Target Books

YES, this excellent book is a basic primer for new students and non-savvy marketing VP's. And maybe that's where some folks should get back to? Back to the basics of reporting to their COO and CEO and CFO the ABC's of Marketing, Publicity and Advertising. WHAT'S THE ROI OF YOUR PLAN?

A= Is it Authorized?

B= Was it Budgeted?

C= Will it be Cost effective?

For too long, too many Marketing, Publicity and Advertising folks have gone to their bosses and submitted proposals as high as 50 million dollars and gotten it. Six months later, the product was pulled from the shelves and the funds had been wasted.

This book is a basic, hard school of knocks which helps a creative person establish and lay out what and how and who will be responsible for budgeting and producing results. There are no shortage of great ideas, great campaigns, great new jingles and slogans coming from top agencies, worldwide - for a hefty multi-million dollar cost.

Having worked for the largest ad and marketing company in the world (which owns almost 100 companies) there are at least a half dozen colleagues whom could care less if the CAMPAIGN produced any sales results. This book puts an end to irresponsible behavior.

You can't have your income of 400k per year anymore if you can't prove the ROI or prove sales were lifted or the P & L benefited! Just because you have a great marketing idea - doesn't mean you get your requested project budget!

YES, my own family's company that we have helped created enduring slogans that MADE MONEY FOR PEOPLE like, "When it rains it pours," for Morton Salt - "Reach out and touch someone," for Bell Telephone (my Uncle Tony Galli) and others like, "A diamond is forever." These ideas and jingles or slogans with campaigns made and make money still for clients - even after 100 years they are still being used today.

What I found in Tim Berry's and Doug Wilson's book and software program is that they are holding people accountable for their proposals. And that is a back to the basics, school desk approach that most CEO's, COO's and CFO's find refreshing. Forecasting is key but so is Actual Results for Sales.

To this day, I can't erase from my mind a senior VP at a major ad agency telling me, "the 20 million dollar campaign we handled was for delivery of an excellent campaign - we have no responsibility or interest in the financial results for the client."

In this case, the client was a Fortune 100 client...

Have you ever heard of a SWOT analysis? If you have, then this book is not for you. This book is very good for an entry level book. The authors have very little successful experience in business plan writing and the tasks they include are elementary. You would be much better off reading and intro to marketing textbook instead. The textbook would cover fundamentals of marketing. I respect the authors background, but most people would be better off with a different book.

This is a great way to get your arms around doing the some times challenging task of writing a marketing plan. It takes you through the process step-by-step and it is filled with great resources, especially the current web sites it suggests. A great way to get that plan accomplished with solid coaching throughout. These guys know what they are doing!

Just like the previous reviewer, I was confused when reading this book and still 1/3 into the material the references and practical application of MS Project was virtually non-existent. In fact, you're more likely to find Excel screenshots that MS Project in over 50% of the book.

Not to be unfair, the provided material is a good basic primer on project management and covers the surrounding techniques broad enough to get an overview. However, if you already own (or use) MS Project, you most likely read similar material before. (Especially if you had to dish out the hundreds of dollars yourself, you should have covered the basics before.)

Overall the tie-in with MS Project is completely misleading as this book does not teach even fundamentals on how to deal with the software. I wish I could say the background makes a few things clearer in my in-frequent use, but frankly it's way to generic for most of the time. Around page 130 was the first time I felt I found about 2 pages worth of interesting material, but that's about the only time.

So for general project management it may be a good basic book with a reasonable price tag. (The only reason I gave it more than one star!) For anything more stay clear of this title and look somewhere else.

I bought this publication because 1) the price seemed reasonable and 2) it's often good to go back over familiar material and learn some new perspectives.
And, though I succeeded on point 1, I was generally disappointed with this publication which seems to be directed at new project managers and yet fails to convince that is has been edited with such an audience in mind.
The title - suggesting that Microsoft Project might get a strong focus - left me somewhat confused. The first 90 or so pages make little reference to Microsoft project and, when they do, do so in a way that suggests the author presupposes a fair degree of familiarity of Microsoft Project. This seems at odds with the previous text which is an almost simplistic view of project management basics.
The terminology seems loose, some of the early examples fail to illuminate the topic and the cartoons that accompnay the test create a 'home published' feel that I don't believe does Microsoft Press many favours.
Those expecting to find a gentle introduction to Microsoft Project will need to perservere beyond the initial chapters. And, even then, when Project is introduced it is done in such terms - without explanation - of "task view", "dependency links", etc which, although in themselves not a problem, are introduced without explanation and apparently with an assumption the reader will understand such terms.
These problems suggest (to me at least) some real problems with identifying the audience for the book: new PMs, experienced PMs but new to MS Project, or other. I was never sure.
This is the kind of book I would recommend to those with no experience in Project Management or MS project. And, if that desribes yourself, this book is a gentle introduction to the techniques of project management. Others familiar with Project management will find the introduction of little value and the segue into the details of MS project abrupt and assuming a familiarity that won't necessarily exist.

