Book Description
This textbook brings modern I/O analysis to the undergraduate level. Consistent with modern analysis, the authors focus explicitly on the nature of strategic interaction and make extensive use of game theoretic tools. At the same time, they never lose sight of the policy motivation behind much IO analysis. Formal analysis is combined with many practical applications, and the presentation does not assume familiarity with calculus, rather it relies on the ability to work through algebraic equations.
Customer Reviews:
Not very clear.......2007-08-10
I had a very hard time following what's going on because the language is not very clear and too verbose. The book focuses on the beauty of language rather than how to express the ideas in a clear and understandable manner. Makes simple stuff a lot harder than it should. Translating equations into words is sometimes confusing, and the concepts are too ideal that they can hardly apply to the real world situations.
do not touch.......2006-12-26
the book is filled with typo. Given that this is third edition, the author doesn't seem to pay much attention to the hw. I was a TA for this class, and it took me some times to figure out what i did wrong because the hw questions are wrong. The theories in this book can only be applied in the context of the book's examples; some of these theories are not general and can't be applied in a broad sense.
Induvitably excellent book!.......2003-11-04
Above all, it enraptured me with its practical orientation,
which really builds the economic sense at the reader. Numerous, straight superior and often also heartbreaking examples make theory well comprehensible. There doesn't lack nor more complex mathematical assecession for more serious study. 1A
Induvitably excellent book!.......2003-11-04
Above all, it enraptured me with its practical orientation,
which really builds the economic sense at the reader. Numerous, straight superior and often also heartbreaking examples make theory well comprehensible. There doesn't lack nor more complex mathematical assecession for more serious study. 1A
Book Description
"Why aren't you using the ONLY book expressly written for your Intermediate/Advanced Corporate Finance course?" This comprehensive text contains enough background material to refresh and reinforce earlier courses in corporate finance while still providing enough advanced material to stimulate the most advanced learner. The predominant strengths of clarity, current coverage, and friendliness to learner and instructors continue in this new edition. The instructor's resources enable outstanding easy prep and presentations.
Customer Reviews:
Stop this nonsense!.......2007-10-01
This book is a P.O.S. The explanations are poor and confusing, I frequently find myself referring to other works for clarity, even on subjects I know well. Profs use this piece of trash because they are too lazy to make the migration to any of the many other better corporate finance books that are now available. Brigham checked out of the authorship business many years ago. This is now simply mechanical production from the Thomson machine.
It's only a outline of the textbook.......2007-03-16
It likes a dictionary. It lists all the definition of the concepts. I recommend you to buy the textbook instead of this book. I have returned it.
Intermediate Corporate Finance.......2007-02-19
Good textbook, wish it provided cd with all powerpoint,spreadsheets and end of chapter solutiions.
one of the best sources of corporate finance.......2004-03-02
one of the best sources of corporate finance
Average.......2002-12-13
I wasn't too impressed with this text. I found that many of the chapters were incredibly verbose, and seemed to confuse me even more in some instances. Perhaps one of the problems (obviously not Brigham's fault) was that my prof "wizzed" through some of these chapters, so reading the "wordy, never-ending" chapters was overwhelming. Further, I think that some concepts could have been more simplified, when instead Brigham seemed to ramble and "lost" me.
In short, I think some "academics" (profs, grad students, etc) might be impressed with the depth with which Brigham wrote. However, not all of the students are on the same level, and this must be taken into consideration when the author revises the text. We are using the text as a guide for learning, not as a means to evaluate the author's aptitude in the field of finance...
Book Description
"What a "kick" I get out of teaching from
Images of Organizations. What a head-snapping view of organizations it offers to my MBA students, as well as to the odd client/executive who is disposed to creep out of the practicality of business-as-usual and take in a vibrant thrilling view of organizations."
— Ariane David, Ph.D.,
Senior Advisor/President, The Veritas Group
Since its first publication over twenty years ago,
Images of Organization has become a classic in the canon of management literature. The book is based on a very simple premise—that all theories of organization and management are based on implicit images or metaphors that stretch our imagination in a way that can create powerful insights, but at the risk of distortion. Gareth Morgan provides a rich and comprehensive resource for exploring the complexity of modern organizations internationally, translating leading-edge theory into leading-edge practice.
This new
Updated Edition preserves Morgan’s renowned creative images and metaphors while refreshing the references and tables. The addition of a preface situates this classic theory in today’s business environment while the instructor’s resources (now available on CD) aid classroom teaching. Please contact SAGE customer service to order your copy.
Images of Organization challenges and reshapes how we think about organization and management in the most fundamental way. The new
Updated Edition makes this monumental work available to a new generation of students and business leaders worldwide.
Listen to an interview with author, Gareth Morgan on The Invisible Hand podcast.
Go to http://www.theinvisiblehandpodcast.com/The_Invisible_Hand_Episode_38.mp3
Customer Reviews:
Morgan Images of Organization.......2007-01-04
great metaphors from author to help understand organizational thinking but read slowly if you are a concrete thinker. Easy reading really if you think metaphorically. Had to write a paper on psychic prisons, uncanny how true Morgan's analogy is to real workplace environment. This book was better than our required text. Hated the Organizational Behavior instructor I had but loved the book and the subject matter.
