Security Books

I frequently read several books on the same general subject at the same time and did so again recently, reading this book as well as Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal's The Wizard and the Warrior and Wally Adamchik's No Yelling.

Here is the core concept in Peter Cohan's book: "Value leadership focuses on the essence of what makes American capitalism work, the persistent struggle to create ever higher levels of value for a company's stakeholders, in order to inspire the executives to reemerge from postboom economic gloom." Cohan identifies and then discusses with rigor and eloquence what he views as "The Seven Principles of Value Leadership": value human relationships, foster teamwork, experiment frugally, fulfill your commitments, fight complacency, win through multiple means, and give to your community.

He identifies five qualitative factors and six quantitative factors of "Value Leaders" and examines several companies that exemplify the concept and principles. They include Goldman Sachs, Johnson & Johnson, J.M. Smucker, MBNA, Microsoft, Southwest Airlines, Synopsys, and Wal-Mart. Agreeing that "what you cannot measure, you cannot manage," Cohan offers a way to quantify and manage "the amorphous topic of values": what he calls the Value Quotient (VQ) "which is predicated on a set of four or five activities that companies can perform within each of the seven Value Leadership principles."

It is important to note that although all of the exemplary companies are large, the same principles are directly relevant- and can be of substantial benefit - to all organizations, regardless of size or nature. Moreover, the VQ of a given company - based on four levels of analysis: concept, principles, activities, and tactics -- is determined by the VQ of those within it. Cohan devotes a separate chapter to each of the seven principles, none of which is a head-snapper...nor does he make such a claim. The great value to be derived from his book is found within the context he creates for each of the principles, and, from his brilliant analysis of correlations between and among them.

Readers will especially appreciate Cohan's skillful use of various reader-friendly devices. For example, he provides the first portion of a declarative sentence such as "To understand the customer, executives may use the following tactics:" and then completes it with a list (e.g. "Ask the customers to list and rank the criteria they use to consider purchases among competing products" and "Ask them to articulate how well the [given] company's products satisfy the customer purchase criteria relative to competitors). I need to add that Cohan does not marinate his readers with naked lists; to his credit, he comments on each of the action steps recommended.

I also want to comment briefly on the Appendix within which Cohan provides a brief but remarkably specific "Criteria Performance" analysis of each of eight exemplary companies previously discussed, followed by a brief but (also) remarkably specific "Value Quotient Analysis" of each. Although their assigned total scores may change in the future, it makes sense for a reader to review periodically the criteria for both analyses, then apply them to her or his own organization to ensure that it remains committed to treating all people with respect, getting people to work well together, harnessing accidental discoveries to create greater value for customers, meeting all commitments, weeding out complacency and arrogance, using strategy to sustain market leadership, and continuing an active and generous involvement in society.

One final point: Many of the companies on Fortune magazine's annual list of those most highly regarded consistently appear on its list of those most profitable. Does Cohan view that as a coincidence? No, and neither do I.

Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out any of Warren Bennis' books (notably Geeks & Geezers and the more recently published Leading for a Lifetime, both co-authored with Robert Thomas) as well as Bill George's Authentic Leadership and the more recently published True North, James O'Toole's Leading Change and The Executive's Compass, Martin Linsky and Ronald Heifetz'Leadership on the Line, Heifetz's Leadership Without Easy Answers, and Winning co-authored by Jack Welch and Suzy Welch.

Mr. Cohan's work offers something for everyone, but will be especially appealing to change-minded readers who are looking to make a real difference in their professions. One of those books where the reader will want to throttle his or her reading speed to absorb the author's wisdom and thought provoking details. Plenty of excellent examples of how real world practicioners; Goldman Sachs and Southwest Airlines just to name a few, are utilizing the full breadth and depth of value creation and delivery to sustain industry leadership. Mr. Cohan introduces the "Value Quotient", a comprehenive tool for tracking value leadership initiatives. Value Leadership is a necessary prerequisite to building a culture that truly binds and motivates stakeholders to value creation.

Often, CEOs feel their executives do not share the same understanding of the critical drivers of their business's performance. Cohan's book is a useful tool for getting a management team "on the same page" and enabling them to clearly define the key levers that contribute to their business's success.

Cohan's framework makes it easy for managers in even the most complex companies to identify where their weaknesses are and address them. The book lays out a detailed, step-by-step guide that walks managers though all the activities and tactics that need to be considered in order to noticeably impact their company's bottom line. As a former general manager in a software company, I feel that sections of this book, such as "experimenting frugally," can really inspire a company to be more creative in identifying profitable paths to growth which it might not otherwise consider.

The book is invaluable as it enables managers to rise beyond the daily responsibilities of their jobs to identify levers that can have a truly significant impact on their companies.

Often, CEOs feel their executives do not share the same understanding of the critical drivers of their business's performance. Cohan's book is a useful tool for getting a management team "on the same page" and enabling them to clearly define the key levers that contribute to their business's success.

Cohan's framework makes it easy for managers in even the most complex companies to identify where their weaknesses are and address them. The book lays out a detailed, step-by-step guide that walks managers though all the activities and tactics that need to be considered in order to noticeably impact their company's bottom line. As a former general manager in a software company, I feel that sections of this book, such as "experimenting frugally," can really inspire a company to be more creative in identifying profitable paths to growth which it might not otherwise consider.

The book is invaluable as it enables managers to rise beyond the daily responsibilities of their jobs to identify levers that can have a truly significant impact on their companies.

It has been my experience that most business leaders are smart, thoughtful, competent and ethical people. I have also met those who `live and die by the numbers' or conversely see their major responsibility as building a `culture where the business can thrive'. Both sides of this leadership spectrum have great value but when a leader chooses to focus on one side it is at the expense of the other.

