Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis, 1st Edition, Barbara A. Carkenord

This book provides a how to approach to mastering business analysis work. It will help build the skill sets of new analysts and all those currently doing analysis work, from project managers to project team members such as system analysts, product managers and business development professionals, to the experienced business analyst. It also covers the tasks and knowledge areas for the new 2008 v.2 of The Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK®) and will help prepare business analysts for the IIBA CBAP® certification exam.

Review
Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis is a definite must read for every business analyst. The topics, both practical and concrete, will provide indisputable value to your career development and to your projects. --Russ Pena, CBAP, Vice President & Sr. Business Analyst, SunTrust Banks

Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis, Barb Carkenord has gone beyond what we discuss in the BABOK to address the real challenges business analysts face in the workplace. I wish this book had been available years ago, but I am glad that BAs have the opportunity to benefit from it today! --Kevin Brennan, CBAP, Vice President, Body of Knowledge, International Institute of Business Analysis

Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis, Barb Carkenord has gone beyond what we discuss in the BABOK to address the real challenges business analysts face in the workplace. I wish this book had been available years ago, but I am glad that BAs have the opportunity to benefit from it today! --Kevin Brennan, CBAP, Vice President, Body of Knowledge, International Institute of Business Analysis.

About the Author
Barbara Carkenord, CBAP, is President and co-founder of B2T Training, an organization that developed the first comprehensive business analysis training program in North America. This training and business analysis certification program has been a model for other training organizations. Ms. Carkenord has over 20 years of business analysis experience gained in various industries such as manufacturing, insurance, and banking. She possesses detailed knowledge and experience in many structured approaches and methodologies and is a core team member of the IIBA BABOK creation committee. Her areas of expertise include business analysis, high-level design, quality assurance, and project management. She earned her MBA from University of Michigan and began her career in the information technology area as a programmer, systems analyst, business analyst, and project manager. She is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, has authored many articles on business analysis and is the editor of the bridge business analysis magazine.

Product Details :

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: J. Ross Publishing (October 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1604270071
• ISBN-13: 978-1604270075
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches

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Business Logistics: Supply Chain Management, 5th Edition, Ronald H. Ballou

The LOGWARE software found inside *Is developed specifically for classroom and educational use *Has 15 Windows-based customized modules, including the new Supply Channel Simulator Module *Extends and supports methods presented in the text *Can be used for logistics problem solving, such as single and multifacility location, vehicle routing and scheduling, forecasting, inventory management, warehouse layout, and more *Has general purpose programs, including linear programming, integer programming, multiple regression, and distance estimation LOGWARE is designed to be user-friendly for data input, preparation, and results presentation so that it will be an integral part of a student's decision-making tool kit.

From the Publisher
A comprehensive discussion of the planning, organizing, and controlling of such activities as transportation, inventory maintenance, order processing, purchasing, warehousing, materials handling, packaging, customer service standards, and product scheduling. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover
The LOGWARE software found inside

Is developed specifically for classroom and educational use Has 15 Windows-based customized modules, including the new Supply Channel Simulator Module Extends and supports methods presented in the text Can be used for logistics problem solving, such as single and multifacility location, vehicle routing and scheduling, forecasting, inventory management, warehouse layout, and more Has general purpose programs, including linear programming, integer programming, multiple regression, and distance estimation

LOGWARE is designed to be user-friendly for data input, preparation, and results presentation so that it will be an integral part of a student's decision-making tool kit.

Review based on 4th edition: A hands on and mathematical approach to the various factors involved in logistics mgt.Good treatment of customer service,transportation, inventory and location strategies. Numerous problems and examples explain how to immediately apply the tools - whether you are calculating the cost of what you are carrying in your warehouse, testing the feasibility of additional warehouses, or calculating service level/fill rate (they are different...) Includes a cool Logware CD-ROM for those interested in solving transportation, inventory problems without the headaches of programming. Overall a good textbook for a logistics course.

Product Details :

• Hardcover: 816 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 5 edition (August 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130661848
• ISBN-13: 978-0130661845
• Product Dimensions: 1.3 x 7.6 x 9.6 inches

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Logistics Management and Strategy: Competing through the Supply Chain, 4th Edition, Alan Harrison

Logistics Management and Strategy is an excellent text that disseminates knowledge and understanding of logistics in an easy-to-read way. While explaining with great clarity the theoretical concepts, it remains very pragmatic and close to business life through the use of concrete examples and well-chosen case studies. It manages to examine logistics knowledge and understanding in depth while at the same time remaining not only very accessible but really pleasant to read. Finally, its international perspective reflects the nature of logistics today.

This text is intended for MSc students on logistics courses, and as an accompanying text for open learning courses such as the global MSc degrees and virtual universities. It will also be attractive as a management textbook and as recommended reading on MBA options in logistics and supply chain management.

From the Back Cover
Harrison : Logistics Management and Strategy 4e

A concise, applied and strategic introduction to the subject of logistics and supply chain management, perfect for modern managers or students of logistics and supply chain management.

Logistics and supply chain management continue to transform the competitive landscape and have become one of today’s key business issues. This fourth edition of Logistics Management and Strategy continues to take a practical, integrated and international approach to logistics, and includes the very latest research to reflect the innovative and exciting developments in this subject area.

A clear framework guides the reader through the four parts of the book, covering:

an introduction to logistics and its contribution to competitiveness and value creation,
leveraging logistics operations within the context of the customer
supplier partnerships, interfaces and the challenges of integration
leading-edge thinking in logistics and the future challenges ahead.

New to this edition...

continued development on the theme of sustainable logistics
revised chapters on supply chain planning and control, and on agility
new chapter on sourcing and supply management.

Every chapter features case studies with study questions, activities and end of chapter discussion questions to help students explore logistical concepts in operational detail.

'Well written and contains a wealth of valuable ideas and concepts.' – Dr Jan de Vries, University of Groningen

'Very up-to-date, both in terms of its conceptual framework and the topics covered. Remarkably clear and easy to read.' – Dr Tony Whiteing, University of Huddersfield

Alan Harrison is Professor of Operations and Logistics at Cranfield School of Management, and Director of Research at The Cranfield Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management.

Remko van Hoek is visiting Professor of Supply Chain Management at The Cranfield Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management. He is also Chief Procurement Officer at GDF SUEZ/Cofely the Netherlands.

A very useful, important book for an online class (BUS698, Ashford University). A very important asset for successful grading for the online class.

Product Details :

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 4 edition (January 28, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0273730223
• ISBN-13: 978-0273730224
• Product Dimensions: 0.9 x 7.5 x 9.5 inches

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Valuation in Life Sciences: A Practical Guide, 3rd Edition, Boris Bogdan

This book is the first complete guide to valuation in life sciences for industry professionals, investors, and academics. Boris Bogdan and Ralph Villiger introduce the characteristics of drug and medical device development, explain how to translate these into the valuation, and provide valuable industry data. After guiding the reader through the theory of valuation, including DCF, decision trees, and real options, the authors demonstrate how to value projects, patents, licences, firms, and stocks on real-life examples, even treating complex licence and company structures. Special emphasis is put on the practicability of the proposed methods by including many hands-on examples, without compromising on realistic results. The 3rd edition of the successful work includes new studies about success rates and about drug development in the biotech industry and their influence on valuation.

