Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Purchase and Watch Your Every Move

Book Description

As you walk down the street, a tiny microchip implanted in your tennis shoe tracks your every move; chips woven into your clothing transmit the value of your outfit to nearby retailers; and a thief scans the chips hidden inside your money to decide if you're worth robbing. This isn't science fiction; in a few short years, it could be a fact of life.

Spychips takes readers into the frightening world of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).While manufacturers and the government want you to believe that they would never misuse the technology, the future looks like an Orwellian nightmare when you consider the possibilities of surveillance and tracking these chips embody. Combining in-depth research with firsthand reporting, Spychips reveals how RFID technology, if left unchecked, could soon destroy our privacy, radically alter the economy, and open the floodgates for civil liberty abuses.

Customer Reviews:

Pulp Fiction, Pop Science.......2007-09-20

Albrecht's book is a sensational account of what could happen if the laws of physics were suspended and all men were created evil. It is pure fantasy. One of the reviewers said that only in America can someone with such limited knowledge and no credentials write a book about something they know little about. This is a silly book with mistatements galore. It does a disservice to those people who are true privacy advocates but wish to employ technology in a privacy enhancing way. False statements give rise to false fears and that is what Ms. Albrecht is all about. She needs to take a course or two on RFID before she writes about it.

A must read - everyone should know about the uses of RFID to track items, people, ???.......2007-05-13

This should be required reading in schools and colleges - people need to know how RFID can be used - for example, prices being changed based on who is purchasing an item - all people need to know how RFID can be used ethically - and unethically. And it seems corporations are not too hung up on ethics -

Everyone should read it.......2007-04-18

This is not light reading, but I truly think every American should read this book! I have heard Dr. Albrecht speak on numerous occasions, and I think that most of us in our nation are sleeping while our freedoms are chipped away. (no pun intended) Our right to privacy is one of the most personal freedoms.

After reading this book, you will think twice about EVERY purchase you make again! Not to mention answering personal questions while doing ordinary business every day.

A MUST READ! This is a highly documented and well-researched book.

I just purchased an extra copy to loan out to others.

The Road to 1984.......2007-01-15

Like many people, I have tended to neglect the downside of new technologies. Even though we are bombarded with advertising these days, it never occurred to me that supposedly responsible corporations would stoop to the lengths described in this book, such as literally spying on my movements while I am shopping! Parts of the book were a bit repetitive, but it certainly made me realize how very easily all of us could be led onto the road to 1984 and away from the privacy and freedoms we have long enjoyed.

People need to Wake Up!.......2007-01-05

I've been following industry news on RFID and related technologies for quite some time. Industry tells us that this technology will "simplify your life" or "make life safer". And in some ways it does. However, there are other important points, some even more important than the safety aspects. These points are far from positive, ranging from an almost total lack of privacy in all aspects of our lives, to the centralizing of an amazing amount of information on, and access to, everyone, worldwide. One can only lay back and take this with a comfortable smile if they believe that nobody using this technology will ever have any ulterier, negative, or dangerous use in mind - now and into the foreseable future. Katherine Albrecht, and others she works with, have spearheaded reporting on this for a long time through the group CASPIAN (check it out online), and now this book brings together years of research and information and presents it in a very readable and instructive way. This book is not an anti-technology scare tactic. It simply balances the view and shows us that there are many things about technology that we need to be aware of, cautious about, and that we should not blindly accept all technology that is developed. Hopefully this book will reach the general population. This book would be a good study tool in schools.