Most valuable read of my MBA.......2003-02-15
Gareth Morgan's book provides an antidote to the finance, marketing and HR texts that are required reading for an MBA student. The clever use of metaphor allows the reader to absorb the huge anount of information contained within the book (check out the bibliography!) - you don't even realise how much you are learning until you start relating concepts to others around you. My fellow students, colleagues and even my parents had to listen ...
I found it a very easy to read book, if you are willing to put aside your existing ideas (psychic prison) about the way the organisation works(?) If you prefer big words, read Morgan and Burrell's Sociological Paradigms and Organisational Analysis - essential reading, but even more brilliant as a companion to Images.
Learn the stuff you are expected to know from your finance, marketing, statistics, strategy and HR texts, but understand the stuff that will change your world from Images of Organisation.
This book can profoundly change your thinking about orgs.......2003-02-14
This is not a "three steps to understanding organizations" type book. The people posting negative reviews for this were looking for something simple and digestable - this book is not that. However, if you take the time, you will find it profoundly alters your thinking about understanding organizations.
This book provides solid theoretical models for understanding what is occuring in organizations. I read this book over 10 years ago and STILL find it the second best and most enlightening thing I have ever read on organizations. This has dramatically aided me in being a very successful business consultant.
The foundation of this book is the notion that you cannot understand complex organizations in any meaningful way through a single perspective. People in the organizations operate on many different perspectives. Each view of the world creates its own understanding of the organizational problems, solutions and daily pattern of interaction. This book provides you the tools for understanding organizations through a number of key perspectives or metaphors, and gives you indications on how to perform a multi-perspective systems analysis.
If you spend the time with this book, you will find yourself able to understand your surroundings FAR better than your peers.
Too esoteric...hard to follow........2003-01-08
I am a graduate student in organizational development. Although this book has some good underlying concepts, I found most of the book hard to follow and not very engaging. It was often difficult to see how many of the concepts actually apply to organizations. There may be good ideas, but they often get lost in the rambling chapters.
Terrific Find.......2001-07-28
I found this book to be insightful and very useful in administrative organization analysis. It was a useful tool in developing a change management program for a public organization.
Book Description
The real secret to making money and reaching financial independence is not staying an employee, but starting a company and quickly developing it. This book is for aspiring entrepreneurs who need to know how to take those first crucial steps. In RICH DADS BEFORE YOU QUIT YOUR JOB, Robert T. Kiyosaki provides first-hand accounts of his own start-up companies, and what he learned from his failures and successes. Readers will discover: How to determine whether an idea is a good one How to write a solid business plan Where to find OPM (Other Peoples Money) to finance that plan How to incorporate for business and tax purposes How to find key advisors to develop the plan How to best launch the product or service And more. The Rich Dad experts explain everything readers need to successfully start their own businesses.
Customer Reviews:
Another great book by Robert T. Kiyosaki. .......2007-07-30
I found this more helpful than some of his other more recent books. It's not just a reiteration of his old information. It goes over some key points of his first book but hits on many things and mistakes he went through in his many businesses. He then applies the things he has learned and puts them in this book in ways which anyone can understand. There are some insightful tips from Sharon Lecter in here too.
A little too familiar.......2007-07-25
My cousin gave me this book on cd as a gift in preparation for my departure from the working world to full blown self employment. Despite what I thought were veiled messages from my cousin, I eagerly listened to this book. I'm not a big fan of books on cd because I have a hard time concentrating while just listening to them, but as soon as I put "Before You Quit Your Job" in I began thinking that I've read/heard this before. I've read Rich Dad, Poor Dad (and liked it) and I couldn't help but think that this book sounds an awful lot like it. I haven't really compared the "text" of the two since I've only listened to this book in the car, but I swear many, if not most, of the information and stories are repackaged from Rich Dad and possibly the other books in the series based on what others here have had to say about it. I don't feel as if I gained anything new from reading this book and I'm reluctant to read any of the others in the series after this. So, if you've never read any of the other books this might be worthwhile. If you have read the others, well, I don't know...this may be terribly redundant.
Good Book.......2007-07-02
This book provides a sound overview of the fundamental infrastructure that must be present for a business to be successful. As always, Mr Kiyosaki has done a good job explaining the basics of good business acumen in laymen's terms. He also explains some of the mistakes that he made during his career as a business owner to help readers understand some of the common pitfalls that can occur in running and building a business.
Great resource for small business owners!.......2007-05-09
This book was exactly what my small business needed. He lays out not only what is necessary to take it to the next level, but the potential pitfalls the authors have encountered. I'd highly recommend it for any small (or large) business owner.
A Must Read.......2007-04-01
Anyone who is serious about starting a business but have doubts should definitely read this book. Robert Kiyosaki walks you through the entire process of building a business from top to bottom. He gives you real life stories, successes and failures. I definitely recommend this book.