Review
From the reviews:

"‘Valuation in Life Sciences: A Practical Guide’ leads readers step by step through the theory of life sciences valuation. … it is an important read for biotech investors. … It is the first book of its kind that combines industry data and valuation theory together with practical advice. It includes valuation techniques and tools that allow investors to pick undervalued biotech stocks." (GEN – genetic engineering news, February, 2007)

"Valuation in Life Sciences: A Practical Guide opens up the black box and describes, step by step, a relatively simple procedure for quantitative valuation in life sciences. The book guides the reader through the recommended procedure of quantitative valuation … . This book is recommended to those who would like to acquire a profound understanding of quantitative valuation and use a simple spreadsheet approach of their own cases." (Rudolf Gygax, Nature Biotechnology, Vol. 25 (9), 2007)

"This book provides some interesting examples – for business development and licensing executives – of where ROV may be used. … For the general reader and business development executive there is a good explanation of ROV and its applications in life science … . The book may also be of interest to biotechnology company business development executives and university technology transfer officers … . this book is essential reading as it not only provides the mathematical theory but also the applications in different types of deals." (Roger Davies, Business Development & Licensing Journal, Issue 4, 2007)

From the reviews of the third edition:

“The content and discussion contained in ‘Valuation in Life Sciences’ is excellent. The Swiss authors provide a practical guide to what mathematical tools gives meaningful valuations … . Recommended for anyone planning to be involved in the development of a biotech venture.” (C. Mathews, Amazon, December, 2010)

“The authors always keep the necessary rigour to make the book a valuable reference to professionals such as business developers, investment bankers, or analysts. … it an excellent textbook for students as well. … ‘Valuation in Life Sciences’ addresses also the financial beginner with guided and easy-to-understand examples in Excel. I highly recommend the book to everyone in financial biotech.” (Amazon, November, 2009)

“This book is an excellent overview of business development valuation and great for those who want to catch up on some techniques and tools. It gives an accurate picture of BD in pharma. For those in the business … it remains a very valuable tool.” (J. Serres, Amazon, March, 2009)

From the Back Cover
This book is the first complete guide to valuation in life sciences for industry professionals, investors, and academics. Boris Bogdan and Ralph Villiger introduce the characteristics of drug and medical device development, explain how to translate these into the valuation, and provide valuable industry data. After guiding the reader through the theory of valuation, including DCF, decision trees, and real options, the authors demonstrate how to value projects, patents, licences, firms, and stocks on real-life examples, even treating complex licence and company structures. Special emphasis is put on the practicability of the proposed methods by including many hands-on examples, without compromising on realistic results.

The 3rd edition of the successful work includes new studies about success rates and about drug development in the biotech industry and their influence on valuation.

This book goes into depth and provides mathematical formulas to price the value of biotechnical companies. We used this to make tons of money by investing in undervalued companies that later rose in value. It provides all the parameters to take into account EVERY variable possible. The formulas are somewhat complex, but can easily be deciphered by someone knowledgeable in mathematics or by using a computer program to put the variable in and then it's easy to value any company. Biotechnical companies highly fluctuate in price and value, so this book really gave us an edge because it's those fluctuations that enable you to use to your advantage IF you have an edge such as this book provides.

Got this as a gift for someone in the field who had previously expressed a desire to own it but was not happy with the prices he found in Canada. Great price for an important reference.

Product Details :

• Hardcover: 370 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 3rd ed. 2010 edition (April 29, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3642108199
• ISBN-13: 978-3642108198
• Product Dimensions: 0.9 x 6.5 x 9.5 inches

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BizPlanBuilder Express: A Guide to Creating a Business Plan (with BizPlanBuilder CD-ROM), 3rd Edition, Inc. JIAN Tools for Sale

Make your business plan shine! BIZPLANBUILDER EXPRESS: A GUIDE TO CREATING A BUSINESS PLAN and its accompanying BizPlanBuilder CD-ROMshows you step-by-step how to prepare each section of your plan, including ready-to-customize samples, prompts and advice, detailed marketing analysis, straight-forward financial tools, and links to marketing resources. BIZPLANBUILDER EXPRESS: A GUIDE TO CREATING A BUSINESS PLAN is the workbook you need to utilize this powerful business plan software, which works on either Windows or Macintosh, to its full potential.

Review
PART 1: BUSINESS PLAN BASICS. PART 2: TYPES OF BUSINESS PLANS. PART 3: WRITING THE NARRATIVE. Vision and Mission. Company Overview. Product/Service Strategy. Market Analysis. Marketing Plans. PART 4: COMPLETING THE FINANCIAL PLAN. PART 5: ASSEMBLING YOUR BUSINESS PLAN. Funding Resources for Your Plan. Appendix A: Preplanning Resources. Appendix B: Postplan Operations: Resources for Managing Your Business. Appendix C: System Requirements. Appendix D: Using Microsoft Word and Excel.

This is a good started kit for anyone who is going into business. I would recommend this book along with the CD. When purchasing make sure you have the CD. The book has a lot of info but the CD is like "hands on".

This book is required for my course to create a business plan. I just started but so far it is okay.

Dear Amazon, I finished my class. I am thankful for having to purchase this book form Amazon, it was in a very good condition, very reasonably priced, it arrived right away, and I am very delighted. Thanks a bunch for having great sellers on your lists.

This book/CD-rom package makes it very easy to create a business plan. It walks you through every single step, and gives you suggestions about what materials should be in each section of the plan. Highly recommended if you're just starting out with business plan writing, or if you need a refresher.

Product Details :

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Cengage Learning; 3 edition (May 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0324421184
• ISBN-13: 978-0324421187
• Product Dimensions: 0.4 x 8.4 x 10.6 inches

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Pricing Strategy: Setting Price Levels, Managing Price Discounts and Establishing Price Structures, 1st Edition, Tim J. Smith

Learn how to make pricing decisions that will maximize a firm's profits by creating and capturing customers with PRICING STRATEGY: SETTING PRICE LEVELS, MANAGING PRICE DISCOUNTS AND ESTABLISHING PRICE STRUCTURES. Written by recognized pricing thought leader and principal of a successful pricing firm, Tim J. Smith, this comprehensive book emphasizes the stakeholder's importance in making decisions, while highlighting key trade-offs to consider when choosing between opposing outcomes. In this book's balanced presentation of quantitative instruction and qualitative concepts, learn more about the influences that should guide your decision making.

