Book Description

The exciting new edition of Marketing continues the established tradition of adding value far beyond the expectations of students and instructors.Extensive research has been done to ensure this edition provides a comprehensive, up-to-the-minute introduction to the field of marketing.Key principles are illustrated by hundreds of fresh, new examples, while the latest concepts and theories are covered in detail with numerous illustrations.Organized around the marketing mix, this thoroughly revised text provides students with an exhilarating first introduction to the dynamic world of marketing. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Excellent
An excellent book that introduces us to Marketing concepts with the help of various real-life examples. I didn't feel like I was reading a textbook for my class at all. Rather, I felt like I was reading an interesting magazine. I would definately recommend this book. It is awesome!

Very useful for school
I am using it for my thesis on the Music Industry and I find it helpful. 4 P's are so well explained.

A very nice improvement on the 4th Edition
This comprehensive revision of the last edition shows real improvements. Two new chapters are included on Competitive Intelligence and One-to-One Marketing. Both are welcome additions. The Internet chapter is on-line since it would be futile to try and publish on paper about a subject that changes daily. There are severeal references to internet subjects and even some of these do not exist anymore. The books design has been modernized and the cases and real-world stories are very up-to-date. I use this text to teach a Marketing Certificate program at UCSB Extension to International students and they find it very understandable and stimulating.

too much detail
the book is a very intersesting one, but goes too much in detail, and gives too many examples. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (694)

An Important Book
The value of Barbara Ehrenreich's troubling, but remarkable investigation of the dearth of opportunity faced by working class Americans, is evident from the gamut of highly emotional reactions it has raised here.

Many readers seem enormously offended simply on the grounds that Ehrenreich was not actually a member of the working class, and only "visited" a life of poverty and toil. These readers take great pains to say that poverty is a serious issue, while discounting the book on the grounds that Ehrenreich - who holds a PhD of all the horrible things! - has no right to raise it. This is a willfully deluded argument which would seem to white wash all kinds of investigative journalism across the board. The attacks on Ehrenreich's credentials appear designed to avoid a discussion of the book itself, a low but familiar critical tactic, shooting the messenger to destroy the message.

It is understandable, however, that people would seek to look away from the experiences that Ehrenreich relates from her sojourns in the waitressing, housekeeping, and retailing industries. The pay is meager, the work is often backbreaking, and the management is consistently exploitative. You may already have suspected this to be the case, but the hard details in Nickel and Dimed - of trying to find housing, of applying for community aid, of unpaid overtime, and a thousand other tiny indignities - confront the reader with the vivid reality of how many of their fellow human beings are forced to live.

Terrific book, terrific writing
I love this book. Some people seem to find it hard to believe that a person can't "get by" on minimum wage, or that people get stuck in low-paying jobs - some claim that "everyone starts at minimum wage in life, but they get promoted and make more", etc. That doesn't always happen, or even happen that often. Ms. Ehrenreich's book shows the struggles she faced in just a short term experiment, but imagine trying to do it for the long haul - there are other crises that occur in the lives of working people - such as, lack of medical insurance - a HUGE problem - and car troubles, to name a couple. In this book, Ms. Ehrenreich was working during the warmer months - God knows what she may have encountered during the winter in Maine or Minnesota!But this terrific book gives a glimpse into the lives of the working poor, even with everyone seemingly going right for Ms. Ehrenreich. By the way, several reviewers have claimed that she has 'contempt' for the poor, and has a snobby, yuppie-ish attitude. Nothing could be further from the truth. I don't know why people make false allegations in a book review, I suspect it's to dissuade others from reading the book and deciding for themselves. Read this book, you'll be glad you did. And pass on a couple copies to your state reps, senators, etc. Teach them a few things. I look forward to future works by Barbara Ehrenreich after reading this - she's wonderful.

The Working Poor of America get a voice
This case study in, as the subtitle says "(Not) Getting by in America" was in many ways surprising. I thought I had a pretty good handle on the fact that there are people in desperate straits out there, that being in desperate straights is awful, and that it would be better if no one had to do it. But some of the problems that are described in this book were things I had never even thought of. One of her main contentions is that many of the working poor are borderline homeless, living, ironically, in expensive motels because they can never get far enough ahead to save the deposit for a real apartment. The lack of medical care and desperate penny-pinching wasn't surprising, but what struck me was that the author, daughter of a union organizer and left wing journalist, was consistently surprised at the importance that her co-workers placed on the jobs they were doing, quite apart from the monetary rewards or managerial incentives.

This struck me as especially tragic, because it just reinforces the fact that most people take satisfaction in doing something well, and it's obvious from the lives these people lead that they aren't in the habit of shirking work. Shouldn't hard, quality work bring you a life with the basics we should all have? A thought provoking, if not especially surprising book.

STAYS with you forever!
I read this book 3 years ago, and I'm STILL experiencing recall and flashbacks to some of its passages. For example: I might be doing nothing much in particular, as I set myself down to dinner at a family style restaurant...and WHAP!!! I will recall a passage from "Nickled and Dimed" concerning the not very pretty or easy plight of many waitresses and cooks who work at such establishments. And "Nickled and Dimed" does it all with a sense of humour, to boot!

Very thought provoking and enlightening for anyone who wants a better understanding the working poor and the flaws in our socio-economic system.

"Nickled and Dimed" should be required reading for every politician and social worker in the United States.

Try Living it for Real
The biggest problem with the "realism" here is the fact that the author knows, throughout all of it, that she will be going back to her 'real' job and some serious money along with her yuppie lifestyle. She doesn't even pretend to want to find out how it feels to live this life for real. Try having $5.00 in your pocket on the 2nd of January to last you the rest of the month, with 2 babies crying because there isn't any heat in your house. And then come to the realization that you REALLY only have $5.00 in your pocket with 2 crying babies and no heat. And try realizing that the reason you are in this situation is because your town was hit by a flash flood that wiped your home away and your insurance company refused to cover the damages because they don't cover "floods." Suddenly you are poor and desperate and nowhere to turn. Try that. Then write your book. The only problem would be finding someone to publish it. The general public still doesn't want to hear about the true struggles of the working poor or what the circumstances were that lead to that poverty... they only want to be entertained and feel "enlightened" because they now "understand the plight of the poor." Sorry... you really don't. Next time you sit down to a full meal, consider there really are people out there eating ketchup on noodles and nothing else. All week... maybe even all month. ... Read more

Book Description

The undisputed #1 market leading book continues to be an innovative look at the most current changes and happenings in the auditing profession! Up-to-date discussions include Sarbanes Oxley, fraud, and recent corporate scandals. Specific coverage features the bankruptcy of Andersen, LLP; the shifting of auditing standards-setting to the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB); consulting spin-offs; and greaterfocus on internal controls. For individuals interested in the auditing, accounting, and consulting fields. ... Read more

Book Description

The authors of the New York Times bestseller Crucial Conversations show you how to achieve personal, team, and organizational success by healing broken promises, resolving violated expectations, and influencing bad behavior

Discover skills to resolve touchy, controversial, and complex issues at work and at home--now available in this follow-up to the internationally popular Crucial Conversations.

