Book Description

Business and Society: Ethics and Stakeholder Management, 5th edition employs a stakeholder management framework, emphasizing business' social and ethical responsibilities to both external and internal stakeholder groups. A twin theme of business ethics to illustrate how ethical or moral considerations are included the public issues facing organizations and the decision making process of managers.The text is written from a managerial perspective that along with the twin themes of stakeholders and ethics, shows how to identify stakeholders, incorporate their concerns into the organization's strategy and operations, and also integrate ethical wisdom into their decision making process.In addition, 35 case histories are included to help connect theory and practice through timely and interesting examples. ... Read more

Book Description

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

Book Description

Kreitner relies on his vast 30 years of teaching experience to ensure that students gain a solid understanding of management fundamentals. The Ninth Edition continues to offer a practical, student-oriented approach to four central themes: change, diversity, ethics, and skill development. Focusing on mainstream media coverage of timely and relevant issues such as the dot-com meltdown and crisis management, Kreitner skillfully highlights each theme in context and prepares students for the rigors of contemporary management. In keeping with current AACSB requirements, this edition also addresses the economic, political, legal, and global aspect of business, information management, and individual accountability.

To reinforce the importance of change, Kreitner focuses on cross-cultural skills—rapidly becoming a standard part of any well-rounded and successful career in management. Contemporary managers frequently accept assignments abroad and even those who stay at home may work for foreign-owned companies. A selection of international cases and examples, Global Manager boxes, and early discussion of the global economy help prepare students for the pressures of international business. Similarly, the author includes cases, Managing Diversity boxes, examples, and photos to highlight core diversity issues, such as the demand for multilingual and multicultural managers, managing across cultures, understanding different value systems, and moving from tolerance to appreciation of diversity. In addition, Chapter 5 sets the stage for subsequent discussions with a detailed discussion of management's social and ethical responsibilities. Management Ethics boxes also appear throughout the text and draw sustained attention to ethical decision-making issues.

• New! Topical research covers high-profile issues such as how environmentalism benefits business, first-mover strategies, e-Business strategies, the role of unintended consequences in decision making, corporate boards and groupthink, resistance to change, silence as communication, due diligence as feedforward control, the assimilation of Hispanic workers, and unscheduled absenteeism related to flexible work schedules.
• New! Hands-on exercises appear at the end of each chapter to heighten students self-awareness and build essential managerial skills. These exercises include an entrepreneur's quiz, surveys on cultural-awareness and personal values, tests on creativity and emotional intelligence, an organizational culture assessment, a strategic SWOT analysis, a group discussion of global terrorism, and an assignment focusing on how to write good objectives and business plans.
• New! Over 40% of The Changing Workplace opening cases, closing cases, Management Ethics boxes, and Global Manager boxes, are new. Plus, over 20% of the Managing Diversity boxes are new, highlighting top Black executives, how to accommodate Hispanic patients and hospital employees, interview blind or visually impaired job candidates, and change an organization's culture by becoming a "tempered radical."
• New! Seven new Video Skill Builders emphasize the development of essential management skills, such as managing customer service, becoming an entrepreneur, expanding a business internationally, shaping organizational culture, motivating employees, and maintaining quality control.
• New! Updated Interactive Annotations create a dynamic context for learning that links the textbook with the Internet by asking students to visit the textbook web site at appropriate points for timely facts, provocative ideas, discussion questions, and questions related to the opening case. The instructors' web site also features follow-up answers, comments, and interpretations.
• New! Revised Internet Exercises appear at the end of every chapter, pointing students to relevant web sites for further research. Any changes to these exercises will be posted on the textbook web site to ensure students are not directed to out-of-date links.
• To build students' management skills, the text features academic activities that promote critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, and communication, in addition to personal management exercises that outline basic, how-to management topics and reinforce ongoing self-assessment. Collaborative projects cover group dynamics, organizational cultures, and how to manage conflict.

Reviews (2)

Boring, vague, and unhelpful
I used this book for my Management class and I found that most of the information is redundant, vague, and frankly, boring.The book is terribly overpriced for the information of little value.I don't recommend this book for management courses.

An excellent approach formanagement studies
An excellent approach tomanagement studies, this is a clear guide to manage under uncertainty based on core knowledge of the management history and new issues such as diversity, political issues, globalization and manyothers that will fulfill the basic study ofManagement for a graduatelevel.

I personally like the way the author introduces the reader ontothe field of business and clarifies many of the concepts surrounded themwith the most characteristic ingredient on today's world: "Change".

Thistitle and its content has inspired me to continue with theMBA program Istarted. ... Read more

Book Description

International Financial Management, 7e combines a strong foundation in international finance theory with current, practical applications.It provides thorough, up-to-date treatment of cutting-edge international finance issues along with traditional treatment of international financial management. This book is known for its readability and clear explanation as well as its extensive use of hands-on, real world applications and student-oriented pedagogy. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent for International Business!
The book was one of the best books I used throughtout my career, it's good for economist, finance people, and anybody who is in the international field in general.

A good study guide
This is a good study guide accompanied to the hardcopy of thetextbook Each chapter begins with specific objectives and an chapteroutline. Then all the definitiional, true and false and MC questions with easy access answers are presented. Readers can therefore quickly identify topics that are unfamilar to them and refer to the textbook for going into details.