Book Description
Business firms around the world are experimenting with new organizational designs, changing their formal architectures, their routines and processes, and their corporate cultures as they seek to improve their current performance and their growth prospects. In the process they are changing the scope of their business operations, redrawing their organization charts, redefining the allocation of decision-making authority and responsibility, revamping the mechanisms for motivating and rewarding people, reconsidering which activities to conduct in-house and which to out-source, redesigning their information systems, and seeking to alter the shared beliefs, values and norms that their people hold. In this book, John Roberts argues that there are predictable, necessary relationships among these changes that will improve performance and growth. The organizations that are successful will establish patterns of fit among the elements of their organizational designs, their competitive strategies and the external environment in which they operate and will go about this in a holistic manner. The Modern Firm develops powerful conceptual frameworks for analyzing the interrelations between organizational design features, competitive strategy and the business environment. Written in a non-technical language, the book is nevertheless based on rigorous modeling and draws on numerous examples from eighteenth century fur trading companies to such modern firms such as BP and Nokia. Finally the book explores why these developments are happening now, pointing to the increase in global competition and changes in technology. Written by one of the world's leading economists and experts on business strategy and organization, The Modern Firm provides new insights into the changes going on in business today and will be of interest to academics, students and managers alike. The Modern Firm was the Economist Best Business Book of the Year 2004.
Customer Reviews:
A succint summary of today's management dilemas.......2006-10-15
The modern firm debates around the theme of organisation of companies.
Though not a long book it is rigorous and densely written taking more
time to read than just flipping through the pages.
The book has a simple structure in 7 chapters. The first two chapters
are a mere introduction to the book and to some general concepts. 3
and 4 are devoted to the core theory, and the last 3 are the practical
examples.
The two main topics of the book are: the nature and purpose of the firm
and the motivation of the firm. The first, discusses from a variety
of perspectives what is traditionally known as "make-or-buy", should
the company be more or less integreated; relating to the agency
problem and the Coase-theorem. Prof. Roberts does not give any
solution but a framework to decide depending on each ones case. Since
some activities cannot be externalised in a simple manner, the second
tackles the issue of motivation, exposing the main factors to be
accounted into motivating employees and linking those to the design of
a firm structure.
5 and 6 are the practical part of the book where the author divides
companies in two camps: those organised for performance and those
organised for growth. Whilst there are not that many examples nor
statistical relevant data, the author makes a strong point that both
goals cannot be achieved with the same structure since control
mechanisms, goal-setting, etc. might be completely different in each
onset. The last chapter reminds the role of management in the decision on
structure and its reponsibility.
The book manages in its last chapters to make a good balance between
readibility and structure analysis to bring its points home. Readers
prefering a more scholastic view on the subjects of chapters 3 and 4
might prefer a book like "Economics of Strategy" from Dranove et al.
Stunning Perspective.......2006-04-15
This book nicely mixes perspectives from economics, organization theory, and strategic management. The writing style is lucid and accessible, unlike many books by academics. It is clear that Dean Roberts has been thinking about these issues for many years.
Even though he was trained as a classical economist, he seems to have shed some of the baggage that the neoclassical paradigm imposes. That is important to the relevance of his ideas in this age of the resource-based view of the firm (see the collected readings edited by Nicolai J. Foss), the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation (Schumpeterian/Austrian economics), and evolutionary economics (An Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change by Richard Nelson and Sid Winter, 1982).
In contrast to the traditional notion that firms within an industry are homogeneous and compete only on price, a stream of empirical research going back to 1991 (Richard P. Rumelt in Strategic Management Journal) has found that rates of return vary more within industries than across them. That makes the case for heterogeneity, not homogeneity. It also speaks to the importance of differentiation among firms. Most important, it opens up the discussion to such vital topics as a firm's unique capabilities, its routines, its culture, and its architecture, all of which Dean Roberts addresses in this remarkable book.
His perspective is not the final one, of course. What we know about that miraculous black box called the firm continues to evolve. But Dean Roberts has made a stunning contribution to what we know. In our own work valuing private equity, we use key precepts of this book every day. I recommend The Modern Firm without hesitation or qualification.
good for beginners.......2006-02-22
Roberts presents a useful primer on the modern business firm. In particular the chapter on "The Nature and Purpose of the Firm" gives a solid overview of the standard arguments and theories. The problem is that by sticking so closely to standard thinking Roberts misses an opportunity to broaden the discussion about what we call the firm. For instance: he hints at a disatisfaction at the severe limitations neo-classical economics places on anyone trying to integrate business strategy with broader economic theory [e.g. his brief critique of Alchian and Demsetz], but then quickly falls into line and refuses to break ranks with it. As a result the book becomes more a review of business school case studies than an attempt to theorize about the firm.
Even with this criticism the book is worth reading: because it is a solid introduction it highlights just how far we have to go to get a theory that can tie in with practise.
Rich Compendium of Contemporary Management Theory.......2005-10-29
This work sums up most of the salient advances in management theory and microeconomics of the last decade. Before you read it, you should have some understanding of game theory and strategic management, otherwise you may miss the significance of the arguments put forward. For the prepared reader this book is a compendium of thinking on creative management at the cutting edge of this discipline.
I have the habit of marking my books in two ways. First; I highlight passages to make important concepts easier to find again. Second; I mark my books with tags so that the most important of these can be accessed rapidly without having to page through the volume. The exercise of thinking about the choices I shall make for highlighting and tagging is a way of helping to consolidate the material in my memory; and - ironically - this exercise at times makes the highlighting and tagging redundant.
Now, what am I to do when the book is so rich in material, when it is comprised of such fertile intellectual soil, when so pregnant with insights and meaning, that almost every paragraph needs to be highlighted, and every second page tagged? Of course, I lower the threshold for highlighting and tagging. And, to ensure that much rich material is not forgotten for its quantity, or buried for its density, I read this book a second time.
