Organizations Books

I found McGuckin's book very interesting, readable, and informative.

Cyril of Alexandria is probably one of the most underappreciated saints in the West, and this book goes a long way to show his importance, especially in the area of Christology. McGuckin does a great job in Chapters 2 and 3 explaining both Nestorius' and Cyril's conflicting theologies. He takes the at times subtle and at times downright confusing debates of the early 5th century and explains them in such a way as to be understandable to the modern reader. Note, however, that this is not an intro book to these topics, McGuckin does assume the reader has a basic understanding of the issues involved before he delves more deeply into them.

The reason I am giving this book 4 stars instead of 5, however, is due to Chapter 4, in which McGuckin writes about the ecumenical reception of Cyril's work after his death, especially at Chaldedon. I understand that he is an Orthodox priest, and as such, will have a different perspective of Chalcedon than most in the West. However, I felt this Chapter was simply reactionary: he simply found every opportunity to denigrate Pope Leo's (very important) contribution to Chalcedon, and to act like Leo's Tome was basically inconsequential to the proceedings. While it may be true that Leo's contribution is overstated at times in the West, McGuckin seems to be more interested in attacking the West's perception than he is of simply recounting the actual history in an objective manner.

One of McGuckin's goals in his scholarship has been to rehabilitate Cyril in contemporary scholarship. Many people (especially in Western Europe and America) have demonized Cyril and have overemphasized the role of power politics in the Council of Ephesus. McGuckin portrays Cyril much more sympathetically. As an Easterner, he looks at Cyril much more highly than those of the West and he is able to point out times when Westerners get Cyril wrong.

This is not an intro book for those who know nothing of the issues surrounding the Council of Ephesus, however if you have a basic grasp of Church History and are interested in this particular controversy, I would highly reccomend it.

McGuckin writes with complete lucidity about very complicated dogmatic issues. Anyone who has struggled with the issues of Ephesus and Chalcedon will benefit from McGuckin's analyses. There is plenty of history here too, but the author is at his best at conceptual analysis. He clearly is on Cyril's side in the debates of the era, and presents Cyril as a champion of not only the divinity of Jesus, but also of his true and complete humanity.

For a book on such a heavy subject the book is remarkably well written, readable and enjoyable. McGuckin does a very fine job of interweaving history and theology, keeping the political and dogmatic dramas in balanced perspective. I am a novice in this area so I cannot judge whether McGuckin's conclusions are correct, but the work seems to be fair and scholarly. He clearly writes from an Eastern Orthodox and pro-Cyril perspective but presents material that causes difficulties for his views as well. Of particular interest is his finely nuanced discussion of the complicated role of the Pope in this early chuch controversy.

The book provides a detailed and well written presentation of the often confusing events connected with the Council of Ephesus (431AD) and has two chapters analyzing the theology of Cyril and Nestorius. There is also a good selection of hard to find writings by Cyril and his contemporaries (over 150pp). The author works to offset the generally negative modern outlook on Cyril and to make understandable the very high esteem in which this important Church Father and his theology were held by much of the Early Church.

In a world awash with quick fixes, this book is a welcome change. The Clover Practice is so simple. You can remember it without getting the book off the shelf, but don't be lulled into thinking it's simplistic. Anyone who really tells the truth, speaks from their own point of view and realizes how interdependent everything is is someone who has achieved a lot.

The minute your boss tells you to tell someone they're not in or that they just left, you know from that point on that you can't trust that person to be square with you. People shoot themselves in the foot by not being honest even in small things.

Also, it's the perfect book to come out during the most important election in the history of this country. I would like to see all the candidates' actions and words held up against the Clover Practice and have people cast their votes accordingly.

I manage a large administrative unit in a large organization and we just ordered ten copies of Staying Healthy in Sick Organizations: The Clover Practice for my staff (I may order more!). If everyone really followed The Clover Practice, workplaces would be very different. I am totally committed to openness and transparency, so the clover leaf Tell the Truth, Always grabbed my attention. It's not as easy as it sounds! The book provides good advice on the "how" of being honest.

There's a lot that goes along with Declaring Your Interdependence. It can be really difficult to convince employees that it's in our best interest personally to help other people be successful. The author shares some personal stories about how our destinies are interlocked as employees of the same organization. As she says, the connections can be hard to see.

I found the section on doing your adult homework very interesting. Anyone who fills out the questionnaire on their experiences growing up will have a lot to think about. This is a book you can read on a weekend and carry it with you (literally and figuratively) to the office on Monday. If you've ever worked a day in your life, you'll find yourself somewhere in the book. I highly recommend it!

This should be a best seller, and will certainly be of great help to everyone who reads it. I wish I'd had something like this when I was working for corporations. The principles Dr Paris advocates, if followed, would be helpful in personal relations as well as business situations. Bravo!