Behind the problems that routinely plague organizations and families, you'll find individuals who are either unwilling or unable to deal with failed promises. Others have broken rules, missed deadlines, failed to live up to commitments, or just plain behaved badly--and nobody steps up to the issue. Or they do, but do a lousy job and create a whole new set of problems. Accountability suffers and new problems spring up. New research demonstrates that these disappointments aren't just irritating, they're costly--sapping organizational performance by twenty to fifty percent and accounting for up to ninety percent of divorces.

Crucial Confrontations teaches skills drawn from 10,000 hours of real-life observations to increase confidence in facing issues like:

• An employee speaks to you in an insulting tone that crosses the line between sarcasm and insubordination. Now what?
• Your boss just committed you to a deadline you know you can't meet--and not-so-subtly hinted he doesn't want to hear complaints about it.
• Your son walks through the door sporting colorful new body art that raises your blood pressure by forty points. Speak now, pay later.
• An accountant wonders how to step up to a client who is violating the law. Can you spell unemployment?
• Family members fret over how to tell granddad that he should no longer drive his car. This is going to get ugly.
• A nurse worries about what to say to an abusive physician. She quickly remembers "how things work around here" and decides not to say anything.

Everyone knows how to run for cover, or if adequately provoked, step up to these confrontations in a way that causes a real ruckus. That we have down pat. Crucial Confrontations teaches you how to deal with violated expectations in a way that solves the problem at hand, and doesn't harm the relationship--and in fact, even strengthens it.

Crucial Confrontations borrows from twenty years of research involving two groups. More than 25,000 people helped the authors identify those who were most influential during crucial confrontations. They spent 10,000 hours watching these people, documented what they saw, and then trained and tested with more than 300,000 people. Second, they measured the impact of crucial confrontations improvements on organizational and team performance--the results were immediate and sustainable: twenty to fifty percent improvements in measurable performance.

Book Description

He has been cited by The New York Times Magazine as "probably the most important economist in the world" and by Time as "the world's best-known economist." He has advised an extraordinary range of world leaders and international institutions on the full range of issues related to creating economic success and reducing the world's poverty and misery. Now, at last, he draws on his entire twenty-five-year body of experience to offer a thrilling and inspiring big-picture vision of the keys to economic success in the world today and the steps that are necessary to achieve prosperity for all.

Marrying vivid eyewitness storytelling to his laserlike analysis, Jeffrey Sachs sets the stage by drawing a vivid conceptual map of the world economy and the different categories into which countries fall. Then, in a tour de force of elegance and compression, he explains why, over the past two hundred years, wealth has diverged across the planet in the manner that it has and why the poorest nations have been so markedly unable to escape the cruel vortex of poverty. The groundwork laid, he explains his methods for arriving, like a clinical internist, at a holistic diagnosis of a country's situation and the options it faces. Rather than deliver a worldview to readers from on high, Sachs leads them along the learning path he himself followed, telling the remarkable stories of his own work in Bolivia, Poland, Russia, India, China, and Africa as a way to bring readers to a broad-based understanding of the array of issues countries can face and the way the issues interrelate. He concludes by drawing on everything he has learned to offer an integrated set of solutions to the interwoven economic, political, environmental, and social problems that most frequently hold societies back. In the end, he leaves readers with an understanding, not of how daunting the world's problems are, but how solvable they are-and why making the effort is a matter both of moral obligation and strategic self-interest. A work of profound moral and intellectual vision that grows out of unprecedented real-world experience, The End of Poverty is a road map to a safer, more prosperous future for the world.

From "probably the most important economist in the world" (The New York Times Magazine), legendary for his work around the globe on economies in crisis, a landmark exploration of the roots of economic prosperity and the path out of extreme poverty for the world's poorest citizens. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Poverty and the Professor's Plan
Jeffrey Sachs, the director of Columbia University's Earth Institute and special advisor to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, tells us that about 20,000 people die daily due to extreme poverty (that's about 8 million people annually).Extreme poverty is defined as living on less than a dollar a day.About 1 billion people live on less than a dollar a day, one third of which are in sub-Saharan Africa.Thisbook makes us aware of the extent of this tragedy and it offers a global plan to do something about it.

The global plan, of course, requires big money and big debt relief.Sachs has calculated that it would take anywhere from $135 billion to $190 billion per year of donations from rich countriesover the next two decades in order to eliminate extreme poverty by 2025.

Not surprisingly, the conservative critics, such as the economist William Easterly, will disparage this plan as so much utopian social engineering and call instead for a more piecemeal approach (Neoconservatives, however, are different: they have a propensity for lavish spending and risky foreign adventures).

Sachs' plan is not entirely new.The development models of the 1960's and 70's were similar.Huge amounts of money were allocated for building infrastructure and human capital; instead this money ended up in the bank accounts of dictators and corrupt aid officials.The development focus of the 1980's and 90's was more toward ending corruption and state ownership, encouraging deficit spending and free trade.The results have been equally disappointing: still 20,000 die daily.

The Sachs' plan calls for some swift, aggressive, and large-scale "neoliberal" economic interventions.His recommendations on how this $135 to $195 billion should be spent are staggering: it goes from how to plant trees, to soil fertility, to antiviral therapy for Aids, to mosquito nets for malaria, to specially programmed cell phones, to battery charging stations - just to name a few.He proposes that the secretary general of the UN run the overall program (with the requisite oversights), and that this would lift poor countries out of the poverty trap by 2025.This is, admittedly, a tough sell in conservative circles.

It is disingenuous, however, for critics like Easterly and others in this column to call this plan utopian.The goal of ending "extreme" poverty is getting countries to the first rung of the economic ladder so that they can participate in the gobal economy.For example, Sachs considers sweatshop labor a step up from no labor at all - this is hardly a utopian goal.Ending extreme poverty only prepares people and countries for the marketplace, it doesn't make them wealthy.

It is true that an ambitious plan such as Sachs' would have its excesses and unforeseen consequences.One of Sachs' problems is that he accuses people who disagree with him of being uninformed, or, worse yet, in the case of Africa, racist.Surely, someone who became a tenured Harvard professor at aged 28 and saved a handful of countries from economic disaster is not lacking in ego.He would do well to be a little more diplomatic.