Only one negative note: Roberts is given to outlandish Americanisms. Anyone sensitive to good English usage will find it difficult to prevent the occasional grammatical shocks from spoiling their reading pleasure. For example; "Absent efficient Coasian bargaining or complete contracting, coordinating across business to handle the externalities will require cooperation in the sense used in Chapter 3..." What he means is: "In the absence of efficient Coasian bargaining..." 'Absent' is not a prepositional phrase. It is an adjective. What a pity it is that the copy editors of the Oxford University Press didn't repair these mistakes. They give rise, however, to aesthetic problems for the most part. Once the reader becomes aware of Robert's idiosyncratic linguistic lapses, his meaning becomes clear.
For its content, the book is strongly recommended.
Book on Organizational Design.......2005-08-30
The Modern Firm discusses the interrelations between organizational design, competitive strategy, and the business environment. This book is a very very difficult read. If you have read Good to Great and expect the read to be anywhere as easy as that then you are mistaken. This book is very dense and most of the readers will not be able to finish it. Economist reviewer perhaps has a wonderful background to read such stuff with ease (for having given the book of the year award) or should have atleast known the author and his ideas well. It could be good college text book for detailed read or a week long course by the author - but as a self-read I would rate it very low.
Book Description
In the wake of the recent dramatic series of corporate meltdowns: Enron; Tyco; Adelphia; WorldCom; the timely new edition of this successful text provides students and business professionals with a welcome update of the key issues facing managers, boards of directors, investors, and shareholders.In addition to its authoritative overview of the history, the myth and the reality of corporate governance, this new edition has been updated to include:analysis of the latest cases of corporate disaster;An overview of corporate governance guidelines and codes of practice in developing and emerging marketsnew cases: Adelphia; Arthur Andersen; Tyco Laboratories; Worldcom; Gerstner's pay packet at IBMOnce again in the new edition of their textbook, Robert A. G. Monks and Nell Minow show clearly the role of corporate governance in making sure the right questions are asked and the necessary checks and balances in place to protect the long-term, sustainable value of the enterprise.A CD-ROM containing a comprehensive case study of the Enron collapse, complete with senate hearings and video footage, accompanies the text. Further lecturer resources and links are available at www.blackwellpublishing.com/monks
Customer Reviews:
Compliance and Conviction.......2007-03-19
This book provides a very thorough view of many activities taking place in the corporate environment. The authors are very seasoned and passionate about their work. The academic value is substantial. For those interested in peering inside the boardroom and gaining a perspective of an active leader in the corporate boardroom, I highly recommend that you read Compliance and Conviction: The Evolution of Enlightened Corporate Governance by Curtis J. Crawford, Ph.D. In his book, Dr. Crawford discusses why and who should care about corporate governance. He provides a historical perspective on the topic while focusing on succession planning, chief executive officer (CEO) supervision, executive compensation, and director independence. It is a fascinating book.
Too much stuff, too little structure.......2006-03-08
I do not like this book.
1. It lacks structure. The book flows in all direction at the same time, desperately looking for a purpose.
2. The clutter is overwhelming and the 400+ pages fail to reveal the purpose of the book. I see two alternatives - a review of corporate governance directed to non-academic use or an academic textbook in corporate governance directed to advanced undergraduate and graduate students. No book can accomplish both without failing in one of the two. I believe this book is a poor, but the only, choice as a textbook in US corporate governance. Mallin's corporate governance book is in many ways superior to Monks and Minow. Blair's book explains the same problems as Monks and Minow does in 60 pages.
3. The book does not figure out the main issues in corporate governance and structure the book around them. The three ideas, ownership - monitoring - performance, the book uses are too artificial and overly simplistic and this simplicity is completely lost in the book. Actually, these three ideas are the only clear areas in the book. I would suggest the following "great themes". Ownership, management, control, performance, and stakeholders is probably a better way to look at the main areas in corporate governance that the existant.
5. The ideas of corporate governance are either "best practice" or what is "a failure". You cannot economize explanations, but the book has scores of marginal areas that seem to overwhelm and confuse the readers without belonging to "best practices" or " failures". These marginal cases, references, thoughts, and ideas make it almost impossible to understand what is the purporse of the discussion. Case in point: dealing with greenmail under the board of directors?
6. The book is long.
7. Either add more cases to the book, or offer the cases separately. Make sure that the cases are even. Having a 20 page case on GM is excellent.
8. As a trained lawayer, I have not had any problems following the book. As a finance PhD doing research in corporate governance, I have no problems following the book. But any non-lawyer or layman, is likely to find the material frustrating, overwhelming and muddy. The material is not accessible, barely understandable, and hardly beneficial to the average reader (who is very unlikely a JD with a finance PhD).
An academically oriented book........2001-04-24
Would be an excellent tome for students of business. Also would be applicable for folks who are more interested in the corporate governance from a policy side. It's focus is publicly held companies, so if you're looking for a practitioners guide on how to 'get things done' in a startup world, this book doesn't address any of that. That doesn't make it a bad book, it just has it's focus on public companies.
