Book Description

Fast food has hastened the malling of our landscape, widened the chasm between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled American cultural imperialism abroad. That's a lengthy list of charges, but here Eric Schlosser makes them stick with an artful mix of first-rate reportage, wry wit, and careful reasoning.

Schlosser's myth-shattering survey stretches from California's subdivisions where the business was born to the industrial corridor along the New Jersey Turnpike where many fast food's flavors are concocted. Along the way, he unearths a trove of fascinating, unsettling truths -- from the unholy alliance between fast food and Hollywood to the seismic changes the industry has wrought in food production, popular culture, and even real estate. He also uncovers the fast food chains' disturbing efforts to reel in the youngest, most susceptible consumers even while they hone their institutionalized exploitation of teenagers and minorities.

Reviews (1014)

McInteresting Look at Fast Food
I read this book knowing I was not going to learn any new and cheery anecdotes about how Ronald McDonald got his start..... instead I read this to solidify the notion that fast food was not a healthy choice. And boy, did this book give you reasons it is not, and I'm not just talking nutritional value here.

I found this book fascinating for the detail was great, well researched, and given to the reader straight. It was an eye opening book. Who knew that due to the meat industry being run just by a few corporations, essentially we are eating the same meat from the same feedlots and slaughter houses whether we buy it at a fast food chain or the local supermarket, and perhaps even the nicer restaurants. I also found some of the content appalling. Cattle are fed cats, dogs, other cows, even old newspaper! If this doesn't outrage you enough, just wait to you get to how these same meat conglomerates treat the low paid, low skilled employees of the slaughterhouses.

This book is insightful and unbelievable, and will make you question how the fast food giants sleep at night.

I'm Supporting What?
I've been trying to write a review for this book and end up not being able to grasp the profound effect it has had on me. I'm left will a feeling of being too small to actually do anything about the "wool" being pulled over America's eyes. From basic human rights to our nation's safety (e.coli, salmonella, etc.), the fast food industry has been able to break laws, cover up incidents and some how flourish, making billions of dollars a year.

I devoured this book, it is easy to read, accurate and eye opening. The contents in this book is something that every American should be familiar. Fast food customers need to be informed of what goes on to deliver that "happy" meal on to that plastic tray from beginning to end. I'd like to thank Eric Schlosser for writing this book, his research has caused me to take a look at what I'm supporting and risking by consuming meat. I for one will not support these arrogant corporate giants and have chosen to stay away from fast food. I have seen the light and it's not from the glowing golden arches down the street!

Appalling. Read it and weep.
Since many other reviewers cover the more repulsive details of Schlosser's book, I will stick to pointing out something I think deserves even more attention: one of the themes of the book is that the fast food industry has its tentacles in EVERY aspect of Americans' lives. Changing this goes far, far beyond bypassing a Big Mac...boycotting fast food is not the same thing as boycotting the fast food industry, when industry practices have made the USDA powerless against meatpackers, advertisers target children as consumers, and schools are taking money for corporate sponsorship.

This a fantastic book and it touches on a lot of areas that I don't normally think of relating to fast food, such as the plight of abused migrant workers in the slaughterhouses and the economics of teen labor. Everybody should read it, even if you never eat fast food, because you're affected too.

Disturbing... Will never eat fast food again!
I must warn the reader that you'll never want to eat fast food again after you read this book. I've never been a big fast food junkie, though I've eaten it if there isn't anything else around, but I won't again take a bite of the same even if I'm starving during a road trip and the only food available is a drive-thru burger joint. Eric Schlosser's book is an impressive, albeit disturbing dissection of the fast food industry in the United States, one that examines each aspect of said industry with unflinching, well-researched facts. The result is an unflattering picture of an industry that has changed US business and eating habits in an almost secretive fashion. The book is a fascinating look into the business and talks about the process of hiring, franchising, purchasing and other practices. The most fascinating and disturbing chapters concern, however, the beef served at fast food restaurants and how it gets there. I warn you that it is not a pretty picture. If you care about the food you eat, these chapters will sicken you. You must read this book (unless you never eat fast food at all). The quality of the food aside, this book is extremely critical of the fast food industry and I believe that if you are a fast food lover, this book will disturb and upset you. As I said above, the picture Schlosser paints isn't pretty, nothing is sugarcoated. This is well-researched and well-written book and I highly recommend it.

KNOW WHAT YOU EAT AND SUPPORT
SCHLOSSER SAYS THE EASIEST WAY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WAY FAST FOOD/MEAT PACKING COMPANIES CONDUCT FRADULENT BUSINESS TACTICS IS TO "NOT EAT IT". THIS BOOK IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE CONSUMERS MUST KNOW WHAT WE ARE EATING, SUPPORTING, AND CONTRIBUTING TO. THIS IS A GREAT BOOK WITH MUCH RESEARCH. ... Read more

Book Description

As Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz demonstrate in their groundbreaking New York Times bestseller, managing energy, not time, is the key to enduring high performance as well as to health, happiness, and life balance. Their Full Engagement Training System is grounded in twenty-five years of working with great athletes -- tennis champ Monica Seles and speed-skating gold medalist Dan Jansen, to name just two -- to help them perform more effectively under brutal competitive pressures. Now this powerful, step-by-step program will help you to:

· Mobilize four key sources of energy

· Balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal

· Expand capacity in the same systematic way that elite athletes do

· Create highly specific, positive energy management rituals

The Power of Full Engagement is a highly practical, scientifically based approach to managing your energy more skillfully. It provides a clear road map to becoming more physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aligned -- both on and off the job. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Well worth the time
I work as a stress management trainer for humanitarian relief and development workers around the world, so I've read a lot of self-help books in my time. This is one of the best I've read. Beautifully structured, it's finely balanced between research, anecdotes and application. It kept my attention throughout, and most pages now have highlighter on them. It's well worth the time to read and will challenge you gently, but firmly, to assess your priorities and how you are living your life. ... Read more

Book Description

For people who are overwhelmed by tasks of all sizes, this book provides the 21 most effective methods for conquering procrastination and accomplishing more. By identifying, then tackling, their biggest, most unpleasant task first — the philosophy of "eating a frog" — readers learn to plan and organize each day, set priorities, get started right away, and complete jobs faster. Written in a fast-moving format and breezy style, this book is immediately accessible and applicable for readers in any occupation. ... Read more

Reviews (41)

The Greatest Student of Success is Brian Tracy!
I've been listening to Brian Tracy audio cassette programs since the mid-1980's and have always been impressed with his committment to research and the high-quality of advice. He has always been a prolific producer of self-improvement materials without the hype of a Tony Robbins. In "Eat the Frog" Brian chunks down and simplifies the time management process into 21 easy and clear steps with action steps at the end. This book may be the best book for many people who want to accomplish goals and manage their life. I think every company should buy copies of this book and give them to their representatives especially if they need something to read for air travel. You can get the gist of it in a day, but use it for a lifetime. I know that Brian could have written a 300 page book if he wanted to, but this one is handy, simple, and profound. For me personally, I'd like to see a second edition of the book with some diagrams, cartoons, and pictures. That would make this book a little more interesting and fun.