From this book one should remember the mission: to save 20,000 lives a day.Instead of labeling proposals left-wing or right-wing, liberal or conservative, we should look deeply within our technocratic selves to end extreme poverty.

Fighting Poverty, says J. Wallis, is a Moral Value.
Sojourners magazine editor Jim Wallis is also an evangelical who has lately been speaking out on the current administration's politics which infer that anything having to do with fighting gay rights or abortion is a moral, Christian thing to do. Wallis says that although he cannot find many references in the Bible regarding abortion or gays, he can find thousands of verses regarding poverty, and fighting poverty is a moral, religious issue folks everywhere should do what they can to end.

Coincidentally--and I don't know whether these gentlemen has ever met--we have another popular economist, Jeff Sachs who is head of Columbia University's Earth Institute--who coincidentally has a hot book out that's causing waves. Causing waves for the end of poverty in our lifetime. Already he's been seen rubbing elbows with Kofi Annan and Bono of U2. He probably would have been a better candidate for the US ambassador to the United Nations...but, I politicize. The main thrust of this work here is that taking into account geography, infrastructure, political leanings, corruption of public officials, and other development issues, we (rich nations) can conceivably end grinding poverty by 2025 in most of the worlds under developed countries. How? By supplying medicine and education in AIDs ravaged areas of Africa and Asia, by aiding production of foodstuffs in these rural area (rather than by putting big thinking growers who tend not to understand the region and the traditions of people), by control of for example mosquitos in South Africa. We will help the poor survive and teach them how to survive.

Sachs says that by taking a pro-active stance, addressing problems that are able to likely be solved with enough appropriate effort, we can improve lives. The Millenium Project Report under the UN is designed to help these areas solve their problems.

The book is about the nature of the world's poverty (in for example Bilar, Pakistan, India, Africa) some of Sach's general observations of the poor and the steps to take to curve poverty.

Why should you read this? Even if you are not a Christian, it seems that as a citizen of this world two of your responsibilities are to feed the hungry and to help the poor. This is a valuable, current day, rational dissertation on a 'zero poverty by 2025' goal. It also teaches that civilization will be judged on how it treats its poor. Let's avoid having a bad report card.

An Exciting Overview
A very exciting book.Professor Sachs describes his round the world adventures in working to solve some of the most severe economic conditions in modern history.Thrilling was his account of making his proposal to an unbathed Eastern European leader into the night (while the leader consumed a bottle of whiskey and smoked an untold number of packs of cigarettes), working through the night to have a written economic strategy proposal by morning and then, months later, watching with fingers crossed the behavior of the economy after his plan was put in place.Jeffrey Sachs is a high stakes player.The well-being of millions is often at stake.Disappointing was his account of how Russian and other world leaders ignored the majority of his proposals to transform the Russian economy.I've read books about Geronimo and Crazy Horse, climbing Everest, and revolutions, and this book was just as exciting.

Thrilling also is that it is possible to, maybe not eliminate, but greatly reduce the number of people living in extreme poverty.Disappointing is the fact that the necessary assistance from the wealthy governments of the world probably will not materialize.

This book is merely an overview of Professor Sachs's plan to eliminate the poorest of the poor.This is about how to give the absolute poorest of people (those living on less than $1 per day) a boost up to the bottom rung of the economic ladder of development.The poorest of the poor, Sachs claims, with no infrastructure, no education and no capital, are often achieving negative per capita economic growth.Sachs claims that, once on the bottom rung of the ladder, these poorest of the poor will then be able to begin climbing.

Professor Sachs suggests using "differential diagnosis" to determine the causes of deep poverty and devise a strategy to alleviate it and begin economic growth.Decades of experience have taught him that different countries and different regions and villages may be impoverished due to different causes.These impediments to growth must be first diagnosed through careful analysis followed by a strategy specifically designed to overcome these impediments.His method is not a one size fits all approach.

This book is not about enhancing development in economies that have are already on the economic ladder and growing.Countries like Bangladesh, although poor, are already on a path to economic growth and, with small accomplishments in read per capita GDP growth every year, will be able to continue to improve standards of living.

Criticism of this book began before the book was even available.It's not surprising that the harshest criticism comes from those who obviously have not read this book.Sachs is often criticized for failing in Russia.The critics never point out, probably because they are not aware, that neither the Russian government nor outside governments and institutions followed his advice.

A popular criticism of this book is that Sachs's solution involves merely throwing money at a problem.This is perhaps the most misguided criticism.Sachs's plan does involve development assistance from wealthy countries; however, the amount he suggests that is needed is no more than countries have already pledged to contribute.Moreover, Sachs is clear that financial aid without a development strategy will produce little results.Sachs proposes an analysis of the impediments to development at the village level followed by a diagnosis and strategy to overcome them.A stable, honest government is essential in carrying out the plan.

Another popular criticism is that aid has shown to be inadequate in addressing the problems of development.Sachs addresses this issue in the book.His argument is that the amount of aid has been so low in the most impoverished countries that it could not possibly have a significant long-term effect.The governments in the United States invest 30% of GDP in public goods - roads, bridges, ports, police and courts, education ($10,000+ per student in many areas) - in order to achieve a growth rate of 2% in real per capita GDP.Should we be surprised that an investment of a few dollars per citizen is ineffective in Africa?

Sachs is also criticized for suggesting that aid be given to corrupt governments where the money will merely end up in an off shore bank account.Sachs is very clear throughout the book that it is imperative that the recipient countries devise and implement a poverty reduction strategy and stick to it.Countries that are not committed to this "need not apply".

In the end, Professor Sachs has made a good proposal that WILL be effective in lifting hundreds of millions of people out of deep poverty and a track record to prove it.Unfortunately, his plan WILL NOT be implemented primarily because of resistance from Washington.

Fascinating look at development economics
Professor Sachs gives a great tour of the world and its economic problems.He gives personal accounts of helping the economies of Bolivia, Poland, India, Russia and to a limited extent China.Most attempts at helping were successful (Russia, which had deeper and more entrenched problems, was a notable exception).Sachs gives sound advice on what works and what doesn't in really really poor countries.He also lays out how little it would take from America and other developed nations to make it all happen.

The one downside is that for Sachs' plan to work, foreign governments have to be willing to cooperate.It's kind of a Catch-22.The US is not willing to donate large amounts of money if it is used poorly, and foreign governments aren't going to be able to spend wisely if they don't have very much. But really - we are spending hundreds of billions fighting the war in Iraq to "help the Iraqi people".But we could help many more people much more efficiently if we just committed to do it.

Overall, one of the most interesting economics books I have ever read (and I have read a few).