Good for both students and busy professionals. END ... Read more

Reviews (10)

very hands-on, practical --- real-life effective ideas
This book was enlightening. I never knew there were so many easy and low cost ways to energize employees --- and Bob shows you all of them plus more. A must-have for today's best managers. A great follow-up to Bob Nelson's best-selling "1001 Ways to Reward Employees."

A must-have for managers and HR folks
I'm an HR person myself, and have found this (and the 1001 ways to reward) to be an essential part of my library. Many people want to look through it, borrow it... some have kept it, so this is probably my fifth version of the book that I've bought! Try to put your name all over the book so they don't forget it's yours.

A fast how-to book on energizing teams... lacks depth
If you are looking to truly turn around your company or department, this is not the book for you. When does this book come in handy? If you are seeking for quick ideas to energize your team, and are short on inspiration: that is where it's a very comprehensive source. But be realistic: true energizing and change is a process that can't be bought with treats or gifts, but rather built through trust and open communication, among other things. If you want to really energize your team, then be ready for a longterm commitment from your part, that will go beyond just getting them perks or giving them awards.

There's a sucker born every minute
Companies are spending so much money trying to inspire employees that they have spawned an industry: the motivation industry. Bob Nelson is cashing in on it for sure. What executive wouldn't buy in to the notion of some pundit who champions "no cost" motivation? I wonder what they pay to hear him say it on his motivational tours??

What inspires people remains vague and elusive. For every reader who is moved by his book, there are likely ten who see it as childish drivel.

Nelson is just repackaging old anecdotes and fictional stories, then reselling them. There is not one shred of proof that any of his methods have any lasting value. Don't waste your time or money on this garbage.

Needed now more than ever!
Creative yet practical ways to motivate and retain staff are needed now more than ever before. Between the sour economy that makes raises and bonuses tougher, the specter of layoffs that's making everyone nervous, the ability of top staff to bail on you at a moment's notice, and the trend toward making managers accountable for employee retention, managers can never let down their guard in this area. Many of the ideas here are common sense, but can never be restated enough. Others are low-cost and can be implemented with the leanest of budgets. My one quibble with the book: the suggestion to have executives spend a day with the staff is, IMHO, insulting to the rank and file and may even be counterproductive, as it comes off as more of a feel-good stunt benefitting the executives than a real motivator. ... Read more

Book Description

Granville N. Toogood is a top executive communications expert, as well as an established speaker, trainer, and writer. Before starting his own company in 1982, Mr. Toogood was a television reporter and network news producer for NBC and ABC. Today he works with a long list of blue-chip clients and has served as a consultant to 38 of the Fortune 50 CEOs, as well as thousands of senior-level executives, elected officials, and diplomats throughout the world. This book is based on his acclaimed corporate workshops in executive communications. Mr. Toogood resides in Darien, Connecticut. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

A Great Choice for Help Speaking
Granville Toogood's "The Articulate Executive" is a quite excellent introduction to public speaking in a variety of forms. Toogood is an accomplished communications consultant and has distilled his advice into a very readable book that will help almost anyone improve not just their communication style, but also their impact.

Toogood covers all the bases, from basic public speaking, to presentation, to handling the media. His POWER formula offers a simplified approach to effective speaking that's approachable by all of us. He offers real-world advice - such as time your speeches to be no longer than 18 minutes - that is often missing from other books.

Most importantly, his book is easily readable. It features short chapters with a lot of punch. And although some chapters build on contents of previous ones, it's easy to read the book a chapter at a time, or even find just the chapter the deals with the topic you need. While written for the beginning communicator, most non-professional speakers will find a lot of value in this work. It was an excellent book, and I highly recommend it.

Articulation: A Key to Making Things Happen
The key to success, I believe lies in effective personal communication.

In a world that increasingly relies on technology to respond to other human beings, a personal response results in results - deals are made; red tape is cut; decisions are made. Yet we live in a world where the ability to communicate personally with each other seems to be on the decline.

Granville Toogood has written one of the best books on the subject I have ever read. The Articulate Executive should be required reading for every business student, project manager, teacher and politician. By taking the time to adhere to his simple P. O. W. E. R. formula, leaders would see their effectiveness soar.

P. Power - Start Strong.
O. One Theme.
W. Windows to illustrate your theme.
E. Ear - Your presentation should be conversational.
R. Retention - End your presentation with a call to action.

If you plan to be successful, then public speaking is something you cannot avoid. If you plan to speak, do your audience a favor and spend some time with this book. Your career and your audience will be grateful.

Learning How to Speak in Public
Book Review: Granville N. Toogood's, The Articulate Executive

