economics-times

This is an extremely lively and readable account of changes in the U.S. apparel industry. It challenges the prevailing assumption that the industry is doomed to move offshore in its entirety. The authors argue persuasively that there will be a continuing need for apparel production in the U.S. by firms that cooperate more closely with retailers, and meet the demand for timely production. In addition, the authors present a fascinating history of the industry and a wonderfully detailed discussion of its changing technology. This book is useful to those interested specifically in the apparel industry, but also as a case study of how new information technologies are reshaping U.S. industries more generally.

A Stitch In Time is a very good read.

While some academics tend to write books that are beyond the comprehension of mere mortals, this book is very readable, even to a layman like me who has no previous experience in the fashion/apparel/textiles business. The authors have explained techniques in manufacturing and theoretical concepts very clearly. Although it is obvious that much research has been done, the authors did not bore the reader with useless facts and figures just to prove the amount of research that has been done. Rather, significant findings were highlighted whenever appropriate, which made the book more interesting and comprehensible.

The authors believe that a new form of retailing, defined as lean retailing by the authors, will soon make its impact in the retail industry. Major retailers, like Wal-Mart, already practise this form of retailing. The theory of lean retailing propose that as there is an increase in product proliferation, and as customers demand quicker response times, retailers will "force" suppliers to replenish supplies at shorter intervals with smaller quantities. This will reduce inventory, cost and risk. While suppliers may choose to hold more inventories to satisfy lean retailers like Wal-Mart, it is a short-term solution. It is merely pushing the ineffectiveness of the system from retailers to apparel manufacturers. A better way is to re-look the industry from a channel angle, i.e. the whole chain of retailer-supplier-textile manufacturer. How can the channel be more effective as a whole? The authors believe information integration and co-operation is the key.

While the focus of the book has been on the fashion/apparel/textiles industry, I believe the concepts can also be applied to other industries. In fact, I believe the concepts were "borrowed" from more advanced industries like automobile manufacturing. Some of the concepts are similar to concepts in operations management like JIT, sales forecasting, etc.

I recommend this book to anyone in the retail business. This book will change your mindset of traditional retailing, whether you are in the fashion retail or not. I also recommend this book to people who are interested in exploiting IT for the exchanging of information between suppliers and retailers. I have learnt a lot from the book and I am sure many readers will agree with me.

The book goes beyond the hyped-up jargon of e-commerce and information technology and instead provides a nuts and bolts understanding of the actual impact of these trends on businesses, workers and the American economy. While it focuses on just one industry (one with which we can all identify, as consumers of clothing and customers of the Walmarts, J. Crews and Dillard's of the world), it gives a much broader understanding of the trends and forces that will eventually shape most industres, and affect who wins and loses in this emerging "IT" economy.

The book is eminently readable, packed with real world examples and crisp analysis of trends that we hear about frequently in the popular press, but rarely see investigated in any real detail.

George McGovern, former senator from South Dakota, has written a compact, layman's guide, The Third Freedom, on the politics of hunger. McGovern, long-time workhorse of food and agriculture policies, makes the case for a 5-point program to end hunger. The book's biographical anecdotes are as compelling as the case he makes. The author, World War II bomber pilot and Democratic presidential nominee, draws upon experiences from the Great Depression to the Clinton administration. Along the way, the reader learns how McGovern's father, farmers, Franklin Roosevelt, Henry Wallace, John Kennedy, Maryknoll missionaries and Pope John XXIII infulenced his thinking.

In the 1960s, McGovern's origination and stewardship of food and agriculture policies led to programs that benefited the U.S. economy. In the new century, McGovern uses his national visibility and standing to propose fresh political remedies: food policies that favor women and children; universal school lunch; genetically modified crops; fresh water; and agricultural aid modeled on the Peace Corps. The author endorses government action, rooted in biblical teachings, to feed the hungry. While the book is short on documentation, it is long on policy. The title from Gary Hart's memoir of McGoven's ill-fated presidential bid, Right from the Start, may aptly sum up this new work.

In his simple prose and humble middle-American manner, former Senator George McGovern addresses one of humankind's moral imperatives: world hunger. It is a great tragedy that the majority of Americans are overweight (or have access to three square meals, at the least), while people across the globe -or even across the city- suffer from hunger.