Review
"The book is the most comprehensive pricing strategy book currently available on the market. It explains conceptual pricing topics that can be readily understood and applied by managers setting and managing price." --Steve Shook, University of Idaho

"The book not only covers the various aspects of strategic pricing, it also provides the necessary quantitative tools to determine the price levels. This book overcomes one of the key weaknesses of its competitor, Nagle and Holden's Strategy and Tactics of Pricing, i.e., not enough tools to arrive at prices." -- Praveen Kopalle, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College

About the Author
Well-known in the industry as a thought leader in pricing, Dr. Tim Smith is Managing Principal of Wiglaf Pricing as well as Adjunct Professor of Marketing at DePaul University. Dr. Smith is a researcher, an instructor, and a consultant in pricing strategy. He is a regular presenter at THE Professional Pricing Society conferences, in both the United States and Europe. With hard-hitting, focused messages for executives, he regularly presents actions that lead to dynamic results. At Wiglaf Pricing, Dr. Smith provides strategic pricing support for globally leading firms such as Symantec, as well as a host of entrepreneurial firms and portfolio companies of private capital. Dr. Smith has developed his insights into pricing through past roles, including Chief Marketing Officer of ISB Development, a software subsidiary of Nonolet in Novosibirsk, Russia, and Business Development Manager of SPL WorldGroup, a software product and consulting firm. Dr. Smith began his career as a research scientist in quantum mechanics before his interest in strategy prompted him to pursue an MBA. His focus on pricing is a natural culmination of his deep love of math and his market orientation. Dr. Smith holds an MBA with High Honors in Strategy and Marketing from the University of Chicago GSB, a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Chicago, a BS in Chemistry and Physics, and BA in Mathematics from Southern Methodist University. In addition to this text, he has authored another book on systematically growing revenue in business.

I first purchased this book about a year ago as I was beginning to re-engage in a B2B industry I had previously spent 20+ years in. Strategy is always an interesting topic, and inquisitive by nature I have always been intrigued by why firms, mine and others took the pricing actions that they did, so I bought the "textbook". Although as a textbook it is complete with exercises at the end of each chapter (and answer sets which are not available -ug), it is written at a level and with a style which makes it easily readable.

The understanding of pricing strategies gained from reading this book, along with following the author Tim Smith through his work at his consulting company Wiglaf Pricing and their [...] has allowed me to reexamine my industry with renewed insight, and identify a path forward which is more explainable, well reasoned and sucessfully sustainable.

I consider Pricing Strategy to be a must read for anyone serious about understanding the pricing side of a business. I highly recommend Pricing Strategy without reservation.

While I am somewhat biased as an associate of Tim Smith but this presentation is the best I have ever seen on the subject of strategic pricing. I have been teaching marketing as an adjunct professor in Chicago for 28 years and pricing is an integral part of my teaching curricula. This book takes the art and science of pricing and setting prices to an entire new level. It offers excellent perspective in pricing and theory and practice and offers the most complete presentation of pricing that I have ever seen.

Product Details :

• Hardcover: 344 pages
• Publisher: Cengage Learning; 1 edition (January 18, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0538480882
• ISBN-13: 978-0538480888
• Product Dimensions: 0.7 x 7.9 x 10 inches

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Writing Effective Policies and Procedures: A Step-By-Step Resource for Clear Communication, 1st Edition, Nancy J. Campbell

Book Description
"Policies and procedures -- they're what make a company run efficiently and legally. Now managers have a definitive guide to creating accurate policies and procedures documents. The book is useful for professionals in such areas as:

* health and safety * human resources * office management * administration * quality
* manufacturing * customer service * finance and accounting.

Readers will enjoy the unusually friendly, informal approach of this book. Loaded with examples, checklists, guidelines, quick tips, work plans, and forms, it is ready for immediate use. The book shows how to:

* write (and design) documents clearly (so employees will understand and follow the policies)
* plan, analyze, and research each element
* help employees increase efficiency, reduce mistakes and frustration, and save time and money -- by providing clear guidelines to follow
* avoid legal mistakes that can get a company in trouble."

About the Author
NANCY J. CAMPBELL (Kansas City, MO) is a trainer, facilitator, and speaker specializing in the development of management skills to enhance employee performance.

The book is easy to read and understand. It provides helpful guidelines and background material to design procedures. It works a bit as a checklist, in order to remember all the elements in procedure writting. However, it's not meant for any particular industry, and is very general. I would have liked to find more specific examples, and maybe sections for particular industries.

This book was very helpful in getting started with the procedures that our department so desparately needed. The book didn't mention the computer industry in particular but everything applied. It helped us get the information extracted from the appropriate people, pick a format, plan, and write. The book is easy to read and not dry at all. The 'tools and resources' check lists were great. This book was worth the price tag for me.

Some of the basic writing tips regarding word choice, sentence length, reading level, and formatting are great. The rest might apply if your company has never documented its policies and procedures before or if you work in a static workplace (government office?) where policies or procedures are added or changed only a couple of times a year (do people really still print these on paper?) However, if you work at a dynamic, constantly changing company that must respond to thousands of different customer queries a day, much of the advice is not applicable.

Product Details :

• Plastic Comb: 412 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081447960X
• ISBN-13: 978-0814479605
• Product Dimensions: 1.1 x 8.7 x 10.8 inches

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Small Groups as Complex Systems: Formation, Coordination, Development, and Adaptation, 1st Edition, Holly Arrow

What are groups? How do they behave? Arrow, McGrath, and Berdahl answer these questions by developing a general theory of small groups as complex systems. Basing their theory on concepts distilled from general systems theory, dynamical systems theory, and complexity and chaos theory, they explore groups as adaptive, dynamic systems that are driven by interactions among group members as well as between the group and its embedding contexts. In addition, they consider not only the group’s members and their distribution of attributes, but also the group’s tasks and technology in order to understand how those members, tasks, and tools are intertwined, coordinated, and adjusted. Throughout the book, the authors focus our attention on relationships among people, tools, and tasks that are activated by a combination of individual and collective purposes and goals that change and evolve as the group interacts over time.

About the Author
Dr. Arrow has two major research interests. The first is the formation and development of small groups as complex dynamic systems. The second is the psychology of war, in particular the evolution of social capacities that help men and women cope with the challenges to survival and reproductive success posed by war. Topics of recent papers include gender relations in the military, the evolution of heroism, the role of friendship in dissolving the social anxiety of outgroup interactions, sources of cohesion in groups of different sizes, and using complexity to improve the effectiveness of groups in health care.

I wish I had found this book in 2000 when it was published. It was groundbreaking at the time and still an excellent book on theories of small groups. It is primarily an academic book for psychological and sociological research on small groups but also includes insights for business and other disciplines.

But now that 14 years have passed since its publication it clearly lacks the latest research on groups and the world has moved on. Yet, my reason for reviewing this book and recommending it, is that remains an entry point for bringing complexity theory to human and organizational systems. Again, while it lacks the latest research (because of its age) it has clear and concise language about complexity concepts that make it relevant today.

The book is divided into three parts. Part I is about the history of small group scholarship. Part II introduces a complexity-oriented theory of small groups. Part III speaks of implications of the theory along with strategies for future research. Since much has changed in the complexity field in the last decade, I will not critique the theory or strategies that were proposed at the time of publication. Rather, I will just list some gems that I found particularly valuable in 2013.

1. The authors begin by noting that "many of the important phenomena regarding groups function as nonlinear, recursive, systemic relations - hallmarks of complex systems" (p. 27) and that: "Small group research studies done in the typical experimental setting not only fail to study the interactions between group and embedding context but take great pains to strip away "irrelevant" contextual factors" (p. 27). This is still a point of contention today - but the authors got this right. It's a good reference for introducing complexity theory.

