Reviews (4)

Good Resource
I found some helpful hints in How To Market You & Your Book and
used them to promote my own book, Slices of Sunlight. I wish author O'Connor had shared more from his wisdom. I found the book to be in need of more content. Perhaps the next edition
will contain extra pages and extensive resources.

FX and Richard have done it!
As head of a PR firm that works with 500 authors a year- I know that the publisher usually does very little to promote most books. All authors (self published too) need this book. It has great information and great tips on publicity and promotion.

Rick Frishman President PLANNED TV ARTS (NYC)www.plannedtvarts.com Co author GUERRILLA MARKETING FOR WRITERS (Writers Digest Books)

The Author as Marketer
Whether you sell out to a large (New York) publisher or publish yourself, the author must do the promotion. Publishers do not promote books; they only produce them and place them in bookstores. Those books remain in the stores for one selling season: four months-then they are returned to the publisher. Authors must encourage buyers to visit the stores. Buyers pull the books through the system.

(From page 95): The real meat of "How to Market You and Your Book" is to make writers more successful through a working knowledge of marketing . . . specifically so that the writer becomes a "Marketing Author." This book delivers.

FX is an author and a publisher; the ultimate insider, he has been on both sides of the desk. He knows what you are facing--and he reveals what to do about it. DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com.

It's not essential.
I think that, if authors spend a little time thinking about it, they can come up with great marketing ideas on their own, especially if they understand the web. The suggestions in the professional reviews printed above, that a new author must either buy this book or "get into a new line of endeavor," are completely absurd. This book is interesting, or at least the inside-the-industry stuff is interesting, but O'Connor's suggestions are nevertheless geared toward a mass audience and have a prefabricated feel. An author can devise, thanks to the web, an almost-free marketing strategy well-suited to his own book without the help of O'Connor's book. I mean, get a free website, and put a link to it in all the e-mails you send to people. That sort of thing.

The book is worth $20, still, if you have $20 to blow on something. But it's not essential. ... Read more

Book Description

A social, economic, and political study of Philadelphia merchants, this study presents both the spirit and statistics of merchant life. Doerflinger studies the Philadelphia merchant community from three perspectives: their commercial world, their confrontation with the Revolution and its aftermath, and their role in diversifying the local economy. The analysis of entrepreneurship dominates the study and challenges long-standing assumptions about American economic history. ... Read more

Book Description

Vietnam is not a war nor is it a difficult travel destination. Welcome to the new Vietnam and one of the world's hottest travel destinations. Vietnam is a pleasant surprise to most visitors who quickly discover its wonderful shopping, dining, sightseeing, and accommodations, and especially its many friendly, charming, and talented people.

Here's the first guidebook to examine the many travel pleasures and shopping treasures found in Vietnam, with special emphasis on Hanoi, Danang/Hoi An, and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Covers everything from Vietnam's top art galleries and markets to tailoring, handicrafts, and pirated goods (from China). Includes shopping strategies and bargaining tips as well as advice on avoiding problems, selecting quality products, and shipping purchases home with ease. Covers pre-trip planning, local travel alternatives, and the best restaurants, accommodations, sightseeing, and entertainment.

Includes a special chapter on visiting neighboring Cambodia – Phnom Penh and Siem Reap (Angkor Wat). ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Adventure-of-a-lifetime guidelines for smart traveling
The Treasures And Pleasures Of Vietnam And Cambodia: Best Of The Best In Travel And Shopping is an amazing, "user friendly" touring, travel, and shopping guide. Individual chapters focus upon the marvels of Vietnamese and Cambodian cities, as well as adventure-of-a-lifetime guidelines for smart traveling and shopping. Filled with sensible advice, maps, addresses, tips, great places to go and an easy index, The Treasures and Pleasures of Vietnam and Cambodia covers everything short of being a primer in the native language. Highly recommended for anyone planning a trip to these exotic and beautiful lands, The Treasures And Pleasures Of Vietnam And Cambodia is a "must" for getting the most out of a business or vacation trip to these exotic lands. ... Read more

Book Description

Companies worldwide are discovering the enormous potential of the Latin markets. Succeeding in the new Latin markets is challenging because of the dramatic changes affecting every aspect of life throughout the region. Winning Strategies for the New Latin Markets systematically reviews those changes—and offers guidelines for effective strategies that meet the changing market needs.

The authors—each a long-time expert in Latin and global business—challenge popular views of the Latin markets. Powerful transformations ranging from privatizations and economic reform to rapid adoption of the Internet are allowing major companies to create powerful business networks from New York to São Paulo—but success in the region also requires an understanding of consumer variations across countries.

The book unlocks the opportunities that emerge from a golden triangle of the Brazilian, Mexican, and U.S. Latin markets, which represent two thirds of the region's market power. A detailed account of integrators and specialists in consumer, retail, telecommunications, energy, health, and financial markets reveals how firms are crafting strategies through the value chain from manufacturing to finance and marketing.

* Over 100 interviews and several case studies Insights of corporate leaders from the United States, Europe, and Latin America
* Reaching the new Latin consumers Changing demographics, changing economics, changing consumption patterns
* A projected $1 trillion U.S. Latin market by 2010: 34 million Latin consumers Connecting with the United States' fastest growing market segment
* Leveraging the Internet throughout the Latin value chain How technology is transforming planning, control, marketing, distribution, and customer service throughout the Latin world
* A golden triangle of U.S. Latin, Mexican, and Brazilian markets: pivotal for success—but very different Choosing the right platform is the key for success throughout the hemisphere
* Understanding the unique Latin healthcare marketplace An inside look at the challenge of healthcare marketing in Latin America
* Future growth scenarios Challenges and opportunities for the next decade ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Winning Strategies is a Winner
The book is a must read for anyone serious about strategy in Latin America, or anyone
interested in the Hispanic segment of the U.S. market. The authors have a deep understanding of Latin culture and business and are able to explain clearly and objectively the risks involved in Latin America, while at the same time presenting an unbiased picture of the unlimited opportunities in the region. They also provide the reader a road map for avoiding common mistakes when doing business in the region and present some innovative tools to develop sound strategies in the market. The book's content definitely lives up to its title. Winning Strategies for the New Latin Markets is a clear, thorough, and convincing state-of-the-art volume that will prove indispensable to executives, business students, and others interested in the Latin American and U.S. Hispanic markets.