Make the Right Career Move: 28 Critical Insights and Strategies to Land Your Dream Job

Average customer rating:

Great for Professionals in All Sectors
Practical, valuable, and a quick read
Solid, reasonable guidance for a career change
Fantastic
Insightful and Innovative Career Tips

Make the Right Career Move: 28 Critical Insights and Strategies to Land Your Dream Job
Rachelle J. Canter
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0470052368

Book Description

Praise for Make The Right Career Move

"Make the Right Career Move is a wonderful guide for the new age professional. This book will help you execute one of the most important decisions in your life and includes practical tips that you will use for the rest of your career."
—Marshall Goldsmith, bestselling author of The Leader of the Future and What Got You Here Won't Get You There

"This great new book will help thousands of businesspeople find not only a new job, but a satisfying career. This book is filled with practical tools and exercises that will help the reader identify what they really want from their career, write a winning resume, and, most important of all, position themselves for the job."
—Victoria Husted Medvec, Adeline Barry Davee Professor of Management and Organizations Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University Executive Director of the Center for Executive Women

"This is the book that all busy executives need—an indispensable guide to finding your ideal job and getting it—all in a short, action-oriented package. I highly recommend this book."
—Les Guliasi, Director, Governmental Relations, Pacific Gas & Electric Company

"I have been waiting for a comprehensive and relevant guide to careers that I can recommend to my clients, candidates, and colleagues. Make the Right Career Move provides an up-to-date approach to navigating careers in our ever-changing and challenging workplace."
—Eunice Azzani, Senior Client Partner, Korn/Ferry International

"In my many years working in the career field, here is the first book that guides attorneys and executives on making the right move to their next job, career, or board position. It's action-oriented, quick-to-read, and it's not bogged down with theory. It provides tested, practical tools to help readers get their dream job."
—Martha Fay Africa, Managing Director and cofounder, Major, Lindsey & Africa

Customer Reviews:

Great for Professionals in All Sectors.......2007-10-07

This is a great book for job-seekers making a career move in all sectors. While I have a non-profit background, this book proved to be a great resource to re-vamp my resume and strengthen my job search techniques.

The book was much more helpful than guides I have used that were geared specifically to those who work in private non-profits.

Practical, valuable, and a quick read.......2007-08-24

The author has distilled into this very accessible text a trove of practical advice about how to find and land a good job. "Make the Right Career Move" is like having a career counselor on your bookshelf. It serves both as a handbook about developing a job search strategy and as a reference guide about how to implement the plan. All job applicants would be well-advised to read the chapters on interviews (they are short) before every job interview. It will help them avoid making mistakes that would otherwise take them out of the running.

Solid, reasonable guidance for a career change.......2007-06-18

This book is a superb guide for making a career change. There are worksheets, guide lists for what to do (and what not to do), and the advice is solid and understandable.
Written in clear language, this book helped me enormously in a recent change. I found it especially helpful, as I am at the executive level, not at the bottom level. It provides web search assistance (where to look; what to look for), specific guidance on resume building, and even a glossary of words that are more direct and action-oriented than what I might have used otherwise.
No book is going to get a job for you; but this one helps you understand that a search well thought out is a search well done.

Fantastic.......2007-06-08

This book is a must read for anyone who is looking to find their calling. If you follow Shelley's steps, you'll be amazed what you learn about yourself. A whole new world will open up for you. Highly recommend it!!!

Insightful and Innovative Career Tips.......2007-05-15

I recently found myself forced to make a career change. There were a lot of things I didn't want to do -- one of which was read a 100+ page book about what to do next. I just wanted things to work out without having to make important, thoughtful, and introspective decisions. Thankfully, I lifted myself out of self-pity after a few days (read: weeks/months) and invested the time to read Dr. Canter's book.

In my unexpectedly unemployed state, I read "Make the Right Career Move" over three days while drinking coffee and eating cinnamon crunch bagels at Panera. The book was the perfect road map to get me back on track. The structure of the book is well laid out and begins with the intangile - teaching the reader about herself. Once the reader establishes a professional self-awareness, the book goes on to help the reader tackle tangible challenges like resume drafting, skill building, and interview preparation.

Since reading the book, I have received positive feedback on my (2-page) resume and have significantly improved my interview prowess. Although I have yet to find the perfect next job, Dr. Canter's book has helped me to recognize what "perfect job" means to me.

