Book Description

STANDARD WORK FOR THE SHOPFLOOR

Productivity Press Development Team

STANDARD WORK FOR THE SHOPFLOOR is the latest in the Productivity Press"Shopfloor Series" created by our in-house development team. This book is a guide to standardizing and documenting operators’ current best practices on the shop floor. Standardized work stresses consistency while remaining dynamic enough to change with products and process. It documentsguidelines and illustrations for employees performing the same specific job. ... Read more

Book Description

From two vanguards of global strategy consulting comes this eye-opening look at the business dilemma of unsustainable growth--along with insights on what companies can do to stimulate consistent profits. Though most companies claim to be growth oriented, surprisingly few actually achieve double-digit growth--and over the past 10 years, that percentage has steadily decreased. In HOW TO GROW WHEN MARKETS DON'T, Adrian Slywotzky and Richard Wise examine this problem and offer real solutions, including how to fully map customers' higher- order needs and ways to get investors to change their thinking. They also offer methods to enhance existing asset bases through acquisitions, partnerships, and licensing, and suggest that companies learn not to depend on the CEO to solve the growth crisis. Creating sustained growth in company value has never been an easy task--in fact, it's getting more and more difficult in today's economic climate--and HOW TO GROW WHEN MARKETS DON'T addresses the need for solid and sensible advice. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

New growth for old companies
Slywotzky and Wise could have titled their new book, New Growth for Old Companies: A Comprehensive Compendium. If you've read their many previous papers and articles, you'll find the contents of this book familiar but will probably be delighted to find all those ideas and more gathered informatively in one place. The authors' audience consists of companies in mature industries struggling to grow - and to grow in a sustainable manner.

Inspired by examples such as General Motors, Clarke American, and Cardinal Health, Slywotzky and Wise mix their own thoughts with others floating around the world of business ideas to come up with a strategy they call "demand innovation". I agree that typical product innovation, while retaining value, is far from the final word in achieving growth. The authors' demand-centric approach instead focuses on the customer's context in using a product or service, and satisfying that with the company's intangible wealth - customer contacts, business models, technical expertise, human capital.

If you are like most customers, you have no trouble finding any number of innovative products. Your wish-list of new stuff is probably making your bank balance very nervous. Yet the experience of finding, buying, using, getting support, and other issues that surround the product itself can create enormous frustration. Slywotzky and Wise do us the favor (as businesses and customers) of bringing together a set of opportunities to grow by helping customers reduce complexity and by helping businesses make better decisions and reach their market faster - often a newly uncovered or created market. Some of the methods for companies are ensuring operational excellence, treating growth as a systematic discipline, developing lots of small ideas and a few big ones, mandating growth at the operating level, securing high-level support for growth initiatives, and building your capabilities through acquisitions and alliances.

You may not find many of these ideas to be radically new, but that's no reason to ignore this book. The authors have done a fine job of gathering diverse elements of new-growth practices and putting them in a sensible framework of "demand innovation". Keep this book on the shelf next to you and pull it down next time you get that not-so-fresh feeling about your business and your markets.

Wear new glasses
Growth has always been a challenge and passion for top management. Mature markets, fierce competition, greater expectations from customers, investors and employees contribute to setting of tough growth targets and the difficulty in attaining them. It is interesting to note that only single digit (7) percentage of companies are able to achieve double digit growth in today's markets. This book takes a closer look at some of these and the means that they adopt to achieve it.

According to the authors, the conventional focus on product innovation, R&D and market penetration strategies have all hit a wall. To break free from this syndrome, companies have to adopt innovative approaches- Demand Innovation. Instead of focusing on the current offering, companies have to look from a customer perspective into the entire value chain of which the current offering could be a small part. The approach is to explore the surrounding processes, products and services.

Cardinal Health Care is a good example with which the authors effectively start demonstrating this concept. Cardinal was struck on the periphery of wholesale drug distribution with shrinking growth and negligible margins. Cardinal soon realizes that for its customers, primarily big hospitals, procurement of drugs is just a part of the solution that seeks to reach the prescribed drugs to the patients' stomach. Suddenly a big opportunity for dispensing, accounting, re-ordering, billing and information processing of drugs in hospitals emerges. Cardinal decides to seize this opportunity. Through extended processes and acquisitions, Cardinal steps into the customers premises, providing them with end to end solutions in procurement, storage, accounting and dispensing of drugs. The concept looks simple , but the revenue streams are deep and margins healthy. A healthy prescription for growth.

General Motors' On Star service is another success story. Instead of just delivering a machine for transportation, GM now assures safety, security and other value added services to the harassed drivers on the road. It is now a part of the customer throughout the product's useful life enjoying a steady stream of revenues, with higher margins and delighted customers. An example where communications and information technology is used to wrap value added services to an otherwise routine product delivery.

The book is split into logical parts and includes chapters on the role of senior managers, unlocking hidden organizational assets like customer contacts, technical expertise, process excellence and a framework to put the ideas into practice and thereby manage growth over an extended timeframe.

Look through the glasses of Demand Innovation and growth will appear closer and bigger.

Recommended reading for managers across all industries.

