Book Description

HENRY FORD'S LEAN VISION Enduring Principles from the First Ford Motor Plant

William A. Levinson

In HENRY FORD'S LEAN VISION, William A. Levinson draws from Henry Ford's writings, the procedures in his factories, and historical anecdotes about the birth of lean in Japan to show that the philosophy that revolutionized Japanese manufacturing was the same philosophy that grew the Ford Motor Company into a global powerhouse. Levinson reveals how Ford was ahead of other modern visionaries and discusses why the very ideas that made his company such a success were abandonded in his own country, and why they finally found acceptance in Japan.

HENRY FORD'S LEAN VISION is a hands-on reference that provides the reader with proven principles and methods that can be applied in any business or service enterprise. It covers all aspects of building and running a successful enterprise, including Ford's principles for human relationships and the management of physical resources. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Read it fast if you don't want to be behind times
This book is a beacon and a lighthouse in our transforming world of e-anything you want. Bill Gates is an optimist and it shows. I think the whole book can be reduced to a quotation by Alfred Sloan, the Chairman of General Motors : « Bedside manners are no substitute for the right diagnosis. »

Bill Gates analyzes absolutely all the consequences of the release of Information Technology in the Internet time onto the economy, society, administration, life. He does not take any precaution to sweeten or soften his message. You will follow this revolution, that is unescapable, or just plain die. When reduced to that the book is by far too long. But it is not only that.

The book studies hundreds of particular cases were the problem was confronted, solved or refused and the consequences of this acceptation to go along with modern times or of this refusal to have anything to do with such an iconoclastic approach that destroys, makes obsolete everything that was common creed in our society. Those cases are extremely well shown and described and are superbly enlightening and entertaining. Because this book is also entertaining. You will find some real pleasure in reading it.

But the book also goes beyond this. It is a book for all the CEOs and CIOs of the world. Hence it is pedagogical and didactic. It demonstrates what has to be done and it gives examples of the right solutions, and all the practical advice and even diagnosing recipes needed for any one to find their ways in the labyrinth and jungle of modern information times. The main objective then becomes to liberate thinking in business by entrusting machines with collecting and analyzing data, with the help of some human friends. When this thinking is finally liberated, business can use the speed of thought to increase its efficiency, its transformation and its progress. The general idea is that failure, slump or recession is never anything else but the inability to seize the day in these technological times.

It also, here and there, explains how Microsoft navigated through all the troubled waters of change and capitalistic success. Strange enough it makes us feel and think that the word « capitalism » itself is obsolete in global times. It is obsolete because the economy, business have to give each one member of the working team that the workers (at all levels) have to become and be for the economy to work, their total independence of thought, autonomy of decision and yet integration in the wider picture of the team. He shows marvelously that there is no business that can survive if democracy, discussion, confrontation and common objectives emerging from the aforesaid are not the very core and ethics of the economy and business. He also implies that any business has to become global to survive : global by covering the whole world ; global by envisaging the totality of a problem, product, range of products, etc ; global by the desire to dominate your field completely and totally. That leads to an understood and never expressed idea that the anti-trust regulations that are ours today are passé, old-fashioned, ineffective, even dangerous because mutilating for thought, business and the future of the world. Then competition is no longer the same thing as it used to be : the competition between several firms producing or providing the same goods or services. Competition is innovation and this can only come through the liberation of thought and through a new organization of business : a firm has to literally control its whole field of activity but including innnovation and democracy in its everyday functioning and concentrating on the core issues and activities necesary for its global role to be total, and by understanding that free business thinking will always produce the start-up that may break you if you are not one step ahead of any possible innovation. A businessperson is both a visionary prophet and a convincing guru. And keep in mind that profit, both individual and collective, is and has always been, the objective of the human race. It empowers each and all human beings with the energy to go beyond even the farthest limits and frontiers. We do not venture in hostile lands if we do not aim at getting a profit out of it. Otherwise we are forced to do it : it is slavery or the gulag.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

Good book... but Bill does not want to you help out
I found this book rather interesting to read. If you would like to run your own company, or you are just interested in reading about big business... then you will be satisfied with this book. Gates (if he really wrote most of the book) does a great job of citing examples of how technology is impacting business in today's economy. It might even give you a few ideas for making your own business more efficient.

However, this book has a major down side. I purchased this book hoping that it can give me insight of where the high tech industry is headed. Gates did not do a good job of presenting this. Instead, I found a book filled with hundreds of examples of how companies integrate computers into their business. It shows how the internet helped big companies move information and expand their customer service, but it does not show what's on the road ahead.

I recommend this book because it can help you make the most out of your company using computers. However, if you are looking for the next killer application, don't expect to find it in this book.

Insightful
We found the concepts in Gates & Hemingway (2000) "Business at the Speed of Thought: Succeeding in the Digital Economy" interesting and helpful for business planning and development. Creating a "digital nervous system" seems a lofty ideal and a little too technical and impersonal though.

We would have liked to see more business examples outside of the Microsoft examples they cited.

What we also liked about this book is that it offers a brief glimpse into the mind and thinking of one of the most successful businessman in history. For anyone interested in business/leadership biography, this is a worthwhile read.

Digital Nervous System
The digital nervous system is built using PC technologies, low cost software, and internet protocols. Specialized companies give choice in terms of chips, system software, business applications, networking, and service. COM/.Net Object technology allows the developer to use the component without having to know the inner workings, extends usefuliness through reusability, and communicates across different networks as three tiered architecture. For example, Merill Lynch presents fifty separate applications as one single interface on the desktop.

Middleware serves the purpose too make different applications and systems integrate together. Middleware has the potential to keep all data consistent between different systems. Leaps in PC performance have eliminated the need to deploy incompabile middleware applications. High end PC hardware is compability and the software is a 100 percent compabile. The homogeneous platform is the reason PCs are being accepted as servers. ERP companies are moving to PC technology realizing support for more internet user pools at lower costs. The internet protocol allows software running on PC servers to provide information analysis and business transactions.