2. A number of complexity terms are introduced, defined, and applied within the context of small groups or organizations:

Groups as self-organizing systems (p. 38)
System level emergence from local actions (p. 56)
Attractors (p. 57)
Initial conditions (p. 74)
Chaos theory (p. 155)
Adaptation (p. 172)
Fitness Landscape (p. 172)
Feedback (p. 202)(Generally a dynamical systems perspective - not always consistent with complexity theory)
Co-evolution (p. 207)

3. The reader will find much to like about the application of these topics within the context of groups and organizations. It especially provides an in-depth discussion of fitness landscapes and attractors which are taken from the mathematics of complex systems. Here, these topics are applied in a literal as well as a metaphorical way to explain particular types of group behavior.

Overall, the authors' perspective and theoretical development is based on a synthesis of dynamical systems theory, complexity theory, and general systems theory to explain numerous group processes (formation, development, transactions, etc.). It is difficult to judge nearly 14 years later, the specific contributions that were made at time of publication, since we know much more today about organizational complexity. For example, it is much more likely today that researchers incorporate stochastic variables into models of complexity rather than considering them to be non-relevant (p. 38).

Today, we also appreciate that groups and organizations (due to path dependence and learning) are far-from-equilibrium, a concept which departs from dynamical systems theory where systems are perceived to be stable or correctable to regain stability. Consequently, concepts such as feedback are envisioned and function in very different ways from some of the descriptions in this book.

Much has also changed in the study of social networks which particularly enrich the topic of group behaviors. Today's research has advanced our understanding of local behaviors affecting system outcomes, especially given the power of computers to model high degree vertices and edges in networks to reveal the effects of small changes.

None of these comments are criticisms of an excellent book published in 2000. Those who study group processes and complexity will benefit from this resource.

If you found this review helpful please click "Yes".

Product Details :

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc; 1 edition (March 21, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080397230X
• ISBN-13: 978-0803972308
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 5.9 x 8.9 inches

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Health Economics, 1st Edition, Frank A. Sloan

This book introduces students to the growing research field of health economics. Rather than offer details about health systems around the world without providing a theoretical context, Health Economics combines economic concepts with empirical evidence to enhance readers' economic understanding of how health care institutions and markets function. It views the subject in both microeconomic and macroeconomic terms, moving from the individual and firm level to the market level to a macroeconomic view of the role of health and health care within the economy as a whole. The book includes discussion of recent empirical evidence on the U.S. health system and can be used for an undergraduate course on U.S. health economics. It also contains sufficient material for an undergraduate or masters course on global health economics, or for a course on health economics aimed at health professionals. It includes a chapter on nurses as well as a chapter on the economics of hospitals and pharmaceuticals, which can be used in master's courses for students in these fields. It supplements its analysis with readings (both classic and current), extensive references, links to Web sites on policy developments and public programs, review and discussion questions, and exercises.

Review
" Health Economics is Sloan and Hsieh's magnum opus, in which they share with readers their exceptionally broad and rich understanding of all aspects of the field. There are very few people who could have written this book, and among them very few who would have been willing to expend the time and effort to synthesize decades of research and make it all clear and accessible. This textbook is a gift to the next generation of health economists."--John Cawley, Professor of Policy Analysis and Management, Professor of Economics, and Co-Director of the Institute on Health Economics, Health Behaviors and Disparities, Cornell University

"Sloan and Hsieh fluidly integrate the basic insights from economics into the study of health care and health care financing, while incorporating new developments in medical decision-making analysis and behavioral economics. Many students in the U.S. come to health economics with an interest in global health issues, and they will see here international application of the main principles. An excellent first textbook in health economics."--Thomas McGuire, Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School

"This comprehensive book covers virtually every aspect of health economics. The book can be used in a highly successful manner in courses for undergraduate economics majors and minors, as well in those for undergraduates and graduate students with little background in the discipline. Moreover, given its wide-ranging discussions of practically all of the recent literature, it is a key supplementary text for graduate courses in health economics. Bravo for this tour de force of the field!"--Michael Grossman, Distinguished Professor of Economics, City University of New York Graduate Center; Health Economics Program Director, National Bureau of Economic Research

" Health Economics is likely to be the new standard. The exposition is accessible and engaging. The economic content is deep as well as broad, and will serve the needs of both advanced students and economics novices."--John A. Romley, Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California; Economist, Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics; Managing Editor, Forum for Health Economics & Policy

About the Author
Frank Sloan is J. Alexander McMahon Professor of Health Policy and Management and Professor of Economics at Duke University. A leader in the field of health economics for more than thirty years, he is coauthor of The Price of Smoking (2004) and Medical Malpractice (2008) and coeditor of Incentives and Choices in Health Care (2008), all published by the MIT Press.

Chee-Ruey Hsieh is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Economics, Academica Sinica, Taiwan, and the coeditor of three previous books on the economics of health care.

Product Details :

• Hardcover: 816 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; 1 edition (March 23, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262016761
• ISBN-13: 978-0262016766
• Product Dimensions: 1.4 x 8.1 x 9 inches

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Shipping Derivatives and Risk Management, 1st Edition, Amir Alizadeh

A comprehensive book on shipping derivatives and risk management which covers the theoretical and practical aspects of financial risk in shipping. The book provides a thorough overview of the practice of risk management in shipping with the use of theoretical examples and real-life applications.

Review
'A thorough investigation of the fascinating shipping markets by experts in the field. A "must have" for practitioners and researchers in the commodity world.' - Helyette Geman, Director, Commodity Finance Centre, Birkbeck College, University of London and ESCP-EAP 'This is certainly a unique book which combines the theoretical and practical aspects of risk management in shipping. The book provides the readers with essential knowledge of risk assessment in shipping markets and enables them to understand the freight derivatives instruments, their applications, pricing mechanisms and trading strategies. It is a must read for any one involved in the shipping business.' - Mr Knut Moystad, Director of Corporate Development, Imarex 'This useful book combines a practical introduction to risk management techniques with a theoretical exposition for those who want to dig deeper. An excellent choice for anyone wanting to broaden their understanding of freight derivatives.' - Dr Martin Stopford, Managing Director, Clarkson Research Studies

About the Author
AMIR ALIZADEH is a Reader in Shipping Economics and Finance at Cass Business School, City University, London, UK. His research interest includes modelling commodity and shipping freight markets, derivatives and risk management, and forecasting. He has published in several academic journals in the area of transportation, risk management, finance and economics, and has been working as an advisor and a consultant.

NIKOS NOMIKOS is a Reader Lecturer in Shipping Risk Management and Director of the MSc degree in Shipping, Trade and Finance at Cass Business School, London, UK. He holds a BSc in Economics from Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece and an MSc in Shipping Trade & Finance from Cass Business School. After completing his PhD thesis, which examined the effectiveness of risk management techniques for hedging freight rate risk, he commenced working at the Baltic exchange as Senior Market Analyst, being in charge of the freight indices and risk management section. Since November 2001, he has been with the Faculty of Finance at Cass Business School, where he lectures on Finance, Financial Markets, Futures & Options and Financial Engineering. His current research interests include risk management and risk analysis in shipping, commodity and financial futures markets. His research papers have been published in international finance journals and have been presented in conferences world-wide. He also acts as a consultant on issues of risk management on a number of shipping and financial institutions.