I loved this book! It's changing my entire way of life!
Thanks, Mr. Tracy, for this inspriational book. It's a quick read full of no-nonsense tips. Although its advice isn't really new to me (prioritize; set goals; make A-B-C-D-E lists; etc.), somehow Tracy's presentation and style got through to inspiring me. I am getting so much more done--things that are important to my meeting my goals. Finally! I've told a lot of people about this book, and have passed it on to friends and colleagues. We all talk about our "ugly frogs" now, and I actually look forward every day to "eating" the ugliest, biggest frog, instead of piddling my time away on unimportant tasks. This book was just what I needed, and a good investment. I highly recommend it, and can't imagine needing to read another book on procrastination. I wish I had read it years ago. A great idea: why not give this as a gift to your favorite high-school or college student? "Eat That Frog" cured me! It's not too late for you, either!

Packed with a lot of Tracy-isms
Please don't judge this book by it's size. Keep in mind that some of the all time best books were small; As A Man Thinketh, The Richest Man in Bablyon, Acres of Diamonds and more. If you are looking or were expecting one of Brian Tracy's huge 300 page books, you'll be dissappointed. But if you are looking for some nuggets of powerful information, you'll be very satisfied.

Brian is excellent.

21 rules to overcome procrastination
I really can understand the 1 star reviews. Brian Tracy is such a talented author and trainer that it seems like a waste to read a book by him, especially after you have those 300+ page books that he puts out. You have to understand what Brian is trying to do here. This was intended to be a fast read, to give you 21 powerful techniques to overcome procrastination and achieve success. In that light, Brian has succeeded admirably with this work. Highly recommended.

Not deep, but useful, focused and on target, You need it!
This book isn't a new take on time management or efficiency. Instead, Brian Tracy, a man who's own success speaks pretty loudly, takes some of the best wisdom out there on the topic and puts it in a compelling form. This is important beacuse time management is about more than having the right information - it's about putting that information into action. Tracy puts the same message of prioitization and focus in front of you in a form that challenges you to take action. Highly reccomended, but you have to be willing to use this book, not just read it! ... Read more

Amazon.com

In this third installment in the popular Fish! series, the authors examine change as a necessary, ongoing process that should never stop--at least not if one wants to keep the workplace vital and fully alive. Using a fictitious sushi restaurant as an example, this fable examines the three principles that Lundin, Christensen, and Paul believe are necessary for continuing success: Find It ("it" being each employee's personal vision of the business), Live It, and Coach It. Readers of the authors' previous books--Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results and Fish! Tales--should find its familiarity comforting. For those new to the series, this standalone volume is easy to read and highly valuable. --David Bombeck ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A Good Read!
You're back in the fishing boat with the crew that brought you the successful Fish! and Fish! Tales. Offering another finny fable, Stephen C. Lundin, John Christensen and Harry Paul present a business parable based on creating and sustaining successful change. The book uses the same fictitious approach as the other two Fish!ing trips, but this time the story is set at a hospital's nursing station. The agent-of-change head nurse has departed and the new head nurse feels that the group is losing its vision. Then, she discovers that a local sushi restaurant is a model of excellence, and all goes swimmingly after that. Although the advice offered isn't particularly unique, some may find a certain charm in the story. Given that this is round three, the format may seem a little repetitive to those who have already Fish!ed. If you want to catch the core of the message on your first cast, look for the highlights on the occasional pages in whale-size type. We recommend the basic common sense of these messages, even if the storytelling is a little fishy.

A Good Read!
You're back in the fishing boat with the crew that brought you the successful Fish! and Fish! Tales. Offering another finny fable, Stephen C. Lundin, John Christensen and Harry Paul present a business parable based on creating and sustaining successful change. The book uses the same fictitious approach as the other two Fish!ing trips, but this time the story is set at a hospital's nursing station. The agent-of-change head nurse has departed and the new head nurse feels that the group is losing its vision. Then, she discovers that a local sushi restaurant is a model of excellence, and all goes swimmingly after that. Although the advice offered isn't particularly unique, some may find a certain charm in the story. Given that this is round three, the format may seem a little repetitive to those who have already Fish!ed. If you want to catch the core of the message on your first cast, look for the highlights on the occasional pages in whale-size type. We recommend the basic common sense of these messages, even if the storytelling is a little fishy.

Make your changes stick
I liked this book because it took the parable book concept to a more productive level by teaching readers how to make changes and ideas stick after the story ends. Fish Sticks is like a motivational speaker who gives you solid, practical tips that you remember even after the conference. Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life by JoAnna Carey is another great book for companies to share with employees because it offers entertaining stories and goal oriented advice about improving your workplace and your life.

Don't Starve, Learn To Fish!
An excellent book for our changing work enviroment. Let's face it, the workplace isn't the same as it use to be. you better get on board or be left behind. This book will show you how.

Making change stick
How do you get a group of people to adopt new strategies of coping with change? This story provides food for thought. I recommend you read it along with Optimal Thinking: How to Be Your Best Self. When we use Optimal Thinking, we take the most constructive actions and achieve what is supremely important. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (10)

It's not Greenspan's fraud
It's not Greenspan's fraud. That would be giving Mr. Greenspan too much credit. The Federal Reserve is a fraud that was formed long before Greenspan was made its chairman. Greenspan has done a reasonable job of keeping the false prosperity intact, but it won't last. Like all Fed chairman before him he just counterfeited a bunch of money. Take a look at our incomes vs the cost of living and it becomes obvious we haven't made any progress at all. A Great Depression is the only way to resolve the economic distortions the Fed has enabled.

Looking for Mr. GREENSCAM!
     Despite its title, this is less a book about the "Maestro" Alan Greenspan (the current Chairman of the Federal Reserve System) than a review of the recent travails of the U.S. economy and the imbalances it has spawned at home and abroad by its plutocratic excesses. That Mr. G. is a privileged member of that plutocracy of wealth none would deny; he has after all been hailed as Chief Gnome of the Global Economy ever since the Stock Market Crash of 1987; but that he is also the chief architect of its manifold shenanigans and manifest frauds is a stretch, and a claim which Mr Batra can't make stick. Which is unfortunate because the U.S./global economy desperately needs a scapegoat right now!

Probably ALL of us know something about Mr Greenspan. He has been in the public eye as part of the politico-economic elite ever since President Ford appointed him Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors in 1974. He became Chairman of the Fed in 1987, in the wake of the great Paul Volcker, and quickly established himself as Savior of Global Financial Markets after his prompt and brilliantly successful response to theCrash of `87. (How ironic that his Fed career should also ends with a crash: the Millennial Meltdown of 2000-2002). To the rest of us, Greenspan is probably best known for what is sometimes called "Fed-speak," a contorted, convoluted, pretzel-logic kind of economese that passes all understanding. (It might more reasonably be called "GreenSPAM"!) These tidbits aside, however, few of us know much about Mr. G. or the Federal Reserve. And because Batra does not provide us with a coherent chronological account of his quarry's background and career, we are at a loss to know whetherthe barrage of accusations that he fires off in his first chapter (a long and disorganised anti-Greenspan screed) has any merit. This is a failing which dogs Batra's footsteps throughout the book.

