Book Description

All new maps and data based on 2000 Census. Bonus: Free, full-color 50" x 38" map of the United States.

County/Town maps and indexes of counties and places for all states and provinces. Daily planning aids. Metro marketing statistical data for all MSAs/NECMAs; Retail sales reports. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good, simple source for city, county population
I have used this publication for years. It is a great, simple, speedy reference to city & county locations, population, and market rankings.

Maps are clear, uncluttered, ideal for communication and planning.

Other sources are more detailed with census data and HH income rankings (Bill Publications Sales & Marketing Management Annual Survey), but this is the easiest, low cost publication available. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Very good for executives with limited exposure to Sun Tzu
This book is excellent for businessmen who have had little or no exposure to Sun Tzu or the Art of War. In very plain, simple and easy to read language it makes a clear bridge between the art of business and the art of warfare.
Some will say that this book is too simplistic, but the real question is why would this book have to be difficult or too involved? The Art of War is a simply written book, but it is the lessons that are hard to grasp and understand. Plain language does not automatically denote simple thoughts. The best authors and teachers in the world are the ones who can simplify the most difficult theories and make them accessible to everyone.
I think this book does just that and is an excellent beginning point for businessmen and their introduction to The Art of War and Chinese philosophy.

A simple guide for life
This is a great guide. If your a serious scholar of "the art of war" then this book will be too simple for you. Although The strength of this book is how easily it conveys the principles of the art of war. It's a great guide for the lay person, if you find yourself struggling in your personal and professional life read this book. I found myself working extremely hard and getting no where fast. I have begun applying it's principles to my day to day life. I have noticed a change. This book has helped me come out on top in a few business situations, and I find myself rereading it from time to time.

A Simple, Useful Guide
What I liked about Krause's book was the way he explains the teachings of Sun Tzu for the simple folk. He wrote the book to help the business man or woman. It helped me see the deeper lessons Sun Tzu has to offer as well--lessons about life.

Too Simplistic
The book is too simplistic and lacks the spirit of an ancient general, there are no real world examples in this book. My recommendation is to read "Sun Tze The Art of Business"

Rich with meaning
Krause translates each paragraph of each chapter of the Art of War into simple and easy to read business language. On the first read, it may seem almost too simple. But on the second and third reads, the deeper meaning began to shine through. I suspect I will uncover some new insight with every reading. ... Read more

Book Description

Whether you work at corporate headquarters, in a small or medium-size office, or at home, you'll need this all-new revision of the authoritative handbook for today's office professional, featuring the latest information on the electronic office; comprehensive coverage of modern office procedures; practical guidance on managing your business career; how to handle human relationships in the office, including working with your boss and working with assistants; complete information on the latest in telecommunications; practical advice on how to plan, arrange, and conduct meetings and conferences; informative sections on basic accounting procedures and the fundamentals of business law; country profiles with up-to-date information; newly revised sections on grammar, usage, and punctuation; guidance on how to create, edit, proofread, send, and file professional business documents; new and updated illustrations, charts, and tables; an easy-to-use format with a comprehensive index. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Professional Secretary's Handbook
This is such a handy reference at such a good price. I recommend it to all the vocational students taking my course. I teach a state certified course for Administrative Assistants and Secretaries. The business English section is an outstanding review and includes a concise guide to usage of frequently "used and confused" English terms. If you aren't required to make plans for meetings often, the section of Meetings and Conferences will be a life saver. ... Read more

Book Description

Best-selling author Andy Kessler ties up the loose ends from his provocative book, Running Money, with this history of breakthrough technology and the markets that funded them.

Expanding on themes first raised in his tour de force, Running Money, Andy Kessler unpacks the entire history of Silicon Valley and Wall Street, from the Industrial Revolution to computers, communications, money, gold and stock markets. These stories cut (by an unscrupulous editor) from the original manuscript were intended as a primer on the ways in which new technologies develop from unprofitable curiosities to essential investments. Indeed, How We Got Here is the book Kessler wishes someone had handed him on his first day as a freshman engineering student at Cornell or on the day he started on Wall Street. This book connects the dots through history to how we got to where we are today. ... Read more

Book Description

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)—2000 Edition is now available in eight additional languages to help project managers around the world.

