Competitions Books

This book was in interesting book that went into the details. It clearly explaines the details of how IBM lost the war with the best technology in the world.

This is a book book, if you like the subject. The first 1/3 tells the story of the collapse of IBM, and the rest of the book goes into the buissness aspects of what went wrong and what to do in the future. Great if you like either buissness or computers in general.

This book details how the modern computer industry came into being. Who the players were, how they fought for domiance, who won, who lost, and why. The authors cleary delineate the pivotal points that shape today's competitive landscape. For instance when Intel and Microsoft stole the day from IBM.For anyone even casually interested in the computer industry, this is a fasinating and easy read

Computer Wars remains the single best book for understanding the computer industry, both software and hardware. When people outside the industry ask why both Netscape and Microsoft have decided to lose a barrel of money by developing WWW browsers and giving them away, give them a copy of this book.

The concepts described in this book are extremely thought provoking. The words used carry the original messages to the manager who hears these concepts "nth hand".

This is one of the most rigorously produced management books I have ever read. The authors are meticulous in their approach, taking the reader carefully along with them as they build their argument in a series of logical steps. Each step is rigorously built: words are given precise meanings, no unqualified assumptions are made and there is no room at all for loose opinion. Inevitably their strictly logic approach leads the reader into some potentially difficult areas. For example, if you really want to understand how to create value, then you will need to know what this term actually means. Other books prefer to avoid the hassle of nailing down the meaning behind such fuzzy concepts (anyway, that's accounting not strategy, right?). This book takes these topics on because to do otherwise would be to fail to deliver the promise in the book's title.
On top of that, the book challenges current strategic thinking. It takes a (logically-reasoned) resource-based approach to business strategy and by doing so comes up with some very useful new frameworks that will help companies reveal market segments that may previously have been hidden to them. If it sounds like the book may be too heavy and scientific, then think again. The authors strive all the way through to use clear language and explanation. The book adds the rigour that is missing from the 'airport business book' genre without going too far into an academic style, which often tends to lose touch with readers' ability, or even reality itself.
The irony is that I bought it at an airport.

Unlike most strategy books, Creating Value does not simply fill the pages with what often appears to inconclusive discussion supported by case studies. This formula popular with what might be the 'Airport bookshop school of management is the antithesis of Creating Value. Mathur and Kenyon seek first to carlify terminology, and subsequently, establish a workable framework. Their views are quickly seductive and clear. The final impression is a well researched and and thoughtful book, that aims to address the real problems of strategy rather than simply debate them. I would heartily recommend it.

Very thought provoking and insightful, this captivating book forces you to re-think the rules of corporate and competitive strategy. It is becoming more essential for organisations to differentiate their offerings, everything from long distance telephone calls to soft drinks are turning into a commodity. The authors present various methods that organisations can use to differentiate their offerings, the very simple but powerful service/merchandise matrix is a good way to start thinking about product, service and brand positioning. I would thoroughly recommend this, sometimes controversial yet challenging customer focused book, it helps you to look beyond the constraints of conventional wisdom.

This is full of great background, start and training aids for agility.

We found that there is no substitute for class training with pro instruction. But this is useful for those who want to just do it in their backyard, or as prelude to class work.

Good advice on rigging own obstacles, progression of learning, etc.

Worthy resource for agility interested or those already into this growing activity.

Great book with information for the beginner and expert because we all forget the basics from time to time. Helpful information for easy-to-find substitutes you have around the house/yard to use as jumps, ramps, etc., before you buy and/or make your own regulation equipment. Covers all the basic commands and how-to's on all agility equipment.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is training their dog in agility! It doesn't matter if you're just starting or are advanced, this book will give you some great tips on forming good agility habits, and getting rid of the bad habits. It also gives you good ideas on training stratigies, and how to make your own safe equipment from stuff around the house. Nice pictures too!

I am new to the sport of agility and this book really gives you the neccesary info not only to compete but also to find new ways to play around with your dog. Excellent information on obstacles descriptions and regulations. If you are a do-it-yourself type of person like me, the info is so complete that you can built the obstacles yourself based on the description given by the author. The only down side is the black and white photos. Great introductory book for the sport of agility. It covers all aspects in an easy to read way.