Out of the box software provides easy to customize applications to meet business needs. Using a three tiered architecture combined with customized software makes customization more possible. Companies of all sizes have PC technology. Microsoft next generation of 64 bit operating system will give Microsoft a larger stake of Unix servers. Microsoft NT has already scaled by Unisys as a Mainframe power equivalent operating system. Microsoft and telecom technology will allow voice and data networks to pass information over fiber lines and be internet based.

Savings on infrastructure are significant. Listed companies realizing savings were: McDonalds - predicted savings of 18 percent, Dayton Hudson ($100 million and save at least that amount in operation savings), Lockheed and Martin Marietta (cut IT spending by $700 million over five years - realized in two years),

Horizonally integrated computer industry based on PC technology attracts more software development. Software developer build software components reducing the cost of business and providing a rich layer of functionality. Windows standardize operating system insulates the developer from the variablity of the hardware. Selecting PC technology safe quards your software investment and retains hardware preference.

In summary, cheap harddrives, massive amounts of memory, faster processors have reduced the cost of PC technology. Rich internet applications can be streamed to browser or client applications using internet protocols. More cities will invest in fiber optic infrastructure bring media, voice, and video to businesses and homes. Combining these two factors: cheap PC technology and standardize Internet Protocols will allow software developers to provide rich business functionality and result in "Free capitalism". We are just beginning to discover what the computer can do for us. There will be many more billionaries in the next generation.

The 1900s are dead, reshape your business to digital.
This book is a great insight to how business should work. The old methods of manual filing and hand delivering is obsolete and computers are here to stay. Infortunely the majority of companies aren't taking their digital systems to their fullest advantage, and this is the book to learn how to do it right.

Bill Gates will tell you how Microsoft consulted & built digital systems for various big name companies as well as the system they use internally. This book doesn't get technical but at the same time, it doesn't dable in too much "could have, should have, would have" as it sticks with actual impilimented systems.

Any programmer/developer that wants to build or improve a companies intranet, or managers that want to mold their IT deptarment into something more productive than merely fixing printer problems and supporting legacy systems should read this as it will clue you in to what IT needs to do in today's world.

This book also paves the way to where we are now as you can see the ideas expressed in this book have been executed in .NET and in the .NET related commercials Microsoft has created. This is the future, embrace it or be left behind. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Easy informative reading covering a very technical company
I approached the Generations of Corning with the same trepidation I approach most "business" books, only to be pleasantly surprised by the attention to detail, the historical perspective and the technical accuracy the book offers.A great history of the Houghton family and their beginnings in and around the Chemung Valley (Corning, NY) area and their strengths in the glassmaking / R&D community coupled with detailed business / labor / process information makes this an excellent corporate biography.Particularly the detailed explanation of partnerships that led to Owens-Corning, Dow-Corning, Ciba-Corning and Siecor will be of interest to business builders.Additionally the very detailed technical info on the evolution of manufacturing and marketing of dark fiber (my personal interest when purchasing the book) proves to be just enough without being so technical as to alienate the average reader.

I would recommend this book for those reasons, great business evolution info, just enough history to validate it and enough detail in current technical areas to make it timely to the fiberoptic community. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Read this Book, Before Your Competition Does!!!
Guy Kawasaki has written an excellent book with practical applications for every business. Worth a million times the price, I urge you read this book before your competition does. Thanks, Gu

A bit inconsistent for Kawasaki's normal levels...
Although I am a big fan of Guy, this one was a disappointment compared to the standards I have come to expect from him. The title of book indicates a vast area to cover. But to my disappointment it seemed a bit inconsistent or out focus/unfocused. Maybe like the title.

When all is said and done it has a multitude of cases, quotes and points in the usual Kawasaki style that can prove beneficial, but still not a clear classic.

Mishmash of Marketing and Strategy
A mixture of marketing and strategy, much of it better said by others, such as Al Ries (Focus : The Future of Your Company Depends on It), Geoffrey A. Moore (Crossing the Chasm, Inside the Tornado, etc), and Co-opetition.

On the marketing strategy side one key point came out. You have to be customer focused, but in order to create the revolutionary product, you have to know customers better than they know themselves. You can then make the logical jump to satisfy their unknown needs. How do you sell them something they don't know they want? Prototype and get the product into the users hands so that word of mouth marketing can take over and drive your customers to become "evangelists".

I was a bit disappointed as much of it simply rehashes ideas and I expected better from Guy.

Highly Recommended!
Guy Kawasaki combines insights from eastern philosophy with practical business advice on how to disrupt the market in favor of your company. Through strategic planning and zest for the game, companies can move in on their competitors' customers, credibility, and profit - and have a lot of fun in the process. This exhilarating book is packed with useful exercises, examples, interviews, and even a sampling of children's literature. We [...] recommend it to executives of big and small companies who want to shake up the marketplace, and to career-minded individuals eager to rise in the ranks and make their companies stronger.

A great book to learn from and to have fun reading alike
See my comments for his other book: 'Rules for Revolutionaries'. They apply all the same. ... Read more

Book Description

How did the team at Microsoft pioneer, build, and shepherd the company through exponential growth in a constantly changing market? How can you apply what they've discovered to your own career? Microsoft veteran Julie Bick reveals all the insider strategies in this invaluable book, packed with on-the-job insights and practical techniques.

From vice presidents to front-line managers, Bick interviews Microsofties to learn how they:

Book Description

Knowledge has become the most important factor in economic life. It is the chief ingredient of what we buy and sell, the raw material with which we work. Intellectual capital--not natural resources, machinery, or even financial capital--has become the one indispensable asset of corporations.

Intellectual Capital is a groundbreaking book, visionary in scope and practical in applications, that offers powerful new ways of looking at what companies do and how to lead them. It is the first book to show how to turn the untapped, unmapped knowledge of an organization into its greatest competitive weapon.

