before I read this, now I'm just mildly amused. I won't be controlled with my own resentments/emotions any more. Susan will help you understand their ... little world of either not being able to "share" the love, or whatever unresolved mess is in their minds, so you wont/dont take it personally.

Susan Forward has written a fantastic book. She really understands and has great insights and solutions. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

I can't understand why this brilliant book didn't make it to the best seller list.