Performance Books

I've been impressed by this book: in depth information on various Performance Management applications. It is very useful to me when I need another opinion, or look for potential development applications, or want to improve my academical understanding. A broad range of potential users can highly benefit of it:

* Advanced managers or project managers will find here how to better design a Performance Management System or to make the present one more sophisticated
* Consultants to discover, or learn, new perspectives on improving business performance
* Advanced students if they look for detailed approach on the subject

If you are a begginer in the subject, or mid level user, and you do no want to focus on the academical side of the subject you might want to have this book for later when your knowledge and understanding will be more advanced. Do not start with this one because it can be intimidating and give you the impression the subject is more complicated than in reality is.

This book is a collection of papers that are divided into five parts, all addressing a specific aspect of business performance measurement. The parts and each paper contained in this book are as follows:

Part I. Functional Analyses: 1. Measuring performance: the accounting perspective, 2. Measuring performance: the marketing perspective, 3. Measuring performance: the operations perspective, 4. Finding performance: the new discipline in management.

Part II. Theoretical Foundations: 5. A conceptual and operational delineation of performance, 6. Anomalies of measurement: when it works, but should not, 7. Does pay for performance really motivate employees?, 8. Superior managers? tolerance to dysfunctional behaviour: a test.

Part III. Frameworks and Methodologies: 9. Performance measurement frameworks: a review, 10. The critical few: first among equals as parameters for measuring strategic effectiveness, 11. Auditing measurement systems, 12. Why measurement initiatives succeed and fail.

Part IV. Practical Applications: 13. What really goes on in the name of benchmarking, 14. Measuring marketing performance: in practice, 15. Loosely coupled performance measurement systems, 16. Redefining government performance.

Part V. Specific Measures: 17. Customer satisfaction and business performance, 18. Linking financial performance to employee and customer satisfaction, 19. Measuring innovation performance.

Part VI. Emerging Issues and Trends: 20. Measuring knowledge work, 21. Measuring ebusiness performance.

Each paper is written by an acknowledged expert in his or her field, and each covers their respective topic in depth. I found each paper to be highly readable and informative, and attribute that to the editor's (Andy Neely) hard work in giving this book a consistent and coherent feel instead of just a collection of disparate articles. If you're a business systems analyst in IT, a member of a process improvement or reengineering team, or a business process owner who is seeking to understand the finer points of business performance you will find this book to be thought provoking and full of ideas.

Edited by Andy Neely who also co-authored five of the 21 essays provided, this volume provides a wealth of information about the theory and practice of one of the most important and yet least understood dimensions of organizational operations: performance measurement. By now most decision-makers have realized the truth of the observation (source unknown to me) that "you can't manage what you can't measure." However, few of them possess the skills (not the talent nor the desire) to do that well because it requires a solid understanding of how to complete functional analyses, based on theoretical foundations, within frameworks and using methodologies which have practical implications, guided and informed by specific measures even when having to accommodate emerging trends and issues. Re-read that last sentence and you have within it an explanation of how the material in this volume is so carefully organized.

In my opinion, any one of the essays (all by itself) is worth far more than the cost of the book but I strong recommend that it be read within the sequence of the essays which begins with "Measurement perspective: The accounting perspective" (David Otley) and concludes with "Measuring eBusiness Performance (Neely, Bernard Marr, Chris Adams, and Neha Kapashi) because, although the essays focus on a specific component of business performance measurement, they are interdependent in much the same ways that a 1,000-piece picture puzzle are. Also, there are recurring themes, core concepts, and points of emphasis which an astute reader can -- and must -- correlate.

The reader's next challenge is to determine the nature and extent of HOW this wealth of information and counsel can be effectively implemented within her or his own organization. Hence the importance of the four essays which comprise Part IV: "What really goes on in the name of benchmarking?" (David Mayle, Matthew Hinton, Graham Francis, and Jacky Holloway), "Measuring market performance: Which way is up?" (Tim Ambler and Flora Kokkinaki), "Loosely coupled performance measurement systems" (Thomas Ahrens and Chris Chapman), and "Redefining Government performance" (Ken Ogata and Rich Goodkey). Who will derive the greatest benefit from this book? In one respect, my first reply is any decision-maker within any organization (regardless of size or nature) who currently lacks the skills to conduct accurate and appropriate business performance measurement.

