Services Books

Two milestones in recent U.S. history profoundly impacted the lifestyle of the middle class: The 1929 depression that propagated frugality, and the double digit inflation of the late 1970s-early 1980s that instigated a reversal of the depression era trends and whet America's appetite for risk and propensity to take on debt.

In what Mr. Nocera terms as "the money revolution", consumption in the U.S. rose rapidly, facilitated in large part by the proliferation of credit cards and inflation scares. Investing was brought to the masses through discount brokerages and mutual funds. The money revolution, as the ever enthusiastic and upbeat Money Magazine editor, Marshall Loeb defined it, was about how the middle class was finally gaining access to all the financial tools that had previously been available only to the rich.

Mr. Nocera is a master story teller, and in "A Piece of the Action", he focuses on the eccentric and brilliant individuals who had an integral part in the money revolution; individuals such as Dee Hock, the inventor of Visa, Peter Lynch, the most successful mutual fund manager, Charles Schwab who popularized discount brokerages et al.

The "rapid conversion of income to possessions" that began in the late 1970s' double digit inflation era defined America's consumption and abysmally low savings for decades to follow. It will be interesting to see how the global financial melt down in 2008 will affect these deeply embedded behaviors in the American consumers' psyche. No matter what the outcome, one thing's for certain: You don't mess with the Zohan.

It may be difficult for many of you younger people to grasp how primitive many of our business practices were back only 40 years ago.

When I started working at Visa in 1973, those thin tissue copies of sales receipts were manually taken to the merchant's bank each evening and placed in a "drop-box". Then they were "processed" by the merchant's bank which really meant they were physically sorted into piles to be copied and sent by mail to each of the banks around the country that had issued the card to the customer. In addition, a calculator tape was added up to total the receits to be sent to each issuing bank.

Days or weeks later, a bank draft was sent by the issuer to pay for that shoe-box of receipts and then the customer was billed. It took on average over 40 days before the charge actually appeared on the customer's bill. International sales could take up to three months.

This was replaced by an electronic system that could send millions of sales transactions overnight. Your first impression of this description might well be that this was only important to some banks so who cares. The reality is that it permitted banks to loosen their procedures for issuing credit cards so that most of the middle class was able for the first time to buy goods away from home easily and simply. In 1973, less than 2% of Americans had a card that permitted them to buy goods and services when not dealing with a local merchant. Ten years later over 50% had such cards.

There were a number of revolutions that took place in our society from the mid-60s to the mid-70s and this tells the story wonderfully of a few financial revolutions that had tremendous benefits for the general public. You will be both entertained and informed by this book and what more can you ask of a book?

Not a complete and in depth analytical history of banking, but rather a "pop-history" of consumer finance (But the history leg work is there).A look at the innovators and their innovations that changed how we conduct our personal business....good bathroom/travel read;or as supplementary work for a report. The writer does a good job of staying "neutral" but does indeed claim to be pro-consumption (and it shows by tone). But a good fun read anyways.

This story of the revolution in the credit & investment industries; & it's powerful impact on society.

I bought this on an Amazon recommendation. Its really a great book. I am truly shocked this book is not better known; I'd rate it a classic on Personal Finance.

I purchased this book for my mother who contracted polio at 6 months old. Now at age 59 she is suffering the effects of this syndrome. After reading this book she now understands what to expect and why certain things are happening now. Highly recommend.

Excellent!! A must read for anyone with this diagnosis. Helpful, inspiring and her clinic can help you live your life to it's fullest. She's affilated with Mass. General and Harvard, the best in New England. This book was a life saver for me.

Dr. Julie Silver's book is the best summary I've seen of information on post-polio syndrome. Her explanations are clear, informative, and full of information that is crucial for anyone with a history of polio. I highly recommend it.

This book is a must for anyone who is a polio survivor, just as is TO CATCH THE SNOWFLAKES, the story of a polio winner.