Eugenio Sevilla-Sacasa

A Must Read Before Investing In Latin America
This timely book is a must for anyone contemplating investing or trading in Latin America. It offers the most complete insight of the region's business/economic climate. Moreover, it serves as an excellent guide to avoid the many stumbling blocks often encountered by many U.S. businessmen in formulating a business case or strategy. The chapter on 'Reaching the New Latin Consumers' is most instructive. Here the authors' thorough analysis on identifying and reaching the consumer is vital to any business case. Too often U.S. companies fail to fully understand the Latin consumer in terms of demand and purchasing power. The Mexican and Brazilian case studies presented are outstanding. Again this gem of a book is indispensable to anyone interested or planning to go after the 600 million population south of the border.

corporate executive
For anyone interested in business in Latin America, this book is an instant classic--a seminal strategy book, in the mold of Porter, Ohmae, Hamel, and Prahalad. It's original and innovative conceptual framework, comprehensive statistical data, and rich and insightful cases will prove invaluable to executives, consultants, professors and students. Although the Latin American region is currently experiencing a "rough patch", scores of firms continue to implement winning strategies and reap huge benefits. Robles, Simon, and Haar illustrate these strategies with tremendous insight and depth of analysis.As Latin America recovers economically and growth takes off, as it eventually will, this book will serve as an indispensable road map for companies doing business (or considering business) in the region.

Keyes to Understanding Latin American Business Strategies
Many neophytes think of Latin America as a large, undifferentiated arena in which to sell. Robles, Simon, and Haar show otherwise. Based on more than 100 interviews with key decision makers, they talk about how to reach tens of millions of customers and clients across Latin American. They delve into the impact of technology on the value chain in Latin America and show likely growth scenarios. But, their major contribution is showing how strategic thinkers approach Latin America and the differing strategic approaches they use to win in one of the world's most important and fastest growning makets. Not just a good read, but informative to anyone wanting to do business in Latin America. Highly recommended.

A Must Buy
Winning Strategies for the New Latin Markets is a "must buy". It is an extremely well-written, thorough and up-to-date presentation and assessment of the new dynamics at play in Latin American markets--including the U.S. Hispanic market--and, through case examples, shows how companies can boost both profits and market share in this challenging environment. ... Read more

Book Description

Hard Bargaining in Sumatra is an artfully written and penetrating examination of interactions between Western travelers and Toba Batak wood carvers in the souvenir marketplaces of Samosir Island, North Sumatra. Toba Batak carvings, ranging from simple human figures of wood to elaborately engraved water buffalo horns, are described in tourist guidebooks and by Toba Batak vendors alike as "traditional" and "antique," despite many recent changes and inventions in form. This pathbreaking work investigates how notions of place and self are constructed by the travelers and the Bataks in the context of ethnic tourism. The author proposes that these interactions be understood in light of Louis Marin's concept of utopics, suggesting that tourist venues such as hotels and marketplaces are neutral spaces where both locals and visitors can act out behaviors that would ordinarily be constrained by their respective cultures.

The transformation of Toba Batak woodcarving is one result of such marketplace interactions. The Western tourist's desire for traditional art has encouraged Batak carvers to continue to make objects based on forms developed by their animist predecessors, the majority of whom converted to Christianity at the turn of the century. Toba Batak carving style, however, is far from static; artisans create innovative pieces that they frame within the same historically legitimizing narratives used for "traditional" objects. Tourists, seeking proof of their travels in representative icons of place, purchase both innovative and traditional forms, largely unaware of the difference.

Rich in ethnographic description and employing a lively narrative style, Hard Bargaining in Sumatra is essential reading for students and scholars with interests in anthropology, cultural studies, globalization and tourism research, art history, and identity studies. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

You'll never get this good a vacation by yourself
Like most working stiffs, I save up for a big vacation to some far away land and when it finally happens I get shuffled around from one tourist spot to the next. The culture presents itself for purchase and I buy.

"Hard Bargaining in Sumatra" isn't just a book by an affable scholar. It immediately took me into the home of a very different family, sat me on a 'fancy mat' and amused me with a narrative by the author to his Toba Batak friends. He told a story for their entertainment that might easily have described my own hapless first experience in an exotic culture. The family's reaction and the unfolding details of their work in the woodcarving-for-tourists trade was a pleasure to read.

I was continuously surprised at how clearly Causey expressed complicated, seldom-analyzed notions of place and identity. The relationship between tourist and vacation spot is alive and dynamic in a way I'd never imagined. The author's struggle to learn the skills of the woodcarver gave extra dimension to my understanding of this traditional craft. The friendship between the student/researcher and the teacher/subject made the dynamics of the familial roles and societal obligations disarmingly vivid and personal. The book enriched my understanding of a distant culture to a degree I could never have achieved by hopping a plane and wandering their marketplaces. When I saw a Toba Batak carving at an art museum a few weeks later, I had a wealth of feelings and observations that would never have occurred to me before. For me, reading this book was like the best kind of vacation. I learned a lot, felt a connection to the people and culture, and enjoyed the process.