Peter Cohan, in his book Value Leadership, brings together the numbers people and the culture people with a rationale and clear treatise. He then offers an effective tool to measure the results of this balanced and effective leadership stance. He takes the traditional business analyst's quantitative factors (market share, revenues and profit, balance sheet strength and more) and combines them with critical qualitative factors (quality of communications, employee satisfaction, customer service and more) to create a numeric score which can be used to assess current business functioning and to plan for strategic and tactical improvements. This measure alone is a great tool for business leaders and their managers, but it is what is measured that defines this books common sense standard. Mr. Cohan has created a way for business leaders to understand and measure their business' value. For anyone who has bought, sold or merged a business, or who invests in stocks, knows that the most elusive question is "what is the value of this business?" Mr. Cohan's "Value Quotient" is the most complete answer to the value question that I have seen. It works well for active business managers and for investors.

It is my belief that "value' will emerge over the next ten years as the most important factor in determining a business leader's success. Value encompasses the quantitative and qualitative factors that often appear to be at war with each other. How do you run a highly profitable business while also maintaining an effective culture? Short-sighted business leaders who are under performance pressures often boost their numbers at the expense of their people, while the great business leaders can effectively manage both their numbers and their people. In my new book Corporate MVPs I had the opportunity to talk with many great business people who spoke of the importance of building and conserving their most valuable performers. These business leaders focus on building value as their prime responsibility. Peter Cohan's Value Leadership is the book that will help all business leaders build the value of their businesses and of themselves.

More than just a dictionary, this book gives in-depth, easy to read explanations of financial terms. We here the jargon everyday, on the news, talking to a broker or reviewing our portfolios; but, are we positive we understand what the lingo means. If you have been dabbling in managing your portfolio, are an avid business news watcher, or an amateur investor, this is one book that must be on your book shelf.

It is designed to be easy to read and understand. Although it is essentially a dictionary, it reads like a book. I found myself reading each definition in order because the terms flowed into each other. The author organized the book by category. Each word or phrase is followed by a clear 2 to 3 sentence description; in addition, any acronyms that apply are listed by the phrase as well as the correlating website. There is a glossary of acronyms, websites and an index of terms.

If you want to help understanding the common jargon used in the financial world today, Wall Street Lingo is the perfect place to start. Unlike other financial dictionaries, it is fun and easy to read. There is no doubt; it could be used as desk reference.

With such an exhaustive table of contents, you might assume this is an exhausting book. But the author prevents exhaustion, not only with a crisp writing style, but with a creative arrangement of the definitions. Yes, other dictionaries are strictly alphabetical. That's probably the reason that people read how-to books and novels, and they don't read dictionaries. But "Wall Street Lingo" organizes its definitions by category. Instead of hunting up and down the alphabet to define an unfamiliar word in another definition, the author puts all related terms together. Read a section, you'll understand a whole area of investing. Yet each piece is short, of course - definition sized - so you'll reach a stopping place before you get tired. For concepts that require more explanation, the author provides a brief, understandable summary. The result: you not only learn how Wall Street works, but how you can work Wall Street. The author provides simple explanations of rules and laws (and how they are bent, broken and enforced), basic finance and accounting, corporate structure, and types of investments. She even reviews common investment strategies, charting, and stock analysis. You'll learn about everything from the Dead Cat Bounce to the Ticker Tape Parade. A great general references for the investor.

If you aren't familiar with a Dead Cat Bounce, Triple Witching Week or Naked Option, you'll learn all about these terms and more after reading this book. While these may sound funny, they all refer to real-life Wall Street concepts that both the seasoned investor and novice will undoubtedly encounter in their financial future. This book is like a travel guide through the Wall Street labyrinth, and it untangles complex ideas in a surprisingly straightforward way. Whether you utilize a broker or manage your money independently, this book will help you take control of your investments and maximize your financial success.

Nora Peterson says her book is designed to "stimulate the reader's curiosity, not overwhelm it," and that is exactly what she does. Many stock market shows are so fast-paced that all of the fancy verbeage is lost on people who aren't familiar with even the most basic stock market terms, and it can be frustrating to attempt to learn anything from them. It is also comforting to note that she herself is an experienced investor and knows what she is talking about. Peterson writes that she had trouble getting over the "intimidation hump," which is a feeling we can all relate to when dealing with the foreign language of Wall Street slang. By the end of the book, you'll be remarking to friends about the tremendous success of your latest Sleeper stock or how a Bear Hug squeezed a deal out of a certain target company.

This book was surprisingly easy to understand and follow. It's fun, and you can pick it up and put it down whenever you want. It doesn't require a huge time commitment but is invaluable for anyone involved in the financial industry. Not only is Peterson informative, but she has a fun and engaging writing style that makes you want to get started learning new terms and putting them to use right away. This is a great book for beginners such as myself, or for people who want to build upon previous market experience. I was expecting a dry read about technical and difficult financial terms, but instead found a jackpot of easily accessible terms and interesting information about how Wall Street works.

In this book, the author takes what seems to be an overwhelming amount of information on the subject of Wall Street and organizes it into easy to locate sections and chapters. This fact, more than anything else, is what I think sets this book apart from many other financial reference books. While many reference books (particularly in the financial realm) that I have read lay out information alphabetically and join them with confusing financial jargon, this book does a good job of defining the many phrases and words associated with Wall Street and putting them into layman's terms. As a result, I would recommend this book to anyone starting out in the world of Wall Street. Since I have had no previous experience at all with investing on Wall Street, I must say that the sheer volume of the text was overwhelming. But the organization of the book really helps and I think it will be even more helpful to those who have already dabbled some in the stock market and are looking for an easy to understand reference tool.