It is a very good book on microeconomics. I strongly recommend it to students who study economics.

This book let me underdstand why the relative prive affect the present value and transaction costs of the goods. (The relative prive affect the tradeoff of present goods and future goods with regard to the existence of transaction costs) Very good in micro, but macro is not concern, may be the symptom of the schools of property. The velocity of momey is not fully investigate. Does the school of property and monetary are go hand by hand.

It is a sad commentary that the greatest text book in intorductory economics is now out of print. This book goes beyond the economics of carrots and parsinps. It has witty and stimulating discussions of property rights, contracts, trade markets, copy rights, etc. In sum, the market does not always recognize quality.

What has happened to Armen's new edition? I can't believe that it's ALREADY out of print. For Lord's sake: there's no better way to learn price theory than listening to Alchian. GET IT BACK IN PRINT!!!

A good read for coaches but...
There are so few good life lessons out there for young female athletes trying to establish themselves in the world that when one comes along it is best that the gals can access it.
This book's title portends portentously and so it is likely that most of those who will read it will be coaches, educators and maybe a few parents.
That is the big problem with this book's title.
Kathy's lessons are more valuable than that!
This book should be read by female athletes! ...those female athletes who are trying to establish themselves as athletes and people in our world.
& then if the role models, educators and care givers want to talk it over with their young ladies, so be it.

Great book -- very engaging, full of great anecdotes. Kathy deBoer has thought long and hard and come to very interesting conclusions about the effects of certain gender-related differences in the workplace and on the sports field.

Excellent book... a must read for any manager in business or any coach that coaches boys and girls sports teams.

I will use this as a reference for a long time...

For men coaching women (which is happening frequently these days), this is a must read. After watching a disastrous high school male coaching flop that led to humiliation for most of the girls on the team last year, (and having been a former high school standout athlete coached by a woman), the author hits every legitimate point in the difference of the sexes with regard to competitive sports. I really appreciate her honesty in her earlier years thinking that women could be men, and realizing as she matured that women can be as competitive as men, but they are definitely wired differently in their approaches to it. And it's not just about sports. Her observations about work have also helped me deal with my husband and my boss on a whole new level. Vive la difference!

My prof, probably A Reader from Rockford, assigned this book as our cross cultural text book. Definitely a good read. It completely changed my point of view on many aspects of international business, and made me more passionate about my major.

Dense and delightful are paradoxical words that come to mind on reading Sheida Hodge's compendium of Global Smarts, a new book aimed at US Managers going abroad or working across cultures. Its 246 pages are a granola bar packed with nutritious examples that help the ethnocentric business professional taste the reality and consequences of cultural difference. The breadth of the book is surprising, given its size. It touches on just about everything, and does so in a hands-on, practical way.

Hodge briefly sets up the case for why we should busy ourselves about culture by surveying its critical role in business success and failure in the age of globalization. She offers no extensive intercultural theory. It lurks in the background, but is almost transparent to the end user. While there is the obligatory chapter on "What is Culture?" it is a scant 7 pages long.

The rest of the book is how to: how to manage everything from entertaining to expatriation and culture shock, how to communicate and negotiate, and even how not to take a bribe. She explodes myths about women abroad. Hodge may venture into the university from time to time in real life, and her tools as a trainer often show up in the illustrations, but it is clear that she has both feet solidly planted in the world of making it work.

Often a touch of humor, always a carefully chosen short anecdote to bring a point home-these in themselves are Global Smarts, as modeled in the book. It is definitely written for US Americans, at least if one defines them as people coming from or framed by the dominant values of the US business world. It talks their language, even at times their slang. Of course, US Americans are very, very diverse, but if we assume that those who are part of a culture, though they may not be always hold or act out its values, at least recognize them, then the target audience is right for the book.

Global Smarts is too rich to absorb in a sitting--even on the non-stop from Chicago to Seoul--though a worthy companion for the flight. Rather than breaking new ground per se, the book applies mature intercultural knowledge to common and critical situations, and that will break new ground for many US businesspeople.

