Purchasing Books

Part I, Acquiring Your Horse, includes chapters on the giveaway horse, the low-priced horse, horse sharing, and horse leasing. Part II, Keeping Your Horse, includes chapters on the backyard horse, pasture keeping, boarding, and working for board. Part III, Maintaining Your Horse, includes chapters on health care, shoeing, feeding & bedding, tack & equipment, and insurance. 'Acquiring Your Horse' is mainly useful for first-time buyers and beginners.

Overall this book is pretty general. Unless you're brand new to horses, don't bother.

I honestly think the author takes thriftiness a bit too far. It's really not a good idea to care for your horse's hooves yourself. If you can't pay thirty dollars every other month, what would happen if your horse had a serious injury that needed urgent attention from a vet?

I would say the only thing good about this book is horse buying section; the information there is fairly helpful. Of course that section has it's down falls too- it says most racetracks have FREE retired racehorses. But you usually have to pay an adoption fee for a retired racehorse. Also, this book is clearly designed for the novice pleasure rider, and that is probably the worst person to adopt a young, green, and hard to handle TB.

I expected "The Affordable Horse" by Sharon Smith to be a book full of money-saving tips on low-cost ownership. It provides some helpful advice, but most of it is common sense. The book has more information about horse ownership in general, from buying/adopting to what to feed your horse. Also, when is comes to animals like horses, I wouldn't take my chances and sacrifice quality necessties for price, and Smith is clear not to do that. For more info, you can email me at:

star_figure8@yahoo.com

This book is helpful on giving tips on how to save some money on buying a horse. At first the book sounds like how to buy a cheap horse. What it basiccly is telling you in the book is different ways to save money. I found it helpful because both of my parents are retired and I wanted a horse. My parents thought it was to expensive, but the book gave some enxaspensive ways to own a horse. Like working at the barn to lessen the rent and other ideas. All in all it gives good tips for enxepensive horse ownership.

I can't imagine why this book is getting such good reviews (who's giving them I wonder). I found most of the author's suggestions naive and many of the others obvious. I don't not think that this book provides much practical information.

This book seems to be right on. It isn't real detailed but gives some good solid basics.

Terrific starter book! Lots of nice information that's not found on any of the commercial investing sites. This book will not contribute much to my wealth, and it does not pretend to give us investing advice. It's a fun read, absolutely worth the price, and anyone holding gold (or thinking about it) should read this. I intend to read it over again. Soon.

I have been a "goldbug" for about 5 years now. I was looking for a book to give my many friends who are becoming new converts to Gold. This is a fine place to start for the novice investor. I recommend this to anyone who may wish to protect assets or add gold to their investments.

First, it should be noted that the author sells gold and has a Web site from which he carries out his business. Having said that, this book in no way is a promotion for his business. But, of course, he has a vested interest in promoting the sale and ownership of gold.

The book covers just about everything you would want to know if considering owning gold coins or bullion. There's a lot more to buying gold than one might think.

But when compared to buying say an ETF, it seems to me to be superior. Why? Because you pay 28% when you sell your gold ETF after one year or your marginal tax rate if you sell it before the end of one year. Thus, you could wipe out any and all gains. In addition, you pay a small fee to the ETF. (Please check with a tax professional about this. I'm not one.)

I've not really found any answers about coins and the tax situation. This book does say they are taxed when sold. But, at the same time, many of them are actual currency with a face value. And, if used as money, how could they be taxed?

The author discusses pre-1933 coins and their advantage but also other gold coins, which sell at less premium. Dealers like to sell you pre-1933 coins because they make more money from them. They claim (with some possible, but questionable, justification) that gold newer than 1933 could be confiscated by the U.S. government if they chose to do so.

The author goes on to say how awful it was for our grandparents or great grandparents who had to wait in lines to return their precious coins to the bank in return for worthless paper.

Well, the truth is, only a tiny portion of the bright U.S. population did that. Most kept their gold coins with no government reaction. So one must question the wisdom of paying a high premium for pre-1933 coins. In fact, an investor is wise not to buy them. (See my comments below.)

Salesmen (they like to be called gold brokers) will tell you that pre-1933 gold coins can not be confiscated --- but that's not necessarily true. Like eminent domain, if the government wishes to take something, it usually will. And the laws of 1933 are not necessarily law today.