A Sense of Place
"What happens when the homeland of one group is also claimed as the vacationland of another group?"

This question put by the author rather succinctly sums up a major theme of the book, and perhaps should be a guiding thought for all of us who ever take a vacation...anywhere.
Whether we are taking a "package" vacation or just winging it in a new location, we have an impact not only on the place we visit, the feeling of the place, the services it provides, and perhaps most importantly, the ART of the place. Souvenirs...mementos...folk art...all these tokens and totems that come from our vacation spot are evolving to meet our desires.

The author handles this idea and others in a very human and sensitive way, inviting us into his experience in Sumatra, Indonesia and filling our minds with the sense of the place: its smells, visuals, sounds, landscape and its people. It is easy to lose oneself in this book as if it were a novel or the travelogue, yet it tackles some very difficult issues without sounding preachy or judgmental. I have always been interested in, and sensitive to the general "sense" of a place. I can be easily spooked by the quality of light or the sight of long shadows in the afternoon. I found Dr. Causey to be a kindred spirit, as he has addressed this feeling (because it is at heart a "feeling") very poetically in his writing about Lake Toba.

There are many humourous vignettes within the book, as well as many parables and lessons.
It in indeed educational, and educational on a new level-it reaches right into the spaces between ideas and brings into being a hybrid way of looking. It is accessible, informative and heartfelt.
I would recommend this book to anyone - it can be read for sheer pleasure. But if you are planning to travel, and would like to get some ideas on developing a very diplomatic and culturally sensitive approach to your new destination, this is most certainly the book for you.
I nominate Dr. Causey for Goodwill Ambassador!

A delightful surprise and interesting book about Sumatra
A first rate work and a wonderful read. This book was delightful to read. Right from the beginning of the book, I was drawn in. It's clear this is a scholarly work, well researched and carefully detailed. As a reader of more casual literature, I was agreeably surprised at the superior writing style of the author. I thoroughly enjoyed the experiences and anecdotes throughout the whole book. Anyone who enjoys reading about other cultures and other places would definitely enjoy reading this book. I stayed up to 1:00 am one night reading it. I look forward with real anticipation to future works from this author.

Fascinating Reader-Friendly Scholarship
This book is a true rarity--a work of serious scholarship, written in a user-friendly, personal, poetic, eminently-readable style. You'd almost be fooled into thinking you were reading a romantic travel narrative, one of those popular memoirs à la "Under the Tuscan Sun" where a naive American goes off and has a life-transforming experience while in a foreign land. But as Dr. Causey relates his tales of the months spent with the Toba Batak in their remote, beautiful homeland in northern Sumatra, learning something about their culture, something about woodcarving, and a LOT about shopping, he also unfolds a series of subtle, complex observations about aesthetics, about colonialism and acquisition, and about the role of tourists / collectors in a market economy and their effect as both destroyers and saviors of traditional culture. Absolutely fascinating stuff, and certainly not just for students of anthropology--this is a book that should be read by art historians as well as by economists, as well as by anyone who simply enjoys a well-written tale of a beautiful place that they've never been...

I particularly admire "Hard Bargaining" for the lack of any tang of cultural superiority on Dr. Causey's part--he never assumes that he knows more than the people he's observing, or that since he has a Ph.D., his observations must be considered correct. He went there; he lived, he learned, he shopped; and he thought about it, hard, and critically, comparing the Toba Batak culture to our own, and letting the reader make the judgement calls, not the anthropologist. Very well done! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A scholarly and easily readable study of a complex subject.
In "Deerskins and Duffels", Kathryn Holland Braund provides a scholarly and easily readable study of the dynamics of the trade relationship between the English and the Creek Indian Nation. Braund delivers a good overview of the history of the Anglo-Creek trade; from its introduction in the late 17th century, how it triumphed against its competitors France and Spain in the 18th century, and its conclusion in the early 19th century with the removal of the Creeks by the American government. Importantly, the book shows how that both the British and the Creeks benefitted from their trade relationship. South Carolina and Georgia owe their colony's success to the economic windfall of the trade. The trade enabled the Creeks to become the preeminent Indian nation of the Southeast at the, sometimes, catastrophic cost of neighboring tribes. "Deerskins and Duffels" gives an interesting look into the life and activities of the frontier indian trader. However, he book's greatest value is its well-researched examination of the Creeks as consumers and how the Nation's demand for trade goods caused them to create a massive commercial deer harvesting enterprise. Braund has written a fully documented textbook on the subject of Anglo-Creek trade, but she has relayed the information in such a way that both the scholar and the casual reader will be well satisfied for having read it. ... Read more

Book Description

Is E-Business Helping You—Or Your Competitors?

E-business is transforming the commercial landscape and completely redefining traditional business assumptions. In an e-nabled world:

• Customers demand personalized, intimate relationships resulting in new levels of transaction simplicity and service value. Companies use the Internet to expand into new markets and grow.
• Products and services are designed for e-sales and customer segmentation. Companies package their most strategic asset—institutional knowledge—and bundle information with products and services to create new value for customers.
• Business processes seamlessly integrate with customers and business partners as companies build value networks, focus on their core competencies, and outsource non-core business components.
• Organizational structures are aligned to clarify internal governance for e-business. Process-oriented measures maximize the worth of information velocity in the value network.
• Systems and technologies utilize the Internet for most interactions between customers and business partners. Rapidly developing and maturing e-business applications make the Internet the place to do business.
• People and culture are transformed as work forces embrace the value of partnering and external relationships and employee knowledge equates to service value.