However, I am inclined to suggest that senior-level executives will find the material most valuable. In recent years, when working with the CEOs of a variety of different corporate clients, those to whom I have recommended this book, their tendency is to purchase multiple copies and then ask their COO to focus (at least initially) on all of Part I, directing their CFO to Chapters 1, 4, and 18 and their head of marketing to Chapters 2, 4, and 14. Make no mistake about it: This is a daunting book which deserves, indeed requires but will generously reward more than one careful reading and frequent re-visits. For me, Chapter 10 is one of the most thought-provoking because Elsbeth Murray and Peter Richardson explain the importance of those whom they characterize as "the critical few [who are] first among equals as parameters of strategic effectiveness." Of course, other readers will find other chapters of greater interest and value. Fair enough.

I hope these brief remarks have helped those for whom they were written to gain a sense of what this volume offers to them. Caveat redux. Challenging as the material certainly is, the reader's most difficult work will begin only after having read, re-read, absorbed, and then digested the material: determining the nature and extent of HOW this wealth of information and counsel can be effectively implemented within her or his own organization.

John Ardoin's recent death is a real loss for opera buffs everywhere, as it means that there will be no more updated editions, at least by him, of this exhaustively researched guide to the recordings of arguably the greatest, certainly the most famous opera singer of the twentieth century.

At the time of its publication this incarnation had the most complete data about the diva's recordings on compact disc then available, including newly discovered complete performances of Aida and La Traviata. Even when the information goes out of date, as it inevitably will (new incarnations of live performances will appear, and perhaps rumored unpublished material will surface), Ardoin's gracefully written, knowledgeable and balanced commentaries on Callas' work will remain an endless source of pleasure. May _The Callas Legacy_ come back into print, and soon!

If you are a Callas fan or are planning to become one, this book is indispensable. One is faced with so many Callas recordings, both studio and live, that it is very hard to choose which ones to get without a good guide. And this book is the best you can find around. Ardoin leads you through every recording that Callas made, and he offers an objective and detailed analysis of her accomplishments. So if you are trying to decide which one out of her dozen or so Normas should be joined to your collection, you can read all about the pros and contras of every single recording. For the ones who already own an older edition of this book that dealt with Callas on records, this volume won't offer much new, there are new reviews on recently-surfaced Aida and Traviata, as well as a few concert arias, but the bulk of the book is the same as in older editions.

This is not just an invaluable introduction to the greatest opera singer of the century. It is also a guide through those works, so that the more you know about Callas, the better this book gets.

if you have a holley or a rochester or a carter or weber, definitely buy this book. It goes into good detail about carb theory and how they all work.

I have been around cars for more than fourty years,This book was still a great learning Tool.
Clearly written and detailed,Linked up a lot of pieces of Information I had.And put it in order

I received my copy of this book last night. Although I have only read the first 25 pages, they are excellent and I now understand the principles of carburetion much better than before.

I have previously spent quite a bit of time studying Pat Braden's book on Weber Carburetors, which is a good book specific to Webers. However, Aird's book (to me) provides a much clearer explanation as to the principles involved. Aird is especially helpful in his passages about how and why the air correction jets and emulsion tubes work and how they interact with each other and the main circuit.

As a novice trying to understand and tune my Webers, I'd still buy both books, but I would rely primarily on Aird for comprehension of why the darn things work the way they do.

I feel like a nerd getting excited about a carburetion book, but hey, epiphanies are where you find them.

I saw this book on the front display table at one of those large mall bookstores, and was so impressed by it that I plan to buy 5 more from Amazon as gifts for family and friends this holiday!

Beautiful large photos, great production quality, and an absolutely encyclopaedic amount of information on festivals and celebrations around the world. The chapter on Wife Carrying (by men) is hilarious, the chapter on the Miss USA Competition is insightful, and the section on virgin rituals is eye-opening.

Whether used as a reference text, or browsed casually as a coffee-table photography book, "Celebrating Women" offers something for everyone. I highly recommend this book and Amazon is selling it at a great price.

From the moment I opened Celebrating Women I was totally swept away by the double page spread of its stunning first chapter photograph. The energy and spirit behind this ambitious journey by photographer Paola Gianturco comes alive not only through her gorgeous photographs, but also her enlightening words. The descriptive details are told in such intimate and animated language; and the rich color photographs capture the texture of these festivals in a way that explodes the senses.