But the salesmen, and this book, press for you to buy them. You'll pay a big commission for less than 1oz of gold and when you sell, you'll get far less than you would had you bought a simple 1oz gold Eagle. Now, if you're a collector and not an investor, the situation is different and I'll leave that discussion to someone more qualified.

The author also mentions in one line that the 100 dollar bill may have value when the dollar bill doesn't. But he says it in about four words and doesn't bother to explain it. I was left wondering what he meant.

One thing I'd like to make you aware of. This book, like many others written by people vested in selling gold, is a promoter of pre-1933 gold coins. While these are nice coins and have a place as a collectible, if in fact you're a collector and not investor, these are "bad" investments.

I say that from experience. When I went to sell one I was offered less than what I was offered for a simple gold bullion coin (the Gold Eagle). You pay a premium but you do not get paid a premium. Thus, a bad investment.

All told, this is a good book and I highly recommend it to you. But don't buy into absolutely everything the author tells you. Remember, he is in the business of selling gold.

I cannot recommend this book enough if you are planning on investing in gold. It is perfect for a Beginner. This book is well written, organized with a wealth of information, and very easy to read.

Mr Kosares, who has over 30 years experience in investing gold, gives very good reasons why you may want to invest 10-30% of your portfolio in gold, what form of gold to buy, what to look for as you find a gold firm to purchase from, how to try and prevent the US government from confiscating gold from you as FDR did in 1933, objectively compares gold vs. silver investment, what has to be reported to the IRS, how gold is a winner during inflationary and deflationary times, etc etc.

There is a lot to know about gold investment, and this book is a very good road map to investing in gold successfully. I highly recommend this book.

Although I knew the copyright on the book was 2003, I bought the book and went shopping in NC in June 2007. A lot of the retailers are gone. I was looking forward to shopping at Rose and Utility Craft and both were closed for business. Blacks has moved. Furnitureland South has 1 million sq. feet of furniture and a good place to look, but prices were better at Blacks. Also be careful because a lot of the furniture is not from NC, but from Asia. This book was probably helpful years ago, but now is very outdated.

I used this book to shop for furniture in the High Point area. It was useful in locating stores and in knowing what product lines each store offered. There are two main problems I have; (1) I think the savings are overstated - it is probably more in the area of 20 percent off, and (2) I think the author was uninformed or else very soft on rating the customer service side of things. The salespeople treat you like family (as stated in this book) when they are trying to make the sale, but for me, that was where the good customer service ended. I bought almost all of my furniture at Rose Furniture. They were very helpful and responsive until after some items arrived damaged. That is where all the competence and responsiveness ended. If you read Ms. Shapiro's review of Rose Furniture, she only talks about how wonderful the sales people are - she offers no information about treatment after the sale. I think this is a huge oversight. What you want in a furniture retailer is good service - this is all they do. They don't build furniture, they service the customer. I waited 5 months for my order to be delivered - Rose estimates an 8 to 10 week delivery timeframe. Rose Furniture would consistently tell me something that just wasn't true. After waiting 5 months for my items, one of the items would not even function properly and was covered with some dark, gummy substance - all over the finish. I refused delivery and I'm seeking a refund. Rose Furniture has a condescending way of dealing with people that is very aggravating. They have a pleasant exterior appearance while all the time they could care less.

I agree with a couple of previous reviewers that this book is a bit dated now and to check specifics before making the trip. I used this book before my first trip to shop High Point, and have made two subsequent trips. I agree that the savings are not that great, and if you have to ship, plus now pay tax, you will probably not save over your local retailer. I priced a Henredon bed and dresser at Boyle's, and my local store quoted the exact same price. In the end, Boyle's offered a 10% discount, free shipping (as they should on the amount I was spending) and no tax, so I saved a bit over my local store who would not offer a 10% reduction, but it was probably a wash after the trip expenses. You may save more if you live in an extremely price-inflated area. On the flip-side, you can indeed look, touch, and feel an incredibly wide variety of furniture in one day. Sitting on that couch that you are spending a couple of grand on cannot replace ordering it from your local retailer's catalog sight unseen. Second, if you live in a more rural area like I do - we have only one good furniture store - you get a much better idea of what is available to you. This book gives you some good basic information on the stores and the lines they carry. I agree with other reviewers that the service is not that great at most stores. I have never been able to get anyone to give me "design help" and the sales staff at most places will clearly size you up based on appearance, so if you want serious help, dress like you have some money to spend. Otherwise they are just order-takers. Be sure to visit manufacturer websites before you go to narrow down what you are looking for.