No doubt more books on succeeding globally will be written, but, in a sense, this one sums up both the possibilities and the limitations of the print medium. As a book, it is a personal, engaging, and satisfying individual experience. On the other hand, despite a good index, it is just begging to be an online resource, with the anecdotes turned into vignettes, with interactive ways of testing comprehension and reactions and comparing ones experiences and feelings with others, and hypertext to take you where you need to learn, instantly.

I teach a college course on cross-cultural business, and I have used this book as one of my textbooks for the past 2 years. It is an engaging, practical, non-theoretical, hands-on description of the effect of culture on business practices, with plenty of stories from real-life people and pragmatic advice. I assign a chapter a week, and there is more than enough in 1 chapter to spend an entire week of class on, even though the chapters are not very long. My students love it!

Great insights and guidelines for those with international business responsibilities. Interesting and often humorous anecdotes. The ultimate guide for doing business abroad. I really enjoyed this book!

Business "surprises" occur with an alarming frequency. It is an understatement to say they exact a considerable toll on the organization.

According to Kenneth G. McGee, even the worst catastrophes rarely happen without warning. The author is a group vice president and research fellow at Gartner, Inc., a consultancy that specializes in information technology. His book, Heads Up, is about predicting the present.

Managers need to understand what is happening now and how these current events will impact future success. This involves extracting raw empirical information, analyzing it and determining its meaning and implications.

So what is new, you ask? McGee answers managers do not need all the data to understand the present. Only enough to answer the question, "Where are we right now in meeting our corporate goals?"

To an effective executive, this current information always reveals opportunities to improve results. There is a tendency to confuse real-time information with real-time response. In the perfect situation, the following processes happen in the background between the time when an event happens and that event's impact is felt.

1. Information related to the event is monitored.
2. A change in the information is captured.
3. The information is analyzed.
4. The information is reported.
5. A response is initiated.

No manager can afford to monitor all his information sources. To determine which sources to monitor, information should be filtered using the following Identification Model:

1. List goals for the planning period.
2. Prioritize them.
3. Evaluate them.
4. List causal events.
5. Prioritize the causal events.
6. Evaluate whether the real-time information will enable the executive to respond effectively.

Each candidate generated by the Identification Model is subjected to the Justification Model:

1. Does the goal the information further the corporate vision and mission?
2. Does the goal meet current corporate priorities?
3. Is the information material to the goal?
4. What is the goal's corporate impact?

McGee's book goes beyond the usual real-time hype. It will help executives anticipate events and changes. The result: potential disasters will be transformed into opportunities.

Written by the group vice-president of Gartner, Inc., a research and advisory firm, Heads Up: How To Anticipae Business Surprises And Seize Opportunities First is a no-nonsense advice guide to business managers everywhere. Emphasizing that the key is being keenly aware of what is going on in the present day, and that business disasters seldom come without any kind of warning, Heads Up walks the reader through a practical methodology to paying attention of the circumstances around oneself and navigating the choppy and changeable seas of opportunity, risk, and surprise, suspected, or surmounted events. Heads Up is a highly recommended and practical guide to raising entrepreneurial and corporate awareness.

What I was most impressed with about this book is that the author doesn't just preach the glories of real-time. He actually talks about what information shouldn't be real-time. In fact he says that only 5% of corporate information should be real time.

Just for that its worth reading.

Most of what I read about real-time business falls squarely in the internet era of overblown hype and ridiculous propositions. This book, along with a few stories I've seen in The Economist, offers realistic perspectives on what real-time enterprise really is and how it can realistically help.

In short, the author says that its not about reacting faster per se, but about getting information in real time so you know when to react.

Also in the books favor are two items: 1) lots of case studies of both failure and success due to real-time information or its lack, 2) models/methodologies that one can actually see using in a business context unlike what you so often see. The models are useful to the average manager not just to the CEO or the chairman of the board.