It's amazing how each culture celebrates women for such different roles. What an opportunity to travel the world with this beautiful book, and in addition to the festivals profiled here, the book includes a listing by month of well over 100 more festivals to explore. The world becomes a bit smaller and hugely more wonderful. I loved seeing women not only celebrated as nourishers and providers, but also as political and as brave. The historical background for the festival in Thailand greatly intrigued me--depicting how women in 1826 saved their own lives and their city from armed invaders by their cunning use of seduction. Some festivals are steeped in history and religious ceremony, while others emerged out of necessity like the one in Guadeloupe. Back in 1916 women who worked as cooks (earning a modest income) formed an association to provide medical care and funerals for their members. Over the years this has become an annual opportunity to get together and present the best Creole cuisine by cooks resplendent in colorful Creole dress accompanied by musicians coming as far as France.

I highly recommend this book for all women everywhere and everyone else who knows and loves them. A beautiful, exciting, illuminating, and intriguing treat for the soul!

Paolo Gianturco is not only a VERY fine photographer, capable of capturing some of the richest color panoramas available in print today, she is also a woman with a mission: Gianturco opens doors, windows and any available aperture to celebrate the glory of Woman.

Gianturco traveled the world, with obvious extended stays in China, Thailand, Spain, Poland, Bolivia, Finland, and the USA, and found a phenomenal number of festivals and events that allow us insights into the various cultures of the world and their particular means of paying tribute to Women. Whether the festivals honor women as goddesses, athletes, healers, warriors, lovers, or heroes, Gianturco photographed these festivals in all their grandeur and then focused on individuals and small groups to make each event a personal conversation.

Her writing is of the highest order: Gianturco shares secrets and cultural pride in her reporting of interviews and personal responses to what she has observed. This is a gifted artist both in photography and written word. To saunter through these pages is to visit peoples, places, and customs new to most of us (with the possible exception of her folio on the Miss USA contest!). Her CELEBRATING WOMEN is successful on every level. Highly recommended for all libraries. Grady Harp, March 05

As a degree level theatre studies student, this was an invaluable text which gave a welcome insight into the Forced Entertainment theatre phenomenen. Not only does it offer analysis of their working process, it also offers an amusing collection of experiences and feelings that make the book thoroughly readable. A gem.

I use this book throughout the graduate program with MFA and PhD students in theatre and dance. They find in it things that they have been trying to articulate for themselves and are intellectually challenged and enriched as well as given encouragement for trying to express their own ideas about their practices. Has lots of other good things about it. Great combination of theory and practice and accessibility.

Forced Entertainment and Tim Etchells have been for the past decade or so, chewing on the edges of performance and theatre. This book is an excellent collection of texts that open up and demystify the experimental devising process. Etchells writes his theory much in the same way has he creates performance. A must for anyone into the fuzzy gaps between the various performance disciplines

Great service! The book arrived in the condition that was given in the description.

I teach Choral Music at a University, so every time the class comes back around that is to cover Conducting Technique as well as Choral Literature and Performance Style, I re-evaluate the available texts in case something better has come along. In several decades nothing has. In my mind it's still the one text that covers in a very basic way all the essential aspects of conducting choral music. It includes rehearsal techniques, gives voice instruction guidelines, and focuses on performance practice for each major style period in the western tradition. It even has diction charts for all the major choral languages. There are other excellent texts (which I also use in other courses) that cover a few areas of choral music-making in greater detail, but if you need one text to introduce students to the main topics in clear and authoritative language, this is still the one.

It won't make you a good choral conductor or teacher just by reading books. However, a solid groundwork is essential. This one book provides all the necessities, such as history, role & responsibility, practice technique, basic musicianship and style guide for different repertoires.

The authors treat the subjects in a no-nonsense way. For example, they didn't give you a long list of events on choral history, rather they blended them into the influencial parties and thus provide you insights on how the history evolved.

So if you'd read only one book in choral literature, this is the one!

A wealth of information that is hard to find elsewhere. After reading from cover to cover, I handed it over to my daughters coach and together we developed an off ice training regimen that suits her skill level and reflects her goals. Definite improvement in sucessful jumps completed noticed right away.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is serious about ice skating.