I HIGHLY recommend this book for polio survivor and especially for every doctor that is treating a post polio person. It is a MUST! It is very easy to read & understand & not a doomsday downer in any way. I am on my second read as I am sure I missed key points and sure enough there are jewels of knowledge & necessary information WE POST POLIO survivors must do for ourselves and make sure our specialists have full grasp of our ever changing condition. PLan to mark up your copy and buy two copies or more at the beginning as you will want to make sure anyone that is trying to help you or cares about you can be fully informed.

I was disappointed only in that this was a vegan cookbook and not vegetarian as the title implies. There are some good recipes, but not enough to hold my interest. I sent it back.

I am a serious home cook who has made this book her kitchen bible. The recipes contained in this book are scrumptious and remarkably free of all animal products (including eggs and dairy). As vegan cookbooks go, this book is unique. The culinary results are delicious and visually appealing. The author is a professional chef who knows how to layer in complex, yet pleasing flavors into dishes for spectacular results. Ken Bergeron really knows how to stimulate taste buds that have grown weary of the same-old, same-old. Truly innovative cuisine like this doesn't come around every day. I've made dozens of recipes presented within these pages with incredible success. Over the holidays, I followed the author's menu suggestions. I made the festive holiday menu for Christmas dinner and the hors d-oeuvres menu for an elegant cocktail party. Most of the invited guests were non-vegetarians with sophisticated taste-buds--definitely not the dry lentil loaf and brown rice crowd. I was delighted to receive enthusiastic raves and dozens of requests for the recipes. The fried oyster mushrooms, vegetable walnut and pecan pate, baby bella mushroom risotto and maple nut tart were especially big hits, but everything was devoured with gusto. This book is truly avant garde--I believe vegan cuisine will be the everyday norm for most American tables by the end of the next century. Even Time Magazine--hardly a granola rag by any stretch of the imagination-has recently predicted this dietary megatrend will happen in the near future. Undoubtedly, this book will help lead the way. No home should be without it. And, anyone making a profession out of feeding the public--pay attention, please! Customers will continue to want to live large into the next century, but that doesn't necessarily mean they want big slabs of dead animals oozing blood on their plates. Exotic fruits and vegetables, prepared with all the care and attention given to flesh-centered cuisine, will fit the bill just fine. Many trendsetters are looking for this now, but millions will follow.

All of the recipes in this book are not only vegetarian they are vegan. They are also scrumptious. I have tried several and it is well worth the trouble of having to scale down the recipes (since this is really created for restauranteurs everything serves 10).

Truly great example of why the question --don't you get bored eating vegetables all the time--is so funny!

Steph

Wow, chef Bergeron is a genius. Yes, a genius. This book contains dozens and dozens of sophisticated and inventive recipes using vegetables. Wow, and Wow again. A treasure trove!!!! Hey, home cooks out there, you will amaze your friends with any of these recipes. I only wish I had purchased a copy of this book sooner.

A little bias because Ken is a friend of mine, Ken is a modest down to earth guy---No pun intended. I am not a vegetarian by any means but every recipe that I have used is awesome. You really have to try the Oyster Fried Mushrooms, Watermelon Catsup or The Sea Czar Dressing. I have worked side by side with Ken, who is an incredible wealth of knowledge and expierience as a Vegan. Ken is the 1st World Vegan Gold Medalist at The Culinary Olympics in 92. I am very proud to be considered his friend and very proud of this book.

All I can say is it's simple, easy to read and healthy! Don't let the "Professional" in the title fool the average person because it is for everyone.The knowledge and eye opening this will give you to the vegetarian/vegan world is priceless.

"Realism"- A more fitting description of this book could not have been found. The creators have developed perhaps the best resource book and teaching aid on structural anatomy I have had the pleasure to utilize.

My school added this book to their library, and it has helped me a great deal. Very detailed and clean images. I've recommended it to all my classmates.

I've used this book as a guide to human body sculpting. This book has given me a better understanding of muscle structure as I built my clay model from the skeletton, and then adding muscles. I recommend it to any artist who strive to represent the human body with accuracy, be it in 3D or 2D.

