| Reference Books | |
|---|---|
| Q: | Book Review: Practical Management Science |
| A: | In the Second Edition of their popular text, Wayne Winston and Chris Albright continue to build on their highly successful approach of teaching by example while using spreadsheets to model a wide variety of business problems. The authors show the relevance of topics through numerous examples of real-world implementation of management science. The ideal solution for people who want to teach by example and who want to solve real problems with spreadsheets and professional spreadsheet add-ins, this text is always interesting, in part due to the useful cases added to this edition. |
| Q: | Book Review: Technical Communication |
| A: | Known for its treatment of the rhetorical situation and its reader-centered approach, the new edition is now full color and thoroughly updated to include the latest developments in technical communication. |
| Q: | Book Review: Managing Engineering and Technology |
| A: | This book explores the traditional principles of management — both the art and the science — as they relate to the engineering and technology professions in general — and to the specific kinds of work and projects engineers are most likely to encounter routinely on the job. Considers the nature and application of management principles throughout the technology product/project life cycles. Reflects the current “reengineering” trend within American companies — and the resultant downsizing of middle management, an emphasis on employee teams, a focus on quality and productivity and customer satisfaction. Incorporates new management methods and tools. Surveys recent global trends that affect American technology management. |
| Q: | Book Review: Marketing Management |
| A: | This worldwide best-selling book highlights the most recent trends and developments in global marketing-with an emphasis on the importance of teamwork between marketing and all the other functions of the business. It introduces new perspectives in successful strategic market planning, and presents additional company examples of creative, market-focused, and customer-driven action. Coverage includes a focus on customer relationship management, partner relationship management, the Internet and its effects and uses, brand building and brand asset management, alternative go-to-market channels, and marketing around the globe. Chapter topics discuss building customer satisfaction, market-oriented strategic planning, analyzing consumer markets and buyer behavior, dealing with the competition, designing pricing strategies and programs, and managing the sales force For marketing managers who want to increase their understanding of the major issues of strategic, tactical, and administrative marketing-along with the opportunities and needs of the marketplace in the years ahead. |
| Q: | Book Review: Business and Its Environment |
| A: | The author takes a managerial orientation focusing on strategy formulation and implementation. He integrates treatment of the economics and politics of antitrust, regulation, environmental protection, and international trade policy. Ethical dimensions of issues are considered as well as the development of frameworks for analyzing ethical concerns and making decision. |
| Q: | Book Review: The Ecology of Commerce |
| A: | Paul Hawken, the entrepreneur behind the Smith & Hawken gardening supplies empire, is no ordinary capitalist. Drawing as much on Baba Ram Dass and Vaclav Havel as he does on Peter Drucker and WalMart for his case studies, Hawken is on a one-man crusade to reform our economic system by demanding that First World businesses reduce their consumption of energy and resources by 80 percent in the next 50 years. As if that weren't enough, Hawken argues that business goals should be redefined to embrace such fuzzy categories as whether the work is aesthetically pleasing and the employees are having fun; this applies to corporate giants and mom-and-pop operations alike. He proposes a culture of business in which the real world, the natural world, is allowed to flourish as well, and in which the planet's needs are addressed. Wall Street may not be ready for Hawken's provocative brand of environmental awareness, but this fine book is full of captivating ideas. |
| Q: | Book Review: The Handbook of Technical Writing |
| A: | The 7th edition of this classic comprehensive reference is now easier to use and more thorough than ever. With up-to-date coverage of workplace technology—from e-mail, Internet research, and writing for the Web to Web forms and page design—the Handbook of Technical Writing offers expert advice for meeting the demands of online writing. Abundant |
| Q: | Book Review: Organizational Behavior |
| A: | Robert Kreitner is a Senior Lecturer in Management at Arizona State university. He is a popular speaker who has addressed a diverse array of audiences worldwide on topics including the 21st century workplace. Angelo Kinicki is a professor of management at Arizona State University. He received the Instructor of the Year Award for executive Education from the center for executive development in the college of business administration at ASU. |
| Q: | Book Review: Market Research |
| A: | This fully updated third edition of Market Research assumes no previous knowledge of the subject. Through clear, concise advice and real life case studies starting out in market research is made simple. The book covers all the essential topics and includes: planning, desk research, qualitative and quantitative research, sampling, questionnaire design and data collection and analysis. Also provided are the latest details of market research agencies, codes of practice, quality schemes and includes a useful contact list. This guide is aimed at both practitioners and students and is a comprehensive introduction to the subject. Packed with useful charts and figures, this new edition of MARKET RESEARCH draws on practical tried and tested methods, as well as the author’s extensive experience. |
| Q: | Book Review: Business and Its Environment |