Intellectual Capital cuts through the vague rhetoric of "paradigm shifts" to show how the Information Age economy really works--and how to make it work for you and your business. Readers will learn how to discover and map the human, structural, and customer capital that embody the knowledge assets of a corporation; how successful companies manage their intellectual capital to improve performance; how intellectual capital can free-up financial resources to dramatically increase profitability; why the rise of the "knowledge worker" leads to new principles of managing people; how the knowledge economy affects each of us personally in our careers and how to capitalize on the opportunities it presents.

Intellectual Capital should be read as if the future of our companies and our careers depend on it. They probably do. ... Read more

Reviews (28)

A new view of what makes companies work
If you have an open mind and are willing to learn from what you read because you are constatnly looking to become a better business person then this book is for you because Mr. Stewart brings forth some great new cutting edge ideas that one can take and run with. The intellectual capital of employees are truly a company's great asset these days and Mr. Stewart gives you various ways as to how to harness and capture the knowledge from those workers that makes the world run.

This is why there is downsizing, understand why and prosper.
Tom Stewart's book covers the inevitable. The transformation of the American and world economies. The book is easy to read, fun (for a business book) and relies on simple, but powerful metaphors to explain how our economy is changing and what we (as parts of this change)can do to take advantage of the changes. Stewart dicusses three kinds of intellectual capital and how the "knowledge worker" of the 21st century will compete. This is ideal reading for middle managers who are still at a loss as to why they have been downsized. This is a good supplement to Tom Peter's "The Pursuit of Wow!" But this book is not just for managers. Those that work in any organization (public or private, small or large) have something to learn from this book. Read it, but more importantly apply it!

Understanding Blue's Clues for Success
The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate. Mr. Gladwell, in a very well written and compelling book, has changed the way we think about the root-cause of social epidemics, mob "psychology," and institutional growth.

Through clear examples and studies of well known and familiar marketing "phenomenon," we come to realize that we often misdiagnose both our successes and our failures when it comes to understanding why certain social changes stick. We are given the "real analysis" of why Blue's Clues and Sesame Street are great successes while other more deliberate attempts at "hooking" our children on educational TV failed. We find out why the New York City crime rate was drastically reduced by cleaning up graffiti on the trains and arresting the squeegee men at the toll booths. More importantly, we learn how to challenge the status quo in our ideas of why products and services might take off or fail in our business and non-profit organizations.

We also learn why growing an organization from 100 people to 150 people presents no difficulty, but growing that same organization from 150 to 200 is all but doomed to fail. Mr. Gladwell explains why context matters in our quest to understand the social trends around us. And we learn why telling medical students to rush makes them calloused citizens despite their normally compassionate tendencies. All of this information is important to those of us working to grow our institutions and manage our company cultures. Change management is doomed to fail without a deep understanding of the "Tipping Point" as clearly and eloquently explained in this excellent book by Malcolm Gladwell. This is a must read for anyone serious about understanding why little things can make a very, very big difference!

Jumping Off Point Into Intellectual Capital
As an occassional reader of business literature and a new convert to the importance of knowledge management, I found Stewart's book a wonderful introduction to this important organizational management strategy.

I immediately found myself thinking of ways to apply the various forms of intellectual capital (human, structural and customer) to my work in higher education. In fact, Stewart's work provided important insights that proved helpful to my doctoral dissertation on higher education/business partnerships.

Admittedly, there is little here in terms of practical strategies for applying the ideas in the marketplace. However, it does encourage those who are interested in the topic to pursue more in depth and practical works on the subject of knowledge management.

Stewart treats us all like children
I started reading this book with the best intentions. However, when Stewart begins with such kindergarten level assertations, I knew as a Business student, there was no point in continuing reading this book. Stewart, a Fortune Editor, has no business training: he is a Harvard English major, and this is clearly shown in his work. If one reads his fortune articles, they are equally poorly written with bad information. I would suggest that one spend their money on better Management authors such as Jon Katzenbach or Peter Drucker, both of whom actually have a clue. ... Read more

Book Description

Hello Kitty is Japan's brilliant answer to Disney's Mickey Mouse phenomenon in the U.S. This book explains how Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty, turned a cute cartoon cat into a multi-billion dollar global commodity. Hello Kitty merchandise helped Sanrio generate nearly $1 billion in revenue in 2002 partly through licensing agreements with more than 500 companies in Japan and hundreds more overseas. The distinct face of Hello Kitty is now plastered on 22,000 different products and sold in about 40 countries.

Sanrio's biggest success is its ability to create products that appeal not only to children, but women in their 20s and 30s around the world. That's why Kitty adorns not only bedspreads, backpacks and notebooks, but mobile phones, toasters and even cars. The book shows why Hello Kitty products are one of Japan's hottest exports and how Sanrio successfully globalized its “golden egg.”

In telling that story, this book shows how one company bucked the odds and turned a cute cat cartoon character into a ferocious business plan. Readers will learn about how and why the Hello Kitty brand clicked with kids and adults alike and how it continues to compete internationally with the likes of Disney and Warner Brothers. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

HELLO KITTY
It's so easy to trivialize the significance of Hello Kitty's simple iconic image. But here the authors have skillfully drafted a book that deconstructs the appeal of this cross-cultural phenomenon and the behind-the-scenes machinations of its hugely successful marketing and merchandising.

Strong introduction, Weak follow-up
In one of the only books I've ever found attacking directly at the marketing and history of Sanrio without the usage of the cute Sanrio graphics, Belson and Bremmer give more than enough information about the roots of Sanrio, the lines, some of the reasoning for the purchasing, but miss in several other areas. They do not cover why say, Chococat is more popular than Pochacco, or where the company is going to go after the 78 year old CEO, Shintaro Tsuji, retires. Belson and Bremner sort of shrug their shoulders and don't even give us guess.