Another thought provoking book from Slywotzky
I frequently refer to Adrian Slywotzky's previous books as we respond to a rapidly changing market environment among our software customers, and found How to Grow to be a very useful source of new ideas. Slywotzky and co-author Rick Wise concisely frame the growth challenge faced in many industries today, and help the reader in identifying several tangible options for driving revenue and profitability, even in the current market.

The overall format is familiar to readers of Slywotzky's Profit Zone: The first chapter describes the challenge and suggests a response. The middle chapters provide fresh case studies that illustrate how companies across a range of industries have successfully overcome declining growth trends in their traditional business model. The final chapters bring together the common themes from the case examples, and construct an initial set of tools that a leadership team can use can use to identify tangible new opportunities in their own business.

The factors driving the growth challenge--- maturity and commoditization of many key product lines, decreasing returns to new product and line extension investment, increasing saturation of new geographic markets, limited remaining industry consolidation opportunity in many markets, to name a few-are becoming well understood. Forbes publisher Rich Karlgaard frequently writes that even the tech industry is waking up to find that many more customers care about products being cheaper than being faster. Slywotzky and Wise don't dwell on this topic, but encourage the reader to ask which drivers may be slowing growth in their own industry.

I found the examples of "demand innovation" to be particularly helpful. These are drawn from a range of industries, presumably including several of Slywotzky's and Wise's consulting clients. Many examples are industries seldom used as case studies on the business speaker circuit, including check printing, lawn care equipment, and automobiles. The fresh material is very instructive. It is quite likely that the reader will find a case example that provides a close analogy to his or her own business.

As with the Profit Zone, the book concludes by providing an outline and set of tools of how to engage an organization in a process to define their own growth challenge and identify actionable responses. It doesn't try to be a recipe book, but it's a very helpful "preflight check list", which increases the likelihood that a valuable opportunity isn't overlooked. The menu of options emphasizes the importance of understanding the customer structure, the customer's activity chain around the product, and the value of the information created in the interaction with the customers. Even companies that have implemented effective downstream business models are likely to find ideas that help extend the creativity in identifying new opportunities.

I read through the book quickly to understand the major themes and keep it handy as a reference when developing new initiatives.

A worthwhile Read
This book is very good, filled with useful ideas.

The authors analyze companies from a variety of industries, many of which faced low growth or no growth markets, and identify the innovations in thought and practices that laid the foundation for future, sustained growth.

They provide the kind of ideas, grounded in real-world examples, that will help you to find and apply new approaches to trigger growth in your business. In the tradition of other good books, this book prompts you to ask the right questions, ending each chapter with a series of questions to help you to capitalize on your business' unique strengths and hidden assets.

A worthwhile read.

Surprisingly Useful
I am very cynical about business books. I typically read two or three chapters and then put them down. Frankly, I think most of them are junk. They state the obvious about age-old management problems. They also tend to be obsessively focused on the internal dynamics and structure of a company.

I took a chance with this book after hearing Mr. Slywotzky on the radio and realizing that I still had a decent balance on an Amazon gift certificate. As the owner/operator of a small wire manufacturing company, the messages about the problems of commoditization and global overcapacity hit home with me. My company has always focused on staying in niche businesses that were not quite large enough to be of interest to larger manufacturers. It worked well for literally decades until about a year and a half ago when we found that a certain "small" product line was not too small to escape the attention of some mainland Chinese businesses. After taking a 60% gross margin haircut (Ouch!!!) to retain the business, I started to become very scared.

At this same time in another product line, we began manufacturing some equipment to more easily dispense an oscillated wire product. We luckily decided to lease this machine rather than sell it, and it has become a lynchpin in our ability to establish and maintain a dominant position in this market. As this machinery has evolved, it also became the rough outline of a business model that I continue to try to pursue. This book is a very good refinement of my rough idea plus a lot more. I intend to try to use the authors' ideas to think about a new product line that has some disruptive elements to it(yes, I think that Clayton Chritensen is worthwhile, too).

I may just like this book because they are preaching to the choir, and I feel that I have arrived at a lot of the same conclusions, albeit in much rougher form, on my own. One thing that I do know is that all the games of incremental, internal change are not enough when mainland China shows up in your backyard.

P.S. - One thing the authors' don't touch on much, but that should be noted is that the ones who are most responsible for commoditizing your products are your own customers. You can be sure that the bigger they are, the more sophisticated the sourcing organization that they have in Asia. ... Read more

Book Description

This unique and cutting-edge book takes Lean beyond your four walls to the end-to-end supply chain. The authors discuss how to integrate the total value stream — vertically, horizontally, and laterally and achieve success through empowered people and teams, cultural transformation, and an integration of Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and enabling technologies such as ERP, SCM, APS, CRM, PLM, networks, exchangers, and portals. Using the Lean Extended Enterprise Reference Model (LEERM), the authors demonstrate that by deploying the right methodologies and technologies to the right situation you can achieve huge breakthroughs in performance. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The Lean Extended Enterprise: Moving Beyond the Four Walls t
This is an excellent book that I have purchased for key leaders in my organization. It does a great job of linking Value Stream Mapping to Lean Concepts.

the lan extended enterprise
Being a "real world" lean practitioner and having gone through the many trappings in "going lean," I found T. Burton and S. Boeder's book, "The Lean Extended Enterprise" to be one of the most practical and usefull text on the market. These authors have blended the best of academics, case histories, lean tools, and industrial science to provide a road map to navigate a lean implimentation. I.e., not only on the shop floor, but across the enterprise. This helps preclude the sub-optimiztion syndrome and lack of work organization and syncronization that many of us have experienced while attempting to go "lean."