Hardly ever a book empowers people -all workers regardless occupation and status - to challenge unhealthy and stressful work and organizational practices that impact their health and wellbeing. The Clover Practice(tm) is a clearly-written book for anyone engaged with unhealthy organizations (the vast majority). This book presents basic and realistic steps towards redefining the individual work environment that will lead to higher levels of personal health and satisfaction and in the end healthier places to work.

I love this book! I always find that the best books take what is meandering about in your head--then when you see the words, you're like: Yea. Wow!... That's so true. How come I didn't think of that, or express it? And it's even better when the book provides solutions. This book does all that and also has that Must-Keep-Reading factor.

Who among us, often serving simultaneously in both roles of nonprofit executive and board member, would not relate in a heartbeat to Light's seven "realities" and four "questions of great governance?" The importance and usefullness of Mark's insights and tested plan are immeasurable to all of us who wrestle daily with this #1, always-in-your-face management challenge. Check it out!

What are the characteristics of an effective and powerful board? For Mark Light, it is a board that is "visionary about the future, explicit in delegating that future into the present, clear about the tasks that must be executed today, and disciplined about monitoring performance." It "...focuses its energy on making sure that the organization achieves its chosen destiny."

The process for creating such a board is the focus of The Strategic Board. In Light's view, the ideal board builds its agenda around the creation and implementation of a governance plan consisting of four sub-plans:

1. a leadership plan, articulating vision, mission, strategies, critical issues (he calls these "imperatives"), and success indicators;

2. a delegation plan, defining the responsibilities and performance standards of the board (including its members, officers, and committees) and executive director;

3. a twelve-month management plan for the board and for each functional area of the organization stating annual objectives, challenges to be addressed, and budget;

4. a "vigilance plan," that serves as a monitoring schedule and provides the main agenda items the board's meetings for the coming year.

The book includes examples of each type of plan, drawn from the theatre company where the author serves as executive director and from a Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization. The examples are very helpful in following the logic of each planning process.

In an interesting introduction, Light suggests that any effort to improve nonprofit governance must take into account seven realities of nonprofit organizations:

1. part-time volunteer directors are able to give only limited time to the tasks of governance;

2. boards operate with something less than perfect knowledge, creating a dilemma for the both the board and executive director as they must each be both servant and leader to the other;

3. boards tend to be fairly large, making decision-making a lengthy and complicated process;

4. for many boards, the skills, knowledge, and attitudes required for effective governance are not seen as a prerequisite for recruitment;

5. there are few consequences for poor performance, and little recognition for excellent board performance;

6. consistency and continuity are problems for many boards from year-to-year and even from meeting-to-meeting due to poor attendance and turnover of members and officers;

7. nonprofit organizations are led by relatively inexperienced executive directors. (based on an article from Board Member which is available online at [URL]

The author draws upon a number of sources in nonprofit literature to support his thesis, making the endnotes a useful link to follow-up reading. He also sprinkles the text with the wisdom of motivational writers and speakers. This will be enjoyed by readers who are inspired by such writing. Personally, I think these oversimplified inspirational messages detract from the otherwise strong and thoughtful text.

Overall, there is much in this book to stimulate creative thinking. The concepts are well-explained and illustrated with good examples. On the negative side, it suffers from too much jargon (e.g. "high-impact governance") and like so many "how-to" books, tends to underestimate the time and effort necessary to transform intentions into action. Still, it is a serious and thoughtful effort to build boards capable of the leadership needed by strong and effective organizations. Most executive directors and board members will find some new and challenging ideas to consider.

Literally dozens of books about boards have come out in the past few years. This one stands out from the crowd because it's written by a seasoned and successful nonprofit executive with a pragmatic and reality-based approach to governance. If you're a nonprofit executive, this book acknowledges the limitations and frustrations of nonprofit governance, then gives concrete suggestions for turning your board into a high-impact team. If you serve on a nonprofit board, you'll be informed and inspired by the author's concept of strategic governance. The Strategic Board should be in every nonprofit executive's briefcase!

From Light's, "Seven Realities of NonProfit Boards to, "Closing Thoughts," this step by step guide is loaded with both practical and cutting edge strategies for organizational success. As a direct result of the principles contained in this guide to high impact governance, our nonprofit fund raising agency is posting stunning gains in a highly competitive community investment arena where everything is measured and outcomes count. The breadth, depth and scope of the information is exceptionally well written and follows a logical progression from case statement, vision and values to governance, delegation and management plus everything in between! Like that jar of pasta sauce, it's in there! Whether you are new to nonprofits or a seasoned pro, The Strategic Board contains the tools for transformational leadership. One of the closing quotes in the Guide is from James Barksdale who states, "The main thing is to make sure the main thing is still the main thing." Light accomplishes this masterfully in this extraordinary work.

If you are a nonprofit board member or an executive staff person in a nonprofit . . . buy this book today . . .put it into action by tomorrow . . .it is the answer to your most pressing issues.