This fascinating governance "encyclopedia" has it all!.......1998-02-07
If you want a single-volume resource on the topic of corporate governance, I urge you to beg, borrow, steal--or better yet, in the spirit of free enterprise, buy with a click from Amazon--Corporate Governance, now heading for another printing due to popular demand. Monks, a former Labor Department official, and Minow, an attorney by training, go beyond the "letter" of corporate governance and into its spirit in this monumental work, a sequel to their Power and Accountability (1991). Whether you are searching for sweeping theories, or simply want a place to look up key phrases from "agency costs" to "zones of ambiguity;" whether you want to travel through General Motors history or revisit Ross Perot's "pet rocks" quip, you will find what you are looking for here. "What is a corporation?" the authors begin. "It is the relationship among various participants in determining the direction and performance of corporations." Monks and Minow go on to define these participants as the shareholders, management, and board of diretors, devoting a section to each. Then comes an overview of corporate governance in over a dozen countries. One of the best features in the book is the series of Socratic questions that appear in italics throughout. One follows: "How do we create a governance and ownership structure that gives employees the optimal role, from the perspective of fairness (to maximize their contributions) and productivity (to maximize their future contributions?)" How indeed? Read this book to find out.
Customer Reviews:
Good and not a "heavy" book.......2000-03-29
I'm a undergraduate economic student and have tried a good sort of books in this matter, and I finally get one that fits very nice to my needs. This book touches all the aspects of the subject without being very hard to understand or too boring to read, and that is hard to find in book about industrial organization! Another good point is that the book is very new and have useful and contemporary examples. A liked very much!
Book Description
Written for CEOs, CFOs, and the investment bankers, lawyers, and auditors who advise them, this is the first book to explain how reverse mergers work, from the business and legal points of view.
Customer Reviews:
Professional manual for reverse mergers.......2006-12-11
Only a few years ago, it seemed that nearly every company was going public with an IPO. Now many quality companies are locked out of the IPO market, but companies have other ways to go public. One of the most popular paths is a "reverse merger." In this transaction, your private company merges into a public company (often a "shell") and controls it, giving you a public stock with which to raise capital. This may sound shady, but it's not: many well-known companies have gone public through reverse mergers, including Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Turner Broadcasting System, Occidental Petroleum and Blockbuster Entertainment. Experienced Wall Street securities attorney David N. Feldman takes you through the reverse merger process in detail. The book is wonderfully clear and thorough, and should become the definitive textbook on reverse mergers. It is, however, a dry read. A profusion of technical rules and especially acronyms (SPAC, SOX, Form 10-B, Rule 419, Regulation A, SB-2, PIPE) make the book slightly MEGO (My Eyes Glaze Over) for the uninitiated - but then, they are not its target audience. We enthusiastically recommend this book to sophisticated investors, lawyers, accountants, investment bankers and executives who want all the details on this increasingly popular financing technique.
This book changed my life!!!.......2006-10-10
Well, maybe it didn't exactly change my life, but it gave my law firm a new direction. My firm specializes in strategic transactions - initial public offerings, private placements, mergers & acquisitions - but we had steered clear of reverse mergers because of the uncertainty and confusion. Feldman and Dresner cleared up that confusion we now offer reverse mergers as part of our services.
This book showed the mechanics of structuring a reverse merger, how to create shell corporations and guidelines on financing. It covers due diligence, securities filings and and plenty of mistakes to avoid.
Whether you're an attorney, accountant, investment banker, business owner or private investor, this book will offer you an new strategy for growth and finance by way of reverse mergers.
excellent book.......2006-10-02
This is a most informative book and tells you how to do it. The concept is mysterious at first but is clearly explained in this book. It is a must for anyone considering taking his business public. I highly recomend it.
An excellent investment if you're interested in reverse mergers.......2006-10-01
If you want to know the right way to organize and structure Reverse Mergers, this is the book to go for. It's an excellent up to date reference as well as a guidebook of do's, don'ts and "tricks of the trade"; even better, it's written so both newbies and professionals can benefit from it.
At the very minimum, Reverse Mergers will pay for itself many times over in saved legal fees; more importantly it will almost certainly save you a lot of time and may well save you from some very expensive mistakes. If you intend to do anything in this area, Mr. Feldman's book is undoubtedly the best $50 investment you can make.
Book Description
This book is organized and laid out to provide information in quickly understandable chapters and in sections within chapters. Each chapter stands on its own and provides a usable body of information on an aspect of the real-time enterprise. Chapters includes diagrams, tables, and lists to illustrate and summarize key points and real-world case studies and executive interviews to provide further insight into the subject matter presented in the chapter.
Readers of this book will:
- Gain a clear picture of how organizations can profit from use of real-time operations
- Appreciate the theory, technology, and business practices that underpin the real-time enterprise
- Learn a pragmatic and efficient approach for developing real-time systems in their own organizations
The author, Michael Hugos, is the chief information officer of Network Services Company, a $7 billion dollar distribution organization. He has over 20 years experience in applying technology to meet business challenges and he holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. His discussion of the real-time enterprise is a blend of both theoretical and practical perspectives based on his years of applying real-time concepts to actual business situations. He is also the author of Essentials of Supply Chain Management.
Customer Reviews:
Today's Management Trends.......2005-10-13
It was straightforward, relevant, and used examples from outside the business world (I especially liked the one about air to air combat) to parallel non-associated actions and show that the thought processes were similar. I think it was also balanced by explaining some of the pitfalls that may happen from too much of a good thing, like the call center monitoring tools. Great examples from the real world. I got a lot out of it.
