Amazon

Oh dear. A book called Funky Business by two Swedish academics. At first glance, it has all the allure of Benny and Bjorn's (from Abba) sadly never-released concept album about life as a middle manger in a multinational conglomerate. There is something earnestly hip about the way Kjell Nordström and Jonas Ridderstråle of the Stockholm School of Economics present themselves. "They do gigs not seminars. These gigs sell out. They have shaved heads and wear black," says the blurb.

But that's what makes Funky Business worth reading. It's not so much the novelty of the authors' argument, which boils down to the notion that in an oversupplied world, ideas are what separate successful companies and individuals from failures. Rather, it's the vitality of their argument and the rhythm of their language that make their ideas so compelling."Traditional roles, jobs, skills, ways of doing things, insights, strategies, aspirations, fears, and expectations no longer count. In this environment, we cannot have business as usual. We need business as unusual.We need different business. We need innovative business. We need unpredictable business. We need surprising business. We need funky business."

The book, which is almost a virtuoso display of rhetoric and intellectual power, bursts at the seams with the force of its argument and the weight of its colorful evidence. Sources quoted range from the pope to the British band the Prodigy. Funky, Inc., they say, "isn't like any other company. It is not a dull, old conglomerate. It is not a rigid bureaucracy. It is an organization that actually thrives on the changing circumstances and unpredictability of our times."

This is great entertainment. But the slick veneer does not invalidate the way the book pulls together many existing strands of thought about how business is developing and evokes a coherent and intriguing vision of a future whose main feature will be incoherence.

This really is one for the whole family. Or at least those old enough to have a job. --Alex Benady ... Read more

Reviews (23)

one of the top 10 business books of all time
I have reread this books many times, i have done a book review on local magazine and i think this is a different kind of business book that must be read by all business people.

The book is very DELICIOUSLY WRITTEN, ENJOYABLE TO READ. it is almost impossible to put down if you are in the same though-principle with the writers. This is new economy book that should open the mind of people and show the direction of the future.

Note that some words are very strong and impolite, but is is damn good and enjoyable. And in europe the two people are very2 famous ala superstars (hmmm, so said my norway friends).

The books talked a lot about the FUNKY-ALL-THINGS and give a lot of advices. But the most interesting thing is how they say it, it is definielty different than the normal business book of america, hence the distinction and the unique benefit of it. A lot of the story even are not american, but you have to read it to know how powerful this is.

I wrote this on my (at least) 3rd reding of the book on my second book (the first one was borrowed and never returned, so i bought again! from amazon, sent dhl with other books to indonesia). i LOVE this book.

Twisty language beguiles the easily amused
The influences are clear: rock journalism, pampleteering, dot-com uber capitalism and some basic ideas about markets. Spice up some old ideas from Tom Peters and Charles Handy with energizing language and lo and behold a bestselling book. This is an example of style well over content, language used to beguile and entrance without saying anything at all. Reading this thoroughly i cannot find a single original idea in this book. If this is cutting-edge thinking, business is in serious trouble.

Do not stop in thinking if funky is good or not...funky is
Until today my concept for being the best have changed 180 degrees.
Funky business bring to all managers and people in general a new way of thinking...people driven...people focused. 1.3 kgs of human body made the differnce, not your high tech machines or your nice buildings and logos.
Today`s managers should take this book and use it to create a new way of make business focused in the prime good of all processes, humans, brains, minds.
Thank you Jonas and Kjell...hope to have the plasure to meet you.
Funkster 964

Wonderfully Idiosyncratic
Ridderstrale and Nordstrom have written a witty, but substantive treatise covering the impact of change on the global business world and institutions. These are highly underrated authors deserving of much more global respect and attention. It is no mistake that the authors are highly respected academics and consultants in Scandinavia. I believe their views and concepts mirror those of many of the leading edge Nordic companies who have forged ahead in the wired world. I look forward to their next work with great anticipation. I read this book in one day although it's about 250 pages, and often find myself reviewing chapters.

I highly recommmend this work along with Kilmann's Quantum Organizations and, to a lesser degree, Himanen's The Hacker Ethic. These works are the antithesis of highly academic and turgid business books.