I wrote this book and it is supposed to be a book about project management with some tips about using Microsoft Project and other programs effectively to manage projects. It is not intended to be a how-to guide for Microsoft Project from start to finish, although it includes techniques that I use all the time to manage projects. I am a PMI-certified Project Management Professional and I manage projects for clients in many industries. The motivation to write this book came from the advice I've had to provide to new (and some more experienced) project managers on many projects.

The idea is to help people relatively new to project management learn about the tasks they should perform to manage a project successfully and how to use Project and other Microsoft programs practically in those endeavors. For example, some folks break down work into way too much detail and try to track it all in Project. This book explains how to figure out how far to break work down and where to store all the details that don't go into a PRoject schedule.

The book also includes tips for using Word, Excel, Access, and other programs in project management tasks. The book was published by Microsoft Press, hence the reference to Microsoft Project in the book title. I am sorry if the title is misleading--I can't do anything about that.

short book with examples that shows how to do measured moves on stock or futures charts on any time frame. Clear illustrations. I use the info every day. Excellent for the beginners bookshelf, an experienced trader can understand the info just by reading someone else's book.

This trading system is simply a modification of the Rate Of Change (ROC) Oscillator. The difference is that ROC uses 2 closing prices a set number of periods back to determine momentum, while this trading system uses 2 lowest lows separated by a highest high called a regular cycle or in the alternate 2 highest highs separated by a lowest low, called an inverse cycle. The object is to project the next highest high ( or lowest low) through applying the rate of change for the total number of periods between the 2 highest highs or lowest lows. The premise of the book is that the ROC will remain constant for the set number of periods of the previous cycle or inverse cycle as the case may be. If it doesn't then you supposedly have reversal. However the price projection system often is inaccurate and ignores that when price is trending a momentum is lost that price usually resolves in the current direction of the trend.

I understand the reason why noone rates this book. JR has done a great service for us by putting together this concise trading manual describing an elegant straight forward methodology. The pattern has appeared in other books but his emphasis on it and tightening things up from his experience makes it clearly stand out rather than a distraction... refining rough into gold.

This CD-ROM is very cool. It is pretty rudimentary, but if you are learning or refreshing your knowledge of reading music, this is a painless and fun way to do it. It also has tabulature (?), or pictures and descriptions of where to play the notes if you don't want to learn musical notation. Also, you can set the tempo of the sections you play along with, as well as mute any combination of 4 tracks, such as metronome, guitar (example), accompaniment, and (?) rythm section. Graphics are clear and show where on the neck, what fret and what string to play. There's also a "tuner" which plays the notes needed to tune your guitar. Sound quality in general, and of the tuner is fine.

I LOVE THIS ITEM. IT'S TAUGHT ME A LOT. NOW I CAN SIT IN MY ROOM LISTENING TO RECORDINGS OF MINE.

My wife bought me a guitar for my birthday and this book, and I find it extremely frustrating. It assumes I know music notes, and I am a beginner and do not. It said on the cover it shows you how to hold the guitar, it does not. It said on the cover it shows you how to take care of your guitar it does not. The CD will not play on my computer. Mostly I have always wanted to learn guitar and all this has taught me is how to throw a book accross a room.

This is one of the best books on clay shooting as it covers all the various games along with how to deal with the various scenarios. And does so for left and right handers. Has been really, really helpful. Not a lot on guns and accessories, but enough. Does have a good, straight-forward explaination as to how to "fit" a shotgun.

I found this book too advanced for a beginner (like me) and not advanced enough for someone who is at an intermediate or advanced level (my son). For example, the author talks about the parts of the gun, but then neglects to have a diagram of what those parts are. At the same time, his advice is very, very basic, so someone who already knew what they were doing may not get much out of this book. There is always a tip or two that anyone can pick up from reading a book, but I think there are books better suited for either the beginner or a more advanced trap shooter. This one isn't really right for either, in my opinion.

The case studies in Divide & Conquer are without a doubt the most in depth, no holds barred, and realistic that I have ever read. If you are in advertising or marketing and want to get ahead the game you must read this book and put some of the techniques described in your day to day practice. I really enjoyed Webber's book.

Sharon Davenport

The author describes a number of campaigns that he was involved in developing during the course of an interesting career at a number of advertising agencies. Some are interesting, more often then not the conclusions are not conclusive. Perhaps that is reflective of the difficulties of measuring effectiveness from an agency perspective.

Not a must have, but a good light read. I blew through it on a cross country US flight.