A few problems
If there is a more tireless and indefatigable advocate for the poor and downtrodden, and a more vigorous campaigner fighting the evils of poverty in dozens of countries around the world than Mr. Sachs, I don't know who it is. Sach's book provides a sweeping and compelling overview of the dire effects of poverty and the possibilities for aid and assistance, economic reform, and development in third world countries, discussing the successes and failures in many countries and how and why they either failed or succeeded.

Before I get into the rest of my review, I should say something about my own prior and perhaps naive views on foreign aid. Before reading Mr. Sach's book, I believed in helping poor countries as much as possible and putting as much money into it as one could afford. Unfortunately, after reading his book, I was somewhat dismayed to find that so much of what he said could just as easily be used to argue against it. So, like a number of the reviewers here, although I agree that some sort of action is necessary, most of these solutions unfortunately still seem to come down to throwing more money at what in many cases have already turned out to be bottomless pits, lining local dictator's and beaurocrat's pockets and accomplishing very little else in the way of long-term gain. One shudders at the number of countries in Africa where aid is desperately needed and yet so little seems to reach the actual populace, not to mention several former Soviet countries, such as Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, and countries like Cambodia, that have similar if not worse situations.

One of Mr. Sach's favorite countries, for example, is Ethiopia, one of the world's poorest nations, where less than 1 dollar is spent per year per person on medical aid. However, Ethiopia still has not come to grips with its population problem, and every generation or about 20 years, there is another famine and the world sends vast amounts of food and money to rescue the starving populace.

This happened back in the 60s, and again in the 80s. That one I remember well because of all the TV ads featuring actors/actresses like Sally Struthers, one of the stars from the TV sitcom, All in the Family. While this generosity is commendable, nothing had changed since the 60s, and Ethiopia was again starving as a result of a couple of years of crop failures. Again, the U.S. and the world again sent huge amounts of aid, which did save many lives, but again, it just postpones Ethiopia's need to deal with the population issue in a more realistic and timely way.

Although I learned much about the different circumstances and strengths and weaknesses of many countries around the world in regard to their economic problems and opportunities, sometimes the book tantalizes as much as it explains. For example, Mr. Sachs discusses the amazing progress China has achieved, contrasting that with the failure of many Latin American countries to continue to progress, not to mention the problems of Russia. He attributes the success of China to the development of TVEs (township and village enterprises), which became small but dynamic production and profit centers, as opposed to the inefficient Soviet state operations, and the failure to develop true capitalistic institutions where profits are plowed back into capital spending, growth, and expansion rather than into the new elite industrial leadership's pockets.

However, this doesn't really explain why local village enterprises in China really succeeded over the larger state concerns in Russia. Larger operations enjoy certain advantages such as economies of scale and access to governmental funds for loans. Deciding to follow up on the question, I did a Google search and came up with the following excerpt from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization document number 4536 (I apologize for the long quote but it provides info that Sachs leaves out, and also, I'm going somewhere with all of this):

"China's township and village enterprises (TVE) are rural, collective economic organizations established at the township or village level. They also include the city branches of township enterprises. TVEs had become a major component of the Chinese economy, contributing significantly to GDP, employing large numbers of people and contributing to social development.

The development of TVEs has varied across China's regions and economic sectors. TVEs in some sectors are hi-tech or export oriented, and they face regional and international competition. However, TVEs in the brick, cement, coking and metal-casting sub-sectors were set up primarily to absorb rural labour, to provide essential low cost products, and to contribute to improving livelihoods in a localised area. In these sectors TVEs relied heavily on direct interventions from local governments for access to resources and marketing opportunities. As a result of the limited exposure of TVEs in these sectors to the market and to market forces, development in these sectors was characterized by expansion, without technology and technique development.

Despite their general dynamism and growth, TVEs still have many disadvantages compared to state owned enterprises (SOE). A key one is the shortage of workers having significant professional skills. Another is the lack of access to finance. These gaps are also found between TVEs in Central China and those in the coastal regions.

While the building material, coking and metal casting sectors provide key inputs to China's economic development and have been a major contributor to China's economic growth over the last 20 years (TVE provide more than half of the total output from these sectors), the level of technology in these sectors is low. Accordingly, TVEs in these sectors are characterized by high pollution levels. Notably, these four TVE sectors account for a staggering one sixth of China's total emissions of CO2. Their average relative energy consumption is 30% to 60% higher than state-owned-enterprise sector using currently available technologies. In addition, the low quality of their products leads to additional energy inefficiencies in product use (notably, poor building materials have low insulation levels, leading to heat loss in buildings). TVE are also major contributors to local air and water pollution and health hazards for employees."

Unfortunately, the impression I get from this article in the way of explanation is that this apparent miracle won't last. The most likely explanation to me for the success of the TVEs is that the interior of China was so backward (it consisting mainly of literally of tens of thousands of small and relatively isolated villages) is that almost any improvement in industrial capability and capacity was a big improvement over what had existed before in the region. The same thing happened in the Soviet Union, where initially industrial output increased due to some fairly simple and basic improvements in manufacturing technology and production. Like the TVE's, they also initially seemed a big success, only later peaking and going into decline. However, the interior of both countries was so backward industrially that almost any improvement was likely to succeed in the short term, whether it was more collectivized as in the case of the Soviet Union, or smaller scale, more private enterprise type operations as in the case of TVE's.

My point, unfortunately, is that we still don't know whether TVE's will truly succeed or not in the long run, as much of the profit can also be explained by the low cost of labor. If labor is cheap enough, you can still make a profit not matter how inefficient and low tech and non-competitive your operation is.

So overall, although I applaud Mr. Sach's willingness to be an advocate for eliminating poverty around the world, we still don't really know what we're doing in many cases economically, and the practical problems are still daunting. Development economics is itself a developing academic area (by the way, John Kenneth Galbraith, an advisor to many U.S. presidents, did his Ph.D. dissertation on farm economics, although he became known mainly for his book, The Age of Affluence), and hopefully we will continue to learn more and be able to apply more rational and scientific solutions to the elimination of poverty in the future.

In the short-term, however, our efforts continue to be hampered by inefficient and corrupt governments and inefficient aid organizations--although I still believe that we must continue to provide help despite the small percentage of it that ultimately reaches those most in need. ... Read more

Book Description

Trading for a Living Successful trading is based on three M’s: Mind, Method, and Money. Trading for a Living helps you master all of those three areas:

• How to become a cool, calm, and collected trader
• How to profit from reading the behavior of the market crowd
• How to use a computer to find good trades
• How to develop a powerful trading system
• How to find the trades with the best odds of success
• How to find entry and exit points, set stops, and take profits

1. there are more buyers than sellers
2. buyers are more aggressive than sellers
3. sellers are afraid and demand a premium
4. more shares or contracts are bought than sold

1. I and II
2. II and III
3. II and IV
4. III and IV

Reviews (141)

Really good and useful!!!!
This book contains nearly all the necessary materials for a beginning trader to start trading. I think the only area which is missing is fundamental analysis. O'Neil's book has better covering of FA but the part about TA is very weak and hard to understand.