This book provides very good understanding on how to measure and manage freight rate volatility and explore the options available to the shipping professional.

Product Details :

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (May 12, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0230215912
• ISBN-13: 978-0230215917
• Product Dimensions: 1.6 x 5.6 x 8.6 inches

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Great Companies Deserve Great Boards: A CEO's Guide to the Boardroom, 1st Edition, Beverly Behan

Review
“I have attended over 500 board meetings of Fortune 100 companies and I wish I had read this book before I went to the first one! It is excellent.” —Norm Augustine, retired Chairman and CEO, Lockheed Martin

“This book is a must-read for any CEO or board member that wants to create a high-performing board” —Steve Bennett, former CEO, Intuit and board member QUALCOMM, Symantec

“Beverly Behan has made a compelling argument for getting better value from many public companies’ most under-used asset—the board of directors—and has given us an accessible, practical guide to making it happen.” —Nell Minow, Co-Founder, The Corporate Library

“I’ve probably served on more than 50 boards over the last dozen years and was amazed to discover so many ‘new’ ideas in this book. A must-read for directors and perhaps more importantly, new CEOs.” —Frank McKenna, Deputy Chairman, TD Bank Group and former Canadian Ambassador to the United States

“Should be mandatory for C-level executives, a threshold requirement for anyone likely to be elected CEO and a vehicle for all CEOs and directors to study and discuss in order to make the board and themselves more effective.” —Warren Batts, 2006 NACD Director of the Year, retired CEO of four companies, and Adjunct Professor, University of Chicago Business School

“While Great Companies Deserve Great Boards is a useful primer for first-time CEOs and board members, the book also provides helpful reminders for those more experienced in the boardroom.” —Arthur D. Collins, Jr., retired Chairman and CEO, Medtronic, Inc. and board member of three Fortune 500 companies

“A powerful resource for CEOs and board members packed with relevant, real-life examples” —Joe Herring, Chairman and CEO, Covance

“Crisply written and chock-full of insights for CEOs and board members” —Leonard Coleman, former President, National League of Professional Baseball and Presiding Director, Avis-Budget Group

“I highly recommend Great Companies Deserve Great Boards as an excellent read for CEOs, directors and others…Beverly Behan has consulted far and wide in preparing this comprehensive book.” —Frank Brown, Dean, INSEAD

“A well-written book from an author who has grappled with the challenges of the boardroom. Contains penetrating insights into the CEO/Board dynamic; offers clear and refreshingly pragmatic recommendations for more effective boards.” —Gail Cook-Bennett, Chair of the Board, Manulife Financial

“I get a great deal of board practices material from a variety of well-regarded sources and this is the single best piece I have read.” —Wendy Lane, board member, Willis Group, Laboratory Corporation of America, UPM-Kymmene

“Beverly Behan has created an outstanding resource in Great Companies Deserve Great Boards. It’s not enough that boards strive to meet obligations. Every company deserves a great board that adds value to the company and makes the CEO a better leader. Beverly has put her two decades of hands-on board experience to work to do just that.” —Carol Stephenson, Dean, Richard Ivey School of Business and active board member of several Canadian and US boards

“Bev hits the nail on the head! Pragmatic and filled with tactics and approaches that really work” —Don Shippar, Chairman and former CEO, ALLETE, Inc.

“Engaging and thought-provoking from the very outset. Soon I was underlining pages for quick future reference. An insightful and valuable handbook for not only CEOs but for all directors.” —Joel L. Reed, Lead Director, Venoco, Inc

“A must-read for new CEOs and those executive who aspire to be competitive for a CEO assignment” – Mike Bonney, President and CEO, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

“How a Board of Directors operates can make or break a CEO. For those CEOs who want to be in the first category, this book is a ‘must-read.’” —James R. Ukropina, former Lead Director of a Fortune 100 company

“Great Companies Deserve Great Boards is a practical primer for CEOs who want to maximize the effectiveness of their boards. Delivers advice on how to transform the corporate board into a significant strategic asset while avoiding the pitfalls that plague so many boards today.” —Susan Ness, former Federal Communications Commissioner and board member.

“Great Companies Deserve Great Boards serves as an indispensable tool and roadmap of the do and don’t in the world of boards. Written in a easy to read 'plane time' format, it provides excellent examples of the author’s teachings and recommendations. The valuable insight gained from this publication are enormously worthwhile for anyone who is on or works with boards.” —Gary D. Cohen, Chief Administrative Officer and Secretary, The Finish Line, Inc.

“Great Companies Deserve Great Boards is a must read for not only CEO’s but all board members and senior executives. Beverly Behan shows that she really gets it when it comes to board operations.” —Tim Marquez, Founder, CEO and Chairman of the Board,Venoco, Inc.

“Bev Behan has provided the definitive guide on how to fully reap the benefits of a Board of Directors and create a brain trust, a partnership, and a winning team for the company and shareholders.” —Leslie Kenne, Lieutenant general (retired) US Air Force, Board Member of both public and not-for-profit companies

"Bev Behan’s extensive experience working with boards and executives is evident in this book. The concepts presented are sound, simple, and essential for successful board operations. As a new CEO and chairman, I found her book to be very helpful and recommend it highly for board members, CEOs, executives, and anyone that deals with corporate governance." —John C. Procario, Chairman, President and CEO, American Transmission Company

"There are a lot of guides for directors on how to do a better job. But Beverly Behan has written an excellent and very practical book for CEOs about how to get the most from their boards." --BNET

About the Author
Beverly Behan has worked with more than 100 Boards of Directors in the United States, Canada and internationally for over a decade—from Fortune 500s to recent IPOs. For the past three years she has been a regular columnist ("The Boardroom") for Bloomberg BusinessWeek.com. She has been quoted as an expert on board effectiveness by nearly every major business publication, including The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and Business 2.0 and has been named to the Directorship 100, Directorship Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in governance and the boardroom.

Product Details :

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (June 7, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0230113656
• ISBN-13: 978-0230113657
• Product Dimensions: 0.9 x 6.3 x 9.8 inches

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The Lean Sustainable Supply Chain: How to Create a Green Infrastructure with Lean Technologies (FT Press Operations Management), 1st Edition, Robert Palevich

From the Back Cover
"Strong passion in sustainability and relentless pursuit in lean technologies describe Professor Palevich.... One cannot find a better author for this subject.” --Dr. Otto Chang, Dean of the Richard T. Doermer School of Business, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne

“Rob did a great job at Do it Best. One of his many accomplishments was designing and developing the first computerized forecast and inventory control system in our industry.” --Don Wolf, President Emeritus, Do it Best Corp.