I always found it difficult to relate to the way individual muscles act alone or in groups to shape and to move the human body. Page after page this book brings a simplicity to a complicated form and trust me on this one...you will have a greater appreciation of the functional body when you aquire this atlas.

I have used my REALISM book countless times as a student of anatomy, and as a practicing massage therapist. The outstanding images in REALISM capture the detail of each bone intricately and each muscle so clearly. As a student learning origins and insertions of muscles this book was invaluable, and as I educate my clients about their own bodies; explaining where muscles are or why somethings hurting etc. I am constantly reffering back to REALISM whether it's to show someone where a muscle is on their body or to refresh my own understanding. I would recommend this book to anyone whether you are a student of anatomy, working in a field where you need to know detailed anatomy, or someone who simply wants to understand their body structure a whole lot better!

Great company stories are crafted. These two craftsmen tell you how to tell a compelling and honest story that will attract clients, employees, investors and other people you need to succeed. What I like most is the practical advice on how to make it so. As someone who teaches at a college and writes about marketing CLIENT SEDUCTION: A Step-by-Step Lead Generation System for Professional and Technology Service Firms and Pain Killer Marketing: How to Turn Customer Pain into Market Gain, this is a book I will recommend to my continuing education students who want to learn how to gain a marketing advantage.

Good communication is good story telling. But knowing how to convey your story so others will understand it and act on it requires good marketing and PR skills. As author of a PR book, "How Come No One Knows About Us?" I found their marketing "secrets" very useful and will incorporate them into the work I do with my own clients and the efforts I do to expand my own business. I recommend this books for its clear insights.

Reality Sells is an interactive tool in which the authors found a unique way to engage their audience and to instill upon them the values of old school integrity. This in fact is what most impressed me about this book. The authors not only outline the importance of authenticity but what makes any business distinctive in nature. Elements of individuality are emphasized, as well as how to incorporate these elements into the mechanism that separates you from the pack. Reading this book brings you "back to the basics" of selling and marketing. You learn, or relearn, how to increase performance and improve your alignment with your market, as well as several helpful tips that would bring any small business owner or manager, or even employee, full circle in their business approach. Bottom line, this book is formatted in such a way that it enhances your comprehension and understanding. It's more than just another "self-help," it's a roadmap to success!

This book is outstanding. The principles and strategies introduced and discussed are right on point. It is a great read, and easy to understand concepts that would create a significant impact upon any business. As the creator of a world famous brand and company, i know what is important to a businessman , and this is a must read. Reality does sell !

Corbus & Guertin have written not just a book about successful selling strategies, but a way to run your business and your life! My dad always told me, "Tell the truth, it's the easiest story to defend!" In this book, the authors make that point a hundred times over, with compelling examples. Sales is about trust and commitment. Being commited to reality is the right way to sell. Buy this book and read it if you hire, manage or perform as sales people.

This book told me everything I wanted to know but was afraid to ask about a whole host of everyday relationships: with my sons' pediatricians, my own doctors, funeral home directors (I've know too many of these), even my hairdresser. The author manages to pry the lid off these often awkward relationships and get to the heart of what makes them awkward. She then offer sometimes surprisingly simple, straightforward advice on ways to improve them: "magic words" indeed!

Thank you for helping to untangle at least part of my complicated life!

I thought I pretty much knew what I needed about negotiating life, but this book offers some of the most commonsense, down-to-earth tips I have ever come across -- the kind of info you might seek from someone's uncle or friend of a friend, but here it is. And the kind of info that can apply to you as well as your parents and your kids. Plus, it made me laugh. Great book for college grads.

Everyday life has become exceedingly complicate. We don't have the leeway to make mistakes in our dealings with people and expect to learn from these mistakes sometime in the future. We need to increase our chances of getting it right the first time. This is where Lynette Padwa's book comes in. Wouldn't it be better to see a doctor with some prior understanding about how a doctor's office really and how you can maximize getting the best possible treatment? Similarly, if you've never consulted a lawyer before, wouldn't it increase your chances of having a good experience if you knew how lawyers feel about their clients and how a law office operates. I found this book to be both fascinating and highly informative, as well as easy to read. I know I'll use it often.