Outstanding practicle advice.......2005-05-31
Based on over 35 years of experience leading Information Technology organziations as a CIO, I believe that the book by Hugos is a must read for both CIO's and other business function leaders. The book reflects Hugos' vast experience as a CIO and contains practical advice for both. For CIO's, Hugos not only provides realistic and common-sense advice on "what and how" to do things, but perhaps more importantly, "what and how" NOT to do things. CIO's can earn their keeps often by not falling into the trap of following the hype--many companies implement complex and expensive systems like ERP's and CRM's without compelling business case--just to "join the club." Hugos correctly points out that often adding futures and functions to existing well-run systems is a better (safer, faster, cheaper) way to address business needs.
His practical advice to functinal business leaders also hit the target. Particularly valuable are his suggestions on how to ensure IT projects should be structured to succeed and once they are started, how to make sure they are implemented on time and on budget.
A safe journey to the Real-time Enterprise.......2005-03-31
Building the Real-Time Enterprise: An Executive Briefing by Michael Hugos is a timely compendium of lessons about tested and proofed management and operational techniques for all CIO's wanting to create successful internal IT organizations in the global village we live and work in. How is an IT organization to spend its scarce resources to enable its business to excel in a world characterized by hyper-competition and co-opetition? Hugos defines the Real-time Enterprise and systematically explains its business foundations, supported by practical examples. Short overview sections on Information Theory, Cybernetics, General Systems Theory, Total Quality Management, Six Sigma, Business Process Management, System Dynamics and Viable Systems Model, to name a few, provide contextual settings in which the roots for the modern Real-time Enterprise are to be found. The book continues by explaining how to design a real-time enterprise. It does so by motivating the need for change and dynamic management, right through descriptions of real-time observation and action chains [the Observe-Orient-Decide-Act loop, borrowed from aerial warfare]and to guidance on where to start the journey toward the Real-time Enterprise once resolved as strategy. Directions of how to build an IT infrastructure for Real-time Enterprises, and tested project management methodologies are combined to serve as a Best Practice manual towards sure results. Decision-making, modern programming languages, social skills and people management, and the various steps of the system development life cycle, are all described in the context of creating the Real-time Enterprise. Of particular value is sections on hard lessons learned in successes and failures as the author experienced them in his career, and how these are of value in systematically moving towards the Real-time Enterprise. These lessons are classified in strategic guidelines for system design and tactical principles for running projects. Every chapter in the book is supported by a vignette describing a particular executive insight related to the chapter content, and this is where the book's ultimate value lies; it is based on the professional experience of an author, also award-winning CIO, having changed the organization he works for to a Real-time Enterprise with sustainable growth and success in the world of today. Having read Building the Real-time Enterprise left me with fresh and profound insights on how to optimize executive effort and organizational resources for the creation of a dynamic and agile IT capacity in the modern organization. Free of clichés, this book has set a benchmark to be followed as an example of how to combine theoretical principles with practical lessons and verified successes in the IT world. It won't easily be replaced as company on my professional journey!
Building a Real-Time Enterprise: An Executive Briefing.......2005-03-14
Useful book for the busy executive: I am the CFO of my organization and manage many operating units. I have read Mr. Hugos' book and found it refreshing, to the point and extremely useful. In particular the last chapter has armed me with all of the important questions that provide the framework for keeping all projects on task and within budget. These questions provide a common communication framework between technical people and business unit managers that result in projects that stay focused and on track.
Well written, concise and provides valuable insights.......2004-12-11
Providing an easy to read, but comprehensive understanding of the real time enterprise, this book is a valuable reference to the busy CIO or IT executive. The book provides insight into not just the theory behind a real time enterprise, but also details on how to implement this within your organisation. The excellent layout and the use of diagrams and tables does not detract from the message, while the lists provide a valuable reference point. I would recommend this book to any IT executive who is trying to unlock the IT value proposition.
Book Description
In this Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek bestseller, Michigan Business School guru and worldwide consultant Noel Tichy brings his special brand of organisational transformation to a practical level that guarantees a leader at every level of an organisation.
Why do some companies consistently win in the marketplace while others struggle from crisis to crisis? The answer, says Noel Tichy, is that winning companies possess a "Leadership Engine", a proven system for creating dynamic leaders at every level. Technologies, products and economies constantly change. To get ahead and stay ahead, companies need agile, flexible, innovative leaders who can anticipate change and respond to new realities swiftly. Tichy explains that everyone has untapped leadership potential that can be developed 執inning leaders and winning organisations have figured out how to do this.
In this acclaimed bestseller, Tichy offers colourful and insightful best–practice examples from dozens of leaders gathered from decades of research and practical experience.
Customer Reviews:
An great case study on what makes effective leadership.......2006-08-25
The Leadership Engine, by Noel Tichy, is devoted to describing how great leaders push and lead their corporations toward success. Using case studies and research, this book shows that leader driven organizations are more successful, rather than mere manager led. In so doing, the author shows how leader led organizations have traits that lead them towards achievement of their goals.
Leaders are so intertwined with the concept of reproducing themselves that they become known for their teaching skills as much as anything else. The author points out that former General Electric CEO, Jack Welch, would spend several days a month teaching managers. While rarely showing up on the bottom line of organizations, the development of fresh leadership and the growing ability for junior leaders to make decisions on their own without direct supervision are constantly cited as reasons for success in organizations.
