Strategy

Quinn's work is an excellent guide / explorer for the 21st century. I highly recommend this groundbreaking work to everybody who is interested in changing nature of tomorrow's organizations.

Quinn's work is an excellent guide to explore the world of 21st century. I recommend this groundbreakink work to everybody who is interested in tomorrow's organizations.

Quinn has long been among the absolute finest academics at helping real world managers understand the best practices in the world for managing & generating innovation. In earlier works he brought to our attention such groundbreaking concepts as the role of chaos in innovative organizations, the implications of our shift to a services based economy, and the rise of intellect or human capital as the critcal resource for competition among companies. His newest book may be his most useful to date. With his usual meticulously fact based research Quinn not only lays out the emerging tools, techniques and approaches the world's leading companies are using, he also provides breathtaking evidence of the real world performance gains that are available. The sections on software paradigms, "beyond teams" organizational approaches, and knowledge systems deserve especially careful reading, in my opinion. As usual, the biggest problem with Quinn's work is the sheer density of important new ideas makes consuming this book and putting it to work a significant investement. As a private investor, I will suggest to the executives that I work with that they make the time.

I always wondered how to interpret economic data but thought it was either boring or to complicated. This book "Inside Greenspan's Briefcase" makes it easy to understand and enjoyable to read. The author entertains and informs with some wonderful and funny stories. The book has the same great tone as the authors articles which I have been reading for years ....... I am even considering opening an account with his money management firm.

Rob Stein's book is a work of genius. He gives brilliant strategies in an easy-to-understand way. The foreword, written by Laura Cohn is simply the best foreword I have ever read. I follow her work in Businessweek magazine and am a huge fan of hers. I'm just waiting for her book...

Rob Stein's Inside Greenspan's Briefcase is a real treasure. Rarely can you find an investment/ecomonics book that is able to bridge the gap between complex economic analysis and real life practical experience. Mr. Stien's logical enconomic approach is not only educational but necessary in assisting you to negiotate your every day investment management obstacle.

Despite the downturn in the corporate business world, the Internet still exists as a means for enterprising people to market their business ideas to make a living. Opportunities are boundless and growing numbers of people continue to give the Internet a try. There are plenty of resources available to help them succeed.

Internet Prophets offers readers an excellent collection of business concepts, strategies, and instruction to help them start online businesses. The book features information about creating sound business plans, managing businesses - including money matters, creating effective Websites, marketing business Websites, online resources, and general business information that will make an impact on the way people do business - while being mindful of operating budgets!

Throughout the book readers are reminded about setting clear goals and objectives. Planning every stage of one's business is of paramount importance - the business plan, the Website, marketing, search engine strategies, and knowing what the competition is doing are all aspects of a business that demand close attention to detail and determination to carry out.

Most fascinating about the book - in my opinion - are the business strategies provided. Readers are exposed to some exciting and very practical ways to draw attention to themselves and to maintain professional and profitable business-client relationships. Strategies include establishing online communities, setting up auction services, creating portals, providing visitors access to information, joining e-marketplaces, adding interactive tools to Websites, hosting live online events at Websites, adding dynamically updated content to Websites, and thinking globally when planning the action.

The tone of the book is serious and the rewards for gleaning from it are enormous. The strategies are sound and the resources provided will put people in touch with the companies, products, and services they need to develop a meaningful online business presence that will produce positive results for them. The book is ideally suited for start-up business operations and those existing businesses that want to and probably should make the move to the Internet to promote themselves. Essential reading!

Innovative business ideas for the internet range from products to services and provide advice which will enable executives to conduct more business successfully on the web. Internet Prophets is the first to assess proven e-commerce strategies, matching techniques with budgets of large and small companies alike and presenting 'Internet Prophets' for four different budget ranges. Covers both strategies and marketing costs; rich in specifics.

This book was invaluable in figuring where to begin in the sea of e-commerce choices. The four internet prophet business strategies helped me figure out where my business was... and where I wanted to to go in designing an e-commmerce plan for selling online. I wish this book had come along years ago. But I'm glad it's here now.