Nonprofit governance is one of the most interesting creatures alive. Board members, though caring and committed, have limited time and energy to devote to the pressing issues facing nonprofits. Executive Directors of Nonprofits are always trying to figure out just what it is that their board members want from them.

The Strategic Board gives Boards and Executive Staff a proven model to overcome the obstacles and challenges inherent in nonprofits. And, it gives it a way to keep it alive and to check your progress . . . and fits in with the limited staff time and board time available.

Don't miss a chance with this book.

This is a great reference resource for those interested in Fund Raising. Simone does a wonderful job pulling resources from all over the development world together in this text. Then she critically questions their impact and ramifications. Finally, she takes fund development beyond the practices of raising money and into relationships and leadership. It is a well rounded text and worth the purchase.

I have been building my professional library and count Simone's book as a "must have" and "most often consulted" on a wide range of topics. This book is in my top 5 list and on any reading list that I prepare as an adjunct to presentations. The theoretical concepts supported by practical examples makes this book a most useful resource for the new and seasoned development professional. As the number of fundraising resources grow there are numerous books on special topics. For this reason and due to the caliber of this book, I hope that it remains widely available. Pearl Veenema (Toronto, Canada)

As someone who has been a subscriber to Simone Joyaux's newsletter over the last two years, I knew that her book would offer me many valuable insights into how to do my job as the Chairman of a non-profit cultural institution better. Indeed, Ms. Joyaux's book took the goal of building long term, profitable relationships-the lifeline for any non-profit-and broke it down into a step-by-step road map that our instituion was able to put into effective use immediately. All that non-profits need to know to become more financially sound is contained in this straightforward, comprehensive guide. The real life illustrations make the advice and guidance extremely compelling. An indespensible tool for serious fund-raisers!

If you are a development director, a board member, or an Executive Director of a nonprofit organization (or someone just interested in learning more about development), you should waste no time and purchase this book. It is very comprehensive and has lots of practical tools you can use. I find myself grabbing for this book over and over. It is a wonderful, must have resource!

An important work if we are to be serious about positioning our institutions for the future. Joyaux has captured the essence of what we as development professionals should understand and be prepared to address as we look to the 21st century.

This was the first book I had read on family businesses and I found Ed Hess's insights very useful. As a consultant who works with many family owned and/or operated businesses, the book helped me understand the ins and outs of such businesses in a clear and concise fashion. I recommend it for anyone who wants to understand the unique nuances of family-owned businesses and ensure the long term success of them.

I have not only studied this fine text, but I have bought copies for four friends with family businesses. I am personally aware of many of the pitfalls associated with a family business, but reading this book increased the breadth of my awareness greatly. And, most important, it provided great insight into how to deal with these many issues. I believe strongly that being forewarned is being forearmed, and this book provides invaluable warnings and solutions regarding family business challenges. I personally believe it is a must read for all members, direct and indirect, of family businesses.

As a Financial Services professional focused on advising Ultra-High Net Worth individuals and families during and after significant liquidity events, I have been witness to the issues that arise prior to, during, and after the sale of a family business. Ed Hess has thoroughly explored the realities that families must face when creating a succession plan. Hess also thoroughly discusses the typical exit options that exist for business owners as well as the qualitative considerations that families should explore before selling a business. I highly recommend this book and plan to use it as a reference tool on an on-going basis.

Acquainted with Prof. Hess, I was looking forward to reading the book, as it is on a subject with which I was not fully familiar. I was not dissappointed. Straightforward, well organized and with great case studies, I believe I now better understand this specialized area of business. I recomment this book for anyone working in or advising a family business, and am lending my copy to a good friend with a considerable family business interest.

This book represents a complete summary of relevant, major issues facing any family business. Each of these issues will be actively managed or at least contemplated in the life of any family business and the long term success and viability of the organization is dependent on how or if the issue is resolved. Ed Hess provides thought provoking guidance on how to deal with each problem encountered. He points out the relationship and dependency of many of the issues to each other and the need for timeliness in addressing the subjects. This book is a must read for CEO's and Directors of growing family businesses.

There are now more than 1 million nonprofit organizations in the United States. The fundraising industry provides one in every ten jobs and is one of the
fastest-growing segments of the economy. In Successful Fundraising, nationally recognized expert Joan Flanagan gives readers the information they need to capture a
fair share of available fundraising dollars. Community volunteers and professional fundraisers alike will find helpful tips and advice on time-proven fundraising
techniques and the most profitable new ways to successfully raise money.

Are you looking to raise $1,000-or $1,000,000-for a particular cause, group, or charity? Successful Fundraising by Joan Flanagan will arm you with the information you
need to capture your organization's fair share of available fundraising dollars.

Whether you are a community volunteer or a professional fundraiser, expert Joan Flanagan offers helpful tips and advice cm gaining access to funds, building
relationships with donors, raising more money in a shorter period of time, and developing a more productive fundraising organization.