In Executive’s Guide to E-Business: From Tactics to Strategy, PricewaterhouseCoopers professionals present a new model that all executives and managers involved in an e-business undertaking can use to prepare for the challenges of disruptive change, to foster communication and understanding throughout their organizations, and to achieve sustained competitive advantage. In doing so, they reveal the B2B e-business tactics and strategies used by successful companies worldwide to significantly boost performance and substantially improve market share.

With information applicable to a wide range of industries, Executive’s Guide to E-Business will help any company take its rightful place in the e-nabled world and reap the tremendous benefits of the e-business revolution. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Non-Impressive
I felt the entire book was one big sales pitch. It felt like I was sitting in on a sales presentation. Although the authors did a fairly good job of outlining the 4 stages of the e-business panorama, they neglected to provide solid case studies or real life examples. Instead, I kept coming across recurring messages throughout the book; "all businesses will become ebusiness ...focus on your company's core competency, outsource your non-core competence in order to go to market fast...seamless backend application integration"... very basic stuff. If you are already familiar with ebusiness, this book will bore your as it did me after the first 3 chapters.

I like to suggest a more objective book on ebusiness with better tactics and strategies: "e-Business Roadmap for Success" by, Dr. Ravi Kalakota

Deep E-Commerce MasterGuide
Aimed at senior executives, 'E-Business' offers a mature look at
the competitive e-landscape, business models and e-commerce approaches
based upon 100s of PWC engagements.

The well structured &
illustrated, unreferenced chapters span: a new business model (neither
hierarchical nor discrete steps); channel enhancement (value
propositions for seller and buyers); channel enhancement impacts
(organizations, people, processes and technology); value chain
integration (supply and customer networks); value chain integration
impacts (organizations, people, processes and technology); industry
transformation (physcho or knowco, infrastructure, partnering,
issues); industry transformation impacts (organizations, people,
processes and technology); convergence (speed, strategies);
convergence impacts (organizations, people); managing risk; navigating
change; analytical framework; and a detailed view of e-nabled value
chain.

Strengths include: the great structure, illustrations, tables
and sidebars; the intelligent, thoughtful, deep writing style; the
depth and breath of useful content (for executives to operational
staff); and the frequent useful charts linking business objectives, to
success factors to enablers.

Weakness include: the lack of
references (we must take the authors' words for credibility of
content!); the lack of case study or success story anecdotes to liven
up the sometimes dryness of subject; slightly prescriptive tone; and a
lack of "interactivity" exercises for the reader.

Other
alternatives/companion texts in this area include: May's technical
focus 'The Business of E-Commerce' (ISBN 052177698); Hoque's
opinionated 'E-Enterprise' (ISBN: 052177487X); Cohan's draft review
of 'e-Profit' (ISBN 0814405444); Siegel's glossy brainstorms in
'Futurize Your Enterprize'(0471357634); and Bloor's marketplace
spin in 'electronic B@zaar' (ISBN185788258X).

Overall,
definitely one of the better books in this area, just needing more
science/alternative sources, and case studies to support your
e-business change projects/ enterprises.

in numbers... 10/10
It's a helpful book with clear insights in the ecommerce revolution. It helps to clarify misunderstood concepts and gives a clever perspective of the e-journey in which every business must go through.

Great Roadmap
I am a manager in an e-commerce development firm and bought this book to enhance my ability to deliver better advice to my clients. This book is one of the most helpful that I have purchased. Because it is written by a consulting firm, it addresses all aspects of e-business in a logical, progressive fashion, uses good business school style illustrations and graphs to lay out the landscape and deals with opportunities, risks and rewards in an easy to understand, streetwise fashion

Clear and concise overview of a hot area
E-business is a buzzword nowadays. There are many books promoting this new business model, but few are so knowledgeable and clear as this one. It addresses the key issues and the industry transformations with an approach which is at the same time down-to-earth and visionary. ... Read more

Book Description

Created for an introductory course, Consumer Economic Issues in America, 7e provides instructors with a straightforward text that highlights the fundamental consumer economic issues affecting all consumers. Author E. Thomas Garman educates and empowers students as they gain knowledge of their rights and responsibilities as consumers. The newly revised text places emphasis on understanding the American economic system, consumer concepts, evaluative criteria and environmental issues. ... Read more

Book Description

Ten secrets of the world's most astonishing web business:

Live and breathe e-commerce

Fill the place with entrepreneurs

Focus

Brand the site

Get and keep customers by offering great value

Develop Unbeatable Logistics

Stay Lean

Practice Technoleverage

Constantly Reinvent the Business

Grow with the Best ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Could Your Company be the Next Amazon.com?
Amazon.com, perhaps best known for its highly effective and popular affiliate marketing program, has achieved much success during its short time in business. It has grown from a Web-based start-up in 1995 to become one of the most influential businesses in history.

Rebecca Saunders has taken the time to provide us with a behind-the-scenes look at the day-to-day operations of Amazon.com. She provides some background on the people who own and run it and offers some of the major reasons why this company has prospered in so little time. She offers her readers "secrets" of how this company has achieved its much heralded success within the membership of the online community. Readers will learn how they can harness some of the successful strategies that has made Amazon.com a household name.

For a company that has yet to turn a profit, Amazon.com under the direction of Jeff Bezos has put into place some mighty sound principles for conducting business that others should nonetheless pay close attention to, such as having a strong focus. Having a clear purpose, goals, and laying a foundation for the future are essential for the survival of any company.

It won't take readers long to notice that Amazon.com pays close attention to other details. Consider areas such as promoting a sense of community, learning to know about your customers, building customer satisfaction, providing safe and timely delivery of products, keeping promises (where have we heard this before?), name branding, Website domain name selection, Web development, and saving money.

