Book Description

Hax and Mailuf offer a pragmatic approach to strategic management, offering practicing managers and business readers a disciplined process that facilitates the formulation and implementation of strategy.Most comprehensive, integrated, explicit approach to strategy formulation; Proctor & Gamble used as a running case throughout the text. Other real world examples include NKK and Merck; global perspective, companies are drawn from all over the world. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The Strategy Concept and Process
Need to know about the fundamental concept and process in Strategy? read this book, you will find a comprehensive description in "easy to understand" language, even that you're a beginner in Strategic Management. This book is a usefull guide for anyone, no matter you're a undergraduate, Graduate or Doctoral student. A state of the art of Strategic Management.

Learn To Develop a Strategic Plan and Capture the Essence
Basically, this book aims at making strategy concepts and techniques very clear to readers. In this book, strategy concepts were translated into well-considered formulations.

While reading book, you will see this property many times and it will help you better understand the abstract concepts. When you finished the book, you will be able to place your strategy theory on a strong base. No longer you will think that "Strategy Is a Staff Work." This book will give you the framework in which strategic plans are developed.

And lastly, you will find a lot of cases related to the theory in this invaluable book. I higly recommend..

very usefull in the field
Very exciting knowledge from the expert

A clear and compehensive methodology to make a strategy
The book present a clear and comprehensive methodology to make a strategy at three levels: corporate, business and functional. Include the Porter and BCG analysis. The method explain each step to make a complete analysis of the business before the formulation of the strategy. Each step is practical and adaptive to any kind of business. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Useful For New Managers
New to management? Have to give a performance review and you don't know how to approach it? This book will get you there.

"Effective Phrases for Performance Appraisals: A Guide to Successful Evaluations" by James E. Neal isn't the snappiest book you'll read, and it is not the best value.

It is alphabetically organized by main topic terms, from 'accuracy,' ' achievement' and 'administration' to 'versatility' 'vision' and 'writing ability.'

You'll find 25,000 phrases under 58 such topics. For 'accuracy' there are 24 phrases, like "expects perfection" and "meets precise standards."

The drawback is twofold: the layout wastes space, and the content is easily found in other, more substantive books. It could easily be reduced to a 50 pages booklet.

There are guidelines for appraisals spread across several short appendices.

Useful for the new supervisor, or as a refresher for an experienced middle manager...

Anthony Trendl

Effective Phrases for Performance Appraisals
I purchased a previous edition of this pocket handbook some years ago and replaced it recently with this newer edition..

I get the impression that this thoughtful and well laid out guide was originally for use in the military and other government agencies. It is a very useful tool for allowing your own creative juices to work for you when writing up an appraisal.

The best method that I've found for this little guide is start in with an employee appraisal, then scan through the relevant pages when you feel you are at a sticking point and need some time in order to place the correct phrase that just doesn't seem to come to mind at the moment.

Rest assured that taking a break, scanning through this guide for a while, and then putting your work aside for a few hours will result in some very constructive ideas for you..

s/ Patricia Gibbons

It's a very useful book
This is a fantastic book. The thoughtful yet articulate phrases enhance any performance appraisal. I would highly recommend it.

Awesome! Reviews done quickly!
This is a terrific resource--I finished my performance reviews in half the time!

Invaluable tool for writing
This is an invaluable tool for writing military perforance evaluation reports. The book's best use is as a memory jogger to pick out those phrases which I can then expand upon. Better yet, it keeps me writing in current tense, instead of past tense.

It saved about 5 hours while writing the last one. ... Read more

Book Description

Corporate Information Strategy and Management: Text and Cases 6/e by Applegate, Austin and McFarlan is written for students and managers who desire an overview of contemporary information systems technology (IT) management.It explains the relevant issues of effective management of information services activities and highlights the areas of greatest potential application of the technology.No assumptions are made concerning the reader’s experience with IT, but it is assumed that the reader has some course work or work experience in administration or management.This text is comprised of an extensive collection of Harvard Business cases devoted to Information Technology. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Excellent book
This book is definitely very advanced and is very clearly written. The approach will:
- state (and explain) business problems
- explain the rational in choosing the computer tool (despite the title, the book is not entirely focused on Excel).
- walk you step by step through the modeling process

The CD contains some valuable tools for advances topics (monte carlo and discrete event simulation). Frontline Systems were alo kind enough to send free of charge an updated version of the premium solver for education (the version on CD is not compatible with Excel 2003).

I consider the book a great value and recommend it to anyone who is willing to invest the time to learn from it.

Fasten your seatbelts...
I'll make two separate sets of comments - one for professors and one for students.

Students first... This will be a difficult course no matter which textbook you use. Having said that, I would say that the text is about average in terms of readability in comparison to other texts on the subject. There are plenty of realistic cases to illustrate basic decision/ management science concepts, as well as a very useful CD, with which I recommend that you become well-acquainted as the course moves forward. Not much has changed since the last edition, so you may be able to get by with a previous edition if the textbook (authored by Eppen). Be advised, however, that some of the chapter materials have been re-arranged, including the exercises at the end of each chapter.

For professors... You are probably already aware that this course can be challenging for the professor as well as the student, esp. with respect to how math-intensive you wish the course to be. I think Moore & Weatherford is an excellent text, but it is written as an advanced graduate text. I have been able to "tone it down" for undergraduates by accompanying it with a nice, soft, theory-oriented text on decision/ management science (featuring the teachings of Herbert Simon and some of the early decision science theorists). The text is accompanied with ample instructor resources including a very useful CD with solutions, decision science software. I would engage the students w/ the CD as early as possible. I have also found that the best exams for this course are take-home exams - give the students some moderately challenging decision models to formulate and solve, and focus your evaluation primarily on how well they are able to interpret the results and propose recommendations for decision makers, and secondarily on whether they were able to get the software to spit out the right answers.

