The Handbook of Logistics and Distribution Management, 4th Edition, Alan Rushton

Now in its fourth edition, The Handbook of Logistics and Distribution Management covers the full scope of logistics and distribution, providing a broad strategic framework for planning as well as a clear and straightforward description of the basic functions and elements.

This definitive handbook clearly explains: concepts of logistics and distribution; planning and logistics; procurement and inventory decisions; warehousing and storage; freight transport; operational management.

Fully revised and expanded with brand new chapters on supply chain segmentation, air transport, maritime transport and outsourcing, there is detailed discussion of the latest trends and issues that confront logistics. This book will help in logistics managers' quest to improve service and reduce cost, as well as keeping them aware of the many different facets of logistics and the supply chain.

It should be of interest to practicing managers and supervisors, to candidates taking tests for the various professional institutes, and to students who are reading for degrees in logistics, distribution and supply chain management.

Very basic book. Suitable if you don't know anything about the topic and want to get very broad view about area of logistics.

Excellent timing and delivered promptly. The correct item was received as ordered.The book is a great assessments and reference text for both students and practitioners.

I liked this book, because it is easy to read and understand. This is very important especially for international students.

I received the book kind of late, but I didn't need it really bad, so it was ok. The condition of the book was great.I recommend the seller.

Product Details :

• Paperback: 664 pages
• Publisher: Kogan Page; Fourth Edition edition (July 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749457147
• ISBN-13: 978-0749457143
• Product Dimensions: 1.7 x 6.9 x 9.6 inches

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Organization Theory: A Public and Nonprofit Perspective, 3rd Edition, Harold F. Gortner

Master organizational theory with ORGANIZATION THEORY: A PUBLIC AND NON-PROFIT PERSPECTIVE! With coverage of how organizational theories relate to both government and nonprofits, this political science text provides you with information that is vital for your future career. A book specific website provides case studies, review materials, and links for further exploration that help you discover how theory applies to real-life. Studying is made easy with tools found throughout the text such as review questions, a glossary of important terms, ethical considerations, and the impact of technology on government and nonprofit organizations.

Review
Preface. 1. Organization Research and Theory. 2. Blurring Sectors: Public and Private. 3. Pivotal Controversies. 4. Structure. 5. Communication. 6. Accountability and Transparency. 7. Decisionmaking. 8. Motivation and Culture. 9. Leadership. 10. Change and Stability. Glossary. Index (an author index and a subject index).

About the Author
Harold F. Gortner is professor emeritus of government and politics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Dr. Gortner's research and teaching interests are in the areas of organization theory, public administration ethics, public management, and Canadian politics. In addition to holding administrative positions at the university, he has worked in state government agencies and taught in and consulted with foreign universities. Other publications include ADMINISTRATION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR and ETHICS FOR PUBLIC MANAGEMENT, along with articles and chapters in a variety of public administration journals and anthologies.

Kenneth L. Nichols is associate professor of public policy and administration at the University of Maine. Dr. Nichols' research and teaching interests include organizational change, technology impact, futures research techniques, ethics in the workplace, and administrative themes in literature. A former administrator with the Internal Revenue Service, he has co-edited ENTERPRISE GOVERNMENT: FRANCHISING AND CROSS-SERVICING FOR ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT and published articles about organizational change, ethics, older employees, tax policy, and technology dissemination. He is developing a how-to book of strategic management and forecasting tools.

Carolyn Ball is an associate professor of public policy and administration and director of public administration graduate programs at the University of Maine in Orono. Dr. Ball's teaching and research interests include diversity¿particularly religious diversity in the workforce¿and organizational behavior and culture, as well as evaluation. She has published articles on religion, community policing, domestic violence, and evaluation. She has worked in a state workforce development agency and in healthcare and youth nonprofit agencies. Her consulting experience includes working with state and local transportation and public safety departments.

Product Details :

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Cengage Learning; 3 edition (October 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0495006807
• ISBN-13: 978-0495006800
• Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 6.4 x 9.1 inches

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Kaizen: The Key To Japan's Competitive Success, 1st Edition, Masaaki Imai

For the professional manager or student of management, a comprehensive handbook of 16 Kaizen management practices that can be put to work. KAIZEN uses more than 100 examples in action and contains 15 corporate case studies.

From Library Journal
Books about Japanese management have become kind of a cottage industry, from Theory Z ( LJ 5/1/81) to The Art of Japanese Management ( LJ 8/1/81) and The Mind of the Strategist ( LJ 6/1/82) to Kaisha: the Japanese corporation ( LJ 12/85). This volume covers some of the same groundthe current superiority of Japanese management stylebut approaches things from a different perspective. Essentially, Imai contends that the Japanese edge can be found in a philosophical orientation captured in the concept of Kaizen. Kaizen management is anchored in the notion of perpetual improvementeven if all is going well. In contrast to U.S.-style management, it takes a longer-run view and is process-oriented rather than geared to immediate results. Importantly, the Kaizen philsophy is also quantifiable , rooted in the mathematics of quality control theory. Recommended. Gene Laczniak, Coll. of Business Administration, Marquette Univ., Milwaukee Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The book Kaizen is very famous and it is often cited. Only because of it's fame, it is worth reading already. Imai shows how production is organized in Japan, and he shows the enormous attention given in Japan to continuous improvement. However, he is rather simplistic about the differences between Japan and the West. However, the book gives a good introduction is some major themes in the field of continuous improvement and it is the origin of many ideas later cited by other. Thus: worth reading if you want to get to know a basic book about continuous improvements in production processes.

Most American businesses no longer worry so much about the Japanese miracle. International focus has moved from Japan to China and back to Europe. Many Japanese companies are now looking to the US for recapitalization and management assistance.

So why is a book on Japanese management techniques still so relevant?

First of all, continuous improvement and lean manufacturing have become universal management tools, not strictly limited to one country. This book presents as good an introduction to the subject as any. With today's focus on execution, this topic are becoming even more current. (Dare I say topical?)