Could your company be the next Amazon.com? You won't know without learning from among the best in the business world. This book is packed with a lot of insight that will lead any business in the right direction. They will benefit from sound advice and a clearly written outlined text that reads quickly and is easy to understand. Readers will enjoy this concise yet revealing look at this giant Web-based company. This book will provide readers with what it takes to succeed in any business!

Very basic work
Very basic book on doing business via the web. This should have been released a generation ago when Amazon.com itself was finding its way. The new enterpreneur exploring online business is more knowledgeble than the informaiton and insight provided here and hence can disappoint reading it. It may be suitable for those who are hearing the name of e-business and trying to set up the business online for the first time in their country to know what happend when Jeff Bezos tried doing so for the first time in the history. Certainly this book is not for those who already heard about e-business.

200+ pages of nothing.
Ms. Saunders has taken riding someone else's wave to a new low - two waves really. The first is the branding and selling power of anything with "Amazon.com" on it. The second is the hope that this book will follow in the footsteps of Robert Spector's, "The Nordstrom Way," in giving the reader some insight into the world's leading and most successful e-commerce enterprise. Unfortunately, she fails to even remotely live up to either.

The book is dry and completely uninformative. Even worse, it's factually incorrect. A couple examples (though there are many, many others):

According to Saunders, Amazon.com set up shop in Seattle, Washington because Ingram is there. Um, Ingram is in Oregon, not Washington. What the heck is the Federal Trust Commission? I think it's usually referred to as the Federal Trade Commission.

These two errors and the many others in this book have regrettably been printed before - usually in the popular press - which speaks volumes about where she got her material.

The book is marketed as an investigative look at the business model and "Ten Secrets" that make it work. Considering the legendary secrecy surrounding Amazon.com's business and the supposed investigative nature of this book, I find it pretty amazing that she knocked it out without attempting to consult a single (current or former) insider. But then again, after the first two pages it becomes very clear that she had no intention of going out of her way. The book itself is about as pure an attempt to capitalize on Amazon.com's success as could have been imagined. Oh, and the ten secrets touted on the cover are actually basic common sense and obvious to anyone who visits Amazon.com on any sort of a regular basis.

If you're curious about Amazon.com, I say stick to Spector and read, "Amazon.com - Get Big Fast," (ISBN: 0066620414).

Keep in mind that as of this writing, there really is no truly in-depth factual piece on Amazon.com and it's business model. You can get more information about Amazon.com from the New York Times archives (online) or almost any Wall Street analyst who covers the company.

How much money came out of the pockets of Amazon Executives?
It seems like more and more these days books are being written by horrible authors that companies could pick up off the streets and have them write a book entirely about their company, but hide it as being a guide to successful e-commerce. If your looking at e-commerce, you don't just focus on one "semi-successful business", you focus on the many different e-commerce companies out there and you compare and contrast at their success. This book skims the surface on Amazon...but you are looking for more.

Rehashed Outlines of Old Newspaper and Magazine Stories
When a publisher doesn't like your book proposal, the way they try to let you down easily is to tell you it would make a good magazine article. Why would a publisher take on a book whose sources are newspapers, magazines, and books from an author who tell us she doesn't like to buy books on line from Amazon.com to write about a company that started as an on-line bookseller? Since you are obviously a fan of Amazon.com or you would not be reading this review, my opinion is that you could probably write a better history of the company and its success pattern than this book did based on your own experiences with the company.

Given that everything in the book was from public sources, I could not understand how the author could call her points "secrets." But here they are:

(1) Understand e-commerce (2) Build an entrepreneurial team (3) Focus (4) Brand the site (5) Get and keep customers by offering value (6) Set up a distribution network (7) practice frugality

(8) practice technoleverage (improve your performance with technology) (9) constantly reinvent your business model (10) add strategic alliances and acquisitions.

What does that tell you that you didn't know before?

On the interesting question of whether Amazon.com will be able to sustain the cashflow losses, the author says nothing other than that the harvesting period is still ahead.

I compared this book to the book, Amazon.com, which had its own weaknesses, and found that this book lacked an authentic voice of reflecting what is different about the company it studies. Where are the anecdotes, the polls of customers, powerful material from message boards, and quantitative analyses of what happened? Even if Amazon.com executives would not talk to her, you can certainly do better than this.

Oh, by the way, the facts were not well checked. Those I was familiar with were usually wrong. So you can't even rely on this book for baseline information.

I can go on with more reasons not to buy and read the book, but I don't want to waste your time. You have better things to do.

In the same way that many Web Sites won't become valuable businesses, many books about Web businesses aren't going to do any better. Here is a fine example of that observation.

... Read more

Book Description

"In Capitalism and Commerce, Edward Younkins provides a clear and accessible introduction to the best moral and economic arguments for capitalism. Drawn from over a decade of business school teaching, Younkins's work offers the student of political economy and the educated layperson a clear, systematic treatment of the philosophical concepts that underpin the idea of capitalism and the business, legal, and political institutions that impact commercial enterprises. Divided into seven parts, the work discusses capitalism and morality; individuals, communities, and the role of the state; private and corporate ownership; entrepreneurship and technological progress; law, justice, and corporate governance; and the obstacles to a free market and limited government." ... Read more

Reviews (24)

The Total Package
In Capitalism and Commerce, the fundamental concepts of a free-market economy are thoroughly discussed and extensively examined. The book is written in a manner that is easily understood, yet remains extremely thought provoking through the presentation of its content. While seemingly written as a philosophy book, Capitalism and Commerce offers much more. Through commentary on morality, law, justice, the common good, work, and personal flourishing and happiness, Dr. Younkins creates a work that brilliantly articulates what many people have a difficult time explaining when it comes to the roots of capitalism. Each chapter builds upon the last; yet, Dr. Younkins has also cunningly written each chapter as an end in itself. Other works are referenced throughout the text, giving the reader a more concise description of the instruments found in capitalism. Also, at the end of each chapter the reader is greeted with a list of recommended readings, serving as a wonderful segway for further reference and/or enjoyment. Upon completion of Capitalism and Commerce, any person will have a clear and definite understanding of what it means to live in a capitalistic society; this, in itself, is priceless.