My wife and I decided to make a trip to NC for our 10th wedding anniversary. Figured since we were going to spend the money to go someplace anyway, we'd go figure out the NC furniture mysteries. This book was a great guide to helping us plan the trip. As for the contents, it is everything you need. But, make sure to update the store hours via the web or phone calls before you travel. Many of the stores had changed hours/days. In fact, one location that is prominantly mentioned as a cluster of many retailers, a good one stop shop, is almost out of business. Most retailers have left.

As for whether you save money shopping in NC, I really don't believe it. Before we left, we had found some furniture groups we liked here locally. We called several of the stores in this book for competitive quotes. The actual per piece price was about the same. Some were cheaper, some were more expensive, so the group price was about the same. Then you have to add on shipping. BTW, NC is collecting sales tax for most states now, so you won't save that, either. It would have cost more to buy in NC.

So we took the trip. Even writing off the entire cost of the trip, which is not insignificant, but since we were going to spend it to go someplace anyway, we didn't count it, we didn't see where you could save money if you have to have the furniture shipped. At best the savings were $50-$100 per peice. The liquidation outlets are something of a joke. We saw two women get into a fight over who could buy something that was damaged. We saw a bedroom suite "on clearance" that was within $100 as a group of what we saw it new for in a showroom earlier that morning. You might get lucky in a clearance center, but having seen what we did, I'd never go back. The Thomasville factory outlet was OK, but the selection was extraordinarily limited, and if you wanted a group, you were out of luck. But, it is the only way to get Thomasville cheaper than your local store.

Overall, the book is good, and it would be valuable to give you a few numbers to call to check your local retailer's prices. I am one of those people who research for a year before buying anything, and it is a good resource. However, unless you live in an increcibly inflated area such as New England/DC/NY area, you are going to end up spending the same or more by shopping NC. About the only advantage of going there in person is you can make one stop in Highpoint, by Furnitureland South, and in one day you can basically see every single piece of furniture currently made between the 6 stores clustered right there.

I just returned from a trip to NC for furniture having purchased this book as a guide. As it turned out, the book was not very helpful and I wasted a lot of time by relying on its recommendations. For starters, it's very outdated and the author's website for updates is no longer online. Many of the recommendations are based on the author's personal opinions without explanations that readers could use to judge for themselves. She lists her favorite stores and downplays others without providing a basis for her reasoning. Much of the information provided on the various dealers is straight out of the stores' marketing materials. There are a few useful tips scattered through the book but overall it wasn't very helpful.
As far as whether NC is worth the trip- it IS, but only if you are already looking to buy very high quality name brand furniture (pieces that typically are special ordered in your pick of fabrics and finishes). NC is not a great place to go if you're shopping primarily based on budget. You aren't going to find very low priced furniture, but if you were already prepared to pay $4000 for a leather Natuzzi couch from a local retailer, it's worth the trip to save 40% on it. If budget is your most important criteria, you're better off at IKEA or a local retailer that carries lesser known manufacturers catering to a lower price point. Just from personal experience, we did great at Furnitureland South- AMAZING selection and service in one stop. This author had little good to say about FLS but her hands-down favorite- Rose Furniture- was a total bomb- rotten service, cramped showroom and so-so selection.

I bought this book and several others to prepare me for engagement ring shopping. I shouldn't have wasted my money on the others. The book is clean and concise. After reading the book I was thoroughly prepared and confident to go out and shop for a diamond ring. I know I would have ended up with a much lower quality diamond and/or payed thousands more for an engagement ring and center stone without the expert advice from this book.

