Offices and Professionals Books

I read the Kindle version of this book and it was a great match for the Kindle. There was an occasional line break problem because of the "screenplay" format the book used. For instance the quote prefaced with the speakers name and a colon like - Boss: Hi Bill. and the Reply - Bill: Sorry I'm late. would occasionally all appear on one line like this:

Boss: Hi Bill. Bill: Sorry I'm late.

whereas it should have had a line break after Hi Bill so the next speaker's name would appear on the next line like this:

Boss: Hi Bill.
Bill: Sorry I'm late.

This is just a minor quibble though because the text was funny.

Each overheard quote would have an appropriate title that tied the whole quote together. If you work in an office you've probably heard much of this type of talk there and can relate. Some of the quotes were a bit risque - so if you're a bit prudish this might not be the book for you. But if you like funny quotes and humor and don't mind a bit of sexual innuendo this is the book for you.

I took off one star because from what I can tell all of the quotes are available for free on the associated website where the information originally appeared and it seemed like the book was a tad short compared to the other book by the author Overheard in New York (albeit that edition does say it's UPDATED).

I'm a professional medical biller and accounts receivable specialist - a second career following a quarter century of working for corporations large and small. I was shocked to see the low level of business acumen many physicians have, whether they are new to their profession or have been in business for many years. When I read this book I appreciated that Laura Sachs is one of the foremost experts in the field, and quickly added it to my short list of Must Have publications for my most troubled clients.

This is a no-nonsense, practical guide suitable for any size practice. The topics covered range from the purely financial to management of personnel, maintenance of the physical environment, estate planning, dress codes and hygiene, and more. It has dozens of checklists and hundreds of tips for the physician and his staff; nothing is left out.

Unfortunately, the book is somewhat dated. It apparently had only one printing, in 1991, and could stand updating in areas such as computerization of medical records, insurance industry changes, and the legal and regulatory climate. Nevertheless, much of the advice in this book is timeless, and the $70 price tag should be considered a very wise investment.

This book is very helpful, it has lots of information that is very easy to find. It's not a book you can just sit down and read, but it's quite useful as a reference tool.

For those who are looking for a good place to start to be able to effectively communicate in an administrative position, this is it! It is very down to earth with great ideas, as well as things to think about that few would consider. Places emphasis in how you come across in business situations, helps you see your strengths as well as weaknesses. This is a must have for beginners.

This book should be a mandatory read for all new leaders! It is an easy read that keeps you interested from beginning to end. The philosophy is basic and simple; however extremely practicle and most of all...effective!!!

I really liked this simple, small book. I really did. However, as a director of human resources, I was hoping for more depth. While the book is a fun tale, the lessons contained therein are too whimsical to really help corporations with their real problems. Sure, everyone wants to strive for fun, teamwork, etc., however, the daily arena does not allow such graceful answers.

Once again, I liked the book just don't expect to be pointed in a corrective position.

Michael L. Gooch, SPHR Author of Wingtips with Spurs

We used Fish! as a team-building exercise at work. We read about 20 pages a week and then discussed. Even people who don't like to read, enjoyed it because it's such a quick, easy, story. I did get CD's for a few people. This was a group that needed to become cohesive, and after the second week, everyone was animated about Fish! People shared their own experiences as it related to the story. Very easy discussion starter. Now they want to take a field trip from Kansas City to Seattle to visit Pike Place Fish Market!

I loved this book. Simple and direct, it makes you reflect about all that can be done in our day to day to make it superb. It does not rely on magic formulas or rocket science, the author just leaves it in our hands... He does not deny the fact that businesses are overwhelmed with emotions and percetions, which in the end are much more powerfull than we realize.

It is written in the format of a story which makes this book a pleasure to read. Once I started I wouldn't stop !

Fish! is a great book that teaches you how to have fun at work and make your job into something you enjoy coming to each day. It tells the story of a woman who goes through a transformation to learn this very thing from an unlikely source: the fish mongers at a Seattle fish market. A cute story and helpful book that has been used effectively in my company.