Each of PMI’s official translations includes a bilingual glossary of newly translated and standardized project management terminology. This allows candidates to study the guide in the same language in which they plan to take the Project Management Professional(PMP®) certification exam.

PMI undertook a rigorous, year-long process to ensure the maximum effectiveness of each official translation. Each translation team included qualified bilingual PMPs as well as professional translators and editors.

Official translations: Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Korean, German and Italian. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Leonard L. Berry examines some of America's great service companies and finds "nine drivers of excellence" that are behind them all. Discovering the Soul of Service looks at 14 diverse businesses, including the St. Paul Saints minor-league baseball team, Dial-A-Mattress, Midwest Express Airlines, and two of the world's fastest-growing service companies--Charles Schwab and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. "The lessons they teach are clear indeed," writes Berry, a marketing professor and director of the Center for Retailing Studies at Texas A & M University. "Although the companies differ on the outside--the nature, size and structure of their businesses--to a remarkable degree they are the same on the inside, sharing the drivers of their ongoing success." The "nine drivers" that Berry uncovers are the following: Leading with Values, Strategic Focus, Executional Excellence, Control of Destiny, Trust-Based Relationships, Investment in Employee Success, Acting Small, Brand Cultivation, and Generosity. Berry, whose previous books includeOn Great Service: A Framework for Action andDelivering Quality Service, writes that the basis of a successful service organization is value-driven leadership and "building a humane community that humanely serves customers and the broader community in which they live." Discovering the Soul of Service is inspiring--and potentially profitable--reading for anyone in business today. --Dan Ring ... Read more

Reviews (15)

If you only read one business book in 1999, this is the one!
Len Berry really understands what it takes to run a company that delivers excellent service, and he lays it out in a very readable and engrossing way. But he is also shining a bright light on what makes an excellent company, because long-term great service can only come from a great company. This is a wonderful book for anyone who wants to learn more about what differentiates winning companies over time. I found the detailed examples and anecdotes he uses fascinating.

I bought ten copies of the book, and gave them to leaders in the companies with which I am involved!!

Outstanding strategic book on service
The book is the long awaited blueprint for labor intensive service organizations. The case studies have been well selected and cover a wide array of service companies. The nine drivers for sustaining a successful business model have often been regarded as "extras," his research proves them to be "essentials". He also shows us the importance of coupling high tech with high touch in order to thrive in the 21st century. Len Berry's research and conclusions are wonderfully interwoven to make the discovery a must read and must do.

True, sustainable recipe for sucessful Customer Service
It is very difficult for me to work with "interviews and case study" based books since they are almost invariably full of "brilliant" quotes and "success and beyond-duty" stories that, to say the least, sound too good as to be of a sustainable nature in real world. This book is based on experiences and what seems very solid research and, for sure, is not free of this type of passages; and yet, it is one of the most useful and often-referenced books that I own and work with. So, if you will yourself through it, you'll find one of the best and most down-to-earth books on Customer Service. The author identifies nine drivers that can make any organization successful, all of them emphasizing the human nature of the relationship with customers (customer-centered). It is truly a recipe for success, more easily applicable to on-going enterprises rather than to start-ups. From this book the reader can produce very useful check-lists to diagnose the company and its strategic practices regarding their service approach. It can also be used as a guiding document to move a company to a truly customer-awareness territory and, most important, to keep it there. Of special relevance is the author's brilliant exposition in the final chapter "Lessons from World-Class Service Companies", where the reader obtains a rarely seen synopsis of all the good things that excellent companies do "to sustain their excellence". If nothing else, this chapter by itself justifies buying this book and incorporating it to your professional library.

Insightful!
Leonard L. Berry takes an in-depth look at how service can sustain the success of a business in this detailed, footnoted exploration that includes plenty of interviews and examples from the business world. Written authoritatively, yet conversationally, this book outshines similar works because of its thoroughness. Far from a quick-fix, self-help business guide, the book is thoughtful and doesn't rely on the obvious. We [...] recommend it to managers and leaders in all businesses, particularly if your competitive edge rests on pleasing your customers.