The Right Moves: Job Search and Career Development Strategies for Lawyers

Average customer rating:

Excellent Advice for Lawyers Seeking Career Change
It's the best!
The Right Move

The Right Moves: Job Search and Career Development Strategies for Lawyers
Valerie A. Fontaine
Manufacturer: NALP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1557330492

Product Description

The Right Moves is for all lawyers who are contemplating a career move today or in the future -- and for those who want to develop a career plan for success within their current organizations. Comprehensive and highly practical, this book helps lawyers decide what kind of success is right for them and how to develop strategies to achieve that success. The author's detailed advice includes insights on understanding the legal market, tips for working with a headhunter, resume and interviewing advice and much more.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Advice for Lawyers Seeking Career Change .......2007-01-16

No longer do lawyers join a law firm and remain through retirement. Because career change is so common, and so vital for lawyers to move up the career ladder, a book like this is particularly useful.

As a legal recruiter, the author gives authoritative and critical advice about how attorneys can update resumes, prepare for interviews, network effectively and the like. She even offers practical tips, like what not to wear during an interview via videoconference.

I particularly appreciated how the author discusses globalization's impact on the legal business: the expansion of US law firms overseas, outsourcing and offshoring. These are very important trends, and US-based attorneys need to understand them in order to formulate a responsive personal career plan, i.e. making themselves so marketable that they will be highly desirable employees regardless.

I'm going to recommend this book tomorrow when I lead a teleclass on career change for lawyers in a global economy.

It's the best!.......2006-06-15

I was amazed to read such a comprehensive, detailed "how to" for any prospective or current lawyer in just one short volume! This book contains everything a lawyer needs to know about how to get and keep a job in any area where his or her expertise might lead. And, how to move ahead as far as he or she wishes to go. It is interesting, very readable, and not written in "jargon." Any lawyer or lawyer-to-be would benefit by perusing this book and every law office and law library should own at least one copy.

The Right Move.......2006-05-31

After purchasing and reviewing "The Right Moves", I found it to be completely engaging and informative. It is, among other things, intelligent, well organized, readable, comprehensive, multi-dimensional -- providing information for entry level to senior partners. It is made of the "right stuff" and is the "right move" for an attorney seeking a position.
This encyclopedia is also a substantial resource and asset for an employer when examining the merits of a prospective candidate. For all those reasons, it is certainly the "right move" to purchase and possess a copy of this publication as a reference source in every attorney's office and law firm's library.

How Life Imitates Chess: Making the Right Moves, from the Board to the Boardroom

Average customer rating:

An impressive and insightful book well worth the read!
Smart!

How Life Imitates Chess: Making the Right Moves, from the Board to the Boardroom
Garry Kasparov
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1596913878
Release Date: 2007-09-25

Amazon.com

In his 22-year reign as Grandmaster, Garry Kasparov faced more than a few tough choices under the heat of chess competitons. This is a man who knows a thing or two about making smart decisions, and since his retirement in 2005, Kasparov has put his powerful strategic thinking to work in business and politics, showing that a simple reliance on instincts can guide you through even the most complex challenges. With no shortage of wit or eloquence, he's answered our hardest questions about what factors can make or break a decision-making moment. --Anne Bartholomew

Questions for Garry Kasparov

Amazon.com: Why do you think decisiveness is such an elusive skill for people to master? Are there simply too many choices? What's a good first step for negotiating your options?

Kasparov: It's true that today we are faced with greater complexity in almost every aspect of our lives, from global competition in the business world to more options for entertainment. The connected world has flooded us with a limitless supply of data, and equally limitless choices. One of the problems this has created is that it creates the illusion, or delusion, that we can achieve perfection in our decisions by accumulating more information. It's too easy to blame faulty decisions on imperfect information, but information is always limited in some way, as is the time available to make our decisions. Forget perfection! Decisiveness comes from the courage to trust your instincts. The more you trust, the more you'll build up that intuition and the more accurate it will become, creating a positive cycle.