Another aspect of the book I found particularly helpful was the various breakout boxes that accompanied the chapters. These breakout boxes, noted by the title "a closer look," essentially took some of the more complicated or important terms (such as momentum investing and initial public offering) and helped clarify them even more than they were in the initial definition. This style is also helpful because it immediately drew my attention to the most important thing on the page. All in all, I found this book to be full of extremely relevant and helpful information. However, it is important to keep in mind that this book is by no means easy reading. While the terms themselves are simply defined, the sheer complexity and wealth of information about the stock market and Wall Street requires more than one leisurely read. I would recommend that those interested in getting started in Wall Street investing read the book once, then keep it close by as a reference book and search tool.

Nora Peterson's WALL STREET LINGO: THOUSANDS OF INVESTMENT TERMS EXPLAINED SIMPLY provides a finance dictionary not for the seasoned investor but for the everyday individual. It defines stockbroker terms and explains them easily, adopting a subject-oriented organization for quick and easy reference and pairing of terms and translating Wall Street jargon into easily-understood points. The author holds some thirty years of experience and her background charting futures and trading in securities lends authority to this primer, perfect for business library collections.

Heidi has compiled a masterpiece. While I have led a very successful career, I often had questions regarding my wealth and how to use it responsibly. This book gives very clear, concise advice on how life should be lived and I will make sure my two sons will read this book before they graduate from school. Thank you Heidi.

I found Heidi's book excellent. All the chapters were informative and gave outstanding advice. Accumulating wealth is half the battle - having wealth help you to live a happy and contented life is the other half. I will definitely be using the advice within the book and will recommend this book to all my friends.

This book contains some interesting articles about wealth management, but it's nothing I haven't read in magazines and newspapers. Also, a lot of the advice in the book is more relevant to high net worth individuals (people who are likely to be Neuberger Berman's clients) than for ordinary Joes like myself. Try to borrow it from the library - this is definitely not a keeper.

Preserve the assets you have and keep them growing in value. Make sure your wealth adds to your happines and fulfillment in life. Don't allow your wealth to overwhelm you emotionally and psychologically. This book will assist you in keeping your money a positive factor in your and your family's lives.

I'm a big reader of business and personal finance books. Wealthy & Wise fills a niche that no other one book I've seen does. It covers a lot but in a way that's not overwhelming. I liked the idea that each section is written by a specialist in that field since no one can be an expert on all these subjects.

A few of the chapter subjects were beyond my means (though voyeuristically I enjoyed reading some of the advice for the super rich), but the overarching message is advice we should all take to heart - Manage your wealth; don't let it manage you. This isn't a book of corny aphorisms, it's full of practical, useful advice to make your money make you happier and let it add to, not get in the way of, your relationships.

This book is a complete guide and very easy to read. Simple said it's GOOD.

Mauri

This is the most important IT security title written in the past year or more. Why? Custom web applications offer more opportunities for exploitation than all of the publicized vulnerabilities your hear about combined. This book gives expert treatment to the subject. I found the writing to be very clear and concise in this 727 page volume. There is minimal fluff. While everything is clearly explained, this is not a beginners book. The authors assume that you can read html, JavaScript, etc... Usually with a book like this there are a few really good chapters and some so-so chapters, but that's not the case here. Chapters 3-18 in this book rock all the way through. Another huge plus is the tools in this book are free.

The first few chapters provide context and background information. Chapter 3 on Web Application Technologies provides particularly useful background info. The next 666 pages of the book are all about attacking the applications.

There next five chapters cover mapping application functionality, client side controls, authentication, sessions, and access controls. The coverage is comprehensive. I'm not new to these topics, but I learned so much in every chapter. The depth of coverage is amazing.

The next six chapters are the heart of this book. They cover injection, path traversal, application logic, XSS and related attacks, automating attacks, and information disclosure. You'll find full treatment of attacks we're all familiar with like SQL injection and cross site scripting as well as many that most of us haven't heard of before. The danger is real and these chapters need to be read.

The final next four chapters cover attacks against compiled applications, application architecture, web servers, and source code. The final two chapters are more useful as a quick reference. They provide an overview of the tools covered throughout the book and describe attack methodology discussed throughout the book for exploiting each technology.

This book scores five easily based on the relevance and value of the information.

This is an excellent book. Many books of this nature leave you wanting. They talk in complicated jargon, excite you about learning new concepts, and then leave you hanging with no real application of what you are learning. This is not the case with This book.

This book is excellent for both the beginner and the advanced! Plenty of real examples! Walks the beginner through the concepts of foot printing. It explains the technologies and then for the advanced it talks about creating custom code for each vulnerability.

This is a must have for any security professional's library! it was worth every penny!

This is a great read for anyone interested in the security of modern web applications. It covers the hacking process from mapping the attack surface to exploiting input validation, access control, session management, and authentication vulnerabilities using real-world examples and diagrams. There is an in-depth 100pg chapter on injecting code(e.g. SQL, OS, script, etc injection) and a 95pg chapter on attacking other users(e.g. XSS, request forgery, etc attacks). There is information about bypassing common sanitization techniques in cases where user input is sanitized. The book also covers how to write your own scripts to automate complex attacks. At the end of each section are the steps necessary to defend your application against the attacks that were described with an emphasis on "defense-in-depth"; an approach where one tries to prevent the compromise of the whole application even if one component of it is already compromised.

This book is extremely up to date with its coverage of new AJAX and XSS-type attacks while still covering the relatively old vulnerabilities like buffer overflows and sql injections.

The authors are both professional penetration testers which gives them credibility over the information they provide in this book, and one of them is the author of the excellent free web application hacking tool called Burp Suite.