Action Book
Move it.
Move it fast.
Move it faster.
Move it now.

These are the words, which summarize all the 245 pages of the book and energize them. Although casual in style and easy-to-understand in language, Funky Business is yet a profound and philosophical survey of the recent shift of basic values in social and business structures of the global society. Those, who understand the spirit and emotions of Mission Impossible II or Swordfish - Password Accepted, will definitely appreciate both the style and the message. For the 'businessmen', who love ACID Jazz the message of the book is also easy to catch. The other guys may miss it out.

True, none of the business concepts, exposed in the book is new to the business community. But the authors created the brand new vision of the modern business through hy-phe-nation (as they describe the phenomenon themselves) of the latest ideas. Only such a weird combination of ideas helped them to produce the most beautiful (and harmonious?) description of a competitive advantage I ever learnt: "Competitive advantages weigh no more than the dreams of a butterfly". I understood the vitality of this phrase when I heard one of businessman in Russia (not oil, timber or caviar tycoon) telling, that he is "dedicated to the quality of idea in his business, because the highest quality of idea is the only thing impossible to be replicated immediately". And this gives him a competitive advantage. Once again: it was asserted not from the sends of California, but from the woods of Russia. What else should be said or done to prove the unambiguous victory of Forces of Funk throughout the world?

But above all, this is not the book to read, to learn and to forget. This is the ACTION book. It wakes up those who haven't yet understood that Future Just Happened. And it puts more pressure on those who are already awoken in order to move faster. My judgement is that Funky Business is a must-read for everyone in business: from an intern to the CEO. We already did it in our office. Every newcomer MUST read Funky Business in a bid to speak with his peers and bosses (very few, really) in the same language. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Richard Koch, a London-based consultant, entrepreneur, investor, and author of 1998's well-received The 80/20 Principle, contends in his latest work that the code governing the cosmos also controls the way companies run. In The Natural Laws of Business, he convincingly supports that admittedly esoteric contention with a fascinating (and surprisingly accessible) expedition through the biological, physical, and nonlinear wisdom that has shaped our worldview from Darwin and Newton to Moore's law and the tipping point. "We have no other sources of power than those provided by the universe, our own brains and instinct included," he writes. "We need to understand the natural laws, whether these control tiny particles, huge planets, or our own behavior." With that in mind, Koch agilely takes us on a dazzling tour through scientific concepts such as natural selection, genetics, relativity, quantum mechanics, and chaos theory to provide both a specific grounding in these principles and a precise understanding of their explicit relationships to corporate life. In the chapter called "Resolving the Prisoner's Dilemma," for instance, he discusses this famous "game theory" conundrum and the way the self-interest it illuminates can be used to build successful collaborations with competitors like those found at Silicon Valley leaders Sun Microsystems and Cisco. In all, it's an enlightening and enjoyable trek with real-life business applications that can be employed on numerous levels. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Insightful!
Richard Koch follows up his best-selling The 80/20 Principle with this engrossing look at science's universal principles (biological, physical and non-linear) at work in the business world. Richly detailed and splendidly written, this page-turner will change the way you look at every aspect of business. Koch shows you how innovation and success happen when you work with Mother Nature, and not against her. Don't worry if you slept through high school and college science classes, the author guides you smoothly through scientific theories as he applies them to business. We from getAbstract highly recommend this soon-to-be-classic to everyone in the business world, even if you are a former physics flunkie.

Koch Provides Exciting Material for Teaching
Richard Koch's premise that the knowledge of how pure science works can provide us with the underlying rationale of how business works in fundamental ways is insightful and important. My grad students found The Natural Laws to be challenging and exciting to read and discuss. It is possible to take Koch's discussion on natural selection and combine it with quantum physics to understand the complex movements of markets and competition. The Natural Laws of Business is written with a clarity that belies the complexity of the many scientific theories discussed. Because business is a part of the universe that we are attempting to describe via science, then business ought to behave according to the fundamental laws of science that we have discovered. Koch opens the door to understanding such behavior.

If you can count, get a copy.
For the well educated (ie from a quantitative discipline) that have studied physics, chemistry and mathematics at some time, this book is a gold mine of insights into the way that reality drives outcomes, not wishful thinking.