Great reference for Enterprise application of lean
The book provides a great reference model ("Lean Extended Enterprise Reference Model-LEERM") for understanding the strucure and framework for assisting companies, their customers, and suppliers in transitioning to a total value stream conversion to lean. Unfortuately most books on the subject of lean only address the application of specific lean tools (Kanban, SMED, etc.) and do not provide the strucured methodology necessary for aligning the total organization. The Lean Extended Enterprise Model outlined in the book identifies Panels of Value Stream Integration; (1) Strategic Journey Panel, (2) Best Practices and Principles Panel, (3) Implementation Panel,(4) Methodologies, Tools,and Enabling Technologoes Panel. Additionally the book provides a formal performance measurement tool to support the Lean Extended Enterprise Reference Model. The termed used to define this model by the authors is "Lean Extended Enterprise Assessment Process-LEEAP". Seven major evaluation areas are identified in detail; (1) Leadership, (2) Customer and market focus. (3) Uniform improvement infrastructure, (4) Value stream processes, (5) Extended enterprise integration, (6) organizational learning, and (7) Performance measurement. This book is a must read reference for those companies who are serious about implementing Lean throughout the entire Supply Chain.

Lean Extended Enterprise
The book does a good job by meeting its objectives. It provides guidence for the executive that's trying to fit everything into the process from strategic planning to execution.

Too broad a brush...
What I would thought would bring to me some new concept or ideas to continue to move in the Lean Enterprise direction and conversion, is however a "summary" of all the different available tools, with nothing new about them. Unfortunately not written for those of you who have already started to implement Lean approches in Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Product Development, or else. Good for the ones looking at the different options and trying to see what can be the whole picture... ... Read more

Book Description

Covers supply chain management as a whole, focusing on the integration of components associated with developing new products, buying materials, transforming them, and shipping them to customers.Contains topical discussions of what supply chains are, why they are important, and what types of challenges are implicit in managing supply chains.A book well-suited for business and engineering practitioners in executive education forums. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

High level rip off
I'm not a Supply Chain professional yet I found this book too conceptual and simplistic. A concept book needs to at least be thought provoking. It is not. [....]

Very very introductory indeed!
I found the book a (loose) collection of short descriptions of concepts. If you are looking for a "dictionary" of supply chain concepts, this is probably the cheapest way to obtain one. For an introductory course in SCM however, this book is way to basic. The authors have tried to make the book more serious by including some case studies (very superficial) with simulation experiments in chapter 5, but this make the whole book even less coherent. SO you have guessed by now I did not find the book worth the (low amount) of money.

Not an Integrated Approach
Although the book covers several introductory themes about the supply chain management, there is a lack of integration inside the book. The book contains several footnotes to different articles and books. It made me feel that the book was written in a somehow assembly manner.

SCM starter
Early MBA level.

If you are in business and looking for a place to start ...

Here it is!

Great Primer!
If you're looking for a place to start to understand Supply Chain Management--this is the book. The authors, who have done an outstanding job on the research--lots of research, have explained in a very down to earth and articulate way--the great need for SCM, the challenges, the roadmap to begin the journey, and what the future holds. A great "why to and how to book". ... Read more

Book Description

In Identifying Waste on the Shopfloor, the Productivity Development Team has created an excellent guide to quickly understanding, identifying, and eliminating shop floor waste.From inventory waste to process-related waste, Identifying Waste on the Shopfloor covers every type of waste generating event, policy, and mindset. The book then gives you tools to effectively eliminate them from your manufacturing processes.

Like all Shopfloor Series books, Identifying Waste on the Shopfloor presents concepts and tools in simple and accessible language. The book includes many illustrations and examples to explain basic concepts and some of the challenges that are encountered when looking for and eliminating waste.

Identifying Waste on the Shopfloor is the ideal compliment to 5S, TPM, and other tools for building a lean manufacturing operation.

Productivity’s Shopfloor Series books offer a simple, cost-effective approach for building basic knowledge about key manufacturing improvement topics. Identifying Waste on the Shopfloor and all our Shopfloor Series books include innovative instructional features that are the signature of the Shopfloor Series.The goal: to place powerful and proven improvement tools in the hands of your entire workforce.

Key learning features include:
· Well-organized, and easy-to-assimilate learning
· Chapter overviews and summaries
· Questions throughout each chapter to help you apply the learning to your own workplace
· Drawings and illustrations
· Margin icons that flag definitions, main points, and other highlights

2003, ISBN 1-56327-287-3, 128 pages ... Read more

Book Description

People responsible for managing projects are busy. And their jobs are made more difficult by time pressures, project complexity, and a lack of resources. Their ability to execute a project efficiently and well, especially in unexpected or new situations, is compromised. But it needn't be.

The Project Management Tool Kit presents proven project management techniques in an accessible, easy-to-apply format. Based on the approaches used by successful project managers in many fields, the Tool Kit offers step-by-step methodologies for managing every conceivable project step. Professionals at all levels will get the latest on:

* cost estimating and budgeting* communications and technology* goals for individuals and project teams* negotiation and decision making* establishing and retaining management support* implementing change and process improvement* quality assurance and control* risk assessment and management* scheduling and time management* and more -- 100 subject areas in all!