I would recommend this book to anyone that has a basic knowledge of how the Web works (http, javascript, cookies, html, and basics of a programming language like php or java) although you could learn these technologies as you are reading the book which would take some more time.

If you do any type of professional Web Application Assessments then this is your bible. I have read many books on web app assessments and perform many Web Application Assessments for many large companies and government agencies and this is an excellent resource. I use Dafydd's Burp Suite and I can not say enough about it. If you are serious about Web Application security then this is a must read. Thanks to Dafydd and Marcus for a great book.

Kevin

This book is so GREAT. The story was entertaining. The educational part was easy to understand and easy to apply to trading or other business ventures and your life. Trading is stressful sometimes. The book will get you prepared mentally to trade successfully. You don't have to be stressed out while still making big bucks. You have to read it to know how excellent this book is. It is still in print. The author, Brendan Moynihan, is a registered seller @ Amazon.com. Buy from him through Amazon. The book will be signed with a personal message inscribed to you by Brendan. You will love this book. Guaranteed!What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars

This is the best book out there to explain why we do what we do to lose money in the market and what we should change to avoid it. It's an easy and fun read, and the author provided tremendous focus and clarity to get his point cross.

It helps me to see exactly why my own mentor, a successful trader with net worth over $100 million, made his trading rules as they are, which are based on almost exactly the same principle as expressed in the book. The book would have saved me tens of thousands dollars trading loss if I had read it earlier.

I would personally consider this book much more valuable than Elder's and Mark Douglas' books on trading psychology simply because it provided concise, clear, and practical steps to confront and resolve the root cause of our trading losses. I also find it intriguring and invaluable that we can apply the principles discussed in the book to other human endeavors beyond trading the markets. What a great job these two authors did! Thank you both from bottom of my heart!

The title of this review is a chapter in Jim's book. I bought this book after Jim passed away on September 11, 2001 in 1 World Trade Center. He told us about this book in 1997, and I was so glad it was still in print. It is an excellent book, and it is written by an extraordinary individual. When I met Jim I could tell he was amazing, and his personality comes through in this work, which is part autobiography and part trading treatise. Jim's rise and fall and subsequent rise again makes for an incredible story, and his insight into the markets are superb. Even if you are not interested in the market, this book is worth purchasing just to learn more about Jim's amazing life story. Jim is candid, funny and dynamic in this work. I wish the world had more people like Jim Paul and more books like "What I learned While Losing a Million Dollars."

This book was recommended to me by another trader. I'm glad I picked it up. There are enough books out there that tell us how they make money...but too few tell us how to avoid losing it. This book is a must read! All the mistakes that we as traders make are outlined, explained, and amusingly told in this book that I fear too few traders have read.

The book makes you feel that you could have travelled the same road as the author which brings it home all the more powerfully.

The lessons are not just conceptual or psycho-babble. These are applicable lessons that you can use in your own trading as soon as you put down the book. The approach and an awareness that this book gives you helps you understand you do the things you do.

Again, this is not an outline of how to trade. These are important lessons about how we accept a trading loss, how to analyze losing trades, and finally how each of us can be tempted to rationalize losses.

A great book!

I'm a self taught investor/trader (arent we all) so I've collected my share of books. But this one by Jim Paul/Brendan Moynihan is the most unique book I have ever read so far. It's the only book which correctly points out that trading and investing are personal journeys; about finding out who are you, and then how to manage what you find out. Until you do, one can never be consistently successful at this game. This is largely why the public can never make a career out of trading. It never dawns on them that it's all about soul searching and then applying your strengths while controlling your weaknesses. Everyone is different; which is why there are infinite ways to make a profit. There are no "secrets" to trading. It never dawns on them that investing seminars are utterly useless. It never dawns on them that you don't have to watch CNBC either.

The book is basically two sections. Jim describes his life stories in the first part, then Brendan writes about the psychology of it all in the second part. Copies of this book are relatively pricey given the rarity. Wait until several sellers show up to take advantage of price competition. Good luck trying to find it in public libraries. This book is worth every dollar I spent to read it. It's one of those that you'd want to reread once a year so you never forget the correct way to approach the markets. The earlier in your career you get a chance to read this book, the better off you'll be.

A long overdue review of the real threat we face. Col. Ruffini has done a great job on research and has substantive recommendations to counter these threats for first responders and the general public. Good read!

Joe Ruffini is known as an "Information Warrior" in both the US Government and the private sector. To everyone's benefit in homes and companies across the United States, he has compiled his thoughts in print about the complexities of the threat and the need for daily awareness by citizens at all levels. The book is a "must read" and I strongly recommend it!!

Col. Ruffini uses plain, simple language. With his clear organization Joe keeps the reader from being lost in tangents.
He tells you what the terror threat to America is. He does it completely and economically.

THis book is a must read given the current state of our world with respect to the war on terror. It is educational and informative. Prior to reading it, I was unaware as to how the Islamist movement originated and why the hatred exists. Now it is all too clear. This book will also make you realize how ill-prepared we, as common citizens, are when it comes to terror awareness and prevention. The authos has a direct, informative style and his knowledge in this area is unequalled. I highly recommend this book.

This book contains insights and information far above what we are going to get from television or the newspapers. Col Riffini is on time and on target and the depth of knowledge he brings to this issue far exceeds anything else that I have read. The events of recent days (I write this on 9 Oct 06) proves that his analysis is correct. This is a must read for those who want to educate themselves with respect to the war on terror and the dangers that we and our children will face far into the future.