Before you lay out your options, what we might call considering your next move, you have to have a solid understanding of the present. Evaluation is more important than calculation. Rushing into narrowing things down to a list of options is itself a form of making a choice -- and if you do that, you can prematurely rule out important possibilities. Stop looking ahead for a moment and examine the current state of affairs. Good decisions come from a solid understanding of all the factors that come into play. Once you have tuned your evaluation skills and learned to put the options on hold for a moment you'll often find that difficult decisions become obvious.

Amazon.com: Taking a holistic view of your career, do you recall the moment you identified your talent for thinking strategically? Is it possible for you to separate that sense of yourself from your identity as a chess champion?

Kasparov: In the world of competitive chess, or any sport for that matter, everything is relative. Your results tell you about your talent. How can you identify a talent that goes untested? That's one reason I'm so passionate about trying new things and about encouraging others to leave their comfort zones. I was fortunate in that my status as world champion brought me into contact with world leaders, top executives, authors, and other luminaries. I very much enjoyed these exchanges, learning about these other worlds. It also gave me the chance to share my own thoughts, something I've never been shy about doing. I'm sure they had to humor my impetuousness on occasion! But often they encouraged me and I discovered I had a knack for making unusual connections, a way of seeing the big picture that wasn't limited to the chessboard.

Until my retirement from chess in March 2005 it would have been nearly impossible for me to separate myself from my chess identity--other than love for family and friends. But since then I have moved into several entirely different worlds. I'm at the table as a politician, or writing editorials, or lecturing about strategy and intuition in front of business audiences. My former chess career still precedes me in these settings, but they aren't humoring me anymore! Actually, the biggest step was working on this book, which forced me to consider the mechanics of my own mind beyond chess. I had to ask myself if I really had something to offer and then figure out how to express it concretely. The positive reactions of my lecture audiences also helped in this regard.

Amazon.com: Playing chess competitively no doubt requires huge reserves of passion, patience, and discipline. For those readers who haven't experienced the kind of rigorous training that competitive chess imparts, can you recommend some good ways to practice strategic thinking?

Kasparov: We all do it every day, the difference is that it takes discipline to become aware of it. In the book I ask the reader to consider all the significant decisions they made that day, that week. You don't have to be a chess player or an executive to benefit from improving your decision- making process. We make hundreds of decisions just to get through each day. A handful are important enough to keep track of, to look back on critically. Were they successful? Why or why not? We can train ourselves, which is really the only way.

Amazon.com: Did you ever find during a particularly difficult match that it was hard to prevent your emotions from clouding your decision-making ability? What was your strategy for coping with stress or anxiety in that kind of situation?

Kasparov: Emotion is a critical element of decision-making, not a sin always to be avoided. As with anything it is harmful in excess. You learn to focus it and control it the best you can. I'm a very emotional person in and out of chess so this was always a challenge for me. When I sat down at the board against my great rival, Anatoly Karpov, it was a special occasion. I knew it, he knew it, and we both knew the chess world was paying special attention. We had such a long and bitter history that it was impossible not to bring it to the board with us every time we played.

On some occasions this anxiety created negative emotions like doubt. More often it generated greater creative tension, greater supplies of nervous tension, which is a chess player's lifeblood.

Usually when you are under stress there is a good reason for it. Learning not to get anxious about things beyond your control is a separate issue. So don't fight stress, use it! Channel that nervous energy into solving the problems. Sitting around worrying isn't going to achieve anything and the loss of time will often make the problem worse. Even in the worst case, mistakes of action teach you much more than inaction. Forward!

Amazon.com: If you could choose five people, living or dead, to play you in chess, who would they be?

Kasparov: Don't you know I have retired as a chess player? Well, I will go with you to the middle with two and a half opponents.

4th world chess champion Alexander Alekhine (d. 1946) was my childhood chess idol. The book of his collected games was my constant companion. He was a player of limitless imagination and combativeness. Some aspects of his pre-WWII-era chess would be considered antique today, but his talent is timeless. Just sitting at the board with him to analyze and share ideas would be like a youthful dream made real.