Complete with checklists and other tools for quick implementation, here is a practical and complete guide to mastering any project challenge. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A great reference work
This is a very useful reference work which delivers exactly what it promises: every tool in the project manager's toolkit is defined concisely and precisely. It was easy to find concepts and techniques which I could apply to current projects. The ability to cross-reference related tools and subject areas is particularly helpful. Perhaps most valuable for the experienced project manager are the detailed checklists which highlight issues to be considered and tasks to be performed when applying each tool.

good practical techniques that really work
This book provides a great overview on proven techniques and approaches that really work. This is exactly what project managers are looking for after reading the PMBOK®! It shows the "how to ..." which is missing in the PMBOK®. The tools are easy to grasp, and the approach goes far beyond the pure technical and methodological stuff to the human side--which is the essential part in most projects

Quick and Concise.
Excellent reference tool! Having practiced PM for over 20 years I know that, due to projects' unique elements, no project manager uses all their skills and tools all the time. This book is great to have to go to for a quick, easy to get to, no-nonsense refresher for those skills that may be a little rusty.

A practical handbook
This is a down to earth handbook that that describes in concise, accessible format 100 essential project management tools and concepts drawn from Mr. Kendrick's considerable experience. This book will save any new project manager the many years that it would take to accumulate this knowledge on their own. For experienced project managers, it offers a consolidated ready reference. Keep it in your project management library.

Al DeLucia
Philadelphia, PA
Author of Recipes for Project Success ... Read more

Book Description

The period of effortless, double-digit growth and skyrocketing capitalization for telecom carriers is over!The long-term telecommunications market potential is still enormous, but getting there now requires a sharp business and technology savvy.In this resource, P.J. Louis shows telecom service providers how to efficiently manage their technology advantages and back-end operations to survive in this challenging economic climate.

* Basics of billing: staying alive
* Short, smart biz and tech strategies for tough times in telecom
* Using CRM (Customer Relationship Management) to drive business
* How to manage regulatory uncertainty
* How globalization affects every carrier ... Read more

Reviews (4)

P.J. has enlightened us again
This is a cycle but the
telecom market is still getting worse. It is still a matter of overextension. Too
many companies that have borrowed from banks that expected to be huge
players with large market share in too short of time. This was the book that set the ground work for how recovery can start taking place as the economy goes through this bullish period.

Another Excellent Offering by P.J. Louis
I have come to rely on P.J. Louis for insightful, articulate, and comprehensive analysis of telecom issues. His latest book on telecom management is important reading for all those who work at the decision-making level in telecoms - and also for anyone who works with them. This book is highly recommended.

Insight from a trusted advisor
Mr. Louis' "tell it like it is" insight into the art of selling products and services in a tumultuous environment is refreshing. He provides succinct advice based on real experiences, in the good times as well as the bad times. I consider this book an essential tool for anyone thinking about entering or surviving in the Telecom arena.

Timely & on target
Mr. Louis has provided a "must have" resource for survival of telecoms. While HRA departments have become somewhat of a profit center with downsizing, the Telecom Management Course book offers an insight that may allow the slowdown of both the cause and effect. Focusing on the TEAM aspect and fundamentals of all Telecom sectors helps one to understand the interaction required to maintain profitability in any environment.
Mr. Louis is on target with topic and timely once again. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

a world class book
Professors leading by Robert Murdick make clear the advantegeous to apply OM strategies on services. A superb revision on the operations management dynamics. This edition keeps the material fresh, without loose its objectivity.

As a professor on service operations management I will always appreciate its invaluable didactic support as well on the consulting business. ... Read more

Book Description

Conquering the complexity in products and services can generate larger contributions to profits and growth than nearly any other business strategy

Here's a guarantee: Somewhere in your business, there is too much complexity. You may also be losing out by having too little complexity where it counts - in the products, services and options you offer to customers. Either way, the impact of complexity is enormous in terms of lost profit and missed growth opportunities.

Conquering Complexity in Your Business shows how to break through the ceiling on profits and growth by implementing the three rules for conquering complexity:

• Eliminating complexity that customers will not pay for
• Exploiting the complexity that customers will pay for
• Minimizing the costs of the complexity you offer

You'll find methods and tools you need to:

Book Description

Zero Inventories is the definitive work on JIT! It is written for the key people in industry--managers, engineers, staff professionals and foremen, showing how to solve inventory problems and achieve stockless production. Its wide range of topics include: forecasting and inventory control methods; material requirements planning; systems for scheduling operations in manufacturing, procurement, logistics and project planning; systems for master scheduling and corporate planning; organizational problems of installing and managing new systems. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A must read for those interested in JIT
This book encompasses all the main issues of JIT which are covered deeply. Even so, the writing style is overly dense and it makes hard to go through the text. It's a reference book on all the literature in inventory but a bit out of date. ... Read more