Jack Llewelyn, who was the CEO of Ocean Spray Cranberries, described Granville N. Toogood's The Articulate Executive (1995), as a "... required reading for every board room, class room, and living room in the country." When reading Toogood's book reviews, I was astonished that a book about public speaking could be so highly touted. Haven taken public speaking courses before, I wondered if The Articulate Executive could possibly "cure" my fear of public speaking. After reading the book's introduction, I realized that I was not the only one who fears a public audience. Not only developing college students, like myself, but also well established CEO's, corporate managers, and important individuals from all walks of life share in the popular fear of speaking in public. "Polls tell us that public speaking for some people can actually be scarier than death" (Toogood, p. 7). Therefore, I wonder, can a book help reduce an individual's fear of public speaking and aid in his or her quest to become a better public speaker? In this book Granville Toogood helps the reader become a more effective communicator and overall the book educates the reader about the steps each individual should take to present a good presentation.
In today's business world, public speaking can be a key to success. The author describes how most people would prefer having a root canal rather than speaking in public. Toogood says, "that people who view public speaking as a bad thing...are amazed to find that public speaking can actually be fun-and well worth the time and effort" (Toogood p. 3). The author describes how public speaking is to be viewed as an opportunity rather than an unpleasant and tedious job that has to be done. Furthermore, Toogood emphases in the first chapter of The Articulate Executive that an advantage in any business relationship will usually go to the "articulate, well-organized, and thoughtful" business player (p. 7). Consequently, "seizing opportunities" is the first concept that Toogood presents as a potential key to business success.
The author also talks about controlling the presentation. Toogood states "The presentation should always be an opportunity rather than an obstacle or chore. When you are in command of your presentation, you come across as a leader" (Toogood, p. 167). The author introduces the reader to the POWER formula. Which is essential to follow; this formula ensures that the speaker has the groundwork of a good presentation. The presenter should also give the speech the way he or she speaks, making the presentation conversational and easy to follow for the audience. The author also introduces us to the "18-minute Wall", i.e., the audience will only be able to pay attention for 18 minutes. It is also important to remember the "18-minute Wall" when organizing the presentation to meet the timing requirements. There is also the "8-second rule", this rule will help the speaker come up with the theme of the presentation. This rule will also help the presenter remove any unnecessary clichés and come across as being straightforward. After the presenter has the making for a great presentation, it is essential to make good use of body language and to dress appropriate for the occasion. Finally, the correct use of visual aids is essential for any presentation, and they should not dominate the presentation. In my opinion, Toogood has given me the correct set of guidelines to follow, and his advice will help his readers to come across as leaders and become better public speakers.

Short but Punchy
IF you need to give a speech next week and find no time to learn all the important presentation techique, do try this books! Short but punchy, it touches on almost eveyr aspect on presentation, from writing to delivering, from fear control to the secret of 8 second drill. Highly recommended

Insightful!
Greenville N. Toogood is a top executive communications expert, an established speaker (who used to be a TV reporter and network news producer), trainer, and writer, so he draws upon a vast amount of useful and successful tips for anyone interested in becoming a top-notch communicator. Although this book is written in a conversational, accessible style, you won't find any fluff and filler, just on-target training. He covers planning your talk, speech, or presentation; your delivery and appearance; and pitfalls to avoid. He tells you how to deal with visual aids, Q&A sessions, and even the media. The author stresses that the book's instructions can make anyone an effective and dazzling conversationalist, not just a great speechmaker, though both are well-rewarded skills. We [...] recommend this book to every professional, on every level, and to those who would like to excel as communicators.
... Read more

Book Description

A decade ago, The Oz Principle took the business world by storm. At its root, theprinciple works like this: Like Dorothy and the gang in The Wizard of Oz, mostbusinesspeople have the tools to succeed, but when things go wrong they blamecircumstance or others instead of looking within for the true cause of unsatisfactoryresults. Once individuals learn to accept responsibility, they can use the Oz Principle tobecome better leaders.

Now, with corporate scandals in the headlines and the culture of victimization runningrampant at every level of the business world, Roger Connors, Tom Smith, and CraigHickman return with a new edition of The Oz Principle. Fully revised, thisedition will update the statistics, concepts, and relevant companies through fresh, timelyanecdotes and stories. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Funny thing...this really works!
I was fortunate enough to be captivated by the title of this book when it first appeared in 1994. I read, enjoyed, and applied the principles of this book in my own professional and personal life. Before saying anything more, I strongly recommend this book to anyone who thinks there is room for improvement in their own life. If you believe you can be a better person by becoming more accountable for all your thoughts, feelings and actions, then you need to read this book. The concepts are not subject to the vagaries of time and society. They are simple truths and common sense.

Rereading the latest edition of The Oz Principle has helped cement its rightful place among "easy to read books that pack an impactful message."

The book follows a metaphor with which we are all familiar. This metaphor allows us all to see how easily we get caught in the role of the victim and how easily we play and perpetuate the blame game in our lives.

The Steps to Accountability are placed before the reader in a way that invites him or her to see a situation for what it really is, own his or her role in that situation, solve the challenges presented by the situation and then to finally proactively act on the situation and do whatever needs to be done.

I have recommended this book to hundreds of people over the years. I have yet to have anyone tell me it was a waste of time to read. Most of the time, people tell me how easy it was to read and grasp the concepts within it.

This is truly one of the few books that has proven its worth professionally and personally over time. I rank it among the top ten best books written on how to get the most out of life.

If you believe in personal integrity, if you believe in honor and virtue in the workplace and home, if you think there is room to improve and grow in your life, then this book is for you. You will always be accountable to yourself. Find out how to make the most of your time.

Reversing cultures of fear, blame, avoidance and dependency.
Using the Wizard or Oz as a metaphor, the authors convey the idea that a culture of victimization weakens people. The power to overcome victimization and achieve success lies within oneself. For an organization to succeed, employees must become willing to accept individual accountability. The book provides an approach to changing individual attitudes and shows how individuals can implement leadership and a culture of accountability in their own organization. Key action steps of the principle in taking accountability are: see it (the issue); decide to own it; personally work to solve it; and individually commit to do it. This book zeros in on a crucial issue offering a pragmatic approach that links individual and organizational success. The idea of a culture of accountability can be seen as the flip side of the all-to-common cultures of fear, blame, risk avoidance and dependency.