So all in all a very useful and helpful book for understanding the value of real-time information

After reading a number of trendy books on knowledge management, this is the second one with a good theoretical framework. It is not a HOW TO..book (the subtitle is not very informative). It is the fruit of solid analytical thinking. Boisot uses the information space, built from the variables 'codification, abstraction and diffusion'. With this framework he gives an original insight into many organizational aspects, like organizational learning, competences, information technology and organizational culture. I have choosen the book for the course I teach at the University of Amsterdam (Culture and Competences in Changing Organizations), after reading it with red ears.

It would be difficult to over-estimate the value of this book. It is very important contribution to our understanding of how to build and manage knowledge assets and, in particular, the rules by which knowledge gains and loses value and 'travels'.

It is directly useful to business people who have to wrestle with strategies for managing knowledge. It is also a formidable piece of analytical architecture that links the management of knowledge assets to economic theory and learning theory. Considering the depth and range of the original thought packed into it, the book is surprisingly readable, partly because of the clarity and relevance of the examples with which the author illustrates his concepts.

Perhaps of widest importance is the clarity and precision of the definitions offered, in a field in which the definitions have been notably 'muddy'. One of the things I have gained from reading the book is a much clearer 'mental model' of what knowledge management is all about, its dynamics and linkages, and what is happening at various stages in the development, codification and diffusion of knowledge.

Because of its depth, density and range, absorbing the content requires real effort, but the effort is very worthwhile. It has several different audiences.

Knowledge managers: Those directly responsible for knowledge management will want to read and understand this book in full.

Business Strategists: The book provides a coherent and well argued rationale for developing strategies around the exploitation of the value in knowledge assets, based on the clearest explanation of the dynamics of knowledge value creation and dissipation that I have seen.

Managers of Organisational Change: Anyone concerned with organisation change also needs to understand the underlying concepts for their relevance to strategies for learning and to the shaping and linking of organisational structures.

Economists: Chapters 2 - 4 provide economists with a re-conception of the production function around data as a factor of production, and an explanation of the nature and dynamics of information value that is both challenging and important in integrating the realities of information and knowledge value into economic theory.

Those with a more peripheral or general interest in knowledge management should at least read: * the Preface, which is a 2 1/2 page masterpiece in the expression of the central concept in a compressed form, * pages 12 - 14 and 18 of the Introduction and * they should scan Chapter 3: The Information Space (I-Space) to understand the author's three dimensional construct and its use. J-C Spender's short Foreword is also valuable in putting Boisot's work in context with other work, particularly Nonaka and Takeuchi's The Knowledge Creating Company.

If general readers are tempted to go further, they will find an extraordinary range of thought-provoking concepts along with quite a lot of material that may be familiar from other writers: Boisot's primary aim is to get us to think differently about our world and to recognise that much of our current thinking about information and knowledge is grounded in the very different world of the energy based economy. He provides an alternative framework that is rigorous, persuasive and practical.

As a futures researcher at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Research I have read tons of books on the information society. No one - absolutely no one - has been as powerful and innovative as Max Boisot's. He handles the most important aspects of information and knowledge and synthesizes them in one outstanding theory: The Information Space.
The framework generates insight after insight. After my absorption of it, I simply can't resist using it in my own research and consulting. It has for example helped me evaluate business plans and think about different subjects as national strategies on education, e-communities, trade associations, innovation strategies and the philosophy of social sciences.
Read this book and learn to think about the emerging society!

The decision to read a book, any book, is an exercise in cost-benefit-analysis, usually conducted under conditions of uncertainty (Boisot, 1998). This review strives to mitigate this uncertainty and instigate you to read it!