“It’s great to see Rob sharing his expertise with others. Rob was truly one of the key players year in and year out by helping Do it Best achieve a cost of operation that was consistently 34% lower than our closest competition. His inventory control programs allowed us to achieve 97% fill rates on over 65,000 SKUs and become the industry leader in turns. A true leader and innovator in his field.” --Mike McClelland, President/CEO Emeritus, Do it Best Corp.

“Professor Palevich has spent a long and illustrious career devoted to the study of lean supply chain management. The skills that he has passed on to students over the years have undoubtedly created a stronger university and truly a world-class business curriculum. It has been my pleasure to have such an influential mentor help shape and guide my career.” --Anthony McDonald, Inventory Analyst, Auburn Gear Inc.

“[Professor Palevich’s] classes literally changed my way of thinking, and I saw the true importance of technology--not only in everyday life but how it is the driving factor in business for streamlining processes while cutting costs. In addition, it was the reason I’ve chosen to go into the telecommunications industry and make a career out of it, and for that I can never thank [him] enough!” --Chelsea Smith

“Whether you are a supply chain manager, executive, decision-maker, technical specialist, or lean consultant, Robert Palevich’s book has something for everyone. Mr. Palevich’s passion for innovation, lean management, and designing a sustainable environment comes through in every chapter of this book! The case studies provide real-life examples that can be taken back to your business, with concrete ideas that can be implemented immediately. This is sure to be a great read for anyone hoping to increase value in their organizations.” --Melissa McKown, Manager, Continuous Performance Improvement, Parkview Health

The Lean Sustainable Supply Chain presents a complete framework for building a world-class supply chain that is both lean and green.

Robert Palevich shows organizations how they can increasingly leverage complex, content-rich information environments to drive breakthrough cost reduction and environmental benefit.

Palevich introduces ideas, strategies, and technologies drawn from more than 30 years running supply chains at Do it Best Corp. and collaborating with leaders such as GE, 3M, Sherwin Williams, and Black & Decker. He presents best-practice implementation techniques and matches them with detailed guidance for scorecarding improvements in productivity, cost, and environmental impact. Chapters conclude by summarizing realistically achievable savings and their bottom line impact.

Whatever your supply chain responsibilities, this book will help you drive the next generation of performance improvement--building supply chains that are more responsible and more profitable.

Achieve and measure sizable improvements in
Personnel costs and productivity
Paperwork and supply cost reduction
Building space and utility utilization
Transportation costs
Customer service levels
Margins
Inventory levels and turns
IT resource utilization
Company morale
Carbon footprint and more

About the Author
Robert Palevich directs the Business Enterprise System and Technology (BEST) Center at the Richard T. Doermer School of Business at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. He formerly served as Global Director of supply chain and e-business for the Do it Best Corporation. Palevich holds a Bachelor of Science in industrial management from Purdue University and an MSBA and MBA from Indiana University.

Product Details :

• Series: FT Press Operations Management
• Hardcover: 450 pages
• Publisher: FT Press; 1 edition (January 20, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0132837617
• ISBN-13: 978-0132837613
• Product Dimensions: 1.4 x 5.9 x 8.9 inches

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Fundamentals of Enterprise Risk Management: How Top Companies Assess Risk, Manage Exposure, and Seize Opportunity, 1st Edition, John J. Hampton

Using examples from companies such as Home Depot, Airbus, Boeing, and Nokia, as well as countries including Taiwan and Russia, "Enterprise Risk Management" takes an in-depth look at one of the hottest topics in business today. This title shows readers in charge of monitoring operational exposures in corporations, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies how they can best determine and balance opportunities against the possibilities of loss. Featuring enlightening case studies, interviews, and exercises, this essential book shows readers how they can implement ERM the right way at their organization.

I purchased this book to gain foundation knowledge in ERM and Corporate Risk Management. My greatest concern with these types of texts is that they provide tons of theory and little practical application. I selected this book because NC State has it as a suggested reading for its ERM Masters courses.

Bottomline, if you are looking for a book to give you the theory and then provide concrete practical application, this is the book you want. If you are looking for a starting point to get your hands around the major topis of ERM, this is the book you want. Basically, the text allowed me to diagram a future state ERM program for my company, and challenge potential consultants to work with us on the implementation project.

Very well written.

Fully managing enterprise risk means more than insuring against fire, floods and other hazards. Companies commonly have many uninsured exposures to loss from tougher competition, rapid technological change, financial instability and regulatory sanctions. That is why business leaders in growing numbers have adopted enterprise risk management (ERM), a flexible way to identify and respond to a corporation's total range of risks. Not all risks are all bad. Some are worth taking. Firms that practice enterprise risk management can minimize their potential peril while taking their best calculated risks, the ones most likely to increase sales and profits. Enterprise risk management will not eliminate risk. It did not prevent the failures of major financial institutions during the 2008 crisis. But author John J. Hampton cogently upholds the practice, noting that a disciplined, detailed approach is critical to making ERM actually work. He favors a customizable model of risk management - including a central monitoring function - that can work for a company of any size. getAbstract recommends this book to business leaders seeking a more reliable way to identify each meaningful risk, to distinguish good risks from bad ones and to cover their downsides as much as possible.

What I really like about this book is the snippets of case studies throughout. Many books talk about what risk managers did wrong, but Hampton talk more about what the risk managers have done right. There are many ways to do something wrong, but not many ways to do something right. This is what tipped the scale for me from 3 stars to 4 stars. What I have also appreciated is that Hampton spent time to write about what the organization should look like to manage risks.

Other than that the book is not contributing much more. It gives average views on the types of risk you could encounter and how to manage a risk database (the Riskonnect tool being developed), with the dependencies between the risks. I feel however that it fell short in the database and dependencies that have been presented. All the risks are treated qualitatively, and as exact/precise figures instead of uncertainties. Also the relationships between the risks are not properly formulated (using formulas or some kind logic such as boolean).

For the case studies alone I would recommend this book, but I would recommend other sources for the risk analysis portions.

Product Details :

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (August 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814414923
• ISBN-13: 978-0814414927
• Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 9.2 x 6 inches

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Customer and Business Analytics: Applied Data Mining for Business Decision Making Using R (Chapman & Hall/CRC The R Series), 1st Edition, Daniel S. Putler

Customer and Business Analytics: Applied Data Mining for Business Decision Making Using R explains and demonstrates, via the accompanying open-source software, how advanced analytical tools can address various business problems. It also gives insight into some of the challenges faced when deploying these tools. Extensively classroom-tested, the text is ideal for students in customer and business analytics or applied data mining as well as professionals in small- to medium-sized organizations.

The book offers an intuitive understanding of how different analytics algorithms work. Where necessary, the authors explain the underlying mathematics in an accessible manner. Each technique presented includes a detailed tutorial that enables hands-on experience with real data. The authors also discuss issues often encountered in applied data mining projects and present the CRISP-DM process model as a practical framework for organizing these projects.

Showing how data mining can improve the performance of organizations, this book and its R-based software provide the skills and tools needed to successfully develop advanced analytics capabilities.

Review
"This book is derived from a lecture course in data mining for MBA students. … assumes very little in the way of mathematical or statistical background. The writing style is generally good, and the book should prove useful to its target audience." —David Scott, International Statistical Review (2013), 81, 2

About the Author
Dr. Daniel S. Putler is a Data Artisan in Residence at Alteryx, a business intelligence/analytics software company.