Book Description

Tried and true CPM scheduling streamliner. Now in its 5th edition, this must-have resource for using Critical Path Method shows you exactly how to build speed, accuracy, and flexibility into construction project scheduling. CPM in Construction Management by award-winning author James J. O'Brien provides in-depth coverage of Primavera's CPM software which dominates the industry. Brand new CPM software accompanies new example cases that bring you up-to-date with today's construction situations. This complete package helps you run a tight construction ship with all you need to know about: event time computations; procurement; preconstruction; monitoring project progress; cost control; equipment and workforce planning; precedents networks; CPM in claims and litigations; and DOZENS of other CPM factors. ... Read more

Book Description

Hilgert/Dilts is the only non-custom product on the market to offer an anthology of cases for the labor relations/collective bargaining course. It contains an extensive set of cases dealing with Union/ Management problem situations. The cases vary in length, complexity and numbers of issues. ... Read more

Book Description

The fabric of the airline industry has continued to undergo remarkable changes since the 5th edition of this classic text was published in 1995. The industry has witnessed a series of mergers and a trend toward consolidation into fewer but larger airlines. Route patterns have been reconstructed around hub cities. In contrast to the early 1990s, which saw unprecedented operating deficits, the late 1990s have seen a swing to highly profitable operations, characterized by the forming of alliances among U.S. and foreign airlines. Revised substantially to cover these changes, this book is an excellent introduction to the economics of U.S. airline services, both domestic and international. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Concise Business Strategy and Economics book
This is an excellent book about Business Strategy and Economics in the airline environment. It explains, in detail, the traditional points and current trends happening in a fast-paced and ever-changing industry.

I must reject the poor review given by another reader. I have a significant level of training and experience in the airline industry. Mr. O'Connor possesses exceptional credentials and this particular book is considered part of a group of classic educational material for the serious student and aspiring aviation manager to read.

There are many books written about aviation and airlines. This one connects the economic terms, definitions and business strategies together, as it relates to the airline industry.

One final point. This book goes out of circulation and it is difficult to get. Get it while you can!

I was a bit hasty
I decided to give this a second look, after writing a rather lukewarm review of it earlier. I must admit that it is not as bad as I earlier may have implied. If given a very careful and dedicated read, there is sufficient detail to gain some insights into the airline industry. Much of it is redundant with general business concepts, so I still don't think it's worth the money for someone with extensive experience or an MBA to bother with. However, for an undergrad or those without more formal training, it could be valuable.

Falls short of its goal
I bought this book (regrettably now) and read it, hoping to gain an introduction to the industry that I will be joining as a soon to be MBA graduate. Unfortunately, this does not stand up to its billing as a college level text. It would be ok for an undergraduate, survey or overview type course. But for those seeking a serious look at the airline industry, I cannot recommend this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Here are cutting-edge techniques that will boost the productivity and slash the costs of your facility department

Let 21 top specialists show you how to maximize the operation and maintenance capabilities of any facility or plant. This practical handbook takes you through each step in the planning, design, and execution of maintenance and operation procedures for structures, equipment, and systems. It features special emphasis on emergency and energy equipment used in facilities--and explores all essential support functions and duties. The most comprehensive resource of its kind, this handbook provides you with a complete picture of facility operation and maintenance--from technical checklists--to cost control--to computer applications! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I want to have it
I want to buy it, buy I don't know how can I have it.

I appreciate you can give a indication!

Thanks and best regards,

Jean Tsang 04-08-2000

Its really fantastic book
I WANT TO BUY THIS BOOK . PLEASE EMAIL ME HOW TO BUY ONLINE.

Thank ... Read more

Book Description

"The only sustainable form of business leadership is thought leadership–generating more great ideas faster than the competition. Bob Schmetterer, one of the truly creative minds in advertising, teaches leaders in every industry how to win big by thinking different. So make the leap . . . Read and learn from this genuinely important book."
–William C. Taylor, Founding Editor, Fast Company

"So what happens to advertising (and advertising agencies) when mass media totally falls apart? Here, in the middle of a smart ad man’s autobiography, may lie the answer: Smart companies will use brilliant ad agencies to reinvent their products and the way they work. Big ideas still matter!"
–Seth Godin, author, Survival Is Not Enough and Permission Marketing

"This book contains great insight, great integrity, and clarity about the important part that values linked to understanding play in creative work. A very impressive work that is both inspiring and useful in today’s competitive world."
–Edwin Schlossberg, Designer, ESI Design

"True business creativity is powerful and inspiring . . . and Bob’s passion for it makes you want to be a part of it. Leap is a journey from Intel to Guggenheim’s vision, passing from a ‘branded’ Argentinian bridge on the way to Perdue’s chicken—making history . . . All four are creative business ideas made of both vision and actions, and Bob captures their essence masterfully."
–Elio Leoni Sceti, EVP, Category Development, Reckitt Benckiser

"Bob Schmetterer has always been an innovator in our business, and this book offers proof of why that is the case. His ‘Creative Business Ideas’ concept represents out-of- the-box thinking at its best.Anyone interested in the future of marketing communications and the critical role of creativity should read it."
–O. Burtch Drake, President and CEO, American Association of Advertising Agencies

"A key management challenge is how to enable an organization to grow, see new opportunities, and lead the market. Bob Schmetterer answers this important question and shares his insights in this highly readable book. I recommend it to all senior executives who are concerned with creativity and business growth."
–Peter Lorange, President, International Institute for Management Development