The Laws of the natural world exist and cannot be discounted no matter how inconvenient they are to our assumptions. Knowing how things come together allows us to better see solutions.

The best section is the Pareto Optimum - nature is not democratic and 50/50 outcomes are the exception so never expect the law of averages to help you - it does not work that way.

A very good read - those with a science background will get the most out of it but that is not critical.

Excellent Business Perspective
I was not sure exactly what to expect from this book or whether ther information would be relevent. I was pleasantly surprised to find to that it had many insightful thoughts and did an excellent job of relating science to business. Not only did it relate the theories of Einstein, Darwin and Newton, but also included some of the popular business theories as well. I guess to that extent it was kind of a do-it-all book of theories. I have read quite a few business books and usually can summarize what was useful in a chapter or 2. This book actually made me think throughout. Granted, some of the relationships are vague at best. However, it provided a new way of looking at some of todays business issues such as expansion, competition and outsourcing. In conclusion, this book was very thought provoking and insightful.

"This book is a winner"
A must read for anyone that is interested in human nature, science, business and the relationship with the rest for the word.
I learnt a lot about business, stratergy, human nature ,science and myself.
I am 2/3 of the way through the book at the moment and can`t wait for my 2nd and 3rd read of the wealth of information that it contains.
My one and only complaint is that so much valuable information was packed into just one volume book.
"This book is a winner" ... Read more

Book Description

Emphasizes building the most appropriate model possible from the available data.
* Major focus is on analysis and communication of results to management. Teaches readers how to conduct a management science study, analyze different situations, break down the steps of problem-solving, write a business report, and effectively communicate study results to management.
* A supporting CD-ROM is packaged with every book to include three complete additional chapters, additional cases and problems for every chapter, coverage of key algorithms and derivations, a review of statistics, the complete WINQSB package developed by Yih-Long Chang, and Excel files for every chapter.
* Computer Integrated Approach: Use of Excel, WinQSB, and LINDO for windows integrated throughout text for use in solving models. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The right recipes
The Company Culture Cookbook is one of those books that you should keep handy and refer to whenever you feel lost: if there is no recipe for your exact problem, I'm sure you will at least find inspiration and strength to deal with it.

A Cornucopia of Ideas.
YES! At last, a management book that is very informative and fun to read! The colour pictures are a great idea, one on every other page, each one matches the "recipe" or idea. They add a fresh and memorable way to remember the topics. The "menus" and "Chefs notes" make it quick and easy to understand, especially with my hectic lifestyle! Although seemingly aimed at "executives" and Human Resouces, the book is valuable to everyone. "Internal" marketing makes a lot of sense and this helps how to approach it.
I found that even though it reads in sequence, you can pick any chapter, read and understand it.
The trick will be to get the books ideas across for all to get the "buy in" that is required to change the culture.
Excuse the pun but the book gives a lot of food for thought! ... Read more

Book Description

An essential guide for academics and researchers needing to look at alternative discourse analysis strategies. As a research tool, narrative methods have become increasingly useful in organization studies, where much research involves the interpretation of "stories" in some form. This methodology can be applied where qualitative story analyses can help to assess interview, newspaper or web document stories for research projects. In this book, Boje sets out eight analysis options that can deal with storytelling, recognizing that stories in organizations can be self-destructing, flowing, networking and not at all static. In so doing, he shows ways in which narrative methods can be supplemented by "anti-narrative" methods, where fragmented and collective storytelling can be interpreted. A valuable resource that will be widely used in organizational or communications research, for graduate level qualitative methods seminars and by researchers wanting to do story analysis.

Reviews (3)

Superb Treatment of Narrative Theory
David Boje has emerged as the leading postmodern thinker in management theory and organization science. His prolific output lights the path for others to follow in a field awakening to the challenge of postmodern critical theory. In this new book, Boje takes on the foundational issue of narratives and stories that underlie the sense-making of human experience and theory. Updating and revising narrative theory for the prevailing "postmodern condition," Boje masterfully reconstructs the concepts and methods of storytelling, as he subverts the dominant principles of modernist organization theory. He offers a subtle and complex notion of narrative that belies the fallacies of totalizing and linear approaches, and allows for the full complexity of fragmented, partial, and polyphonic voices and meanings of life to be heard. This impressive book should leave an indelible mark on management and organization studies. Steven Best, Department of Philosphy, University of Texas, El Paso

A story of narrative research
David Boje outlines an excellent model for research in an organizational studies area that is of increasing interest. His model details how researchers can gain insight into a variety of contexts across a variety of narrative types. Students of organizational studies and experienced researchers alike needing to expand their research horizons would do well to join the conversation that Boje began and continues.