Excellent Book!
This book could be titled Discoving the Recipie for Great Organizations. It is one of the best reviews of great organizations and what makes them so. Dr. Berry has provided a valuable contribution to business leaders and managers. Buy this book and apply its wisdom. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In 100 Years of Wall Street, Charles Geisst (author of Wall Street: A History) takes us on a tour of one of America's most storied institutions. From the early bucket shops at the turn of the century to Maria Bartiromo of CNBC, Geisst, with the help of a collection of pictures, charts, cartoons, and stock certificates presents an entertaining look at the remarkable changes that have transformed this small corner of New York into the cornerstone of the world's financial markets. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

most vivid picture of the street
I enjoyed looking at the pictures and reading the headlines. Very educational and informative.

Informative and interesting
This book, rich with wonderful old photos, gives a concise history of the last 100 years of the financial culture that has come to be known as Wall Street. A good blend of text, photos, and charts make this book interesting to the non-financial reader.

The author divided the book into decades and each chapter outlined the changes that occurred over those years.

At the beginning of the last century, Wall Street was known for its lack of financial regulation regarding trades. Scandals and outright swindles abounded. Four years after the Crash of 1929, FDR's administration passed nationwide banking and securities laws to make sure that this kind of disaster did not happen again.

Unfortunately, the real and distasteful inner workings of Wall Street were revealed in the Senate hearings. An SEC commissioner called investment bankers "financial termites". This knowledge scared investors away for the next 20 years.

In the early 50s, investing became popular with middle class investors for the first time in a generation, and mutual funds were developed after being gone for 30 years.

The 60s brought the birth of the modern mergers and acquisitions business in the U.S, and the days of small brokerage firms were coming to an end.

The 70s brought extensive reforms concerning commissions while the 80s were the years of junk bonds, insider trading scandals, and the savings and loan crisis.

The author called the 80s the decade of greed and the 90s the decade of boom. The Internet has brought about a totally new way of trading stocks and has made up-to-the-minute financial news available to everyone.

The changes in the last 100 years on Wall Street have been phenomenal, mirroring the technological changes in our society.

Insightful!
Charles R. Geisst's enjoyable book chronicles Wall Street in the twentieth century. He effectively captures the feel of the various boom and bust periods. The clear, informative text is supplemented with incredible black and white photographs of each period's key events and people, making it very evocative and intriguing. We at ... recommend this book to anyone - not only someone in business - who wants to learn about Wall Street's history. It would make a great gift for anyone who works in the financial industry or for a young person who is interested in how money works.

Wall Street: The Street Worth Billions
100 Years of Wall Street is one of the greatest books ever written. Its in depth analysis of the history of Wall Street is remarkable. It is an essential to anyone that is learning more about investments, yet it is still quite enjoyable without knowing anything about the subject. This is truly a remarkable read, and I would recommend it with my eyes closed and my hands tied behind my back! ... Read more

Book Description

More than 2,500 accounting terms are defined, with many updated entries in this edition that reflect recent trends in accounting practice. Definitions are expanded where appropriate with examples, charts, and tables. Here's a valuable quick-reference handbook for business managers, accountants, bookkeepers, and business students. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great Reference
I use it on a regular basis. Covers a variety of business terms and concepts.

Good for all people, accountants and non accountants!
A dictionary of accounting is the best idea for an accounting reference book! And above that, it was done very nicely as well!

If you're an accouting student, a professional accountant, or encounter a few accounting terms every once in a while, then this book is great for you! It's very comprehensive and informative!

A great value for your money!

VERY VALUABLE SOURCE FOR QUICK LEARNING
I found this book to be very valuable in looking up terms I had forgotten when asked by my assistant who is taking accounting classes to become a certified accountant. As the company I work for is a small business, often I take for granted the accounting principles I use daily for over 30 years. What they may mean to a person who is learning from me and how I can teach her is different than what is taught in many classes today. This book is a quick reference to explain what I am teaching her, plus what she is learning in class. I purchased this book for my assistant and after reading through it I ordered another for myself. I highly recommend this book to have in every office and for any student. I have found no other book to be so concise and helpful for quick reference. You will be glad you have this book in your library of accounting materials.