Jeff Ostroff here, from BridalTips.com. We recommend this book on our site because it is by far the best diamond book ever made. I love it because like our web site, they warn you of scams other books ignore or gloss over. This gem of a book is 130 GLOSSY pages of mostly color photos, and very easy to read text that will elevate you to expert shopper. After reading this book which is so easy you can do in one night, you'll know more than many salespeople, I guarantee you. Topics covered include diamond terms, the 4C's, chart of actual sizes in carats, detailed mechanical drawings, stunning color photos of every diamond cut & shape, photos of diamond colors show you shades of yellow, and treated diamonds. How to judge the cut, with lots of color photos to show you the results of good and bad cuts. There's also color photos of every single inclusion, crack, cloud, and bubble you are likely to see and photo examples of every clarity grade from I3 on up. That is the best part and makes this book worth it's weight in gold. Then there's photos to help you tell the difference between fake and real, fracture fills, synthetic diamonds. There's even chapters devoted to gold rings and platinum rings, with lots of beautiful color photos. Buying tips, custom ring tips, diamond cleaning, storage, preventing diamond switching, and lots more. This truly is a diamond bible.

This is a great, objective place to become familiar with the ins/outs of what to look for in a diamond. I have been to several jewelry stores recently and gotten a diamond education, but also pressure to buy a diamond. If you read this book you will not need a jewelry store education and you will know as much about diamonds as some of the employees behind the counter!

As I started reading I was fasinated by how quickly I could understand and learn the anatomy of a diamond and learn how to judge a stone. The illustations and lovely color plates are superb. The enlargements are very clear, allowing me to see the illustrations with ease.

This book starts with the basics and then methodically layers on the finer points of information. As I read it I got a real sense of becoming more and more knowledgable in a very short amount of time. I am much more saavy and confident about selecting diamonds from reading this enjoyable book. I recommend it to anyone.

I had little knowledge of diamonds and spent several weeks researching on the web. I came across several glowing recommendations on this book. It's an enjoyable read and there are many colorful and striking photos. However, the author spends too much time covering topics like valuable "colored" diamonds and not enough time on specific tips on engagement jewelry. Personally, I would advise the thrifty spender looking for an engagement diamond to "browse" the web and just hit the jewelers. You could easily do without this book. Websites (...) were much more helpful than this book. (...) You can find out great information about the 4 C's anywhere on the web. You can find pictures, and most anything. If you would like to read one book and not spend so much time surfing, then this may be for you. But be warned, I picked up more information from surfing than reading this book.

This is a extraordinary book written by very experienced professionals.
I do reccommend for those who wants to know about the real customer values...

Carlos Guevara
Caracas, Venezuela

loved the book. a great, informative read. as a college student currently studying design+management at parsons, this book made me excited about my future. here are some highlights:

1. Footworks:
In the book, the authors develop a ficticious company, Footworks, which they use to build examples from. This is a cool method to teach because you can watch Footworks grow throughout the progression of the book. You can also visualize how their ideas would really be implemented within a company.

2. Defining Innovation Culture:
They build an innovation team, and speak about every person making up that team. They talk about their importance of creating meaningful experiences, their responsibilities within the company and why they should be on the team. These are some of the people:
Brand Management, Sales Management, Information Tech (IT), Human Resources (HR), CEO, Marketing Management and Research, Design and Development.

3. I think the most important of all is how they really deal with defining "meaning" which is something that took me a couple chapters to really grasp. They speak about how important it is for businesses to really figure out which meaningful experiences their customers value. Then it breaks into delivering that experience which really connects on a personal level making them integrate that experience into their lives. A meaningful experience would be how a vegetarian FEELS when he / she practices vegetarianism.

4. There's psychology involved, which goes past working with products and services into for example, deciding whether the new CEO of your company should be male or female and whether or not they're athletic. "Just as tribes, traditions, and objects brought order and `rightness' to people in previous centuries, a company and it's offerings may now play that role as well by solidifying a relationship at the deepest possible point in the human psyhce and personality. It's a potent place for a company to be".

This book makes a minor contribution to the literature on customer experience management. Its raison d'etre is that there is potential for "meaning" in customer experience that can be used for competitive advantage. The authors could have demonstrated personal commitment to their theory by better managing the experience of reading their book. It has copious typographical errors and several grammatical errors as well. In addition to that, readers like me who appreciate the visual aspects of a book may be put off by the lack of illustrations. The few included here look like they were drawn on a napkin---not by Picasso. These are not serious obstacles to understanding the "meaning" of this book, but they made me wonder why the authors didn't do a better job of walking their talk. The physical book itself could have been an example of their theory. The ideas in the book are attractive, but could have been helped by a more coherent explanation of key words like "meaning" and "experience." The HOW TO content, which consumes the bulk of the narrative, is not very instructive nor inspiring. On the whole, the same theory is presented more effectively in books like Corporate Religion, by Jesper Kunde; and The Hero And The Outlaw, by Mark and Pearson.