Confusing and Poorly Written
Had to buy this book for my class. On the surface it looked OK -- plenty to screenshots and examples, but the problems arise when you try to read the long paragraphs. Language could have been clearer.
Book assumes solid knowledge of Excel, which should be expected of students, but still, some things should not be taken for granted :)
Another classic problem -- chapter 4 refers to examples mentioned in chapter 2. I hate this kind of cross-referencing !

Don't buy it if you can live without it.

...

Unnecessarily difficult to understand
This book is makes a difficult subject even more difficult. It assumes that you already know alot of the concepts in it. It kin of leaves you stumbling around in the dark. I hate this book and the person who wrote it with a passion. A good author should be able to explain concepts in clear organized language, I do not care how difficult.

Not for the uninitiated
I had to buy this book for class. Even the professor stated that the book was heavy going and has to be reread over and over again to understand it. There are examples but they really don't go over them in enough detail. This book is really for someone who already has a good user knowledge of excel and somewhat familiar with solver. Many of my classmates have expressed dissatisfaction with the contents and how it was written. My main complaint is that there are not enough examples to illustrate the many new concepts found in this book. This is a difficult subject and the book doesn't make it easier. ... Read more

Book Description

MORE answers to MORE questions than any other interviewing guide.Sell yourself with style and win the interview game!The most crucial part of your job search is knowing how to respond to the toughest interview questions ù because the best candidate doesn't necessarily get the job....the best interviewee does! In Best Answers to the 201 Most Frequently Asked Interview Questions, career expert Matthew J. DeLuca reveals the secret agenda behind every kind of question interviewers ask, and prepares you to answer them all. Never again be at loss for words when an interviewer hits you with an icebreaker...thought provoker...curve ball...stress tester...and even an illegal question that shouldnÆt be asked but needs an answer. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Pretty good information.
I bought this book prior to interviewing for my current job. The book contains some good information but to be honest I wasn't asked the questions contained in the book. Of course this isn't the books fault. However, the book did help me prepare myself mentally in the event the questions did come up and it helped me to learn how to collect my thoughts and answer confidently. Recommended if you have interview anxiety at all.

Worth it's weight in gold
This book is a must for anyone who is either looking for a job now or possibly will be in the future, which is just about all of us nowadays. It is a no-nonsense reference guide to the kinds of questions to expect during the interview and what the both weak and strong responses are to them, as well as how to respond to inappropriate or illegal questions without totally killing your chances at getting the job.

I especially like the list of questions right at the start for use as a quick index when filling out employment questionnaires. Strong responses to such questions as what aspects of your current job do you like best, or least, are quickly found with a discussion of the reasoning behind the answers.

This book is concise and to the point, and well worth the price even if you don't expect to need it in the near future, if just for the self-confidence and self-examination opportunity it gives you.

I highly recommend it.

Joe Buchberger

Well written, but...
An entire book of ONLY interview questions is just too much of a good thing, IMHO. There are several books which have a chapter on interview questions, and list only the ones which are you really likely to encounter, which I have found much more useful.

If you can buy it cheap then it may be worth looking into.
The beginning chapters are just fluff & common sense. However, it will at least get you thinking about what you may incounter during an interview. I wouldn't rule this book out completley. The biggest problem I had with this book was that, unless you have tons of time to practice and study each question, it is simply impractical to expect to cover all the material. My advice would be to prepare more general areas for the interview. Focusing on particular questions is almost a waste of time.

Poorly written
Maybe I'm just nit picky but although there are some informative tidbits, I feel this book is poorly written. There are other, better Job Interview books on the market. If you're going to plunk down some hard-earned money for this, you're making a mistake. Buy it used. That said, the follow up to this book, something like More Answers to 250 questions (or something like that) is a much better buy. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Not Limited to Swimlane Diagrams
To me, the chapters on data modeling and use case modeling are the most valuable because I now see them in the context of process modeling. I am wondering if W. H. Inmon's book on the operational data store would help complete this "big picture." Readers of this book benefit from the very extensive experiences of the authors. The authors have seen it all and warn readers which roads are dead ends. This book includes both theory and prescriptions as to how teams can design and document processes and contribute to the alignment of technology with the needs of the organization.

Swimlane Diagramming For Analysts Doing Requirements
This book nicely sets forth a detailed methodology for doing swimlane diagramming for workflow business processing. This book is for analysts; the discussion is about the nature of business processes that have workflow as a key characteristic. It is not about the architecture of computer solutions for such processes. If you follow the methodology in this book and flesh out the diagrams with use cases (just briefly touched on here), you will have captured most of the requirements for a business workflow process.

The book is nicely bound and well written. The authors have been around a while and the vocabulary and approach fit nicely with older concepts like business process reengineering. The authors are not unaware of the latest developments and "UML" crops up here and there but not in the index. The diagramming is very simple compared to UML activity diagrams.

This is good reading for the domain experts on a team working on the requirements document and a nice primer for geeks who are forced for the first time to talk to the business side of an enterprise.

Comprehensive, fresh and, yes, exciting
Rarely do I get excited about books on workflow modeling. I have a few good books on the subject, all of which provide solid approaches and most of which are well written. This book stands out because it goes beyond merely "solid" or "well written" by giving one of the most comprehensive approaches to workflow modeling I've had the pleasure of reading.

First, like most books on the topic, none of the components of the approach are new. What makes the approach refreshing is the way the authors take standard techniques and tie them together into a coherent process. Second, this book can be used as a workbook during a workflow modeling project, and is well suited to this because of the numerous checklists and diagrams that will prove invaluable every step of the way. Finally, this is the first book of its kind that incorporates use cases, making it invaluable to project teams that have standardized on UML (Unified Modeling Language)or wish to integrate an object-oriented approach into a workflow modeling project. If you're not familiar with use cases I strongly recommend Writing Effective Use Cases by Alistar Cockburn (the best book on the subject in my opinion); UML Distilled by Fowler and Scott is an excellent introduction to that subject if it's new to you.