Although solution focused-brief therapy is considered a paradigm, this book could very well be used in any introductory, microskills class, and it should.

The authors put forth a paradigm that is easy to learn (yet technique is perfected with much experience),and it places focus on the client's "non-problem" life. This is important because what we tend to focus on tends to increase.

The authors present SF in a way that is very empowering to both the therapist and the client. For the therapist who is interested in genuinely helping people, this will work, but you cannot use this approach and have an ego-issue w/regard to being an "expert." Rightly, the client is the expert on his/her own life.

A first-class text, and a keeper!

Nearly two years ago this book was my first acquaintance with the solution focused approach to helping people. I had heard from a collegue (who is also a management coach) about solution focused working and, although I thought it sounded promising, I remained a bit skeptical. However, from the very moment I started reading 'Interviewing for solutions' my attention was firmly captured. Two chapters later I was practically sold. The approach is very clearly explained and the many dialogues in the book are really excellent (especially those by Insoo Kim Berg). After reading this book I started reading and learning more and I began using solution focused working in my practise as a coach and consultant. With peasure and success.

When I teach solution-focused therapy and students ask what's worth reading to supplement their learning, I tell them Interviewing for Solutions by De Jong and Berg is at the top of my list. I think of it as the basic text in solution-focused therapy--with clear explanations of all the interviewing techniques and chocked full of vivid case examples. This book has much that is useful for those new to this approach as well as the seasoned solution-focused therapist. Phillip Ziegler, co-author of Recreating Partnership: A Solution-Oriented, Collaborative Approach to Couples Therapy

Carol Bleser and Lesley Gordon did a wonderful job with this book,delving into the personal lives of several famous civil war figures, along with black and white photographs of the couples.Some of the marriages in the book include the Shermans, Grants, Lee's, Custer's , Stonewall Jacksons, and many others. With so many figures from the civil war this book gives a wonderful overview of some of the more famous marriages and there family life. With so many figures to choose from I think the authors did a suberb job with the couples they featured. This is a book not to be missed.

This collection of twelve essays explores the personal lives of prominent Civil War military commanders and their wives. The writers paint vivid pictures of how family life and the war were interwoven. The most striking thing to me is the great variation between the relationships of the various commanders and their wives, all within the Victorian societal structure. I think this book makes great reading for everyone, regardless of a person's interest in history.

In this book, editors Carol K. Bleser and Lesley J. Gordon bring together essays describing the marriages and personal lives of a dozen Civil War leaders. The essays remind us of the essential humanity of the leading figures in that awful conflict. We gain an insight into the stresses placed upon these husbands and wives by the calls of patriotism, political and military duty, and career ambition on one hand, and the responsibility to home and family on the other. We sense through excerpts from letters and first-hand memoirs the flow of their emotions as they suffered illness, loss of loved ones and, certainly in the South, loss of homeland. Seen against the events of September 11, these essays help us to empathize with the suffering and sacrifice undergone by many of our contemporary countrymen and countrywomen.

I used "An Invitation to Chess" when I taught a grade school course in chess fundamentals. Of all the chess books I have seen geared purely toward the beginner, I found this to be the clearest, best organized, and, just as the subtitle claims, it is "A Picture Guide to The Royal Game."

Lots of pictures help explain the moves and motions of a piece in the context of a larger strategy. Chernev and Harkness used photos of the board as well as standard board drawings. They require modernized, as the photos are a bit blurry, and the drawings have an old newspaper keyline look. The copy is succinct, but not dry. As a reader, I found it less clinical than many of the chess books with dozens of lines per opening.

This is a long way from anything Lasker or Fischer wrote, but the audience intended here is looking to play the game effectively, unworried about becoming a grandmaster. At least, not yet.

The content list breaks things down to subsections like "How the King Moves and Captures," and "How the Pawn Captures 'en passant.''" They provide a special section cautioning the new player of common mistakes, like "Premature Attacks," and "Pawn Grabbing with the Queen." This is invaluable because young players routinely shoot for point control over game control.

