Amazon.com
Martha Stewart's new home reference book is a must-have for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it's gorgeous. Printed on thick, glossy pages covered with subtle sepia photos and that perfect Martha-blue as an accent color, Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook is a pretty and practical package for everyone: "all mothers and daughters, fathers and sons who have a room, an apartment, or a home to care for." Stewart's exhaustive handbook features a handy "how to use this book" introduction; a room by room guide with weekly, monthly, and seasonal checklists; tips for cleaning, creating a comfortable and safe home, and moving; and a guide for identifying and caring for materials in your home. Curious? Take a look at some excerpts below. You'll be sweeping and shelving your way to a happier home in no time. --Daphne Durham
How to Use This Book: An Excerpt
When the first issue of Martha Stewart Living was published in 1990, I could not have begun to anticipate how wide-ranging our readers' homekeeping concerns would be. Since then, we have discovered new solutions to age-old problems, brought in experts to advise us on very specific questions about very specific?c concerns, and experimented with all the new (and not so new) home-care products. Over the years, I've brought these lessons home with me, too, which has made me more organized and made my homes better cared for and maintained.
Households are busy places, works in progress where there is always something needing immediate attention and always something more that can be done. With that in mind, I have organized this book to address the tasks at hand and also to address the "more that can be done" for when you have the time and the inclination go beyond the essentials.
It starts with the big picture--an examination of every room and everything you will find within each. The eleven chapters in the "Room by Room" section take you on a tour through the house, focusing on the surfaces and furnishings you might find in any room, and offering strategies for their care and maintenance. Starting with the kitchen, the central staging area in any home, these chapters open with practical space-planning advice, followed by the golden rules of organizing. This information is intended to help contain your belongings and make each room clutter-free and functional. Relevant homekeeping concerns particular to each room are explored in depth--so stain-removal basics appear in "Laundry Room," the best way to clean grout in "Bathroom," and easy sewing repairs in "Utility Spaces." The equipment essential to each room is also addressed, so if you are considering what kind of bathtub to install during a bathroom renovation or whether a gas or electric range would best suit your style of cooking, you will have the information necessary to make such an investment with confidence.
Organize Your Kitchen: Martha's Golden Rules
Book Description
Whether your home is small or large, an apartment in the city or a country cottage, it is a space that should be at once beautiful and livable. The key to that is managing the upkeep without feeling flustered. Until now, there has never been a comprehensive resource that not only tells how to care for your home and everything in it, but that also simplifies the process by explaining just when. With secrets from Martha Stewart for accomplishing the most challenging homekeeping tasks with ease, this detailed and comprehensive book is the only one you will need to help you keep your home looking its best, floor to ceiling, room by room.
In Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook, Martha shares her unparalleled expertise in home maintenance and care. Readable and practical–and graced with charts, sidebars, illustrated techniques, and personal
anecdotes from Martha’s decades of experience caring for her homes–this is far more than just a compendium of ways to keep your house clean. It covers everything from properly executing a living room floor plan to setting a formal table; from choosing HEPA filters to sealing soapstone countertops; from organizing your home office to polishing your silver and caring for family heirlooms.
Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook is organized for clarity and maximum practicality:
Room by Room covers the upkeep of the appliances, tools, furnishings, and surfaces found in each room, from the entryway to the kitchen, from the attic to the laundry room.
Throughout the House instructs the reader on the proper ways to routinely clean and periodically maintain everything in the home, including dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, polishing, scrubbing, waxing and much more.
Comfort and Safety focuses on techniques to ensure your home is running properly and safely, such as recognizing when to clean vents, fixing a leaky faucet, and eradicating pests.
A-to-Z Materials Guide provides an invaluable resource that explains the unusual materials that many favorite objects are made of–from abalone to zinc–
and how to care for them so they last.