Great book on Narrative
Boje, D. M. (2001). Narrative Methods for Organizational and Communication Research. London: Sage. New Book that contains several analyses on Nike and Athletic Apparel narratives, and the concept of "antenarrative."

Comments by Dr Adrian Carr on a new book by Professor David Boje

David Boje is a pioneering theorist in organization studies and management, being one of those who introduced these fields to postmodernism and story-telling. He is also a Socratic gadfly in these fields, reminding us of precision and clarity in the terms and concepts we employ. "Narrative and Antenarrative MethodsÉ" is yet another example of BojeÕs pioneering spirit and concern for exactitude. We humans are story-telling creatures, of this there is no doubt. BojeÕs scholarly account of narrative and antenarrative methods is both corrective and exploratory of how stories must be understood in terms of their own internal dynamics, and not viewed as static entities. Apart from correcting misconceptions and sloppy scholarship about narrative, Boje outlines eight antenarrative forms of analysis. By "antenarrative" (not antinarrative), Boje has his sights set on the fragmented and polyphonic character of stories. Narrative analysis has repeatedly failed to capture the ÔlivingÕ stories. Indeed, narrative analysis has almost set itself apart from the story itself, as though it were somehow superior to the story it is supposed to reflect and providing a coherence and gloss that is not in character with the story. How does one acknowledge and reflect the fragmented, polyphonic and collectively produced nature of stories? BojeÕs book is a magnificent start to dealing with such crucial questions. A book that breaks new ground in organizational analysis, this is a must-read for researchers and practitioners in the fields of organization and management studies.

Dr Adrian Carr Principal Research Fellow School of Social, Community and Organization Studies University of Western Sydney Australia ... Read more

Book Description

In this edition, Hill and Jones maintain the focus on their trademark, up-to-date scholarship and "hands-on" applications. This leading strategy text integrates current research of developing trends with updated cases and increased coverage of technology. Highlights from this revision include new material on the link between performance and competitive advantage in Chapter 1; analyzing sources of competitive advantage and profitability in Chapter 3; and business strategy and game theory in Chapter 5. Plus, Chapter 6 covers how competition and strategy change as industries pass through different growth stages, and Chapter 9 addresses horizontal integration and strategic outsourcing.

All chapter-opening and chapter-closing cases are new and the authors have either replaced or substantially revised all Strategy in Action boxes. This edition also contains a new ongoing case on Dell, introducing relevant aspects of the company's strategy and performance to reinforce the practical application of key concepts and also illustrate how successive chapter topics tie together. Each chapter retains popular features from previous editions, including a chapter summary, discussion questions, and a Practicing Strategic Management section with four different exercises—Small-Group Exercise, Strategic Management Project, Article File, and Exploring the Web.

• New! Chapter 7, Strategy in High-Technology Industries, covers rapid technological change in relation to industry standards, network economics, cost structure, managing intellectual property rights, and strategies for capturing "first mover" advantage.
• New! Chapter 11, Corporate Performance, Governance, and Business Ethics, examines ethical business issues in light of recent events involving corporate managers at Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, and Computer Associates. The chapter covers both the negative impact on corporate performance and the implementation of new governmental safeguards as a result of these cases.
• New! This edition features 27 new and 16 thoroughly revised case studies—forming a total of 43 high-quality cases covering small, medium, and large companies (domestic and international). These companies include Napster, Nike, The Body Shop, Toyota, Treo/Handspring, The Video Game Industry, SAP, Wal-Mart, Kmart, AOL Time Warner, and Viacom. Some cases are from Harvard Business School, Thunderbird, and Ivey—other cases have been researched and written by the authors or well-known case writers.
• New! A new full-color design of the section on theory helps to enhance students' interest. In addition, the section on cases features a new complementary two-color design.