I feel the TA part is more concise than the John Murphy's book. The later has more than 500 pages but without covering too much about trading psychology. I learned quite a lot about psychology from this book which I am using everyday in my trading. Some of them are also useful for my daily life.

Another strong area of this book is it combines the TA indicators to form a trading system. I got the idea to develop my own trading system from it. Although my system is very different from Elder's one, his idea is valid.

Among the hundred trading books that I have read, this is still one of my best favorite and I am still reading it from time to time. The price is slightly high, but I recovered the money from my first trade. Really good!!

'THE' Best Book on Trading
2 Years ago I became a full-time trader after taking several courses and reading more than 40 books on trading. Dr. Elder's book is the ONLY one that has made me money, a lot of money (603% last year).

The first half of the book deals with the psychology of both the market and the trader. I didn't fully appreciate this portion of Dr. Elder's book until I began trading. This is the biggest obsticle of the trader. His insight has really helped me to understand the movements of the market and myself as a trader.

The second half of 'Trading for a Living' deals with technical analysis and money management. This has proved invaluable to me. There is so much accurate information I've read the book eight times, that's how jam packed it is with useable information. Also, every word matters--no fluff at all--unlike most of the books on trading I've read. And, don't overlook his money management chapter. This is where amatuers fail. His simple money management system will help to elivate you to a professional trader. If you want to make money, this is the book.

technically worthless
I am a professional trader. This book has a good section on psychology but thats it. Totally worthless when it comes to the technical part. In fact I always wondered what made this book so popular with the public. I guess most people read the books but don't use the knowledge in them.

This Guy is a Psychiatrist
Alexander Elder is first and foremost a psychiatrist, and it shows when he explains his insights into individual and mass psychology in the first two chapters of the book.

These two chapters are the real gold in the book; i have not read a more succinct and hard-hitting explanation of the behavior of individuals and crowds, and these two chapters are the ones you want to read.

The rest of the book is devoted to the basics of technical analysis. There is a lot of stuff out there on technical analysis so the stuff in Elder's book is likely to be somewhat outdated.

Nevertheless, read this book for the part on the psychology. This is fundamental and basic for any investor or trader, and is crucial to your success in the markets.

Timeless gem
Aside from psychology and money management, this book is an essential reference about formulas (MACD, WILLIAMS %R, ADX and at least a dozen more). It shows whether such oscillators are trend-indicating or trend-following, whether one should use it within trading ranges or when trading a trend. Most (if not all) of these indicators contain its origins and market psychology, the formula and worksheet / chart examples and how to use it in bullish / bearish markets.

This book is ten years old. But it still proves correct in areas that couldn't be forseen back then. Although obtaining and processing all the financial data with appropriate hard- and software was a challenge back in 1993, the book does not spend too much time on such (volatile) details.

This is why I consider this book a timeless gem and a true value for any interested trader - giving it a full five star. ... Read more

Book Description

The most practical, authoritative guide to GAAP

Amidst a national parade of corporate scandals, accounting professionals require a timely, rock-solid resource in order to instill clients and investors with the confidence they have come to expect.Wiley GAAP 2005 delivers the most recent developments and analysis of all generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), restating the original, highly technical pronouncements in easy-to-understand terms and providing battle-tested implementation guidance. Unlike other guides, Wiley GAAP offers complete coverage of Levels A, B, and C GAAP in a single volume, including EITF issues that have not yet been reduced to consensus, as well as EITF Appendix D discussion matters. Wiley GAAP 2005 contains a host of completely updated features, such as:

• A streamlined format that helps readers find what they need to know quickly
• Expanded and complete, real-world implementation guidance and coverage on the latest FASB standards and interpretations, including variable interest entities (FIN 46 (R)) and instruments with characteristics of both equity and debt (SFAS 150)
• Updated comparison of U.S. GAAP and International Accounting Standards (IFRS)
• Detailed coverage of important, proposed standards on exchanges of productive assets, purchase method accounting for aquisitions, and accounting for combinations of not-for-profit and mutual enterprises
• Revised disclosures of pension cost-related matters
• Expanded discussion ofFASB Concepts Statement No. 7
• Detailed coverage of the AcSEC Statement of Position (SOP) 03-3 on accounting for loans and debt securities acquired in transfers
• Coverage of all EITFs discussed through mid-2004
• An authoritative financial statement disclosure checklist

Featuring numerous real-world examples, illustrations, and helpful practice hints that are extremely user-friendly, Wiley GAAP 2005 is designed with the needs of the reader in mind. Covering the entire GAAP hierarchy, Wiley GAAP addresses all effective pronouncements, including:

• FASB Interpretations
• FASB Technical Bulletins
• FASB Statements of Financial Accounting Concepts
• FASB Statements of Financial Accounting Standards (SFASs)
• Consensus Opinions of the Emerging IssuesTask Force of the FASB
• AICPA Statements of Position
• Accounting Research Bulletins
• Accounting Principles Board Opinions
• AICPA Audit and Accounting Guides

As clients demand accounting procedures they can trust, so accountants require up-to-date reference materials they know they can depend on. More than any other resource, Wiley GAAP 2005 provides the indispensable tools for the accounting professional. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Amazon - help your users!
My rating has nothing to do with this book, but about trying to figure out why this edition (Nov 2003) was so much more expensive than the earlier edition (Oct 2003). I had to use the ISBN and research other websites and believe I figured it out - the Nov edition (ISBN 0471472409) includes a CD ROM, but the October edition (ISBN 0471453927) is only the book. Without the table of contents or more descriptive editorial review, it took me way too long to figure this out! I hope this review helps others. ... Read more

Book Description

This market-leading text takes a pragmatic approach emphasizing the strategic role of human resources. Comprehensive, research-based coverage includes all major topics identified on the Human Resource Certification Institutes Content Outline. Coverage includes a global chapter, expanded coverage of diversity, new material on performance management, and current hot topics such as self-directed work teams, shamrock organization, broadbanding, competency-based pay systems, job security, violence in the workplace, and how organizational commitment affects production, quality, and service. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Excellent book for learning Human Resource Management
This is an excellent book if your are interested in learning all about Human Resource Management. It's very easy to read and follow. It's well-organized and well-written, chapter after chapter. The main points are clearly emphasized, with key definitions on each page. There are several things I liked specifically about this book. First, there was an incredible amount of real life examples throughout the book. Specifically, I appreciated the "HR Transition" section at the beginning of each chapter. The sections helped me understand the material effectively by giving specific business world examples on the topic of dicussion. Second, I appreciated the abundance of the figures, diagrams, charts, and images throughout the book. Often books are well-written, but lack in figures and images. This book, however, succeeds easily in providing adequate amount of visuals. Such figures and images make learning the concepts of the book so much easier. Finally, I appreciated the "Chapter Summary" section. It recapped the main points of the chapter, and helped me understand what information was most important in the chapter. There really isn't a whole lot that I disliked about the book. At times, I felt that some less important points were over-emphasized, and that some of the diagrams were confusing. With any respect, this is an excellent book for anyone interested in Human Resource Management.