Additionally, understanding continuous improvement is still important in the context of broader corporate change. What are the strength and limitations of incremental changes versus more radical corporate moves? Read the book and learn more.

This book certainly won't turn a mediocre manager into a great leader, but Kaizen is a useful addition to the toolbox of any manager.

This book covers the relevant aspects of Kaizen and its implementation. Don't expect this book to give you a step-by-step implementation plan for your company. It does something better than that: it gives you the understanding to design your own implementation plan. It is a good basis for discussion. I often reference it while lecturing about Kaizen and TPM and take a few sentences from the book to challenge the audience. Everyone who pioneers in Kaizen in his/her company needs this understanding (and a set of brains to translate the concept to the everday reality, but that's why they pay you the big bucks, I hope). Although it's a very good book, you will find yourself stimulated to read other material on this topic because it creates an "eager want" to know more and to see the puzzle come together. In the end, no author will do that; finalizing the puzzle is your job...

To be concrete, this book is definately recommended. You'll never understand it all by just reading one book (or by just reading, period). It will give you a quantum leap in your understanding and all concepts will be there. Only action and involvement can do more.

This is an excellent book on how production is organised in Japan. It explains the Kaizen concept of continuous improvement and its implementation, highlighting the essential differences between the production and operations management philosophies of the West with those of Japan. The foundation of the Kaizen method consists of five fundamental elements namely teamwork, personal discipline, improved morale, quality circles and suggestions for improvement.

This is a very enlightening book for those who want to understand the basic concepts of continuous improvement (as opposed to innovation or business process reengineering) in the production process and how this has been successfully applied in Japan. Some very successful companies like Toyota owe their success largely to the employment of this concept.

This is essential reading for those who wish to introduce Kaizen in their organisation. The book is written in a simple and easy to follow and understand style. However, the book is becoming a bit dated having been written two decades ago, and in any case, the spotlight nowadays has shifted to China, but nevertheless, this is excellent reading about a concept that is still delivering good value to those companies that are correctly employing it.

Product Details :

• Hardcover: 260 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Irwin; 1 edition (November 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007554332X
• ISBN-13: 978-0075543329
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches

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Second Stage Entrepreneurship: Ten Proven Strategies for Driving Aggressive Growth, 1st Edition, Daniel J. Weinfurter

Successful serial entrepreneur Dan Weinfurter utilizes his wealth of experience to explain how to drive a start-up company from concept to competitor

Second Stage Entrepreneurs takes the potential entrepreneur throughout the course of their company, showing them how to set up an appropriate and effective company culture. Based upon the author's own experiences leading multiple companies past their founding and into growth, Weinfurter offers readers a key look into the challenges they will face at every step of the journey.

Review
"In an era where it seems everyone is focused on 'launching' new ventures, finally someone is highlighting the issues around 'growing' a new business. Weinfurter provides practical advice on how to address the challenges of growth to insure a business scales." - Linda Darragh, Executive Director, Kellogg Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative (KIEI), and Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

"Weinfurter's book shows entrepreneurs how to strive for significant revenue growth with practical and specific advice. Highly recommended." - Shellye Archambeau, CEO, MetricStream

"This is a must read for entrepreneurs facing the central challenge of growth. Weinfurter provides a comprehensive yet practical framework to help business leaders harness all their resources to drive business success." - Ganesh Natarajan, CEO, Mindcrest Inc.

"Successfully growing a business today is not for the faint-hearted, and Dan's book provides practical advice and real-world solutions to those gutsy enough to start a business in the face of so much economic uncertainty." - Jim Kaitz, President and CEO, Association for Financial Professionals

"Dan's book captures his own experiences of growing several companies through the Second Stage of Entrepreneurship and lays out the important steps in an easy to read and common sense approach. Second Stage Entrepreneurship will help all emerging entrepreneurs plan for the challenges and the wonderful adventure they will be living." - Joseph P. Flanagan, Chairman and CEO, Acquirent, LLC

"Great ideas and insights into making a business grow and succeed once you've actually started your business! This is a 'How To' book on growing and managing the many facets of the enterprise, to create a truly cutting edge successful business." - Jude Reyes, Reyes Holdings

"A fantastic reference for entrepreneurs and leaders of small, growing businesses. Weinfurter's insights provide an invaluable checklist for those who want to take their business to the next level." - Keith H. Yamada, CIVC Partners

"It's a must-read for every entrepreneur. Dan Weinfurter knows from his own experience and that of the scores of business owners whom he's advised that a great idea or even a proven business model is not enough. He drives home the importance of advance planning and great personnel. If you want to know how to expand your business without giving up control, Dan tells you how. He makes it clear that, if you want to do what you like, then you need to do what you're good at and let others do the rest. It's a 180-page MBA." - Christopher G. Kennedy, Founder and Chairman of Top Box Foods and Chairman of Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises, Inc.

"Dan Weinfurter is a builder of businesses. In Second Stage Entrepreneurship, he shares his experience and accumulated wisdom in developing and implementing comprehensive strategies for growing companies. His Ten Proven Strategies - ranging from competitive differentiation to organizational development/hiring to culture and, ultimately, to planning the founder's exit - will be a useful guide for any entrepreneur making the transition from start-up to sustainable growth." - Eric Larson, Managing Partner/Founder, Linden LLC

About the Author
Dan Weinfurter is the managing partner of Chicago Growth Consultants and serial entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience. He has been the founder and CEO of two private equity-backed businesses and was the 'number two' executive for a third, all three of which achieved high rankings on the Inc. 500. Parson Group, started from a business plan in 1995, landed the coveted #1 spot on Inc. Magazine's 'Inc. 500' list in 2000. He has provided both consulting and interim management to a variety of both start-ups and large public companies. He currently serves on the Boards of Colonnade Advisors and ThermoFluids, and was formerly a mentor for the Clinton Foundation's Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence. He has been featured or quoted in Inc. Magazine, CFO Magazine, Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun Times, BBC Online, the New York Times, and Wall Street Journal among others.