This "magic words" book shows how to successfully deal with busy professionals not so much by the words we use but the way we say them. The eighteen occupations this author chose to investigate are essential to most families.

Some are necessary to parents of younger children, like nannies, teachers, pediatricians; for couples just starting out, she covers realtors, contractors, landlords. Even the adult children of elderly parents with information they should know, the needed advise on choosing nursing home and funeral directors -- which go together -- are a priority. She tells some of the things to ask and how to supervise (what to do, what not to do). "One of the most stressful aspects of placing a relative in a nursing home is the unwelcome glimpse it offers into your own possible future." She gives alternatives such as adult family homes (my sister did this for a while some years ago in Maryland), a private residence licensed to provide care for two to six individuals; it adds the personal touch as opposed to the "demoralization of institutional life." Even though "nursing homes are the second most heavily regulated industry in America (the nuclear power industry is first)," there are no guarantees. From personal experience, I'd advise it only as a last resort.

For those who own cars, she has pointers on dealing with auto mechanics and car salesmen. When dealing with local politicians, such as city council membres or even the mayor, there is a sample letter detailing how to get the best results, "with carbon copies sent to the Mayor, a local t.v. station news producer, and the editor of the local newspaper." City council members can accomplish many things, but they must work within certain limits; "prepare by clarifying what you want done."

If you need the services of a lawyer, "you will know that [by] asking why he got into law will make you one of his favorite clients." She gives pointers on hairdressers, so essential to a woman's appearance and self-confidence, and the tipping process, when it is alright not to tip.

People like doctors and therapists we all need at different stages in our lives so that they will do what they are trained to make our healthcare (physical and mental) tolerable. Some magic words to use: "Be 'concerned' instead of 'scared.' Be 'apprehensive' instead of a 'nervous wreck.' In everyday life, we tend to exaggerate to get results, but with doctors have to go to the opposite extreme. Even if you are 'in agony,' try not to use those words. Instead say, "I have a lot of discomfort."

If something about you gives these professionals the impression that you will make them fail, they will be less than likely to help you. "If they sense that they will succeed with you, they will go out of their way to return your calls, honor their agreements." This book will show you how to give them the impresssion that they will succeed. Lynette Padwa has also written EVERYTHING YOU PRETEND TO KNOW AND ARE AFRAID SOMEONE WILL ASK.

The author gets it right in the very first paragraph: The REAL Golden Rule isn't doing unto others what you'd have them do unto you; it's about doing unto others what THEY want done unto themselves.

Eighteen chapters cover topics from doctors to funeral directors; car salesmen to auto mechanics; realtors to general contractors. Each chapter stands on its own as a "playbook" with practical advice for dealing with common situations. Pawda teaches win-win by showing the reader how to see the world through the other person's eyes.

Read it once for the practical advice. Read it again for insight into human behavior. Read it one more time to transform how you see others.

This book will provide multiple and in-depth frameworks for thinking about and managing services and services marketing. Adding to the frameworks are real-world examples from leading edge companies. The authors' depth of knowledge shines through in fitting these examples within the frames giving the reader insight as to how to apply each to their own particular scenario.

A very informative book, however it is easy to see that it was written by professors. The book does make basic business subjects more complex than needed.

With its comprehensive content, the book gives a fantastic overview of the important issues in services marketing today. There are many interesting and practical examples demonstrating the learning points. Well-balanced perspective. Besides giving readers the foundations of concepts and tools to use as services marketing managers, it also gives readers interesting tips on how to get around or leverage on current services strategies used by companies as customers.

As Services industries continue to become a larger and larger share of our global economy, the importance of Services Marketing can only grow. Wirtz and Lovelock have written an excellent book for understanding Services Marketing and backing it up with numerous excellent real world case examples. I have been in the Services industry for 21 years, but still learned a tremendous amount from the book and cases. The book makes it easy to grasp the key concepts and has a logical, smooth flow. If after reading this book and exploring the accompanying cases, you still don't have a thorough knowledge of Services Marketing, it is YOUR fault! I highly recommend this book and think it should be part of every MBA program.