I highly recommend this book. It details off-ice conditioning programs for singles, pairs, or dance and skaters of all ages and skill levels. Strength training, effective warm-up and cool down, plyometric, and other off-ice conditioning programs are detailed, as well as effectively improving your muscular and cardiovascular conditioning on ice. The only negative to this book is the photos and text explaining some of the moves - they could be a bit more descriptive.
A great book from a very qualified author. These programs will yield great results on the ice if you put the time and effort in to conditioning.

This is a wonderful book that provides both in-depth analysis of why off ice training is critical to a successful skater and step by step off ice strength and conditioning manual. It totally changed my view of ice skating. It helps my daughter to train smarter. Highly recommend.

I can't stop reading this book now and again ever since I picked it up over 3 years ago. Are you looking for a new type of motivational book? This work from Gerry Robert's is for you. Robert was grew up in a very poor environment in the mid seventies and even spent time in jail for various crimes. Ever since that expereince he has not only made a 180 degree turnaround, but he has been actively helping others break throught their "sucess blockers".
Mr. Robert has become well learned from his early days receiving praise from well known speakers such as Ken Blanchard, Dr. Robert Schuller and the late Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. Gerry discusses a range of topics from personal sucess, perseverance, getting in touch with your spiritual self and how to strive through seemling difficult situations.
He uses wonderful examples and short stories to illustrate a point. My favorite one is when he met his in-laws for the first time. At 19, he was so nervous to meet Ann's family that he spilled his entire dinner from a T.V. tray onto the floor in front of the whole family. After the room became deathly silent, he had wished he could disppear into the floor. Fortunatly his mother in law was very tuned into the situation and she simple said in front of everybody, "Oh just forget it happened".
His book is full of examples which are funny, sad, encouraging and helpful to almost anybody. Everybody who has invested in this book could not read it just once and I'm sure that will be the same for you! If you cannot buy it here, go to his web sight ... and contact them.

All of his books are great! You gotta check out Millionair Mindset - How ordinary people can create extraordinary income. Contact him at gerry@salesmall.com (his website) to get it.

Tell him Robert K. Borowski from Ottawa Sent you!

One of the best books about overcoming obstacles in life. Very inspiring and easy to understand. A must read for anyone who wants to improve their life.

Gerry Robert is an awesome writer and speaker. This is just one of his many awesome books. The best book he has ever written is "Millionaire Mindset" ...

I thought this article provided good insights into government contracting and the future direction of this industry. Very helpful to those managing contracts and working with the DoD as a contractor.

I had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Cavadias speak on this journal at a symposium earlier this year in Washington. His insights into the government's need to invest more specialized and dedicated resources toward managing contracts rather than just awarding them is long overdue for action. Taxpayers' investments into government-outsourced services could be better protected if this common sense paradigm shift is provoked. I'm certain that the Congressional Subcommittee on Government Reform would agree with the premise of this journal because it makes good business sense.

This is an amazing article. We were completely lost in the administration of our performance base acquisition until we read this article.

I've bought this book because I need to understand PID controllers and use them in practice. I've tried many books on PID controllers, but they were written from experts to experts and were of absolutely no value to me. A lot of differential mathematics with no practical examples.
This book is totally the opposite - it gives you the starting point on learning control theory. It is obvious the author has a lot of real experience in the field opposite to some other pure academic authors which don't look outside the math of the theory.
I definitely recommend the book to every engineer or student who wants to understand the practical side of control theory.

This book started out as an internal Dupont memo to provide an introduction to process control to those in the company without previous training. It teaches the base fundamentals, as well as open and closed loop tuning methods. However, if you want the math or rigorous proofs (or any proofs for that matter) you will need to purchase more in depth text books. It is written with field tuning in mind, not control design. It is a short text, but to the point and an incredibly easy read.

I am a Professional Practitioner of Industrial Measurement and Control. I have been working as an Instrumentation, Automation and Process Safety and Control Engineer for more than 16 years in the Oil & Gas Industry.

I found this book to be a great help when tryung to explain or train technicians about single loop Controllers, PID and Tuning.

The author does his best to explain the essence of feedback control without going in-depth into math.

If you want a more rigorous treatment of the subject you should consider " PID Controllers: Theory, Design and Tuning". By K. Astrom and T. Hagglund (published by ISA)