User friendly and practical
Organized in a simple and direct manner, this book has proved to be an invaluble reference. I am in the process of writing a procedure manual for the AP department of a large public school district and this book gives me exactly what I need to impart an accounting vocabulary to my readers. I recommend this book to anyone who works among, or has frequent contact, with financial professionals. Once you know what the word means, the rest falls into place. ... Read more

Book Description

An unparalleled opportunity to learn the investment game from the ground up, from two of today’s most respected traders and investment coaches

An Indispensable Companion to The Stock Market Course

George Fontanills is one of the world’s most respected traders and one of the most sought-after advisors to top financial institutions and trading firms. But he was by no means an overnight success. Fontanills learned the art and science of trading the markets the hard way–through a difficult and costly series of trials and errors. One of the most important lessons his early trading experiences taught him was that the first job of every novice trader is to acquire a thorough education about the ins and outs of the markets.

The Stock Market Course Workbook gives you the basic knowledge and skills you need to realize your dreams of success as a stock trader. In plain English, George Fontanills and expert Tom Gentile familiarize you with the ins and outs of the markets. They clearly explain all key stock market terms and procedures, assess the relative risks and benefits of stock investment, and even help you determine whether or not you are suited financially and psychologically to be a market player. The Stock Market Course Workbook then allows you to hone your knowledge with practical exercises to help further your understanding, as well as test and apply what you have learned–before you put your money in the market. The workbook includes a complete set of questions, problems, exercises, and an answer key.

The next best thing to having a top investment coach by your side every step of the way, The Stock Market Course Workbook helps you transform your dream of success as a stock trader into a golden reality. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Goes with the Stock Market Course Book
This workbook should only be purchased if you buy the main book. It is designed to test your knowledge after reading the Stock Market Course book.

Great idea. Helped me refine my knowledge. ... Read more

Book Description

The new, revised edition of this comprehensive guide for people who want to find jobs teaching English abroad. It includes detailed practical advice on: teaching without training; choosing a TEFL training program; the current overseas job market; how to conduct a successful job search; legal, medical and other practical considerations; dealing with culture shock. It also contains contact details of 450 schools and other organizations which between them hire more than 10,000 teachers every year. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

30 Years Too Late!
The book is brilliant, and my only regret is that it was not available thirty years ago when I entered the world of EFL! I have travelled and taught in many countries, and although I never actually met Jeff Mohamed I kept hearing his name. He is a legendary figure in English language teaching.

Written in a friendly and highly readable style, this book covers every single aspect of the overseas teaching experience. It shows you how to determine your suitability to be a teacher, how to select a training course, how to conduct the job search, and how to settle into a job teaching English overseas. And this guide is not afraid to tackle issues such as teaching illegally (without a work permit), health issues and those sensitive cross-cultural issues (including personal relationships). Increasingly Americans seem to be becoming wary, or even afraid, of working abroad. With its thoroughly grounded and practical approach to all the issues, this book dispels those fears. Jeff Mohamed's enthusiasm is highly contagious!

The listings of resources are current and incredibly comprehensive (I was pleased to see it included the school in Egypt, ILI Helopolis, where I spent many happy years!)

For those starting their careers as teachers this book is invaluable. For those more seasoned teachers, the lists of resources (almost 100 pages of them!) are invaluable. And I see from the introduction that if you do not like it, you can contact the publisher for a full refund. What have you got to lose?

Perfect For Beginners
I think the book is really good for people who are just starting to look into teaching English to foreign students. The FAQs chapter and the one on the current overseas job market answered just about all of the questions that were running around in my head for the last few weeks. I feel that I now understand a lot about what TEFL is and what career prospects it offers. I'm also more aware of some of the problems and limitations. I'm trying to decide which TEFL certificate program to take and the book is helping me a lot with this. It lists the good and bad points of the different programs. Until I read it, I didn't know that there were so many programs and that some of them are much more popular than others with overseas schools. I haven't used any of the stuff on job searching yet but it all looks very clear and well organized. When I have my certificate and start looking for jobs all the addresses of employers should be really useful. I looked at a couple of other books but they didn't seem to be as detailed or as up to date. I don't think they even had email addresses for schools. This looks like the perfect book for someone like me. I'm going to lend it to my parents because they think I'm crazy to want to live abroad. I hope it will convince them that there are real job possibilities out there.