| A: | Brings together the disciplines of economics, political science, law, and ethics to address a class of management issues of growing importance to the performance of companies. Provides conceptual frameworks for understanding issues in the environment of business and their development; strategy formulation; analysis of the news media; political analysis; the economics and politics of government intervention in markets (regulation, antitrust, and torts); the economics and politics of international trade; the political economy of countries; and ethical analysis and decision-making. For all business professionals, including managers looking to enhance their knowledge of an ever-changing, increasingly global field. |
| Q: | Book Review: State of The Art Marketing Research |
| A: | This completely revised and updated edition of State of the Art Marketing Research is still the only comprehensive, all-in-one resource for planning, conducting, and applying marketing research in today's results-oriented environment. Clear, concise, and authoritative, the book describes the technologies that have revolutionized the marketing research discipline and have transformed the day-to-day practice of marketing research into an invaluable tool for actionable plans and programs. Written for managers and marketing executives who direct or communicate with researchers and marketing staff, this book takes the reader step-by-step through the research planning and development process: Defining marketing problems and preparing research plans and proposals Selecting the best primary and secondary research methods for the problem at hand Developing samples and questionnaires Using focus groups Presenting research results Applying research results to marketing problems Making research-based strategy decisions Including new information on research for international markets and guidance on using the new technologies to develop information about today's fast-changing markets with examples from all sectors of business, this edition is an essential guide to the cutting-edge techniques for mastering today's markets. |
| Q: | Book Review: Transnational Management |
| A: | This combination of text, Harvard and London Business School cases, and readings present the best of current research and thought on the global business environment. Both Bartlett and Ghoshal are recognized as leading scholars on global strategy and organization. The text focuses on management's challenge associated with developing strategies, designing organizations and managing operations of companies whose activities stretch across national boundaries. Bartlett and Ghoshal make a distinction between |
| Q: | Book Review: International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace |
| A: | Market-defining since it was first introduced, International Business, 4e by Charles W. L. Hill, continues to set the standard for international business textbooks. Charles Hill’s reputation as a leading thinker and actor in the international arena precede him, and he is regularly asked to explain world economic events on National Public Radio. His expertise lends itself to a book that is thorough and up-to-date. Because many issues in international business are complex, they necessitate exploration of pros and cons of economic theories, government policies, business strategies, organizational structures, etc. The author challenges the often shallow explanations that other books offer, while maintaining a tight integrated flow between the chapters. Hill’s book is practical in nature, focusing on managerial implications of each topic on the actual practice of international business. The author’s passion and enthusiasm for the international business arena is apparent on every page as he strives to make important theories interesting, informative, and accessible to all students. |
| Q: | Book Review: Business and Its Environment |
| A: | Brings together the disciplines of economics, political science, law, and ethics to address a class of management issues of growing importance to the performance of companies. Provides conceptual frameworks for understanding issues in the environment of business and their development; strategy formulation; analysis of the news media; political analysis; the economics and politics of government intervention in markets (regulation, antitrust, and torts); the economics and politics of international trade; the political economy of countries; and ethical analysis and decision-making. For all business professionals, including managers looking to enhance their knowledge of an ever-changing, increasingly global field. |
| Q: | Book Review: Implementing Six Sigma |
| A: | This new and significantly revised edition of Implementing Six Sigma goes well beyond traditional Six Sigma methodologies, introducing an enhanced roadmap- S4/IEE (Smarter Six Sigma Solutionssm/Integrated Enterprise Excellence). This cutting-edge approach offers a solution to the common problem of sustaining Six Sigma activities and downplays the traditional policy stating that Six Sigma projects must have a defined defect. A variety of plans, checklists, metrics, and warnings of potential pitfalls provide thorough preparation for anyone implementing Six Sigma strategies. With new coverage of Six Sigma infrastructure building, benchmarking, and real-world |
| Q: | Book Review: New Service Development and Innovation in the New Economy |
| A: | Most companies that want to compete in today's markets try to differentiate thenselves with the innovative services. New Service Development and Innovation in the New Economy focuses on the introduction and development of new competitive services. Practical tools for the process are provided together with valuable insights into the theoretical methods for the development of new services. |
| Q: | Book Review: Operations Research - Applications and Algorithms |
| A: | The market-leading textbook for the course, Winston's OPERATIONS RESEARCH owes much of its success to its practical orientation and consistent emphasis on model formulation and model building. It moves beyond a mere study of algorithms without sacrificing the rigor that faculty desire. As in every edition, Winston reinforces the book's successful features and coverage with the most recent developments in the field. The Student Suite CD-ROM, which now accompanies every new copy of the text, contains the latest versions of commercial software for optimization, simulation, and decision analysis. |
| Q: | Book Review: The Project Manager's Desk Reference |