I fully recommend "An Invitation to Chess" by Irving Chernev and Kenneth Harkness. Use this to teach your children, or use it to study up when they start to beat you.

Anthony Trendl

Though this book is getting a bit old, a better beginners book has yet to be written. Getting into the habit of asking yourself "what does he threaten?" is crucial to the beginning player. They really should update it to algebraic.

When I first learned the rules of the game, I found this book to be of great value, if only for the simple advice of "always ask yourself why your opponent played a certain move. What does he attack?" and "before your make your move, ask yourself what your opponent's best reply would be." You can find more comprehensive books, but this is my choice for a useful, friendly, quick guide to better chess. I'd buy this for a younger player or newcomer in a heartbeat. Why intimidate someone with a huge tome when you can painlessly improve with this volume?

To really appreciate this book, it's helpful to understand what it is. The publisher, Leading Authorities, is one of the leading speakers bureaus in North America. The firm serves corporations, trade associations, and other organizations in procuring just the speaker(s) they need for their events. In this work, they interact daily with people hungry for information, advice, and inspiration-and with the people who deliver just what those audiences seek. The role of the Leading Authorities Speakers Bureau is to successfully match the right speaker with the need.

In this book, probably the first of a series, the speakers bureau has ventured into putting into print what some of their most effective speakers convey from the speaking platform. The theme of this book is business-winning strategies for business. The essays are all focused on delivering valuable, useful information and advice for the reader. Mission accomplished.

Reading this book is like experiencing a focused set of powerful professional speakers at a major convention . . . while sitting in the comfort of your living room. Well, not quite. No convention would ever give you the opportunity to receive the messages of 34 (count 'em-34) experts in one sitting. In fact, with the power in some of the chapters, it may be difficult to handle this book in one sitting!

Some of the names of the speaker-authors won't be easily recognizable. Others will be very familiar to people who know their work, have heard them speak, or work in their fields. Regardless, every one has a message for the reader. The book is organized into four parts: Toward the Future, Learning to Lead, The Impact of Technology, and Processes, Strategies, and Techniques of Leadership. There are no illustrations in this book. It's straight text . . . and straightforward. Even if you just pick a few chapters that interest you, reading this book will be worth the price.

Idea: Buy a copy of this book for each member of your leadership team. Assign a particular chapter for everyone to read at the same time, then discuss what was learned and how the knowledge can be applied in your organization. Then move to another chapter, and another. If one of the chapters seems particularly important, engage the author to speak at your management meeting.

Note: This book is not a commercial for the speakers bureau. In fact, I couldn't even find a reference to the bureau in the book. This is knowledge that I have--being a professionla speaker myself--and share with you so you can appreciate the power in this book. Definitely worth reading.

A great, quick read about business, leadership, technology etc from the best in the business world. Talk about a who's who in American corporate America!! A cheap way to get great advise and a free MBA in life!

This books compiles the strategies for success of thirty-four thought leaders. The book is easy to read and includes practical suggestions on topics ranging from "Increasing Your Personal Effectiveness," to "Understanding the Requirements for Succeeding Globally," and "Building a Better Business and a Better Life."

No matter what business you're in, this book gives solid advice on how to make your business better.

Interesting corporate biography on Intuit, which arguably is the most successful consumer software company in the world.
The authors focus on Intuit's core values
1. Integrity
2. Do right by the customers
3. It's the people

It provides entertaining examples where the company did right by customers and did right by its employees. In particular, the authors focus on Intuit's strong customer oriented culture and its extensive user testing to make their software easy to use.
The Intuit story is told chronologically covering Intuit's conception to the present . Probably since the authors have a marketing background, there is a lot of coverage on marketing roll-outs, pricing strategies, and branding. I would have liked to read more on their engineering strategies. This really is limited to stories of engineers pulling all-nighters and a focus on usability testing. Not much insight is given on how they actually develop award winning software. There is interesting management insight to current CEO Bennett, and how he brought more discipline and metric focus to the organization. The authors had access to all of the key Intuit players , and Intuit's vision, mission and operating values statement makes for an insightful read in the appendix.