An excellent resource for the TESL/TEFL Professional
This book has a lot of excellent information about issues related to finding English teaching jobs overseas, as well as information about necessary training (and where to find it!). It references some other helpful books on teaching, informational websites, and more. I found this book to be a very nice guide for those new to the TEFL profession, as well as TESL/TEFL professionals who might wish to try teaching in a new country. The author obviously put quite a bit of time and research into this volume, and it shows.

Definitely a keeper...
I am about to make my way to Prague for a TOEFL course and could not have researched this school without reading this book. He gives all the options and why and why not. His advise on looking for jobs and how to write CV's is extremely helpful, especially for Americans, as it is not the same as a resume. A little biased to the Cambridge certificate and affiliates but he worked for them so whatever.... definitely a must if you are just trying to figure out where to start with your TOEFL.

Great Resource
This book is helping me plan and assess every step involved in teaching English abroad, including selecting a TEFL certification program, selecting a target country, writing an appropriate resume, etc. It is helping me to be realistic about where I can go to teach. It also provides valuable information on what to look out for when signing teaching contracts. ... Read more

Book Description

This is an ideal dictionary for students taking Spanish in combination with a business qualification at college or for anyone doing business in the Spanish-speaking world. It provides an exhaustive range of business vocabulary--over 50,000 words and phrases--across many core areas, far outstripping the competition in its coverage of e-commerce and Internet-related terms. Detailed treatment of all vocabulary items is provided, along with thousands of example phrases illustrating important constructions. The extensive supplementary material offers sample business correspondence, including Curriculum Vitaes; faxes, emails, and invoices; lists of countries, nationalities, languages, and currencies; and guidance on using the telephone. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great dictionary- no need to invent terms!
This dictionary is complete with contemporary business terms in Spanish with their English equivalent. This dictionary is a handy reference for those who need to know and understand business terms in Spanish as well as keep pace with neologisms that come into the language especially from the technology sector. The vocabulary is very contemporary and includes abbreviations as well that are included in business documents and letters. The middle of dictionary includes a business correspondence section with sample business letters, resumes, email vocabulary and other handy business correspondence references. This dictionary would be most beneficial to those who use Spanish in a professional capacity, advanced learners of Spanish and those who simply want to speak correctly using proper business terms at all times in Spanish. This is a worthwhile investment. ... Read more

Book Description

Maintaining a focus on preparing students for all levels of the office environment, this text focuses on the technological changes currently taking place.It is designed to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for success in the workplace, and to develop communication, human relations and time and stress management.This text was formerly named Office 2000: Technology & Procedures. ... Read more

Book Description

Praise for the First Edition

"The beauty of this work is that it points the reader to each professional organization’s writings on issues relating to business valuation methodologies and applications. I can’t think of an attorney who works with business valuation professionals who should not have this book."
–Robert E. Kleeman Jr.
CPA/ABV, ASA, CVA, CFE, Clifton Gunderson, LLC

"Business Valuation Body of Knowledge will quickly become one of the foremost authoritative sources on the ‘body of knowledge’ for business valuations. It is well organized and written in a style which allows it to be used as both a teaching tool and a reference manual."
–R. James Alerding
CPA/ABV, ASA, CVA, Clifton Gunderson, LLC

"When you simply need the answer, Shannon has it for you. The Body is a no-nonsense repository of information!"
–Stephen J. Bravo
CPA/ABV, CBA, CPF, PFS, Apogee Business Valuations, Inc.