Encyclopedic yet friendly, Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook is a seminal work–a must-have for everyone who wants a well-cared-for home that will endure for generations.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book - But Amazon Sells Low-End Editions.......2007-09-07
The book is fantastic, I give it for housewarming gifts and use it myself for info on how to clean and take care of all kinds of things in my home. BUT - This is the second time I've had an issue with Amazon's books. Yes, it was a little bit less expensive than the other online booksellers, but it is a lower-end version of the book. The little fabric bookmark is not on this copy and the dust jacket is made of cheap clear plastic. I will not buy any more books from Amazon unless they are soft covers and I don't care what they look like. The other book I purchased from this site was missing the dust jacket completely and they never figured out how to order one for me You get what you pay for I suppose. Disappointed.
Protect Your Investments.......2007-08-20
There are many hidden costs to owning your home and preserving its value. Proper maintenance and care is key to protecting this investment. This book is the ultimate guide in caring for every aspect of your home from room to room. Detailed instructions on routine cleaning, periodic maintenance to providing comfort and saftey are included in typical Martha fashion of simple articulation and common sense logic. Easy to read, easy to find information. This really is not a handbook however, it is more encyclopedic in portion and size. Worth having in every home. Also makes a nice gift for new home owners.
Lots of useful information.......2007-08-20
I refer to this book often for ideas on how to take care of my home. We use it to settle a lot of disputes in our house. If my husband and I argue on how to do something in the house, we can refer to this. A few examples would be: how much laudry detergent to use, how long to run the washer, how to do dishes, how to keep floors clean & the frequency that things need to be washed/cleaned. It gives lists on what chores to do and when & how to do many other things. It's like a bible of housekeeping.
I enjoy it. It motivates you to be a little less domestically challenged & to take care of your home.
Martha Stewart's homekeeping handbook.......2007-08-17
An excellent resource to have on hand. I wish I had it twenty years ago. A definite good gift for newly weds of any age.
Outstanding.......2007-08-15
This book is virtually an encyclopedia of how to keep a home.
Martha is the Mother I always wished I had! I have no more lingering homekeeping questions on what to do, or how to do it.
Book Description
Essentials of Stage Management provides a step-by-step guide to a little-seen but essential role in theater. As Nicholas Hytner writes in the foreword to this volume, "nobody in the theatre has to know more about everyone else's job" than the stage manager. Peter Maccoy draws upon his extensive experience as a stage manager and as a teacher to lay out the functions and responsibilities of this key theatrical profession. Chapters cover the role of stage management, stage manager as manager, research and preparation, preparing for rehearsal, the rehearsal period, the production period, the performance and beyond, stage properties, safe practice, and contemporary practice. Includes a bibliography, six appendixes, and index.
Book Description
Essentials of Corporate Finance, 5/e by Ross, Westerfield, and Jordan is written to convey the most important concepts and principles of corporate finance at a level that is approachable for a wide audience. The authors retain their modern approach to finance, but have distilled the subject down to the essential topics in 18 chapters. They believe that understanding the “why” is just as important, if not more so, than understanding the “how,” especially in an introductory course. Three basic themes emerge as their central focus: 1. An emphasis on intuition—separate and explain the principles at work on a common sense, intuitive level before launching into specifics. Underlying ideas are discussed first in general terms, then followed by specific examples that illustrate in more concrete terms how a financial manager might proceed in a given situation. 2. A unified valuation approach—Net Present Value is treated as the basic concept underlying corporate finance. Every subject the authors cover is firmly rooted in valuation, and care is taken to explain how decisions have valuation effects. 3. A managerial focus—Students learn that financial management concerns management. The role of financial manager as decision maker is emphasized and they stress the need for managerial input and judgment.
Customer Reviews:
Great!.......2007-07-26
I think the book does a good job of simplifying finance for those of us who are beginners in the field. They give clear, step-by-step examples so that it is easy to understand
Finance Textbook.......2007-07-23
The textbook's price was competitive, it was delivered in a timely manner as promised and in mint condition as promised.
I enjoyed doing business with this supplier.
Not sure why someone rated it poorly.......2007-06-02
I'm an MBA student with quite a number of courses finished. I'm over half way through the finance course that uses this book and have found it to be written very well. The example problems are great, and the explanations are thorough. Our professor did make available the answers to the questions at the back of the book and used the powerpoints developed by the author. All in all the only drawback I could find was cost (as usual with college texts). As a side note, several students did use the 4th edition in our class with the permission of the instructor and did just fine.