| A: | Move step-by-step through proven solutions guaranteed to keep all your projects on track. The Project Manager s Desk Reference, Second Edition, by James P. Lewis, gives you a template for managing projects of any size from start to finish, a 16-step process for planning, monitoring, and controlling any project. As you explore specific situations taken from today's fast-moving business environment, the author's easy-to-understand approach shows you how to confidently put together a project plan using Work Breakdown Structures, PERT, CPM, and Gantt schedules. Youlearn how to conduct risk analysis, and assemble and manage a problem-solving team to eliminate potential stumbling blocks and complete the project on time and within budget. In the second edition of this hands-on toolbox, you get updated examples, illustrations and figures, checklists for every stage, plus lists of associations and powerful websites. |
| Q: | Book Review: Systems Engineering Principles and Practice |
| A: | A unique interdisciplinary guide to the engineering of complex systems Systems Engineering Principles and Practice is designed to help readers learn to think like systems engineers, to integrate user needs, technological opportunities, financial and schedule constraints, and the capabilities and ambitions of the engineering specialists who have to build the system. The book devotes particular attention to knowledge, skills, mindset, and leadership qualities needed to be successful professionals in the field. This book is an outgrowth of the Johns Hopkins University Master of Science Program in Engineering, developed to meet an urgent and expanding need for skilled systems engineering in industry and government. The authors, who have sixty years of collective experience in this field, were part of the curriculum design team as well as members of the initial faculty. The book is used to support four core courses in the curriculum, and has been exhaustively classroom tested. Systems Engineering Principles and Practice: Provides an excellent, pedagogically sound, entry-level approach to the subject Defines the breadth and depth of knowledge required by systems engineers Describes tools and techniques essential for development of complex systems Includes applied practical problems in every chapter to aid understanding This very readable book is an excellent resource for engineers, scientists, and project managers involved with systems engineering, as well as a useful textbook for short courses offered through industry seminars. |
| Q: | Book Review: Intermediate Financial Management |
| A: | Comprehensive text with enough background material to refresh and reinforce earlier courses in corporate finance and enough advanced material to stimulate the most advanced learner. The predominant strengths of clarity, current coverage, and friendliness to learner and instructors continues in this new edition. Some of the areas where coverage has been expanded include corporate governance and reform, valuation, value based management, cash flow, and newly updated material on real options. The instructor's resources enable outstanding presentations and learning. |
| Q: | Book Review: Probability and Statistics for Engineering and the Sciences |
| A: | This market-leading text provides a comprehensive introduction to probability and statistics for students in engineering and the physical and natural sciences. It is a proven, accurate book with great examples from an outstanding author, Jay Devore. Through the use of lively and realistic examples, students go beyond simply learning about statistics--they actually experience its potential. The book emphasizes concepts, models, methodology and applications, as opposed to rigorous mathematical development and derivations. |
| Q: | Book Review: The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership |
| A: | In this offbeat approach to leadership, college president Steven B. Sample-the man who turned the University of Southern California into one of the most respected and highly rated universities in the country-challenges many conventional teachings on the subject. Here, Sample outlines an iconoclastic style of leadership that flies in the face of current leadership thought, but a style that unquestionably works, nevertheless. Sample urges leaders and aspiring leaders to focus on some key counterintuitive truths. He offers his own down-to-earth, homespun, and often provocative advice on some complex and thoughtful issues. And he provides many practical, if controversial, tactics for successful leadership, suggesting, among other things, that leaders should sometimes compromise their principles, not read everything that comes across their desks, and always put off decisions. |
| Q: | Book Review: Contracts and the Legal Environment for Engineers and Architects |
| A: | Desk-top guide to your professional rights and obligations Are you prepared for legal problems that could easily come up in your practice? Will you know when it's wise to call a lawyer and how to work with him or her for outcomes favorable to you? In a new edition that takes a keen look at how the law is adapting to fast-changing technology, Contracts and the Legal Environment for Engineers & Architects, Sixth Edition, by Joseph T. Bockrath, gives you a sound foundation in basic legal principles, emphasizing your own area of contracts and specifications. This savvy advisor uses illustrations drawn from recent litigation to help you understand: *Types of contracts *Performance or breach of contract obligations *Termination of contracts *Contracts for construction and engineering services...advertising for bids...proposals *Contract clauses relating to finances, including damage claims, extras, partial and withheld payments *Professional liability of architects and engineers *and more... |
| Q: | Book Review: Minding the Machines: Preventing Technological Disasters |
| A: | In Minding the Machines, two leading experts in technological risk assessment analyze more than 30 disasters—from the Titanic sinking to Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Challenger shuttle disaster to Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, the Love Canal toxic waste contamination to Bhopal poison gas release. They present lessons learned and preventive strategies for all four leading causes of technological disasters: technical design factors, human factors, organizational systems factors, and socio-cultural factors. They also identify appropriate roles for every participant in technological systems—from corporations to regulators, engineering schools to individual citizens. |