Business Books

While their cover of Only Sixteen was all over the radio, I wonder how many folks bought the LP after hearing that song, and discovered this stoner classic? This is music to listen to with a lot of friends, with plenty of various libations on hand. A true party album.

As usual, the album contains great Shel Silverstein penned classics. Shel was at the top his game, and Dr. Hook delivers the songs with skillful wit. Interestingly enough, Dr. Hook as a band was bankrupt, and this album very well could have been their last. The success of Only Sixteen saved them, but alas, instead of more songs like The Millionaire and I Got Stoned, they went.... DISCO!!!! Bankrupt turned out to be the last, great Dr. Hook album. And what a great one it is!

Good times and good music from a long time ago.
Light one up, kick back, and enjoy.

I love this album. I saw the 'Hook' in 1974 on The Old Grey Whistle Test doing it and was blown away - I went out and bought it the following day. The Millionairre is excellent, I got stoned...... just me at the time. I've just ordered on CD from this site - delivery in April - I can't wait. I've worn out 6 copies on 33 over the past 30 years. The only other album I've done that with is Neil Young Harvest

some very funny moments on this CD. i used to listen to the LP many years ago , wore it out completely. WUPS makes me smile everytime i hear it. this was the bands last chance to make it big. Only Sixteen was the hit that made them superstars. A very hard to find CD, get it while you still can.

This album holds so many memories of my teenage years as I used to listen to this when going to Speedway with my brother. I have been searching for this to add to my collection of CD's and this is the first place I have been able to find it. As for the songs there isn't a bad one amonst them "Levitate" truly does lift me high, "Only Sixteen" reminds me of when I was ONLY SIXTEEN and "Millionaire" well listening to it will make us all feel like MILLIONAIRE'S

Since I named my son Graham after Bill, I thought perhaps I should know a little bit more about his life. I now now know alot more!

It is written in a narative style which makes it very easy to read. The stories are told by the people who were there, some happy, some sad ,some very funny.

If you are interested in the life of this man or even the history of modern day Rock and Roll Concert Production, how it started and evolved, I highly recomend this book.

This book is a little weird (to me) in concept but it works out really well in the end. The book goes from Bill's early days in Nazi Germany all the way to his death with no major stone left unturned. Lots of great stories with very little in the way of punches being pulled. I mean Bill really tells you what he is thinking. Very uncensored. Covers the drugs and the behind scenes stuff with no BS involved. Shows the guy for who he was, warts and all and lets him and the people he is talking about retort one another which I thought was weird in a good way. This book is of great interest to anyone who has probably gotten to this point in reading reviews. If you are interested in this type of subject then this book is a must.

It's a good insight into the rock scene back in the 60's and 70's. A must read for anyone who likes classic rock.

i didn't realize how much bill graham did behind the scenes.
montery pop ,woodstock, altamont,ect............

This book is structured so that as Bill Graham comments on different times of his life, he allows the persons hes speaking of to comment in the next paragraph. This makes for some very interesting reading. Grham discusses his time in Korea and killing the enemy. This experience allows him to have an abundant amount of courage when it comes to dealing with band managers in the future. Bill discusses Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Zeppelin, the Stones, J Geils Band, Santana, the Who and all the tense dealings with each of these personalities. This book could have benefitted from better pictures of the bands. Thats my only critical comment.

Adamson does a great job illustrating the importance of branding (which, unfortunately, many do not get), straightforward ways to build your brand and, most critically, how do to that in the digital age.

The book is excellent for both those new to branding as well as those focused on advancing their brand's in this time of new technologies.

I highly recommend Brand Digital, as it gave me new insights and ideas on how to utilize digital tools, online media and communities for building strong brands. The world of marketing is changing, and Allen Adamson provides a terrific overview of the opportunities that have emerged with new technologies. The book presents "best practices" examples from the most innovative companies, including Google, Schwab, GE, HBO, and Nike. It is intelligent and enjoyable to read with practical advice for both branding novices and industry veterans.

Allen Adamson's new book Brand Digital is a valuable addition to help understand and thrive in the digital domain. It is particularly useful that Adamson is schooled in the classic Madison Avenue / P&G / Fortune 1000
ways & means of marketing and brand development. He weaves that knowledge into the discussion about what is different, the same and notable for those that are building and guiding brands right now. My own company,
The Institute of Culinary Education, has just brought on some new marketing and public relations staff, and I am going to be sure to share this book with them.