Another business fable I just came across that I'm really excited about is Squawk!: How to Stop Making Noise and Start Getting Results

The critics were predicting IBM's demise when he took the rains, apparently after much prodding. He took the bold step of listening to customers and cutting the price of their cash cow, the 360, to raise cash. He also decided that the business model (proprietary) that had worked for IBM in the 50s-70s just wasn't going to work, and he made a big bet on middleware and services.

What's important to his management philosophy? First, he considers big to be good: IBM doesn't have to scrounge for resources to do something. He also loves to win and wants to hear the same from his people.

That said, the book reads a bit like he's trying to sell us IBM: the brand. I also find myself asking what it means to save IBM if he has to lose almost 200K employees (they were hired back eventually) and change the culture. How much can you change something and keep it the same?

Never forget that Gerstner was one of the big dog tobacco executives before he came to IBM.

One of the tobacco executives who took an oath and swore before Congress that he did not believe that tobacco was addictive. Tobacco was known to be addictive since at least 1932 according to the tobacco companies' own records.

Before you believe anything that Gerstner wrote or (more likely) had ghostwritten for him, always keep that in mind.

Having spent twenty-three years in management before I became an entrepreneur, I recognize that moving from one side of the desk to the other side may be the longest journey a professional person ever makes. When we shift into a leadership spot, not only do we find that our prior perceptions might have been totally inaccurate, we have to address personal and professional challenges we would have never imagined.

I applaud this book as one man's record of what life at the top is really like. He won me over immediately when he decided to wear a blue shirt because everyone else was wearing white. Thoreau would have applauded his individualism.

With my current profession dedicated to improving individual and corporate communication, I agree with Gerstner's assertion that "No institutional transformation takes place, I believe, without a multi-year commitment by the CEO to put himself or herself constantly in front of employees and speak in plain, simple, compelling language that drives conviction and action throughout the organization."

Another striking bit of Gerstner wisdom: "Success in a company comes foremost from success with the customer, nothing else."

He's right on target again when he observes that "lack of focus is the most common cause of corporate mediocrity."

Yet Gerstner goes beyond mere platitudes: "Execution--getting the task done, making it happen--is the most unappreciated skill of an effective business leader."

Possibly two of Gerstner's words capsule his approach to awakening IBM to its possibilities: "constructive impatience."

In my judgment, Louis Gerstner should rank alongside Jack Welch as a take-no-prisoners leader. Read this book, and you will agree that he was the right man at the right time for IBM.The Complete Communicator: Change Your Communication-change Your Life!

When I started the book, I have no idea about the history of IBM. I am not an IT person, so I have heard IBM but that is basically it.
I learned a lot from the book about IBM, what they did wrong and how he changed it.
But besides everything he revised the company culture and organizational structure. I think that is the hardest thing a CEO can achieve. His vision, his attention to details but still seeing the big picture amazed me. No wonder they picked him as the great saver of the IBM legend.
The book is long and sometimes repeats itself, without going into details.
The part I enjoyed the most was his e-mails. How encouraging was he after 9/11, he mentioned employee names and all the things they did both to help and also to get their business going. He sent e-mails to his 300.000 employees. His tone and the things he mentions, his clarity was amazing. He is an excellent leader. IBM is very lucky to have such a good CEO.

Throughout this book Gerstner discusses the changes IBM made and how he helped turned the company around. I have no doubt that he was a large part of the dynamic shift at IBM to again make it the successful, global company that it is today, but I felt that I went through the book without completely understanding what those changes were. There was a lot of discussion of how IBM was operated and managed when Gerstner took control of the company in 1993 as it was falling apart before the public's eyes, and there was a lot of explanation of how IBM was successful and reborn when he stepped down from the CEO position in 2002. But there was little substance in between. I am not sure if that is because the day-to-day steps taken throughout the mid and late 1990s are too mundane for the average business reader, of if the details were just left out. Gerstner does share some insight into leadership skills and his management style, but IBM as is left in the shadows. All in all, this is not a bad book, but be aware that the reader is left wondering exactly how IBM regained its dominant position in the marketplace.

Moo was not what I expected from the slogan,which seemed to reflect a way of living rather than a way of business success.