Product Details :

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (October 22, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1137302585
• ISBN-13: 978-1137302588
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1 inches

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Key Management Ratios, 4th Edition (Financial Times Series), Ciaran Walsh

With over 33,000 copies sold, Key Management Ratios is a market “classic”. This new edition is re-packaged with a new jacket design to revitalise the Key Management brand and new two-colour internals make it more readable and visually appealing.

Key Management Ratiosis an antidote to any fear of finance. Drawing data from 200 companies worldwide, the book brings clarity and simplicity to its explanation of every measure and shows how they all link together to drive your business.

From cash flow and profit to ROI and ROTA, its unique approach remains as classic as ever, bringing a simple and visual understanding to a complex subject.

From the Back Cover
Financial measures are critical for business success and if you’re a manager, for your career. That may scare some people. But here’s the good news: there is a relatively small number of essential management ratios with which you can measure any aspect of business performance you need to. If you can master these, you will have a firm grip of business finance and need never be put off by the numbers again.

Key Management Ratios cuts straight to the measures that matter. It shows you what they are and explains exactly how they show just what’s going on in your company. Its clarity of explanation and unique visual presentation will help you quickly understand everything you need to know about business ratios.

THE CLEAREST GUIDE TO THE CRITICAL NUMBERS THAT DRIVE YOUR BUSINESS

About the Author
Ciaran Walsh is Senior Specialist Finance at the Irish Management Institute, Dublin. He is trained both as an economist and an accountant and had 15 years industry experience before joining the academic world. His work with senior managers over many years has enabled him to develop his own unique approach to training corporate finance. As a consequence, he has lectured in most European countries, and the Middle East. His main research interest is to identify and computerize the links that tie corporate growth and capital structure into stock market valuation.

If ever there was an un-putdownable book in financial management, this is it.

The author has extremely clear fundamentals, and makes it very easy to follow his logic every step of the way.

The introductory chapters on accounting are the best I have come across. The industry benchmarks are extremely useful. It would be great if we had a newer edition, with updated benchmarks, and a more industry-specific break up (e.g. software)

This book is a must-have for MBAs, under-grads, managers, small business owners, and just about anyone who needs to analyze ratios.

I'm very impressed with Mr. Walsh book (review based on 3rd print). I have never come across a textbook on this subject which made the links between balance sheet, income statement and cashflow so much clear right from the beginning. The set-up of the book is great with clear pictures accompanied with explanatory text. Whenever I have to review a certain term, just seeing the graphics brings it all back.

Product Details :

• Series: Financial Times Series
• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: FT Press; 4 edition (January 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0273719092
• ISBN-13: 978-0273719090
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 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.

Pros: The book covers just about every pricing topic that a reader could want...any many that a reader will never need. It also goes into the math behind the various strategies, but in a way that does not make it required reading to incorporate the strategies. In short, it is a great primer on pricing strategy and will allow the reader to go as deep as they want.

Cons: I thought the book should go into a bit more detail on how to price in a competitive market. It's not that it did not cover this topic, it is more of the fact that this topic is probably more impactful than any of the other topics in the book in practice.

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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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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Developing Products in Half the Time: New Rules, New Tools, 2nd Edition, Preston G. Smith

Advance praise for Developing Products in Half the Time Second Edition New Rules, New Tools Preston G. Smith * Donald G. Reinertsen "This is an exceptional book! Get a new highlighter before you start. There are so many 'ah ha's' in each chapter you will never make it through with an old one." Don LaCombe, Ford Motor Company, Product Development Process Leadership "An excellent book with a strong treatment of the cycle-time consequences of overloading your development capacity. It provides powerful and practical concepts for dealing with this issue." Andrew Aquart, Director Product Development, Cordis, a Johnson & Johnson Company "This is practical, useful stuff for people competing in highly competitive fast moving business." Dr. Paul Borrill, Chief Scientist, Sun Microsystems "3M has absorbed many of the tools from the original edition, and this new one will be even more useful.

The topic of incremental innovation is crucial to us, and I really appreciate its balanced treatment." Ronald H. Kubinski, Manager New Product Commercialization Services, 3M Company "As the authors correctly point out, the Fuzzy Front End is the least expensive place to reduce cycle time. This book is one of the only sources of concepts, methods, and metrics for compressing this critical portion of the development process." David M. Lewis, Product Manager, Eastman Kodak Co. "Using these tools we've more than cut our time to market in half. The new edition of this classic crystallizes the synergy of the fast-to-market techniques, and the icons in the margins highlight the opportunities and pitfalls." Mike Brennan , Vice President of Product Development, Black & Decker

This is a treatise on management techniques, not process improvement. The first two chapters detail the decision of which projects to speed up, implying that a manager can only speed up a project by overstaffing it and clearing its path of the usual bureaucracy. Therefore, there is no permanent process gain to be had. But it is a great guide for decision makers looking to cut some time off any (or every) project. The fundamental tenets are these: 1) Make the decision to develop a new product idea quickly.

2) Staff all functions to the project immediately and keep them on throughout (no ramp-up, no handoffs)

3) Specify it simply and quickly and do not change the spec (3 days, 3 pages).

4) Spend a little time on the product architecture, designing for modularity and quick development.

5) User overlapping development techniques (work on multiple modules simultaneously)

6) Make a successful transition to manufacturing to complete the project.

You can halve the development time of most projects just by changing the way you manage your projects, without doing a lot of overtime or increasing the cost of development. Many of the answers are in this book. Again, this is a must read book for all development managers.

I found that this book was packed full of common sense, which is rare in a development management book. Although it has a lot of examples of manufacturing of phsyical goods, I found it great as a software manager. There aren't many spare words in this book, either -- it's terse and well edited, so you get the raw facts and the necessary stories to back them up, but not a lot (or any, really) fluff. I am putting it on my bookshelf for software engineers, right next to Writing Solid Code and Debugging the Development Process, two classics for software engineers and team leads, respectively.