As a visual communicator, I found the book thought provoking, stimulating and insightful. It is quite simple to negotiate, and absolutely matches my instinctive but unfocussed thoughts on the topic.
It's really a big idea. The thoughts and processes encapsulated here are bound to become the norm in terms of research. It's a natural.

If you've been following Nathan Shedroff's work to build a conceptual framework for experience design then you will find this book to be his next step, but with an emphasis on meaningful experiences. The book presents the business strategy and design process. It is of little help directly for actually designing anything and that information wouldn't fit into the same book anyway. Such help only exists by studying ethnography, social and environmental psychology, neurology, product design, and so forth.

Books that I would recommend along with this one are "The Meaning of Things" by Csikszentmihalyi, "The Cultural Animal" by Baumeister, "Emotional Design" by Norman, and whatever product design liturature you can find for your field. If you aren't an ethnographer then you should acquire the basics and there are several books on Amazon to help develop your skills.

While "Making Meaning" is a fine business book and lays out a basic conceptual framework for business, the framework for applied meaning design is not yet developed. For now you will have to figure this out on your own. Designers have stumbled into decent meaning designs in products or adopted existing designs that already have meaning, but if you want to design for a new meaning then you are on your own. The 15 meanings included in this book will help get you started. If you want an excellent example of meaning design I suggest you check the dash of the 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. It is thick with meaning; see if you can find it.

- jim

Of the three books I've read on investing in multi-family real estate, this is by far the best. The author does a good job of walking the reader through from start to finish the purchase of a representative property. In the appendix the author provides several very easy to understand and useful financial analysis templates which can easily be recreated in Excel or any other spreadsheet program.

This is one of four books on purchasing and managing real estate that we purchased. Although pricey due to availability in hardback only, for those such as us that are first time buyers of commercial real estate, the data, clarity of thought and information will likely prove very valuable. It is a quick read that provides the basic tenets of buying multi-family units. The financial elements are fairly simplistic; hence we purchased an additional book that delves into the intricacies of purchasing and financing multi-family units.

I have read and own numerous books on real estate investment and found this one to be one of the most concise and detailed books on apartment house investing on the market. I really don't understand what a previous reviewer meant by that it was a total loss. I found it to be detailed and informative. It literally takes you by the hand leads into investing on a property. I will be following the author's advice and begin investing in small apartment properties. If you are seeking true financial independence, you would be wise to purchase this book and not the crap promoted on late night t.v.

This will be my first and only online review of any of my 200+ books in my library. But it needed to be said... The Biggest disappointment I have ever purchased...

1 Star
Two Thumbs Down
A Complete waste of money!

212 total pages (With Huge fonts and Filler pages after every Chapter Title Page)

4 Pages of Filler for "note"-taking in the back

17 Pages of "Constant Payment Tables/Remaining Loan Balance" Charts

The Book Averages 4 pages (Sides not full) per chapter of info

Page 151 is the Start of the Appendix

I found the book to be a very concise (Nuts & Bolts) and logical approach to buying small apartment properties from someone who obviously knows the process. He gives you all the tools needed to anaylise, purchase, manage and project profits. The forms in the book are easily accessed at the publisher's website www.dnapress.com for downloading. I'm closing on a 7 unit property in less than 2 weeks. Thanks Brian!

This is a completely unhelpful and horrible book. There is no real, specific information- for example, most tips consist of touchy-feely ones such as "it should feel right" and "maintain a positive attitude by taking scented baths"-- are you kidding me? Tips for finding a real estate agent include someone who is "honest, experienced, nice, polite" -duh, thanks for the advice! I have never watched the TV show but really discourage anyone who is serious about learning about the home buying process from purchasing this book. It is targeted for a junior high school audience, if that. There is a reason why there are used copies available starting at 25 cents. I bought mine for $1.50 and regret it. I'm sorry to be harsh, but this is the honestly the worst book I have ever come across. I normally do not write reviews but felt so strongly about this that I had to comment.