Over the past generation the occupation of consultant has arisen in virtually every field. From businesses, to churches, to university athletic departments, consultants work where there were previously only outside blue or white collar outside contractors. This book makes the case that consultants exist today because people simply do not want to lead. They have chosen to make their work much more complicated that it had to be by refusing to be teachers of those underneath them. And as a result, leaders have no time to research developing trends or to look long term for their organization.
Tichy emphasises that a great leader will teach others to be great leaders, not great followers. It is much easier to gather followers around an organization; people who have a passion to just follow one person's vision for the organization. This is the recipe for failure. The right people are the center of any organization, so therefore goals must be accomplished through taught people who are willing to take smart aggressive risks within the scope of an organizations mission with a constant eye towards integrity and the leading of the hand of Providence.
Group Facilitation.......2006-01-30
We're using this book as part of a leadership development program. 30 copies were sent directly to me on time and in perfect condition
EMMP: Central : A very good book to read........2003-05-06
The book "The Leadership Engine" by Noel Tichy, discusses how to build dynamic leaders at every level within an organization. The book focuses on fundamentals of winning organizations and the characteristics of these leaders giving insight into some of the greatest leaders stories. Noel Tichy has researched companies like General Electric, Ameritech, PepsiCo, Intel and Focus Hope.
The book is concise in its contents and is good for intellectual reading. Author has made his best attempt to present conceptually his thoughts about leadership engine by proving the facts that "winning organizations are teaching organizations". Senior leaders take direct responsibility for developing and teaching other leaders. Those leaders have great "teachable point of view" as composed by ideas, values and E3 (Emotion, Energy and Edge). Each of these leaders has their own style of teaching and the technique may vary based on the needs of the organization. Great leaders use stories to teach and communicate their ideas.
The term "Engine" as used by author, illustrates the dynamic potential of the winning organization to teach the leaders and develop future leaders. Noel says, "Many management theories don't buy the argument that leadership engine is the key factor in determining an organization's success. They assert that a winning culture, or efficient work processes, or any number of other ancillary attributes are the sine qua nons for success". But he believes that leadership takes precedence over everything else and one reason leadership take precedence is that leaders are the people who decide what needs to be done and are the one's who make things happen. To accept the fact as represented by author, the research should also include mid sized organizations and opinions of middle layered managers.
The ultimate test of success for an organization is not weather it can win today but whether it can keep winning tomorrow and the day after. The key ability of winning organization and winning leaders is creating leaders. One of the greatest quotes in the book was "Every person in a key position has to see himself or herself as a mini-CEO. They have to conceptualize what has to be done in the same way the CEO has. Then it cascades."
APPEALING AT THE BEGINNING.......2002-06-23
I read Tichy's ideas for the first time in a Harvard Business Review exhibit which he wrote to be inserted in an interview with Jacques Nassar, former CEO of Ford Motor in an issue from 1997/1998. That exhibit was so illuminating I went just right then to get a copy of the whole book in the library. I should've stayed with the exhibit in the magazine...
The CORE of the ideas of Mr. Tichy is superb. Really. Building a model (a triangle which is not, for one of the corners includes "emotional, energy and edge" and there's is not the sligthest reference in the book why these are bundle together) where he included values, ideas and the emotional side to introduce the discipline of the storytelling in the organization is a premier work intended to give a method to build those stories (World Bank, 3M, Ford and many other companies with a long tradition of strategic planning are working on this line, prefering it over conventional bullet lists, formats and charts but back in 1997, when Tichy's work arrived it was a weird idea).
BUT that's all! If you expect to learn here how to buid the "teachable point of view" (this is how Tichy christened his baby) forget it. At least an useful one. Many water has gone under the bridges since 1997 and there're many subsequent authors with better techniques to teach you to do so. Nevertheless, Tichy's work is a nice model to keep in mind when you build and use the strategic stories. But as a framework... and I've got that in the little excerpt of the exhibit in HBS.
Last, but not the least... the examples. And this REALLY bothered me. Rather than present the teoric foundations for his ideas, in order to let you to figure out how he get there and then let the reader to develop his own path (like Collins&Porras, Tichy's nemesis, did in "Built to last"), Tichy gives an harangue of two or three lines with his ideas and then throw at you a 3-pages example so tailored-made for the concept you wonder if he's not explaining a coyuntural practice in some organization which he happened to hear about or maybe witness now and then rather than give you some new insights about leadership. And that organization, 70% alongisde 250 pages or so, is GE, 20% is AliedSignal's Larry Bossidy (a GE insider) and the 10% are ocassional references to Ameritech or well-konwn leaders so suitable for the day-to-day environment of XXI century business like Martin Luther King and Winston Churchill. Of course you can learn from any leader, that's what metaphors are for, but it's risky at least to compare the deployment of some set of values and ideas in a company with somebody who broadcast alive in the middle of some war. HOW the leaders deploy their messages (not the build of the message, but the media and the selection criteria they used) is a major absence in this book. And when it comes to learn about diagnostics and measures for the performance of his idea, Tichy olimpically come down from the bronco saying "I think the value market is the best measure to keep track of the performance of the company in the long term". And thats's it: one line and a half and keep going repeated like a mantra (I wonder what does Tichy thinks about some market values like Enron' And by the way, Ken Lay wrote in the back of the book a very nice appraisal of this leadership method to succeed in the market...) Which means if you're CEO in a private held company, a non-profit organization, a multillateral banking institution like IMF, a public company far away from the S&P or Dow Jones or the local chamber of commerce, you can implement these ideas but for measures go to the nearest church.