Revised, Updated, and Invaluable
In this revised and updated edition, the co-authors share with their reader what they have learned since their book was first published in 1994. Then and now, their objectives are the same: "...to help people become more accountable for their thoughts, feelings, actions, and results; and so that they can move their organizations to even greater heights. And, as they move along this always difficult and often frightening path, we hope that they, like Dorothy and her companions, discover that they really do possess the skills they need to do whatever their hearts desire."

In this volume, Connors, Smith, and Hickman invoke once again a core concept of a "Line" below which many (most?) people live much (most?) of the time. Theirs is the attitude of victimization: They get stuck on a "yellow brick road" by blaming others for their circumstances; they wait for "wizards" to wave their magic wands; and they expect all of their problems to disappear through little (if any) effort of their own.

What to do? Connors, Smith, and Hickman explain (step-by-step) how to Live Above the Line by assuming much greater accountability for whatever results one may desire. This can be achieved through a four-step process:

"See It": Recognize and acknowledge the full reality of a situation

"Own It": Accept full responsibility for one's current experiences and realities as well as others'

"Solve It": Change those realities by finding and implementing solutions to problems (often solutions not previously considered) while avoiding the "trap" of dropping back Below the Line when obstacles present themselves

"Do It": Summon the commitment and courage to follow through with the solutions identified, especially when there is great risk in doing so

How easy it is to summarize this four-step process...and how difficult it is to follow it to a satisfactory conclusion. (When composing brief commentaries such as this, I always fear trivializing important points.) Connors, Smith, and Hickman have absolutely no illusions about the barriers, threats, and challenges which await those who embark on this "journey" to accountability.

As they indicate in this new edition of their book, they have accumulated a wealth of information during the past decade which both illustrates and reconfirms the importance of making a personal choice to rise above one's circumstances and assume the ownership of what is required to achieve desired results. This is precisely what Theodore Roosevelt had in mind when praising "the man in the arena" and what W.E. Henley asserts in the final stanza of "Invictus":

"It matters not how straight the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."

Organizations are human communities within which everyone involved must somehow balance personal obligations to themselves with obligations to others. For me, the interdependence of these obligations best illustrates the importance of the Oz Principle: "Accountability for results at the very core of continuous improvement, innovation, customer satisfaction, team performance, talent development and corporate governance movements so popular today." Connors, Smith, and Hickman go on to observe, "Interestingly, the essence of these programs boils down to getting people to rise above their circumstances and do whatever it takes (of course, within the bounds of ethical behavior) to get the results they want," not only for themselves but also for everyone else involved in the given enterprise.

Connors, Smith, and Hickman cite Winston Churchill's admonition, "First we shape our structures, and then our structures shape us." Were the Steps to Accountability easy to take, if everyone lived and labored Above the Line, there would be no need for this book. There is much of value to be learned from L. Frank Baum's account of the perilous journey which Dorothy and her companions share. What they finally realized -- and so must we -- is that, to paraphrase Pogo, "We have met the Wizard and he is us."

Positive Progress!
"We tried for several years to make some basic changes in our Global Manufacturing Group and just couldn't get there. We finally internalized the concept of the accountability process as defined in The Oz Principle. It has really turned us around in the direction we wanted and we're now making the progress we've been trying to make for years."
Bill Smith
Executive Director
Global Manufacturing Services,
Eli Lilly

Managerial Effectiveness
"The Oz Principle has really made accountability very easy to understand and has improved our effectiveness in obvious ways. Our entire organization has not only embraced the concept, but has also made it our culture to operate Above The Line. Most importantly, The Oz Principle made it very easy for a new representative joining the organization to quickly understand what Pfizer Pratt Pharmaceuticals is all about, both in terms of our culture and how we operate as a group."
--Dick Reggio
Vice President, Sales
Pratt Pharmaceuticals,
A Division of Pfizer, Inc. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Donald Mitchell

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

(donmitch@fastforward400.com)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book Description

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

Reviews (1)

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

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

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

Book Description

The Product Manager's Handbook is the essential guide to successful product management in today's fast-changing business world. Product and brand managers, as well as upper-level sales, marketing, and branding executives, will find the text thorough and informative as it explains and analyzes the product manager's role in both traditional, hierarchical organizations as well as in newer horizontal, team-driven decision-making structures.

What is a product manager? The overall responsibility of a product manager is to integrate the various segments of a business into a strategically focused whole, maximizing the value of a product by coordinating the production of an offering with an understanding of market needs. A product manager must oversee all aspects of a product or service line in order to create and deliver superior customer satisfaction while simultaneously providing long-term value for the company.

The Product Manager's Handbook covers all of these topics in a convenient, easy-to-follow presentation that includes:

• Hands-on charts for managing every key step, from concept to completion
• Practical checklists for evaluating progress at every critical stage
• Brief profiles in every chapter of specific product management roles, functions, and issues
• Real-world cases illustrating the challenges of product management in action

This thoroughly revised and updated second edition fully integrates the Internet and other digital technologies into the product manager's arsenal of tools. The book includes all new information on what it takes to be a successful product manager. It explains the product manager's role in the planning process (including strategic and operational planning), how to evaluate product portfolios, how to propose and develop successful new products, and more.