I have been at this "branding thing" for over 40 years and have learned that we all think we know more than we really do. I have worked with Allen and know firsthand that he succeeds because he does his homework and keeps things simple. Once again that is exactly what he has done. From my experience, partly because it is so new and misunderstood, people think they know more about digital in all forms than they really do. Allen, by resourcing so many knowledgeable people, learning from them and then reporting this knowledge in a simple to read and understandable form has done the marketing community a great service. I learned from his efforts.

Adamson really appears to have done his homework in interviewing as many people as he did (all of whom know their stuff and offer interesting perspectives) and then synthesizing their input into something that's easily digested and applied. I read and liked his Brand Simple a couple of years ago, but given where the world is headed, this book is probably more relevant and important for today's marketeer.

In COMMUNITY - The Structure of Belonging, Peter Block provides an articulation of community feelings, wants and beliefs many of us have felt inside but haven't always had words to express.

The book provides an antidote to the typical conversations about community that focus on fears, poor leadership, lack of funding, crime, safety, joblessness and other issues familiar to every city, village and neighborhood. It presents a methodology for convening powerful conversations about possibility, ownership and gifts, replacing the familiar conversations of problem solving, blame and deficiency that leave citizens feeling powerless, cynical and disengaged.

It may well be Peter's best work, in that it provides not only an overview of the challenges to community, but also tells stories of many who are changing the world today, then offers concrete and practical ways to practice and engage the structure of belonging that he describes.

No matter what your place or role in a neighborhood or organization, regardless of your vocation, education or political positions, this book will have value to you. Even if you've never thought about being active in your community, this book has value for you. In its practical presentation of the power of questions over answers and depth over speed, it offers a practice that can transform every conversation we choose to have, whether at work, at a town meeting or at home -- even in becoming more aware of the quiet conversations we have with ourselves.

Recognizing the difference between a powerless conversation and a powerful one is alone worth the price of this book and the time invested in reading it.

Learning how the spaces and context in which we gather and the importance of getting connected before expecting our agendas to produce anything is another worthwhile insight that can be gleaned from the book, regardless of occupation.

One more thing among many I love about this book: It includes a section called BOOK AT A GLANCE, which provides a quick summary and reference guide for the entire message. The Book at a Glance starts with context and main ideas, then offers a summary of the kinds of questions that matter -- those that open the door to the future and are more powerful than answers in that they demand engagement. It ends with a quick look at designing the physical space for engagement.

Since 2003 I've had the pleasure and privilege of participating in A Small Group, the community of practice that has grown in Cincinnati, Ohio, largely based on the ideas and methodology now collected in this book. COMMUNITY is an essential presentation of the wisdom and intentional approach to conversation and engagement that has become the hallmark of Peter's work. I highly recommend it.

Peter Block latest work is just what is needed it today's changing times. Read this book and you will begin to see how community affects the way you live, work, and can enrich your life.
Buy it (and his book 'The Answer to How is Yes' is a pivotal work as well).

Most communities are fragmented in their structure and purposes, but communities can emerge from such fragmentation strong and purposeful. How are stronger communities built? COMMUNITY: THE STRUCTURE OF BELONGING tackles this subject, considering shifts in perspective, the impact of leadership choices, and what a healthy community looks like. College-level libraries strong in social science need this survey which considers changing ideas of community structure and the dynamics of transitions.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Peter Block has given us a blueprint for building community on all levels, local, national and even global. And the world can use more of it with all the incivility and violence! Cudos to Mr. Block for the timing and the wisdom in the pages of this book.

-John Renesch, author, Getting to the Better Future; compiler, Building Community anthology

I like this book because it allowed me to see the power of community. I am an entrepreneur and I saw that what this book offers is also what businesses must start focusing on and that is creating the structure for people to experience belongingness. There is so much an individual can do provided that the structure of the enterprise is focused on what people can do and offer.