Noel Tichy was director at mythical Crotonville GE Human Developing Center. And the book become for moments a "Thanks my sweet lord psalms choir" to Jack Welch. Who is, no doubt, the best known business leader worldwide today. And Tichy used his previous book (Control your destiny) about the great man to quote himself a lot of times as authoritative source. But with the teorics of the book, it is at least arrogant to place such an emphasis in this company. I mean, if "winning companies" are the ones who win today, tomorrow and the next day by the inheritance and labor of its present leaders, how Tichy knew it would be the case back in 1997? Jeffrey Immelt hasn't been appointed to the office and you simply can't know, even today, 5 years after the book, if Welch revolution will survive him. Tichy made an example of his method and of a "winning company" out of Coca Cola under Goizueta reign, and you can go to ask about all this revolution to his succesors, Doug specially. Welch might well become a sort of Tom Watson, the head of the company Tichy's beat to death every single opportunity he has to the point you wonder if they fired or offended him in some moment: if he couldn't illustrate some point in the book with some real practice, then he explain it by default showing HOW IBM didn't do this or that and ergo fell down... and GE sure has, no doubt, somewhere around the world, even if he can't prove that, but the wonderful market value of the company is enough proof. And by the way.... if you read "Straight from the gut" by Welch himself, you learn many of Tichy' affirmations about his practices are, to be candorous, descontextualized or mistaken.
In short, a very, very good idea with a very, very bad excution in a very, worse package.
They Can, They Do, They Teach.......2002-05-22
Noel Tichy's "The Leadership Engine" is a practical and easy to read book on leadership. His research is exhaustive and well documented; there are sixty pages of notes and bibliographic citations. Tichy's central theme is that winning companies possess a "Leadership Engine" that produces dynamic leaders at every level within the organization. He argues forcefully that winning is about leadership and that leadership is the key trait that distinguishes winners from losers. He defines winning as success in adding value, coupled with sustained excellence. For a company or organization to be successful it must have outstanding leaders at every level. In order to have those dynamic leaders at every level, the organization itself must systematically produce them.
Tichy insists that learning, teaching, and leading are intertwined and admits he is a proponent of transformational leadership theory. Elements of this theory are clearly evident throughout his book. Tichy is also resolute in his belief that leading IS teaching-"they can, they do, they teach"-this point is driven home numerous times throughout his book(1). Winning organizations are teaching organizations. Successful organizations have proven leaders who are both teachers and avid learners themselves. The author emphasizes on numerous occasions that leaders must have a teachable point of view and must create teachable moments for the right kind of learning to occur-the kind that transforms an organization. A leader's "teachable point of view" is a trinitarian view composed of: a) ideas, b) values, and c) emotional energy and edge(2). Ideas are the substance of learning and good ideas are teachable.
Tichy uses numerous real life examples from the business world and even the military to highlight his points throughout the book. His liberal use of relevant and true stories to emphasize the point he is making, is in itself, a subtle illustration of a key leadership trait-being a good story teller. Tichy insists that successful leaders are successful teachers because they use stories and share examples from their own personal life. The author's frequent use of stories makes the book interesting, even captivating at times and minimizes the possibility of the reader getting bored.
The Leadership Engine is an outstanding, well organized, and very readable book; and not just a book, but a useful handbook as well. Tichy includes a 99-page workbook with practical exercises designed to both help the reader assess his or her own leadership and to help the reader develop a "Leadership Engine" in his or her own organization. The workbook is what sets this leadership book apart from the thousands of others in this crowded category. Noel Tichy has accomplished what he set out to do-convince us that winning organizations are teaching organizations. However, for the student of leadership, there is no new ground or profound insights in this book and consequently, I am not convinced that it deserved its Business Week "Book of the Year" honor.
NOTES
(1)Taken from the oft repeated jest by George Bernard Shaw that, "Those who can, do-those who can't, teach." This quote does not appear in Tichy's book.
(2)Tichy defines "edge" as the courage to see reality and act on it.
Books:
- International Management: Managing Across Borders and Cultures (5th Edition)
- International Monetary and Financial Economics (with Printed Access Card)
- International Taxation in a Nutshell, (In a Nutshell (West Publishing))
- Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach (with Economic Applications Online, Econometrics Data Sets with Solutions Manual Web Site Printed Access Card)
- Introductory Mathematical Analysis for Business, Economics and the Life and social Sciences (11th Edition)
- Japan Rising: The Resurgence of Japanese Power And Purpose
- Labor Economics
- Leading Change
- Logistics & Supply Chain Management: creating value-adding networks (3rd Edition) (Financial Times Series)
- Making Your Small Farm Profitable: Apply 25 Guiding Principles/Develop New Crops & New Markets/Maximize Net Profits Per Acre
Books Index
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General
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Structure of American Industry, The (11th Edition)
Modern Industrial Organization (4th Edition) (Addison-Wesley Series in Economics)
Public Finance and Public Policy
Economics of Regulation and Antitrust, 4th Edition
Modern Labor Economics: Theory and Public Policy (9th Edition)