The approach is straightforward: frame the process and define its scope, understand the existing process (if there is one), design the "to-be" process and develop use case scenarios. I wish to offer one caveat at this point: if you are reengineering a process that is seriously broken you might consider skipping the "as-is" process. Understanding the existing process is useful if your goal is incremental improvement. Reengineering efforts usually radically transform existing processes, making efforts to understand them both moot and wasted.

Some of the highlights of this book include the authors' clear definitions and way of decomposing complex systems into discrete steps and components. For example, they use a five tier view of processes that ensures you have a complete view of all issues and factors. The views are: (1) mission, strategy and goals (I personally extend goals further into Goal-Question-Metric), (2)business processes, (3) presentation, (4) application logic and (5) data. Note that the last three align nicely to a 3-tier client/server architecture. This observation clearly shows how coherent the authors' approach is and how it can foster alignment of technology to business requirements.

I also like how the authors clarify the key issues in process design by pointing out six enablers that you need to account for during the analysis and design phase: (1)workflow, (2) technology, (3) human resources, (4) motivations and measurements, (5) policies and rules and (6) environmental constraints (facilities, external process capabilities, etc.). There is one minor point of disagreement I have between their workflow modeling technique and the one I use. The authors use swimlane diagrams (also called Rummler-Brache diagrams), while I use deployment diagrams. The difference? Swimlane diagrams do not capture phases or cycles. I always place workflows into the context of Entry Criteria-Task-Validation-Exit Criteria (ETVX), which is nearly identical to the TQM Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. I insist on ETVX because it allows me to spot missing validation points in an existing workflow, and ensures that I clearly define entry and exit criteria, as well as validation points in a "to-be" workflow. Of course I am stating personal preferences - following the authors' approach verbatim will definitely result in a workflow design that is not only "bulletproof", but will align information systems and business process almost perfectly.

This book is a gem. It's readable, full of ideas and, with the incorporation of use cases into the approach, completely up-to-date with respect to IS/IT methodologies. If you want a fresh, modern approach to workflow design this book is the only one that will provide it.

The best book on applicacation development modeling to date.
If you've ever asked the question: Is there a great book that teaches an excellent methodology for analyzing real world workflow, and then designing the application that will implement that workflow into an application? I've found the book that answers that question.

Workflow Modeling is the book. It is the best book on the subject that I have read to date, and I've read dozens. It teaches you how to build visual models that illustrate the workflow process, and shows how to implement the model into an application. Superb! But it before it goes out of print. ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Good first book, but not his best
Patrick Lencioni has a talent for cutting through the complexities of leadership and teamwork to highlight core principles then presenting them in easily digestible fictional form. In this book (in the UK going by the title of Five Temptations of a Manager) technology company CEO Andrew O'Brien has a mysterious encounter with an unlikely mentor on a deserted commuter train the night before the annual meeting of the board of directors. He's in trouble but doesn't understand why. The enigmatic Charlie leads him through an exploration of five "temptations" that often trip up ambitious executives: Choosing status over results; choosing popularity over accountability; choosing certainty over clarity; choosing harmony over productive conflict; choosing invulnerability over trust. Easily read in a single sitting, this book conveys the temptations effectively in fable form, followed by a summary and discussion by Lencioni. This may not be a comfortable book for some leaders to read. It doesn't let them off the hook for any of a company's problems. The message is timely as CEOs exit failing companies with massive severance packages. If you read only one of Lencioni's books, you will probably find his style further developed and even more effective in his second book, The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, or his third, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.

Excellent management book for any type of leader
I was thrilled to pick up this management book that not only had excellent principles, but an intriguing and enthralling storyline that kept me interested all the way to the finish. Five Temptations of a CEO proves an easy read-but certainly not lessons easily tossed aside. These are principles I'll keep with me-regardless of what job or leadership position I may occupy.

The story begins with a struggling CEO, Andrew O'Brien, on the eve of a big, year-end board meeting. Strange occurrences lead Andrew to take the metro system home that evening-and it's on the train where he encounters Charlie, a custodial engineer with a wealth of advice.

Andrew learns from Charlie five temptations that every manager, CEO, teacher, parent or coach might face along their way to success. These are basic temptations that seem very simple-and really are simple. Charlie teaches him that its not in looking for solutions in technology, budget, financials and other usual suspects common to a CEO, but in the common, everyday wisdom that every leader must have.

And for those readers who don't appreciate a good story-or who are just used to the textbook style management books-the five temptations are listed in a summary and self-assessment section in the back. But I won't spoil the ending...

widely applicable
This book was short, sweet, and to the point. Although it is focused on CEO as the prototype, this really points to anyone in a leadership and managrial role. The fable is illustrative, and the flow chart and short didactic at the end spells out the key message. It's worth pulling out and quickly reviewing once or twice a year to check back into your own personal growth and areas that still need improvement

A great little FABLE!
I am amazed at some of the negative reviews about this great little book. I guess these negative people are not familiar with what a FABLE is? I think this book hits all of us executives right in the face with what we all struggle with. I think this is a must read (no, you will not feel like you have just read Atlas Shrugged after you are finished) for all execs, or people who aspire to lead organizations. I am excited to read the rest of the collection

Why can't I give a 0 star ?
This is the crapiest anti-motivational book I ever got to read.
It is a story of Andrew who is a CEO and who meets with an old man one night in the train. The old man is a janitor and his father was a CEO (whatever)so the janitor, CEO's son (Gosh)starts
mentoring Andrew on how he should run his company.
If this janitor was smart enough to motivate a CEO how come he
ended up being a janitor in the first place?!?