Absolutely the best book there is on the subject of new product development. Of particular import is the discussion on market and pricing dynamics, which may be new to technical-types. Choosing the right product to develop is critical to avoid "The Innovators Dilemma". The book however needs to add more to the discussion of the importance (and risk) of rapid return of (partial) information to the team during the development cycle, as well as human (team) dynamics. I would therefore recommend "The Team Handbook" as a necessary adjunct.

While the first edition was a bit dry to read in the first four chapters, the second edition is more fun. The value of the content has not been reduced with rev 2.0, on the contrary. The book is full of sound business theory which is well explained and put into real life context to help the non-MBA to transfer the message to their respective challenges.

Also invaluable are the hints towards common pitfalls. They show that the authors have really applied the theory and are aware of the human factor in change processes.

I read rev 1.0 and 2.0 and will probably buy 3.0 as well. Keep going!
Product Details :

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 2 edition (October 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471292524
• ISBN-13: 978-0471292524
• Product Dimensions: 1.1 x 6.4 x 9.2 inches

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Restaurant Management: Customers, Operations, and Employees, 3rd Edition, Robert Christie Mill

Identifies the crucial elements involved in the operation of a restaurant, and their interrelationships that are necessary to achieve success. Structured around the three parts of the meal experience—the customers, the operation (consisting of food, beverage and the physical facility) and the employees—the book examines how to effectively manage an existing restaurant operation.

This edition continues its strong coverage of marketing, promotions, and employment issues, and captures the essential elements needed to produce satisfied customers and a profitable restaurant operation. Offers fully updated material including: Updated figures and numbers, Longitudinal analysis of recent trends, The latest demographic projections and the implications for managers, Added section on ergonomics and its impact on layout and design and New material on energy conservation and cost savings. Strategies for using the Internet as a promotional tool shows readers how to use technology to run and increase their business. A focus on profitability addresses common reasons restaurants fail. Examines factors to success, such as concept, creativity, menu, pricing, productivity, cost control etc. Restaurant managers. For anyone interested in “the meal experience,” or thinking about becoming a restaurant entrepreneur.

I will soon be opening a cafe and have been desperately looking for a book like this. It is a detailed text book covering everything, plus hundreds of "quick bites" that offer tips and examples to help with understanding. I know its a reference that I will go back to over and over.

It's been a year since we opened our restaurant in Chicago without any prior experience in the food industry. Having read this book helped me create and maintain our financial controls and understand our customer expectations. For less than 90 bucks, this book has provided me with invaluable, easy to understand and directly applicable concepts. A must read for anyone starting out in the restaurant business.

Although this book is expensive, the quality of its contents justifies the aquisition. It's a comprehensive manual of all the aspects the you must take into account when you are running a restaurant or you wish to start one. Nobody should start a business in this industry without reading books like this.

I ordered the book to read about Restaurant Management more out of curiosity than actual contemplation of working in the field. I have a management background in another field and found this book to be a very informative read. I'd highly recommend it. The authors deliver a legitimate "How-to" book that would be a valuable companion for even seasoned restaurant managers....no fluff, all nuts & bolts.

This book was invaluable in helping me with a few of my classes at Le Cordon Bleu. It wont keep you on the edge of your seat but it will keep you informed. That's kind of all I was looking for anyway...

This book is a very useful tool covering most aspects of the restaurant business. Going into a venture with a partner as a silent partner it seemed prudent to do some reading. This book explained just about everything except how to deal with rude cutomers. I sold my share of the business before the market tanked which is good but still I'm glad to have read this book.

Product Details :

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 3 edition (July 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131136909
• ISBN-13: 978-0131136908
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 6.8 x 9.1 inches

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5 Pillars of the Visual Workplace: The Sourcebook for 5S Implementation (For Your Organization!), 1st Edition, Hiroyuki Hirano

Increase Profitability and Decrease Liability with 5S A criticalyet often overlooked area in the visual workplace is the concept of continuous improvement. In this important work, JIT expert Hiroyuki Hirano introduces his 5S System: Sort, Set In Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. These steps are designed to improve efficiency, strengthen maintenance, and provide continuous improvement in all facets of a company’s operations. Addressing the skepticism of executives who deride the 5S System for its simplicity, the author, revered for his no-nonsense approach, warns of disastrous consequences for companies that fail to recognize its value; if they cannot successfully implement 5S, there is little hope of integrating large-scale changes such as JIT or re-engineering.

Presented in a thorough, detailed style, 5 Pillars of the Visual Workplace explains why the 5S's are so important, as well as the nuts- and-bolts of 5S implementation. Filled with numerous case studies, hundreds of graphic illustrations, and training materials, including over forty 5S user forms, this volume is a must-have guide for organizations seeking to thrive.

To introduce the 5S system and sell its use to executives as well as workers, consider purchasing—

5S System: An Introduction DVD Catalog no. PP5934,

Adhering to the principle of efficiency that defines this revolutionary and proven system, this video succinctly explains what is involved, who should participate, and what it will take to get started.

I checked this out from the library and read it in one day (I didn't do anything else all day, and I'm a fast reader). Hirano's style is very educational: he resorts to humor, he states his biases clearly, he details step-by-step instructions, he warns about pitfalls, he gives his own insight on overcoming those pitfalls. He walks the walk: the only photo of him in the book is of him cleaning the floor in a factory.

For anyone already familiar with Lean Principles, the focus of this book is 5S, of which the English translation is approximately Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, Sustain. However, Hirano never or rarely uses those, preferring instead to use more accurate (but less alliterative) words like, Organization, Orderliness, Cleanliness, Standardized Cleanup, and Discipline. He explains strategies for starting and for sustaining these "pillars", such as a ruthless red-tag campaign to initiate organization, signboards to maintain orderliness, and 5S patrols to maintain cleanliness and to improve on what already exists. He includes sample forms and kick-off campaign letters.