For a book that's about being remarkable, it's ironic that this is so unexciting. The book had a lot of potential - but with the exception of two or three pages, it's a huge letdown.

This was an amazing find. For two reasons.
1. Tons of interesting stuff, packaged into short articles from top-authors. I just cannot tell you ow much easy it is on the mind - just like reading a book of short stories once in a while, if you are a reader of fiction.

2. The liberty to share what I read. I can just photocopy/ scan the pages to share with my friend as long as mention the source.

Together with such a fine articulation of content, The Big Moo makes for a easy readiung and creating a balance, ann puts things in perspective.

Must read!

The Big Moo feels like a collection of blog posts from several thinkers that have gained Godin's attention, a merit which speaks for itself. I love the idea of forming books around small, cohesive articles based on a theme; I wish there were more of these. This one's theme basically is "think differently and be inspired." It's worthy of going back to whenever you get into a rut. Things that stand out about this book:

* unique and varied writing styles
* short and sweet
* concision -- not enough space to drag out a point
* anecdotal stories
* entertaining
* thought-provoking
* inspiring

My favorite posts:

* Chopping Onions (differentiation)
* When Everything Is Free (open source model everywhere)
* They Say I'm Extreme (be very different)
* Be Like Reggie (exceptional service)
* Isaac Newton's Head (importance of naming)
* What Do You Stand For (perseverance)

I have to stop here with just that sampling; it's hard to exclude many from a "favorites" list. So many gems!

I really wish the articles were individually online since they make great links, and warrant further discussion. Wouldn't that be the purple way? Maybe someone will devote a blog to expanding their topics.

I bought this book, cause other Seth Godin books offer extremely important insight in today's business and marketing.

This book does not. It's a list of semi-inspiring stories from "business leaders". Most of them are rather obvious and don't offer the type of knowledge/usefulness that are characteristic for other Seth Godin books.

I used this book in researching the history of e-commerce for a master's thesis at MIT.

The authors, kalakota and whinston, have a done a very good job of capturing the state of the art in e-commerce prior to 1996.

Anyone who is interested in what happened in the early days of e-commerce should keep a copy of this book handy.

Highly recommend this book.

This book was a light introduction to some of the basic ideas behind electronic commerce when it was published five years ago. It was too little then and it has virtually no value at all now.

I wonder why such a book has not been updated by its authors. Kalakota's e-Business Roadmap book is not an update of this book, but is targeted at an entirely different audience, top executives who have no clue about what's going on in EC and are trying to catch up.

There are many other good books available today for people that want a manager's introduction to the subject. Textbooks that a manager might find useful include Turban's book and the book by Perry and Schneider (both books are titled "Electronic Commerce"). These are much more current and definitely recommended over this book.

Not to go into vices and virtues of the book itself (I actually think it's pretty good)...

What is surprising is Amazon's editorial guidelines - or lack of thereof, rather. One "review" too many is basically about racial/ethnic prejudices of their writers. Besides demonstrating general lack of culture, what value does that add? Is there any chance to post only reviews that deal with the content? You don't have to post this one, by the way...

This book was a light introduction to some of the basic ideas behind electronic commerce when it was published five years ago. It was too little then and it has virtually no value at all now.

I wonder why such a book has not been updated by its authors. Kalakota's e-Business Roadmap book is not an update of this book, but is targeted at an entirely different audience, top executives who have no clue about what's going on in EC and are trying to catch up.

There are many other good books available today for people that want a manager's introduction to the subject. Textbooks that a manager might find useful include Turban's book and the book by Perry and Schneider (both books are titled "Electronic Commerce." These are much more current and definitely recommended over this book.

This is an excellent book, and noting the recent comments let's not forget that this book was written in 1996. At that time it shaped many of the newer ideas that have given us the "New Economy" today. Like the author's new book "e-Business," this book was THE defenitive guide in its heyday. I used it in a graduate level electronic commerce course in my school and still have it on my shelf--with a protective plastic cover on it! This is not a quick read but a long-term keeper. Strongly recommended.