This is such a well-written and well-organized book that you can simply read from cover-to-cover or jump into your interested chapters right away.

Not only does the authors present you with their in-depth coverage of the various services related topics, supplementary materials (papers, cases) from other excellent sources/authors make this an absolute encyclopedia of services marketing and a coherent contemporary literature for both novices and seasoned practitioners.

This is THE book for this very under-written and immensely critical topic of services marketing and an essential reading for the 60-80% of the workforce who are involved in the ever growing services sector.

The book is available for purchase in Kindle format but it is available for free either by joining Safari where it is available as compiled HTML.

But best of all the entire contents have been made available free of charge with no registration required here:

www.ss7-training.net

I made the decision to provide the book free to help support the SS7 training that I do; I can now point candidates at the book online and ask them to skim read it before any training is provided. This has worked extremely well.

Lee

The collaborative work of Lee Dryburgh, Jeff Hewett, Lee Dryburgh, and Jeff Hewitt, Signaling System No. 7 (SS7/C7): Protocol, Architecture, and Services teaches aspiring engineers SS7/C7 architectures and expertly shows just how to maintain their operations. Complete with coverage of both North American and international standards, the student engineers and computer network and communication system developers will learn about basic call setup, management, and tear down, personal communications services (PCS), wireless roaming, and mobile subscriber authentication. A seminal and highly recommended work of technical excellence, Signaling System No. 7 (SS7/C7) is enhanced with local number portability (LNP), with toll free (800/888) and toll (900) wireline services are also being covered, as well as other enhanced features and security management.

This book covers everything in SS7 including TCAP, AIN, & ANSI. It is a great read and easy to understand if you have a working knowledge of the protocols.
To follow on after reading this book I would recommend Lee's training course, Lee not only covers the topic's in his book, he applies his expertise and real world knowledge for you to learn from. A great book to have if you are in the telecommunications industry.

I agree with all the positive comments on this book. It's really great. But there are *many* typos on the book. Sometimes, the typos can make it more difficult to understand the matter. Like when calling and called are interchanged. But I recommend the purchase of this book.

This is an excellent tutorial and reference book for the Signaling System No.7 (SS7/C7).It is the same useful both for those that have no previous knowledge and/or exposure of SS7 and those that have already some experience or knowledge in it.I already had some elementary theoretical knowledge and some working experience in SS7 softstacks and simulators but this book gave me a thorough and complete information step by step to the different stack layers, functions of each, message structure traversing each as well as a clear and consise overview of the PSTN network, the GSM network and the Sigtran protocol. Sigtran of course is not the main focus of this book so it is covered briefly but in a sufficient degree in one chapter.Those who are interested in a deeper study of Sigtran can read the recommended references by the author.
Some minor mistakes mostly typos that are counted to the fingers of both hands may be forgiven for a book of almost 700 pages covering such a complicated technical subject as the SS7 Signaling System, which gives such a detailed,elaborated and beautifully structured knowledge useful and digestible even for the most unfamiliar reader.
Also, unlike someone's assumptions that since the book is published by Cisco Press it would give Cisco point of view and solutions description for SS7, it is not the case.It is cleverly written as a no-vendor technical tutorial in SS7, based exclusively in the standard bodies specifications (ITU-T, ETSI, ANSI etc) as well as in various no-vendor reference sources (more than 150 in number).To this the authors vast experience in SS7 apparently contributes greatly.
Consequently, a future work on SS7 that we would greatly welcome is a book of how to program in SS7, install SS7 hardware and configure an SS7 network.

This is a must read for understanding American medicine. It actually has a straightforward point of view in its focus on the autonomy and status of the medical profession and the distinguishing feature in the evolution of health care institutions. The role of the medical profession in health care is unique in our society and this books historically follows how the profession has used its position to counter capital enterprise and public programs to meet pressing social needs. He makes clear that the development of valid scientific theories and their applicating into effective treatments was critical to affirming the control of physicians. Otherwise the political disputes over licensing and accreditation could not have succeeded. Obviously the emergence of HMO's and other health insurers represent the latest source of conflict. Again this work presents the issues clearly and objectively.