Best of all, this book shows how 5S is the basis for all other Lean Principles, such as reducing muda and improving throughput. A fantastic resource that I know I will be using over and over.

As a quality and safety manager for more than 15 years, I STILL found this book to be wonderfully useful. A clean, well structured and smooth functioning work environment MUST be at the basis for quality and productivity. The text is well organized and presented with clearn B&W photos, flow charts and sample forms. Hirano also includes plenty of funny, true life stories to keep the book interesting. Highly recommended.

Five Pillars is an outstanding resource for companies that are looking to implemenet JIT. The first step to any Continuous Improvement program is 5S! Hiroyuki Hirano brings practical experience to the manufacturing arena. His approach is no-nonsense and is an invaluable tool that will help your Continuous Improvement Teams to accomplish more. This is definitely a "MUST READ" for anyone who is seriously considering JIT / Continuous Improvement.

This book is amuse for anyone serious about 5 s deployment as a enterprise program. Very dry reading so read in a captive environment e.g. A plane trip. You' be glad you did. Great reference simplistic wisdom.

Product Details :

• Hardcover: 353 pages
• Publisher: Productivity Press; 1 edition (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563270471
• ISBN-13: 978-1563270475
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 8.6 x 11.1 inches

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Management: Meeting and Exceeding Customer Expectations (with InfoTrac & Xtra Printed Access Card), 9th Edition, Warren R. Plunkett

MANAGEMENT: MEETING AND EXCEEDING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS, Ninth Edition is a comprehensive survey of the principles and practices of management as they are being applied around the world. The content and features are structured to reinforce two continuing themes that are woven into the chapters' narratives: 1) the never-ending effort by managers and organizations to meet or exceed customer needs, and 2) the need of organizations and their people to be guided by effective leadership.

Review
Part I: FUNDAMENTALS OF MANAGEMENT. 1. A Broad View of Management. 2. The Evolution of Management Thinking. 3. Organizational Culture and Interactive Forces. Part II: PLANNING FOR GROWTH. 4. Strategic Planning. 5. Achieving Top Quality. 6. Decision Making in Management. Part III: CREATING EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS. 7. Principles of Organization. 8. Designing an Adaptive Organizational Culture. 9. Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics. Part IV: STAFFING FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE. 10. Building A Workforce. 11. Personal and Organizational Communication. Part V: INFLUENCING BEHAVIOR AND ACTIONS. 12. Motivating Employees. 13. Organizational Leadership. 14. Managing Teams and Work Groups. Part VI: CONTROLLING OPERATIONS. 15. Systems for Managing Information. 16. The Purpose and Application of Control. Appendices. Operations Management. International Management. Succeeding in Your Organization. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author
Warren Plunkett is a retired professor of management and Chairman of the Business Department at Wright College, City Colleges of Chicago. He holds a B.B.A. from Notre Dame University and an M.B.A. from Roosevelt University. Since graduating from Notre Dame, Warren has been a high school teacher, a systems analyst, a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, a management consultant, a college professor for 30 years at Wright College, and most recently an entrepreneur. Warren has authored several textbooks, including Supervision: The Direction of People at Work, Business, The Consumer in America, and Management: Meeting and Exceeding Customer Expectations. Warren has made numerous presentations to industry, and has served on numerous committees and led various workshops.

Raymond Attner, the co-author of Management: Meeting and Exceeding Customer Expectations, 8th edition, is presently a Professor of Management and Dean of Business at Brookhaven College of the Dallas County Community College District. For the past thirty years at Brookhaven and the Dallas District, Ray has held numerous positions including Professor of Business, Director of the Marketing and Management Center, Acting Vice President of Instruction, Director of Marketing for Distance Learning, and Acting Executive Dean of Workforce/Continuing Education.

Ray has been the author or co-author of four college textbooks and has been the faculty content developer for two nationally distributed telecourses. He has been selected as Brookhaven's Outstanding Faculty member, has served as Faculty Association President three times, and has been the chair of the last two college presidential search committees at Brookhaven College. He is currently the chair of Brookhaven's Southern Association Reaccreditation Committee. Ray holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from California State University--Long Beach and a Master of Business Administration from Northern Louisiana University. His professional affiliations include the Texas Community College Teachers Association, American Management Association, and the Farmers Branch Chamber of Commerce. He resides in Plano, Texas, with his wife Deborah and three "fur" children (Bubba, Risky, and Annie) where he enjoys the family, jogging, and tennis. Gemmy S. Allen holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of North Texas. She has also completed all but the dissertation for a doctorate from UNT. Her awards include being named Outstanding Mountain View College Faculty Member and receiving the Golden Oak Award, Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce; the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence in Teaching Award; and the award for Mountain View College Innovator of the Year. She has served as a member of Microsoft Mentors, the Microsoft/Compaq College Advisory Council, and the St.

Philip's College Model Electronic Commerce Curriculum Advisory Committee. She is the founding teacher of the Virtual College of Texas -- "Internet Teachers at Every College." Known for her progressive use of social media in the classroom, Ms. Allen maintains a blog called "Management Minutes" (www.gemmyallen.com), tweets about management on Twitter @MgtMin, and regularly posts to her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ManagementText. In addition to Management: Meeting and Exceeding Customer Expectations, she has co-authored several discipline-specific, Internet-related books and has developed several online classes. Ms. Allen has made numerous presentations to industry and has led workshops in the United States, Australia, and Mexico.

This book was a requirement for a class. It was easy to understand and apply. It comes with key terms in the margins for easy review and description. The chapters begin with a learning objective and concludes with a summary of each objective. Each chapter is filled with detailed information and highlights corporations and how they have applied each concept. I would recommend it for anyone constructing an organization or for those wishing to change management styles. It also, has a CD Rom that is incredible.