Reviews (5)

Time well wasted
This book was written to take up the time of the everyday student.Because of poor grammar and lack of logical ways of wording sentences, it takes twice the time to understand what the author is trying to say.The cases, however, were helpful in understanding the material presented in the chapters.

Systematic Approach
The book covers different subjects in Strategic Management with careful attention and vivid descriptions.The clarity in understanding and implementaion theroff for each chapter are well put forwrad with adequate case studies.Step by step understanding of the subject has been emphasized which makes it very useful for students.Chapters on Strategy Implementaion for differnt stages of Industry Life cycle have been emphasized which helps in understanding different options that are availble for the enterprise. This book will be very handy for Management Students with ready reference to differnt aspects of decision making process in Strategic Management.

Business Strategy
I think that this book as a whole is a good book, except for the fact that the graphics were done only in orange.At a business stand point I thought it gave a good representation of the material.I thought that the materialcovered was covered well.Although there was times when I didn'tunderstand what the authors were trying to say because the layout wasdifficult to understand. Another critizium that I have is that there was nopictures.I now that this is an upper level material but some people alsolearn by visualization like me and to see a representation of the materialwould be helpful.

Business Strategy
I think that this book as a whole is a good book, except for the fact that the graphics were done only in orange.At a business stand point I thought it gave a good representation of the material.I thought that the materialcovered was covered well.Although there was times when I didn'tunderstand what the authors were trying to say because the layout wasdifficult to understand. Another critizium that I have is that there was nopictures.I now that this is an upper level material but some people alsolearn by visualization like me and to see a representation of the materialwould be helpful.

Excellent book on Strategic Management
Hill and Jones have written an excellent book on strategic management. The key element, the importance of exploiting Distinctive Competencies based on Efficiency ,Quality, Innovation,and Customer Satisfaction in order toachieve Competetive Advantage, is demonstrated througout his book in hisconcise and to the point cases, which are all recent experiences of wellknown players. Its final case study is a practical and powerful way toensure that his concepts are understood. Carlos A. De Izcue. BusinessConsultant. Lima Peru ... Read more

Book Description

In this gripping and colorful account of the American dream gone astray, Lewis Pinault provides the essential guidelines on how to get ahead and an enlightening perspective on the brutal infighting that can engulf even the most civilized consulting firm. This stunning exposé of some of the most prestigious and respected names in the business leads you into a world where a client's interests are skillfully subordinated to those of the consultants, where money rules the day, and where principles and morals are unwelcome baggage.

Humorous and insightful, this no-holds-barred account takes you behind the scenes of the dehumanizing indoctrination of an academic intellectual into an exploitative -- and exploited -- "global transformation contractor." Featuring new material dealing with the e-consulting industry's boom, bust, and its future, Consulting Demons offers the most complete look at an industry that exacts the highest prices for the most questionable standards of success.

Reviews (25)

A SLOG FOR NON CONSULTANTS
Interesting book, but as my title suggests, as a non consultant, I had to force myself to finish some chapters. The mind numbing greed of these global big name consulting firms was matched only by the glaring ignorance of even the basic principals of business by their clients. After 17 years of living and working in Japan, I enjoyed some of Pinault's observations on life, love and business with the Japanese, others seemed quite contrived and the product of a somewhat overfertile imagination out to perpetuate the endless myths about "doing business with the Japanese". All in all, I learnt a lot about the consulting game, however I probably could have learnt just as much by reading a 5pg summary of the book.