This book traces the evolution of America's disjointed healthcare system, from the horror of the early hospitals to the formation of the medical profession. It also explains how, as the early profession was fighting for the right to exist, it took virtual possession of the rest of the healthcare system. Every Democratic president since FDR has attempted some type of major healthcare reform, only to be opposed by the American Medical Association (AMA) because organized doctorhood thought it had too much to lose.

This book is an effortless read for students of sociology or those that have a great interest in the history of medicine. Published in 1983, it easily predicts some of the current problems in American healthcare, because the powerful interests that determine the delivery of healthcare are still the same. It also predicts some of the circumstances that will finally bring America around to some sort of rational, universal, healthcare coverage.

The evolution of American medicine is a fascinating story and it is told very well. The analysis is excellent and this really provides a great perspective about how the US got to the corporate system we are now on. I wish there would be an update that would take us from 1980-2000. The debate over how socialized medicine did not take root is very interesting and well done in the book. If you are getting started or an expert this book has something for everyone. Highly recommend for those who are trying to understand how doctors and hospitals developed in America.

For anyone interested in the healthcare as a profession or area of study, I can't recommend this book highly enough. Despite the 20 years since its publication, Paul Starr's Pulitzer prize winner is still relevant today and in retrospect his projections made of the future of healthcare in America are surpisingly prescient.

The first book describes the development of the medical profession in early America providing a fascinating look at the social evolution of American society. The second book delineates the rise of doctors, hospitals and medical schools in latter half of the 19th to the early 20th century with the rise of science and a professional authority. The third book shifts the focus from the doctors and to the industry that medicine became as well as the various attempts at healthcare reform in response to rising healthcare costs.

My only criticism is that Starr should have devoted more pages to the root causes behind the rising healthcare costs that drove the reforms of the 1960-70s described in the third book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone in the health care industry or anyone interested in the history of American medicine.
Starr basically explores why/how physicians so powerful politically, socially, and economically. GREAT BOOK!

There is no other way to describe this book. It will leave you wanting more. From the very first chapter you get a sense of Ms. Turner's creative genius. As a Senior Executive I can tell you I have used some of these idea's myself. Don't re-create the world, use what has already been successful. I recomend this book to anyone who wants to Wow their customers and thier employees.

I was initially intrigued to read Tattoo by Rebecca Turner for its cover. As I turned the pages of this well written book, I was pleasantly surprised of an old idea but new way of looking at customer service. I quickly began to think of ways on how to implement some of Tattoo's ideas.

Similar to how Tattoo tells of providing great customer service that they not only tell their friends, but they insist that they try your product or patronize your establishment; I immediately demanded my friends and colleagues to read Tattoo...

It has been over a year since I first picked up Tattoo, and I have found myself on numerous occasions' re-reading some of the highlights and notes that I left on the note pages provided.

Looking forward for Turner's next book.

Tattoo is a quick weekend read and well worth your time. Turner takes us on a deep dive into what inspires a customer/client to recommend your product/service.

Prior to reading this book I had not considered writing a formal customer service policy or a credo that formalizes how I feel about my clients but I now see that these things matter. They matter because how you treat your clients matters every bit as much as the product/service you offer.

Finally, if you are a quote junkie like me you'll REALLY enjoy this book - she has found some ringers that will make your heart soar, for example: "Try not to become a person of success but rather a person of value." Albert Einstein. Awesome!

If you're looking for a book that simplifies the mystique of branding and how to use it to achieve success, read Tattoo. Turner explores success stories from the likes of Starbucks to local retailers and how they achieve loyalty for their customer dollars. Easy to ready and chock full of useful information. You'll want to keep it handy!

As an advocate for customer service and author, I have found Rebecca's insights to be right on the money!

Her thoughts especially those involving the imporance of having a "story" for companies, make the difference between success and failure.

Great work and must read!