I feel as if this book could've benefitted a great deal from a better editor. In later chapters, the text began to repeat what earlier chapters had said in the same words, the footnoting system was very irritating, appearing at the end of every chapter. Not something that I want to see. The text starts to wander off into an abridged history of manga, anime, video games, Jpop, typical Japanese pop-culture stuff. If I wanted that, I could go get one of the many many Japanese pop culture books that exist. Light social commentary is put in the back, citing the web response to it.

That being said, the earlier chapters are an interesting read and it is at least an interesting read. If only it didn't repeat itself so much...

Corporate Culture of Cute
The book is an interesting account of Kitty's evolution into one of the world's most recognized characters alongside Snoopy and Mickey Mouse -- and of Sanrio, the company that made billions on it. The book tells the story of charismatic founder Shintaro Tsuji and the key people who have promoted and protected Hello Kitty since she was born in 1974. The authors use the character and the company to give a kitten's-eye view of how Japanese companies and culture work. Sanrio's lucky breaks, triumphs and mistakes can help investors better understand what makes Japanese companies sprint and stumble, and for Japan investment novices, Sanrio's history is a great primer on the nation's booms, busts and bubbles over the past 30 years. For Japan experts, Hello Kitty's popularity is a useful model for analyzing other Japanese giants involved in exporting fun. Companies that make videogames and promote cute characters -- including Nintendo Co., Konami Corp., Capcom Co. and Bandai Co. -- are among the hottest stocks in Japan. Other such companies will no doubt emerge, and hints on how to spot them can be gleaned from Sanrio's struggle to understand its pre-teen customers, protect its copyright, and send its kitten around the world. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

From the Kitchens of Boston to your Left Ventricle
Amateur chefs making an impulse purchase on the basis of the book's title will want to reconsider, as this is NOT a how-to guide to the making of this distinctly American confection. I myself was bitterly disappointed to make this discovery. However since I was trapped in the purgatory of traffic school when I furtively cracked its cover, I decided to forge ahead with this ghost-written autobiography of the founder of Dunkin' Donuts anyway.

I was soon swept up by the exhilarating story of a relentless entrepreneur's rise to the top of the glamorous but cut-throat world of donut manufacture & distribution. I was also smitten with no small amount of civic pride, as Dunkin' Donuts sprang from the loins of my own native Boston. The narrative is interspersed with intriguing facts about the donut industry and its history. For instance, did you know that the modern word "donut" is a simplification of the word "doughnut," which itself evolved from the archaic term "dough knot"? Nor did I, sir.

Your inner Homer will be thrilled with this book and its lessons. And at just over 200 pages, it's the ideal length for a day-long sentence to traffic school at which attention must be periodically feigned. However this will limit your absorption of any important lessons being imparted. I myself learned this the hard way, when I caused a minor accident immediately upon leaving the school's parking lot by failing to signal. The delicious irony of this was not lost on my instructor, who had sullenly resented my divided attention throughout the day.

Great Book
This book was a great read full of insighful information. I highly recommend it.

Some good lessons...but
This is a decent, quick read based on another successful entrepreneur. Rosenberg is a hardworking visionary who was always willing to roll up his sleeves and put in the time. However, at times in the book, he seemed far too full of himself. He pats himself on the back a fair amount and revels in stories where he was proven right. It seems that he was always right in the big moments, when it counted. He also appeared to be at odds with his son and makes little effort to let bygones be bygones. Rosenberg did not agree with a lot of his sons decisions, pointing out a number of failures. Only when Rosenberg himself gets back involved in the business is everything straightened out. His son is now retired after spending decades at the helm and everything turned out well despite his "numerous" mistakes. I find it curious that Rosenberg would even bring up these types of family situations-Yo, Bill-it's over! Move on and focus on the things that really matter.
This is a fairly decent read that could have been better. Another biography where the subject is a white knight that can do little wrong. Another ego bigger than Manhattan. You can learn some things but tread carefully and wear your boots.

Time to read this book!
I was not expecting to find much here and thought this might be a self-serving autobiography but was surprised from the very first few pages. Great insight to a hard-working and innovative individual. Would recommmend this read for those of you that are looking for inspiration whether it's making donuts or starting any type of business imaginable. Bill Rosenberg is quite the character and we need more of his brand in today's bland and sometimes all too political business world. Good read and great source of many interesting tidbits on the food industry and the world of franchising. Enjoy and be sure to have a Dunkin Donut & coffee after you read it. NO! I don't work for the company and actually prefer Krispy Kreme!!

p.s. Bill Rosenberg is very opinionated and some content may offend the p.c. crowd out there.....lol... whatever... good day!

A great business book and much more
Time to Make the Donuts is a wonderful read. I bought it because I've bought at least a million cups of Dunkin' Donuts coffee. What I found was an insightful and entertaining story of a dynamic individual who found time for making far more than donuts. There were lessons, both business and personal, that resonated with me. It is a well-written look into an exceptional life. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Name the most successful companies over the last 10 years, and you'd be remiss if you didn't mention Microsoft. Guided by the unique--some would say maniacal--personality of founder Bill Gates, Microsoft has grown faster and touched more lives than just about any other company in recent memory. Over the years, the software giant has been dogged by competitors--mainly in backrooms and courtrooms-- and by the government on charges of unholy monopolies, predatory practices, and stifling innovation in the PC industry. As the government's ongoing antitrust case against Microsoft goes to trial, this critical chorus grows even louder, led in part by Wendy Goldman Rohm's book, The Microsoft File.