Very well done, whether you are a fan of the show or not.

I've always loved Suzanne Whang's perky style of hosting House Hunters, so I was eager to check out her Guide to Happy Home Buying. Unfortunately, now I'm wishing I didn't. While there is helpful information in the book, especially for inexperienced buyers, Ms. Whang does a great disservice to readers by giving her personal opinions way too freely. Her scathing advice on FSBO's, in particular, was completely unfair. And her attempts at humor via her many "Top Ten" lists reflect her obvious bias against all manner of people, neighborhoods, real estate websites, staging techniques and more. And shared personal details such as her initial bad credit rating due to ignoring her creditors didn't inspire me to trust what she had to say about home buying. Although I never thought I would say anything against Suzanne Whang, after reading this book I firmly believe she should stick with acting and hosting television shows, not revealing what she does not know about real estate.

such a treat! ms. whang's book is a must for anyone looking for that dream dwelling! this guide is different than most because it reads so easily and has humor (necessary with such a daunting task as picking your house!). i especially loved the fact that ms. whang includes thinking positively throughout the homebuying process, which makes this process what it ultimately should be: FUN. highly recommended!

If you are looking for some help in finding a home - GET THIS BOOK! It is so informative and a really fun read. Who knew that buying a house could be an enjoyable experience? This book makes it possible.

I am constantly dabbling in the idea of getting myself a sporty car that I can have some fun with but like most of us, I don't happen to have a large disposable income to blow on the hot new Ferrari 575. That is why this book is most fabulous for even the most fund-deficient of car enthusiasts that just want to have a pedal stomping, gear shifting good time.

There is a large collection of moderately priced sports cars that have been rated for various attributes. Each car has a few pages dedicated to the pros, cons and specs of the car, along with pictures and some history behind the car. I felt that this book covered a very nice variety of domestic and imported sports cars and offered almost all the basic information anyone would want in narrowing down their search for a new toy. I still haven't gotten myself a car yet, but that doesn't stop me from dreaming.

I am constantly dabbling in the idea of getting myself a sporty car that I can have some fun with but like most of us, I don't happen to have a large disposable income to blow on the hot new Ferrari 575. That is why this book is most fabulous for even the most fund-deficient of car enthusiasts that just want to have a pedal stomping, gear shifting good time.

There is a large collection of moderately priced sports cars that have been rated for various attributes. Each car has a few pages dedicated to the pros, cons and specs of the car, along with pictures and some history behind the car. I felt that this book covered a very nice variety of domestic and imported sports cars and offered almost all the basic information anyone would want in narrowing down their search for a new toy. I still haven't gotten myself a car yet, but that doesn't stop me from dreaming.

I am constantly dabbling in the idea of getting myself a sporty car that I can have some fun with but like most of us, I don't happen to have a large disposable income to blow on the hot new Ferrari 575. That is why this book is most fabulous for even the most fund-deficient of car enthusiasts that just want to have a pedal stomping, gear shifting good time.

There is a large collection of moderately priced sports cars that have been rated for various attributes. Each car has a few pages dedicated to the pros, cons and specs of the car, along with pictures and some history behind the car. I felt that this book covered a very nice variety of domestic and imported sports cars and offered almost all the basic information anyone would want in narrowing down their search for a new toy. I still haven't gotten myself a car yet, but that doesn't stop me from dreaming.

I am constantly dabbling in the idea of getting myself a sporty car that I can have some fun with but like most of us, I don't happen to have a large disposable income to blow on the hot new Ferrari 575. That is why this book is most fabulous for even the most fund-deficient of car enthusiasts that just want to have a pedal stomping, gear shifting good time.

There is a large collection of moderately priced sports cars that have been rated for various attributes. Each car has a few pages dedicated to the pros, cons and specs of the car, along with pictures and some history behind the car. I felt that this book covered a very nice variety of domestic and imported sports cars and offered almost all the basic information anyone would want in narrowing down their search for a new toy. I still haven't gotten myself a car yet, but that doesn't stop me from dreaming.

I am constantly dabbling in the idea of getting myself a sporty car that I can have some fun with but like most of us, I don't happen to have a large disposable income to blow on the hot new Ferrari 575. That is why this book is most fabulous for even the most fund-deficient of car enthusiasts that just want to have a pedal stomping, gear shifting good time.