Although his case against Greenspan (in Chapters 1 and 4) is not as rigorous as we might like, Batra's larger argument about the causes of the U.S. economic malaise since the early Seventies is excellent. Specifically, what he provides is a much needed neo-Keynesian "demand-side" response to the manifest idiocies of "supply-side" conservatism. In the late Seventies and early Eighties, "Supply-siders" (so called) claimed that high taxes on the wealthy were bad for savings, and hence, investment, and hence growth. Batra shows (Ch 7) that the era of highest taxation on the wealthy, the Fifties and Sixties, was also the era of highest growth! Go figure! Supply-siders also claimed that raising the minimum wage would cause higher unemployment. "Not so," says Batra, who skewers that self-serving myth in Chapter 8. But, you may say, how could the Supply-Siders have been so WRONG if they had the RIGHT recipe for balancing the budget? The answer, as Batra shows, was that the budget was NEVER balanced; it was merely kept under control. How? By increasing payroll taxes on working Americans, under the sleazy guise of "fixing Social Security". Throughout the Eighties and Nineties, despite their alleged ideological differences, both Democrats AND Republicans lined up to vote for reduced taxes on wealth and increased taxes on work. By claiming to "save" Social Security they increased worker deductions, and then used the additional Social Security funds to "balance" the general budget! And, as Batra's incendiary second chapter on the "Social Securiity Fraud" convincingly demonstrates, they did so by lying through their teeth to the American public. Because Greenspan was at the center of that disgraceful stab in the back, Batra holds him accountable for the entire scam. GreenSCAM! But, if you read Chapter Two, which on its own will more than repay your invrstment in this book, you'll realize that while the "Maestro" was the ringmaster, there was no shortage of cheerleaders and helpmates. And Democrats were no less spineless than their GOP counterparts.

To conclude: this book is not a good guide to Greenspan, the man or the mythical figure who has dominated the economic landscape for the past twenty years. But it is an EXCELLENT guide to the manifest ways in which the "new economy" has benefitted the rich and shafted the rest of us.

It's about time !
True, Alan Greenspan may have been lucky in preventing inflation even though that is truly questionable given his support of ENRON-omics. However, day after day you'll hear Greenspan flip and flop on the status of the economy with no coherent understanding. Moreover, he'll even endorse the worst of free trade just because it will make Wall Street happy at the expense of Main Street. This is where Batra's book steps in. You see, Greenspan has no genuine interest in doing what is truly best and correct for the nation as fed chair. His only goal is to serve as a special interest puppet. After all, if the free markets were true replacements for the existing safety nets such as social security, then why is it that Alan Greenspan keeps on flipping and flopping on his stands? Is it because of his wife Andrea Mitchell who gets to show up on the corporate media and the extra money she'll get as Bush's speechwriter after Bush finishes bilking us taxpayers? Not only is that so but Greenspan knows that without economic safety nets, baby boomers will be forced to live off of worthless stocks that resulted from one too many stock market crashes. Batra isn't writing this book to bilk rich people as some conservative reviewers might try to mislead you into believing. His point is that for having played a major role in the 20 years of destructive globalism, Greenspan is actually too good to be true and that's what Wall Street, the conservatives and libertarians, and the media that lives off Greenspan's acting mode are afraid you will find out about.

GREENSPAN CROSSES THE LINE TO PSYCHOTIC SCHIZOPHRENIA
Pick a day of the week a throw a dart. That seems to be what decides whether Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan will tell us we are headed for disaster or doing fabulously on any given day. It has reached the point where it is not just fence straddling, but truly troublesome psychosis. And it has been going on for a while now. Look at this from last year. First, from May 6, 2004 comments to a banking conference: "Our fiscal prospects are, in my judgment, a significant obstacle to long-term stability because the budget deficit is not readily subject to correction by market forces that stabilize other imbalances." Then a few months later to the House Budget Committee: "The most recent data suggest that, on the whole, the expansion has regained some traction." One day he is pointing out that there is an "inverted yield curve," a little thing that precedes every recession and never appears except when there is a recession about to occur, and the next he is saying the economy is wonderful - even in the face of all obvious evidence to the contrary, such as seen in this Washington Post quote typical of the situation: "Greenspan was upbeat about the economy in remarks to the House Budget Committee, and did not suggest there would be any major changes in the Fed's monetary policy, which was a welcome relief to rate-wary investors. But the short-term cheer over his comments was not enough to allay the market's deeper concerns." The problem, though, is not Greenspan himself but something we see play out on a much, much larger scale, and which has the entire nation confused about the current state of the economy, which is actually very simple to explain. You see, it is the job of the entire investment firm profession to get you to buy stocks and bonds. And economists serve these people, and tend to be Republicans. The reality is that Greenspan and others understand the second part of the above Washington Post quote, that there are permanent "deeper concerns" due to the policies implemented by President Bush and the Bush/Limbaugh Republicans. The deficit is real, the declining dollar is real, that the lack of pensions are real, that record number of personal bankruptcies are occurring each year.. So why does the reporting and commenting go back and forth so much? Because they have to say something and to try and say something positive. They sit and wait on this and that report and then are supposed to make some comment based on these snapshots. If they were simply to continue to focus on the big picture, they would have nothing new or interesting - or very positive - to say. How many times can you write, "You can't keep running up the nation's credit cards like this?" How many times can you point out that the tax cuts were not targeted in any way toward job creation - they simply handed money to wealthy people without any incentives linked to increased hiring or any other mechanism of job creation. Lots of money was handed directly to companies, and so their profits increased. That would be nice except for one catch: it was money we didn't have to give. The cheerful reporting of the sudden increase of cash among companies is the eqivalent of going out and buying a new truck and 42-inch TV on your credit card and then coming home and saying, "See how well we are doing, honey, we have all sorts of nice new stuff." The reality in that case would be that, no, things around the household haven't improved, just someone in the household made a stupid decision to run up all sorts of debt that has to be paid down at some point. We hear talk now about foreign investors getting leery of floating our endless bonds. And we hear about the inverted yield curve - the surest sign of a coming recession, when short-term interest rates are, unlike normal, higher than long-term interest rates. You have to take this all a step further, though, because this is just the government aspect of things. Though the press likes to report useless, skewed month to month "unemployment" numbers, the reality is that these numbers only include people still receiving unemployment compensation benefits. Those who have exhausted all of their benefits and are still unable to find work are called, "long-term unemployed." The number of people in this group tells the real story of unemployment, of people permanently put in the worst of financial situations. And as reality has it, the last two years has seen record numbers of long-term unemployed. On top of that, the trend that started during the Clinton years of record personal bankruptcies continues. And the trade deficit continues to set new records. So on the one hand you have a government completely broke, setting deficit borrowing records every year. And on the other, you have the American people completely overspent, credit cards run to the max and many stuck long-term without any employment. And then you have a Baby Boomer group that will be retiring many without pensions, only with dot-com-crash-battered 401K's to depend on. Lady's and gentlemen, the math doesn't add up. The only thing the Bush/Limbaughians have to try and keep things from seeming the disaster they are is their complete domination of the media - of course, as we've explained, this is why they've set up 24 hour-a-day propaganda on all media, to convince the people that things that are horrible for them are actually just fine. You can look at this report or that number, but the "conundrum" Alan Greenspan keeps coming back to is simple: How can he continue to try to say anything positive when the obvious, big-picture context of the economy is horrible and only being exacerbated by current policies? And so you see poor Alan looking like a deranged monkey on acid, saying we have a recovery, things look good, and then, just a few days later, we have a real problem, the deficits and inverted yield curve cannot be ignored.