This was a excellent supplement to my Taking the lead book. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good book on business management.

Bought this book for class, and unlike with some other books, I didn't need to spend hours online for research in addition to reading the chapters in the book. Made an A in the class!

Product Details :

• Hardcover: 744 pages
• Publisher: Cengage Learning; 9 edition (May 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0324423012
• ISBN-13: 978-0324423013
• Product Dimensions: 1.1 x 8 x 10.1 inches

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Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development, 1st Edition, David A. Kolb

Drawing from the intellectual origins of experiential learning in the works of John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, and Jean Piaget, this comprehensive and systematic book describes the process of experiential learning. The author proposes a model of the underlying structures of the learning process based on research in psychology, philosophy, and physiology, and bases its typology of individual learning styles and corresponding structures of knowledge in different academic disciplines and careers on this structural model. He also applies experiential learning to higher education and lifelong learning, particularly with regard to adult education.

Kolb's "Experiential Learning" is a masterpiece. In it, he deftly synthesizes the strands of learning theory and psychological research that inform his 4 stage learning cycle. All committed "experiential educators" should consult this book in order more deeply to understand the deep and rich conceptual foundation(s) of our potent pedagogical practice. In his "Foreword" to the volume, Leadership guru Warren Bennis positively hyperventilates in applauding Kolb's achievement in this work. And for good reason! From thence comes Kolb's elegant & powerful "Learning Styles Inventory" (or LSI), among other things. Even if you're a cynic or skeptic re: the merit of experiential education, you would do well to peruse this tour-de-force in order better to appreciate what you may be missing.

Not everyone is interested in a referenced text. This is not your sit down and breeze through popular book on a topic. However, if you are interested in understanding the foundation of the field of learning through experience, you absolutely must read, no study, this reference. For those of us who are practitioners, understanding theory is critical and this reference provides the foundation for much of the current work in the learning field. I highly recommend. This book will not go out of date as experiential strategies are not a fade and will not go out of style.

When one encounters the word " dialectic" while reading academic texts it should be as a clear signal as a fire to forest ranger that trouble is on the horizon. This statement may be a bit of an exaggeration but it would definitely be accurate to say that Kolb's Experiential Learning is no easy read. Of course, this does not diminish the value of the book, in spite of difficult passages.

Ironically, this is the essence of the concept of "dialectic". Liberal doses of psychology are ladled throughout the book as the masters (Piaget, Jung, et. al) are consistently consulted to back up theory. Although not professing to have knowledge about psychology, it is clear that their work is essential to establish the interrelationship between cognition and experiential learning. Theory of learning and the opposing learning styles of apprehension and comprehension are explored. This book is clearly the cure for a stubborn case of insomnia.

I can't say that the book is without merit, however, because it held some great information that will be useful now and in future applications when I have the chance to practice my current endeavors. Some passages even caused a sense of anticipation for the succeeding ones because there was a considerable amount of interesting information that I had not yet pondered. I would compare this book to putting molasses on pancakes on a winter day. It is thick and doesn't go down easily but great once you warm up to it.

This book is fantastic. It helps explain in detail the Why, What, How, and What if... If you are a leader and want to communicate better in presentations, negotiations, and team meetings. It is a great book on how people experience the world and internalise it. Another great read that uses examples to explain the theory is 'The Art of Changing the Brain' by J. Zull.

Product Details :

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (October 11, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0132952610
• ISBN-13: 978-0132952613
• Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 5.9 x 8.9 inches

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The Art of Facilitation: The Essentials for Leading Great Meetings and Creating Group Synergy, 1st Edition, Dale Hunter

Praise for the Revised Edition of The Art of Facilitation

"The Art of Facilitation picks up where most other books stop. It describes a whole new array of process tools in a totally accessible way. It delves into the underlying ethics of facilitation to clarify complex questions. This book is also beautifully written. After many years in the profession, I was surprised at the subtle way it helped me gain a new understanding of a number of important facilitation dilemmas. A very insightful contribution to the field!" —Ingrid Bens, M.Ed., facilitation tutor, Sarasota, Florida, and author of Facilitating with Ease, Advanced Facilitation Strategies, and Facilitating to Lead

"Few books attempt such a broad scope and enriching view of group facilitation. Hunter provides a 'philosophy' of group facilitation, mixed with 'how to.' This is an impressive book, integrating a sincere concern for the reader's personal development." —Sandy Schuman, editor of The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation

"Dale Hunter is a giant among practitioners, one of the pioneers in the field, and The Art of Facilitation is a classic. This book distills Dale's years of experience into straightforward, practical advice. Her wisdom comes through in every chapter." —Sam Kaner, Ph.D., author of the international bestseller, Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making

"In The Art of Facilitation, Dale Hunter treats readers to an exploration of the field of facilitation at the same time she presents her unique approach. Throughout the book, in simple language, Hunter offers a powerful and important message—to facilitate others effectively you must facilitate yourself. Take Hunter's advice and your clients will thank you." —Roger Schwarz, author of The Skilled Facilitator and coauthor of The Skilled Facilitator Fieldbook

From the Inside Flap
"Dale Hunter has done it again! She has taken what was already a 'must-read' for our industry, updated it, transformed it, and produced both a road map for aspiring facilitators and a value-added toolbox for crafty veterans. The Making Intervention and Processes chapters alone contain more insights than most books in their entirety." —Michael Wilkinson, author, The Secrets of Facilitation

This thoroughly revised edition of the classic book on facilitation offers the most current research available on the topics of facilitation and group dynamics. A comprehensive resource for facilitators, trainers, HR professionals, and consultants, The Art of Facilitation describes the profession of group facilitation and the role of a facilitator, and outlines the key elements of facilitation. The book also examines the most common challenges that facilitators face, as well as the ethical issues that pertain to the facilitation process.

Written by Dr. Dale Hunter—acclaimed facilitator, mediator, and coach—this revised edition includes new information on facilitation in organizations, sustainability, therapeutic group work, and online facilitation. The book also includes an examination of the wide range of approaches and methods that have emerged in the field in recent years.