It made me reflect on my own way on relating with people. I became aware of myself, how am I being with others. It made me focus on what people can contribute to me and their gifts rather than noticing their mistakes. I became reflective after reading this which I like because I felt power, freedom and peace of mind knowing that what I can only control is the environment/structure where people operates and not the individual. I realized as well the power of conversation. I saw how it can truly transform an individual. I became more intentional and more aware of what I have to say to a person. I learned to relate with difficult people especially those I really don't like. I saw that they have a lot to say about me, about things I can tolerate. I learned to give space for people's garbages (including mine) and really listen to what they can contribute. Funny how this book made me become reflective. I'm giving this 5 star because it talks about context which I believe is truly decisive in creating organizations and communities, and not to mention that only few books talks about context. I got it that what makes successful organizations a success is because they have a context and from there on, they create the structures that gives space for people to convene, take ownership, take responsibility which in the end benefits the entire members of the organization and what the organization wants to accomplish.

In our current economic climate personal finance has become the priority of many. Pitfalls abound, so the need for sound financial guidance is critical for all consumers - those who are financially sound and those navigating rough waters. In order to prevent financial disaster, or recover from one, it is imperative that we learn to control our money so our money doesn't control us.

The Complete Personal Finance Handbook: Step-by-Step Instructions to Take Control of Your Financial Future begins with the logical first step of creating and analyzing a budget. That information is supplemented in the next chapter on banking; the author helps you navigate the banking system and gives sound instruction on keeping your accounts balanced to keep your budget in tact.

The following chapters on saving, wealth management, insurance, and retirement are designed to help you keep more of your money and put it to work. Then, The Complete Personal Finance Handbook: Step-by-Step Instructions to Take Control of Your Financial Future addresses the wise use of credit, how to avoid bankruptcy, and improving your credit history if you have already made some mistakes.

The chapter on buying a home is particularly relevant since so many are making their first foray into real estate. The Complete Personal Finance Handbook: Step-by-Step Instructions to Take Control of Your Financial Future is an invaluable primer for the first-time home buyer to navigate the terminology and processes involved in buying a home.

The included appendices in The Complete Personal Finance Handbook: Step-by-Step Instructions to Take Control of Your Financial Future give the readers sample documents, checklists, and worksheets to manage every aspect of your finances.

Knowledge is power, and The Complete Personal Finance Handbook: Step-by-Step Instructions to Take Control of Your Financial Future gives you the power correct or improve your financial future whether you are financially stable or financially troubled.

Need to learn how to balance a budget, buy a home, or save enough money so you can retire in style? In her book, " The Complete Personal Finance Handbook," author Teri B. Clark presents personal financing in a clear and concise manner. In 16 easy-to-understand chapters, she teaches the reader how to organize one's budget, buy a home, invest smartly, save for your children's college, hire a personal planner, and much more.

This is, in my opinion, the most common-sense book on home financing yet, as the author uses simple language and lots of real-life examples throughout the text. In addition to the different real-life case studies, the author provides a plethora of handy appendices at the end of the book that contain tools like Q and A sheets for your stock broker or a financial advisor, sample real-estate contracts, and much more. A glossary of terms also allows a quick glance in case readers want to look up a certain financial term.

What I especially liked in this book were detailed descriptions of various financial scams out there and how to protect yourself and avoid them. Also eye-opening was a lengthy but interesting chapter on saving for retirement, along with financial charts and other tools. This handy little book should be a part of everyone's library because saving money should be everyone's concern.

The Complete Personal Finance Book should be on every high school and college graduate's gift list. If every graduate--or at least most--read this title, we would no longer hear news reports of massive credit problems, home loan foreclosures, and the "savings crisis." However, don't short-change yourself if you're not a recent graduate. This book has invaluable lessons on when and how to plan for retirement, and invest in stocks and bonds. Not sure how much life, disability or car insurance you need? This handbook spells it all out!

Truly - if you are serious about achieving financial success - no matter your age or credit status, this book can help you achieve your goals. As a reader who has never fully understood how stocks and bonds work, or how to ladder a CD, I can honestly say I can talk with confidence about these topics.

In addition to the straight talk on how to save money and reduce fees, I particularly benefitted from the "Now You Know" summaries at the end of each chapter. The Appendices include a wealth of useful information ranging from sample budget and insurance forms, retirement worksheets, real estate contracts and a section on selecting a financial advisor. The money you save by reading these sections will more than pay for the book! In short, no one should open an account or incur any debt before reading this book!