Boisot delivers a genuine new perspective on knowledge assets quite distinct from the existing knowledge literature. First he states that knowledge is embedded in physical objects (public knowledge -like a pack of Marlboros - understood as a pack of cigarettes of a certain quality and length), in documents, and in individual brains. He builds a three dimensional Information-space consisting of codification (codified - uncodified), abstraction (abstract - concrete), and diffusion (diffused - undiffused). Plot these elements on three axes of a three dimensional rectangle and you got Boisot basic mental model. In this box (I-space) the movement of knowledge results in the Social Learning Cycle (SLC). The SLC consists of 6 phases, respectively Scanning, Problem Solving, Abstraction, Diffusion, Absorption, and Impacting. This model fundaments subsequently the rest of the book in which he illustrates the value of knowledge, two learning theories (the N-learning strategy - hoarding knowledge and S-learning strategy - sharing of knowledge), culture in relation to knowledge (identifies the centripetal culture - tunnel vision and the centrifugal culture - promotes learning), core competence and strategic intent, the impact of IT on knowledge and finally applies I-Space on two companies, Courtaulds and BP oil exploration business. The theory Boisot used to build his model and arguments are very fundamental - deep-rooted in classic philosophy-, economy-, and chaos and complexity theories. However the major added value provided lies in the massive multifaceted range of examples offered, very intelligent and smart entrenched.

Knowledge as keyword in the Amazon search engine generates more than 9000 books. However the number that fundaments the basic knowledge theory infrastructure doesn't exceed 25. There are essentially only a few you want to read the rest is all derived from this small number. Boisot book (next to Nonaka & Takeuchi) is certainly one that falls in the in the 25 cluster in view of the fact that it's an outstanding unique mental model clarified by smart examples. Downturn of his theory that's it very difficult to apply in a practical situation, nevertheless read it (absorb and exploit) and capture valuable `knowledge' on knowledge theories.

I would recommend this book to anybody who is interested in the deregulation of the electric power sector (from students to policy makers). The book represents a comprehensive source of information on the theory behing deregulation, different models and schemes of deregulation, history of deregulation in the U.S., analysis of deregulation, recommendations on how to achieve competition in the elecric power sector, etc. I found this book very useful and interesting.

The outhor did very good job explaning and making some complex detailles easy to be understood in a basic way.It is helpfull for any one to know the competititon structure in electrircity markets either trade participant in the energy sector or anybody in education period.

In this book all technical terms are defined and the prose is more or less similar to that of the Wall Street Jounal. The book increased my understanding from incredulity that deregulation of energy can be done to a comfortable sense of the system operating components and a few of the possible foul-ups. One book didn't make me an expert but I don' blame the author. Also it was a pleasant if not simple read.
A technical expert is needed to comment on the balance and depth of the presentation; sounded OK to me though.

This book was suggested by the CEO of my company for every new MBA recruits. I found this book really helpful in learning a lot about the industry.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part explains what are the components, who are the players, what an ideal industry would look like, etc of an electric industry. The second part is dedicated to the US electric industry.

The author does a wonderful job of explaining the basic fundamentals of the industry. At times some concepts get hard to comprehend because the concepts are unusually complicated. For someone new to this industry, it might require more than one reading and I can bet that it is worth their time.

This is a great book for anyone interested in learning about the industry.

I bought this book pretty shortly after first discovering competiitve intelligence (CI). Fortunately, it wasn't among the first book I had read. Actually, West's and Linville's texts have that honor. This book is definitely higher level material than the other two I mentioned and actually was more beneficial to me because I had read over the more entry-level books first. This book is probably a little less how to than some other CI books, but makes up for it by being a "thinking man's" book. You can tell that all the chapter writers know their stuff and have spent much time considering their topics. It shows through in the more academic approach they take. Surprisingly, despite this academic approach, nearly all the chapters are relevant and useful. I don't find many books that find this balance and this one manages to do it very well. This book is a good one for more experienced practitioners. I wouldn't recommend it to those who have less than a couple years of CI experience.

This book was a good one for me. I recently completed my MBA at one of Florida's top schools (which shall remain nameless) where I took several courses in business strategy. For some unknown reason, I never heard of competitive intelligence during any of my studies. I picked up this book as a way to learn about a range of strategy applications. It was defintiely enlightening to me. What kills me is that this stuff isn't taught in more grad business programs, but I sort of understand why now after having read through the book. My favorite chapters were those in part 4, particularly on how you can use CI in biotech and service industries, and how it can work for small businesses.