Capitalism and Commerce--Telling It Like It Is
In his book, Capitalism and Commerce, Dr. Edward Younkins succeeds in providing the reader with two benefits from reading his book. First the book provides an education on free enterprise and a capitalistic society. Secondly upon digesting the information provided in the book, the reader is stimulated into thinking about our society and how it actually operates. I believe that many people just accept the way our economic society operates and leaves it at that. Dr. Younkins not only explains how things are today, but he points out how things were. Many of us are probably unaware of how our government was originally designed to operate. We man not have known that drastic changes occurred because of the "New Deal" implemented by the President F. D. Roosevelt's administration during the 1940s. Capitalism and Commerce provides a plethora of examples detailing how our current government interferes with the true concept of free enterprise. Topics such as Labor Unions, Antitrust Laws, and the State are just a few of the many factors covered by Dr. Younkins.

One concept that is given ample coverage by Dr. Younkins is that of morality and capitalism. The concept is that in a truly capitalistic society morality will flourish. I also believe this to be true. This concept helps to shed the image of businessmen as greedy and immoral monsters. When our exchange of goods or services occurs between two parties and is deemed satisfactory by both parties, then pure capitalism has taken place. In conclusion, Capitalism and Commerce is an easy to read book well worth your investment in time and purchase price.

Economic Eye Opener
Dr. Younkins exposes to the world the truth behind the current United States entitlement system. The easy to read chapters discuss each aspect of a capitilistic system in its purest form. Each chapter builds on each other allowing the reader to discover the mirage of free enterprise in this country.
This is a very good book and Ed has been able to lubricate the previously dry subject of economics. Any person who believes that Americans live under a free enterprise system should read this book. If you believe that you are entitled to some economic aid from the "Government," read this book.

Extraordinary Thoughts for the Ordinary Thinker
Over the last 4 years, I've amassed a collection of philosophical works consisting of several dozen books and a few hundred articles, all of which contain timeless principles, fundamental ways of thinking, new insights, and bold statements. Capitalism and Commerce by Ed Younkins shares all these things with the others, but has one characteristic that separates it from all the rest: I didn't get a headache from reading it.

While other writers spend pages saying what could have been said in a single paragraph, filling line after line with extensive and often unnecessary use of uncommon words which do little more than restate over and over a point conveyed in the first line, Younkins gets to the point. You won't find any of that filler in this book, which is a refreshing departure from the norm.

Another thing I can say with conviction about this book is that Ed Younkins means every word he says and has great reasoning behind every concept. Many writers make philosophical statements without making a connection between their writing and day-to-day living. Younkins, however, uses examples and concepts that anyone can relate to, making the ideas easy to apply to one's life immediately.

Whether you have a doctorate or a GED, this book will change your way of looking at the world, and you will be made better by it. As a writer, a professor, and a person, Ed Younkins is brilliant, and I am happy to have had the pleasure of studying under him.

You get the idea...

Capitalism and Commerce
Capitalism and Commerce is an excellent book for not only the beginning business student, but for the layperson who want to find out what capitalism is and what it can be if practiced to the fullest. Younkins gives good examples and explanations on how capitalism is meant to work in a free-market society. Chapters are well written and easy to comprehend. It's a great book for those who are skeptical about capitalism and how the whole process works in a free society. ... Read more

Book Description

Amazon.com

In his book-length essay The Conquest of Cool, Thomas Frank explores the ways inwhich Madison Avenue co-opted the language of youthful '60s rebellion. It is "the story,"Frank writes, "of the bohemian cultural style's trajectory from adversarial to hegemonic; the story ofhip's mutation from native language of the alienated to that of advertising." This appropriation hadwide-ranging consequences that deeply transformed our culture--consequences that linger in the form of'90s "hip consumerism." (Think of Nike using the song "Revolution" to sellsneakers, or Coca-Cola using replicas of Ken Kesey's bus to peddle Fruitopia.)

This is no simplistic analysis of how the counterculture "sold out" to big business. Instead,Frank shows how the counterculture and business culture influenced one another. In fact, he writes, thecounterculture's critique of mass society mimicked earlier developments in business itself, when a newgeneration of executives attacked the stultified, hierarchical nature of corporate life. Counterculture andbusiness culture evolved together over time--until the present day, when they have become essentially thesame thing. According to Frank, the '60s live on in the near-archetypal dichotomy of "hip" and"square," now part of advertising vernacular, signifying a choice between consumer styles. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

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in fact, Frank's point is that advertising did NOT necessarily co-opt counterculture. if he labors over anything, it's his assertion that the Creative Revolution in business practically preceded the existence of a widespread counter-culture movement. as far as his scorn, it was rather obviously directed only at the baby-boomers and historians with bad memories...the ones who insist that 60s youth culture was completely non-commercial, the ones who need to believe in The Man (especially the man in the gray suit).

i thought that the book was extremely engaging. frank is very insightful, and his writing is entertaining. i laughed a lot, and said, "Right, exactly!" so many times. i did not get any sense that frank had any real trouble with the conquest of cool or even consumer culture. he develops his thesis so precisely that there was no room for censure. as far as offering a solution--the book doesn't present any Problem to be solved. it's an examination of the relationship between commercial and counter culture. Most importantly, it's a rethinking of that relationship through the lens of the late 50s and 60s.