There is a large collection of moderately priced sports cars that have been rated for various attributes. Each car has a few pages dedicated to the pros, cons and specs of the car, along with pictures and some history behind the car. I felt that this book covered a very nice variety of domestic and imported sports cars and offered almost all the basic information anyone would want in narrowing down their search for a new toy. I still haven't gotten myself a car yet, but that doesn't stop me from dreaming.

Completed the book in a weekend due to major contract negotiations at work. Found the chapters very "real-world" with appropriate anecdotes & examples to illustrate concepts. The chapter divisions were especially helpful; they allowed the reader to skip around & read the info needed. (I used the guidelines in the software contracts & contract administration chapters heavily. The contract clause samples are very good.)

The use of language was particularly interesting. There were many literary references & the occasional witty turn of phrase. (Was somebody an English major???) The book was an easy read & also quite entertaining. However, the authors' major goal is to help the professional who's actually involved in such efforts--not necessarily to amuse.

At times, the parody poems were a bit much, but almost all of the book was useful in some way or another. Would recommend the book to a procurement analyst or contract administrator that's new to the field and wants a good primer on all things IT.

Pretty basic and definitely geared toward the novice IT professional or procurement area.
Having spent over 20 years selling various IT products and services, most of her examples are over-exaggerated or just plain silly.

I have been negotiating IT & telecom deals on behalf of large companies for the past 3 years. I am continuously seeking material to expand my knowledge in this arena in order to be on equal footing with vendors. This book is without doubt the best I've come across in my long search. It's clear that the authors have "been there, done that." The review that gave this book a poor rating due to the authors'supposed unethical advice is bogus--I didn't find anything of the sort.

If you are acquiring products or services from a reseller/integrator then this book give you the knowledge you need to ensure that you're getting what you're paying for. Earlier in my career I was an MIS manager who dealt with resellers and made the switch to working for a number of reseller/integrators as a pre-sales consultant and network engineer. I came away with two fundamental truths: there is a definite ritual that underlies the IT sales cycle, and the difference between a computer sales rep and a used car salesman is the used car salesman knows he's lying. Apparently the authors of this book also see these truths because they arm you, the buyer, with a strategy and an array of tactics with which to cut through the FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) and the other ploys that the sales side of this ritual will use.

To be fair to the sales side of the acquisition cycle, they have face a tough set of challenges, among them the fact that many buyers do not understand the dangerous margins that are a reality of the seller's world. Also, IT technology has become a commodity and the resellers who truly do add value are often competing on price alone.

That said, everything in this book rings true for both sides. Resellers are going to employ every weapon at their disposal, and this book lists them all: relationship development, knowing your hot buttons and pushing them in many subtle ways, and always nudging you to the close. Some of these tactics are well-intentioned and may actually take into account your real requirements. However, the book also points out other external forces at play, such as quotas imposed by your sales rep's own company as well as pressures from their vendors. Combined, these too often result in your being skillfully talked into technology that is proposed for reasons other than its fit to your needs or overall value as an investment. In this respect the advice that the authors provide might seem on the surface to be adversarial or worse; however, it is designed to ensure that your acquisition strategy is aligned to your real requirements and not the result of skillful manipulation.

Among the most insightful parts of this book, in my opinion, are chapter 4, which covers negotiations and how to control the negotiations; chapters 8 and 9, which provide sound advice for monitoring and auditing vendor performance; and chapter 10 on contracting. Each of these areas are key in the sales and delivery cycle, and are especially important for services. When I was in that business I thought that it was absolutely amazing how many customers overlooked the vast difference between what our sales reps promised and what was actually delivered from a services perspective. The real value lies in service, and that seems to be the one place where the buyer consistently loses. If you follow the advice provided in these chapters you will learn how to get with you pay for and how to hold your reseller accountable for delivering what was promised.

I think this is one of the best written books on how to buy IT technology and services. Learn from it and you will have the assurance that you will get best value and solutions that meet your real requirements. The book is weak on the financial side of solution selection and measuring benefits, but it is incredibly strong on how to manage vendors and beat them at their own game. I strongly recommend it if you are involved in managing vendors or acquiring product and services from resellers.