Finance Textbook.......2007-02-11
The description of the textbook on the web was confusing and resulted in the buying the wrong book; but the return policy and credit correction worked very well;
Good for a textbook.......2007-01-03
I had to buy this book and use it for Finance class. It was helpful and used real world examples.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-02-13
I really enjoyed this book. One reason is because it is a short book, and another is that it is written in easy, understandable terms.
Best place for on line purchases.......2006-03-02
As always, very happy with the service received by Amazon. Pront delivery and in perfect condition.
Overall a very good book.......2005-12-09
This is a very well written book. I used this book as part of my MBA program. No frills or fluff - just goes right to the point and explains it well in relatively fewer words. Also helped me tremendously in my job and the knowledge gained from this book does helps me in doing a better job. A must read for all managers.
Easy to understand.......2005-10-26
This book gets right to the point. Even though it is direct it also offers excellent examples to help you understand the information quickly.
Well written and solid intro to the field of Org Behavior.......2004-07-13
"Essentials in Organizational Behavior" is a solid text for a course surveying the field of Organizational Behavior. Its sixteen chapters are grouped into four parts. Part I introduces the field of organizational behavior, its goals and functions within an organization along with some challenges and opportunities.
Part II contains chapters two through six and focuses on how individuals function within an organization and the considerations managers need to have with values, personality, motivation, emotions, and how individuals make decisions.
Part III contains chapters seven through twelve and discusses groups in the organization. It begins discussion foundations of group behavior, some basics on work teams, communication, leadership & creating trust, power & politics, conflict & negotiation.
Part IV discusses the Organization System in chapters thirteen through sixteen. It begins with the foundations of organizational structure, culture, and then gets into the role of human resource policies and practices. The book concludes with Organizational Change and Development.
There is an epilogue to wrap things up, endnotes, and index and a glossary.
The book is clearly written. I like the way the author presents a variety of views and theories and never becomes dogmatic about a certain approach. Because it is concise it actually has a chance of being read (the usual 750 page textbook is largely left unread in most courses). However, to really become proficient in any of the many topics presented here the student will have to do much more study and practical work. I am confident that any teacher adopting the text for coursework would make the necessity for further study clear to the student. The endnotes do provide many fine sources for such study, but I would like to have seen some sources organized into a list of readings for study organized by topic. It would have added a few pages, but would not have overburdened this text.
In any case, this is a good introductory read for anyone who wants to a quick tour of the universe of Organizational Behavior.
Customer Reviews:
Not worth your time........2006-09-27
Basically I had to purchase this for a class. The book is full of acronyms and buzz words with no application. The end of chapter review is great if you just wanted to add new words to your vocabulary and be able to repeat their definitions with little understanding. This is a classic example of a text book gone wrong.
Good for its purpose.......2006-06-14
If you need a management information systems book, this is the book you should be looking for! Its not useful for much else, however, maybe kindling...
deluxe RIP OFF.......2004-12-20
I 'was forced' to buy this book for an MIS course. We all know how textbooks are scams anyway, but this one takes the cake. My college even had the balls to 'bundle' this with an MS Access book so we were stuck with a $170 bundle. All the info I needed to take the course was available on the website webct. If you can find a way to access that site, you don't even need this outrageously expensive book. I got an A in the course and never cracked the book. I just used the info on the website. You should try that route if you can, and forgo purchasing this book.
Just not worth the cost........2004-10-12
This book is compulsory for a class I am in. Do what I did, don't waste your money - borrow from a library..... or find other solutions. This is way too much money for information that can be covered in other sources. The publisher is clearly exploiting the fact that it is used as a textbook to raise the cost outrageously.
This book is a scam.......2004-09-09
My friend used Management Information Sustems: Managing the Digital Firm 8th edition. Now that I received this one I can see that 95% of of the content in the new book is identical to the one my friend has. Oh, right, the authors also added to the title the words "essentials of" Management...
I can believe the publisher let the authors publish this kind of book. A previous review says that the book is almost identical to the previous edition of the same book. Now I am saying that the book is almost identical to a different book writen by the same authors...this is outrageous.