This is the book that Microsoft doesn't want you to read. With the help of "insider" information from both Microsoft and the government, Goldman Rohm surveys the history of Microsoft's business practices with PC manufacturers and software vendors. Tracing the development of the government's antitrust case against Microsoft, starting at the FTC and continuing on at the Justice Department, she paints a harsh and unforgiving picture that's not at all flattering to Gates or the rest of Microsoft's top brass. The Bill Gates that emerges from these pages is small, petty, and deeply paranoid. At the same time, she puts a face on the Justice Department that's never been seen before. For those who revel in examining the dark underbelly of America's most successful company, The Microsoft File is a required and enormously entertaining read. It's also a useful primer for anyone interested in the government's antitrust efforts. Highly recommended. --Harry C. Edwards ... Read more

Reviews (62)

A little too tabloidish for my taste.
I bought this book hoping to find the real "case against Bill Gates", or more specifically against Microsoft.Goodness knows he and his cronies made plenty of secret business deals that, exposed to the light of day, would really damage the company.A book detailing (and, more importantly, documenting) all these things I've been trying to tell people for years would at the least make me seem less of a wild-eyed conspiracy theorist among my peers.

But, unfortunately, this book seems to concentrate mainly on what kind of a person Bill Gates is, including a truly baffling amount of coverage of Bill's courting of some woman who worked for Microsoft.I don't care about that [stuff]; I want to see the LEGAL case against him, not things that belong in the gossip column.

Thus disillusioned, I never finished the book, so for all I know it may contain what I hoped to find, but if so, it's not in the first half of the book.

Poorly researched, poorly written
I approached this book expecting to get a good overview of the case against Microsoft.Instead, the author spends the vast majority of the book spewing out allegations using adjectives that can hardly hide her personal opinions and which she rarely backs up with facts.There are so many obvious opportunities where a little additional research could have provided a more damning case that by page 100 my mind was screaming for me to simply throw the book away.

But I did, unfortunately, finish the book.It didn't get better.An example of a quick-to-market book focusing on breathless speculation rather than fact.Don't waste your money or your time if you're doing your own research on the topic.

Try Another Anti-Gates Work First
With its `The Secret Case Against Bill Gates' subtitle and its early invocation of the obvious Rockefeller parallel this little book seems at first glance to be dynamite. Unfortunately it is marred by exceptionally poor writing. Choppy, confusing and disorganized, the author's continual shifting between places and times is disconcerting to the point of madness. Characters are introduced seemingly at random, often without a clear explanation of the relationship to the story or anything else. Facts are tossed about without any connection to anything, and numerous stories are abandoned without an explanation of the outcome.One moment we are amidst debate before Judge Sporkin over alleged monopolistic practices of Big Bill and the next the Judge is gone, his decision rendered off camera, as if he were an unimportant character in a Shakespearean tragedy. One moment Lotus and Novell are at going full tilt against Microsoft the next they are defeated and out of the picture, with no real explanation of why. By the end, I simply did not care who the new characters were; I just wanted it to be over. More distracting is the author's affection for putting thoughts into the character's heads as if they were fictional. I highly doubt that Gates revealed his secret thoughts to Rohm. Indeed, her tendency for salacious tattle tailing is as annoying as it is distracting. I have no interest in the tawdry details of the sex lives of Microsoft execs; tell me about their business practices. Of course, there is a lot of interesting information here, if one can pierce the complex veil of confusion, it is clear that Microsoft's much ballyhooed monopolistic practices are far more destructive and pervasive than is generally believed. Indeed, one could use the book as a source for writing a detailed indictment of Gates and Co, assuming one had other sources. In fact, the book reads more like a first draft than a finished work, and not simply because of the abrupt ending,

Great book, the true story on Microsoft
I have been following Microsoft's anti-competitive practices since the early 90s and I can confirm that most of what is said on this book is true.

Don't read this if you are used to reading the usual pro-microsoft "Microsoft as role model" type marketing books that have been appearing lately.

The real Microsoft please stand up
I agree with the other reviewers that the author's writing style is tedious and pretentious. It takes a real Gates hater to get through this book. I loved it. ... Read more

Book Description

Written for both the novice and experienced investor, this fascinating blend of biography and keen investment analysis has garnered acclaim in the world of high finance.

Nikki Ross has struck the mother lode about how to invest wisely in an increasingly uncertain world.The easy to follow investment insights she's gathered impart the various strategies of these "superinvestors" and explain how to integrate and implement them in today's markets.Five lifetimes of legendary Wall Street wisdom are distilled into three brilliantly simple steps.Readers will learn how best to gather the information and find investment leads; evaluate the data; and when to buy, hold and sell. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Just read the "Evaluation" part
This book discusses on the techniques Warren Buffet (value/growth), Benjamin Graham (value), Phil Fisher (growth), T. Rowe Price (growth), and John Templeton (growth use or have used to make their fortunes.

The book is divided into 6 parts on one each of these legends and another on how to combine the knowledge of these experts. The sections are organized in an interesting way first off you learn what some of the stocks the well known investor has bought and why they met their purchasing criteria. There is also a nice 3 steps to how you can use their methods in your investments, this in turn is organized by:

1. Gathering information (this part it almost worthless in my opinion since it is very similar for each of the investors)

2. Evaluate (this is the best part of each of the areas in the book, you learn the questions these masters would ask a company and themselves. It's very good.)

3. Making decisions discusses how the masters decide when to buy and sell the stock.

This book and "The Money Masters" by John Train are interesting reads if you enjoy learning about the careers and wisdom these masters are willing to share.

I believe this book wouldn't be very useful for strict CAN SLIM investors or day traders but good for the buy and hold or long term growth and value investors it definitely shows you some of the possibilities.

Reed Floren

A Classic "Must Read" Investment Book
Nikki Ross has documented principal strategies and investing advice from the great Wall Street legends of our time. I have found the underlying principals of Buffet and his mentors as well as Price and Templeton to be very helpful. It is an easy to read enjoyable book. It may not be for day traders in general, but they could benefit from the list of questions asked by the masters before investing. I believe that had many investors read and applied this book prior to and during the recent crash, they might have saved a lot of money.

Blake Conant

A Must Read for Investors
This book has a refreshingly commonsense approach to investing. It contains a great deal of worthwhile advice and wisdom from some of the world's best investors. I am not an experienced investor, however I found it to be understandable and learned useful information from it. I would highly recommend it.