"Information to share and lessons to learn from a great mind. Leap makes fascinating reading. No wonder Bob Schmetterer was instrumental in launching our Revolvolution. The man is creativity embodied."
–Hans-Olov Olsson, President and CEO, Volvo Car Corporation ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Highly Recommended!
Every executive pays lip service to creativity, but truly unusual ideas are tough to find among the button-down set. When it comes to encouraging and developing groundbreaking ideas, most organizations are at a loss. Enter advertising exec Bob Schmetterer and his focus on creative business ideas. These strategies, such as Volvo's emphasis on safety, set a brand apart from its rivals. How do you get creative? It could be as simple as tearing out your office doors and walls, and hiring a few dyslexics. Schmetterer's clear, crisp writing style, bold suggestions and liberal use of intriguing corporate case studies make this book a joy to read. We suggest it to any executive whose brand must cut through the clutter.

Used as a sales tool ... to his own staff
As a former employee of the EuroRSCG empire, one of the most common things we heard from the top brass was, "hey theres a new book out by bob, go buy out" I swear we got that once a week. I did read the book, found it interesting, and would have given it a better rating if i wasnt sick of the sight, and name of it.

Good ideas and the CBI concept would work, if we actually used it, which we never did. Twaddle + (Internal & External) Book Promotion = One Rich Bob S.

There's No Time Like the Future
In working with Management teams charged with business development, our perspective is to always challenge the purpose of an effort or endeavor. No 'work' exists that ignores the business product, clear communication, and an experience. All three components apply to anything we do either working for ourselves or companies as a: consultant, customer service agent, gas station attendant, secretary, CEO, insurance agent, factory worker, and of course, an advertising and marketing agency representative.

Bob Schmetterer offers a framework for you to get at Why you do what you do, and How do you do it. This book is an inspiration for taking whatever you are engaged with, turning it on its side, and challenging the very premise of its existence. As I read the book, I have made so many notes that I must be careful not to overwhelm my customers with too many questions, challenges, and ideas.

If you soak-up all the principles awash throughout the book and apply what you learn to your work or experiences you already know, you could walk into the Kroger and redesign the Experience of the produce department, propose a new Brand perspective to AAA insurance, or redefine how your customers 'use you.'

To be inspired, the reading material has to be inspiring. Bob Schmetterer's LEAP will go down in business literature as a fairy tale come to life. Bob, please conscript me into your service!

Could have been a great one
Apparently the juggernaut of Euro RSCG'ers have been rating Bob's book on Amazon. That is the only explanation I can find for so many stars.

For anyone who doesn't work for Bob, this book does not deserve more than an executive skimming.

And while you're at it, you might as well skip the parts about how top management need to encourage creative thinking, or being a renegade, or the need for trust and a good relationship for the client. And oh yeah, you get to hear a lot about what a great job Bob did for his clients. I mean really, didn't we read this stuff in Fast Company in 1998? And shouldn't a book about creative business ideas be a bit more creative?

I love creative ideas and look forward to the day that agencies step up to the plate and actually propose them to clients. Until then, if you're looking for a way to institutionalize creative ideas, I wouldn't recommend starting with Bob's book.

Perhaps a company-wide subscription to Fast Company...

Interesting real life examples, but little more!
Trusting the positive comments of other reviewers I purchased Schmetterer's book. To start with a positive comment, the author digs deep into his great experience to share some very interesting real life stories with the reader; these stories earned him the 2 stars in my review. Other than that, the book turns out to be a big disappointment.

If you are already familiar with the concept of branding and brand management, many of the examples for Schmetterer's CBI concept sound extremely familiar and - from a conceptual point of view - not very innovative. Brand essence, brand experience and the like are - or should be - very familiar concepts for managers in almost any industry nowadays. Also, for people outside of the advertising industry it's not a big revelation that advertising alone doesn't constitute an integrated marketing concept and that marcom is only one part of a marketing strategy. Overall, in my opinion the CBI concept doesn't really add much to current marketing and/or strategic thinking.

In today's business environment, you can't blame an agency man for his attempt to expand his business beyond classical advertising into the fields of marketing and business strategy consulting. Also, you can't blame him for emphasizing the one asset that his industry can provide better than most others, namely creativity. However, as there is a difference between simple DATA and INFORMATION, there is also a difference between CREATIVITY in itself and true INNOVATION. What counts is not just the ability to come up with good ideas but the ability to turn these ideas into actual INNOVATIONS in the marketplace.

One reason why most advertising agencies to this day are NOT strategic business partners for their clients is because creativity is "only" a necessary, but not a sufficient condition for successful strategy development. And, unlike most agencies, managers, marketers, and strategy consultants are "in the business" of creating product, process, and strategy innovations and making them count in the marketplace. Being an expert for the creative execution of a communications strategy doesn't turn an account manager or copy writer into a business strategist.

You can only wish Schmetterer a lot of success in trying to familiarize his fellow ad industry professionals with the fact that marketing and business strategy require much more than developing an advertising campaign. So, if you work in advertising, get this book! If you work in marketing or consulting, don't expect more than some interesting real life stories. ... Read more

Book Description

This book brings together in one place the work of one of our most respected economic theorists on a field in which he has played a large part in originating: the New Institutional Economics. Transaction cost economics, which studies the governance of contractual relations, is the branch of the New Institutional Economics with which Oliver Williamson is especially associated.