Great book for an intro to Human Resource Management
Human Resource Management was a well-written book that was easy to read. It is a great book for someone wishing to learn more about the functions of Human Resources professionals. After reading this book, I have confirmed my major in Human Resources. There are three aspects of this book that I particularily liked, apart from it being easy to read. Frist, it is clear to the reader what is expected to be learned because the objectives are stated at the beginning of each chapter. Second, the book relates the concepts to real-life situations in the HR perspective sections. This makes it easier to grasp "textbook" definitions. Third, the authors make good use of figures and graphs to further reiterate the concepts. This is especially helpful for visual learners, like myself. In all, I would recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn more about Human Resource Management.

Where's the Beef???
I use this text in a college course I teach and I would give it less than a C. The authors attempt to cover a wide range of material, but they fail to correctly present critical material even when informed of their mistakes. The book does contain links to useful web sites and is current on many of its topics. However, on the subject of diversity and EEO - they need to stick to the facts and not what will sell books. Too many errors for a text this costly.

One of the most useful textbooks ....
I used this textbook for my MBA Human Resource Management course in the spring of 2001. I found the textbook quite up to date with great case studies and end of chapter exercises. They were quite relavent to current issues and the ongoing AOL-Time Warner case was an used throughout the book.

Objective Learning
I believed the text book to be a great tool in the education of Human Resource Management. The book was very objective in teaching the aspects and procedures of Human Resource Management. The text would give both sides to the story. In almost all areas, the book gave disadvantages and advantages to using the policies presented. The text also did a good job of relating the material with current events. The text provided stories and inserts that related to issues with current companies. Therefore the reader is allowed to see how the material is actually applied in the real world. ... Read more

Book Description

When first introduced to the market in 1998, Contemporary Management, by Jones and George made a huge splash with its innovative voice, content, pedagogy, design, and package. The cutting-edge 3rd Edition continues to redefine what principles of management texts should look, sound, and feel like. Authors Gareth Jones and Jennifer George are dedicated to the challenge of “Making It Real” for students. As a team, they are uniquely qualified to write about both the strategic imperative for managers and organizational challenges that real managers face! Their combined research and text-writing experience is matched by no author team today. Contemporary Management is a comprehensive text that surveys the theoretical underpinnings of modern management thought and research and through a variety of real world examples from small, medium, and large companies shows the reader how those ideas are used by practicing managers. Of course, the organization of this text follows the mainstream functional approach of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling; but the content is flexible and encourages instructors to use the organization they are most comfortable with. The themes of diversity, ethics, and information technology have been greatly expanded in the 3rd Edition through in-text examples, photographs, “unboxed” stories, and the end-of-chapter material – all areas of importance that truly serve to bring to life the workplace realities that today’s student will encounter in the course of a career. ... Read more

Book Description

Business Law Today, Standard Edition is an accessible law text with high interest and exceptional visual appeal. This is a book that professors like, while students appreciate its thorough, dynamic coverage of traditional business law topics and summarized cases. This text meets the AACSB curriculum requirements. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Not Only For Students
I am using this textbook in several of my classes, and let me just say- it has everything I could have hoped for. The chapters are laid out well, many cases are cited, and the student is given actual cases to figure out, with the citations given at the end so he can find the actual outcome. I've found this to be among the best textbooks. It is so good, in fact that I've reccomended it to several of my friends who are going into business for themselves. This covers nearly everything they'll need to know regarding contracts, secured transactions, warranties, etc.
Love the law!

Business Law Today by Jentz et al.
This is an excellent text. It incorporates the law, as well as
legal research methodologies. For instance, a standard chapter
contains an outline, common law sources,constitutional,
statutory and administrative laws/rule-making. The work cites
computerized legal research in WESTLAW and LEXIS. Relevant
international legal citations are listed. The applicable
United States Code is cited by Title and specific paragraph.
In some cases, individual state legal codes are cited. There
are exhaustic sets of historical and statutory notes, cross
references and federal practice notes. Each chapter has a
comprehensive case study with a brief synopsis, cited case
and final disposition. There are teaching suggestions at the
end of the instructor's manual together with discussion
questions, research assignments and an explanation of footnotes.
In addition, there is an exhaustive section on essay question
answers.

Here is a model answer:
Stare decisis is a doctrine that prescribes following earlier
judicial decisions in deciding a current case if the facts and
questions are similar. Courts attempt to be consistent with their
own prior decisions and with the decisions of courts superior
to them. Stare decisis is important because part of the function
of law is to maintain stability. If the application of the law
was unpredictable, there would be no consistent rules to follow
and no stability.

The volume has detailed coverage of the following areas:
o Business Ethics o Int'l Business Law
o Employee Rights o Employment law
o Occupational safety o Accounting and the law
o Securities o Mergers and acquisitions
o Insurance o Real Estate
o Financial institutions o Unfair competition
o Advertising o Environmental law
o Health Care o Sports and entertainment
o Hospitality management o Communications
o Government contracts o Legal representation of business

There are significant software support systems; namely,
o Legal Clerk Research Software System
o Computerized Instructor's Manual
o Computerized Questions/Answers
o Case problems on diskette
o CD
o Lecture Builder Software
o Westest
o A Classroom Management System
o WESTrain
o Transparency Masters
o Sample Moot Court and much much more

This text is an excellent purchase for collegiate law students. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Other than the sobering fact that real lives are regularly at stake, running a navy ship is a lot like running a business: leaders of both must get the most out of their crews to operate at peak efficiency and complete the tasks at hand. As commander of the highly acclaimed USS Benfold, Captain D. Michael Abrashoff irrefutably demonstrated how progressive management can succeed at sea; in It's Your Ship, he translates his methods into an approach that can also be applied by land-bound captains of commerce and industry. Describing "the ideas and techniques that I used to win my sailors' trust and, eventually, their enthusiastic commitment to our joint goal of making our ship the best in the fleet," Abrashoff cites embarrassing failures along with subsequent triumphs to illuminate the keys to his accomplished 20-month tenure aboard the guided missile destroyer. His suggestions: lead by example; listen aggressively; communicate purpose and meaning; create a climate of trust; look for results, not salutes; take calculated risks; go beyond standard procedure; build up your people; generate unity; and improve your people's quality of life. While hardly original on the surface, Abrashoff's course should provide practical direction and inspiration for any leader hoping for similarly positive results in similarly rigid organizations. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (48)