Learn how to better manage your money and become wealthier no matter where you are financially by saving and budgeting with this book. Every financial topic that one might encounter is presented in each chapter. Certain financial books can be overwhelming and difficult to understand, but both basic and thorough information can be understood because of the author's use of examples, exercises and bullet points that advise, encourage, and challenge. All the information you need to understand and improve your finances is included complete with outside resources.

If you have made mistakes with your money in the past or are in debt, this book can help you fix and avoid those mistakes so your credit score will improve. The chapter on saving is written in a whole different approach to the reader. First, the author explains why you should save and how your finances will improve if you start or continue to save your money. I found this type of approach gave me motivation to keep my money instead of spending it. I also found it helpful that the author explained how current economic issues and taxes affect an individual's finances and what to do so you don't become a victim to economic conditions. Clark lets the reader know every aspect of how your money is involved in the banking system in Chapter 2 and does the same for more difficult topics.

After reading this book and answering some of the questions presented to me in the text, I felt I understood my finances better and incorporated my goals into a financial plan that is sure to be rewarding in the near future. You will be surprised how much you didn't know about your finances before reading this book.

The Complete Personal Finance Handbook: Step-by-Step Instructions to Take Control of Your Financial Future is a real good book. I've read several Suze Orman books and Your Money or Your Life and other such tomes. And I've tossed aside several books on personal finance that couldn't hold my interest past a couple pages. But because of Personal Finance Handbook's comprehensiveness, clarity of explanation, detail and upbeat tone many will consider it their finance bible.
The book starts with budgeting and moves step-by-step through saving (in a multitude of ways), keeping track of your money, banking, the thrill of compound interest, financial advisors, insurance, investing and more.
"Now You Know" charts recap the chapters' main points. And gently, but frankly the book helps people through the emotional aspect of handling money. For example: budgeting and saving bring peace of mind. Yet, if you're in financial trouble, this book will help you without shaming you. Finally, Personal Finance Handbook contains helpful appendices, glossary and index.
The book's only fault is its lack of spacing between words and sentences in the foreword.

This is a must read book for anyone who is serious about how to bring their spirituality to the workplace.

The hard part about starting or running a business is not the long hours, the tight deadlines, or the stresses of being overworked in the face of an insecure future. The real challenges that make or break us surround dealing with our own integrity, our priorities, and conflicts with others.

This book covers those challenges and offers many tools and examples of how we can manage them and come out ahead having built a stronger foundation and a stronger company.

I personally can't stand the idealistic tones of the book but I will admit, unlike most of these books that I have read, this one is much more grounded inthe harsh challenges of reality such as the fact that, while in business and in dealing with others failure is not an option but success is not always achieved.

If you read this book you will find yourself referencing it as you deal with life on any level because the authors clear mind and direct language gives you the language to describe and communicate the situation and how best to manage it.

Fred Kofman does a good job explaining his concepts, however his accent can be a little disconcerting at first. If you are a Landmark Education graduate, the material on these CD's is very nearly a rip-off of the same concepts (i.e., having Integrity, Honoring your Word, etc...). For non-Landmark graduates, these CD's cover many soft-skills concepts that can be effective in your personal life, but he applies them (a little obscurely) to a work environment. If you are trying to get your own business off the ground, "Conscious Business" does not offer strategies for doing so, but rather best practices to remain successful. In other words, you won't find tips regarding how to file your returns, collect data effectively, or document discipline. You will instead find tips about the importance of keeping your word, how to stop stressing about work, and things of that nature. The program was not bad--in retrospect, I would have found it no more than $15 worth of value. Take that for what you will.

Written by Fred Kofman (co-founder and president of Axialent consulting company), Conscious Business: How to Build Value Through Values is a straightforward guide to applying conscious awareness to its fullest extent, recognizing the needs of others, and effectively expressing one's own needs order to build responsibility, integrity, leadership, and reputation - all of which are invaluable tools to a business' continued success. Drawing from real-world examples by such famous companies as Microsoft, Yahoo!, and much more, Conscious Business reveals how being mindful of fundamental human virtues and even "spiritual" questions such as "Who am I?" and "What is my real purpose here?" are positive, empowering assets. A clarion call for balancing fiscal obligations with ethical and moral responsibilities for increased success in all dimensions of business life.