Management Consultant in an integrity crisis
Management consultant in an integrity crisis This book can save users of management consultants millions of dollars. But they can also miss making millions. The stories in the book appear to be true. They show that some of the most important and prestigious consulting companies are far more interested in making money than solving a company's problems effectively and with integrity. The author however also states correctly that good consultants have three unique advantages 1 intensive concentration on a problem 2 no blinkers as the persons working in the company 3 experience of similar problems and their solution elsewhere. These unique advantages when combined integrity can deliver important benefits. The quality of the individual consultant is very important regardless of whatever the most reputable consulting company may claim. Many clients once they decide to start a project want to start quickly which makes it often impossible for the consulting company to make suitable persons available. Therefore a company that engages consultants at short notice takes a high risk as there is no time to properly organize and staff the project. The book documents a considerable lack of integrity in consulting companies and among consultants, with the author being a frightening example. The book is also useful reading for consulting companies that wish to operate at a high level of integrity. An interesting issues is strategy development and gathering information about competitors. The book gives dramatic examples of how is "stolen". Every company worth its salt is benchmarking the performance of its products against the competitors'. Reverse engineering, that is dissecting a product of a competitor and figuring out how one can do the same or better is an accepted practice. Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, was proud of the ideas he had "stolen" from others. Headhunters often search for candidates among competitors. Where does legitimate information gathering stop and stealing starts? This is not the kind of issue on which this book gives any guidance.

interesting points, but in need of editing
Postives
-makes many valid points about greed and unscrupulousness in consulting and the toll it takes on both people who work for the industry and companies that hire these firms
-gives helpful interview advice for people interested in working for these firms ;-)
-section about living in Japan before starting a consulting life v. interesting
Negatives
-self-righteous attitude--he works as a lawyer and used to live in a fraternity--not to stereotype, but I'm sure anyone who has been in both places has seen, perhaps not necessarily participated in, A LOT more than Pinault details in his book
-long rants about issues which may have personal significance but fail to advance plot (ex: weight loss working in singapore office, ex-wife's English class). Ironically, these anecdotes showcased the author's social ineptitude more than revealing anything about consulting.

It's good but....
This book starts off really good with a great story about interviewing with a Consulting firm, but it ends up being a book about the author during his "glory days". It's interesting. Gives a few insights, but nothing earth-shattering is in this book. Buy it Used or check it out from the library!

B2B or B2C: Is that the only question?
In this personal account of his journey through the world of management consulting, former management consultant Lewis Pinault explains why more than a decade of consulting experience drove him to finally revert to his original career dreams and training in space science. Although his tales of questionable business ethics, grueling work schedules, and a fast-paced jet-setting lifestyle, seem almost by design to deliver a grim picture of this industry, they may remain the least of factors which either deter or attract young aspirants to the entry and higher ranks of this trade, just as similarly scathing insider reviews of investment banking paradoxically became marketing tools for that industry. There are many revealing, if often unflattering anecdotes in this book, including one related to management guru C. K. Prahalad, co-author of Competing for the Future, which I have also reviewed on this website. And there is some wisdom to be gained from reading this book cover to cover. ... Read more

Book Description

This best-selling book presents a brief “no-nonsense”approach to the fundamentals of business which spans the range of all functional areas—management, marketing, operations, accounting, information systems, finance, and legal studies. A six-part organization introduces readers to the basics of the business system in the U.S.; addresses the management side of business; looks at human resources, marketing, and the way business manage information for both internal users and for reporting to external constituents; and finally, presents the financial elements of business. For anyone preparing for a business career in the third millennium.

Reviews (2)

An O-K text, with a few gems.
For your basic introductory business class, this book is good.It offers a lot of vocabulary, and I can see why a lot of people would say the book has no depth since most of the information can be drawn from simply living the real world. (Unless of course you life in a refrigerator.)So why bother grabbing the text if I can get the same exact knowledge from life?

Well, in the beginning, end and throughout each chapter, tons of real life examples are woven in to illustrate each of the "business essentials." On top of that, real quotes from millionares, successful CEOs and entrepreneurs, and trusted business executives allows the average student a valuable glance into what makes up a smart business mindset.

What's my point? To study business, you need to study the principles that real professionals swear by.Texts written by "just" business professors who don't actually participate in the business world really just don't cut the chase.They're probably broke anyway.Now textbooks with information from successful people, that's what's going to make a student of business really churn out a beautiful future.

So while the material is very, very basic.The real life examples are awesome.However, these lessons can be taught by even better books by great people like Stephen R. Covey and Dale Carnegie.But if you do need a book chock full o' business vocabulary and basics, this isn't a terrible pick. And it certainly does spell everything out.

