economics-times

A simple, concise set of instructions really help the novice keep his/her car looking new. The author obviously knows his craft and has tried hard to share his knowledge in this great little booklet.

This book is a good overview of what is needed to effectively train staff. It covers everything from adult learning to evaluating programs. It doesn't offer depth on any topic, but if someone needs to learn about training quickly and easily than this is an excellent source.

I've read this book before and found it very informative! Lots of little tidbits on making life easier in the home. I especially like the monthly menu section and the much needed section on how to set a table for almost any kind of meal. If you dont know how to manage a home this book is a great place to start. It is non threatening because it doesn't throw too much at you at once. However, it gives you information you don't find every day. It really has the potential to help you pull homemaking off like a pro! It's a keeper.

This lucid, plain, straightforward book is not necessarily the sort of thing one expects from an economist, yet author Stanley Fischer is one of our era's greatest economists. His work at the International Monetary Fund put him on the front lines during some of the twentieth century's most serious economic crises and panics. He has a unique and valuable perspective. His timely discussion of the IMF and the World Bank provides a sobering antidote to the rhetoric of both globalization and anti-globalization. Fischer reminds us that the IMF's many glaring failures and imperfections are the stumbles and flaws of an organization that has done good work to further a noble purpose. It also has proven willing and able to change when the facts do. For good reason, Fischer's essays sometimes read like the arguments of a defense attorney countering prosecutorial accusations. The IMF has come in for so much criticism in recent years that it is refreshing to discover so many points in its favor, and we find it both fair and prudent to consider them carefully.

Pliska's book lays out the fundamentals of discrete time models in a clear and concise manner. The book is mostly self contained and well supported with examples that enhance understanding. I read it as a part of my introductory Phd finance course along with Theory of Financial Decision Making by Ingersoll and Foundations for Financial Economics Huang & Litzenberger (not direct competitors) and found Pliska's book to be the most understandable of the three.

The power of Leading in Tough Times comes from using it as an operating manual for business leaders going through restructurings, transitions, downsizings, organizational changes (and which ones aren't). It's a robust compilation of best thinking on how to keep employees engaged while going through the turmoil of change. The beauty of it is that it isn't about using gimmicks, gadgets, or smoke and mirrors; it's all about challenging leaders to apply authentic, principled, high-value, practical approaches.

The authors (father and daughter) pitch some compelling hardballs to consider early on, "Suppose it's not your job to motivate - that you'll cease using your approval and possibility of advancement as a carrot for certain performance. All carrots will be banned, in fact. Suppose that people are naturally motivated to work toward a meaningful, common vision. When we fail to see motivated people, our questions would have to change from 'How do I motivate them?' to 'What is getting in the way of their motivation?' This changes the conversation considerably."

And that empowerment thing: "There is a lot of talk in organizations about empowerment. But that's mostly all we get - the talk. More times than not, empowerment is just another buzzword and has little to do with fundamental change in the division of power, profits, and authority. And yet, we know that if our organizations are to truly thrive during tough times, we absolutely must help people to feel powerful in a real way. Give people the control and influence necessary to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Increase their power by helping them build their skills and knowledge, and by making sure they have the resources they need to be successful. Make them creators of their own destiny."

I like those ideas.

Actually, every idea the authors offer makes sense, great sense, great common sense. In fact, that's why I rated it only a four instead of a five. It was so pragmatic I didn't discover any profound new insights that would pull the trigger on that five for me. But, I shouldn't expect that from a book written in a manual-mold. (Maybe the authors and publisher will get more delight knowing I bought a copy of the book for each one of my managers, my boss, and my boss' boss.)

This is a book that needs to be imbedded into the Philosophies, Strategies, and Ethics for Leaders section in every Company Operating Manual. It provides substantial coaching on how to energize and engage the workforce. And it guides leaders on ethics, vision, mindfulness, and effective communication. All advice intended for managing during change and tough times. In reality, it's great advice for always.