Ignore the kneejerk reviews - this book tells the truth
So what did Greenspan do for this country that you have to be so proud about? Well, he did push for unfair "free" trade and is continuing to do so with offshoring and the upcoming CAFTA and he overtaxed America on Social Security in an attempt to help the Republicans destroy Social Security and is now pushing for privatization. It's true the Greenspan goes only where the wind blows, be it Clinton in office in the 1990s or now Bush. Maybe Wall Street paid some negative reviewers money to try to stop the dirty secret truth of Alan Greenspan from marching on but like a real patriot always knows "THE TRUTH IS MARCHING ON !" ... Read more

Book Description

The most significant conquest of the twentieth century may well have been the triumph of American consumer society over Europe's bourgeois civilization. It is this little-understood but world-shaking campaign that unfolds in Irresistible Empire, Victoria de Grazia's brilliant account of how the American standard of living defeated the European way of life and achieved the global cultural hegemony that is both its great strength and its key weakness today.

De Grazia describes how, as America's market empire advanced with confidence through Europe, spreading consumer-oriented capitalism, all alternative strategies fell before it--first the bourgeois lifestyle, then the Third Reich's command consumption, and finally the grand experiment of Soviet-style socialist planning. Tracing the peculiar alliance that arrayed New World salesmanship, statecraft, and standardized goods against the Old World's values of status, craft, and good taste, Victoria de Grazia follows the United States' market-driven imperialism through a vivid series of cross-Atlantic incursions by the great inventions of American consumer society. We see Rotarians from Duluth in the company of the high bourgeoisie of Dresden; working-class spectators in ramshackle French theaters conversing with Garbo and Bogart; Stetson-hatted entrepreneurs from Kansas in the midst of fussy Milanese shoppers; and, against the backdrop of Rome's Spanish Steps and Paris's Opera Comique, Fast Food in a showdown with advocates for Slow Food. Demonstrating the intricacies of America's advance, de Grazia offers an intimate and historical dimension to debates over America's exercise of soft power and the process known as Americanization. She raises provocative questions about the quality of the good life, democracy, and peace that issue from the vaunted victory of mass consumer culture.

Reviews (2)

A terrific book on the origins of global consumerism
De Grazia shows that the triumph of American-style consumption in Europe -- from supermarkets to Hollywood movies -- wasn't automatic; there were alternatives, there was resistance, there was a history.The book is full of fascinating surprises: Woodrow Wilson's speech to the first World's Salesmanship Congress in 1916; the Duluth-Dresden connection; Hitler promising to protect Europe from American economic domination. This may be the best book we have on the history of consumption in the 20th century.

Are You Trying to Seduce Me?


A well-written, well-documented, colorful, and entertaining account how American consumer culture came to dominate Europe by the force of seduction. In asking how it is that Europeans came to be so enamored with the American way, De Grazia shows the integral part that the shaping of desire plays in domination. ... Read more

Book Description

More than just a how-to book for the 21st Century, Re-imagine! is a call to arms -- a passionate wake-up call for the business world, educators, and society as a whole. Focusing on how the business climate has changed, this inspirational book outlines how the new world of business works, explores radical ways of overcoming outdated, traditional company values, and embraces an aggressive strategy that empowers talent and brand-driven organizations where everyone has a voice. ... Read more

Reviews (46)

Well...DUH!
Peters's brilliant "new" idea about "re-inventing" business? Technology! Specifically, using the web and wireless communications to speed things along, eliminate middle men, and sift through unneccessary bureaucratic clutter.

To say this isn't necessarily a new idea would be understating the situation, but what is really frustrating is that Peters seems intent on reiterating this non-revolutionary ideal, over and over and over and over and over, ad-nauseum, throughout the tedious 256 pages that comprise this book. Additionally cumbersome is the flipped-out way the book is designed. Much style over substance here, and it seems as if the publishers of this book might be taking some sadistic pleasure in making it as difficult to read as possible.

While I enjoy most DK books (travel guides, reference, etc...), the subject matter here is an ill-fit for their style of publication.

I was terrifically disappointed with this book and would advise anyone I know who wanted to learn more about the world of modern business to look elsewhere for substancial information.

The first coffee table business book?
The world needs more leaders - not MBAs (More Boring Anal - ists)

I confess that am a big fan of Peter's previous work - most of which is recycled in this book - He still inspires me and challanges the status quo orientated world of business management.

This book gets a 5* from me not for new ideas, but because I love the packaging. Tom has re-imagined the concept of a business book brilliant! The whole books shouts LOOK AT ME! And, it need a place in every reception, coffee bar and board room.

So many businesses are stuck in old ways of doing things. Even when they know what to do, they still don't do what they know.

I'm sure many people will hate this book and criticise Peter's for recycling and lack of new content. My opinion is that he is trying to do more of what he does best - WAKE PEOPLE UP.

If you already run a business that is doing everything espoused in this book, or .... if you think there are any newer ideas that superceed Peter's opinions on leadership, service and innovation .... or if if you can truly recommend authors who have broken new ground, that seeks to transform peoples business thinking (rather than recycling the same 30 year old stuff on strategic planning and management) then let us know about it - 'til then put up or re-think! yourself!!

And, BTW I also love the Audi A4, my Powerbook, my IPod and R50 pentel's!!

Interesting but hard on the arm muscles
This is a wild collection of Tom Peters thoughts culled from his portfolio of Powerpoint slides.

I particularly liked the Chapter on Education - both the current workforce & the future workforce.

For all the boasting he made about his new partnership with Dorling Kindersley, I found the book too heavy, and the key "Contrast" Summary tables at the end of each Chapter were printed White feint on a bright Red background - very hard to read - DK should know better.

the greatest business book of the year (no really!)
As a budding entrepreneur I've read a lot of business books in the past 4 years. So I can't quite understand how it is that I've never read a tompeters! book until now.
From other reviews I've seen here, it would appear that some of the material is an updated version of stuff that's been said/written/blogged before - but really, so what? This is an absolutely fantastic book that covers so much ground.
Design, boomers, marketing to women, sales, Talent, branding and of course the future.