Advertising co-opted the counterculture and...?
Frank's work with the Baffler and the Reader has always been enlightening and entertaining. As essays for the casual reader, his writing can do a lot of eye-opening. However, I don't think he can sustain his brand of cultural criticism for a book-length work. The problem, after Frank's thesis is repeated for the umpteenth time, is you finally say "So?" I personally always wind up picturing Frank in clothes he has spun himself, living off beans he is cultivating in a backyard seed plot, entertaining himself by sneering from his garret's window at the shallow "lifestyles" of every human being on the planet (except his own). I've always disliked the hypocritical, distant stance people like Frank (whose views I happen to mostly share)adopt when they tackle these issues. The great problem is how to relate these kinds of ideas without pretensions of immunity to the dominant cultural malaise, without relentlessly stereotyping the middle class, and without the hopelessly easy targeting of lame ducks, ducks that Frank seems to consider strong and insidious. Tom Frank, what are the alternatives? Where are the solutions?

Zach Robbins, honestly...
Thomas Frank's work in this book is extremely in depth, his knowledge of the marketing revolution of the 60's is probably the most exhaustive you will find, and this book is definitely worth reading. There are definitely problems with his writing and his ability to take the reader above the mundane details and obvious deductions of his work. However, the type of person willing to read this book is probably looking for pure information and not counting on any sort of entertaining odyssey, and that's good because it isn't very entertaining. The thesis is proved, and proved over again, and over again again. The same things are repeated over and over with different titles and contexts until one starts to wonder whether this book was really worth maxing out at 250 some odd pages. But such is the nature of information.

Great Book
An excellent examination of consumer culture and the way that corporate America has tried to deal with, understand, and co-opt youth culture (or did youth culture co-opt advertising?) Frank gets to the bottom of it all in an always entertaining look at advertising from the Madison Avenue years through the sixties. His examinations of various ad campaigns - such as Volvo who insisted in their ads that their cars were ugly and at least not as filled with defects as the cars they used to make - are insightful and well researched. In fact, this book is a necessary primer for anyone doing research on youth culture. It helped to change the way that I think about these issues and has become a text that I refer to often.

Great history of advertising...
This was Tom Frank (founding editor of the Baffler, for those in the know) University of Chicago dissertation on advertising, and is absolutely fascinating. Frank's main focus is a Frankfurt School/classical Marxist critique of how the early 60s anti-advertising of people like Bill Bernbach (the guy responsible for the classic early VW beetle ads) worked to help create our ideas of 60s counterculture. As such, it's of interest to anybody fascinated by cultural theory, 20th c. American history, or corporate cultures and advertising. However, it's also useful to anybody involved in marketing, planning or advertising (even if your political views aren't of the college Marxist with capitalist parents school), simply because it's just a great history of advertising in the 20th century, and shifting attitudes towards advertising as a profession, from the idea that advertising was a hard science (propounded by David Ogilvy and others) to the idea that advertising was "an art." Most importantly, it's a fantastic read-Tom Frank is a great writer with a fantastic turn-of-phrase, and is better thinker than 90% of academics in the humanities today. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Buying a Television Set, a Family Affair
This wonderful book captures the memories and spirit of the Polk Brothersretail establishment.Long before Circuit City and Best Buy, Polk Brotherssold hard goods (TV's, Radios, etc) to the families of Chicagoland.It wasquite the event for my father to pile the family into the stationwagon togo to Polk City and purchase a counsole Zenith television for severalhundred dollars.As a child I remember receiving a toy premium after apurchase.We received inflatable airplanes, 7-UP, and Ann Landers books. Our family home was furnished by Polk City.Polk City was a warm, chaotic,intoxicating place to make a purchase.The book reflects this and bringsPolk Brothers alive.The author paints a warm, interesting story of aChicago institution and captures the family event of what it was to go toPolk Brothers.A real connection to Chicago and its families.A nice readeven if you are not from Chicago.

A good history of a successful business.
This story tells the story of the Polks (which was not the original name), who were a family that came to the USA from Europe with big dreams and hopes.These dreams were fulfilled when Polk Bros., the first retailer of its kind became successfull.Polk Bros. set the tone for all future retailers with its new ideas.My favorite part of the book, was reading about the many big and weird promotions Polk Bros. had, including renting out the Chicago Stadium for a humungous b-day celebration.Read this book (of course) to find out more. ... Read more

Book Description

This book breaks new ground by presenting a detailed description and history of one of the most famous companies of the early fourteenth century. This analysis of the Peruzzi Company produces a radical reassessment of what made the Florentine super-companies so exceptional: commodity trading, especially in grain, which required heavy capital, sophisticated organization, and an international network. But the book also exposes the limitations of their financial power, and explodes the myth that the collapse of the Peruzzi and its joint-venture partner, the Bardi, was caused by bad loans to Edward III to finance his invasions of France. ... Read more

Book Description

Winner of the Society of Architectural Historians' 1999 Spiro Kostof Award

"[A]n engaging look at the neglected history of retail architecture and its relationship to the automobile." -- Mary Marien, Christian Science Monitor

From the 1920s to the 1950s, Los Angeles did for the shopping center what New York and Chicago had done for the skyscraper. In a single generation, the American retail center shifted from the downtown core to the regional shopping center.