Ah, yes. The cases at the end of the chapters are different
Book Description
Essentials of Management makes the connection between theory and concepts to actual practice by showing how managers and organizations effectively apply the basic principles of management. The text takes a functional approach, first introducing the role of a manager and the modern managerial environment, before exploring planning organizing, leading, and control . The Sixth Edition has been extensively revised and updated to include the latest information, examples and activities to help readers understand the skills necessary to manage, lead, and compete in today's world. .
Customer Reviews:
College Book.......2007-09-04
Book required for my course, ordered it was delivered the day classes started, I'm a happy man.
Book Description
What makes an effective executive?
The measure of the executive, Peter F. Drucker reminds us, is the ability to "get the right things done." This usually involves doing what other people have overlooked as well as avoiding what is unproductive. Intelligence, imagination, and knowledge may all be wasted in an executive job without the acquired habits of mind that mold them into results.
Drucker identifies five practices essential to business effectiveness that can, and must, be learned:
- Managing time
- Choosing what to contribute to the organization
- Knowing where and how to mobilize strength for best effect
- Setting the right priorities
- Knitting all of them together with effective decision-making
Ranging widely through the annals of business and government, Peter F. Drucker demonstrates the distinctive skill of the executive and offers fresh insights into old and seemingly obvious business situations.
Customer Reviews:
Getting the Right Things Done vs. Doing Things Right.......2007-09-06
The breadth of Drucker's knowledge and insights never cease to amaze me, and goes to reinforce my perception - as well as that of many others - that he is, in fact, "the founding father of the science of management." That's the reason I quoted him seven times - on seven different management topics - in by book, The Three Pillars of Sustainable Profit & Growth The Three Pillars of Sustainable Profit and Growth.
The essence of The Effective Executive is this: not too long ago, the business community was essentially engaged in manufacturing where the need was for efficiency - the ability to do things right.
As our business world evolved into service and science-oriented enterprises, employees became "knowledge workers" as opposed to "manual workers." Thus, a whole new set of executive qualifications were required - the key one being effectiveness - the ability to get the right things done.
He goes on to point out that intelligence, knowledge and imagination are common in most executives, and they were the primary qualities needed when our business world was engaged in manufacturing and manual workers. However, with the emergence of the service/science-oriented business world and the knowledge worker, these same qualities appear to have little correlation with an executive's effectiveness. Today's business world needs executives who can get the right things done.
True Drucker.......2007-07-21
Trust Drucker to give you the best info on management.
Kishore Dharmarajan
Author of Eightstorm: 8-Step Brainstorming for Innovative Managers
Finally, an actual executive handbook!.......2007-06-10
Fantastic overview of the skills on which an executive should focus and how to acquire those skills. I've been looking for something like this for quite a while. Ranks with Good to Great and Tipping Point as one of my favorite books in the lst 5 years.
Drucker.......2007-04-24
IF you only read one management book in your life.
This is it.
Vital tool.......2007-02-07
This is a fantastic book. It is written in an old-school style that is somewhat hard to get through.....but the messages are very clear. This book totally changes the way you think about your role in an organization - regardless of your rank or profession. It's definitely a book you should read at least twice.
Amazon.com
What do the Honda Supercub, Intel's 8088 processor, and hydraulic excavators have in common? They are all examples of disruptive technologies that helped to redefine the competitive landscape of their respective markets. These products did not come about as the result of successful companies carrying out sound business practices in established markets. In The Innovator's Dilemma, author Clayton M. Christensen shows how these and other products cut into the low end of the marketplace and eventually evolved to displace high-end competitors and their reigning technologies.
At the heart of The Innovator's Dilemma is how a successful company with established products keeps from being pushed aside by newer, cheaper products that will, over time, get better and become a serious threat. Christensen writes that even the best-managed companies, in spite of their attention to customers and continual investment in new technology, are susceptible to failure no matter what the industry, be it hard drives or consumer retailing. Succinct and clearly written, The Innovator's Dilemma is an important book that belongs on every manager's bookshelf. Highly recommended. --Harry C. Edwards
Book Description
In this revolutionary bestseller, Harvard professor Clayton M. Christensen says outstanding companies can do everything right and still lose their market leadership -- or worse, disappear completely. And he not only proves what he says, he tells others how to avoid a similar fate.