This is not only crammed full of content it is an absolute pleasure to read. The design of this book is wonderful - not at all what you'd expect for a 'business' book.
Colour & loads of it, sidebars on every page linked to the main text, images that complement & stories galore.

I normally read with a highlighter, you know 'just the important stuff' to aid re-reading & wisdom-retention. That's the only bad thing about this book - you can't shorten it, summarise it or give the highlights. There's just so much on every page. Examples, stories, links to books or people or web pages.

The future is going to be vastly different than most of us have been preparing for - there aren't many better guides than tom peters (seth godin, dan sullivan & ricardo semlar would be my pick alongside tp)

Read this book. Please! And then read lovemarks.

Chaotic Compilation of Crusading Canon
If you have never read any of Tom Peters' books, you can skip the earlier ones and just read this one.

If you have read all of his earlier books, you can skip this one.

If you have read some of the earlier books, you can just read the topics in this one that are skipped in the earlier ones you have read. I suspect that that won't be too many.

Tom Peters is our most passionate management guru. He explodes all over his audience in anger, annoyance, passion and rapture. It's a marvelous show . . . and I highly recommend it.

He's also open to new ideas. This book, for instance, gratefully acknowledges contributions from dozens of other authors, CEOs, business thinkers and members of his own family (especially his wife). If you don't read very many business books, I was impressed to see that he cited a very high percentage of the best management books of the last dozen years or so. So if you have read very little on the subject, this book will serve you well.

As intriguing as the book is, it has important limitations. First, the format can be all but impossible to read (especially where text is printed over grey images) in places.

Second, he has blind spots in several areas that make the advice come out somewhat jaundiced. For instance, he hates anything to do with eliminating errors (such as the quality movement and Six Sigma) as though using those methods destroy any chance for innovation in any other area. In my research, I've seen innovation in every dimension of a company exist just fine side-by-side with efforts to eliminate errors and improve quality, whenever different people worked on different aspects of innovation from those working on quality improvement and error elimination.

He correctly points out that women are underestimated and under-served as customers. But in big companies, men still run the show (except at a few bellwethers like Avon Products) . . . and he just ignores the question of how to market to influential men as though it were irrelevant.

Finally, he's been traveling in the exalted circles of the biggest, most influential people and companies for so long that he doesn't have any new examples from the top up-and-coming performers or any new guidance for start-ups. So he's unfortunately dated in his illustrations. That makes the message one that seems to be tame . . . because it is aimed at those who can feel safe in ignoring it as they sit in their palatial suites in the largest companies.

The story is amazingly redundant in the book. There's a microcosm of virtually the whole message of the book in almost every chapter. The repetition is primarily helpful for persuasiveness. It is annoying though if you already get the message.

You can boil the book down to this message: Innovation rules. You need to get off-beat people to work on innovation to have a chance. Everyone's job is innovation. Passion drives successful innovation by creating beautiful, simple systems and wonderful emotional experiences for customers and employees. The leader's job is to create an environment for such innovation. Be ready to fall down, pick yourself up, and try again. Focus your innovation as much as possible on those areas where few others are looking. ... Read more

Book Description

Do you have what it takes tosucceed in your career?

The secret of success is not what they taught you in school. What matters most is not IQ, not a business school degree, not even technical know-how or years of expertise. The single most important factor in job performance and advancement is emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is actually a set of skills that anyone can acquire, and in this practical guide, Daniel Goleman identifies them, explains their importance, and shows how they can be fostered.

For leaders, emotional intelligence is almost 90 percent of what sets stars apart from the mediocre.As Goleman documents, it's the essential ingredient for reaching and staying at the top in any field, even in high-tech careers.And organizations that learn to operate in emotionally intelligent ways are the companies that will remain vital and dynamic in the competitive marketplace of today--and the future.

Comprehensively researched, crisply written, and packed with fascinating case histories of triumphs, disasters, and dramatic turnarounds, Working with Emotional Intelligence may be the most important business book you'll ever read.


... Read more

Reviews (55)

Steps to enhance success Emotionally!
How we need to over ride our emotions sometimes! Daniel Goleman's book is indeed an insight to cultivate one's mind emotionally. Understanding and raising emotional intelligence is essential to your success and leadership potentials. Daniel selects examples and anecdotes from the Fortune 500 companies which shows the competency to deal with various factors at workplace. The training tools, conflict management, building bonds and motivation, encouragement and inspirations are really necessary not with the IQs only but with the 'Emotional Intelligence skills' which enhance leadership to excel. The author shows the way how to manage feelings, interact, communicate and tackle with the issues in organization. Initiative, self control, optimism are some key factors of personal competency which make the emotional control board of the mind geared up to treat right, care and understand. A must read for every business. Its never an arrogance, ego or pride but be in tune with 'Emotional Intelligence'- Thats the trick of the trades for every savvy Leader.

The emotional competence framework
The author suggests five competencies in which we can manage ourselves:

Self awareness (Emotional Awareness, self-accessment, self-confidence)

Self Regulation (Self-Control, Trustworthiness, adaptiblity, innovation)

Motivation (achievement driven, commitment, initiative, optimism)

Empathy (understanding others, developing others, service oriented, politically aware),

Social skills (influence, conflict management, leadership, catalyst, building bonds, collaboration and cooperation, and team).

The book's frame-work focuses on the five competencies: Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, Motivation, Empathy, and Social skills.

I liked the personal stories illustrating the positive effects of soft skills. The storie sources came from friends, associates, and research cases.

I disliked the conclusions drawn from the stories suggesting confidence in cause and effect of EQ results.

I liked what Dr Goleman was advocating about the importance of people skills: social radar, arts of influence, and collaboration and teams.

I disliked lack of detail methodology to achieve the desired results. I felt there was too much contrast between IQ verse EQ. The book provides a strong case argument for an investment in Emotional Intelligent.

One shocking point the author makes early in the book, states that the top 1 percent of the Emotionally Intelligent in the IT field are 1200 percent more productive. I would have liked to read more cases studies about these observations and conclusions for his study. That statement alone sparked a ton of curiousity about EQ. I'm very interested in learning how effective IT managers are in accessing the emotional needs of their employees and customers and how to implement EQ to improve performance.

I disliked the lack of practical application. There was a disconnect between converting ideas of EQ into action. I felt the book focused too much on the principles of EQ, rather than the practical application of EQ. Basically he did not effectively answer the question, " How can I uses the EQ in my job to make a difference." I didn't get the opportunity to say "cool EQ works for me"

I read both and picked the Quickbook
This book was recommended to me as a resource for emotional intelligence in the workplace. I was looking for something to give to managers here at my company and I also puchased the recommended title on this page, The Emotional Intelligence Quickbook. Working is alright and I can see how it was a good resource when it came out in 1998, but The Emotional Intelligence Quickbook is more up to date and far more practical. It also worked well for us because it comes with a free emotional intelligence test online.