Worthless
This book is worthless. The true 'lessons' make up only a few pages of the book and these lessons are not detailed enough to make financially sound decisions. For example, a lesson such as "What is the PE Ratio?" is similar to what you would find in the book. OK, the PE ratio is 3. Is that good? Is that bad? How about 40? What is high? What is low? Do current interest rates effect PE ratio levels? What is an acceptable PE ratio for a growth stock? What is an acceptable PE ratio for a cyclical stock? You'll get no answers from this book.

The best "lessons" section (though still unacceptable) came from John Templeton. But these were a direct quote from an interview Templeton gave the Christian Science Monitor. The author must have spent a few weeks writing this book.

Most of the book is babble, reproduction of articles/reports, duplication of previous sections, and educational definitions for the newbie.

My lesson to you is to take the money you were going spend on this book and go buy a U.S. Savings bond. You will be richer and wiser in the end.

Not all its cracked up to be...
...- I bought the book BUT Nikki Ross gives a basic three-step approach to investing, that is repeated throughout the book. 1. Collect info, 2. Analyse info, 3. Make a decision. And that's about as complex as the book gets.

Don't waste your money, unless you're after a very simplistic overview of investing. ALL OF THE FIVE STAR REVIEWS OVERRATE THIS BOOK - 1 Star (at best).

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If you're after real value on practical management implementation tools that link strategy & financial numbers then YOU HAVE TO INVEST IN "Performance Measurement & Control Systems for Implementing Strategy" by Robert Simons. ... Read more

Book Description

New Coke. The Walt Disney Company's aborted theme park near the Manassas battlefield. AT&T's acquisition of NCR Corp. Were these merely the gaffes of individual decision makers, or do they represent larger, organizational deficiencies in critical thinking?

How confident are you in the collective brainpower of your organization?

The most crucial task facing any business leader in today's brutally competitive economy is to sharpen his or her organization's ability to effectively solve problems, make decisions, and cut through the information clutter. In Heads, You Win!, Kepner-Tregoe's CEO, Quinn Spitzer, and executive Ron Evans cite the experiences and share the advice of the presidents and CEOs of some of the world's most innovative companies -- organizations like Johnson & Johnson, Chrysler Corporation, British Airways, and Harley-Davidson, Inc. -- that are successful because they capitalize on the brainpower of every employee.

Filled with practical tips and techniques, and lightened with amusing, real-life anecdotes, Heads, You Win! is an indispensable tool for sorting through the complexities of running a business today and identifying the essential skills that determine a company's success. ... Read more

Book Description

A reissue of the classic best-seller that coined the term "corporate culture"

In the early 1980s, Terry Deal and Allan Kennedy launched a new field of inquiry and practice with the publication of their landmark book, Corporate Cultures, in which they argued that distinct types of cultures evolve within companies, with a direct and measurable impact on strategy and performance. Despite the dramatic evolution of the business landscape over the last twenty years, the basic principles of the book remain as fresh and relevant as they did when it was first published: that organizations, by their very nature, are social enterprises, with tribal habits, well-defined cultural roles for individuals, and various strategies for determining inclusion, reinforcing identity, and adapting to change. In the new introduction, the authors reflect on the enduring lessons of their investigation into the life of organizations. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Read this, and drag your company into the new millennium
Provides the forward-thinking employee with ammunition on why a positive, nurturing culture is critical to a company's success. There's more to being successful in business that simply creating/selling the best product. More companies should wake up and move into the 1990's (before they're over)...

Useful advice for any business leader.
This should be considered a classic in business literature. I found it very useful designing workshops to help corporate leaders breathe life into stodgy mission statements. The use of mission to motivate employees is rarely achieved, and this book helps you understand why. ... Read more

Book Description

The success stories of military and political leaders are an endless source of inspiration and ideas. Taken from Investor's Business Daily's popular "Leaders & Success" section, Military & Political Leaders & Success gives you the inside track on the leadership styles, strategies, and techniques of 55 greats in the history of war and politics. You will learn how:

• Winston Churchill's courage and take-action leadership stemmed the Nazi tide in World War II
• Patton's strategic discipline dealt the fatal blow to Hitler's Germany
• Norman Schwartzkopf motivated troops in one of the most successful ground assaults in U.S History

Amazon.com

In Secrets of Software Success, Detlev Hoch, with Cyriac Roeding, Gert Purkert, and Sandro Lindner, look at what's driving the prosperity of the world's best software companies and what's responsible for the failure of others. The authors, who are consultants with McKinsey & Co. in Germany, visited nearly 100 software firms around the globe and conducted 450 in-depth interviews with executives. The result is a book loaded with sharp insights and colorful anecdotes from leaders of companies such as Microsoft Germany, Keane Inc., BroadVision, Andersen Consulting, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, and Navision in Denmark. "The opportunities for success in this industry remain strong," they conclude. "But the price of change brings new challenges and uncertainties. Neglecting these challenges could be a deadly mistake: Falling behind in the software industry, after all, almost certainly means failure."

In separate chapters, the authors examine the importance of leadership, the keys to developing and marketing software, winning the war for software talent, cementing partnerships for growth, and the shape of the future of this rapidly changing industry. Some of their findings are contrary to common belief. For example, software developers' and managers' disdain for rigid procedures is well known, but what the authors find is that morale and creativity actually rise with tighter rules that create better products and cut development time. Other conclusions are reinforcing; for example, the most successful companies team up with four times as many other firms as the less successful ones. Written in a lively, conversational style, Secrets of Software Success should be on the bookshelf of anyone connected to the software business. --Dan Ring ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Excellent book for software industry
This book was exactly what I was waiting for. I good addition to my software industry book collection. I read the whole book in one go, easy to read and good examples

I Expected More from Mc Kinsey
As I read through the book, I kept waiting for the authors to unveil a secret to software success. As I reached the halfway point it occurred to me that there would be none. At least not for anyone that is already in the business. To set expectations, this book would be better suited to a reader from outside the industry.