Robert Sobel wrote the best biography of Calvin Coolidge I have seen so far, which means best of five. Even better than Coolidge's autobiography. His contextualization of Coolidge included astute observations on the American economy, and on Wall Street in particular. So I searched out this out of print book on an online service and began to read. To Dillon Read.

This is the firm which gave us George H.W. Bush's treasury secretary, Nicholas Brady, whom Sobel also covers pretty thoroughly in this book, hinting that his undergrad grades were not so hot and that he may be dyslexic. But great connections.

Clarence Dillon is the star of the book, which starts with the Dutchman Vermilye and his investment trading operation in New York. Dillon joins after Read joins, and Dillon is the gutsy Jewish guy (although Dillon cloaks that in an effort to run with the WASP dominators of New York at the time) who engineers brash and bold, huge deals, then makes a lot more money by taking over companies (buying them by lending them money) and hiring "management" firms secretly owned by....Clarence Dillon.

The Pecora hearings are profiled, and Sobel gets into the 1933 and 1934 Securities laws and the SEC, giving us the impression that Pecora was a little extreme, and the SEC--although harshly received by the "Street" at the time--was a pretty good idea.

Sobel does not stop there, though. He follows the Dillon Read firm past Clarence, and on to Douglas (who also became a Secretary of the Treasury, but who didn't have the same pizzazz of the old man, who drifted off into old age in aristocratic fashion on a huge New Jersey estate). Then on to the Bechtel and Wallenberg family connections of Dillon Read, and terminating in the mid 1980s with a glimpse of new ways-a-borning with the addition of New Court Capital and the opening of the firm to modern V.C. investment.

A great companion to this book is the very recent book "The Last Partnerships" which does the same biographical analysis of our entire economy, by profiling a whole collection of investment firms, Dillon Read included. Sobel has less range, in comparison, but Sobel's mission is to drill into Dillon Read. This book does not "sing" like Sobel's Coolidge, as I said, but forms a link in Sobel's scholarship which I'm glad to have. Next will come a read of Sobel's history of the New York Stock Exchange, to lengthen the chain.

How often we hear guys shrugging off casually: 'ugh, time is short, we're busy' I think, we all have 24 hours in a day, 7 days a week, yielding 168 hours per week. Take away the sleep hours and hours engaged in fetching results we desire! Hence, its wise to work 'smarter' than work 'harder' and this requires efficient 'Time Management' Walt Whitman, the poet, said it best, "The most powerful time is when we are alone, thinking about what we are to do." Daily Planning helps us to focus on what is really crucial and important in our day to come and permits us to identify time to use wasted hours more productively. This has been my experience but when I read this book of Tim, it sure is more to Accomplish 'Managing Time' with his neat tips under various categories like :
1. Understanding Time - Changing Attitude
2. Analyzing use of time - Keeping Time logs,
3. Assessing ability - A quick Quiz
4. Planning for success - Analyzing goals, work, prioritizing
5. Using Time Planners
6. Getting Organized
7. Phone Calls - Managing calls
8. Reading & writing - Dos n Dont's
9. Technology skills
10.Meetings & Travel tips

This and more, the Book is thorough self training and changing Attitude. I have all time in the world to read, write, web design, promote, market, handle admin work, attend meetings, run kids class, meet friends, go partying,listen n play music, cook and what not - all coz of Time planning and planning time with 7 days a week. This book has cool tips of dos n don'ts, analyzing quiz, charts and very good presentation and once you shrugg off the wry look to wring for an extra half hour, think of the wonders a human brain can do - a cool book for every student, business guy, tech buffs and especially those bubbly MBAs who seem to lack time! A great Pick - Get Self Trained, Get More Accomplished with your Time.

This book gave me an entirely different view on the world in that change is the norm and not having change is abnormal. It brought great perspective to my current situation and has made want to plan for change because I now know it's coming whether we like it or not. It also gets you to think about preparing for the bad times when everything seems to be going so well. It is a very practical review of our history and who we are today. It is a very quick read and is easy to comprehend.

I really admire Jane Brody, but some of the material in this book is 4-5 years old. In the fast paced world of integrative medicine, some info seems a little dated.