I love these crazy plots. Dinosaurs are appearing and disappearing in central London. How and Why? The Doctor is called upon to answer these questions. And of course to save all of mankind. After all, anyone can solve a simple little problem like dinosaurs in modern London, but if all mankind needs saving it takes the Doctor :)

A fun read, the Doctor has Sarah as his companion in this one and the fine folks at UNIT to provide an assist. As with all these novilizations I have read so far there is lots of action, but not a lot of explanation of the thoughts in people's minds that drive these actions. Also as with all these I have read so far it is a quick fun read, a couple hours of enjoyment.

The end could be taken as a bit preachy, but you can just take it at face value and you have a satisfactory conclusion to a fun story.

The TARDIS returns the Doctor and Sarah to London, which is strangely deserted. Trying to stop some looters, they are arrested by soldiers who are part of the force policing martial law. They do not know why London is abandoned, but escaping from captivity, but soon come face-to-face with a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Where did this (and other) dinosaurs come from? Who is behind the return of these mindless creatures?

A Doctor Who serial I have never seen (it was not rated for General Exhibition, so Australia's ABC didn't show it), my only experience of this serial is this novel and some photos. Some of the ideas underlying it are good (I won't explain about how the dinosaurs arrive, as that would give away the book...), but the main problem is that the story is repetitive - every so often, dinosaurs will arrive.

Malcolm Hulke's adaptation of his own script is quite readable despite this repetition.

The Doctor and his companions, Tegan and Turlough, are on their way to a pleasant visit with Tegan's grandfather in 1984. However, upon arrival, it looks like everyone the meet is dressed for the 17th century. Turns out the town is going to reenact a battle from the Civil war.

However, something is wrong (isn't it always when the Doctor is around). Tegan's grandfather is missing and strange things are afoot at the old church. And the reenactment is turning into a far more serious and deadly affair than most of the villagers thought. Oh, and the vargaurd force of an alien invasion is driving the town's leader into madness. Can the Doctor help? Or will evil win the day? Lots of action in this one, with a higher page count than most of the Doctor Who novelizations. Still a quick, fun read though!

The Doctor takes the TARDIS to the village of Little Hodcombe, in order to visit Tegan's grandfather. Initially it appears that they have arrived in the wrong time period, but in fact there is an historical reenactment of a battle during the English Civil War being carried out. But there is something more at work behind the scenes, and Tegan's grandfather is missing...

Based on a 2 episode TV serial by the scriptwriter Eric Pringle, this book seems less rushed than the original series (which probably should have been 3 episodes long). With a little more time and room, the story is better in this form than the televised version.

Unfortunately, the story itself has some problems not uncommon in Doctor Who. The Doctor has two companions, Tegan and Turlough, who each end up with not much to do. Instead, some supporting characters that feature in this story get to do all the companion-type things. One would have hoped that the story could have been written a little differently to allow the regulars larger roles.

However, the idea behind the story is quite a good one, so this particular failing is probably something more likely to be seen in retrospect rather than as the story progresses.

The final part of 'The Trial of a Time Lord', which means you should be looking to ensure you have the rest (that's 'The Mysterious Planet', 'Mindwarp' and 'Terror of the Vervoids'). There is an overarching storyline that continues and develops between the four and the whole makes more sense together.

This story had an odd origin: it was to be written by Robert Holmes, who wrote the first half before falling ill. Tragically, he died shortly thereafter. The second half was then taken up by Doctor Who's then script editor Eric Saward, but tensions between the production team led to Saward's resignation and withdrawal of hios script. So enter Pip and Jane Baker, who also novelise this story, who get to finalise the story.

Featuring both new companion Mel and Sabalom Glitz (who first appeared in 'The Mysterious Planet'), the story is a little bit schizo. The two halves don't necessarily meld well into a whole, the second half being rather less impressive than the first, but having the book written by the same team (rather than two different sets of writers) results in it being more complete in presentation than the serial.

The big thing about this book is that it reveals all the hidden bits within the earlier three, some of which contradicts what we saw earlier. The true version, rather than the doctored version. And there are several surprises, the full nature of which you should read the book to find out.

An explosive tale of fantasy, reality, and sanity blending in the conclusion of the massave Dr. Who story, "Trial of a Time Lord". I can't say enough about this book. The only reason it doesn't have 5 stars is the language. Have a dictionary handy! Whew!

The art is this TPB is so-so. You can tell what you're looking at but it could have been much better. Then there's the stories... I was expecting something along the lines of John Sable FreeLance, but instead got 3 stories that would have made so-so episodes of Law & Order.
Save your money and buy something else. If you're still tempted to buy this TPB, check it out at your local comic book store first.

This first trade of Human Targets is what the Vertigo line is made for, short little stories with a twist in them. You get three stories in this trade dealing with everything from baseball and steroids to 9/11 to violent movies all with intelligence and interest to match. This is what a Vertigo/ mature comic book should be.