Packed with real-litc examples from the author's extensive fundraising experience, this essential handbook is complete with planning guidelines, sample worksheets and
timetables, and all-new information on using the Internet, F-mail, websites, and on-line auctions as fundraising tools. It also includes expanded sections that cover
working with celebrities to raise funds and winning corporate dollars. All the tools you need to plan, create, and execute a successful fundraising effort are included in
this comprehensive guide.

Successful Fundraising is a great resource for non-profit agencies! It is very easy to read, straightforward, and actually a fun read too! Joan gives great examples and stories to illustrate her points.

I recently had the opportunity to attend one of Joan's courses - and she is just as wonderful and helpful in person. She presents the daunting tasks of fundraising in simple language, common sense and humor.

This book should be the "bible" of every non-profit fundraiser!

I'm not a professional fundraiser, but I plan to become involved in nonprofits, and this book was great! I know of some nonprofits that get all of their money from corporate donations and then complain about not having enough money. This isn't the way to do it, according to Ms. Flanagan. In order to be a successful fundraiser, you need to ask, ask, ask, and you need to provide many different ways for different people to give. Flanagan goes into many aspects of the game, including how to send follow up letters, when to ask, how often to ask, and different ways of making it easy to get big gifts. I especially liked the way she talks about the psychology of rich people and poor people, and how both tend to give in different ways. She tells us never to make decisions for givers--just ask, present them with the different options, and let them decide. Great advice.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get involved with charity. The marginal profit from the first day will probably cover the cost of this book many times over.

This book provides the reader with time tested ideas on how to raise dependable money from a variety of sources. I really liked this book a lot. I don't know that I can say I like it quite as much as Fundraising for Social Change (ISBN: 0787984558), Fundraising Basics (ISBN: 0763734462), or Effective Fundraising for Nonprofits (ISBN: 1413300944). But it comes close. This book is very well written and well organized.

In Chapter 1 at Figure 1.3 we are introduced to the Individual Donor Development (IDD) diagram that includes the following eight levels (level 1 at the bottom and level 8 at the top):

1. Individual prospects - potential donations
2. Clients - fees for service
3. Customers - product sales
4. Guests - special events
5. Annual donors and members - direct mail, email, the Internet, phone calls
6. Pledgers and frequent donors - credit card and payroll deductions
7. Major donors - person-to-person requests, clubs, memorials, and honorary gifts
8. Planned-gift donors - bequests, insurance, and life income plans

The author has written her book around the IDD diagram. As a result, this book flows very well. It has a wonderful introduction, a good start, and moves logically to the end. After reading this book you should have a good grasp of fundamental principles of fundraising. You should be able to design a sound written fundraising plan. And you should be confident to move forward by implementing the plan you have written. A wonderful book I have read that will coach you in your attempt to write a good fundraising plan is "The Fundraising Planner" (ISBN: 0787944351).

Are you wondering if your NPO is on the right track regarding its fundraising efforts? If so, take a look at pages 19 and 20 in this book where you will find the author's Fundraising Strategy Planning worksheet. After plugging and chugging info into this worksheet you will know how your organizaton is doing and how it can improve. Also, for an overview of the fundraising process in general examine page 21. It's also where the author explains her book and what it is about.

There is no mention of capital campaigns in this book. And prospect research and how to do it is not covered very well. But other books do a good job on these topics. See "Capital Campaigns" (ISBN: 0763730505) regarding CC's. And see "Fundraising Basics" referred to above, and "Building a Strong Foundation" (ISBN: 0871012499) regarding prospect research. I haven't read it, but there is a book devoted to prospect research. See "Prospect Research" (ISBN: 0763751030).

I noticed a few times in the book the following concept: The tried-and-true fundraising system that still works the best is to (1) give your own donation, (2) then ask people you know for money face-to-face, and (3) then send a personal Thank-You note. If you read this book you will get the information you need in order to raise money. It will provide you with the know-how to do it. First, build a broad base of small donors, and then build a longterm relationship with the best ones. It's really just that simple. 5 stars!

I felt this book was reasonably priced and offered a wide array of helpful fundraising advice -- especially for the small to mid-sized nonprofit. It covers a lot of the basics in a writing style that is pleasant to read.

Summary:

This book is mainly about how to switch on the employees and customers become inspired, passionate and alive, so that the organization could earn profits. Thus a question would be raised, how to create such a passion in an organization?

The answer would be regulating employees and customers by the leader in the organization. There are both the internal side and external side.

Internally, a leader should guide the values system, promote leadership in all levels, renew them regularly and care everyone in the organization. In an organization, a strong foundation should be built and a goal should be set. Also, it should simplify the structure of organization and make use of technology to measure and enhance the efficiency of process, so that the organization could run smoothly. The organization should also need to nurture their employees to build a winning team, the head and heart should be hired by the organization, thus the organization should provide resources for them to learn and compensate their contribution. Moreover, the organization should try to make everyone feel special, so that the workforce would able to work hard and loyal to the organization.