Ten years in the making, City Center to Regional Mall is a sweeping yet detailed account of the development of the regional shopping center. Richard Longstreth takes a historical perspective, relating retail development to broader architectural, urban, and cultural issues. His story is far from linear; the topics he covers include the emergence of Hollywood as a downtown in miniature, experiments with the shopping center as an amenity of planned residential developments, the branch department store as a landmark of decentralization, the evolution of off-street parking facilities, and the obscure origins of the pedestrian mall as a spine for retail complexes.

Longstreth takes seriously the task of looking at retail buildings--one of the most neglected yet common building types--and the economics of real estate in the American city. He shows that Los Angeles in the period covered was a harbinger of American metropolitan trends during the second half of this century. Over 250 illustrations, culled from a wide variety of sources, constitute one of the best collections of old LA photographs published anywhere. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Very Informative Book about Los Angeles
If you ever wanted to know about the history of Los Angeles and how it became a large metropolitian area, this is the book for you. Hundreds of pictures from the late 1800's to the 1950's makes this book a veryresourceful tool.

Well researched documentation of retailing change in L.A
The changes in retailing which have taken place in L.A. which are examined in this book have occured throughout the United States and are taking place throughout the world right noe. The population shift to the suburbs and shopping in regional malls.

This has causedthe value of retail space to decline in many area of America. ... Read more

Book Description

Long considered the epitome of all that is chic, glamours, and desirable, Paris is every shopper's dream. But even the most indefatigable shopper is sure to be overwhelmed by the embarras de richesses. In The Riches of Paris, Maribeth Clemente shares her insider's knowledge of the choicest boutiques, restaurants, wine cellars, and auctions to help you find endless treasures. Whether you're looking for designer fashions, Limoges china, the finest perfumes, the best Bordeaux, or just browsing, The Riches of Paris is an indispensable guide for making your visit to Paris enjoyable and unforgettable. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Your Paris Shopping Map-Don't Leave Home Without It!
Most of the Paris guides available give plenty of information on using the Paris Metro, the museums, and taking a taxi. However, what they lack is information on the very things that make a visit to Paris memorable and personal. Maribeth Clemente's "The Riches of Paris" provides key information on a wide variety of shopping interests. Are you into antique books?-the book has it....Are you into food stores, children's boutiques, or flowers? - the book has it. How about the best place to get a couture scarf, a pen, a cigar? - Again, the book has it. What I especially found useful was my ability to plan my shopping excursions before I got onto the plane...when I arrived I was able to fit in both the best sightseeing and museums AND the shops I knew would be of interest to me. My time was efficiently planned and I was able to fit many more memorable experiences into my trip. Ms. Clemente's index is especially useful in personalizing your trip...seperating shops by like categories, and presenting them in the book by area. This categorization takes the work out of planning a day....one day I planned to visit a particular area...I was set because of the book. Another day I decided to visit all children's toy stores...no problem again because of the book! A must have for getting the most out of your time!

The elegance and excitement that is only Paris...
...is evident in every page. Even if I hadn't been planning another trip to the city of lights, I would have been on the next flight!
As shown in her other books, Maribeth Clemente has a wonderful way of not only giving you the information that you need, but getting you excited about your exploration with every word. She covers the "unique" of Paris with a fresh, honest perspective. I feel like I'm walking down a lovely boulevard with her as my guide. When I've checked the "reality" of other travel books, I've found a real mix--what I read was not always what I got. It seems like reviews were completed by multiple sources with multiple perspectives of what would entice. Maribeth Clemente's insight/personality is consistent, elegant, fun and unexpected. And yet...she always seems to leave a little bit to your own exploration. I trust her to route me to the best--especially if I don't have a lot of time. This book is also an improvement from prior releases in it's organization--making quicker, easier reference to the user "on the road". Thanks!

PARIS - A CITY OF ROMANCE, LIGHTS AND DELIGHTS!
One has not travelled until you have visited Paris. It is a city of wonder, history, romance, excitement and fashion. I studied for a short time in Paris many years ago and fell in love with the city. It also fell in love with my pocket book! The cafes, exquisite boutiques, and Epicurean cuisine will forever be a cherished memory; however, the first-time traveller to Paris should be forwarned; it can be a VERY EXPENSIVE city to enjoy, particularly if you do not know where you will get "the best value for your dollar." As this book clearly points out, most of the better hotels are luxurious and quite costly, as are the better known, finer restaurants. You definitely will not want to leave home without your trusty credit card! I purchased a Chanel Tee-shirt and for the same price, I could have purchased an entire rack of tee-shirts in my country. However, the joy of Paris is for many, a once-in-a-lifetime experience and one you will never regret no matter what the cost. The book is not complete; however, many of the special places of interest are not included in the book, which was rather disappointing. There are also some excellent more affordable restaurants and places to stay in Paris which are not listed here. The book was interesting and informative but did tend to patronize basically the higher-end, upscale facilities. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Beautiful, even in black-and-white!
Altman's catered to a more upscale clientele than Sears or Gimbel's, so this volume makes an important contribution to Dover's wonderful series of fashion catalogs and illustration. The prices of the clothes are relatively high (32.00 for a dress must have been a fortune in 1915!), and the illustrations definitely a cut above many other catalogs. On a few pages, photographed models are used, with some detail drawn in by hand to better show the garment's features. Dover, as usual, reproduces the catalog in black-and-white, but the art quality is still great. The catalog is heavy on women's and children's fashion. "Men's furnishings" (as they are referred to) get only 3 pages. Some other goods, such as household linens, nursery furniture, silverware, 1 page of "bric-a-brac" (lamps, candlesticks, picture frames, a smoking stand), and one of sporting goods (golf, tennis, polo), also appear. For greater variety of goods, you'd also enjoy the "Gimbel's Illustrated 1915 Fashion Catalog" also by Dover. ... Read more