Although the book contains some useful information, the authors advocated several unethical business practices, including lying, stalling, and micromanagement. Their advice was "cheat them before they cheat you." In 20 years of dealing with IT vendors, I have found that working WITH vendors, in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect, is a much more effective strategy.

Enormous profits are hidden away in the supply chain, say the authors. You can find new value in the operating end of your business- how you handle orders, source components, build your products and get them to customers. The key to unlocking this potential profit is an entirely new business design, the value net.

The value net is a system driven by customer choice, not the company. Today's customers demand exceptional convenience, speed, reliability and customization. These objectives are difficult to achieve with traditional supply chain management. The value net combines recent advances in supply chain management and strategic thinking to deliver more flexibility, speed and customization. The value net approach begins with the goal of creating value for customers. It is demand-driven. This is a contrast to traditional supply chain management which is driven by manufacturing needs, or supply-driven.

This new business model is based on five key elements.
1. Value proposition: Determine what the company will offer to potentially profitable customers, in terms of convenience, speed, customization, etc.
2. Scope: Determine which activities need to be performed to meet these goals, and who will perform them. Consider outsourcing activities to others to add value and efficiency.
3. Profit capture: Determine how the company aims to earn a compelling return on shareholder investment. Break down returns from benefits offered to customers like superior service, creative solutions, and costs and assets.
4. Strategic control: Maneuver to protect the profit stream over time through sustainable competitive advantages. Control your brand reputation and your relationships with supply partners. Use innovative design to pass on low-cost products and services to customers.
5. Execution: Use human capabilities and digital technology to hold all the elements together. Cultivate a team oriented culture fully supported with digital technology.

Merits: A systematic framework to understand how digital supply chain can apply to businesses. Good comparison with traditional supply chain (systematic vs. sequential). A few cases are detailed and insightful. For a fan of Mercer's Business Designs, it will be delightful to see how the authors fit the two together.

This book will be more readable if contents are cut by half. Many contents are repetitive. "The Profit Zone" is full of new ideas, "Value Nets" is filled with consultants' empty statements. Some cases only talk about what happened, but not why it happened and how.

I gave "The Profit Zone" five stars, "Value Nets" deserves only three.

This book is not primarily about eBusiness, but about the application of general management knowledge (such as customer focus etc.) in an internet - enabled world. As such it does not present new concepts for eBusiness. It merely summarizes old and well known cases and makes them fit to the own model of 5 "elements of business design". The book might be nice for beginners to see what is possible nowaday's but of little help if you want to learn really new concepts. Last point: the content could well be condensed to fit on 100 pages, 4 repetitions of everything are really of little use.

Value Nets is an intriguing look at businesses that have revolutionized the way the do business by revolutionizing their supply chain. What is a Value Net? According to the author a value net "is a business design that uses digital supply chain concepts to achieve both superior customer satisfaction and company profitability". One of the main concepts of a value net is that it operates in parallel manner rather then a rigid sequential chain.

Value Nets have the following five main characteristics:

Customer-alignment
Collaborative and systemic
Agile and scalable
Fast flow
Digital

Value Nets builds on the work of The Profit Zone, which define five elements of a value-creating business design. These five elements are defined as follows:

Value proposition - a company's value proposition consists of products and services that add value to customers.
Scope - what activities are required to deliver the company's value proposition and who delivers them (internal or partner).
Profit capture - mechanisms that capture profit from the value proposition
Strategic control - elements that protect profits over time
Execution - operational excellence

Value Nets take the five characteristics of the value net and show case studies of how companies implemented value nets within the context of the five elements of business design listed above.

The models that this book lays out are quite useful for considering how a product or service is delivered. The case studies and example in this book are quite useful and cover several industries. Most of the examples relate to product companies, but the concepts can be applied to services companies as well.

This book is a interesting and useful read for business consider how to interact with partners, competitors, suppliers and customers in the digital age. I would recommend reading the Appendix Value Net Self-Diagnostic first because is a great intro to the book. If this book resonates well with you might also like How Digital Is Your Business and The Profit Zone (also from Mercer Consulting).

If you're interested in supply chain management issues or e-business, you won't find much here. It's mostly a rehash of the other Mercer Consulting Book, The Profit Zone. Very general in nature, there's not much new material here. Read The Profit Zone and leave this one in the bin.