Focusing on "disruptive technology" -- the Honda Super Cub, Intel's 8088 processor, or the hydraulic excavator, for example -- Christensen shows why most companies miss "the next great wave." Whether in electronics or retailing, a successful company with established products will get pushed aside unless managers know when to abandon traditional business practices. Using the lessons of successes and failures from leading companies, The Innovator's Dilemma presents a set of rules for capitalizing on the phenomenon of disruptive innovation.
Find out:
- When it is right not to listen to customers.
- When to invest in developing lower-performance products that promise lower margins.
- When to pursue small markets at the expense of seemingly
- larger and more lucrative ones.
Sharp, cogent, and provocative, The Innovator's Dilemma is one of the most talked-about books of our time -- and one no savvy manager or entrepreneur should be without.
Download Description
Revised, updated, and with a new chapter, this book continues to take the radical position that great companies can fail precisely because they do everything right. It demonstrates why outstanding companies lose their market leadership when confronted with disruptive technology--and it explains how to avoid a similar fate. Drawing on insights from a number of industries--such as the computer and disk drive industries, discount retailing, minimills, pharmaceuticals, and the automobile industry--Christensen shows why good management often turns out to be all wrong--and what to do about it.
Customer Reviews:
No Dilemma Here.......2007-08-18
It is the typical manager's nightmare. A startup with a powerful idea wipes out all the dominance your large ogranisation had. It can happen overnite and without warning.
How do you stop this nightmare from happening? Well, the answer could lie in The Innovator's Dilemma.
Kishore Dharmarajan
Author of Eightstorm: 8-Step Brainstorming for Innovative Managers
A disruptive view on innovation.......2007-08-09
Professor Clayton Christensen introduced the term "disruptive innovation" as a management buzzword, the whole book spins around this concept and offers very perturbing views on why being a star performer is a major threat to pass the next opportunity.
First, a definition: disruptive innovations are those that offer "less" in the critical performance parameters of current customers. As a consequence disruptive innovators have to look for different customers than the ones that established companies already have.
To make the point a deep analysis of the hard disk drive industry is made. More than 100 innovations are analysed and only 5 are claimed as being disruptive: the progressive reduction of size from 14", to 8", to 5 1/4", etc. All follow the same pattern: the innovation had lower performance on capacity which was the critical parameter for existing customers and innovators had to find new customers, eg for the 8" drive the mini-computer manufacturers instead of mainframe manufacturers. In fact innovations were so disruptive that almost none of the established companies was able to be successful in the new market. Although current players where by and large able to bring forward the other 100 sustaining inovations without major troubles.
The second part of the book recommends how to make disruptive innovations work, with supporting evidence from examples. This are:
-Create a new organization to deal with the innovation
-Match organization and opportunity size
-Allow the organization to fail rapidly and inexpensively and move on
-Leverage some of the existing resources but not the values and processes of the main organization
-Spend time looking for the right customers rather than the right technology.
The surprising learning is that what impedes that good companies cannot profit from disruptive innovations are that they are good at what they do in their main business not that htey are bad. The hot topic is still when a disruptive innovation is comming how can we spot and capitalise on it, and put ourselves in the dilemma of chosing the best option.
A well laid out, thought provoking and seminal work on innovation.
Repetitive.......2007-06-23
It was a hassle getting through this book, but overall it was worth it. A lot of good lessons learned, but he says the same things over and over again. Read the first and last chapters and you'll be fine.
Business calssic.......2007-06-17
The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen is a must read book for any person interested in keeping their business moving forward or for any person starting a business. Christensen clearly exposes the traps that cause successful companies to stop innovating and succumb to innovative new firms. The material is presented as a series of fascinating case studies with commentary.
just great book.......2007-05-12
Just great book for those considering start their own business.
Would be helpful for bean counters in large corporations too.