Externally, it¡¦s not easy for the organization to tackle with the customers as each customer has their unique emotion, needs and desired. Thus the organization should employ a new rules, present the choices for customer to choose, provide customerized service and develop personal relationship with them.

Comment:

I think this book is really great as it¡¦s easy to understand and I get many feelings after reading the book.

For the leader part, I agree that it¡¦s really a hard job to be a leader as the leader should be a person who is able to energize the team members, able to be divided the job equally according to their strength and wants. There is no ¡§perfect¡¨ person in the world, so a leader should contain both competent, able to deal with personal relationship that include dealing with the conflicts between the team members.

Also, a leader needs to energize the others. Just as Horst Schulze in Ritz-Carlton said, ¡§he said a leader is hardly to find someone to energize himself.¡¨ Thus a leader should energize by renew themselves.

In real life, I have tutorial with a 7 years-old girl and I¡¦m just like a leader whereas she is just like an employee. It¡¦s not easy to control her as she thinks that learning is a difficult and hard job for her. If she finishes two works today, she needs to work three in the other days. Thus, she would not like to finish the work and shows a very slow speed, lack of passionate attitude to me. It¡¦s really annoying to me as I do not know how to deal with her.

Thus, after watching this book, I learn something. I try to let her know that homework is her responsibility as a student. She plays happily in school with her friends and so she also needs to do her homework, happy and homework is together. No matter how difficult, she needs to finish all for everyday. Of course, it is not an easy to let her understand as she is just 7 years-old girl. So I use many examples to illustrate, e.g. I tell her what¡¦s the responsibility for me, her parents, etc. Also, her friends are able to do her homework without the others¡¦ help, so she is lucky that there is somebody helping or accompanying to do the homework. Moreover, I try to increase her interest to do the homework by giving her stickers. I design a table to make record. I hope that these all tools could help me to solve the problem.

One of the most important things in life or business is a sense of optimism and possibility. This book helped me renew mine in a big way. I recommend it highly.

One of the most important things in life or business is a sense of optimism and possibility. This book helped me renew mine in a big way. I recommend it highly.

This is one of the most inspirational, motivating, and empowering management books available. After reading just a few pages, you find yourself picking up other copies to give to coworkers, clients, and friends.

Dow and Cook have found the ingredients to successfully attract, excite, and retain employees focused on customer-centric goals. Having read their insights, I now know why companies such as Marriott and Schwab are so successful. An excellent, must-read.

A great book with stories that exemplify the main ideas contained in the book. Contains an "Insight to Action" after each chapter which helps you apply the concepts. If anyone is interested in finding ways to provide extaordinary service to customers, or become a better leader, read this book.

If you are looking to lead a sales driven organization, company or team and are more effective in selling when you have a deep understanding of what you are doing and why it makes sense, you will not find a better, more grounded or more solid book than Don McNamara's "Visionary Sales Leadership."

- Mark Goulston
"Leading Edge"
FAST COMPANY magazine
and author, Get Out of Your Own Way at Work... and Help Others Do the Same : Conquering Self-Defeating Behavior on the Job

It is an easy to read insightful book that should remain in your bookshelf for years to come."

He hits the nail on the head! Corporate leaders need to read this book so they can understand and manage their sales operation. The myths he exposes are widely held beliefs that are totally false. Highly recommended.

Don McNamara in Visionary Sales Leadership exposes traditional sales myths. In their place he provides an objective approach to evaluating your sales strategy. This is a book about building a sales leadership team based on integrity, product knowledge, and skilled salesmanship.

Consideration is given to compensation based performance, top-down sales forecasting. The author asks hard questions, such as, what are the consequences of in-house promotions? What safeguards must be taken when hiring from the competition. Who sets the standards for the team leader? What are the by-products of proactive learning?

Two unique features of the book are "The Bottom Line" and the "Observations and Notes" pages. The bottom line sums up the material covered in the chapter in a succinct paragraph. This is followed with a page for the reader to record personal notes and action steps for follow up.

McNamara is a true professional. He has developed innovative insights drawn from personal observations and experience gained from a successful career in sales, sales management, training, and consulting.

I highly recommend this book for company presidents, top line management, CEO's, and all those who make up a part of the team making final decisions relating to the sales organization.

This is a book to be read, reread and studied. The material can then be incorporated in staff training for both the management and sales leadership team members.

Superb!

A colleague afforded me the honor of reviewing his new book prior to publication. Don McNamara and I have gotten to known each other over the past four years through several professional organizations - The Association of Professional Consultants, the Institute of Management Consultants, The Professional Speakers Association, and our own Mastermind Group. My own background includes extensive periods of time in sales leadership positions in some of the world's largest semiconductor companies. Based on my experiences in sales as well as other functions within these organizations, I can heartily endorse the work McNamara has done in this new book.