For these readers, this well-written report adeptly summarizes knowledge gained from previously printed materials and personal interviews with the people that matter. Unfortunately, this access may have come at a price. The authors gloss over failures and accent the positive moves by these companies to such an extent that the reader may come away with a success-biased view of the software development business.

Excellent book by Hoch of McKinsey
Secrets of Software Success goes beyond the dry research papers that appear in the McKinsey Quarterly. Several consultants took upshots from 450 executives and laid them out in a concise and applicable manner. The authors reveal traits that could be implemented at any industry. Software consulting firms lead the industry in customer service and spend 78% of their advertising budget marketing their company name. We see so many software start ups as 95% is intangible capital. Partnerships are used to make up for gaps. Most companies make decisions quickly as they are based on a flat team-based organizational structure. Besides stock options, their culture has successfully overcome factors such as a variety of work styles and high turnover. Almost all companies do daily builds as stress causes 40% of all software errors and late fixes in design could cost 200 times an immediate fix. To conclude, a must read for anyone who wants to be a part of the digitized future.

I expect better content from McKinsey folks..
Overall this is an adequate book for the title. However, coming from McKinsey folks, then...... hmmm.... The writing is a little sloppy and some of the analysis are not really insights. There ought to be more daring predictions at the end of the book from the authors... I suggest the authors to create an updated edition NOW since things are changing so much so fast in the software industry.

A great analysis of today's software industry
If you work in software, then you MUST read 'Secrets of Software Success'. Its analysis of the factors influencing software company performance is both rigorous and entertaining. ... Read more

Book Description

Most companies know that long-term success does not hinge on any single product but on a continuous stream of value-rich products that target growth markets. Yet many firms inexplicably develop one product at a time, and by doing so fail to embrace commonality, compatibility, standardization, or modularization among different products and product lines. At last, in this timely book, Marc H. Meyer and Alvin P. Lehnerd provide a formula for turning products into profits, enabling companies to design technologically superior products more easily. Their solution is, in two words, PRODUCT PLATFORMS. They argue that firms must focus their energies on developing families of products simultaneously which share common components and technology.

The authors describe how the champions of product development separate themselves from less sophisticated companies by building entire families of strong products from a single "platform" of common product structures, technologies, and automated product processes. These successful companies recognize and respond to new market opportunities by integrating core skills and technology in the form of new products. In this easy-to-read and practical book, the authors masterfully elucidate this dynamic and forward-thinking strategy which enables companies to develop innovative products faster, more cheaply, and with less effort.

Drawing on in-depth case studies and personal experience with successful companies such as Hewlett-Packard, EMC, Black & Decker, and Boeing, Meyer and Lehnerd show managers how to create extraordinary products and thereby set the standard for combined value and cost leadership in their products. They argue that when a company's products are robust—highly functional, elegant in their design, reasonably priced, and a pleasure to use—the corporation will be equally robust. More importantly, The Power of Product Platforms reveals the methodology and organizational approach for designing, developing, and revitalizing strong products that enable the firm to make the transition from one generation of technology to the next. The authors also explain how well-designed product platforms can generate streams of derivative products through a continuous systematic process of renewal.

Meyer and Lehnerd apply this methodology to a broad range of industries; manufacturing in both consumer and industrial markets, software firms, and Internet information services providers.

This clear prescription for transforming the bottom line by aggressively managing product development and innovation will become required reading for large and small corporations alike, including entrepreneurs, all of whom depend on the excellence of their new products for growth. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

must read for product architect
If you are senior RD, then it's the book for you, especially in hardware system industry. I personally appreciate the section of composite design and the concept of product platform. It provide general guide to learn from competitor and way to surpass them.
Software portion is not recommended since the example it provide is not solid enough to work out the argument to apply the same concept to software. However, you may workout your ideas from original platform concept in software planning. Maybe. It remain as a question to me until now.

A must read
This book changed how I approach product design. It focuses on designs that will succeed in the market place. It's not a book specifically on designing for a market, but how a set of systems built on a common platform will allow you to compete in multiple markets at the same time. Meyer and Lehnerd combine marketing, manufacturing, design and strategy. It's loaded with great examples from companies like Black and Decker and EMC. Also impressive is that the authors show how apply platform principles in software and service markets as well as traditional manufacturing

Position a product line for sustained success.
This terrific book explains how to plan and execute a product platform which leads to a series of continuously improved products. We have used the system at our company to plan and evolve both software products and services. We have been able to spin out many different services that seem very different, but were really variations on the basic platform we had previously built. We can provide tailored solutions for clients with less than 10% of the effort that went into the initial platform development.

A new follow up to the Power of Product Platforms coming....
As the co-author of this book,using this text in teaching at 3 universities, Northeastern, Boston Univ. and U. Of Penn. in their graduate programs, I have come to realize the power of this book's teachings, its rules and tools for robust product platforms and derivative products, goods and services as well as software platforms.

We are now in the 4th edition and have published it in Spanish with a Barcelona publisher.

Companies that Marc Meyer and I consult with have found it extremely informative and useful.

Our follow up book will be an extension of this book, filled with rich examples of applications to goods, services, software and processes.

Included will be workshop materials for easy application to the users' unique products and business services.

Keep looking.......

Al Lehnerd

Fantastic book, easy to read, to the point, insightful
After taking a course at Northeastern University taught by Marc Meyers I decided to read his books. He is very forward thinking and offers ideas coupled with real-world experiences. This book is a must read, right up there with The Goal. As a supply-chain consultant, I give this book to my clients to read. ... Read more

Book Description

In this informative and fun-to-read guide, master inventor Maurice Kanbar-creator of the D-Fuzz-It sweater comb, New York's first multiplex theater, and SKYY Vodka-cracks open his notebook to walk would-be inventors through five proven steps for turning a good idea into a fortune. Secrets from an Inventor's Notebook draws upon more than forty years of hands-on inventing experience and know-how to share:

* Helpful tips for getting inventions on the market
* Resources to fund and support your ideas
* An appendix full of practical information-including publications, suppliers, organizations, phone numbers, and Web sites
* Light-hearted and fun-to-read advice that really works

This indispensable guide is required reading for any aspiring inventor.