Business is an essential part of our lives. Doing business consciously, Fred Kofman, a co-founder of the consulting firm Axialent, is an essential part of living consciously. The author presents a business model where managers are more conscious of the inner and outer lives of employees.

Anyone who works intuitively understands there are two types of managers. As a professor of accounting, Kofman begin his classes by having students listen to one of Beethoven's pieces over and over. Gradually the students would realize that the music was not in the CD; but in the listening. In music as in business, Information's only value is in how it is interpreted.

Most recognize the need for smart employees with the latest in technical competency. Kofman argues it is more important, and less recognized, that organizations recruit and retain employees with high-level consciousness.

He draws a contrast between unconscious attitudes and their conscious counterparts. They are:

Unconscious Attitudes.....................Conscious Attitudes
Unconditional Blame.......................Unconditional Responsibility
Essential Selfishness........................Essential Integrity
Ontological Arrogance.....................Ontological Humility
Unconscious Behaviors....................Conscious Behaviors
Manipulative Communication..........Authentic Communication
Narcissistic Negotiation....................Constructive Negotiation
Negligent Coordination.....................Impeccable Coordination
Unconscious Reactions.....................Conscious Reactions
Emotional Incompetence...................Emotional Mastery.

These qualities are simple to understand; yet, they are difficult to implement. They represent common sense; yet, they are not found widely in common practice. They seem natural, yet they challenge deep-seated assumptions individuals hold about themselves, others and their world.

Kofman opens the reader's conscious to a unique resource for maximizing profit and potential in the workplace and beyond. Written concisely and coherently he communicates an uncommon wisdom about the truth of our emotions and healthy interpersonal practices in business and life.

I've read 50 or more books on MLM and this is the definitive text. Dr. Barrett captures the MLM business as it "feels" to those of us who are involved in it. Self-motivation is often a lonely and depressing venture. Dr. Barrett understands this and speaks to it with more insight than anything else I've ever read.

On a personal note, I was privileged to meet and speak with Dr. Barrett. I found him to be knowledgeable, humble and truly interested in helping others to learn and grow.

This is the book I recommend to my own MLM team as well as the one I go to for inspiration and answers. If I could give it 10 stars, I would.

If you have forgotten where you came from or need direction where to go in your busy life with marketing, this is the book that will shed light into exploding your career into new heights.

If you are a network marketer, this is a must read!
You get a realistic look at the business and what it takes to make it.
The author points out what it takes: consistency, duplication and enough time. Discover the four ingredients for success and the three fuels to get you there. He says you need vision, courage and stamina to make it in this business and I couldn't agree more. This book has helped me to stay positive and stay with it as I built my team from 10 to 590 in under 10 months! It's a must-have! I loved this book. Mindy McCortney

This is terrific book. And, although it's written for Network Marketers in particular (and can truly help both the beginning and veteran Network Marketers to reach significantly higher levels of success within their companies), the wisdom contained in Dr. Barrett's teachings are applicable to any person in any field; assuming the goal of that person is to become a top producer and/or top leader.

While I found myself learning and re-learning ideas throughout the book that held significant value (highlighter and pen were used often and lots of pages are dog-eared - the sure sign of a book I found to be very valuable), there were certain chapters that were of such help, I had to realllllly slow down and be sure to absorb them.

While I won't spoil it here by trying to summarize in just a few sentences what he taught in an entire chapter, I will say that his concept of the "jelly in the donut" brought an entirely new understanding of "belief systems" and how they either help us or hurt us . . . usually, without our even knowing. He then expertly explained how to get the bad jelly out and the new, life-enhancing jelly in. If his explanation and teaching of just this one concept was all you read, it would still be worth many, many times the price of this book.

However . . . don't stop there. There is so much more to read and learn, as well. I tried to read just a bit at a time but couldn't do it; the more I read, the more I wanted to read and the more I looked forward to knowing.

What a great teacher. Thank you, Dr. Barrett. I'll be recommending this book a lot, both to Network Marketers and non-Network Marketers; I guess, then, I'll be recommending it to everyone.