The subtitle for this book is "How Senior Executives Erase Status Quo Myths and Build Superior Sales Organizations." McNamara then goes on to present ten typical myths surrounding the sales functions in many (if not all) organizations. These myths, if you buy into them, will indeed manage to hold back your organization's growth and evolution. McNamara explains in a clear, straight-from-the-shoulder style exactly how each Myth manifests itself in an organization, what business processes aid and abet the Myth, and how to break out of the destructive pattern.

This book is not a "how to sell" book. Bookstore shelves are filled to overflowing with many such books. Instead, McNamara points to the critical issue of how the sales function is viewed by and integrated into a healthy company. Properly aligning the sales function (or Demand Generation as some companies refer to the sales function) is critical to our success in the new global economy, and this book will provide a good starting point for a comprehensive program of change initiation and management.
It is likely that your company, as a whole, does not suffer from ALL ten of these Myths; yet I am willing to wager that all ten are represented by individual leaders within your company. And some of these Myths are known to many sales leaders who have simply not figured out how to change the status quo. Reading and understanding the ten sales Myths and implementing remedial actions found in Visionary Sales Leadership will better position your company for the hyper-competitive ever changing global market of the new world.

In the arguments about taxation of Internet sales, I am firm in believing that they should be taxed. For some time, I have thought that the only protection that net companies needed was from themselves. Launched without a great deal of forethought, market research or even a viable plan, many of them are now crashing. Business on the Internet is no different that any other business, and since that is the foremost point of this book, it is indeed one that could have made a significant difference if it had been published and read two years ago.
The author, a Professor of Information Systems at Carnegie Mellon, was one of the first professors at a top-ranked school to teach the business uses of the Web. The approach in this book is all business, with Return On Investment (ROI), Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) equations being used to make the points. There is not one word of hype in this entire book. If there is one thing that has been so clearly lacking in the explosion of dot-com companies, it has been this lack of management by equation. Guerrilla marketing and fancy ads will get you noticed, but only a positive balance sheet will keep you alive long enough for it to matter.
The remainder of the book covers the modeling of a business constructed on the web using two that he has created, www.datingexpert.com and www.yesnomaybe.com. Both deal with online dating/meeting services and the models of need, perceived value and potential revenue points are "classic" studies in how to plan and execute a business model based on user-generated information. One of the most valuable pointers which shows how much the author truly manages the sites are the data points about how people find the site. For example, on page 177 there is the caption, "Only 1.3 percent of my Web sites' traffic is due to users guessing the site's address." I did find myself wishing that he had shared more information as to how this data was acquired.
While the business models used on the Web are different in degree from those offline, they are not different in kind. The basic rules of business still apply and as the author repeats so many times, it is what you do offline that matters. Lose sight of the business equations and the points where you add value and your company will be another dot.com Titanic.

This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in creating websites with great business value. As a server-side applications developer, I've been mainly concerned with exploiting the web as a technological medium. This book opened my eyes to the web as an information medium, strategically used to improve a company's bottom line. It truly delivers on its claim -- [serving as] "a bridge from technical understanding to business savvy".

The book is extremely well-organized and has tons of practical knowledge and insight. Furthermore, all the principles are illustrated using easy to follow, real life examples. Excellent throughout -- highly recommended!

Until reading this book I thought I had a good understanding of what it took to design the underlying strategy and processes supporting commercial web sites. After reading this book I clearly saw how wrong I was.

The approach set forth in this incredible book is straightforward and focused solely on business imperatives. I suspect that the author and publisher realized that the title would attract IT professionals and consultants, which accounts for the inclusion of business 101. I almost skipped over this part and am glad I didn't. Even here what I thought I knew about business turned out to be superficial. The education you will receive in Business 101 goes well beyond the basics and I recommend that everyone read this regardless of whether you are an IT professional or have a business background. You might just discover that you've been misapplying common techniques such as NPV, IRR and ROI, or using the results in erroneous ways. In other words, the section titled "Business 101" is much, much more.

I loved the author's approach to value chain analysis, which is straightforward and based on a simple, but effective, notational language. Here, like in every other chapter, I learned techniques that will serve me well in general consulting assignments outside of web business engineering.

The web business engineering methodology itself is one of the leanest, most effective processes that I've ever encountered. I can only describe it as elegant. It's a blueprint for success when success is measured by how well a system is aligned to business strategy and goals. If you follow the method and resist the temptation to take shortcuts you will be rewarded with a system that meets all of your requirements and objectives whatever they may be - and you'll know exactly what the value of that system is to your organization.

A few observations about this book: (1) Give yourself plenty of time to read through this book and work through each example. It took me four times as long as it would for a book of approximate page count and topic complexity. If you're unwilling to make this commitment, perhaps you should pass this book up. (2) I fully agree with the author and a previous reviewer that web systems projects should be managed by business instead of IT. (3) If you're an IT professional get this book and read it from cover to cover - even if you never work on a web project you'll receive an incredible education in business factors and requirements analysis that will serve you well on *any* project. As a fellow IT professional I will assure you that this book will change your outlook.