In addition to providing an updated guide to the topic, the book contains a training program that can be used by a group of aspiring facilitators as a peer learning framework. It also includes fifty-two processes that are useful for both facilitators and facilitation educators alike.

About the Author
Dale Hunter is a group facilitator, mediator, coach, and author in the field of facilitation. She is a director of Zenergy, a New Zealand–based company providing facilitation, mediation, and coaching services to government, business, and community sectors.

Stephen Thorpe is a facilitator specializing in online facilitation and a director of Zenergy. He is secretary of the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) and editor-in-chief of Group Facilitation: A Research and Applications Journal.

Hamish Brown is a facilitator and registered psychotherapist specializing in psychodrama.

Anne Bailey is a facilitator and a founding director of Zenergy.

Product Details :

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; Revised Edition edition (August 31, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470467924
• ISBN-13: 978-0470467923
• Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 6.4 x 9.3 inches

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Developing Products in Half the Time: New Rules, New Tools, 2nd Edition, Preston G. Smith

Advance praise for Developing Products in Half the Time Second Edition New Rules, New Tools Preston G. Smith * Donald G. Reinertsen "This is an exceptional book! Get a new highlighter before you start. There are so many 'ah ha's' in each chapter you will never make it through with an old one." Don LaCombe, Ford Motor Company, Product Development Process Leadership "An excellent book with a strong treatment of the cycle-time consequences of overloading your development capacity. It provides powerful and practical concepts for dealing with this issue." Andrew Aquart, Director Product Development, Cordis, a Johnson & Johnson Company "This is practical, useful stuff for people competing in highly competitive fast moving business." Dr. Paul Borrill, Chief Scientist, Sun Microsystems "3M has absorbed many of the tools from the original edition, and this new one will be even more useful.

The topic of incremental innovation is crucial to us, and I really appreciate its balanced treatment." Ronald H. Kubinski, Manager New Product Commercialization Services, 3M Company "As the authors correctly point out, the Fuzzy Front End is the least expensive place to reduce cycle time. This book is one of the only sources of concepts, methods, and metrics for compressing this critical portion of the development process." David M. Lewis, Product Manager, Eastman Kodak Co. "Using these tools we've more than cut our time to market in half. The new edition of this classic crystallizes the synergy of the fast-to-market techniques, and the icons in the margins highlight the opportunities and pitfalls." Mike Brennan , Vice President of Product Development, Black & Decker.

I found that this book was packed full of common sense, which is rare in a development management book. Although it has a lot of examples of manufacturing of phsyical goods, I found it great as a software manager. There aren't many spare words in this book, either -- it's terse and well edited, so you get the raw facts and the necessary stories to back them up, but not a lot (or any, really) fluff. I am putting it on my bookshelf for software engineers, right next to Writing Solid Code and Debugging the Development Process, two classics for software engineers and team leads, respectively.

Absolutely the best book there is on the subject of new product development. Of particular import is the discussion on market and pricing dynamics, which may be new to technical-types. Choosing the right product to develop is critical to avoid "The Innovators Dilemma". The book however needs to add more to the discussion of the importance (and risk) of rapid return of (partial) information to the team during the development cycle, as well as human (team) dynamics. I would therefore recommend "The Team Handbook" as a necessary adjunct.

Over 14 years of software experience confirmed alot of what this book offered. It's well written, chalked full of great facts and gives you a perspective on the possibilities for software development. Let's face-it, software development has almost zero manufacturing issues. So, if your looking for the real reason to implement processes and methodolgies into your development processes, this book will take you there.

A comprehensive approach to Product development and lot of advices that can be used also in a Service Environment like my own; the best book on the subject of speed to market. I still continue to suggest it as a reading to my collegues and to the students in my teachings. I also strongly recommend the Reinertsen book "The Design Factory" and I am waiting for a sequel on Lean Product Development.

Product Details :

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 2 edition (October 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471292524
• ISBN-13: 978-0471292524
• Product Dimensions: 1.1 x 6.4 x 9.2 inches

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Restaurant Management: Customers, Operations, and Employees, 3rd Edition, Robert Christie Mill

Identifies the crucial elements involved in the operation of a restaurant, and their interrelationships that are necessary to achieve success. Structured around the three parts of the meal experience—the customers, the operation (consisting of food, beverage and the physical facility) and the employees—the book examines how to effectively manage an existing restaurant operation. This edition continues its strong coverage of marketing, promotions, and employment issues, and captures the essential elements needed to produce satisfied customers and a profitable restaurant operation.

Offers fully updated material including: Updated figures and numbers, Longitudinal analysis of recent trends, The latest demographic projections and the implications for managers, Added section on ergonomics and its impact on layout and design and New material on energy conservation and cost savings. Strategies for using the Internet as a promotional tool shows readers how to use technology to run and increase their business. A focus on profitability addresses common reasons restaurants fail. Examines factors to success, such as concept, creativity, menu, pricing, productivity, cost control etc. Restaurant managers. For anyone interested in “the meal experience,” or thinking about becoming a restaurant entrepreneur.

I will soon be opening a cafe and have been desperately looking for a book like this. It is a detailed text book covering everything, plus hundreds of "quick bites" that offer tips and examples to help with understanding. I know its a reference that I will go back to over and over.

It's been a year since we opened our restaurant in Chicago without any prior experience in the food industry. Having read this book helped me create and maintain our financial controls and understand our customer expectations. For less than 90 bucks, this book has provided me with invaluable, easy to understand and directly applicable concepts. A must read for anyone starting out in the restaurant business.

Although this book is expensive, the quality of its contents justifies the aquisition. It's a comprehensive manual of all the aspects the you must take into account when you are running a restaurant or you wish to start one. Nobody should start a business in this industry without reading books like this.