For perspective - I am part of a team investigating China and made my first trip to China 6 months ago. This book is well written and gives a good quick overview - it is weak on details, however my limited experience in China shows a very dynamic situation with each company different. Flexibility is key - this book will give an excellent foundation to be better prepared as business situations are approached. Each team member has purchased a copy of this book and it is frequently referenced as we work to clarify and grow our understanding in China

I bought a copy of The China Executive over Christmas holidays in 2006 to develop my understanding of China business. Since then, I have recommended other professors on China business this wonderful book, which contains almost everything we need to teach our students.

But the republication of Prof Michael Porter's "The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy" in the January 2008 issue of Harvard Business Review has compelled me to write this review.

Porter's five-force model has dominated courses on strategy in business schools since the article and his book Competitive Strategy were published in 1979 and 1980 respectively.

But a re-reading of Porter's article and a more careful reading of the last chapter of The China Executive has made me think that it is time to replace Porter's five-force model with Wang's five-force model.

Porter's five-force model is about competition to the extreme. According to Porter, strategy is about coping with competition; managers only regard their direct competitors as competition; as such, they should consider customers, suppliers, potential entrants and substitute products as four other competitive forces.

But such hyper-competitive thinking surely leads to corporate greed. As a company takes everybody as a competitor (or even enemy) and tries to do everything possible to maximize its own profits by minimizing others' (or even beating them down), its profitability may improve in the short term, but surely at some point in time it will crash because there will be nobody left who is happy to do business with it. Isn't Enron an example?

Furthermore, thinking around the five-force model does not lead to effective actions because all five forces are beyond a company's control. Competitors will always do what they like to do. Customers and suppliers are much better to be treated as partners, but still the world is so big that they can always choose somebody else. Whatever barriers to entry (from hundreds of millions of dollars for a car plant to thousands of dollars for a book publisher), new competitors will always come up. And who can stop substitute products from occurring?

By absorbing the strategic wisdom of Sun Tzu, whose 2,500-year-old book has proven to be the most insightful ever in the field of strategy, Wang has come up with his five-force model, which is presented in the last chapter of The China Executive.

The five strategic forces are: business purpose (the moral force of a business), business climate (the temporal force of a business), business location (the spatial force of a business), business organization (the organizational force of a business), and business leader (the command force of a business).

Consider business purpose. Isn't this or answer to the question of "to what extent, are we still creating real value for society?" what the new CEOs of Merrill Lynch and Citigroup should be contemplating? (By the way, Goldman Sachs has not exposed to the sub-prime crisis because it did not abandon itself to the lure of easy money - proof of the power of the moral force of a business.) Indeed, if they can somehow organize their thinking around what is important to creating that value despite all the incoming distractions, crisis and complexity crashing down all around them, then they will have a sustainable model for their business.

Overall, as the subtitle of Porter's article suggests, his model is about helping a company "stake out a position" within a precisely-defined local industry. It might well have been helpful to the largely predictable American industries in the early 1980s. But entering the 21 century and in a world that is now "flat", what American businesses face are the strategic challenges of how to cross national borders, how to understand local aspirations, how to have good partnerships...

In a word, strategic thinking in this new world is about how to prosper together rather than how to maximize one's own profits at the expense of others, and this is why I think Wang's model is more valuable and deserves to be published by Harvard Business Review.

I highly recommend this book.

As a US business exec who has been traveling to China for over 5 years, I can honestly say this is one of the best books I've read for helpful and practical insight for executives traveling to China for business.

There are many books available that address cultural comparisons between East and West including both social, and business situations. However The China Executive focuses exclusively from a business perspective and more specifically; how to understand cultural perspectives and work with strengths in each to be the most communicative and effective in business dealings.

It is well written with an easy to read writing style. The cover text under the title "Marrying Western and Chinese Strengths to Generate Profitability from Your Investment In China" sums the book up quite well.

I met Wei Wang at the Sixth Annual China Conference, held at the Port of Los Angeles on September 12-13. The conference (thechinaconference dot com), presented by Seattle-based, eighty-five-year-old Cargo Business News, not only provided each attendee with an autographed copy of Wang's book The China Executive but also had him give the closing keynote speech to several hundreds of executives from the global logistics industry. His speech, entitled China and the Human Side of Business and supported by a series of compelling slides, was the highlight of the entire conference.

In particular, I found his presentation of ancient Chinese wisdom (e.g. "Virtue is the root; wealth is the consequence", "Without self-interest, your interest succeed" and "Without expectations, you will be strong; with tolerance, you will be big.") extremely eye-opening. And if you don't know how to deal with your Chinese partner, this one will surely inspire you: "Before marriage know your partner's weaknesses; in marriage use your partner's strengths."

Of course, you will better understand the above with the help of his book, which I managed to read after the conference. And I must say that it is a pioneering book of real value and wide appeal!

Indeed, China's rise is transforming global politics, the global economy, and societies worldwide. So, everybody will arguably need to develop responses to meet the China challenge.

But first and foremost, business people worldwide - in particular Western business people due to our long-held superiority in the areas of technology and management - have to understand China if we want to achieve sustained business success in the age of globalisation, in which China is in the driving seat.

Wang's book contains everything you will need to know about China - above all what it means for business in a practical sense. Of course, the book's most original contribution is to connect Chinese civilisation with Western civilisation, thereby demonstrating the vital importance of combining intuition with analysis, leadership with management, relationships with results, and ultimately Chinese human-centered, integrated worldview with Western things-oriented, divided worldview.

I strongly recommend The China Executive because it has the potential to change how we see the world. And once we can see the world from a truly global perspective, every difficulty we experience in our endeavour to do business with China becomes an opportunity.

Business with China takes many forms. Whether you are considering import/export, technology transfer, licensing, joint venture or wholly-foreign owned investment, this book will guide you to success.

