Tools Books

Ok I bought a bandsaw so I wanted to add to my woodworking resource library. This book has lots of useful tips and great projects. I am glad I bought it and would recommend it. It has scaled easy-to-replicate drawings that can be used. It even shows you how to make boxes out of any wood, scap 2 x 4's etc.

An accomplished wordsmith, Hilary Powers is well-known among editors for wise and practical suggestions. She's done much work in the area of figuring out how to make Microsoft Word work for you rather than against you, as is often the case. She has mastered the fine art of macros in MS Word and, that is in large part what this book addresses. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to spend their writing and editing time creatively by simplifying the repetitive maneuvers for which robots are better equipped.

If you are like a lot of managers that don't know how to achive the promise of TI's (the right information, at the right time, to the right place), then it is for you. Through some of the most important concepts of the business world like "strategic intent", "core competences" and "competitive forces", the authors show how to link the information with the business strategic and enable the companies to be informed. This book is one of the 90's classical (or should be:) strategic-business literature.

Collaboratively written by social scientist Derick W. Brinkerhoff and Management Systems International director Benjamin L. Crosby, Managing Policy Reform: Concepts And Tools For Decision-Makers In Developing And Transitioning Countries is a diverse and informative work proffering concepts and tools for policy change and enhancing democratic governments of, by, and for the people in developing countries. Individual chapters address such diverse topics as citizen participation in the process of creating governmental policies, workshops for overseeing policy reform, conflict resolution, and more. Encompassing broad ideas with meticulous scholarly analysis, Managing Policy Reform is recommended to students of international studies as a thoughtful study with an laudable motivational purpose to effectively and significantly improve self-directing governments of nations worldwide -- and the populations they serve.

An excellent approach to the application of NLP to business. Fresh ideas. Highly recommendable for managers and business people.

If you know someone who's a fan of Handy Manny this is as really cute board book that gets your child involved with using some of Handy Manny's tool friends and it starts right on the cover of this board book with Pat patting a raised nail head.

The board book has raised edges that keep the tools moving and makes a lite tapping sound. This book says it's for ages 3 and up and I think that's because the tools featured in this book are made from a board book but could easily be bent if your child pulls the paper tools towards them. Other than that this bright colored book is really cute and would be adored by any Handy Manny fan!

If you need designs for all kinds of sea life. This is your book. Patterns are perfect for signs and plaques. I recommend it.

This is so far the best book I have come cross on visual thinking for sales and marketing professionals. It covers a very broad range of visual tools for strategic thinking, planning, communication and problem solving in the field of sales and marketing.

My only complaint about the book is that some of the business examples given are somewhat perfunctory. A more detailed treatment of each "businesss problem case" in the book would have given the book much more depth, and make it easier for business readers to follow and adopt the concepts/approaches. Nevertheless, the amount of visual thinking concepts/approaches introduced in the book are well worth your money spent to buy the book. Apparently, it is now a classic, and sadly, out of print.

I would recommend readers to explore Larry Raymond's Reinventing Communication, which has a slant towards strategic planning, but nevertheless gives a more detailed treatment on the same subject.

Perhaps you are a manager who's new to Marketing or maybe you've been out of school for awhile and sold your college texts. Or you've gotten rusty in the same marketing rut and don't have time to crack open that 600 page academic snoozer. THIS book of How-To is easy to understand because it's down to the basics - the theories of marketing as they relate directly to marketing tools - without pages and pages of explanations before making its point. Here's the breakdown of the sections where the 30 tools will come in handy:
Part 1: Product Development & Portfolio Analysis Tools
Part 2: Target Marketing Tools
Part 3: Consumer Behavior & Product Promotions Tools
Part 4: Environmental Analysis & Competitive Assessment Tools
Part 5: Marketing Strategy & Planning Tools
And don't forget the Appendix: Introduction To Marketing; Glossary, References, Appendix.

What's a book without the traditional SWOT analysis - could never forget this one - but I forgot that I actually KNEW many of these models and how useful they can be! If you DON'T know what a SWOT is, you'll understand it very easily. This book condenses a half dozen 20-pound college texts into an easy-to-understand 200+ page reference tool that many full time marketers don't have time to read. And you don't have to read it cover to cover - just pick the section that applies to your immediate need. This IS an "easy read" and even though Fortenberry applies the tools to the healthcare industry, it's applicable to any service industry outside the healthcare microenvironment.

For the novice, the big names of the models may scare you such as:
> Leonard Berry's Success Sustainability Model
> Ries & Trout Marketing Warfare Strategies
> Raphel & Raphel Loyalty Ladder
> The PEST analysis
> Philip Kotler's Segment-by-Segment Invasion Plan
> The Blake & Mouton Sales Grid
> The Calder & Reagan Brand Design Model
> Michael Porter's Five Forces Model
> The DAGMAR Marketing Communications Spectrum

... all the big names in marketing with $10 words! - it's ok - just take a BIG BREATH and think back to high school - yes Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is even in there, too! Fortenberry will make this easier to understand.

This book contains judged entries in the 1992 Retail Sales Council promotional materials contest in the following categories: promotional brochures, individual original newsletters, postcard mailers, printed ads, property promotions, and giveaway items.