I thought, to be a writer you have to be born as a writer but only now I realized that anyone can be a writer and Patrick
Lencioni is the worst one from the ones I've read.

Am I just being paranoid or is the today's literature following
today's music fate ?!? ... Read more

Book Description

The Talent Management Handbook explains how organizations can identify and get the most out of “high-potential people”by developing and promoting them to key positions.

The book explains:

1. A system for integrating three human resources “building blocks”: organizational competencies, performance appraisal, and forecasting employee/manager potential

2.Six human resources conditions necessary for organization excellence

3. How to link your employee assessment process to career planning and development

The Talent Management Handbook will help you design career plans that boost employee morale, as well as create and sustain excellence in your organization. It is full of simple, efficient, easy-to-follow methods for assessing, planning, and developing high-value people to meet your organization’s current and future needs. And it will help you combine your organization’s diverse human resources activities into a single, cogent system.

Featuring best practices from leading companies as well as contributions from field experts who hold top positions in such leading HR consultancies as AON Consulting, The Hay Group, Hewitt Associates, Right Management Consulting. Sibson Consulting, and Towers Perrin, The Talent Management Handbook is an authoritative resource for creating and maintaining excellence in your organization through people management.

Reviews (2)

Organizational Development Demystified
One of the best books on talent management in recent years. An excellent reference work that concisely describes a straightforward, practical approach to the identification, assessment and management of talent in today's competitive business environment. The editors have drawn on a broad knowledge base of professional expertise from top-rated management consultants and leading business practioners in developing this pragmatic , "how-to" guide. Comparable to a first-rate graduate course in organizational development from a premier business school.

Human Resources Strategy for Business Success
The Talent Management Handbook presents a clear and actionable human resources strategy that is tied to business success measures which are explained in the book.

With great thoroughness, the book integrates the key elements of human resources assessment (performance, potential, competencies, career planning, and succession planning) into a cogent system that can be utilized by both managers and human resources professionals in realizing organization success.

The book provides guidance to readers on the specific actions they need to take to implement key human resources strategies. These actions include training, development, education, career management, and compensation. In a practical way, it outlines the way an organization can cultivate its "best people," protect its incumbents and backups for key positions, and properly allocate its resources.

The book clearly identifies the conditions that will cause turnover, poor morale, and performance problems. Additionally, it shows how diversity can be a crucial part of the human capital plan. ... Read more

Book Description

Updated with increased focus on the effects of globalization, this concise nine-chapter text presents the timeless principles of information systems. ... Read more

Book Description

Hands-on help for quickly­­and persuasively­­writing company-mandated performance appraisals

Writing performance appraisals is one of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks managers face. Perfect Phrases for Performance Reviews simplifies the job, providing a comprehensive collection of phrases that managers can use to describe employee performance, provide directions for improvement, and more. For example:

• "Sets priorities well"
• "Misses important deadlines"
• "Thorough, reliable, and accurate"

All managers and HR professionals will value the book for its:

• Hundreds of ready-to-use phrases, organized by job skill and performance level
• Tips for documenting performance issues and conducting face-to-face reviews
• Easily adapted performance review templates covering five performance levels

With the wide-ranging assortment of descriptions available in this book, managers will be able to find the perfect terms to help them analyze and understand the work performance of each person they work with.

Reviews (3)

Perfect Phrases for Performance Reviews .... Not!
The background to giving appraisals is very good, as is the advice on how to conduct an interview. For this alone the book is worth purchasing. Included within this book are many pages of "perfect phrases". To state they are perfect is, I feel, a little misleading. Although I must mention that at the start of the book it is stated that these sentences should be altered to suit the individual. My gripe is that the sentences have not been rated very well. For example, on page 41 under Accuracy, Outstanding options provides you with "Mistakes don't slip through" as one of the choices. Should that not read, "Exceptionally accurate at all times". Many of the sentences are very weak and fail to use any "power words" to strengthen an employee's qualities.

My feelings are that the book has been thrown together from previous appraisals with little though to the content of the phrases. The "sentences" require regrading and stronger words added to give them more bite. Also other attributes need to be added to give the book a wider audience such as: Loyalty, Sense of Duty, Competence, Confidence but to name a few.

Finding Fish
Finding Fish, by Antwone Fisher is an awsome autobiography of a foster child that became a very good father and served his country in the army
This story is about a boy, Antwone, who was put into the foster care system as a child. He stayed with the very abusive family for about 12 years. He didn't want to believe at the time that it was a bad place to live. But when he got older he finally realized that it wasn't agood place to be living and that the foster parents weren't letting him grow up. He was thrown out of the house at the age of 17 and was homeless in the coldest weather. If it weren't for his social worker believing in him and telling him that he could make it. He wouldn't have made it as far as he did. His message is that you have to have help to get anywere and have confidence in your self.
I liked the story. I say this because it shows how going through a tough life can get a good life in the end. I can relate to the foster care system and not wanting to move. I know what his life is like, especially when he denied some bad things but not all of them.

Phrases and a lot more
Doing performance reviews--preparing for them, filling out the form, and understanding how to make them effectively improve an employee's performance--can be a challenging task. How do you make it a positive experience, for yourself and for the employee? It's not easy. How do you let the person know he or she is not living up to the organization's expectations? Again, not easy. This book can help in doing these things. The majority of book is given over to phrases you can use in over 70 different categories of performance. Each category has five levels of phrases, from outstanding to unacceptable. Even if some phrases don't fit exactly what you're looking for, you have a place to start and you can easily modify them to fit your purposes. I also like the first part of the book on how to plan, conduct, and write a performance review. The book also has two cool appendixes. One is titled "Ten Mistakes Managers Make When Conducting Performance Reviews," and the other is "Seven Mistakes Employees Make During Performance Reviews." For a retail price of [money], this book is a great tool for anyone having to do performance reviews. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

The market leader in quality management, this text is built upon the strength and experience of well-known authors in the field. As a past president of the Decision Sciences Institute and examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige Award, Evans is able to integrate the framework and essential content of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria throughout the text. The principles of total quality, as reflected in the Baldrige Award, provide what the authors feel is the best overall synthesis of the concept of quality. This edition continues to provide a managerially oriented, integrated view with a blend of pertinent technical topics. All chapters have been updated to reflect the most current thinking in the profession. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Very comprehensive book!
This is a required book in Keller Graduate School of Management for GM588 (Managing Quality). It is an exceptionally comprehensive title.