"This book is a ‘must have’ for every business valuation library. . . . [Shannon has] done an excellent job of compiling a core body of knowledge that is common to all of the major accrediting organizations in the business valuation profession."
–Thomas E. Hilton
CPA, CVA, Anders, Minkler & Diehl, LLP

"The book is great. I especially like the cost of capital chapter. . . . It’s one of the few books where there is a succinct description of the different methods to determine the cost of capital. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and it was a great refresher for me."
–Mary McCarter
ASA, CFA, Columbia Financial Advisors, Inc. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not as Good as the Original
This book is an obvious copy of the REAL Kaizen booh "Kaizen Event Implementation Manual" by Sensei Mika.
Don't waste your money, get the real thing, not a substitute! ... Read more

Book Description

The Back Door Guide to Short-Term Job Adventures 3rd Edition by Michael Landes Tempted to chuck your 9-to-5 job to be a white-water rafting guide in Alaska? Always wanted to spend your summer restoring a medieval castle in the south of France? This one-of-a-kind guide contains more than 1,000 opportunities to work, play, learn, help, create, experience, and grow. This comprehensive resource for off-the-beaten-path work-and-learn adventures will introduce you to options you didn’t even know existed. In this third edition, Michael Landes has extensively updated the listings to provide the most current information, and added new listings for internships, seasonal work, volunteer opportunities, and overseas jobs. Seize your life and your career path in both hands and step through the Back Door—the world awaits you. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

The Back Door Guide a winner!
Michael Landes does an incredible job of simplifying a very difficult process.

This is one-stop shopping for a tremendous amount of useful information. The layout and graphics make it a very easy read and all of the information is very accessible.

You can't help but get excited about travel after browsing through this book. If you use it as a tool, you are sure to find many new opportunities that you would never be able to uncover on your own.

I highly recommend it.

Life's too short for a book this comprehensive!
I've seen dozens of volunteer books, adventure-job books, online databases, etc., but this is still my favorite. While some other places may contain more addresses, and yet others more information on each contact, this achieves the perfect balance. Hundreds of exciting jobs await, many well-paying and many volunteer. I've spent countless hours browsing this book dreaming and have used it for one job so far (at an out-of-the-way resort in Olympic National Park).

The chapters are divided usefully into sections on artistic pursuits, overseas jobs, environmental jobs, adventure jobs, farming jobs, etc., and are peppered with helpful anecdotes from people who've been there. The only drawback, as others have noted, is that the vast majority of listings are US-based. So if you wish to find more non-American jobs, try somewhere else, otherwise this is the best place to start dreaming AND doing!

BUY THIS BOOK
IF you are looking for something different to do, the name says it all: Adventure will follow! I got a bunch of great ideas for personal volunteer experiences through this book, there are things for everyone of ANY interest. ALSO there is a particularlly helpful chapter about finding your place. An awesome book!

Comprehensive and Well-Organized Book
Almost 1,000 descriptions of internships. Entries describe the type of position, how many people apply, and information about the job. A section titled "Ideal Candidate" specifies whether jobs are open to college students, career changers, retired people, and/or foreigners. Types of short-term jobs include adventures, camps and resorts, outdoors, environmental, artistic, socially responsible, and international. A section tells you how to motivate yourself to try one of these adventures and how to apply. Inspiring, interesting, and practical.

This review was originally in Learning A Living, A Guide to Planning Your Career and Finding A Job for People with Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Dyslexia

How to work cheaply in the States -- NOT volunteer overseas!
I am sure that this book is a fantastic resource for American citizens.

However, for a Canadian who wants to work in a foreign country, this book is absolutely useless. Canadians can almost never be hired in the U.S.A., and as well, most of the jobs in the book are not only American but not really service project jobs.

If you are interested in working in a national park, working with youth, etc. and you are an American citizen, hey, go for it. If you are looking for alternatives to Canada World Youth, the Peace Corps, etc., this book will do you NO good. ... Read more

Book Description

According to a recent issue of the Harvard Business Review, more than experience or training, it's a person's level of resilience in the face of stressful circumstances that will determine whether he succeeds or fails. Resilience at Work gives readers the courage and determination to face stressful problems instead of denying or avoiding them. Readers will learn proven techniques for:* Increasing positive attitudes like commitment, control, and challenge, while decreasing those of isolation, powerlessness, and threat* Developing patterns of support based on giving and getting assistance Luckily, resilience is not simply an ability one is born with, but a skill anyone can learn and improve. Resilience at Work gives readers the motivation and tools to work constructively and remain hardy through difficult situations, and turn stressful changes in the workplace into golden opportunities. ... Read more

Reviews (33)

A great book but you should find a Minto Mentor to get value
The Pyramid Principle is one of the few books that I have read that has fundamental changed the way I work. The concepts in the book can fundamentally change the way you communicate and think through issues and present ideas. This book and its concepts literaly turns everything you know about writing upside down.