My next player requires a change of date as well, since I am now retired. In the period of 2001-2002 I felt I deserved a rematch against Vladimir Kramnik, who took my title in 2000. I was still the top-rated player in the world, the obvious top challenger. So I would choose a 16-game match against Kramnik--in 2002.

Last on my list is a chessplayer who is most definitely dead. Even if chess has by now passed it by, I would take a tiebreaker match against Deep Blue. I won our first match; the machine won the second. Then IBM made sure there would be no chance for a rematch. This time everything would be out in the open, no black boxes. Of course chess machines are considerably stronger today. It would still be pleasant to gain revenge and set the record straight.

(photo credit: Todd Plitt)

Book Description

One of the most highly regarded strategists of our time teaches us how the tools that made him a world chess champion can make us more successful in business and in life.

Garry Kasparov was the highest-rated chess player in the world for over twenty years and is widely considered the greatest player that ever lived. In How Life Imitates Chess Kasparov distills the lessons he learned over a lifetime as a Grandmaster to offer a primer on successful decision-making: how to evaluate opportunities, anticipate the future, devise winning strategies. He relates in a lively, original way all the fundamentals, from the nuts and bolts of strategy, evaluation, and preparation to the subtler, more human arts of developing a personal style and using memory, intuition, imagination and even fantasy. Kasparov takes us through the great matches of his career, including legendary duels against both man (Grandmaster Anatoly Karpov) and machine (IBM chess supercomputer Deep Blue), enhancing the lessons of his many experiences with examples from politics, literature, sports and military history.

With candor, wisdom, and humor, Kasparov recounts his victories and his blunders, both from his years as a world-class competitor as well as his new life as a political leader in Russia. An inspiring book that combines unique strategic insight with personal memoir, How Life Imitates Chess is a glimpse inside the mind of one of today’s greatest and most innovative thinkers.

Customer Reviews:

An impressive and insightful book well worth the read!.......2007-10-09

I picked this up after being impressed by Kasparov on "Sixty Minutes" a few weeks ago. I wonder if those "publishers weekly" people actually read the book! This isn't really a business book, it's a thinking book. I'm not a chess player but those were the most interesting sections of the book, in that I agree. It's unfair to take out a few inevitable platitudes and ignore the other 95% of the book. There are dozens of business examples, although they aren't explored in depth. But the book isn't case studies. It's about the process of making decisions and finding a way to improve that method in ANY situation. Read the Table of Contents above, which is more than the PW reviewer probably did!

(My favorite sections were "Man vs Machine" on his games against computers and a great story about being beaten at a video game by a little kid. And the "Attacker" sections about taking the initiative.)

This isn't a book of simple tips you can take to work tomorrow if that's what you are looking for. It is full of stories and insights about thinking and peak performance. Kasparov is a chess player, politician, and obviously a history buff, so naturally most of his examples come from those worlds.
(Which are more interesting than most business stories anyway.) In fact, that's exactly what he says at the start, where he says it's up to each person to develop a "personal map". He doesn't pretend to be a businessman or try to make many direct comparisons to chess and business. He learned from chess and explains how.

I found a lot of it useful because it makes you aware of how lazy most of us are when it comes to things like being impulsive, or over-cautious, and unprepared even for important moments. I'm not in the "boardroom" but I've owned my own business and I'm interested in using these ideas. Not with Kasparov's over-the-top rigor maybe, but you don't have to want to be a world champion to learn from one.

Smart!.......2007-10-03

I love this book! Kasparov is as smart in this book as he is in on the chess-board. I love the way he applies chess rules on everyday life. I highly recommend this book!

All the Right Moves: A Guide to Crafting Breakthrough Strategy

Average customer rating:

The inventor of WHO-WHAT-HOW strategic positioning
Integrates Strategy, New Products and Organization Learning
Exploration...Discovery...Conquest
A valuable guide to the basics of strategy
A thought provoking guide to What is Strategy?