Of course, this book is not just about these business arrangements; it is about the essence of them. As this book shows, any business arrangement not only is an abstract idea about the future but also has people at its heart.

All too often, Western business people (and professors) only see the idea side of business, with the people side largely ignored.

In our homeland, this may not cause too big a problem (although bringing the best out of every individual is becoming more and more important). But in a non-Western environment where people have different ways of thinking and want different things from life, mastering the hearts of people is really the key to business success.

This is, in my view, where most books on China business have got muddled up, and why I say The China Executive is "A wonderful book on China business!"

David Moats is the editorial page editor of the RUTLAND HERALD and the winner of a Pulitzer for his editorials in support of same-sex unions. This book grew out of Mr. Moats' interest in the whole gay marriage debate and the events that preceded the passage in Vermont of the historical civil union legislation. In this extremely well-written account, Mr. Moats covers all the major events that set the stage for this kind of history to be made in Vermont, that is, the three couples being brave enough to bring suit, the ruling of the Vermont Supreme Court and the ultimate passage into law of civil unions for gay people. He discusses the Stonewall riots, the murder of Harvey Milk, the AIDS epidemic, gays in the military, the lawsuit brought in Hawaii, the increase of adoptions by gay and lesbian couples, and the Matthew Shephard murder. He says in the prologue: In my view, the Vermont story ranks, not just with the Stonewall riots and the murder of Harvey Milk as landmarks of gay history, but with Birmingham and Selma as landmarks of our growth toward a more complete democracy."

Governor Howard Dean showed tremendous courage in signing the civil union bill into law. He conducted himself here as he did when he later ran for the Democratic nomination for president. He was open and frank about doing the right thing. There are many other heroes here, Mr. Moates for starters, who is not gay. Certainly the three couples who brought the lawsuit, their attorneys and other gay people in Vermont were brave beyond measure. There were also many fine and decent people in both houses of state government, who were determined to do the right thing by gay people and in so doing, several of them later lost their seats in the state legislature. Two individuals stand out for me--Bill Lippert, vice chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Bob Kinsey, a 72 year-old Republican in the House, an elder in the Presbyterian Church where he and his wife had sung in the choir for fifty-two years. Initially he was opposed to any kind of gay marriage or domestic partnership bill but was persuaded to vote for the bill that eventually passed, probably in part because a teepee on his farm that he had built as a warming hut for skaters in the cold Vermont winters mysteriously burned. He believed the fire was caused by arsonists because of his stand on gay rights. "It was the human dimension of the gay marriage bill that touched him. . . He and his wife. . . had learned something about life and love and death. No one was going to instruct him about right and wrong or the disposition of his soul." Mr. Lippert, who is gay, gave an impassioned speech on the House floor that many believed brought his undecided colleagues to his side: "There's something strange about sitting in the midst of a delibertive body that is trying to decide whether I and my fellow gay and lesbian Vermonters should get our rights now. . . Don't tell me about what a committed relationship is and isn't. I've watched my gay brothers care for each other deeply and my lesbian sisters nurse and care. There is no love and no commitment any greater than what I've seen, what I know." When Mr. Lippert sat down, Robert Kinsey rose and said that he had just heard the greatest speech he had heard in his 30 years in government. There are many other instances of quiet and sometimes not so quiet heroism here. The jackals of course came out too. The infamous Phyllis Schlafly and Alan Keyes, to name two, made appearances to spread their hate as well.

Mr. Moats in the last chapter of the book discusses some of the other significant events for gays and lesbians, The United States Supreme Court's striking down the Texas sodomy law, the ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Court in favor of gay marriage as well as the decision of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, Canada upholding a lower court's ruling granting the right for gays and lesbians to marry. This book went to press too early for Mr. Moats to include the passage last week by the Georgia House-- the Senate has passed one weeks ago-- of a bill to allow the citizens of Georgia to vote in November for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage although there is already a law on the books in Georgia making gay marriage illegal. Sad to say, Georgia is not Vermont.

Just a short while ago, Vermont wrestled with an issue that's gripping our country in a maelstrom. The end result, as most of us know, was the formation of the controversial but important recognition of same-sex relationships called "civil unions". What most of us don't know is the inner workings of the Vermont government as it came to deal with this issue, and the ultimate political sacrifice that many people played in order to ensure equal rights for all of its citizens. David Moats, editor of the Rutland Herald, describes in detail, how that all transpired in his book "Civil Wars: A Battle for Gay Marriage".

Moats approaches the story from a journalistic standpoint as he describes couples who were fighting to get legal recognition of their long term relationships. With the court siding on their side, but giving the problem back to the state legislature, the storm of politics brews quickly and deeply. With the leadership of then governor Howard Dean, we see how the machinations of state government worked to churn out the only viable option at the time, civil unions.

While being very a straightforward book, Moats treats the subject matter fairly and with respect. His handling of the gay relationships, and the people stories, is respectful and honorable. He clearly has opinions on gay marriage, and yet, those opinions doesn't shade his view of the events in Vermont. If you don't agree with legal recognition of gay relationships, at least you can appreciate, by reading this book, the intense scrunity and thoughtfulness those Vermont legislators put into forming this landmark bill.

Perhaps one day, our own Congress will wrestle with the fact that its denying a group of citizens fair and legal recognition of their relationships based solely on whom they love. If that's the case, Moats' book gives us a sense of hope that fair minded people will come to the correct conclusion; that in our country, built upon espoused principals of fairness and equality, people must be afforded the same legal rights and protections offered to all of its citizens. There simply can be no other choice.

Of the books I've read on same-sex marriage this is the most straight-forward and readable. Written by the editorial page editor of the Rutland Herald (where he won a Pulitzer prize for his coverage of this issue) the book reads like a novel, filled with interesting characters and dramatic moments.