When Inside Intuit arrived in the mail, along with four other books I'd ordered, it was the first one I picked up to browse. Seven hours later, I finished the book! Reliving the experiences, placing myself in the events (I worked for Intuit for over fourteen years - by way of ChipSoft), was an overwhelming experience for me.

I remember the first time I met Scott Cook. Leo Redmond, at the time managing the Intuit Supplies Group, and I had just finished lunch in Palo Alto. As we drove back to his office, we talked about Quicken and how it was the second product I bought for my first computer in early 1989 (the first was Sim City). Leo said that he'd like me to tell Scott about it. Scott was excited - "You have five years of Quicken data?" He told me to install the latest Quicken beta as soon as I got home - he wanted to know how it handled large data files (mine was over two megabytes at the time). That was nearly ten years ago.

What an experience! Having been hired by Evy Chipman in late 1988 and working closely with every top-echelon executive on the ChipSoft side (Gaylord, Harris, Gleicher, Lane), I never thought I'd be so intimidated - stammering - as I chatted briefly with Scott in his office.

Reading Inside Intuit brings you into Scott's (and many others) office - you are in the presence of greatness when you read this book.

I have read a number of corporate biographies and this one has to rank near the top. The authors describe many of the company's failures and successes in a forthright manner. Also, their technique of discussing the company in terms of its several regimes is a very useful way of thinking about the company's evolution.

My one complaint is that I don't think the book adequately describes the company's present and future; for instance, there is no mention of the Siebel implementation that is a huge deal internally, the efforts in leveraging the accountants as a channel, or the impending battle with MSFT in the Small Biz arena. There is a lack of description of the daily life at Intuit- the Friday beer fests (Karl Strauss beer!), employee bonding at the foosball tables, the yearly golf tournament, the one office per employee policy, opportunities to pick Steve Bennett's brain at quarterly web broadcasts anonymously.. the list goes on- that makes Intuit a Great Place to Work.

Isn't it interesting that few authors of books or articles on customer relationship management effectively address the critical success factors of this business philosophy. John McKean knows something that many don't seem to understand: "You can't expect a high performance machine to run efficiently on low grade fuel"! Although buying the right technology is important (and quite expensive I might add), it's purpose is really to move customer information from where it is to where it is needed in time for it to be applied. If that information is difficult to get hold of or the quality is low to begin with then any investment in the technology will be undermined (at least to some extent).

If you think that technology is the answer to building a customer-centric business strategy, read this book because it will give some useful insight into what you will be up against. I have no doubt that the leaders in the customer race are already being rewarded for this knowledge.

This the best book I have read for a long time. I have never scored any book 5 out of 5 but was very tempted to do so on this occassion.

This book is the best book on business information I have ever read. I refer to it all the time and it has the most balanced view of technology and its relevance to business I have ever seen.

Its a bit dense and it can be heavy going but the book is absolutely worth the effort.

Being the best at using business information is the holy grail. And it isn't easy and you can't fake it. This book will make you realise how far you have to go.

The book is outstanding value; it has depth of knowledge and plenty of actionable recommendation like no other (or consultants for that matter...). It shows you the real problems and opportunities of CRM in action.

I am the first time coach of a second grade boys soccer team. This book was very easy to understand for the kids as well as myself. For kids that are relatively new to the game it explains positions, the different kinds of kicks and the all around basics of soccer without getting too technical. It has been a great aid for our team.

Whether a child, parent, or first time coach with no prior knowledge, this book is the perfect introduction to children's soccer. Add your league specifics and develop technically as you go. A first, must read.

This book provides a brief introduction to soccer, at the right level of detail for those new to the game. My 11-year-old son found the summary of the rules and strategies quite helpful. As a new coach, I was glad to have a compact volume that included most of what I needed to know. There are other books that provide more detail on the game and more exercises and drills for soccer players -- but this is the ideal "first book" for someone just learning about the game. I recommend it highly.