It is refreshing to read a MLM book that actually tells it like it is. Dr Barrett explains in simple detail what steps you must take to win the Network Marketing game. It all starts with your decision. This is a book you will want to keep on your shelf and refer to many times.

I read this book for a graduate marketing class, but it is a good read for any business professional out there. Why do companies succeed in the long-term? They find a way to put the customer first, time after time. And not just customers, but employees, suppliers, and other stakeholders as well.

"Excellent customer service" is a the frequent promise, which is SELDOM achieved. This book is a good guide to how the elements of really great customer service can be identified and cultivated in an organization. While it is directed more to the larger enterprise, the principles can be applied to small business also.

Leonard L. Berry takes an in-depth look at how service can sustain the success of a business in this detailed, footnoted exploration that includes plenty of interviews and examples from the business world. Written authoritatively, yet conversationally, this book outshines similar works because of its thoroughness. Far from a quick-fix, self-help business guide, the book is thoughtful and doesn't rely on the obvious. We [...] recommend it to managers and leaders in all businesses, particularly if your competitive edge rests on pleasing your customers.

I recently re-read this book (1999) and Berry's previously published On Great Service (1996), curious to know how well they have held up since they were first published. My conclusion? Rock-solid. In fact, both books are even more relevant - and more valuable - now than they were when Leonard Berry wrote them. That is amazing...and commendable.

With regard to the title of this book, consider this brief excerpt from the concluding chapter: "Great service companies have a soul that underlies their strategies and day-to-day operations. The company's soul - its value system - is its foundational center, its inner core." Berry fully understands how difficult it is to achieve and then sustain a great service company, noting that such companies are "humane communities that humanely serve customers and the broader communities in which they live." Decision-makers, especially in companies which have problems attracting and then retaining the talented, skilled, and principled people needed, would be well-advised to consider very carefully the meaning and significance of Berry's concluding observation. The same can be said for companies which have problems keeping valued customers and don't know why.

As Berry explains, his purpose in this book is to identify, describe, and illustrate the underlying drivers of sustainable success in service businesses. Creating a successful service operation is unquestionably a difficult task...The greater involvement of people in creating value for customers, the greater the challenge." He examines 14 outstanding service companies which include The Container Store, the Charles Schwab Corporation, Chick-fil-A, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, the St. Paul Saints AAA baseball franchise, and USAA. He suggests what lessons can be learned from them. Although quite different in terms of their size and nature, they demonstrate the same nine drivers of success, to each of which Berry devotes a separate chapter.

One of his key points is that humane core values sustain human service energy as organizations grow and mature. When the "product" is a human performance, values-driven leadership is at the center of sustainable success. He focuses on often-neglected or under-appreciated basics and explains how the superior service to which the exemplary companies are wholly committed creates for each of them a significant, perhaps decisive competitive advantage. The core strategies seems obvious: focus on serving a specific market need rather than on marketing a specific product for that need, focus on serving underserved market needs, and focus on serving the chosen markets with executional excellence. When stressing the importance of "trust-based" relationships, Berry includes everyone involved in the given enterprise. Hence the importance of what he characterizes as "humane organizational values" and he correctly insists that such values depend on values-driven leadership which must permeate the organization, at all levels and in all areas of operation. Stable leadership stabilizes values and propels all other success sustainers.

Of special interest to me is what he has to say about Cora Griffith in Chapter 8, "Investment in Employee Success." She is a long-time waitress for the Orchard Café in Appleton, Wisconsin. According to Berry, she implements each day the nine rules of success: she treats each customer like family, she is an alert listener, she strives to anticipate her customers' wants, she is attentive to significant details ("simple things make the difference"), she "works smart" by constantly scanning all the tables, maintains an on-going effort to improve her skills while learning new ones, and is contented in her work. "Cora is a team player, an all for one, one for all employee." She takes great pride in her work. And credits her employers, Dick and John Bergstrom, for convincing her how important it is to take good care of each customer and who gave her the "freedom" to do it. How many service providers have you encountered lately who measure up to Cora Griffith's standards? The sad fact is that most service providers could but, for whatever reasons, don't.