This book is among the best I've read on any topic or subject and should be required reading for anyone who is assigned to a web project. It's also, in my opinion, one of the most important books published in the past few years.

The author provides a business-oriented (and technology-free) approach to engineering an on-line presence that is effective and should set the standard for a methodology for how to go about such projects. This is embodied in a framework that is defined by four principles (1) work is a combination of physical and informational activities, (2) informational work is accomplished by propagating content, (3) valuable and innovative content can be found in existing manual methods, and (4) an on-line strategy should be based on off-line advantages. These principles are simple, yet powerful. They are also not as easy to adhere to as they seem, which becomes apparent when you begin mapping activities in subsequent chapters.

There are so many things I like about this book, so I'll stick with the highlights. First, the differences between the way IT/IS and business units approach projects are carefully examined. Understanding these differences will make or break a web project, and as an IT professional I fully agree with the author that IT is the wrong organizational unit to lead and manage web projects. Their role should be relegated to that of support.

Second, the author leads you through the basics of value chain analysis, business factors and financial analysis. This is an excellent refresher for business professionals and is essential reading for IT professionals, especially those who claim to be business analysts. I learned a great deal from the discussion on ROI, NPV and IRR. These are not new knowledge areas for me, but learning about the fallacies and pitfalls inherent in each approach that can trap you or lead you to bad decisions was priceless.

What I learned the most from was the Quick Primer on Diagnosing Problems and Opportunities. As in the rest of the book the author uses case studies to reinforce the concepts and principles. In this case you are led through a mailing cost analysis and some of the results are surprising. For example, after all of the cost drivers are mapped out on a spreadsheet you play with some variables and discover that commonsense properties of the model do not necessarily act in commonsense ways. Doubling productivity (assuming it is possible to coax such a thing from humans) only yielded a 2.5% reduction in costs. Using cheaper labor actually cost more in the particular model. As an aside, the model was not contrived to create these counter-intuitive results - it is a plain vanilla cost model that you would commonly encounter or build. In this chapter you are introduced to a step-by-step process that shows how to effectively perform a cost analysis and find the true drivers that can be changed to reduce or avoid costs.

A caveat about this book: it can be easily read, but is merely interesting unless you take the time to carefully step through each case. If, however, you take your time and work through the problems and trace the value chains--a tedious task--you will find that this book has many chapters that are profound. That's a strong word, but in my opinion an accurate one. I've applied the approach in this book on a real-life project and can attest that it works extraordinarily well - and that's the highest compliment one can pay to an author.

Building effective business systems and web applications requires an understanding of not only technology, but also the organization and the processes in which it will be implemented.

Nick Flor, a Professor of Information Systems at Carnegie Mellon's Graduate School of Industrial Administration, argues that to create high-value business web sites requires business as well as technical knowledge. He draws a distinction between a mere web site, which he says, exchanges information and a business web site, which exchanges value - it generates significant revenues and/or drastically pares expenses.

He says three skills are required is proposed for systematically molding the Web to the specific requirements of the specific business.

1. General Business Knowledge.
2. An ability to analyze and diagnose business activities.
3. An ability to design Web treatments to address those activities.

To equip Web entrepreneurs and consultants with these requisite skills, Flor organizes his book into four sections:

1. Web Business 101 - This section covers the first business skill - the big picture. This general business primer includes a discussion of Return on Investment, Net Present Value, Payback, Internal Rate of Return, production, distribution and the effects of competition.
2. Web Business Engineering - Using the knowledge acquired in the first section, the book proposes a methodology that links technical knowledge with business specific knowledge.
3. Case Studies Putting Offline Activities Online
4. Case Studies Applying Web Business Engineering to Online Activities

Stick with the book until you reach the case studies. They add value to the first two sections.

This well-written book sheds important light on web development. By focusing on the author's definition of "value", managers and development teams will avoid aping successful online companies, building instead, systems that address what companies should be doing online based on their offline activities.

This book caused me great dissatisfaction with the way our church was going. It was the start of our continuing journey from a program based church to a cell church that is Christ centered and peoople oriented. Have you ever read one of those books that had timeless messages? Well like His book the Shepherds guidebool this is the grand daddy of them all.
If you don't want to be pushed from you comfort zone and believe God for greater things don't, please don't read this book. If you must buy one then amazon is the place to do it.

This is an exciting apologetic for cell churches as opposed to the PBC (program based church) approach. Neighbor powerfully argues against models of the church that leave members sitting and soaking, and in favor of real community and ministry for all Christians.