Inspirational and Practical
I was fortunate enough to hear the author speak once at work. He provides the inspiration and can-do attitude that empowers people that they can make a difference. He is so effective because he has done it. He could have never changed his part of the Navy unless, his employees, unless he led them through the change himself. He led from the front and backed up his employees. He could have never pulled things off without having the courage to make mistakes and learn. He provides excellent examples of managing up and down the organization...something every leader needs. It is also a skill every employee wants to see in their leader. It was refreshing to see Abrashoff apply his daily learnings to his work. Each time a new risk was taken, whether the risk was successful or not, the author applied the learnings for the next opportunity, readying his team to learn from their trials.

This book is easy to read and practical...a leadership guide that all leaders should read. This will be a must read for my team.

It's Your Ship, a floating leadership benchmark.
Whether your organization is on dry land or floating somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, if your performance levels rely on human beings, "It's Your Ship" is a must read.

In business, all too often the human element is overlooked. Human relations is generally reguarded as soft skills, which organizations do not value. However, it is my opinion and apparently Mike Abrashoff's also, that organizations have alot to gain by successfully implementing these so-called soft skills.

The author, Captain D. Michael Abrashoff, teaches what he refers to as grassroots leadership. He uses behavior modification, empowerment, and team building techniques to transform a mediocre performing group into the best damn ship in the navy.

A billion dollar naval warship is not the typical organizational setting. However, the author uses his experience as commander of the U.S.S. Benfold (a nuclear powered naval destroyer) to teach effective management skills to all who lead organizations on dry land.

Abrashoff also teaches the importance of putting the needs of your subordinates before your own. Throughout the book Mike continually challenges the status quo for the good of his group.
The author describes a practical but all too uncommon leadership style that decentralizes authority and empowers people to make their own decisions.

D. Michael Abrashoff is the kind of leader that we all want to have and to be. However, a lack of courage, resistance to change, and status quo keep many of us from attaining Abrashoff's level of leadership greatness.

"It's Your Ship" offers the answers to the valuable managerial question of, how do you motivate employees to achieve high levels of performance.

"It's Your Ship" is a truly inspirational story of how effective leadership can transform any organization into a high powered and high performing team.

It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Shi
I picked this up as I had been part of the Navy and was interested to see what Captain Abrashoff offered in Management philosophy. The reading turned out to be a great pleasure and an informative one. The techniques and processes he used, translate to different industry managements, not just the military. I am a CIO and have provided this book to the Managers of the department. Management techniques are not one time events, but need to be developed as part of the company culture, Captain Abrashoff's offerings are what we are trying to instill in our culture.

Best Damn Book on Leadership Ever Written
As a long-time Air Force Instructor who specializes in teaching leadership courses, I was stunned at the simplicity and wildly effective techniques described in this book. Captain Abrashoff simply followed his heart, and in the process, not only nearly transformed the Navy but created allegiances so herculean that you'd think you were reading Greek mythology. Nothing fancy here--a committed leader, determined to do what makes sense and what makes his people feel most empowered and personally satisfied. His eager crew knocked the socks off every existing comparable ship in the fleet, but that wasn't his best legacy. His greatest gift as a leader was his willingness to learn and to change as needed--and that, as uncomplicated as it sounds, created physical and emotional miracles. More than once, I reached for the tissue box, and more than once, I asked Providence to bless him and anyone else who was determined to lead as he did and does. Easy to read, brief, and magnetically compelling, this is a magnificent primer for every person who leads or who aspires to do so one day. I have read many dozens of books on leadership for my profession, but this one blows every single one of them "out of the water". Read and heed, and your abilities as a great inspiration and guide will multiply exponentially. Extraordinary!

Practical Experience
Captain D. Michael Abrashoff changed the way the Navy does business. He proved that by making the crew the team, his ship could outperform all the others in the entire fleet. While that didn't start as his goal, his leadership insights quickly spread throughout the US Navy based on the Benfold's operational performance. It's also a book about treating the members of the team as important contributors, and well as people. The book is about leadership, from a practical, reproducible point of view. ... Read more

Book Description

This accessible, streamlined introduction to marketing by two of today's best-selling marketing authors helps users master the basic principles and practices of modern marketing in an enjoyable and practical way.The new edition is an even more effective text than its predecessors: it is complete, easy to manage, and explains how marketing affects the big picture in business and influences specific company divisions like accounting, information technologies, finance, operations, and human resources. Updated to present the latest marketing thinking, it builds upon a framework which positions marketing as the art and science of creating value for customers in order to capture value from customers in return.An excellent resource and tool for those employed in the field of marketing and sales; especially helpful for employees of global companies. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great basic marketing text at a great price!
I use this textbook to teach about 1,500 students per year in my courses. I find the book to be well-written and interesting. More importantly, *many* students tell me that enjoy reading the book. (I can tell you that it is rare to have students providing positive feedback on textbooks that are required reading). Armstrong and Kotler are leaders in the field, and their hardcover book holds the largest market share among U.S. universities. Books don't make it to the 10th edition (or 5th for paperback) w/o being good!

Boring
This book is easy to read, but there is so much waffle the basic principles are lost. I found the frequent interruption of the text by case studies very annoying. Don't waste your money.

Incomplete, Unclear, Old
This book isn't clear on many topics. The ideas are old and stale unlike many other books which I've found in the same area. The pages are boring and do not make anyone want to learn more about marketing.

Complete, clear and updated
This book is very valuable even for those professionals with long experience in marketing. Either as reference work for the most modern marketing techniques or as case study of various companies (and its marketing problems and solutions), the book of Kotler and Armstrong is excellent. The dense appendixes reinforce the quality of the volume. In there it is possible to find some novelties as, for exemple, advices for those looking for careers in marketing. The practical exercises at the end of each chapter help to apply the contents in our diary lives. Colorful drawings, charts and ads samples make each page a delight for the eyes. This book allows learning with a touch of printing art.