Old School
This book is tired and out of date. It is time to retire this textbook.

It's All Beef and No Bull
This is one of the most comprehensive references on the subject of managing and controlling quality one could want -- and all under one cover. The authors' points of reference in the development of their subject matter are documented with case after case supporting their views. No light reading, this work will serve well both faculty, of undergraduate and graduate students alike, and professionals serious about the business of continuous improvement and quality. The work is also accompanied by a student CD.

A Great Textbook--Thumbs up!
After reading this book, and studying the various applications used in the study of statistical analysis of quality control; it has facilitated my understanding of the subject beyond my horizon. I highly recommend this textbook for students as well as those who value the importance in the management of quality control. ... Read more

Book Description

Praise for Enterprise Risk Management

"In the aftermath of Enron, WorldCom, and Sarbanes-Oxley, every publicly traded company should be concerned about risk management. This book takes a pragmatic approach to risk management that can benefit any CEO or senior executive. Lam lays out clear strategies to address what is often a highly complex issue."
–William L. Walton, Chairman and CEO, Allied Capital Corporation

"James Lam provides one of the most practical, insightful books on risk management that I have read in the last thirty years. It clearly reflects experience and deep understanding of the art as well as the science in risk management practices. A must-read for all who wish to advance risk management practices in their businesses."
–Sandra Jansky, Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer, SunTrust Banks, Inc.
Chairperson, Risk Management Association

"In this book, James Lam has provided an effective overview of business risk. Enterprise Risk Management will be useful to professional risk managers and business executives seeking to understand the latest tools and organizational approaches."
–Robert Simons, Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration,
Unit Head–Accounting & Control, Harvard Business School

"The most comprehensive and engaging handbook on enterprise risk management, written by the pioneer of the Chief Risk Officer function. Filled with practical examples and lessons learned, this book is destined to become one of the most widely read primers on today’s top business initiative. James Lam is the authority on enterprise risk management, and I highly recommend this book to all board directors, senior executives, and risk managers."
–Cassandra R. Schultz, Vice President and Chief Risk Officer, KeySpan Corporation

"James Lam’s book Enterprise Risk Management: From Incentives to Controls provides an insightful road map to best practices in risk management. Based on a solid and successful career in risk management, James’s advice is both timely and relevant and should be required reading for all risk management professionals."
–Michael J. Litwin, Chief Credit and Risk Officer, Merrill Lynch Capital ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The book for ALL CROs and CFOs
Thank you for writing this book. This book is must read for all CROs and CFOs. Looking forward to reading your coming Risk Management books.

Critical but Easy to Read and Comprehend
Anyone whose career interests intersect with the risk management discipline will find this book extremely valuable in understanding the risk management discipline and viewpoint. Anyone who is considering a career in risk management will find this book a critical help for success. James Lam writes in an easy to read style and the ease with which one can grasp and understand the material might fool one into under estimating the rigor and logic James has built into his work. I recommend this book without reservation.

Edward P. Paules, Managing Director Risk Management
Investors Bank & Trust
Boston, MA 02116

ERM Made Practical and Executable
James Lam, the founder of ERisk and the pioneer for the chief risk officer concept has penned the best and most comprehensive book yet on enterprise risk management and how this emerging business practice can add practical, measurable value to any business concerned about how risks affect performance and stakeholder value.

For the first time, a true ERM expert has articulated in user friendly terms, what ERM is and how it can be applied to many different business types in many industries. This book makes clear that there is no one way to design and ERM model and that customizing it to the needs of the business will be the one way to optimize the outcomes desired.

The book is well organized and starts with a section on setting the "context" for delving into risk management; outlining the framework of a comprehensive approach; showing real world applications in various industry contexts; and closing with some prognostications on the future of the practice.

I highly recommend this book to all business managers who want to take risk management and their careers to the next level.

Enterprise Risk Management: From Incentives to Controls
Excellent resource on Enterprise Risk Management.

The author draws upon his 20 years' rich real world experience to drive the subject to home. It offers valuable insight, which is rare to find elsewhere. This book is not only up to date and comprehensive, but also particularly practical.

As a risk analyst with more than 6 years experience, I highly recommend this book to those who are in this field and to those who have interests in this field. ... Read more

Book Description

This unique, re-engineered book defines and describes the new "paradigm" brought on by recent dramatic changes in the field of management. Managing Today! redefines the traditional"functional" approach employed by previous management books to more accurately reflect recent, fundamental changes in the economy and workplace—changes that have significantly reshaped today's managers' jobs.Robbins' balanced approach presents an effective integration of theory and application displayed within a clear, visual design specifically tailored for today's readers. Coverage includes changing issues in today's workplace (risk, privatization, multiple skills, and continual retraining); culture shock; time-management skills; cycle-time reduction and technology transfer; virtual teams; human behavior; leadership; trust building; change management; and more.For human resources professionals, business managers/team leaders, and anyone interested in Organizational Behavior and Business Management. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Standard for Software Measurement Programs
I would rate this book ****** if it were possible. If you are looking for material on how to start a "software metrics program", look no further. This is the ultimate reference on software measurement initiatives. The PSM method is compatible with the CMMI (Measurement & Analysis Process Area) and the foundation for the ISO/IEC 15939 standard. All of the authors are recognized authorities in software measurement and process improvement. Dr. Barry Boehm (COCOMO author) has written the foreword. The PSM process is sponsored by the DoD and the U.S. Army. The book itself is comprehensive, well-written, and easy to read. It provides ready-to-use templates such as "Measurement Construct Template", "Project Measurement Plan Outline", and "Data Verification Checklist". Chapter outline:

1 - Measurement: Key Concepts and Practices
2 - Measurement Information Model
3 - Plan Measurement
4 - Perform Measurement
5 - Analysis Techniques
6 - Evaluate Measurement
7 - Establish and Sustain Commitment
8 - Measure for Success
Appendix A - Measurement Construct Examples
Appendix B - Information System Case Study
Appendix C - Synergy Integrated Copier Case Study

Note: Appendix A provides 14 detailed, complete examples of measurement constructs ("metrics"). Appendixes B and C provide 2 comprehensive case studies (approximately 60 pages).

It would require at least a 2-day workshop to address all the information provided by this book (probably at 10 times its price). You can't afford to miss it if you are more than casually interested in software measurement. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Off-the-shelf processes for CMMM level 3 and above orgs
There is a wealth of material available from the PSM site, including the PSM Insight application and PSM Guidebook. However this book is not redundant because it is structured as a clearly written introduction to practical software measurement, that includes excellent guidance for implementing it into your organization. In addition, the 304 pages that comprise this book manages to convey the information contained in the existing PSM documentation, and does so much more succinctly.

I found the most valuable parts of this book to be the clearly described measurement model, and the way the authors distinguish between data that is useful to projects and organizational data collection and analysis. This material places PSM in context and is a sound starting point for an organizational SQA initiative.

The case studies reinforces the mechanics of PSM, and also contain advice and pointers for implementing enterprise-wide measurement. Although I've been following the PSM initiative almost since its inception and have read all of the copious materials available, I still gained much from this book. If you're establishing an SQA function or striving for CMM level 4 or above you'll find this book invaluable. The URLs provided will lead to even more material, including a free Windows-based software tool that fully supports the practical software measurement process. ... Read more

Book Description

In this offbeat approach to leadership, college president Steven B. Sample-the man who turned the University of Southern California into one of the most respected and highly rated universities in the country-challenges many conventional teachings on the subject. Here, Sample outlines an iconoclastic style of leadership that flies in the face of current leadership thought, but a style that unquestionably works, nevertheless. Sample urges leaders and aspiring leaders to focus on some key counterintuitive truths. He offers his own down-to-earth, homespun, and often provocative advice on some complex and thoughtful issues. And he provides many practical, if controversial, tactics for successful leadership, suggesting, among other things, that leaders should sometimes compromise their principles, not read everything that comes across their desks, and always put off decisions. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

weLEAD Book Reivew from the Editor of leadingtoday.org
Steven Sample could be called a modern Renaissance man. He is an author, professor, inventor, electrical engineer, musician and the 10th president of the University of Southern California. His book entitled The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership is different and challenges many commonly accepted perceptions about leadership. A contrarian leader is simply one who thinks and acts differently than most. For example, the contrarian leader is one who thinks "gray" and "free". Thinking gray means to withhold judgments and decisions until you have heard all the relevant facts or until you are forced to do so. Sample spends a fair amount of discussion on the three major pitfalls of binary traditional thinking. He defines thinking "free" as the ability to first allow your mind to contemplate truly outrageous ideas, and only later on, apply the restraints of practicality, legality, cost, ethics and time upon your creative ideas. This philosophy of thinking gray also affects the decision-making elements of the contrarian leader. Sample makes two suggestions regarding decisions. First, that a leader never makes a decision that can be reasonably delegated to a lieutenant. Second, never make a decision today that can be reasonably delayed until tomorrow.

However, the contrarian leader must have other needs and qualities aside from thinking processes and decision-making. These are also discussed in The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership. The author discusses diverse subjects such as artful listening skills, open communication, and the proper role between consultants, experts and the leader. Sample suggests prodigious amount of selective reading, including "supertexts" for the contrarian leader. This includes an extensive discussion on Machiavelli. He provides guidance on how to determine which range of the daily news and printed media are really useful for the contrarian leader. The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership

addresses the difference between good leadership and effective leadership, including the need to make tough moral decisions at the right time. Other discussions include hiring the right people, diversity, connecting with followers and having a title of leadership verses doing leadership.

This is a thought provoking and alternative book on leadership from the perspective of someone who leads a massive educational institution on a daily basis. You may not agree with every concept or idea regarding a contrarian leader, but you will find this book to offer some fresh perspectives.

A great book for toady's business leaders
This is one of the best books on leadership in recent days. The book is best suited for managers who need to make decisions that may impact an organization. It has a clear and easy to read format. Mr. Sample drew anecdotes from his own experience, and that makes the book more convincing. Ideas such as putting off those things that you can decide tomorrow are different and stimulating. There are chapters that are less directly related to the day-to-day business environment, but in general the book is definitely worth reading.

Disappointing and a waste of time
"For example, I feel that polygyny is morally wrong, but I recognize that a sizable fraction of the world's current population...would disagree with me. While my own views are strongly held, I would be disinclined to try to impose my aversion to polygyny on peoples for whom it is a time-honored and respected practice." At that point, I stopped reading this book further. If the author can't 'impose' his views on others regarding multiple marriages, I wondered if he would have ever imposed his views on the those leading Enron, Tyco or Worldcom if they had sought his counsel? Even up to this point in the book, I felt that the author's views were not applicable to the business world where we often don't have the luxury of time and distance that the author does in formulating his opinions. I'm also disappointed in Warren Bennis' advocacy for this book as I'm a big fan of Bennis' books and have read most of them. Now, I will have to be more careful about books Mr. Bennis recommends. There are far better leadership books in the market than this one. My copy is going straight in the trash.