It is to Berry's great credit that he recognizes the importance - and significance -- of the Cora Griffiths in this society at a time when most books which discuss superior customer service focus almost entirely on companies such Nordstrom, Ritz-Carlton, and Southwest Airlines. They are indeed exemplary organizations but two points need to be made: Each has its own significant number of Cora Griffiths, and, the same high level of customer service can be provided by all other organizations, even by a hotel restaurant in a small midwestern town.

With all due respect to Mies van der Rohe, God may not be in the details but "the soul of service" certainly is.

It is very difficult for me to work with "interviews and case study" based books since they are almost invariably full of "brilliant" quotes and "success and beyond-duty" stories that, to say the least, sound too good as to be of a sustainable nature in real world. This book is based on experiences and what seems very solid research and, for sure, is not free of this type of passages; and yet, it is one of the most useful and often-referenced books that I own and work with. So, if you will yourself through it, you'll find one of the best and most down-to-earth books on Customer Service. The author identifies nine drivers that can make any organization successful, all of them emphasizing the human nature of the relationship with customers (customer-centered). It is truly a recipe for success, more easily applicable to on-going enterprises rather than to start-ups. From this book the reader can produce very useful check-lists to diagnose the company and its strategic practices regarding their service approach. It can also be used as a guiding document to move a company to a truly customer-awareness territory and, most important, to keep it there. Of special relevance is the author's brilliant exposition in the final chapter "Lessons from World-Class Service Companies", where the reader obtains a rarely seen synopsis of all the good things that excellent companies do "to sustain their excellence". If nothing else, this chapter by itself justifies buying this book and incorporating it to your professional library.

India and its environs are called The Subcontinent for more than geological reasons. It is easily the most complex linguistic, social and cultural area in the world. The diversity is overwhelming - more languages than Europe, major presence of every religion in the world, cultural traditions foreign to Western experience, a proud history going back further than even China's -- yet the sirens' call of globalized business opportunity grows louder and louder. Many books are now available explaining why India is an inevitable global power of enormous investment potential. Gunjan Bagla has produced something different, a "dirty fingernails" book explaining exactly what you need to know to actually do business in India. It provides an invaluable series of guideposts and pitfall warnings to help the Western entrepreneur achieve success. None of the book's chapters is comprehensive. They are more in the nature of dipping a toe in the water to gage the temperature for each can unfold into several more books. Possibly the single most important chapter, the one most outsiders erroneously believe is least relevant, discusses India's historical and cultural landscape. The chapter on cross-cultural communication, both verbal and non-verbal is filled with insights and "ah has," even for those of us who have spent a lifetime studying the country. So are the chapters on human resources, marketing, finance, legal and accounting issues, and living in India. If you are thinking about investing in India you need to take "Doing Business in 21st Century India" seriously. If you are serious about India, this book needs to be under your pillow at night.

As a non-resident Indian living outside India for over 25 years, I am amazed how the country has changed its image, specially in the last decade. We were always raised with the notion that making money in India was difficult, and that you had to be crooked or devious to become rich.

Gunjan Bagla's new book is an eye-opener on the sea change that is happening all over India. It captures the new found energy and entrepreneurship that economic liberaliztion has spurned, but offers a steady hand to guide the over zealous as they seek to do business in 21st Century India. A mature democracy with an in built capitalist drive, a large middle class and a very young workforce, the Indian elephant depicted on the book's cover offers a very stable business model that even booming countries like China can only dream of.

A must read for anyone looking for a "long term" bet on an emerging market.

Great, insightful read. A must read for those wanting to navigate the business landscape of future.

Gunjan is a world class expert on doing business with India. I highly recommend his book!

My knowledge of India had been limited to what I learned about that country from high school and college textbooks. So when I stumbled across Gunjan Bagla's book on India and began reading, I learned a great deal about India and its role in today's global economy.

I had no idea there were so many religions practiced in India and had little appreciation for the number of giant American companies, such as General Electric, that are operating very successful ventures in India. I also learned that the litigation is backlogged for years in India, that buildings and streets are not handicapped accessible, that some two dozen languages are spoken there, that politics are far more divisive there than in the U.S., that astrology plays a big role in the life of Indians, that Thomas The Doubter ministered and died in India, and that India has one of the lowest cell phone calling rates in the world. I also learned why India has the fastest growing economy in the world.