Dr. Robert E. Krider is a professor of marketing in the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University. He has also taught in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Portugal, and Germany. His research tackles questions of customer and competitor behavior in retailing and media industries.

One of a few R data mining books that explain several concepts, such as decision trees, lift chart, etc. step by step using good examples.

Product Details :

• Series: Chapman & Hall/CRC The R Series
• Hardcover: 315 pages
• Publisher: Chapman and Hall/CRC; 1 edition (May 7, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1466503963
• ISBN-13: 978-1466503960
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 7.1 x 9.8 inches

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Materials and Design, Second Edition: The Art and Science of Material Selection in Product Design, 2nd Edition, Michael F. Ashby

Materials are the stuff of design. From the very beginning of human history, materials have been taken from the natural world and shaped, modified, and adapted for everything from primitive tools to modern electronics. This renowned book by noted materials engineering author Mike Ashby and Industrial designer, Kara Johnson, explores the role of materials and materials processing in product design, with a particular emphasis on creating both desired aesthetics and functionality. The new edition will feature even more of the highly useful "materials profiles," that give critical design, processing, performance and applications criteria for each material in question. The reader will find information ranging from the generic and commercial names of each material, its physical and mechanical properties, its chemical properties, its common uses, how it is typically made and processed, and even its average price. And with improved photographs and drawings, the reader will be taken even more closely to the way real design is done by real designers, selecting the optimum materials for a successful product.

* The best guide ever published on the on the role of materials, past and present, in product development, by noted materials authority Mike Ashby and professional designer Kara Johnson--now with even better photos and drawings on the Design Process

* Significant new section on the use of re-cycled materials in products, and the importance of sustainable design for manufactured goods and services

* Enhanced materials profiles, with addition of new materials types like nanomaterials, advanced plastics and bio-based materials

Review
From the first edition:

"Both interesting and intriguing, this book should prove a valuable resource for those starting out in design or engineering...it is also fun to browse through." - Science Magazine, June 2003 "It is not often that I find it difficult to stop reading a book ... the word inspirational is used in various parts of (this) book -- and how appropriate this word is to this textbook ... For both students and designers, Materials & Design is a gold mine. In short, I thoroughly recommend this book" - Building Engineer, May 2003

About the Author
Royal Society Research Professor Emeritus at Cambridge University and Former Visiting Professor of Design at the Royal College of Art, London, UK

Mike Ashby is sole or lead author of several of Elsevier's top selling engineering textbooks, including Materials and Design: The Art and Science of Material Selection in Product Design, Materials Selection in Mechanical Design, Materials and the Environment, and Materials: Engineering, Science, Processing and Design. He is also coauthor of the books Engineering Materials 1&2, and Nanomaterials, Nanotechnologies and Design. Since publishing the first edition of Materials and Design in 2002, Kara Johnson has worked at IDEO, a global design firm and strategic consultancy. Kara leads their efforts in Materials, with a focus on Manufacturing. Her work is primarily about linking a company's brand and business strategies with the products they make.

Product Details :

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann; 2 edition (October 26, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1856174972
• ISBN-13: 978-1856174978
• Product Dimensions: 0.7 x 7.3 x 9.4 inches

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Purchasing and Supply Chain Management: Analysis, Strategy, Planning and Practice, 5th Edition, Arjan J. van Weele

In an era of unprecedented turbulence and change, Arjan J. van Weele's market-leading textbook keeps you up-to-speed with the latest developments in purchasing and supply chain management theory and practice. Employing a flexible managerial perspective, "Purchasing and Supply Chain Management, 5th Edition" walks you through the core concepts, strategy, and implementation to provide the complete introduction for modern courses. Global examples from organizations including Volvo, Intel, Shell, Sony and Tesco reveal the practical challenges of today's purchasing processes, while the latest research insights add a critical perspective throughout. New chapters on services buying, socially responsible purchasing and category sourcing strategies - amongst many other wholly revised sections - reflect the latest developments, while new Integrative Cases consolidate your learning to leave you ready for purchasing in the 21st century.

Review
Praise for the previous edition:"This is an exceptionally clear and well structured text which manages to integrate a comprehensive knowledge base into accessible themes. I've been using this text since its first edition, and it just keeps on getting better. It should be placed at the top of any reading list for purchasing and supply students." Peter Rudolph, Head of Education, International Purchasing & Supply Education and Research Association, Leeds Business School, Leeds Metropolitan University

"If you want to buy well in future - make a start by buying and using this book!" Steve Shaljean-Tilley, Senior Lecturer in Procurement, Government's Centre for Management and Policy Studies (CMPS)

"A true in-depth view of Purchasing and Supply Management and its development as a business function, able to create sustainable value." Ton Trommelen, Executive Vice President & CPO, Royal DSM N.V.

"All chapters use the same didactic instruments like learning objectives, cases, memos, assignments, etc. which are introduced to the reader through a ''guided tour''. That might be one of the reasons for the popularity of the book, as it is one of the best sellers in the area." Review from the Journal of Purchasing & Supply Management

About the Author
Prof. Dr. Arjan J. van Weele holds the NEVI-Chair in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management at Eindhoven University of Technology, Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences (IE&IS). He has extensive experience in teaching, research and consultancy and has written numerous articles and books in the areas of strategic management, business logistics and purchasing and supply chain management. In 2003 he received the Hans Ovelgönne Award from the International Federation of Purchasing and Supply Management (IFPSM) for his outstanding academic contribution in the area of purchasing and supply management.

This text is a scholarly presentation of purchasing and supply chain management for the 21st century. "Arjan van Weele holds the (parttime) NEVI-Chair of Purchasing and Supply Management, at Eindhoven University of Technology, Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences (IE&IS), The Netherlands." The material is thorough, excellent, and slow going for a sophomore course in logistics.

This is a very well written book covering a wide variety of topics yet with enough detail to be very helpful. I highly recommend it for anyone needing information about the basics of purchasing. It has been very helpful to me. I was looking for a good single source on the topic of purchasing and this is certainly it.

Product Details :

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Cengage Learning EMEA; 5 edition (December 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1408018969
• ISBN-13: 978-1408018965
• Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 7.6 x 10 inches

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Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing: A Simpler and More Powerful Path to Higher Profits, 1st Edition, Robert S. Kaplan

In the classroom, ABC looks like a great way to manage a company’s resources. But many executives who have tried to implement ABC on a large scale in their organizations have found the approach limiting and frustrating. Why? The employee surveys that companies used to estimate resources required for business activities proved too time-consuming, expensive, and irritating to employees.

This book shows you how to implement time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC), an easier and more powerful way to implement ABC. You can now estimate directly the resource demands imposed by each business transaction, product, or customer. The payoff? You spend less time and money obtaining and maintaining TDABC data—and more time addressing problems that TDABC reveals, such as inefficient processes, unprofitable products and customers, and excess capacity. The authors also show how to use TDABC to link strategic planning to operational budgeting, to enhance the due diligence process for mergers and acquisitions, and to support continuous improvement activities such as lean management and benchmarking.