Mr. McGovern presents five possible solutions that may mitigate the plight of millions, among these worldwide WIC and school lunches, an increase in the food stamp program, and a minimum wage increase. Unfortunately, many of these measures seem implausible, for the ironic reason of their political inviability; FEW Americans favor an increase in taxes, to say the least.

I found this book to be more than an overview of hunger's politics. It is a window into the soul of a great man. In truth, world hunger would be a fading memory were we like Mr. McGovern: compassionate and selfless.

Every caring person will be glad that she or he reads this book, because each of us can help eliminate world hunger in our lifetimes. The reference to the third freedom is to the idea of creating "freedom from want" that is found in FDR's famous speech about the four freedoms.

Senator McGovern has been close to the issue of hunger for many years, having first headed the Food for Peace program for President Kennedy and more recently working with the United Nations on food issues for President Clinton. In this book, he describes many of the lessons learned about allievating hunger in the United States and elsewhere around the world, the benefits from eliminating hunger, the barriers to making faster progress, the plans for making the next steps, and his proposal for eliminating world hunger for humans by 2015.

I remember hearing much about this subject in the 1960s, and especially recall the CBC special from 1968. Historically, American farmers had excess production that was hurting farm prices while people were hungry. During the Kennedy administration this was turned into a series of initiatives to reduce the surpluses to strengthen the prices and feed more people. Large gains were made in students attending school and in their academic performance through free school breakfasts and lunches for the poor.

What has happened since then? Well, the good news is that these and many other good ideas have been expanded around the world. The number of hungry people is still enormous, 800 million, but it is many fewer than 40 years ago. As Senator McGovern rightly points out, we now have the technology, expertise in food distribution, and financial resources to eliminate hunger for the final 800 million. All we lack is a focus on the issue, and the will to make a difference.

The U.S. contribution would be less than the cost of a building a B-2 bomber annually. It turns out that most people think that more than 10 percent of the Federal budget goes for foreign aid, and that is almost all food. Actually, foreign aid is less than 1 percent and most of that is armaments. In recent polls, over 70 percent of Americans favor ending world hunger. Throughout the last presidential campaign this issue got lost. That's a shame, because here is an area where we pretty much agree.

His proposal focuses on the following elements:

(1) Extend the school lunch program around the world (the bulk of the poor hungry are children, and this gets them to school and improves their ability to learn)

(2) Favor women and children in food distribution (because of their better use of the resources and the fact that this by-passes corruption the most) usually by providing the food at the schools for pick-up

(3) Create local food reserves around the world of the sort we have in the United States so that emergency food can be more readily available to respond to natural disasters and wars

(4) Train local farmers to be better at what they do and provide them with better technology, appropriate for their part of the world (especially better ways to irrigate that don't harm the soil)

(5) Support research into better agricultural practices, including biotechnology

(6) Reduce the arms made available to countries where on-going wars are likely since such wars cause much hunger

(7) Clean-up the water supplies to reduce disease at the same time, and eliminate the risk of future wars over water

(8) Further encourage democracies since they make avoiding famines a high priority.

One of the nasty surprises I got from reading the book is that despite world progress, hunger is growing again in the United States due to cut backs in food stamps and other programs aimed at hunger. If we have been making mistakes in this area, that's pretty bad . . . at a time of unprecedented prosperity and government surpluses.

I also hope that private companies and individuals will step up their efforts to take a hand in eliminating hunger. I suspect that the know-how of these individuals is probably even more valuable than their money and time.

I strongly encourage you to read this book. Write to your congressional leaders and to our new president about this subject.

Also, I suggest that if you can afford it, that you allocate $30 per person per year in your household for donations aimed at eliminating hunger. That's about what it would take. At least you would know you are doing your part, even if the rest of society sleeps. Ultimately, that's all any of us can be sure of, is that we have stood up and been counted.

This book should be shared. If you belong to a book reading group, I hope you will suggest it. I also ask that you give a copy to your spiritual advisor. This book could become the basis of some good projects for your house of worship.

Love thy brother as thyself.