3-Stars On The Gray Scale!
I thought at first that the contents of this new managerial guide would be enlightening and novel. But I was disappointed. Once again we see a guide, which does not address the fundamental qualities of a great leader: expert knowledge in what is being managed and not an annoying, wishy-washy "gray thinking" would-be leader.

A leader with knowledge has no difficulty judging the merits of a new idea and should be capable of making firm and fast decisions based on his/her own expertise as well as that of the experts reporting to him/her. If the leader cannot arrive at a decision on the merits of new ideas, then the leader has no right to call him/herself a leader. Such an individual is deficient in understanding of the field being managed...in other words, an ignoramus, who bluffs his/her way through business life and ends up being an opinionated, flip-flopping weasel. He or she may be sly enough to pretend they can make decisions worthy of a leader, but don't think for a moment that the other employees, who are the real experts, don't see right through the bluff and have zero respect for such a "gray thinking" leader!

Furthermore, to suggest that people "...see themselves as leaders..." breeds an egotistic attitude and is not worthy of great leadership. A true leader is one, who recognizes that he/she is just an employee like everyone else and is respected by his/her knowledgeable colleagues for his/her expertise in the field being managed and led. A leader should be seen as such by others, not put themself on a pedestal above every other fellow employee in the same "boat/company"!

Believe me, I have worked for many years in industry and have seen such "gray thinking" managers hemming and hawing and sweating under the glare of opposing facts because they did not know enough and never will about the subject matter to arrive at any decision for the good of the company and its shareholders. It is not a wise move to think "gray", but one grounded in ignorance and bluff. And everyone saw through our "gray" managers as the "play-acting manager-leaders" that they were. They earned no respect from anyone!

If you would really like to learn from the experts...I suggest a study of the frank perspectives of the people, who will make the ultimate decision on whether you merit the "good manager/leader" title. And I highly recommend the true-to-life episodes in the satirical-humorous book, "MANAGEMENT BY VICE" by the scientist/author C.B.DON as the best teaching tool. As you read it do keep in mind, that while this witty-sharp satire ridicules and honestly exposes many "vices" and follies of mis-management, in life we all most often also learn far more from our own and others' mistakes than from any "grayscale" guide on how not to arrive at any conslusions!

After all, there is such as thing as "Right and Wrong", "Good and Evil". There is also "Great Leadership and present-day Corporate Corruption" --- which is frequently based on selfishness, feeble indecisions and "grayscale" excuses for a whole lot of rotten management practices!

Very illustrative!
Outside-the-box thinking on leadership from one of the country's most renowned college presidents.
In this provocative new book, Steven Sample, one of the nation's most highly regarded university presidents, explodes many romanticized views of leadership and demonstrates how leaders can free themselves from the shackles of conventional wisdom. Never make a decision today that can reasonably be put off to tomorrow. Don't form opinions if you don't have to. Think gray. Shoot your own horse. Don't force others to do your dirty work. The best leaders don't keep up with the popular media and the trades. Machiavelli can help make you a more moral leader. Know what hill you are willing to die on-and keep its exact location to yourself. Know the all important difference between being leader and doing leader. You can't copy your way to the top. "This is an intoxicating read, a bushwacker's delight. With swift, sure strokes, Steve Sample cuts down a lot of bad ideas about leadership and opens up a new path for the next generation to follow. No wonder he has turned around not one but two major universities ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Excellent tools for structuring creative thinking
For problem-solving requiring creativity, this is an excellent approach. I am currently using the CoRT package for teaching thinking, and while it is simplistic (after all, thinking is straightforward for most of us, owing to long practice), it is effective.

The purpose of the hats and colors, as well as the apparent simplicity, is to guide the mind along the appropriate paths. Read De Bono's "Mechanism of Mind" for a detailed explanation of what is going on.

This book goes beyond CoRT, in that it provides a more flexible approach than TEC-PISCO, but CoRT does provide the creativity tools for actual work under the green hat. CoRT also has specific tools for under the other hats, too, but is a lengthier process. CoRT is nearly 30 years old now, and has influenced a lot of later writers and their methods.

There are other approaches to this. But you don't need brainstorming and all that stuff, to do creative problem-solving. You can work through things by being in calm control of your mind, and by yourself (rather than in a brainstorming group). The techniques work if you use them: if you don't actually use them, don't expect a benefit.

Compact, terse and readable. Also, very implementable, with good results if you get into it. If you treat it like you already know all about it, you will not see any benefit.

Improved Parallel-Thinking Process for Evaluating Issues
Seldom do I find a legitimate improvement on existing thinking processes, but there certainly is one in Six Thinking Hats. De Bono reports that this process reduces time spent in meetings by 20 to 90 percent, based on experiences reported to him since the book was first published. It also seems that many people feel that the evaluations that emerge are more useful ones, as well.

De Bono himself makes this statement: "The Six Thinking Hats method may well be the most important change in human thinking for the past twenty-three hundred years." You'll have to decide for yourself, if the book lives up to that claim.

De Bono diagnoses the fundamental problem of decision-making as being muddled thinking. Groups are simply not well equipped to deal with a wide range of data and perspectives simultaneously. The meeting often bogs down into conflicts of personalities and over focus on inimportant points. By creating a simpler way to think about issues, de Bono claims to eliminate many of these problems.

The process is not one that I have used, but it makes sense to me as an improvement over less structured evaluation methods. It can be used by an individual or a group working together. The amount of structure you use can be high, or you can be more ad hoc.