Packed With Knowledge!
Daniel Goleman followed up his bestselling classic Emotional Intelligence with this equally classic sequel that focuses on how emotional intelligence is applied in the workplace. Insightful and richly detailed, Goleman's work educates and inspires without ever sounding trite or sappy, like some annoying quick-fix scheme. If you are leadership bound and think success is all about strategy and technique, this will provide some very useful insights into what people really think about managing and being managed. The most intriguing sections focus on the application of emotional intelligence at work, but it would be pretty useful at home, too (if we could just get out of the office). If you think that you don't need to be more aware of the emotional undercurrents all around you, we warn that you need to read this most of all.

Success is based on how you apply emotional intelligence
This is a wonderful book, and is truly an insightful look at what helps us to be successful in leadership positions in the workplace. The old model of senior management was based on owning all the information and knowledge and being able to understand what everyone does in fine detail, and was often the "promoted-up-through-the-ranks" type of leader. But with modern business involving so much change, and constantly shifting market demands and organizational structures, what worked well yesterday will not move the organization or your career ahead tomorrow.

The author uses as a platform the work on Emotional Intelligence, which unlike typically defined intelligence, focuses on the ability to apply emotional and inspirational information in a variety of social settings and through a vast array of relationships. It is this ability he concludes that predicts success in today's workplace.

Among the areas of discussion are five competencies in which our ability is revealed. The first is "Self Awareness" which includes emotional awareness, self-assessment, and self-confidence. How many times have we worked for or with someone who could not control their emotions and lacked the self awareness to understand how their actions impacted those around them? The importance of balancing performance while exhibiting the values of the organization through a positive culture has never been more in need. Many who have the intelligence to do the work, lack the emotional intelligence to build the relationships and culture needed to get the work done through others. The book explores these pitfalls and discusses suggestions for change.

The other areas are similar: "Self Regulation" (self-control, trustworthiness, adaptability, innovation), "Motivation" (achievement driven, commitment, initiative, and optimism), "Empathy" (understanding others, developing others, service oriented, politically aware), and "Social Skills" (influence, conflict management, leadership, catalyst, building bonds, collaboration and cooperation, and teamwork).

All of the five competencies are presented well, with examples and suggestions for improvement. Some reviewers have noted the lack of "scientific" type of analysis, but I feel that misses the point. The first hurdle to overcome if one wants to be as successful as possible is a basic awareness of the importance of interpersonal skills, and building strong working relationships with others. The opportunity for a purely autocratic style to operate in today's business is rare and therefore the majority of those leading businesses will need to focus on how they apply their EQ, not just their IQ.

This book does an excellent job at presenting what EQ success looks like and why it is important. It is not a step by step manual for improving one's business success, as that would ironically be an IQ approach. The book instead is a great eye-opener of the importance of emotions, and how we read others and interact with them. Highly recommended, and a great starting point for improving your ability to lead others in today's business environment. ... Read more

Book Description

Pearls from The LITTLE BOOK OF BUSINESS WISDOM

"The man who starts out simply with the idea of getting rich won't succeed; you must have a larger ambition."-JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER

"Think about the customer, not the competition: Competitors represent your industry's past, as, over the years, collective habits become ingrained. Customers are your future, representing new opportunities, ideas, and avenues for growth."-MICHAEL S. DELL

"You've got to be out in front of crowds, repeating yourself over and over again, never changing your message no matter how much it bores you." -JACK WELCH

"Always break orders to save owners. There never was a great character who did not sometimes smash the routine regulations and make new ones for himself." -ANDREW CARNEGIE

"Don't speak up at a meeting until you have something meaningful to contribute. Talking to attract attention may call attention to your blank spots." -JO FOXWORTH

"Make 'em feel guilty when they do nothing. One thing I can't stand is people who don't act on a situation. I'd rather that people make mistakes than sit around and not do something."-DAVE THOMAS ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A good read and very thought provoking
I gave this book 4 stars because, while it was refreshing to read and I definitely learned quite a bit, it wasn't a paradigm-shifting book, which is what I am increasingly moving towards for my 5 star books.

I personally love the art of business. Yeah, you read that right........business is an art...

The Little Book of Business Wisdom has tons of useful information (over 50 different short stories/essays) that you could apply to your business or to understand what differentiates average companies from great companies. I underlined more than average when reading this book. I read this book hoping to learn some insightful comments and business practices to apply to my business once I get it up and running. I am trying to plan for the future and all of these business leaders have experienced phenomenal success and growth or trained those business leaders. This book is definitely worth picking up and is a KEEPER! If you are interested in a comparable book worth picking up you may want to look at Every Mistake in the Book by F.J. Lennon as I found this book to be a very straight book from a guy that ran his own company.

Another "Classic" Resource from Krass
I really admire the talents of Peter Krass who has brilliantly edited a number of "Wisdom" books, this being the most recent. Once again, he has assembled a collection of more than 50 essays written by what are correctly referred to as "business legends." Here is how the material is organized:

Part I: Management Principles (eg Lee Iacocca and John Erik Jonsson)

Part II: Leadership Secrets (eg John F. Welch, Jr. and Robert Townsend)

Part III: Qualities for Personal Management (eg David Ogilvy and Andrew S. Grove)

Part IV: Wall Street Wizards (eg Sir John M. Templeton and Peter Lynch)

Part V: Gunslingers and the Entrepreneurial Drive (eg P.T. Barnum and Lillian Vernon)

Part VI: The Gurus (eg Warren Bennis and Peter F. Drucker)

Part VII: Builders of Culture (eg Howard M. Schultz and Mary Kay Ash)

Part VIII: Maxims for Life (eg Carley Fiorina and Benjamin Franklin)

You get the idea. I should add that some of the specific titles are probably not readily available anywhere else. For example, J.C. Penney's "Six Principles for Winning", Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield's "Our Aspirations", and Al Neuharth's "An S.O.B.'s Ten Secrets to Success." This would make a terrific holiday gift for your business associates, customers, etc. but also (especially) for recent or imminent graduates who are committed to a career in business.

Please do not ignore Krass's Introduction. As always, he offers excellent insights of his own as well as remarks which help to create an appropriate context for the essays which follow. ... Read more

Book Description

"The hour of capitalism's greatest triumph" writes Hernando de Soto, "is, in the eyes of four-fifths of humanity, its hour of crisis." In The Mystery of Capital, the world-famous Peruvian economist takes up the question that, more than any other, is central to one of the most crucial problems the world faces today: Why do some countries succeed at capitalism while others fail?

In strong opposition to the popular view that success is determined by cultural differences, de Soto finds that it actually has everything to do with the legal structure of property and property rights. Every developed nation in the world at one time went through the transformation from predominantly informal, extralegal ownership to a formal, unified legal property system. In the West we've forgotten that creating this system is what also allowed people everywhere to leverage property into wealth. This persuasive book revolutionizes our understanding of capital and points the way to a major transformation of the world economy. ... Read more

Reviews (87)

Profound!!!
De Soto and Tom Friedman (The Lexus and the Olive Tree) are the two authors that make economics accessible. I have just graduated high school, and after basic economics, I understand what de Soto is saying. De Soto is one of the rare economists that has ditched the books and "gotten his hands dirty." He doesn't only forumlates theories, but also applies them in the real world. His research team is spread across the world - in nations such as Egypt, Haiti, Peru, and the Phillipines.