Moats' thesis is that the Supreme Court in Vermont chose wisely not to mandate same-sex marriage but instead to remand the issue to the legislature. It is his theory that in the end, civil union was a preferable compromise to marriage for two reasons. First, the very process of having the legislature involved, complete with extensive public hearings, allowed many citizens to feel that they were heard and involved in the process. Second, and more important, the creation of civil unions avoided the intense backlash that might have been expected (and had been seen in Hawaii and other states) from a sweeping constitutional ruling mandating marriage.

While I disagree with his conclusions about the advantages of civil unions, the book is fascinating to read and very well written, if a bit dated by recent events.

As a g-a-y male I find that when I'm not in the bath houses or watching Bravo, I like to sit down and think about my wedding day, the gown I'll wear, who will do the catering, and who my 'best man' will be. Hehe.

Lol. Just kidding, well I am g-a-y, but let's be honest here, I couldn't give two shxxts about marriage. The only reason I want g-a-y marriage to be legal is so I can sit back and mock that whole Norman Rockwell idealist family the neo--con right has been trying to propagate! I am so sick of seeing happily married breeders and their sickening offspring that I could puke bile!!!!!!!

Phew. Sorry, got a little dramatic there, hehe.

It's very important that the antiquated marriage system be removed as it is no longer needed and a throw back to our caveman ancestors. Karl Marx, Peace be upon Him, wrote in the Communist Manifesto that the removal of the family(along with religion and culture) was essential to bringing about rule by the proletariat. That's us silly!

By redefining marriage we are in fact "undefining" marriage. Thanks to the 60s revolution marriage is becoming a joke, and when we(that means you too, sailor) can marry it will be the final nail in the coffin!!!

To all my fellow bears out there: Make sure you ONLY vote for those that will do whatever they can to get a garter around my thigh. And hopefully yours too.

Civil Wars is an exceedingly balanced book about the events creating the first civil union legislation for gays in the state of Vermont. Given, such a divisive subject, author David Moats does not interject his own views per se, except where his own experience adds color to the proceedings. Instead, he richly describes the history of the lawsuit that lead to the state Supreme Court decision, which placed the burden upon the legislature to remedy "the exclusion of same-sex couples from the secular benefits and protections offered married couples."

In setting the stage for the events that followed, Moats not only vividly portrays the settings and what transpired in public meetings and both open- and closed-door legislative sessions, but imbues us with a sense of how the majority of the senators and house representatives struggled to do the right thing, often in opposition to their prior beliefs and the constituents in their districts. Given the appalling abuse they took, this took courage.

One leaves this book with the impression that regardless of whether one believes that gays should or should not enjoy the same rights as heterosexuals, there are considerable numbers of people out there that don't deserve to be part of the human race, given the disgusting and obscene activities they indulged in, in order to persuade legislators not to pass any kind of pro-gay legislation.

Great book, read it everyday. Us Coasties sometimes forget the basics. Read it well and read it often.

I took this book and showed it to my recruiter and he said that it's weight in gold, and that after I was done reading it I woul be ahead of everybody else.

It teaches about ROTC and the uniforms during your hopefull coast guard career. It also teaches all the necessary tools you need to be in the coast guard.

I am in the Coast Guard myself and when I was in boot camp they even handed out copies of this book to us to learn what we needed to know about the USCG. It covers everything from a brief history to customs and courtesies and to Maritime Law Enforcement. It talks about the different knots we use and how to properly tie the knot. There's history on the USCG's uniforms and the different ships we use to the different jobs that we offer. It's a great book for all and I even find myself at times referring to it whenever I need to know something! So I recommend it for anyone who is entering the Coast Guard, looking to up their seamanship skills or just want a refresher!

I was issued one of these in boot camp back in 79. As a American Legion Commander now, I needed to know how to properly handle a weapon while marching and doing drills. Darn I wish I had of keep it. But I ordered the latest edition and see it is still the great manual it always was and still has the commands and the examples of how to do proper manual of arms.

I have read the Constitution several times and it has always been a mystery to me how many (if not most) laws are permissible by our courts and deemed congruent with our founding fathers vision. This book no only addresses my confusion but does it in a clear entertaining style free of Latin and other confusing "legalese". I highly recommend this well written engaging book.

The Supreme Court is governed by humans, and humans do make errors."The Dirty Dozen: How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom" is an examination of these mistakes that have cost America dearly. Pointing out cases in which the Supreme Court has bumbled and allowed the federal government to interfere with private contracts or political support, detain prisoners charge, wrongfully seize property, and other misdeeds of the court, "The Dirty Dozen" is an expertly crafted and harsh criticism of the courts. Highly recommended for community library law collections.

"Regrettably, the [Supreme] court has too often taken the plain wording of the Constitution and interpreted it to mean exactly the opposite of what the Founding Fathers intended. By that process the Court profoundly altered the American legal, political, and economic landscape."

So begins Richard Epstein's forward to this truly remarkable book.

The authors, Robert Levy, of the Cato Institute, and William Mellor, of the Institute of Justice, have chosen twelve Supreme Court cases they believe "changed the course of American history".

The book is not written solely for lawyers. In fact, it is written for the citizen concerned with the expansion of government at the expense of individual freedom.

The tragedy of this book is that it will be read by so few people when it should be read by every citizen, regardless of political persuasion, who is concerned the fate of the United States.

These twelve cases are considered by the authors to be the worst decisions of the Supreme Court of the modern era. In most cases, they also list a runner-up. Events move quickly, so it is quite likely that the authors would add Boumedienne v. Bush, the incredible decision that grants a variety of rights to terrorists. Personally I think that Boumedienne will vie with Dredd Scott as being the most lunkheaded decision ever made by the Court. U.S. v. Miller, 1939 case about the Second Amendment, has been resolved by the very recent decision in District of Columbia v. Heller. (One can see how endangered the Constitution is by the 5-4 vote of the Court in Heller.)