I also liked the last few chapters dealing with ethics (another topic mysteriously absent from my MBA)and the future of CI which was written by the two authors. I honestly think this book would have made the basis for a terrific MBA level course in applied strategy and I have written my institution's professors to suggest that they do just that!

Although I'm now employed in the CI field with a large insurance company down here, I would have felt much better had I read this book a year or two ago before I had completed my graduate studies and pursued careers in this exciting and challenging field. I hope there will be more broad ranging CI books like this one in the future and maybe, just maybe, we'll see some discussed in our MBA programs! Hats off to the editors and keep up the solid work!

I am an Australian CI professional with over a decade's experience in the field working with a variety of resource-based companies as a CI and Marketing freelancer. I found out about this book from a Sydney-based colleague who knows one of the editors who has spent some time working with companies down under. I was looking for a book that had both academic rigour and legitimacy along with some pragmatic advice about conducting CI in both SMEs (similar to ones I work in) and larger companies. This book struck a nice balance.

I particularly found several chapters of high value. The first chapter by Craig S. Fleisher gave a broad and insightful overview of the field and explained why it really hadn't "caught on" with corporate chieftains or those in training (MBAs)in North America. The 6th chapter by Richard McClurg was also among the best I've ever read describing the "push and pull" aspects of CI and the Net. Fleisher's chapter on analysis is also among the most valuable I've found on this difficult topic. I hope that this line of thought would be further extended in future efforts as it could warrant a book-length treatment by itself.

But my favourite chapter was likely the 10th by Fleisher and Blenkhorn on CI assessment. Everyone knows this is the CI "holy grail" and that the field will not progress until it solves the eternal issues of trying to find methods for assessing it better. The authors provided a multi-method approach that carves valuable ground into achieving the breakthrough the field needs. I have already applied several of their methods in my work and agree that there is much merit in the tools they suggest. I wish they had more room in the book to go into even greater depth but I recognize that their treatment likely had more to do with the space limitations that edited volumes like this one entail.

The entire 3rd section on applying CI to business functions and processes was enlightening to me as I've often been challenged within my employing companies to connect CI to others in the business. Knip's chapter on CI and the management accountant, and Rongdahl's on the BI-CI interface are particularly insightful. I must admit that the chapter (14) by Noori and others on NPD and CI appeared even more academic than I'd prefer and I wish they could have better stipulated what this interface might mean to practicing managers.

All in all, I really liked this book as it provided a wide variety of new and fresh thinking around the edges of the CI field in which many practitioners find themselves working. I have been sharing some of the chapters with my work colleagues and have found them valuable entres to further discussions about how CI can be of help to them.

I recommend this book to practitioners who are looking for a meatier than average treatment of CI. The book does appear to assume some knowledge of the field or at least a Uni-based understanding of business or competitive analysis practices and would likely be of best help to the mid-level CI manager or manager assigned CI as part of their broader responsibilities. Newcomers to the field might want to read a basic "how to" treatment (examples coming to mind would be the Kahaner or Fuld books) before tackling and benefitting as much from this one.

This book was a good one for me. I recently completed my MBA at one of Florida's top schools (which shall remain nameless) where I took several courses in business strategy. For some unknown reason, I never heard of competitive intelligence during any of my studies. I picked up this book as a way to learn about a range of strategy applications. It was defintiely enlightening to me. What kills me is that this stuff isn't taught in more grad business programs, but I sort of understand why now after having read through the book. My favorite chapters were those in part 4, particularly on how you can use CI in biotech and service industries, and how it can work for small businesses.

I also liked the last few chapters dealing with ethics (another topic mysteriously absent from my MBA)and the future of CI which was written by the two authors. I honestly think this book would have made the basis for a terrific MBA level course in applied strategy and I have written my institution's professors to suggest that they do just that!

Although I'm now employed in the CI field with a large insurance company down here, I would have felt much better had I read this book a year or two ago before I had completed my graduate studies and pursued careers in this exciting and challenging field. I hope there will be more broad ranging CI books like this one in the future and maybe, just maybe, we'll see some discussed in our MBA programs! Hats off to the editors and keep up the solid work!