After reading this book, I have become cinvinced that the major problem in the developing and former communist world is the lack of property rights- de Soto's theory. He not only defends his theory, but explains how these thrid world countries can tap into the 9.3 trillion dollars worth of dead capital in their slums, shantys and "suburbs." The proposal is to adopt the society informal property laws into the national formal law in order to allow the poor to claim legal rights to their assets, and therefore allowing them to use their assets as collatoral for loans from banks. He is not idealistic -- he recognizes the problems and the obstacles that have to be met.

This book is fantastic. I read it in four days, and I am not a fast reader, especially econ books I HIGHLY recommend it.

-Joe

de Sota supplies one component for economic growth
The Mystery of Capital attempts to "reopen the exploration of the source of capital and thus explain how to correct the economic failures of poor countries." I believe the author makes an interesting argument within the book concerning the failure of capitalism to catch on in developing and post-communist countries. His argument deals with institutions we here in the West take for granted-property rights and other legal institutions. The connection between these legal institutions and economic growth is clear-and de Sota is clear on this point as well.

He states that an individual living outside the West faces an impenetrable wall of rules that bar them from legally established social and economic activities-such as deleterious bureaucracies that retard growth by wielding red-tape. De Sota sent teams to Peru, the Philippines, Egypt, and Haiti and they experienced firsthand how it takes several years to obtain legal verification of assets-years compared to days here in the West. Under these burdens, individuals create new laws-extralegal laws. These social contracts have created a vibrant but undercapitalized sector. This sector is known in economic layman's terms as the underground or informal economy. The author estimates that over half on the inhabitants in developing countries engage in this sector-using Dead Capital. The value of the assets in the informal markets are huge-surpassing the assets of rich countries sometimes. De Sota has brought attention to the core of the problem-he then states that the solution can be found at the heart of the countries.

He supplies the formula to fix the backwardness of the nascent capitalist nations. The first objective is to unify the many social contracts already existing in the extralegal sector into one, all encompassing social contract-by listening to the "barking dogs", or the people. Past attempts with this aim have failed because they have lacked the legitimacy and support from the current extralegal world. De Sota creates a bridge to fix this dilemma-a bridge that integrates old social property customs into a new all encompassing social contract. By working with their people, government leaders can forge a new regulatory framework. The second task is a task of a political nature because the plan outlined above requires the support of the poor, the elite, and the lawyers. The poor will gain the most because they will greatly increase their economic lifestyles with a more unified social property system that will enable them to use their assets as full functioning capital. The elite will harvest gains as well; they will benefit from an expanded market and growing capitalist economy. The lawyers must not use the current law, but instead fine-tune the law and change it to make it work for all.

De Sota's real world studies and solutions make sense in my mind. He identified a problem and supplied the solution. He may fall short though in his solution because a complex capitalist economy requires much more infrastructure than only property rights-of course I mean other forms of capital, such as human capital. By De Sota is on the right tract; a capitalist economy demands strict and discrete property laws that enable individuals to utilize their assets. His premise is right-under capitalism, the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. In the third world, the poor don't have access to their assets, and they thus flounder in the extralegal sector.

One of the single best books on Economics I've read
Many of the other reviewers have given excellent in depth summaries of DeSoto's book, and I will not regurgitate what others have already done a good job of saying. I will just say this: if you want to know why 3rd world countries are 3rd world countries, and what Gov'ts around the world can do to create prosperity for their people, read this book. Nations are poor because of ill-guarded private property rights. It's that simple. They aren't poor because of lack of socialism (quite the opposite), they aren't poor because of lack of resources, it's because "It's the property rights, stupid!"

Books like this can give hope to the pessimist, that it is possible to end serious poverty in the world. Relative poverty will always exist, but the civilization-destabilizing poverty that exists in the Arab world, in Latin America, *can* be cured if Gov'ts would just put in place a system that allows capital (ie entreprenuers) to grow from the natural resources within the country. Replace Socialism w/ Rule of Law. I hope every member of the Iraqi CPA has read this book and heeded its lessons...

Packed With Knowledge!
Hernando de Soto's ideas cannot and should not be ignored. This book will open many eyes to the nature of capital. The author suggests a radically simple yet enormously challenging way of bringing the world's impoverished billions onto the track of capitalism and development: give them legal property rights to what they "own." The author's intriguing case is that a lack of property rights - not a lack of entrepreneurial zeal or competence - stymies development in the former East Bloc and Third World countries. This seemed to be a shockingly original notion when the author first propounded it in his bestseller The Other Patch, and it still does. If the book has a flaw, we warn, it is that the author's undisguised missionary ardor sometimes makes one wonder whether he is merely a zealot. Even if he were one, the book would merit reading.

Thoughts that come on doves' feet guide the world...
Other reviewers have commented on De Soto's originality in relation to prevailing economic tradition. They have also praised his style - very clear prose, interspersed by passages of honest elegance. Yet, for me, at least, what stands out most about De Soto is his interest in discovery, in reawakening a long forgotten question.

Who asks oneself seriously what capital is today? Is one even generally capable of understanding the question of what capital is? I doubt it - the first reaction is ridicule. Of course one knows what capital is, for one lives in a capitalistic society. One can hardly take such a question seriously.

Yet, this provocative question moves this book. De Soto has carried out first-hand research among the boiling global centres of 'marginal' economic activity. He has not looked for the 'right' theoretical answer to the question of capital, rather, he has tried to discover a way to pose, and answer, the question meaningfully. Meaningfully for whom? To those who have forgotten - those in the West - and to those who wish to learn in the developing world and the former communist nations. What is capital?

Other reviewers have criticised De Soto for redundancy, repetition. These criticisms are off the mark. De Soto has discovered the conceptual solution to the question of the potential of capital: a legitimate system of representation of property. Yet, he can not simply elaborate it in a few words, for one does not still understand the question he is answering. Because it is disturbing and fleeting, it is very difficult to grasp. Thus it requires constant reformulation. Shakespeare used parallel structure, De Soto uses masterful analogies (I particularly like his profound observation on something so seemingly apparent as barking dogs).

De Soto also tries to situate his thought within diverse traditions of Western thought, combining Continental philosophy with American analytics (it is rare to see someone who is capable of synthesizing Derrida with Wittgenstein, to say nothing of Searle!). He seems to be trying to say the same thing in many different ways - yet it is very difficult to understand what that thing (capital) is. De Soto helps the reader by offering many different pathways to the thing (capital) itself.

I feel that De Soto might have engaged more deeply with Plato's thoughts on representation and his analysis of the cave parable is somewhat superficial. A more in-depth engagement might provide the basis for a rethinking of some of the precepts behind private property and capital, which De Soto simply accepts as given. This is a personal quibble only, however, as such speculation would reduce the clarity of the book, and thereby reduce its tremendous practical value for concrete action, obviously the author's main intent.