The authors (unsurprisingly) relate each of the cases to a specific topic. The book consists of two parts, the first on how the Court has allowed government to expand far beyond the intentions of the Founding Fathers and the second on how the Court's decisions have eroded freedom.

The topics and "dirty dozen" cases are:

Promoting the general welfare (Helvering v Davis)
Regulating Interstate Commerce (Wickard v. Filburn)
Rescinding Private Contracts (Home Building & Loan v. Blaisdell)
Lawmaking by Administrative Agencies (Whitman v. American Trucking)

Campaign Finance Reform and Free Speech (McConnel v. FEC)
Gun Owner's Rights (United States v. Miller)
Civil Liberties Versus National Security (Korematsu v. U.S.)
Asset Forfeiture Without Due Process (Bennis v. Michigan)
Eminent Domain for Private Use (Kelo v. City of New London)
Taking Property by Regulation (Penn Central v . New York)
Earning an Honest Living (U.S. v. Carolene Products)
Equal Protection and Racial Preferences (Grutter v. Bolinger)


As you can see, critical liberties we take for granted are covered, such as what most people consider their "right" to earn an honest living. In fact, as the authors point out, more than 20% of jobs are subject to regulation or licensing requirements - and no matter how stupid or anti-competitive the restrictions, the Court has given the states free reign to restrict your right to earn a living. This chapter is frightening - but so are all the other chapters. Once you see how the Court has truly altered the intent of the Constitution in the past seven decades, you will worry about tomorrow and what could happen if more left-wingers are appointed to the Court.

If you are concerned for the future of the United States and its Constitution, read this book. I suspect that after reading it, you - like me - will be suggesting to everyone you know that they read it too.

Jerry

It had been years that I looked for some author to explain the solidity of "stare decicis"of the Common Law, and, I found it here, an honest explanation of how to understand the "dogma" of the stare decisis. Magnigicent and very honest!!!!

I believe you and every American interested in our freedoms and the Supreme Court should read this book. The authors, Robert Levy and William Mellor, pick 12 Supreme Court cases they believe were poorly decided and had detrimental consequences to our society. Each of these cases is given its own chapter and often includes another case as a "dishonorable mention" that they may also reference.

Now, we are far too deferential to the Supreme Court and even the Federal Courts. We allow them to "correct society" through rulings that are really super-legislation. This is not in the Constitution and is bad for our society. It allows the legislative branch to avoid its responsibilities, and plants undemocratic sentiments in the hearts and minds of the citizenry. But this is my point of view.

Richard Epstein gives a very nice introduction and goes over his views on the cases selected. While he mostly agrees with the authors, he offers up some disagreements and explains why. This helps the reader start his or her critical thinking as they work through the book. Yes, it is written for the general public, but it is reading you will want to read and argue with in your own mind to come to your own conclusions.

The book is in two parts. The first talks about cases that have led to the expansion of government. Chapter 1 uses Helvering v Davis (1937) and U.S. v Butler (1936) to discuss the misuse of the general welfare clause. Chapter 2 uses Wickard v. Filburn (1942) and Gonzales v. Raich (2005) to demonstrate the abuse of the clause about regulating interstate commerce. Chapter 3 looks at rescinding private contracts with the 1934 case Home Building & Loan Association v. Blaisdell and the 1935 case Gold Clause Cases. Chapter 4 is an important look at lawmaking by administrative agencies through the 2001 case Whiteman v. American Trucking Association, Inc.

Part two is about eroding our freedoms. Chapter 5 examines the infamous efforts at campaign finance reform and free speech. McConnell v. Federal Election Commission 2005 and Buckley v. Valeo in 1976 are explained clearly. Gun owner rights are discussed in chapter 6 using the 1939 case U.S. v. Miller. Of course we are about to get some kind of ruling from our current Supreme Court about the second amendment. Are they going to affirm our rights, deny them or punt? We don't know yet. Chapter 7 is an important look at our civil liberties versus national security using the case Korematsu v. U.S. from 1944.

Chapter 8 talks about asset forfeiture without due process using Bennis v. Michigan from 1996. Closely related is eminent domain for private use discussed in chapter 9. The authors use the rotten decision Kelo v. City of New London from 2005 and Berman v. Parker from 1954. Taking property by regulation (a real problem nowadays) uses the cases Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York from 1978 and the Tahoe-Sierra Preservation Council, Inc. v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency from 2002 in Chapter 10.

Chapter 11 examines earning an honest living using U.S. v. Carolene Products from 1938 and Nebbia v. New York in 1934. Chapter 12 looks at equal protection and racial preferences using the famous Grutter v. Bollinger case from 2003 and the Regents of the U. of California v. Bakke from 1978. The afterword on "Judicial Activism and Tomorrow's Supreme Court" is very much worth reading.

They offer two postscripts. The first is on Roe V. Wade from 1973 and Bush v. Gore in 2000. They also provide a copy of the Constitution for easy reference. There is also a table of the cases referenced, notes, and a helpful index.

I enjoyed this book and recommend that you read it and wrestle with what the authors say about our government, our Constitution, and our manner of living. This is important and serious stuff that each of us needs to think about and act on.

For their next book, I hope they take on cases where the results were popular, but were still wrongly decided because the Supreme Court should have referred it back to the legislature for resolution.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

You might also want to look at:
The People Themselves: Popular Constitutionalism and Judicial Review

and

The Heritage Guide to the Constitution