Transaction cost economics has had a pervasive influence on current economic thought about how and why institutions function as they do, and it has become a practical framework for research in organizations by representatives of a variety of disciplines. Through a transaction cost analysis, The Mechanisms of Governance shows how and why simple contracts give way to complex contracts and internal organization as the hazards of contracting build up. That complicates the study of economic organization, but a richer and more relevant theory of organization is the result. Many testable implications and lessons for public policy accrue to this framework. Applications of both kinds are numerous and growing.

Written by one of the leading economic theorists of our time, The Mechanisms of Governance is sure to be an important work for years to come. It will be of interest to scholars and students of economics, organization, management, and law. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A boring style
Ok...a well recognized teacher from aleading university...strong content...but...but...such a boring book. Really annoying to read. A lot of words made by the author (to sound more scientific?)....hey O. Williamson, next time you writte a book....use a simple style with understandable sentences like the author of "Iraationnal Exuberrance"! Really, there are lots of other books more interesting on the topic...AVOID!!!

A classic of transaction cost economics
Oliver Williamson is one of the seminal figures of New Institutional Economics. "The Mechanisms of Governance" is the third book in which Williamson has collected his principal writings, while working them into a coherent whole. The earlier volumes, "Markets and Hierarchies" and "The Economic Institutions of Capitalism," are justly regarded as the foundational texts of the transaction costs economics school of institutional economics. "The Mechanisms of Governance" seems certain to join them as essentials for any legally literate economist or economically literate lawyer.

Transaction cost economics focuses on institutions, in contrast to neoclassical economics' focus on individuals, providing simple models that help us understand how institutions function and how they will respond to regulation. We can analogize transaction costs to friction: they are dead weight losses that reduce efficiency. They make transactions more costly and less likely to occur. Among the most important sources of transaction costs is the limited cognitive power of human decisionmakers. Unlike the Chicago School of law and economics, which posits the traditional concept of rational choice, Williamson asserts that rationality is bounded. Put another way, he assumes that economic actors seek to maximize their expected utility, but also that the limitations of human cognition often result in decisions that fail to maximize utility. Decisionmakers inherently have limited memories, computational skills, and other mental tools, which in turn limit their ability to gather and process information. As he demonstrates, this phenomenon, known as bounded rationality, has pervasive implications for understanding how institutions work.

Accordingly, Williamson's approach provides an analytical framework that is useful not only to economists, but also to lawyers and policymakers. Among other subjects, Williamson tackles such subjects as vertical integration, corporate governance, and industrial organization.

In sum, highly recommended. If so, you might ask, of course, why did I subtract one star? Mainly because of Williamson's unfortunate writing style. Although "The Mechanisms of Governance" is largely free of the recreational mathematics that plagues much modern economic writing, which is useful for those of us who flunked Differential Equations, it is very jargon-intensive. Worse yet, much of the jargon is self-created. All of which makes reading Williamson an effort-intensive project. Usually the cost-benefit analysis nevertheless comes out in his favor, but sometimes one puzzles out the jargon to find a rather obvious point that could have been conveyed far more simply. ... Read more

Book Description

In The New Managerial Economics, Boyes introduces non-majors to the power of economics in business decision making. The text's intuitive approach clearly highlights how economics influences marketing, management, and other business-related decisions. Numerous cases and real-world applications reinforce the material and allow students to practice applying core concepts. In addition to traditional principles of price theory, Managerial Economics examines organizational behavior, strategic management, human resource management, and emerging issues such as game theory, TQM, and information economics.

Book Description

Over long, hard decades, American winemakers have won the respect of connoisseurs everywhere. Many of the world's most cherished, and expensive, wines come fro the United States.. But today, the unique and eccentric wine industry faces agrim set of challenges that could transform it forever: oversupply in the face of flat consumption, devastating vineyard diseases, an antiquated distribution system, fierce competition from abroad, attacks from anti-alcohol forces, and an inability to capitalize on wine's proven health benefits.

But for you, these woes cn be an opportunity, as wine journalist Lewis Perdue explains in this fascinating book. Clearly and crisply, forsaking the snobbish "winespeak" that helps keep wine mysterious and is itself one of the industry's problems. Perdue takes you behind the scenes to show you why a shakeout is imminent and unstoppable, and how you can benefit from understanding the situation-from drinking better wine less expensively to investing in a business where the perqs can be decanted from a bottle. Pullin no punches, naming names, this is an invaluable glimpse into a colorful, competitive, cantankerous world whose current troubles can actually add immeasurable pleasure to your life. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

More about wine politics than anything
I gave this to my boyfriend for Christmas since he and I are involved in the industry. Unless you are planning to really get involved in the industry, we wouldn't recommend this book. It is primarily about politics with the BATF and how the big guys (Gallo) shut the little guys out of the market.

If in the Wine Industry - Read this book
As the title indicates, if you are in the wine industry (at any point along the supply chain) or if you are considering entering the industry, read this book. If you are interested in learning how to taste wine, that is not the intent of this book. Lewis writes this book as an insider on the industry and from a consultant's perspective.