The product manager is frequently the source of the entrepreneurial spirit and sense of innovation that drives a successful organization. Learn to make the most of your product management system with this indispensable reference guide.

Reviews (15)

Great Overview for Role Definition and General Planning
I wish I had bought this book a year ago when I began building our PM Department! I live in Germany and the role of the product manager is poorly understood by many people I come into contact with. So it helps to have written examples which indicate that I am moving in the right direction. Even today, I find the book to be quite useful and the scenarios described in the book certainly apply to much of what I had to learn the hard way. It is a bit general for an experienced product manager but its small form-factor makes it easy to have with you at all times. It is an invaluable resource for those who are new to product management and is full of great ideas to help you move your product forward.

Great book, highly recommended for new PM's
I read this book in 2000 when I started my first job as a PM. Since then, I have re-read it a few times. Each re-read is such a pleasure as I am able to tie in my experience to more and more facets of the book that were previously unclear. The book is an industry independent, general review of the roles and responsibilities of a product manager. It lays a nice foundation for those who are new to the position by outlining business processes, internal and external interactions and organizational roles a PM can expect to have.

The book does not delve into the mechanical details of marketing: such as conducting research, performing surveys, managing channels or evaluating effectiveness. However, it does talk about which kind of product managers would benefit from certain types of marketing initiatives.

If you are new to Product Management or would like to learn more about the processes involved in managing a product's lifecycle, this book is an excellent introduction.

Best in the lot.
I wouldnt say that this is an exceptional title but compared to other books in the market , this is the best. Be aware that this covers 'Product Management' in a very generic fashion. It doesnt talk about the role played by a PM in Software Development Process.

Good coverage but a bit light on details
This is a very good introductory text to anyone who aspires to be a Product Manager. It skims through the generics of what is required of a Product Manager in general. Coverage of topics such as planning for new products, some light financial discussions, discussions about marketing plans, etc. are useful to know.

It pays to note that this book is light on details and should be used as an introductory text. There are books that offer in-depth coverage of specific areas of product management areas such as marketing planning, business planning, marketing analysis, data mining, and so on.

Although a bit light on details, I gave it 4 stars because if it went into details it would have been a 5000 page book as Product Management sits anywhere between a simple to complex discipline depending on what industry and what firm one works in.

Lower the transition cost from pre-sale to PM
It's a must read if you are new to PM position. It defines what you shall focus to keep your life easy and simple, especially PM faces complex situations as usual.

From my experience, it will take you at least 1 year to be familiar with PM position after reading this. If it's not your original industry, then it may cost you more time.

While the skillsets required by PM and pre-sale are quite different, this book provides a general roadmap to indicate where you are. You can keep track how solid your capability is before you make the decision to change your career.

I was a I/T pre-sale three years ago. And now, I'm PM in notebook business and is finishing our company first widescreen notebook project which gained the support from nVIDIA to be their NV36 beta site. This book and the books derived from it really help me a lot.

And to play your game well, I suggest to read Michael Porter's books and game theory to complement. ... Read more

Book Description

The leading authority on system dynamics explains this approach to organizational problem solving, emphasizing simulation models to understand issues such as fluctuating sales, market growth and stagnation, the reliabilityof forecasts and the rationality of business decision-making. The CD includes modeling software from Vensim, ithink, and PowerSim. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

The very best SD book on my book-shelf!
This book is the ultimate resource for any serious learner of System Dynamics. Sterman covers all aspects of SD modeling in a witty and easy-to-understand- manner. He deals extensively with the foundations of SD modeling, treats extensively causal loop diagramming, the logic of stocks and flows, gives numerous examples of practical SD projects, makes an in-depth investigation into all kind of building blocks of SD models etc. All the models of the book are avaliable on the added CD in the Vensim, Stella and Powersim data formats. Although published just in spring 2000, it is IMHO already a classic. A last word: Business Dynamics is not cheap, but it is worth every cent or penny you spend for it. There may be other good or even excellent SD-textbooks, but "Business Dynamics" is simply outstanding and a category in its own.

Good book, but could be better ...........
This book is a must for anyone with interest in business modeling and simulation. It is the culmination of Forrester's seminal book on System Dynamics + the 40 odd years maturation that has occured in this discipline since 1961.

Though this book with 900 odd pages is large, it could have been useful if it had at least one serious case study which flowed through all the chapters and linked all the concepts. This would have helped potential practioners. In its current form the book contains many examples to explain the concepts, but none detailed enough. Many a times the author mentions that the actual models were complex, and a simplified version is being shown in the book. This however does not help the reader to understand and appreciate the complexities involved. It is probably because the concerned organizations were not willing to reveal "too much" lest they loose their IP.

Essential if you lead strategy formation exercises
John Sterman has written a superb book that masks the underlying calculus and reveals the capability of causal loop based situation analysis. The examples in the book are absolutely mind-boggling in scale and brilliance with which they are written. The wide applicability of system dynamics is revealed though the large problem spectrum covered in all the chapters of the book.

Without needing to run through the software enclosed in the book, one can easily perceive the dependant causation of a specific problem by following the simple rules expained early on in the book for drawing reinforcing and balancing conditions that drive the causes leading to a specific problem being addressed.