In writing Doing Business in 21st Century India: How to Profit in Tomorrow's Most Exciting Market Gunjan Bagla not only gives a frank assessment of India's shortcomings, contradictions, challenges but also offers solutions or work-arounds so that the challenges can be met. His advice and suggestions offer grounds for optimism that India will continue to expand its global influence as it continues to grow its economy.

The writer's credentials adds authenticity to his observations and advice. Bagla is president and founder of a consulting firm that works with corporation and businesses interested in doing business in India. He has written articles on outsourcing and globalization for major publications such as Business World and is viewed as an expert on India by the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Businessweek. I can see why after reading this very interesting book. Bagla opened my eyes to the India I Never Knew and after finishing his book I almost went to priceline.com to book airline tickets to India.

By Emory Daniels

India and its environs are called The Subcontinent for more than geological reasons. It is easily the most complex linguistic, social and cultural area in the world. The diversity is overwhelming - more languages than Europe, major presence of every religion in the world, cultural traditions foreign to Western experience, a proud history going back further than even China's -- yet the sirens' call of globalized business opportunity grows louder and louder. Many books are now available explaining why India is an inevitable global power of enormous investment potential. Gunjan Bagla has produced something different, a "dirty fingernails" book explaining exactly what you need to know to actually do business in India. It provides an invaluable series of guideposts and pitfall warnings to help the Western entrepreneur achieve success. None of the book's chapters is comprehensive. They are more in the nature of dipping a toe in the water to gage the temperature for each can unfold into several more books. Possibly the single most important chapter, the one most outsiders erroneously believe is least relevant, discusses India's historical and cultural landscape. The chapter on cross-cultural communication, both verbal and non-verbal is filled with insights and "ah has," even for those of us who have spent a lifetime studying the country. So are the chapters on human resources, marketing, finance, legal and accounting issues, and living in India. If you are thinking about investing in India you need to take "Doing Business in 21st Century India" seriously. If you are serious about India, this book needs to be under your pillow at night.

As a non-resident Indian living outside India for over 25 years, I am amazed how the country has changed its image, specially in the last decade. We were always raised with the notion that making money in India was difficult, and that you had to be crooked or devious to become rich.

Gunjan Bagla's new book is an eye-opener on the sea change that is happening all over India. It captures the new found energy and entrepreneurship that economic liberaliztion has spurned, but offers a steady hand to guide the over zealous as they seek to do business in 21st Century India. A mature democracy with an in built capitalist drive, a large middle class and a very young workforce, the Indian elephant depicted on the book's cover offers a very stable business model that even booming countries like China can only dream of.

A must read for anyone looking for a "long term" bet on an emerging market.

Great, insightful read. A must read for those wanting to navigate the business landscape of future.

Gunjan is a world class expert on doing business with India. I highly recommend his book!

My knowledge of India had been limited to what I learned about that country from high school and college textbooks. So when I stumbled across Gunjan Bagla's book on India and began reading, I learned a great deal about India and its role in today's global economy.

I had no idea there were so many religions practiced in India and had little appreciation for the number of giant American companies, such as General Electric, that are operating very successful ventures in India. I also learned that the litigation is backlogged for years in India, that buildings and streets are not handicapped accessible, that some two dozen languages are spoken there, that politics are far more divisive there than in the U.S., that astrology plays a big role in the life of Indians, that Thomas The Doubter ministered and died in India, and that India has one of the lowest cell phone calling rates in the world. I also learned why India has the fastest growing economy in the world.

In writing Doing Business in 21st Century India: How to Profit in Tomorrow's Most Exciting Market Gunjan Bagla not only gives a frank assessment of India's shortcomings, contradictions, challenges but also offers solutions or work-arounds so that the challenges can be met. His advice and suggestions offer grounds for optimism that India will continue to expand its global influence as it continues to grow its economy.

The writer's credentials adds authenticity to his observations and advice. Bagla is president and founder of a consulting firm that works with corporation and businesses interested in doing business in India. He has written articles on outsourcing and globalization for major publications such as Business World and is viewed as an expert on India by the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Businessweek. I can see why after reading this very interesting book. Bagla opened my eyes to the India I Never Knew and after finishing his book I almost went to priceline.com to book airline tickets to India.

By Emory Daniels