Total Disgrace
This book is an absolute disgrace.It is poorly written and lacks any sort of depth.As of spring 2002, it is also comically dated.Don't waste your time or money on this garbage. ... Read more

Book Description

This book looks at when, why and how managers become The incompetent and what to do about it. It does so with both science and humour by reviewing what we know aboutt competences, about personality theory and about variouswise salient psychiatric disorders.

The Incompetent Manager is no laughing matter for those managed by them. But the sort of thing some incompetent managers believe and do can be, at least for the onlooker, very funny indeed. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The incompetent manager
If you want comprehensive coverage of the psychology behind failed management, then look no further. Additionally, the organization of the book facilitates dipping in and out according to your interests. On occassion, Furnham's through survey of other's work drowns out his own perspective. Nonetheless, this is a fine book grounded in sound research. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Thorough treatment of multi-echelon,multi-indenture models.
Excerpted from the original Logistics Spectrum review by Dr. Jezdimir Knesevic, 1993

The book is written for the logistician who is concerned with the achievement of the required operational availability of systems, and whose main objective and responsibility is to make decisions related to inventory items, item location and investment in spares. The optimization methodology developed considers trade-offs between stock at the operating locations and supporting depots (also called the multi-echelon problems), and between stock levels for an item and its sub-items (also called the multi-indenture problems). All models developed are on an analytical nature, which provides the decision-maker with an efficient tool for the determination of optimal stockage policies.

The philosophical concepts of the book are addressed in Chapter 1, followed by the corresponding mathematical techniques in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 covers the mathematics related to the joint optimization of stock levels at operating and stockage/supporting bases. The estimation of demand rates that do not stay constant is considered in Chapter 4, where the negative binomial is used as a model, together with models that are based on the Poisson distribution (variance-to-mean ratios equal to one). The mathematics for a multi-echelon, multi-indenture optimization are developed in Chapter 5. The problem concerning periodic resupply for repairable items is addressed in Chapters 6 and 7. The associated concept is subsequently illustrated through an example application related to the Space Station Freedom. The main subject of Chapter 8 is the cannibalization problem and the associated mathematics. The last chapter, Chapter 9, of the textbook is dedicated to practical real-world problems relating to modeling and application of models, where both advantages and disadvantages are analyzed.

Undoubtedly, a book of of such great integrity deserves a place on the shelf or any person, library, or organization whose interests lie in the domain of inventory theory and its application to complex systems. ... Read more

Book Description

OVERVIEW
Managerial Economics provides a solid foundation of economic understanding for use in managerial decision making. One key feature of this market-leading text is its attempt to depict the firm as a cohesive, unified organization. A basic valuation model is constructed and used as the underlying economic model of the firm. Each topic in the text is then related to an element of the value maximization model. In this process, management is seen to involve an integration of all business functions. Managerial Economics, is designed to present those aspects of economic theory and analysis that are most relevant to students of business administration in an intuitive calculus-based or noncalculus-based format, depending upon the preferences of the instructor. It has been used successfully in both undergraduate and graduate courses. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Before following this clown's advise
See Mark Hirschey in action. He is always wrong on the Yahoo and Motely Fool message boards. Look under mhirschey.

Head Scratcher
This book unlike many undergrad books appears to be intentionally elusive. It's examples transcend the entire chapter instead a clear example followed by more challenging ones. I have to scour the pages for clues as to how to approach one of the end of the chapter problems and still I find myself guessing. The books structure is a mish/mash. I can't believe I have to endure another two moths of this.MBA Student.

Managerial Economics Works
For those in Executive MBA programs, this is a terribly useful supporting text for any managerial economics programs.The authors are very aware of who their audience is -- all learning is in a managerial framework (asopposed to the dryer, more theoretical, straight economicstextbooks).