This book is a must read for anyone considering entering the wine business! Much of what Lewis writes could help fill out the majority of your business plan - from determining cash flows to gaining insight into the wine industry in general. Or at the least, you could use the book as a check on some of your assumptions.

If however, you simply want to learn how to taste & enjoy wine, you would do well to look for another book. His focus is purely from a business perspective.

informative & quick read
I picked this book up by chance in a Calistoga bookstore. After reading the book "napa" I've become very interested in the behind the scenes goings on in the wine industry. I found Purdue's book informative and enlightening. OK maybe I'd rather not know some of the stuff but I had already had my "shock" by reading Napa. I still love a weekend in wine country and the beauty and sereness of the place. Visiting the wineries and talking with the people will always be a fun thing to do. My enthusiasm for it has not dwindled, I am simply a more informed "wine enthusiast" and will never be a "wine snob". Reading this book has made me so much more comfortable with choosing the wines I like for according to what tastes good to me and not because of price or reviews.

Finally, An Informative, CONCISE Book on Wine!
Lewis Perdue publishes the Wine Investment News and is the founder of Wine Business Monthly and the Insider, the dominant wine trade publications in North America, and he appreciates wine. He KNOWS what he is writing about. Pay attention. This is, perhaps, the best book available for gaining an inside look at the wine industry, learning about wine, and how to start a wine cellar that you find in one concise volume. (There is much more, too; these are just a few of the topics he covers.)

There seems to be a mystique surrounding wine in this country. Perdue says, "the greatest barrier to increased wine consumption is wine's snobby image." And the wine industry seems to want to bolster this image. No wonder we Americans have developed a deep-seated prejudice about wine. You're supposed to have red wine with meat and white wine for fish and then there are dessert wines and apéritifs, etc., etc. He tells us to forget the rules; find the kinds of wine you like and enjoy them with what you like. It makes sense.

Want to know a secret? Read the chapter on counterfeit wines. Find out how genuine Champagne is made, the similarity of sparkling wines, and the great switheroo that fooled most of the world (except the French) . And if you want to find something "they" don't want you to know, read about to store and serve wine because the plastic membrane inside the box collapses as wine is dispensed, thus preventing the introduction of air which can oxidize and spoil the wine.

"While the wine box seems like the perfect container . . . in reality most of the boxes you see are adulterated with substantial quantities of added alcohol, water, citric acid, fruit juices, and other flavors and chemicals. . . [U]nder a strict interpretation of [Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms] rules, a box of the sort could contain as little as 38 percent wine." And you (and I) thought we were getting the real stuff!

The most useful information, for me, was finding out about the glut of wine on the market that resulted from the unusually productive grape harvest in 1997. This over supply has led to some fantastic bargains in wine that should last through the next two to three years! There are many remarkable wines available now for under $10 a bottle.

The fun part of the book tells how to go about deciding upon which wines you want to stock; have some friends over, each bringing a bottle to try, and make notes on which ones you like or dislike. Then go out and stock up on the ones you like.

To gain a good understanding of the wine industry and to learn about wine, this is the one book you should read today. REVIEW: Lewis Perdue publishes the Wine Investment News and is the founder of Wine Business Monthly and the Insider, the dominant wine trade publications in North America, and he appreciates wine. He KNOWS what he is writing about. Pay attention. This is, perhaps, the best book available for gaining an inside look at the wine industry, learning about wine, and how to start a wine cellar that you find in one concise volume. (There is much more, too; these are just a few of the topics he covers.)

There seems to be a mystique surrounding wine in this country. Perdue says, "the greatest barrier to increased wine consumption is wine's snobby image." And the wine industry seems to want to bolster this image. No wonder we Americans have developed a deep-seated prejudice about wine. You're supposed to have red wine with meat and white wine for fish and then there are dessert wines and apéritifs, etc., etc. He tells us to forget the rules; find the kinds of wine you like and enjoy them with what you like. It makes sense.

Want to know a secret? Read the chapter on counterfeit wines. Find out how genuine Champagne is made, the similarity of sparkling wines, and the great switcheroo that fooled most of the world (except the French) . And if you want to find something "they" don't want you to know, read about to store and serve wine because the plastic membrane inside the box collapses as wine is dispensed, thus preventing the introduction of air which can oxidize and spoil the wine.

"While the wine box seems like the perfect container . . . in reality most of the boxes you see are adulterated with substantial quantities of added alcohol, water, citric acid, fruit juices, and other flavors and chemicals. . . [U]nder a strict interpretation of [Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms] rules, a box of the sort could contain as little as 38 percent wine." And you (and I) thought we were getting the real stuff!

The most useful information, for me, was finding out about the glut of wine on the market that resulted from the unusually productive grape harvest in 1997. This over supply has led to some fantastic bargains in wine that should last through the next two to three years! There are many remarkable wines available now for under $10 a bottle.

The fun part of the book tells how to go about deciding upon which wines you want to stock; have some friends over, each bringing a bottle to try, and make notes on which ones you like or dislike. Then go out and stock up on the ones you like.

To gain a good understanding of the wine industry and to learn about wine, this is the one book you should read today. END

clever and very entertaining
I found this book to be very engrossing from the very first page! The author pulls no punches in stating his opinion and exposing the 'dirty little secrets' of some of the largest wime producers in California...a must read for anyone who enjoys wine or is interested in the wine business! ... Read more