Amazon.com
This analysis of what makes great companies great has been hailed everywhere as an instant classic and one of the best business titles since In Search of Excellence. The authors, James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras, spent six years in research, and they freely admit that their own preconceptions about business success were devastated by their actual findings--along with the preconceptions of virtually everyone else.
Built to Last identifies 18 "visionary" companies and sets out to determine what's special about them. To get on the list, a company had to be world famous, have a stellar brand image, and be at least 50 years old. We're talking about companies that even a layperson knows to be, well, different: the Disneys, the Wal-Marts, the Mercks.
Whatever the key to the success of these companies, the key to the success of this book is that the authors don't waste time comparing them to business failures. Instead, they use a control group of "successful-but-second-rank" companies to highlight what's special about their 18 "visionary" picks. Thus Disney is compared to Columbia Pictures, Ford to GM, Hewlett Packard to Texas Instruments, and so on.
The core myth, according to the authors, is that visionary companies must start with a great product and be pushed into the future by charismatic leaders. There are examples of that pattern, they admit: Johnson & Johnson, for one. But there are also just too many counterexamples--in fact, the majority of the "visionary" companies, including giants like 3M, Sony, and TI, don't fit the model. They were characterized by total lack of an initial business plan or key idea and by remarkably self-effacing leaders. Collins and Porras are much more impressed with something else they shared: an almost cult-like devotion to a "core ideology" or identity, and active indoctrination of employees into "ideologically commitment" to the company.
The comparison with the business "B"-team does tend to raise a significant methodological problem: which companies are to be counted as "visionary" in the first place? There's an air of circularity here, as if you achieve "visionary" status by ... achieving visionary status. So many roads lead to Rome that the book is less practical than it might appear. But that's exactly the point of an eloquent chapter on 3M. This wildly successful company had no master plan, little structure, and no prima donnas. Instead it had an atmosphere in which bright people were both keen to see the company succeed and unafraid to "try a lot of stuff and keep what works." --Richard Farr
Book Description
Drawing upon a six-year research project at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras took eighteen truly exceptional and long-lasting companies and studied each in direct comparison to one of its top competitors. They examined the companies from their very beginnings to the present day -- as start-ups, as midsize companies, and as large corporations. Throughout, the authors asked: "What makes the truly exceptional companies different from the comparison companies and what were the common practices these enduringly great companies followed throughout their history?"
Filled with hundreds of specific examples and organized into a coherent framework of practical concepts that can be applied by managers and entrepreneurs at all levels, Built to Last provides a master blueprint for building organizations that will prosper long into the 21st century and beyond.
Customer Reviews:
Identity is Built to Last.......2007-08-30
It is interesting to review a business book more than 10 years after it has been labeled a best seller - is it still relevant today? Yes, in the case of this classic! The lessons conveyed are as useful today, as they were when it was first published. No surprise, given what the authors set out to discover when they began their research: What distinguishes long-time, high performing companies from their competitors? Their key concept about what it takes to build a visionary company - "preserve the core and stimulate progress" seems to be a fundamental truth about the evolutionary nature of free markets. Certainly their, "Try Lots of Stuff and Keep What Works" and "Good Enough Never Is", lessons sound like evolutionary processes of adaptation.
The key concept might be more simply described by saying, "Maintain your identity - core values & purpose - while focusing on a living performance vision." That makes it a personal concept as well as an organizational concept - not a bad thing when you consider that any organization is a collection of people. When something makes sense for the individual and the organization, perhaps there-in resides the reason it is a long-term winner! Dennis DeWilde, Author of The Performance Connection
Built to last.......2007-08-10
This is the most relevant, well-presented, easy-to-read research project I've seen. The data is easily transferable to to practical use. I have seen its implementation make a really big positive difference in groups within organizations.
Must-read for anyone interested in business.......2007-04-13
This book is the result of an elaborative research and a great data-analysis. It gives an insight into the some of the greatest companies of the world in different fields and different time-periods.
Authors have done a great job in explaining and justifying their research and data through the appendices and bibliography. A study of all the existing companies to find the visionary ones is really a daunting task and this research team has done a terrific job in establishing a definition of a "visionary company".