They cover the basics, but also do a great job on game theoryand probablistic decision making.I had no economics before reading this,and found it clear and understandable even for the most abstruse concepts. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

Artful Making offers the first proven, research-based framework for engineering ingenuity and innovation. This book is the result of a multi-year collaboration between Harvard Business School professor Robert Austin and leading theatre director and playwright Lee Devin. Together, they demonstrate striking structural similarities between theatre artistry and production and today's business projects--and show how collaborative artists have mastered the art of delivering innovation "on cue," on immovable deadlines and budgets. These methods are neither mysterious nor flaky: they are rigorous, precise, and--with this book's help--absolutely learnable and reproducible. They rely on cheap and rapid iteration rather than on intensive up-front planning, and with the help of today's enabling technologies, they can be applied in virtually any environment with knowledge-based outputs. Moreover, they provide an overarching framework for leveraging the full benefits of today's leading techniques for promoting flexibility and innovation, from agile development to real options. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Lot to Offer ANY Reader!
"Artful Making" is a great book. Before reading it, and even into its first few chapters, I was under the impression the book was aimed mainly at midlevel management of medium-to-large corporations:a large group, to be sure, but one to which I do not happen to belong. But I was mistaken . . .
I soon realized that the key qualities of release-collaboration-ensemble-play can fit any setting where individuals or groups of people want to create something valuable. What Austin and Devin are talking about is developing a process and a result that unite in a never-ending productive cycle, where each "iteration" is different, but yet a necessary prelude to what follows. We can all benefit, because we all have the same need to stay away from the "staleness" and complacency that can be so deadly to personal and professional growth. "Artful Making" will help you find the way.
I recommend the book completely. Read it over and over and keep a pencil handy for special passages!

The Art of Adaptable Software Teams
The principles that this book discusses: Release, Collaboration Ensemble and Play are extremely relevant to creating effective software teams. The principles are inspired by observing how theatre companies work, but they also have a basis in lean manufacturing. If you work as a software developer or manager and have ever worked on a theatre production (community theatre or at school) a light will go on immediately. If you haven't The data that the authors provide about lean manufacturing practices and software development will convince you that there is a lot that we can learn from this metaphor. The theatre examples will be helpful in explaining how the principles work if you need to communicate them to a manager who does not understand software development. Buy this book and place it along side your books on agile software development; you will want to read it and refer back to it frequently.

Insightful, unique and groundbreaking.
I have had the privilege of studying under Prof. Rob Austin, and I this book continues the dialogue that has always informed Rob's intellectual search--how do two seemingly disparate disciplines, in this case theater production and knowledge based business, converge to inform processes that are virtually identical thus providing a path where each can improve the results of the other.

Both he and Lee Devin have written a concise, powerfully convincing narrative that offers a new approach on how to manage complexity, embrace ambiguity and uncertainty and innovate reliably under strict deadlines. Managing "release", rapid iterative development, and creating the right "ensemble" are some of the key concepts explored in the book.

Highly recommended for anyone presented with the challenges of how to innovate and perform reliably under deadlines.

Reliable Innovation
For those who need to innovate in a world of change, reduced cycle times, and demanding customers. Austin and Devin provide a management framework for delivering innovation reliably and effectively. Concepts in the book--Artful Making, Reconceiving, Low cost iteration, and working on the Edge--all resonate with my experiences in the Agile Software Development movement. "Artful Making" will go on my must read list! ... Read more

Book Description

Reverse logistics concerns the integration of used and obsolete products back into the supply chain as valuable resources. Economic, marketing, and legislative drivers increasingly are leading companies to take back and recover their products after use. The arising product flows pose novel challenges for supply chain management.

This book addresses decision making in reverse logistics. It covers a wide range of aspects, related to distribution, production and inventory management, and supply chain management. For each topic, it highlights key managerial issues in real-life examples and explains which quantitative models are available for addressing them. By treating a broad range of issues in a unified way, the book offers the reader a comprehensive view on the field of reverse logistics. ... Read more

Book Description

Scratch the surface of a lot of top-line corporation thinking and you will hear the words "core competencies" and "learning organization" used frequently. What it boils down to is the effort to figure out what you do best as an organization and how you make certain that the people working with you have the skills and knowledge that match what you do best. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is an excellent primer on action research and how to use it to understand organizations.Clearly structured in two parts, part 1 covers the foundations of action research, including the research skills needed to undertake research, while part 2 covers the implementation of an action research project.This book provides a unique resource for those undertaking action research in their own organization. It addresses the advantages and potential pitfalls, the politics and ethics of researching your organization.The authors provide invaluable practical advice from framing and selecting your project, through to implementation and writing up action research. Each chapter has exercises and examples and summary boxes are used throughout. ... Read more