"This should be of great help to anyone who has ever wanted to invent. Fascinating reading." (Richard Nelson Bolles, author of What Color Is Your Parachute?)

"Secrets from an Inventor's Notebook is like having an uncle in the inventing business." (USA Today)

... Read more

Reviews (11)

Lots of practical advice illustrated with real stories
This is an easy read, and it's hard to put it down.

His basic process is easily summed up: 1) Solve a Problem, 2) Prove Your Invention/Build a Prototype, 3) Protect Your Idea, 4)Manufacture or License?, 5) Market with a Twist. And, those are his 5 main chapters. He shows you how he has done this repeatedly. He's a serial inventor/business starter.

What I particularly liked was his detailed description of how he did "hands on" market research. He shows you how to prove out your invention early within the marketplace.

From an invention point of view, he works primarily from finding problems. He describes his personal experience in all the chapters. There is no college theory here.

I highly recommend this book for entrepreneurs and inventors. It's a fast read, but you'll probably come back and review it periodically.

John Dunbar

Great introduction to inventing
If you consider yourself an Inventor, or think you may want to become an Inventor, and you love listening to yarns about products and how they came to market, then this book is for you. Maurice Kanbar is a trained engineer and has many inventions to his credit. Many of his inventions are successful (36 patents) and some are household words. Some of Kanbar's inventions are not so successful and to his credit he airs his laundry willingly so that new inventors need not make similar mistakes.

It is hard to classify "Secrets from an Inventors Notebook". To begin with, the title might more aptly be called "Musings from my Diary" or "Did you hear the one about... ".. After reading only a small part of the book you are immediately struck with the quality that has made Maurice Kanbar successful in a wide range of endeavors, he is a first class promoter and his enthusiasm comes across clearly in the book. Like many good storytellers, sometimes you simply have to take the story for it's intended teaching point and not be too critical of the details. Buried in the prose are many bits of solid advice on developing and bringing a product to market.

Maurice's style is likeable and you find yourself wanting to sit down and have a beer with the author and chew the fat about inventing. That is both the charm and the pitfall of "Secrets from an Inventors Notebook". There are many anecdotal stories about how products were successfully brought to market or how they failed (both Maurice's and others). Some of these lessons are consolidated into Kanbar's Commandments for Inventors. Other lessons are in the form of good general advice; get a good patent lawyer, work on your prototype diligently before committing to production, and market your product heavily. What the book does not do is get into the gory details of how to do any of this. This is a "What To Do" book, not a "How To Do" book. If you have already done some studying about the business of inventing and are ready to dig in seriously, you may not find much in this book for you. There are only a couple of pictures in the whole book and no charts or numbers of any kind.

This book is light (5 chapters in 168 pages) and easy to read. The storytelling style should appeal to anyone who wants to get a glimpse of what is necessary for an entrepreneur to get a product to market. It might be right at home in an undergraduate business class studying entrepreneurship. There is an Appendix with a decent bibliography, references, and several sample legal forms that entrepreneur's might use. "Secrets form an Inventors Notebook" is a good lighthearted introduction to the world of the inventor and entrepreneur by someone who has been there.

Bought on a whim, and...wow!!
I had no idea who Maurice Kanbar was when I picked up this book. I was browsing in my local bookstore, saw "Secrets..." on the shelf, thought it looked interesting, forked over my [money].

Kanbar says friends, co-workers, etc. have consistently badgered him over the years to write a book. I can see why. This guy is an amazing source of creativity and perseverance. Forget the "Inventors" title. Anyone with even a smidgen of entrepreneurial zeal can benefit from the chock-a-block common sense crammed into this small volume.

The range of this guy's impact is stunning. The innovations tumble forward, one chapter after another. Kanbar says it all stems from a simple principle - see something you don't understand, and ask how and why it happened. Then devise a solution that provides a real benefit and market it with a twist.

All the examples are compelling, but the SKYY Vodka tale - which Kanbar saves for the last chapter - brings everything together in a most impressive fashion. He lays it our very succintly:

The problem? He had headaches after drinking.

The reason? After study, scientists tell him that the distillation process leaves impurities, called 'congeners.'

Solution? A distillation process that eliminates the congeners.

The benefit? Drinking in moderation with less irratation.

The entire book reads just like that. Great takeaway lessons for anyone. Get this one on your bookshelf ASAP.

Practical advice, but not dry like a martini.
Kanbar spills all his secrets about how to be successful at inventing, where 'inventing' means more than just coming up with a gadget idea. He goes into great detail about marketing, naming, patent rules, etc, in a personable style. Sometimes, I got tired of hearing him blow his own horn, or plug his products, but I forgive him. That is what he does for a living, and he can't stop. The back has useful legal forms, and many refs to useful books and web sites. My favorite part was about how you must look around you and see problems as opportunities. Thanks, Scott!

From creating to profiting
With the huge profits Rich Dad and Millionaire Mind series are creating, authors seem to be more worried in leaving readers with an I-need-more-information feeling, rather than actually sharing their secrets. Kanbar's book, written allegedly for charity purposes, truly shares the secrets of his wealth. That is, the exact moment when a common person hits the jackpot and becomes a millionaire.
The book makes the patenting process feel more attainable if you're not an engineer or a scientist. And more importantly, gives you several pathways you can follow once you secure your idea, from entrepreneurship to licensing.
All in all, one of the most stimulating, grounded books I have reached in this not-give-them-all authors era. ... Read more