Highly recommended for business students.
Hi, my name is Banggajam Velayudham. Currently I am pursuing an ABE business management course. Last term when I sat for my marketing Exam,My lecturer Ms.Chua recommend this book to me and I used the "Introduction to Marketing" by Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong. This book is very good and act as a guide and has good notes and case stuides of the real business world with many pictures and particularly short notes on key points and it really helped me to get an A in my exam. I as student would highly recommed this book for ABE students. Thanks Mr.Kotler and Mr. Armstrong for coming out with such a wonderful boo,. ... Read more

Book Description

Leadership and Self-Deception is the first book to identify a single, underlying cause of every form of leadership failure. Through the story of Tom—a “shluck” in his manager’s words—readers discover that identifying and treating individual leadership problems as if they were separate and distinct is not enough to transform people into successful leaders. The authors suggest that the key to leadership lies not in what we do, but in how we "are." They explore this compelling secret: Self-deception is the central player and trap underlying all leadership failures, relationship issues, and performance problems in organizations. Leaders who live in the box of self-deception are trapped: they cannot lead, no matter how hard they try and no matter how many skills and techniques they employ. With convincing examples, the authors show clearly how self-deception operates and how to overcome it. While other books cover people skills, this one goes deeper, fully illuminating the secret to leadership success. ... Read more

Reviews (76)

In the box
I think the "Light on content" reviewer is in the box! The concepts in this book COULD perhaps be contained in a small pamphlet, but Terry Warner's book guides the reader through useful and practical applications. Most people, including me, cannot simply read a pamphlet and expect the concepts contained therein to immediately change us. This book takes the time to help the reader internalize potentially life-changing ideas.

Good Stuff--Not For the Timid
Don't read this book if you're not willing to confront yourself about how you see, feel about and treat others in your life--spouse, boss, children, co-workers, subordinates, the janitor. It's a short and simple book with a surprisingly simple message. You'll find yourself constantly stopping throughout the book to reflect upon some situation you could have, and should have, handled differently by thinking about those involved in a different manner. This is a truly fresh and human approach to leadership and performance. Read it!

Remarkable
So much of this kind of writing is common sense once you're done the book... but this kind of common sense needs to be reinforced over and over again.

Written in an easy to follow narrative you find yourself relating to the main character, coming up with the same questions he has, and feeling the same feelings as he finds the truth about what he is living, feeling & learning.

A quick read and a remarkable look into how you can live & work everday.

I suppose it could be useful ...
... but like most "leadership" books, it presents material that is more common sense than anything. However it may be the most obvious things that people overlook.

Nonetheless, the book can inadvertently create even more of "a box" between those who believe in the book's mantra and those who don't. The former will accuse the latter of "being in the box" while the latter may argue how the content oversimplifies things. In reality, like most philosophies, the answer is probably in the middle somewhere. The book recommends that we should evaluate our relationships as those between people, rather than objects, and that any problems we see may really be problems with ourselves. This ignores the fact that there are in reality (albeit hopefully uncommon) low performers, disrespectful, and dishonest people, and sometimes the problem really is with them.

Get Out of The BOX
This book is outstanding in helping with judgements and self-deception. The principles are taught and reflected in a business relationship enviorment. The new guy ends up learning how to deal more effectively with people at work and at home.

This book is not just for business people. Leadership of Self-Deception is about every relationship. The story and concepts in the book help to open the veil that covers our minds and hearts which cause difficulties with people.

The ideas within this book take you to the deepest levels of judging and dealing with people. You learn how to change your viewpoint to have healthy vibrant relationships with coworkers, family, friends, and anyone you meet. This book took me to a deeper level then Who Moved My Cheese and The One Minute Manger.

There are twelve inches which seperates are head and heart. This book helps to bridge the gap and open us to better relationships. ... Read more

Book Description

"This is the best of the how-to-invest-in-real-estate books currently available."
–Robert Bruss, syndicated columnist and real estate author

THE BESTSELLING GUIDE TO REAL ESTATE INVESTING

Now in its fourth edition, Investing in Real Estate is the straightforward guide that helps you start growing your fortune by investing in houses and small apartment buildings. Successful real estate investors Andrew McLean and Gary Eldred show you how you can outperform the stock market by investing in residential real estate–the surest and safest way to build assets.

This new edition offers an expanded discussion of the best methods and techniques for fixing and flipping properties and creating value. You’ ll also find all the information you need to start investing now, as well as up-to-date tips on maintaining cash flow, negotiating deals, spotting market trends, and using the Internet as a research tool to find and buy properties. Let McLean and Eldred show you how to:

• Buy with little or no money down
• Minimize taxes while building your wealth
• Choose neighborhoods and properties that will beat the market with faster rates of appreciation
• Grow value in your properties by investing in improvements
• Pick the best way to finance your purchases

Whether you need money for your child’s college tuition, a more comfortable retirement, or just a higher standard of living, Investing in Real Estate, Fourth Edition is the only guide you need to start building wealth now. ... Read more

Reviews (76)

Helpful For Everyone
You're not just buying a book to read here. The amount of information in "Investing In Real Estate" makes it an investment. These are the facts. The way things are. There has been spiked interest in RE recently because of the recent low interest rates which has caused an upsurge home-buying in many parts of the country. With all of the real estate courses, seminars, tapes and books being marketed, how rare is it today to hear the facts and not just the hyperbole? This is the most comprehensive and detailed, to-the-point real estate book available.

If you're a normal home owner and want to increase your home's value with some shrewd fixing-up before you sell it, you can get tons of pointers here. Want to find the best bargain with your first purchase or your new home? Manage your property(ies)?
What criteria do you use to find the best property? How do you check to make sure? Creative financing is also covered.

This is not just for those investing in apartments or a duplex but everyone. Want to rent-out your house? You will learn the basic laws and procedures, and how to write up the most appropriate lease and how to cross your "T's" and dot your "I's." Almost all of us know people who've rented their homes out and had "bad tenants." You'll learn how to screen properly here to avoid them, and how you can use the (local) law.

There are many simple and proven math models on how to calculate the return you'll get from buying a detached house, condo, duplex, tri, fourplex, or multi-unit apartment complex. The Gross Rent Muliplyer (GRM), Income Capitalization "Caps," Net Operating Income (NOI), Return on Investment (ROI), and Before Tax Cash Flow (BTCF) etc. Add these simple equations and formulas to the fact that you likely live in the community (familiar with) you'll be buying/investing in, and you'll have the best chance to earn some positive Cash Flow, and choose the best option available. Ways to evaluate neighborhoods and areas that are up-and-coming, paying less taxes, and using depreciation and deductions properly are also covered. Very important for homebuyers and owners yes, but this is the most comprehensive book written for people who are looking to purchase property to plan ahead.

Good solid book
Among all of the books on real estate investing, this one gives you the best solid introduction. Once you decide the exact strategy you wish to pursue, you will want more specialized detail (like on renovations). I also liked the authors' approach in that they tell you how to really analyze your local market to develop ideas that will likely yield the best profits