By focusing on the software (which is enclosed on the CD ROM) to develop a problem solving approach, one has to work hard to create a balanced problem and this is not easily done by merely reading the book. I am considering further training in this aspect to master the topic by taking some more ExecEd courses that John Sterman teaches at MIT Sloan along with Jay Forrester and Peter Senge or even taking the eight week remote learning course offered toward credit at the System Dynamics program at Sloan.

I deal with complex IT architectures in my work on a daily basis involving financial, technical and business driven dependencies for Fortune 1000 firms. I use causal looping as taught by John and others at MIT Sloan to understand the path to cut through the complexity and reach an action plan that I can recommend to my clients.

The book has helped me tremendously in my work in the last few months that I have been reading it on airplane trips between my office and customer offices. For a busy consultant, this is a tremendously useful way to spend flight time.

I would give it 5 stars for the content except that the book is not available in e-Book format, forcing me to carry it with me in my laptop bag on flights(its a heavy tome at 900 + pages) and the software on the CD-ROM is not updated to the most current version one can download from the Vensim website nor can it be used for commercial purposes.

Brain Bending!
5 stars is not enough!

I read an awful lot and most of the books I come across have about 20% of pages that are useful or informative to me if that. The rest tend to be filler. Not this one!! On virtually every page and paragraph in this book I found a gem!

This is one of those rare books that causes your brain to contort itself into shapes and positions that you were not previously aware of. It is also the kind of book that I can see refering to and re-reading many many times.

Sterman takes what can be quite a complex subject and evolves a storyline which is incredibly instructive but at the same time flows quite naturally and easily.

Having said that, while overall this is a very good read, some parts can be mind-numbing and mentally exhausting. I found myself on some occasions needing to rest and reflect after reading just a few pages. It has taken me months to get through this book with appropriate periods of rest and reflection between readings to let the ideas sink in. (That is in great contrast to most text books which I am usually able to get through in a weekend or 2 without great strain.)

While parts of this book have been hard work to get through (due to mental overload at times, not due to poor wriiting), it has been incredibly worthwhile and instructive.

This book has given me some invaluable insights and tools which I have applied professionally to great advantage; not the least of which is competitive advantage.

A tour de force!

Is Good, but not Very Good
The book if fine for novice and medium users in simulation. Very pages with same example or topic, expensed, really few contents.

There are not numerical methods, integration with event models or process models, cibernetic vision, complex problems, visual simulations, business data minning, control theory, business theory, etc.

Therefore, if you need to know simply small business systems simulations with only equations differential modeling, this is the book for to begin. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Easy to read
This book is very readable and gets some new thought processes working.

Good Advice
I purchased the e-book of "Heart of a Leader." The book is chock full of great tips for a variety of situations with the justification for each tip. It is an excellent reference for any supervisor or manager.

Easy Reader
Blanchard takes a "Chicken Soup" approach in this book, capturing the essence of the leadership parables told in his previous works in simple, concise summary format. This is a great reminder for those who have read the other works, or a great introduction for those who haven't. Either way, the essence of Blanchards' winning approach to working with, and getting things done through people is superbly presented.

The Heart Of A Leader
This book is very good with clarity to the point. Short and simple pages to read right through to being a true leader in work, relationships, and working to be successsful in managing people. If a person is a manager already they can be a true leader by believing in their associates to support others to reach theirs goals too! Anytime an associate wants to grow and learn in the company they work for a manager must let them excel. This only benefits the person and the company as well. Work needs to have fun and humor bringing out the best in their people and customers. This book definately covers the heart of a leader with much integrity having genuine people skills.

One Minute McNuggets


76 Management McNuggets from the master of the genre. If you like the soft side of management to be short and sweet, this is the book for you. You get a Ken Quote on the left and a one-pager explanation on the right. Great reading for the john.

-- Mark Kelly, coauthor of MASTERING TEAM LEADERSHIP: 7 ESSENTIAL COACHING SKILLS ... Read more

Reviews (9)

May not be the newest, but I found it the most useful
I bought two books on the first 100 days--this one and "The First 90 Days" by Michael Watkins.I found this book the most useful, and it quickly and immediately inspired me to prepare a succinct 100 day plan broken down into 10 day blocks, for a new $2 billion a year agency.Hence, I completely disagree with those that trash this book and recommend "The First 90 Days" instead of this book.I do find both books useful--read this one first, then cherry pick from Watkins.

Sure, anyone can cook a meal with the same ingredients, and sure, there are a number of books on this topic.For me, this book has exactly the right combination of white space, font size, lay-out, progressive structure, and inspiring snippets (including the all-important advocacy for having an in-house revolutionary).

I recommend this book be read in conjunction with Robert Buckman's "Creating a Knowledge-Driven Organization," Margaret Wheatley's "Leadership and the New Science" (which Buckman told me inspired his own work), and Clayton Christensen's "The Innovator's Solution" (or you can just read my short summative reviews of those three books).

Important meta messages
It is important to also look beyond the 8 points of this book to its overall meta messages:
*Today, the CEO on-board process is a relative manageable and predictable process
*During this process a variety of individuals have specific roles and objectives to ensure the CEO's success
*There are specific, transferable skills and experiences to get in preparation for the CEO job
*More Boards then ever are flexing their newly acquired, legislative muscles. This has resulted in a tremendous amount of CEOs firings. A more cost effective solution would be for Boards to prevent these firings by providing the CEO adequate pre- and on-boarding support.