I have gleaned a few books on procrastination, but most of them spend too much time dwelving into the 'causes of' instead of offering tangible solutions. Although understanding the underlying casuses of the problem is important, a few of us want to get started quickly on how to stop it. This book is a welcome change in this respect, because it mixes and matches the different reasons why people procrastinate with useful strategies to minimize it or stop it altogether. When I picked-up this book, I was struck by its 'lets get right to it' approach and sometimes funny anecdotal quirks. The book is organized in six sections, 10 1-2 page useful tips per section (to make the total of 60 tips). The author advocates that the book can be started from anywhere, as a pick-up refreseher while you are in the P act or read in order. I read it back to back in a couple of hours and found it full of interesting and useful information. There is some logical progression starting from practical tips, progressing into more in-depth tips, and then hammering some important tips at the end. However, the structure of the book is loose making it a great reference. Although there is some information repeated throughout the book, this might be intentional to leave you with clear messages at the end. Some of the tips are outrageous (like Put Money in Escrow) others are far out there (Tap the Power of Scents) but most of them are insightful and practical. I recommend this book to anybody having a hard time getting things done at home or work and looking to minimize their procrastinatig habits. It has inspired me to write this review, which I would usually procrastinate!

The 60-Second Procrastinator is a book of a different sort. rather than getting all mixed up with the mumbo-jumbo of why people procrastinate, the author devotes just a few pages to it and ten quickly launches into remedies. Like he says at the outset, not every tip will work for everybody every time, but each time you open the book and flip through it, you're bound to find something that will help you get moving. From that perspective, the book proved to be highly worthwhile.

If you are a investment beginner, you should read this book. If you are a busy person and want to get into stock market, you should read this book.

Carlson gives a great tips for the personal investor with or without experience. Those of us who are strapped for time can appreciate the manner in which the book is laid out...quick and easy tips without alot of hoopla. Just no-nonsense advice which can be used to set up or build your portfolio. Highly recommended!

Many of our clients are struggling with life at internet speeds. If you haven't read this classic on speeding up your organizations product and service life cycle, now may be a good time to do so. Praise for this book, as listed on the back of the dust jacket, come from Ford Motor Company, Quantum Corporation and others with Ed McCraken, CEO of Silicon Graphics Computer Systems stating that this is; "A must read for executive who seek speed and competitiveness."

Mr. Meyer utilizes an "ongoing case study" to make his points concerning FCT processes. This approach lends credence to his positions and gives the book a solid feel of practicality. In addition, frequent use of diagrams helps the reader visualize the organizations, processes, information flow, and cross functional activities of organizations. The layout of the book is logical and provides for continuity as Meyer builds on each preceding chapter.

The book is filled with excellent observations and pithy sayings: "The responsibility for strategic alignment rests with senior management." "Any organization leader who seeks to 'empower' people should first create a clear strategic context that enables others to use the power with which they were born." "Research demonstrates there is a negative correlation between economic growth rate and the number of Nobel prizes won." "A sustainable FCT capability can be achieved only by learning faster, not by working faster."

This book provides a compelling blend of theory and practical advice on how to move quickly. I found many things that used combined Balanced Score Card techniques focused on cycle time with the author's real world experience - which is considerable.

The book is aimed at managing the culture and mindset of the organization, not a particular project. A worthwhile read if time-based-competition applies to your business.

Hugo Dixon describes virtually every aspect of finance that the average individual needs to know to live in the world and survive, and he does it in such a way that even the most uninitiated can understand. This is truly a one of a kind book. I know of no other that covers the range in such an elementary manner. I constantly refer to it in addition to my more advanced books on finance.

I have been a 'student' of finance and investment for nearly 30 years. This book simply explains the foundations of finance and then applies it to the business and investment world. There are some problems to solve that bring the principles to life. Explanations are balanced and point out both sides to controversial issues or theories. A reading elevates you to the 'expert class'. I recommend it to anyone interested in finance and investment.

I listened to the audio-casette version of this book, which was short and sweet.The author who is the narrator of the book completely involves you in the management routine, that he prescribes, weather it be finances or time. The part that I like is that you have to chart down your financial and time management routines and while you are doing that you become your own critic.Author helps you with simple techniques, that you can start practising the same day with immediate gratification.The well planned excercises don't over burden you with excessive details. Another plus point is that for every problem there are multiple solutions. Authors good sense of humor made it an enjoyable experience.

I am an avid reader and this is THE best resourse on personal finance that is out there. I have personally used Kevin's system to completley reduce my debt and find time for the wealth building tips.Kevin has a style that is humor filled along with a sensability that is clear. At first I was'nt sure if I would like the audio format, but he is soo easy to listen to that I found myself listening to it several times...and thats where the magic is! When you listen to it the 2 nd and 3 rd time it feels like you are being coached by a master. VERY effective!