De Soto has written a masterpiece around a a simple kernal of truth. It seems so obvious in hindsight! Yet, it is the very stillness of those words in which it is expressed which will bring on a storm. ... Read more

Book Description

First course in Econometrics in Economics Departments at better schools, also Economic/Business Forecasting. Statistics prerequisite but nocalculus. Slightly higher level and more comprehensive than Gujarati (M-H, 1996) . P-R covers more time series and forecasting. P-R coverage is notch below Johnston-DiNardo (M-H, 97) and requires no matrix algebra.Includes data disk. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great equations, bad explanations
The subject of econometrics is difficult for the beginner. I have yet to encounter a text that does a great job at explaining both the concepts and the math required to be proficient in this field. I completed three courses, two undergraduate and one graduate level, for which this book was the required text. Like most of my classmates I was never able to fully comprehend the concepts behind the numbers using this text alone. Now that I have a better grasp of econometrics I will vehemently suggest that this text provides a poor verbal description of what a student is actually doing when analyzing data. I found myself reading the chapters 2 or 3 times and still felt unsure of what was going on. Where this book is strong is in its presentation of equations. I highly recommend supplementing this text with Peter Kennedy's, "A Guide to Econometrics," which gives excellent verbal explanations but de-emphasizes the math. These two texts together make a great study for a difficult subject.

It's not that bad
I'm giving this book 5 stars largely to balance out the somewhat unfair reviews that were given. For what it is -- an econometrics textbook that tries to present overview of neginning to intermediate econometrics and forecasting WITHOUT a lot of linear algebra -- it's a pretty good book. While it has its rough spots, the book has many good features. One of the really good features of this book is presenting the material with an emphasis on model building ... a very important emphasis that is too often ignored in other econometrics texts. In an ideal world, this book deserves at least an average of 4 stars and would deserve more if the readers made things more readable and better incorporated advances in econometrics since previous editions.

Hardly readable
This is one of the not so good econometric textbooks I've ever read. The mathematical notations appear to be very confusing and untidy, the text is excessively lengthy. But one who writes actuarial exams has to read it because it is the official textbook.

econometrics for the statistically literate
This is a very good text for an undergraduate student taking a first course in regression analysis and modelling. It is very comprehensive and has some very good examples for a beginner. The only problem is that the field of stochastic modelling is very dynamic so some of the material covered in the book has become outdated.

A very good starter's textbook.
This was my first econometrics textbook 7 years ago. Not difficult at all, but covers the most important material for econometrics students at the beginner's level. Good structure and good examples.You may not be able to find everything there, because it is not "advanced" version. A little bit outdated. Newly developed ideas and technichs are not covered. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Dinosaurs Live!
This is one of the worst entry-level that I have ever seen. It is badlyorganized. The material on Macroeconomics precedes the material onMicroeconomics. It is out of date. Much of the content of this bookconsists of "Old Keynesian" economics of the 1950's that nobody-not even today's "New Keynesians"- believes in anymore. Theauthors briefly mention a few of the major changes in economic theory overthe past 30 years, but do a poor job of explaining these new and dominantconcepts. It is badly written. I have heard many students complain that itis a boring read, and that much of it is difficult to understand. It isunsophisticated and superficial. Its' muddled discussions lack depth, andfail to explore the subtleties of the faulty concepts it presents (this isthe best things about this book). In short, this text is an embarrassmentto the economics profession. The authors have failed to amend the contentof their text in response to advances in economic theorizing, and continueto organize their text in accordance with the faulty and discreditedKeynesian theories of the 1950's. If you must read this for a class,remember that its' content is as bad its' presentation.

Let's not sugar coat this review....
I can't believe after fourteen editions of this book, the quality is still so poor.First of all, this book is too simple even for a high school AP economics class (the one I'm in now).The examples are stuipid anduninteresting.Secondly, this book is difficult to read because of thefont type, the graphics and other things annoying to the eye.This meansreading this book will put a student to sleep.Thirdly, one look at thetable of contents will reveal that the book is totally out of order.Itjumps into macroeconomics without saying anything about supply and demandessential to microeconomics (that's later in the book).Lastly, readingthis book will not increase your knowledge of economics unless you attendthe lectures.So reading this book on your own will only make a vagueimpression of what's said but no understanding.So, teachers andprofessors, do your students a favor by choosing another textbook.

Average.
In my experience, students usually violently disagree on the quality and difficulty of this text. Predictably, the division goes something like this: Camp 1 - it's too difficult, in places there is not enoughexplanation, and the writing style is turgid. Camp 2 - it rambles on fortoo long on irrelevant issues, it does not provide all the necessaryformulae (let alone working out), and is basically high schoolmaterial.

In my opinion, there is truth in both camps' evaluations. Inplaces it does tend to ramble - especially with respect to boring examples,and it does not provide the necessary mathematical appendices for thosestudents going on to intermediate study. In addition to these (justified)student-based complaints, I have my own: the first chapter on methodologyis, as with just about every textbook written these days, pathetic. It doesno service to the discipline of economics to patronisingly peddle the linethat "economics is a science" when there is abolutely no evidenceof a properly developed (let alone explained) scientific approach beingused in the textbook itself. Introductory economics texts have to move intothe late 20thC and admit that economics is not infact a covert physicalscience, and further, does face serious methodological questions about whatit is actually capable of knowing. My other complaint is that there is nosystematic linking together of the microeconomic (quasi-)normative chapters(e.g. the economising problem, general equilibrium, functions ofgovernment, and the section on current social issues). A more coherentapproach that at least introduced students to Arrow, Rawls, Nozick and Senwould not only bring dispirate ideas neatly together, but would also supplystudents with a basic grounding in distributional theories of justice whichthey should encounter in more advanced subjects.

That said, somecriticisms are unwarranted. For example, I don't believe that the text is'too hard'. I have always found this complaint somewhat puzzling, giventhat it is probably the easiest text this side of the bombasically simple"Principles of Economics" by N. Gregory Mankiw. One suspects thatthis reaction is due largely to first year university students not havingmuch experience with economics texts (i.e., not realising that it only getsMUCH harder from first year onwards). Also, it must be said that on thewhole it is reasonably balanced in its political inclinations (in that itdoes not rant about the evils of trade unions or oligopolies). Finally,while the text does ramble, it is nonetheless well written. For the mostpart, those students coming to economics for the first time should havelittle difficulty in comprehending what is being articulated.

In thefinal analysis, the 'pros' and 'cons' balance each other out, making for aneminantly average textbook. This is not to say it's Bad - it's merely tosay that buying it will not set you 'afire with desire' to do moreeconomics...just like most textbooks currently on the market.

McConnell and Brue: Economics
An economists book that does little for the aspiring Economics student.The reader must have a background in Economics before reading this book, and should be accompanied by with a lecture when used for instructionalpurposes.It covers a great depth of econ