It is correct that, in their most summarized form, these eight points have been written about in literature since centuries. Yet, messages such as these are worth repeating two hundred fifty million times (that is approximately how much it has cost to replace seven top CEO in the last three months) as long as this keeps occurring:
*New CEOs make unnecessary mistakes
*Boards fire CEOs they only hired a year ago for mistakes which could have been prevented with adequate guidance and counsel
*Boards react ("Well, we needed to fire him/her because of mistakes") instead of plan and execute pre-emptive solutions

Advice for Newly Appointed CEOs of Large Public Companies
Why would two headhunters want to write a book about best practices starting their jobs among new CEOs?Based on reading this book, I can only conclude that they wanted to show off the CEOs they had recruited for client companies in order to garner more business from those companies and to obtain CEO search assignments from new clients.

Having read many books on this subject, I can only assure you that this one adds nothing to the literature beyond some new cases.On the other hand, this book is no worse than any other book on the subject.

Those who will be most disappointed are readers who wanted to learn something new who have read other books on this subject.The next most disappointed group will be those who are taking on leadership jobs that will not involve heading companies or divisions.Those readers will find little specific information aimed at those needs.

With a natural market of 150 U.S. CEOs a year, why does a book like this sell many more copies?It's really a book that appeals to those who hope to be CEOs of large public companies someday, which will mostly be MBAs who are fairly young.Such readers can dream about how they would handle these same situations.While that can be fun, the time would be better spent on developing a new skill for your current and next job.

As I have noted before, best practices can be misleading.Best practices can suggest that there is no better route available.

That thought led me to think about what's missing from a book like this.Here are a few of the many examples I could list:

1.A description of what on-going measurements to put in place in order to understand where the company is today, how it needs to change and what its most realistic opportunities are.

2.A process for creating a premium-priced stock price based on a realistic understanding by investors of the company's situation and where it is going in the future.

3.A way of monitoring how well the CEO is performing in terms of each of the 8 points in the plan described in the book.

4.What to do differently after the first 100 days.

Now, if those areas seem fundamental to you, they are.Why are they missing?I have to assume that the authors lack the expertise to work on those areas.They are, after all, just headhunters.

If you are still interested in the book, what do the authors tell you to do?

1.Prepare before you start the job.
2.Encourage low expectations of what you will accomplish.
3.Pick and brief your management team.
4.Determine your strategic focus.
5.Improve the corporate culture.
6.Develop your relationship with the board.
7.Communicate what you are doing.
8.Avoid making common mistakes.

Did you really need to read a book to figure that out?If so, I'm not sure you are ready to be a CEO.

I would like to comment that when I coach new CEOs of major companies I find that NO ONE takes point 6 seriously enough.So if you do read the book, pay particular attention to that point.

Good luck!

8 Steps to success
Neff and Citrin's eight-point plan to great performance in the first 100 days of a new job makes a lot of sense.  The steps won't come as a surprise to anyone who has gone through this process but their logical progression adds up to a big push in the right direction.  The real surprise in this book is how readable it is, thanks to the  many well-known CEOs who candidly confess their ups and downs during their own first 100 days.  

Advice From the Pros!
When you start a new job or take on a new project, you're almost always in what Citrin and Neff call "a temporary state of incompetence."This book offers a welcome source of advice and reassurance.The advisors couldn't be much better, since they're some of the top CEOs in business today:GE's Jeff Immelt, Gap's Paul Pressler, Mattel's Bob Eckert, Gillette's Jim Kilts, AOL/Time Warner's Dick Parsons, etc.They're friendly, forthcoming -- and brutally honest -- about what they did right, what they could have done better and, in some cases, what they did that was dead wrong. Their stories make for readable entertainment as well as providing a helping hand for managers at any level. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Well-grounded OB course basics
"The organizational behavior reader" contains twenty chapters, each with two or three readings by recognized academic experts, usually adapted from the original source, e.g., Harvard Business Review. Chapters begin with the psychological contract (1), theories of managing people (2), individual and organizational learning (3), individual and organizational motivation (4), ethics and values (5), personal growth and work stress (6), and later topics include managing diversity (12), leadership (13), decision making (15), performance appraisal (18), and managing change (20). The pantheon of authors features experts such as Henry Mintzberg, Jay Conger, Denise Rousseau, Ed Lawler, Peter Senge, Cary Cooper, Deborah Tannen, Geert Hofstede, Hank Sims, Victor Vroom, Jeffrey Pfeffer, Ray Miles, and Rosabeth Moss Kanter. There are numerous charts, diagrams, graphs and models. Anecdotes and examples are plentiful. Self-assessments are rare. Few of the readings offer empirical data; the emphasis is on mental models, images, and concepts.

Professors of organizational behavior, looking for readings rather than integrated text, exercises, and cases, as well as a less expensive alternative to traditional college textbooks, will find this book appealing. These authors are, in general, engaging and highly readable. Chapters can be assigned in an order or avoided altogether to please the teacher's preferences. The breadth of topics, the currency of the treatments, and the expertise of the authors provide a solid foundation for the primary college OB course. Graduate students in need of less text structure and faculty in need of less ancillary materials will find the most benefit.