People learn best when they are playing, and the six hat approach clearly encourages a spirit of play. By giving each person a role (and each person eventually playing all of the roles), the method reduces the amount of personality-based conflict, encourages more participation, and gives validation to many different ways to present the question at hand. This should make each person feel more affirmed and invested in the process. Also, since the route is focused on getting lots out on the table, it also suspends judgment longer so that more ideas can emerge. As such, it is closer to the Japanese method of making evaluations than the American one (as de Bono points out).

Here is the color scheme. Blue is the process coordinator (like the conductor of an orchestra) and starts and leads off the meeting (plus helps keep it on process) -- except sometimes it is better to have red finish just after blue summarizes at the end.

Red goes second, and represents emotions and feelings to present both positive and negative emotional reactions, as well as more subtle things like intuition.

It seems to be more free form from there. Let's go to yellow next, which is speculative and positive -- the optimistic side of the case. This view is to open up the possibilities.

Naturally, that has to be balanced by looking at the downside, which is black (cautious and careful). This hat is normally worn the most in evaluations, and can easily be overdone. The idea is not to be negative, but to search out the risks.

White plays an important, but neutral, role -- pointing out the facts that are known or are likely to be true. Care in characterizing what is known is important.

Green is the wild card -- finding alternatives. This color connects very well with de Bono's original claim to fame, as someone who has good ideas for stimulating individual creativity. By giving each person a role in being creative in a meeting, he extends that focus in a useful way

De Bono makes two interesting comments about how all this leads to decisions: "In the end, all decisions are really red hat." But we should assume that it is a more informed set of emotions and feelings than would exist otherwise. "Decisions seem to make themselves." Knowing how painful decisions are in many circumstances, if that were the only benefit, that would be enough to make this book essential.

My suggestion is that you give this process a trial run with something unimportant before unleashing it on a big issue. Otherwise, you might be stalled by lack of understanding about how the process works. Keep practicing until you are satisfied that it is working well.

Good luck with overcoming your stalled thinking about making decisions and the issues that face you and your organization!

Donald Mitchell

Coauthor of The Irresistible Growth Enterprise (available in August 2000) and The 2,000 Percent Solution

(donmitch@fastforward400.com)

Brilliant Research
Edward De Bono's book is an invaluable, practical guide to increasing mental agility. His research is detailed and the results appear as clear, unadorned prose. Each chapter is a cogent unity in itself, yet each builds upon the other to create a synaptic skyscraper. De Bono certainly knows his subject, as the final sentence of his 'Preface' demonstrates: 'Wear your 6 Hats of Intelligence as often as you can, providing it's not windy and preferably not at the same time because you'll look ridiculous. And above all, have them blocked regularly.' With De Bono leading humankind into The Forest of Fulfilment, the rest of us had better carry a Compass of Concern and a carton of bread crumbs.

Just one perspective
In De Bono's preface to this book, he states: "The Six Thinking Hats method may well be the most important change in human thinking for the past twenty-three hundred years." Yuk! Narcisism personified.

Frankly, I believe Optimal Thinking: How to Be Your Best Self by Rosalene Glickman Ph.D. is superior to this book. Optimal Thinking enables the realist to make the most of any situation.

I also prefer Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman, Ph.D. to explain the advantages and disadvantages of optimism and pessimism.

This is an excellent method
Good thinking is simple. The goal of effective thinking is to make complexity managable. The Six Thinking Hats Method is by design a KISS system that is not intended to emphasize how clever any individuals in a group are, but to make actionable decisions--in most cases to achieve business results (as de Bono wryly notes elsewhere, most academics aren't interested in effective thinking).

The reason I'm writing this review is to correct an inaccuracy in the previous review. Having each person in a group adopt a different hat is exactly the OPPOSITE of what is intended with the Parallel Thinking method (a virtual synonym for the Six Hat method). The idea is that everyone in a group focusses on a specific element (Hat) at the same time, not individually. Doing it this way reduces argument and the role of ego in the conversation.

As de Bono notes, an important element in his work is also to demystify creativity, and help people understand you don't need lava lamps and candles to "do" creativity effectively. You don't have to be goofy. Ordinary business people working on engines and vaccines--and, as far as that goes, Accounts Payable, Sales, and Project Management--need creativity to be effective and competitive in a 24 hour global marketplace.

I teach this course... ... Read more

Book Description

This package brings together a core text, skill-building workbook, a comprehensive Web site with additional interactive case studies, skills assessments, career tools, and teaching resources drawn from the author's award winning classroom. Together, the book and the assets that surround it show students how to "Get Connected" as they discover the dynamics of management in the context of a challenging and new work environment. They will learn about the responsibilities of a manager and what this means for their future career through many practical examples that are interwoven with core concepts and theories. They will appreciate the clear, concise, and engaging writing style that has made this text successful year after year. And, they will benefit from the solid foundation of research covered, as well as the high quality of examples presented. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

THIS IS A TERRIFIC TEXT!
An excellent introduction to management theory and practices. Major subjects are economic and social environment, planning, organizing, leading, and controlling, each containing key topics such as motivation andteamwork.

Each chapter offers examples (provided as embedded boxes),begins with study questions to provide learning objectives and an openingheadline, and concludes with an excellent summarization of key points, aself-test that is in depth and challenging, and a listing of key terms.Do's and don'ts of managerial behavior are highlighted. Photos and diagramsadd color and clarity.

There are also career development tools, casesand exercises, research projects, and management skills assessments linkedto each chapter and available online and in interactive format at awebsite. A website has been developed in support of this text. IncludesCD-ROM and a good glossary. THIS IS A TERRIFIC TEXT! Reviewed by YvetteBorcia, co-founder, Stern & Associates, co-author of Stern'sSourcefinder: The Master Directory to HR and Business ManagementInformation & Resources, Stern's CyberSpace SourceFinder, and Stern'sCompensation and Benefits SourceFinder. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

An Excellent Tool for all!!
This book has helped in all areas of our business. We are incorporating it into all of our processes!! Wonderful training tool f