I ordered the book to read about Restaurant Management more out of curiosity than actual contemplation of working in the field. I have a management background in another field and found this book to be a very informative read. I'd highly recommend it. The authors deliver a legitimate "How-to" book that would be a valuable companion for even seasoned restaurant managers....no fluff, all nuts & bolts.

Product Details :

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 3 edition (July 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131136909
• ISBN-13: 978-0131136908
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 6.8 x 9.1 inches

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The Handbook of Market Design, 1st Edition, Nir Vulkan

Economists often look at markets as given, and try to make predictions about who will do what and what will happen in these markets Market design, by contrast, does not take markets as given; instead, it combines insights from economic and game theory together with common sense and lessons learned from empirical work and experimental analysis to aid in the design and implementation of actual markets In recent years the field has grown dramatically, partially because of the successful wave of spectrum auctions in the US and in Europe, which have been designed by a number of prominent economists, and partially because of the increase use of the Internet as the platform over which markets are designed and run There is now a large number of applications and a growing theoretical literature.

The Handbook of Market Design brings together the latest research from leading experts to provide a comprehensive description of applied market design over the last two decades In particular, it surveys matching markets: environments where there is a need to match large two-sided populations to one another, such as medical residents and hospitals, law clerks and judges, or patients and kidney donors It also examines a number of applications related to electronic markets, e-commerce, and the effect of the Internet on competition between exchanges.

About the Author
Nir Vulkan, Associate Professor of Economics, Said Business School, University of Oxford,Alvin E. Roth, Professor of Economics, Stanford University and Nobel Laureate in Economics 2012,Zvika Neeman, Associate Professor, Berglas School of Economics, Tel Aviv University

Alvin E. Roth was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics 2012 for his work on market design. He received his B.S. from Columbia University in 1971 and Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1974. He taught at the University of Illinois from 1974-82, at the University of Pittsburgh from 1982-98, at Harvard University from 1998-2012, and he now teaches at Stanford.

Nir Vulkan is an Economics Professor at the Said Business School and a Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford University. He has written many articles on market design and is author of 'The Economics of E- Commerce' (Princeton University Press, 2003). He has worked with many software and e-commerce companies designing markets mainly on the Internet, which are used by humans and software agents. His algorithms for automated trading have been used by hedge funds to trade futures in markets all over the world.

Zvika Neeman is a microeconomic and game theorist who specializes in mechanism design. He teaches at the Berglas School of Economics at Tel Aviv University. Prior to that, he held positions at Boston University and at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Product Details :

• Hardcover: 656 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (October 22, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199570515
• ISBN-13: 978-0199570515
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.8 x 1.9 inches

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Global Strategy, 2nd Edition, Mike W. Peng

Discover both sides of international business and how to prepare for the future. GLOBAL STRATEGY, Second Edition, doesn't just show you what it's like for foreign businesses entering a new market; it reveals what domestic companies must do to survive foreign competition. Easy to read and full of study tools, GLOBAL STRATEGY, Second Edition, helps you prepare for your exams and for your next job.

Review
"There is nothing else like this text. The other books available either need lots of international supplementation or (in the case of the global/international business texts) they are really international management books and not strategy books. This book is definitely needed for Global Strategy classes."

"I would not hesitate to adopt this text for MBA candidates, as it is replete with relevant, illustrative and current examples and case studies."

"I really like the idea of concentrating on different regions, such as China/Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa, rather than the Triad. I am also impressed with the objective of presenting a globally centered perspective rather than the U.S.-centered point-of-view of many texts on the market."

"This text challenges students to critically reflect about the basic institutions and ethics that capitalism--and thus business behavior--is built upon. Too many texts take basic principles as a given and reduce business classes to teaching students how to make the most money. However, if universities wish to teach business, they have to provide more then recipes. Peng helps them accomplish this. Chapter 12, Strategizing with Corporate Social Responsibility is a major innovation! I believe that confronting students already at early stages of their education with ethical issues affecting business will sensitize them to reflect over ethics throughout their education."

"The author has apparently taken great pains to make the writing interesting, clear, and easy to follow. I also like the supporting resources and citations. Mike Peng provides excellent coverage of the relevant literature, both in terms of scope and variety. Finally, I like the focus which represents an innovative and refreshing take on the field."

About the Author
Mike Peng is the Jindal Chair of Global Business Strategy at the Jindal School of Business, University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). At UTD, he founded the Center for Global Business, where he serves as the executive director. Professor Peng was also recently named a fellow with the Academy of International Business. He holds a bachelor's degree from Winona State University, Minnesota, and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington, Seattle. Prior to joining UTD, Professor Peng was on the faculty at the Ohio State University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and University of Hawaii, where he taught students at all levels and often served as a faculty trainer and consultant.

In addition, he has held visiting or courtesy professorial appointments in Australia, Britain, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and the United States. This award-winning professor is widely regarded as one of the most prolific and influential scholars in global business and has garnered many research grants for his work. The United Nations and the World Bank have cited his work in major publications. Truly global in scope, his research focuses on firms' strategies in regions such as Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, and North America.

He has published about 50 articles in leading academic journals and authored three books. Active in other leadership positions in his field, Professor Peng has served on the editorial boards of the ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT REVIEW, JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STUDIES, JOURNAL OF WORLD BUSINESS, and STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT JOURNAL. He is the editor-in-chief of the ASIA PACIFIC JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT.

As a professor, I have used several books for International Business classes and I have to say there are Global Business books that should have been titled as International Politics or American Business. This book has a good balance between country analyses such as EU regulation, privatization in emerging economies, and company perspectives such as entering into foreign countries, creating synergy between divisions. The cases cover companies from a lot of countries; they provide enough information to complement the chapters but are not too long so that it's easy to read through. My students and I enjoyed this book very much!

Product Details :

• Hardcover: 560 pages
• Publisher: Cengage Learning; 2 edition (October 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0324590997
• ISBN-13: 978-0324590999
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.1 x 1 inches

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