The book is rooted in social psychology and emphasizes perception, learning, thinking, images and personality, e.g., interpersonal communication, attribution, creativity. There is less on the 'behavior' side of organizational behavior. Several authors use the device of posing 'myths' to contrast with the author's learned, alternative state ('fact'), and sometimes the myths read more like 'conventional wisdom' or the author's own attempt to make his or her point more vivid by presenting a myth that exists only in the minds of a few people. For business school students, this reader is more about organizations and people than about business. Business faculty and courses adopting this book will likely want and need to provide a management context.

An Excellent Book!
An Excellent Book.. A Must For All The Managers In Any Organistaion. ... Read more

Book Description

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)– 2000 Edition is your basic reference and the world’s de facto standard for the project management profession. It was designated an American National Standard (ANSI/PMI 99-001-2000) by the American National Standards Institute in March 2001.

The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) is an inclusive term that describes the sum of knowledge within the profession of project management. The PMBOK® Guide identifies and describes the subset of principles and practices within the PMBOK® that are generally accepted and applicable to most projects most of the time. The guide also provides a common lexicon for talking about project management. Project management is a relatively young profession, and while there is substantial commonality around what is done, there is relatively little commonality in the terms used. An extensive glossary further aids in standardizing definitions of the most important concepts, terms, and phrases.

The Project Management Institute (PMI®) uses the PMBOK® Guide as one of the references for the Project Management Professional (PMP®) Certification Examination. Major revisions and expansions of this edition include:

• Aligned newly added processes, tools, and techniques with the five project processes and nine knowledge areas. For example, reserve time, variance analysis, and activity attributes were added to Chapter 6 (Project Time Management); estimating publications and earned value were added to Chapter 7 (Project Cost Management); and project reports, project presentations, and project closure were added to Chapter 10 (Project Communications Management).

• Added a section in Chapter 2 to acknowledge the role of the Project Office; expanded the treatment of earned value management in Chapter 4 and Chapter 10; and added a brief discussion of the Theory of Constraints in Chapter 6.

• Expanded Chapter 11 (Project Risk Management) to include six processes instead of the previous four: Risk Management Planning, Risk Identification, Risk Assessment, RiskQuantification, Risk Response Planning, and Risk Monitoring and Control.

• Strengthened the linkage between organizational strategy and project management throughout.

The PMBOK® Guide is one of those indispensable tools that you will want at your fingertips, both at work and in your home office. Selected as a suggested resource for CAPM®, CAQ® Automotive Product Development, CAQ Capital Projects, CAQ Information Technology Systems, CAQ Information Technology Networking, and CAQ Project Management Office exam preparation.

Look for official translations in 8 languages:
• Chinese
• Spanish
• Portuguese
• French
• German
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean ... Read more

Reviews (22)

A Requirement for PMP exam, but not everything.
I'm a a certified PMP and purchased this book because PMI says it is the basis for the exam. The problem is that it's incredibly boring and does not include all the information on the test! Although all the project management processes are detailed and the terms are defined, it does not really teach you on how to apply and understand project management. There are also no practice questions included in the PMBOK and this is an absolute requirement before you sit for the test. You must also purchase an independant study guide book. I recommend PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy. It is well written, an enjoyable read, and includes many topics that appear on the exam that are not included in the PMBOK (i.e. Professional Responsibility etc.).

_The_ Project Management Standard
The PMI has put together a book that is the definitive project management standard. Within the concise 200 or so pages, expect to get an overview of all the general areas of project management.

This book describes a generic project management model, suitable across many disciplines. It is written to be a standard. While it is authoritative and something you should definitely read, it is tough reading for beginners. The book does not proceed in the same sequence as project phases. It makes the book difficult to read as a textbook.

If you are a beginner I suggest that you purchase a copy of this book immediately but do not attempt to read it yet. Buy yourself a basic book on project management. Participate and lead projects. As you face issues within your project, refer to this book. You will find your study will be richly rewarded.

Anyone appearing for the PMP exam must know this material like the back of their hands. Spend a lot of time here. Keep in mind however that this book is not a repository of knowledge, it is a roadmap.

In summary, not a trivial read, but a rewarding one.

Essential reference fo PMP
This book is a good reference and should be used as a reference book. You need to know the content of this book to pass the PMP. However, don't use thie book at the only source of study. Get a copy of Andy Crowe's "The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try" and "The Ultimate PMP Study Aid" (from ebay).

By the way, when your join the PMI memnbership, they will send a CDROM verson of the book free.

Good reference, but you will fail PMP if you rely only on it
This reference is good for a base of terminology for Project Management. Unfortunately, because the difference between an IT project and a Construction project is so great, the BOK can only address high-level concepts. The golden nugget is that what the BOK does address are time-tested standards that help all project managers.

Why do you make a Charter? What goes in it? What do you get out of it? The BOK answers all these questions. By following the framework, your projects will have a fighting chance and not get caught up in a tangle of disorganization.

As for the PMP-applicability of this reference, it does not address contracts, team-building, or ethics, which are all required for passing the test. When I studied for the test, I spent about 5% of my time studying the PMBOK and 95% on other reference materials. I earned my PMP after 5 weeks of studying, without memorizing anything from the BOK.

Essential Classic
This book is certainly a must have for the management of BIG projects. It is extremely rich in a wide area of relevant details. It is extremely good as a reference. It is good, if your specific area has not an established project methodology.

On the other hand I do not like the book for reading and learning. It feels like reading a book on income taxes regulations, though a good one. ... Read more