Neighbor is very taken with the Yonggi Cho model, which I am not committed to, but the main point of the book is the need to get back to every member ministry. Unless the church in America makes a conscious committment to restore this central New Testament imperative, we are doomed to ongoing anemia, and self-centered Christianity.
-Dennis McCallum, author Organic Disciplemaking: How to promote Christian leadership development through personal relationships, biblical discipleship, mentoring, and Christian community

Great book that gave me a lot of insight to what the cell group church is doing around the globe. It shared with me some of the differences between a traditional church and a church of cell groups. Having a church with small (cell) groups to being a church of small groups is totally different and Ralph Neighbor helped explain the differences between these two mindsets in his book Where Do We Go From Here? I have a clearer picture of where I need to go from here but God help me in this. It is a drastically different church than what I see around me but I do believe that the church will need to change to be more effective in the future.

Where Do We Go From Here has been an answer to prayer and a confirmation of the vision God has given to me for my ministry. Below are just some of the insights that I have received from this book. You really owe it to yourself to read this book.

I consider this book to be one of my greatest tools in my ministry. I am starting my own Church and this is the model I plan to use. Please email me and let me know if my review has inspired your to purchase the book. CliffEOTC@netscape.net

What are the benefits of a Cell Group Church over that of a Traditional Style Church?

1. Cell Group Churches are more efficient than traditional churches. In the traditional church, only 10% to 15% of the membership are engaged in the tasks required to make the Church function. After the teachers, administrators, musicians, etc., have been pulled out of the total membership, the rest are expected to be faithful members. If an automobile engine were rated at 15% efficiency, it would never see the light of day. The contrast between this misuse of Christians and the New Testament church, where 100% were involved, is scandalous. In the Cell Group Church, everyone is involved ministry, even the children.

2. Cell Group Churches are based on the Scriptural concept of community. The essence of community is a sense of belonging. There is a powerful Christian comaraderie established when people belong to each other in a cell group. This cannot be equaled in a church which assembles people in large groups. People look after one another, and they share the ministry of reachingthe unconverted as a community task.

3. Cell Group Churches focus on the importance of prayer for their ministries. Half nights of prayer are commonplace among cell groups. As much as one third to one half of the time spent in their gatherings is devoted to prayer. Because of this focus on prayer, it is common for many to find Spiritual, Emotional, and Physical healing as a result of a cell group who has a deep commitment to prayer.

4. Cell Group Churches are not limited by the size of a church building. It is obvious that most traditional churches are limited by the size of their buildings. For some, the original building is used for generations. For others, a spurt of growth requires a massive building fund drive and a small addition of space. The success of a church is often measured by how packed the auditorium is, rather than by the number of people who are brought to personal faith. When cell group churches do construct space, it is clearly created for the purpose of equipping, and not for attracting, members.

5. Cell Group Churches are focused on evangelism that includes the powerful witness of Christ working within His body, beyond the traditional presentation of the "plan of salvation." The "ungifted" and the "unbelievers" of 1 Corinthians 14:24-26 are once again, as in the early church, exposed to the amazing power of they body of Christ, where all are involved in the process of edification. Once again it has become commonplace for these seekers to fall on their faces and say, "Surely God is among you!" The form of evangelism that takes place in a Cell Group Church is as old as the book of Acts!

6. Another benefit of a Cell Group Church is that the gospel is offered by non-professional hands, the hands of friends or neighbors, not outsiders. With this being the case, suspicion of the Christian clergy is not present when people in the community are the bearers of the gospel. It is not uncommon for cell groups to see conversions on a weekly basis.

7. Because cell groups are battlefields where people are set free from strongholds, it is commonplace for a cell group meeting to focus on a Biblical teaching related to a life problem. While the Traditional Church will focus on these issues in a sermon, the cell group calls each member to be accountable. Many times a cell group leader will ask, "What is the state of your life concerning this issue?"

There are many more benefits of a Cell Group Church over that of a Traditional Style Church. Please understand that I am not saying that the Traditional Church is completely ineffective. It is just that E.O.T.C. believes that the Cell Group style of ministry is a better means of reaching out to the growing number of people who are lost and need to find eternal life in Jesus Christ.

It has never been, nor will it ever be our desire to take people from other churches to build the size of our Church. While we will never turn down someone who wants to join our church, our primary goal and focus is to reach out to the unchurched, unsaved population with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are not in competition with anyone other church wether it be a cell group based or traditional. There is a place for both styles of churches in our culture and it is our suggestion that each believer find a Church where they will be encouraged to grow in the faith and where they will be taught the Word of God and given a place to worship from the heart. For some that may be a different church than E.O.T.C., but the truth is that we are all ONE CHURCH!!!

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? With updated information on new cell church models, new information on equipping and harvest events and practical teaching on how to begin a transition to a Cell Church. This book will continue to stir hearts to dream about what the church can be! You will find hope for your church in the UK and North America as you read this book and discover new things that Dr. Neighbour has learned over the last 10 years. Share this vision with your pastor or friend . . . buy 2 copies!