Time Management skills are essential for successful people the book deals with practical techniques, which have helped the leading people in business reach the pinnacles of their careers. The skills explained in the book helps you to become reliable and effective and show you how to identify and focus on the activities that give you the greatest returns by explaining goal setting, which is a vitally important skill for achieving what you want to achieve with your life. It is neatly summed up in the Pareto Principle, or the "80:20 Rule". This argues that typically 80% of unfocussed effort generates only 20% of results. The remaining 80% of results are achieved with only 20% of the effort. While the ratio is not always 80:20, this broad pattern of a small proportion of activity generating non-scalar returns recurs so frequently as to be the norm in many areas. It also talks about issues like learn to say no, learn to prioritize, combine several activities, doing subordinate's work, doing the work of others, scheduling projects, monitoring staff, and setting long-term objectives. The absence of personal time management is characterized by last minute rushes to meet deadlines, days, which seem somehow to slip unproductively by, crises, which loom unexpected from nowhere. This sort of environment leads to inordinate stress and degradation of performance. Poor time management is often a symptom of over confidence: techniques, which used to work with small projects and workloads, are simply reused with large ones. However, inefficiencies, which were insignificant in the small role, are ludicrous in the large. You cannot drive a motor bike like a bicycle, nor can you manage a supermarket-chain like a market stall. The demands, the problems, and the payoffs for increased efficiency are all larger as your responsibility grows; you must learn to apply proper techniques, or be bettered by those who do. Possibly, the reason Time Management is poorly practiced is that it so seldom forms a measured part of appraisal and performance review; what many fail to foresee, however, is how intimately it is connected to aspects, which do. Leslie Parlow's, excellent practical application of Time Management.By Vivek Dixit, Stanford.edu.

While this book explores work-family issues, it also gives concrete suggestions about how to improve management processes and allow workers more personal time without decreasing productivity. Essentially, the thesis of the book is that workers that can work uninterrupted for a significant period each day are more productive and efficient. This thesis is supported by a study done by the author at a Fortune 500 company named "Ditto" (probably Xerox in real life).

However, a depressing aspect of the book is that once higher productivity is achieved, Ditto Corp just piles on more work! Anyone who has worked in a high-stress, tight-deadline environment will be able to identify with the situations in this book.

In terms of action orientation, I found this book better than "Time Bind" by Arlie Hochschild. It also leaves out the liberal politics. Give it as an anonymous gift to the the CEO of your company!

My job search wasn't enhanced by this book. I felt that it didn't focus enough on choosing the right career and the right job like Vaultreports.com. Thus, it didn't help me a great deal in choosing what to pursue.

This book is designed for entry-level job seekers who can look for work at least 25 hours a week. Tells how to get a job by obtaining interviews, which is redefined as a conversation with a person who can hire you, whether or not they have a job open at the time of your discussion. Describes seven step to get a job, which are: 1) Know your skills. 2) Have a clear job objective. 3) Know where and how to look for openings. 4) Spend at least 25 hours a week looking. 5) Get two interviews a day. 6) Do well in interview. 7) Follow up on all contacts. The book is organized so you only have to read the parts that are relevant to you. Very helpful to people with learning disabilities.

From Annotated Bibliography of Learning A Living; A Guide to Finding A Job and Planning A Career for People with Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Dyslexia by Dale S. Brown

This book was actually used as a textbook for our career strategies class in college. Unlike most college textbooks, this book is very reader-friendly, and gets straight to the heart of the matter - getting you the job you want. Covering all essentials of job searching, resume writing, interviewing, and more, the author has provided a clear and simple road map to the layman. If you follow the guidelines this book teaches, I personally promise you the position you wish is in reach - now!

I began reading this as research for my Strategic Planning class and found it to be an enjoyable, easy to read synopsis of how FedEx successfully incorporated its values internally and externally. A must for HR professionals and others interested in the breadth of management fundamentals at FedEx.

A wonderful look-behind-the-scenes. This breezy account of FedEx's idiosyncracies heightened my respect for this market leading firm.

This book takes a look inside the always exciting and fast paced culture of FedEx Express from an outsiders point of view. The book explains the policies that FedEx used to chage the shipping industry and policies that FedEx still uses today. This book is not writtin by a FedEx Express Employee or former employee. Interesting reading for any FedEx Express Employee or any Person(s) who are in the frieght industry.