Interestingly enough, the book is not particularly well written and can be difficult to grasp.

I strongly advise that, if possible, you find someone who practices Minto as a mentor to help you apply the content and concepts in the book. You will learn it better when you have someone tear down your work (using minto principles) in order to build a stronger communication.

Here are some of the key ideas in the book to help you structure your thinking and communications.

1)What is the situation ? A statement that the audience agrees exists and will immediately recognize.

2) What is the complication? The event or condition that renders the situation no longer tenable or in other words "why the status quo will no longer stand"

3) The R1 describes what we have now. This helps set the scope of the arguement

4) The R2 descibes the world as it should be. This sets the scope of the solution.

Good luck with the ideas in the book.

Highly recommend to Marketing Student
I am a final year student who major in Marketing of City University of Hong Kong. After I have read this book, I would like to recommend to other marketing students. In my university life, I need to deliver many presentations and reports. This book give a very clear structure to teach me how to write a good report and attract my audience with the excellent presentation skills. This book divide into 4 parts. Writing, thinking, problem solving and presentation. For writing, we can use a pyramid structure with either vertical or horizontal relationship. For thinking, summarize the idea is very important to give a clear message to your audience. For problem solving, just like our project, we should not waste the time and data due to wrong direction and after that we can use logic tree to choose among alternative. For presentation, use more graphic and visual aids, colourful image and with readable size. This books is quite good that if you are interested in the skill of thinking, writing, problem solving and especially presentation.

Minto Pyramid Principle
I have organised a course given by Barbara for my direct reports at a major US computer company. The course reviews were all above 90%. From a selfish viewpoint, the major benefit was not having to plough through badly written memos, documents or presentations that failed to make any point clearly or concisely. From an organisational viewpoint, my staff learnt how to save huge amounts of time developing documents and presentations, which were also measurably more effective.
I have made this book a standard present to anyone I know who writes or makes presentations during the course of their lives. Minto'ised documents written by graduate and PhD students, lawyers, marketeers, sales-people, entrepreneurs, etc. are both shorter and much better at conveying their message. In the meanwhile, their authors save considerable time in getting to a final winning version.
Buy it, understand it and use it for future reference. The world belongs to people who can communicate their ideas effectively.

GET THE 1996 EDITION, AVAILABLE ONLY FROM MINTO!
The 1996 edition is a VERY significant upgrade/expansion of the 1987 edition, of which the English editions available on this site are all reprints.

The English version of the 1996 edition is only available directly from Minto, http://www.barbaraminto.com/book.htm.

"Copy that.."
My abstract reasoning ability has never really had enough power to grasp and organise some of the complex proposals and reports that I have to write for my clients. Every time that I've been prepared to admit the fact and consult this book it has never failed me - and it seems the clarity of my work is then so conspicuous that, as often as not, the client will congratulate me upon it. Thank you Barbara Minto ! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An Imperative Book for Any Company
Setting our mission statement had our company had us knocking heads until we picked up Mr. Abrahams' book. "Mission Statement Book; 301 Corporate Mission Statements from America's Top Companies" is a must for any dot.com company.

Excellent Reference
This book is a very helpful brain-storming tool. You're making work for yourself if you write a mission statement without consulting it. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Step Beyond the Others
I have been working in customer service training for over a decade now and I've seen a lot of systems come and go. Lisa Ford's insights and ideas about customer service, however, are timeless. This book represent a compilation of the customer service ideas and techniques she has talked about over the years. It's great to have all of it in one place, and in a book format. I had been looking forward to the publication of this book for a while, and I have to admit that it exceeded my expectations. Not only did it talk about what good service is, but it goes a step beyond what other books do and talks about HOW to reach the level of exceptional service in your company. The book includes self-appraisals, ideas for team exercises, and numerous examples of good service and poor service. It is well written, very cohesive and, if sincerely adapted by a company, can turn-around any failing customer service program. ... Read more