In presenting their model, the authors define the two questions required to build TDABC:
1) How much does it cost per time unit to supply resource capacity for each business process?
2) How much resource capacity (time) is required to perform work for a company’s many transactions, products, and customers? The book demonstrates how to develop simple, valid answers to these two questions.

Kaplan and Anderson illustrate the TDABC approach with a wealth of case studies, in diverse settings, based on actual implementations.

From the Back Cover
In the classroom, ABC looks like a great way to manage a company’s resources. But many executives who have tried to implement ABC on a large scale in their organizations have found the approach limiting and frustrating. Why? The employee surveys that these companies used to estimate the resources required for business activities proved too time consuming and expensive.

This book introduces time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC), an easier and more powerful approach for measuring cost and profitability that exploits the data now available from ERP systems. With TDABC, managers spend less time and money gathering and maintaining data and more time addressing the problems that TDAMC reveals—such as inefficient processes, unprofitable products and customers, and excess capacity.

The authors show how managers can build a TDABC system by answering two fundamental questions:

How much does it cost to supply resources capacity for each business process in our organization?
How much resource capacity (time) is required to perform work for each of out company’s transactions, products, and customers?

Beyond illustrating the normal benefits from successful ABC implementations—such as enhancing the profitability of products and customers, managing capacity utilization, and improving process efficiencies—Kaplan and Anderson introduce innovative, new TDABC applications, including:

Linking strategic planning to operational budgeting
Enhancing the due diligence process for mergers and acquisitions
Supporting continuous-improvement activities such as lean management and benchmarking
Eliminating unnecessary complexity in supply chains
Optimizing staffing for key personnel

The book illustrates the TDABC approach with a wealth of case studies in diverse settings, based on actual implementations guided by Acorn consultants. Featured organizations include Kemps LLC, Sanac Logistics, ATB Financial, Citigroup Technology Infrastructure Division, and Jackson State University.

A vital new resource, Time-Driven Activity Based Costing gives you the tools and examples you need to maximize the value of your activity-based costing system.

About the Author
Robert S. Kaplan, a co-creator of both Activity-Based Costing (ABC) and the Balanced Scorecard, is Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard Business School. Steven R. Anderson is the founder and chairman of Acorn Systems, a software and consulting firm headquartered in Houston, TX.

Product Details :

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press (April 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1422101711
• ISBN-13: 978-1422101711
• Product Dimensions: 1.1 x 6.5 x 9.5 inches

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PRAGMATIC Security Metrics: Applying Metametrics to Information Security, 1st Edition, W. Krag Brotby

Other books on information security metrics discuss number theory and statistics in academic terms. Light on mathematics and heavy on utility, PRAGMATIC Security Metrics: Applying Metametrics to Information Security breaks the mold. This is the ultimate how-to-do-it guide for security metrics.

Packed with time-saving tips, the book offers easy-to-follow guidance for those struggling with security metrics. Step by step, it clearly explains how to specify, develop, use, and maintain an information security measurement system (a comprehensive suite of metrics) to help:

Security professionals systematically improve information security, demonstrate the value they are adding, and gain management support for the things that need to be done Management address previously unsolvable problems rationally, making critical decisions such as resource allocation and prioritization of security relative to other business activities Stakeholders, both within and outside the organization, be assured that information security is being competently managed

The PRAGMATIC approach lets you hone in on your problem areas and identify the few metrics that will generate real business value. The book:

Helps you figure out exactly what needs to be measured, how to measure it, and most importantly, why it needs to be measured Scores and ranks more than 150 candidate security metrics to demonstrate the value of the PRAGMATIC method Highlights security metrics that are widely used and recommended, yet turn out to be rather poor in practice Describes innovative and flexible measurement approaches such as capability maturity metrics with continuous scales Explains how to minimize both measurement and security risks using complementary metrics for greater assurance in critical areas such as governance and compliance

In addition to its obvious utility in the information security realm, the PRAGMATIC approach, introduced for the first time in this book, has broader application across diverse fields of management including finance, human resources, engineering, and production—in fact any area that suffers a surplus of data but a deficit of useful information.

Visit Security Metametrics. Security Metametrics supports the global community of professionals adopting the innovative techniques laid out in PRAGMATIC Security Metrics. If you, too, are struggling to make much sense of security metrics, or searching for better metrics to manage and improve information security, Security Metametrics is the place. http://securitymetametrics.com/

This books makes you think about metrics. It is applied to information security, but the line of thinking can easily be extended to many other fields of management. Before offering a rated choice of about 150 metrics, the authors explain a complete methodology on choosing and rating candidate metrics. A must read for those that produce KPI's for senior management, or for senior manager that want to be informed by useful indicators.

In the last few years the term "security metrics" has developed somewhat into a holy grail. Everybody wants them, everybody seems to know that they are necessary, but how the devil is the CISO or the IT department able to get them? As a result we were presented with ISO 27004, some NIST papers and others and the time of writing the term "security metrics" generates over 2.4m hits when googled and "information security metrics" over 990'000. As a CISO I am need of security metrics myself but was always a little bit hesitant of delving deeper into the matter as some of the books I read about the topic seemed arcane and rather impractical for daily use. And now this book comes along, making the whole matter in my opinion much clearer and easier to handle.

In the first few chapters Brotby and Hinson provide an overview of the status quo and the why and how of security metrics. They deal with great insight with the differing methods and concepts, and the purpose of and audience for security metrics. Chapter 5 deals concisely with points actually to be measured and where one can find them. Throughout the language is very accessible, making this book a pleasure to read and work with.

In chapter 6 the authors then provide us with a thoughtful introduction to their PRAGMATIC approach which is followed by a chapter with over 150 information security metrics. All these metrics are explained in detail, are easy to understand and thus provide a practical tool ready to use for anybody in need of reference points what and how to "measure security".

The next chapter deals concisely with the "how to". The authors provide a clear and concise explanation of how to design an information security measurement system using their method. In just about 20 pages they manage to make clear what has to go into the system, which reference points are to be considered and how everything can be pulled together in order to be able to create a system which can be easily handled and worked with as required.

The final chapters then provide the readers with more information about using metrics in general and the system of Brotby and Hinson in particular. A case study shows the practical application of the PRAGMATIC system and the final pages provide once more a wealth of helpful tools.

In summary I would like to give the following verdict: Until now I have not come across a book about information security metrics that was so clearly and concisely written. The book is easy to understand and provides a wealth of tools and inputs for anybody having to deal with metrics.

The sample metrics and the very thoughtful insights regarding the creation of an information security metrics system tailor-made for the individual organization hopefully will make this book a standard work. It is clear that the authors have thought a lot about the subject and also have practical experience in the matter, as otherwise this tome would have turned out turgid and technological, something which it clearly is not.

Product Details :

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Auerbach Publications; 1 edition (January 8, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439881529
• ISBN-13: 978-1439881521
• Product Dimensions: 1.5 x 6.3 x 9.1 inches

More Details about PRAGMATIC Security Metrics: Applying Metametrics to Information Security, 1st Edition

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