This is meant just for laughs. If you or someone you know is a fan of the movie, this set is a whole lot of fun. Cult favorites of this movie will get a big kick out of it, my husband sure did! :-)

I knew the red stapler was not "actual size" but wasn't concerned about it because the recipient of this gift already has the real thing.
I bought it mostly for the mug, which is cheaply made, and has an uncentered logo. The "jump to conclusions" mat arrived awkwardly folded in the box and the print is chipping off at all of the folds. The kit is also missing the starter flair.
Overall, I would skip the kit. You can probably take a photo of the logo to a specialty shop and have it printed on a quality mug.

I bought this at a Barnes and Noble Book store. The box has no pictures of what's in it, or I wouldn't have gotten it. The box says it's Milton's red stapler. It is in NO WAY a full size Swingline brand stapler! It is a tot stapler, and not even Swingline brand. The mug looks like not even a second, more like a third. There's weird discolorations and bubbles all over it. The "flair" is nothing more than a black and white (cheaper to produce!) button that has the "case of the Mondays" line on it. I was terribly disappointed by the whole thing.

I had actually seen this set in Barnes & Noble once before, so I had a fairly good idea of what to expect when I ordered it. I would highly recommend this set for huge fans of "Office Space".

That being said, though, please realize that this is a Novelty gift. If you are looking for a stand-alone gift idea I don't quite think this would do it. However, if you know someone that is a big fan of the movie this would be an excellent addition to a present. My manager really liked it and laughed at every piece of the set as she took it out of the box.

If you can get this for $10 or so I would say go for it! If you are looking for a nice gift and this is your only option I would probably pass.

when i first opened the box, i was wondering where the hell the red stapler was. then i realized it was inside the mug.

yes, the red stapler is tiny. even smaller than your typical mini-stapler, i would say. and you only get one small piece of flair. the "pc load letter" sticker is also pretty small.

i like this kit for the mug, the "is this good for the company?" banner, and the "jump to conclusions" mat.

i was just looking forward to getting a cool red stapler...

This book is well worth the price. It does a very good job of explaining MFC. Easy to read, even though it has 1200 +/- pages. You don't even have to read each chapter in order to learn what you need to know.

Some reviewers complained that there is no CD. Fear not, you can download all source code from the wrox website. Sure, it's less convenient than a CD, but oh well.

As someone stated, you'll find info in here that no other book has. Also - what's up with that retard who gave the book 1 star because it wasn's shipped on time? Some people should just get a clue, and stay as away from technology altogether.

I read the previous edition, VC++ 5.0, which is 1,050 pages long. The current edition is much the same book and is 1,200 pages long. When I bought the previous edition, I wasn't planing to read all of it, nor even a third of it. I expected I'd read a few chapters and have the rest available for possible reference. But I ended up reading every chapter. As it says on the back cover the book is intended as a tutorial, not a reference work. It covers large tracts of the Microsoft programming platform with the assumption that you've already had some exposure to the platform as a programmer. And it's one of the very best computer programming books I've ever read.

I own 6 MFC books, and out of all of them, Professional MFC with Visual Studio 6 is by far the most complete. When I wanted to look up a subject I was having trouble with, I used to have to flip through a few of my books before I found a decent section covering the topic, if I even did. Since I bought this book however, I just look in it and the rest of the books have been gathering dust on my floor. I'd highly recommend it.

I'm using VS 2003, but MFC hasn't changed that much so the content is still relevant. There was no CD with the book, but I was able to track down a download that contained all the sample code after following a few links (the d/l location mentioned in the book is no longer there).

There's no doubt that Blaszczak knows MFC. Expertise nonwithstanding, however, the book suffers and ultimately fails for two reasons: poor writing infused with distracting try-too-hard humor, and an index that's so far off in the weeds as to be utterly useless. If you feel you must purchase this book, try reading a few pages first; if the author doesn't annoy you within two pages, you may get along with him just fine.

Count on this, however: you WILL need a different book as a reference. The index, when it contains what I'm looking for at all, is often several pages off target. Most often, though, I can't even find what I'm looking for in the index.

The party's pretty much over for MFC anyway, and thank God for that. At least Microsoft finally came to their senses and cloned much of Java for their C#/.NET stuff.