Must-read for professionals at any level of the organization hierarchy!!!
Great insight.......2007-03-30
Both Built to Last and Good to Great are the best business books anyone can ever read. Nice work!
Excellent Research, Very Helpful Findings.......2007-03-25
I would not necessarily agree that the predecessor was a better book. The two books have different purposes, and I believe both are very helpful.
The authors present their research process and findings, as well as 12 myths:
Myth #1: It takes a great idea to start a great company.
Myth #2: Visionary companies require great and charismatic visionary leaders.
Myth #3: The most successful companies exist first and foremost to maximize profits.
Myth #4: Visionary companies share a common subset of "correct" core values. [Note: by this, they do not mean to say that values are not important; on the contrary. However, they explain that there is no specific set of values common to all successful companies, but that these vary from one to another.]
Myth #5: The only constant is change.
Myth #6: Blue-chip companies play it safe.
Myth #7: Visionary companies are great places to work, for everyone.
Myth #8: Highly successful companies make their best moves by brilliant and complex strategic planning.
Myth #9: Companies should hire outside CEOs to stimulate fundamental change.
Myth #10: The most successful companies focus primarily on the competition.
Myth #11: You can't have your cake and eat it too.
Myth #12: Companies become visionary primarily through "vision statements".
The authors debunk each of these myths by presenting their findings.
One of the most powerful lessons, which I underlined, is this: "... most of them view their products and services as making useful and important contributions to customers' lives... they exist to do something useful..."
The authors show that companies with long-term and solid success throughout time are not simply focused on making money or growing their business by X% annually. They have a stronger and greater mission, and their products and service exist primarily to support that vision. This is why, even when products become obsolete, the company with a strong sense of purpose continues to change and evolve beyond product life cycles. An important lesson for most companies in corporate America.
Book Description
This streamlined volume covers the principle concepts of management to provide readers with a solid foundation for understanding key issues. Organized around the four traditional functions of management—planning, organizing, leading, and controlling, it reflects current trends in management and organizations, and presents the latest research studies in the field. The authors address managing in today's world, foundations of planning and decision making, basic organization designs, staffing and human resource management, foundations of individual and group behavior, leadership and trust and foundations of control and value chain management. For managers of all kinds.
Customer Reviews:
Reasonably priced, quality book........2007-09-13
I received the right book just in time my class started. I am so thankful that there is another way to buy college textbook aside from my bookstore. Highly recommended.
Low Quality Printing and Poor Examples.......2006-07-17
This text was published on the cheap. Be forewarned that even the condensation from a glass of ice water, transferred by your hand to the page, can cause a paragraph of text to run easily. The binding is also not well constructed. I would have preferred an electronic edition of this book due to the sheerly poor nature of its print quality. As for the text itself, it is often contradictory and perpetuates myths that have long been debunked in the business world. In one of my favorite examples, the book praises organizational planning and rigid structure, referring to systems that sound like communist five year plans; the book then proceeds to upend its argument by touting that Steve Jobs and Apple Computer have been successful not just in spite of organization structure but rather because they have turned the old concepts upside-down. Some would say this simply shows the book being fair and balanced. Unfortunately, many times it simply comes off somewhere between pedantic and silly.
Excellent Introducton to Management.......2005-08-04
The book covers all the basics. It's easy to read, and keeps your attention.
Review of Fundamentals of Management.......2001-03-29
I used this text book in an Introduction to Management course in College. I felt that the text did a great job explaining the different concepts and functions of management. The examples made it easy to understand. I also felt that the exhibits were very helpful and easy to understand. The tables and diagrams were all easy to interrupt. I also found the end of the chapter summaries very useful. I would reccomend this book to anyone who has an interest in understanding the basic fundamentals of management.
Book Review.......2001-03-29
I found this book to be very informative and helpful as an introductory management text. The order of the book was clear and precise with smooth transistions between concepts. I appreciated the use of relevent stories to follow the concepts and also the Ethical Dilemmas in Management. They forced me to apply the concepts being introduced so that I would really learn them. This is an excellent book to use and follow and will help any student who is taking an introductory management course to successfully learn the material.
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