All the Right Moves: A Guide to Crafting Breakthrough Strategy
Constantinos Markides , and Constantinos C. Markides
Manufacturer: Harvard Business School Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Strategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0875848338

Book Description

Constantinos Markides contends that the essence of business strategy is to allow a company to create and exploit a unique strategic position in its industry. To do so, the company must make clear and explicit choices based on the answers to three difficult questions: Who should I target as customers? What products or services should I offer them? How should I do this in an efficient way? Any company engaged in strategy making must raise these questions, identify possible answers, and then choose what to do and what not to do. The objective should be to come up with ideas that differentiate the firm from its competitors-and thus stake out a unique strategic position. In All the Right Moves, a highly practical handbook on the fundamentals of strategy, Markides helps managers zero in on the critical choices that lie at the heart of all innovative strategies.

More important, Markides argues that even the best of strategies have a limited life. It is not enough to develop a unique strategic position or to improve the existing one. Companies must continually create and colonize new strategic positions, a difficult if not impossible task for many established firms. Markides explains how to overcome the obstacles to innovation so that even well-established companies can innovate by breaking the rules of the game.

All the Right Moves reveals how creative thinking leads to strategic innovation-the "breakthroughs" that separate winning strategists from also-rans. Markides approaches strategic thinking as a creative process in which examining an issue from a variety of angles often proves more productive than merely gathering data, and experimenting with new ideas can be more effective than conducting much scientific analysis. He poses key questions for readers to ask as he guides them through a step-by-step framework for developing their strategic thinking skills.

In a refreshingly clear and practical approach, All the Right Moves offers concrete advice for thinking through the tough choices that all business strategists must face. It distills the important elements of strategy into an easy-to-follow system for crafting today's-and tomorrow's-breakthrough business strategies.

Customer Reviews:

The inventor of WHO-WHAT-HOW strategic positioning.......2004-12-03

Markides is a professor at the London Business School. The basic idea in this excellent strategy book is as follows:

STRATEGIC POSITIONING is simply the sum of a company's answers to three questions:

> WHO should I target as customers?
> WHAT products or services should I offer them?
> HOW can I best deliver these products and services to these customers?

Strategy is all about making tough choices in these three dimensions (who, what, and how). Remember that deciding what NOT to do is just as important as deciding what to do...

The next issue is then to construct the appropriate organizational environment that will support the choices made. Also in this area, Markides contributes with a refreshingly clear and practical approach.

Markides argues that even the best of strategies will only have a limited life. Thus, companies must continually evaluate their performance and position in order to be able to quickly create and colonize new strategic positions. Strategy is a dynamic concept - not static. A very practical approach to innovate strategic thinking is to keep starting the process at different points: who/what/how, who/how/what, what/who/how, what/how/who, how/what/who, how/what/who, and finally how/who/what.

Thus, The marketing philosophy always starts externally at the customer (who?) and works backwards towards solutions (what?), and finally adapts the firm's delivery system (how?). But a strong trend during the last decade has been on the internal perspective on core competences, such as procurement or production. This method means that we start with own unique capabilities in the delivery system (how?), which then is translated into solutions (what?) and finally customers (who?). Radical innovation often is created this way, e.g. the "walkman". In practice of business development, we usually have to work in both directions.

This book is not a dry academic's dusty words. Markides uses a wealth of case stories on strategic positions. Being a Dane, I find it very nice indeed that the companies cited often are of European origin.

Nirmalya Kumar's brilliant book "Marketing as Strategy" (2004) expands on Markides' ideas in this book. They both are indebted to professor Derek Abell for the original concept presented in the landmark strategy book: "Defining the business" (1980).

Peter Leerskov,
MSc in International Business (Marketing & Management) and Graduate Diploma in E-business

Integrates Strategy, New Products and Organization Learning.......2001-04-28

This is the best strategy book that I have ever read (and I have read a few including Gary Hamel's books). This book clearly lays out the need for and process of developing a business innovation strategy. It does this without getting too preachy. Another reason that this book is so good is that it effectively builds on powerful concepts in organizational learning and new product development, thereby integrating some important concepts from these fields to build a strong, broad position for strategy and strategic thinking. If you are interested in innovation strategy, organizational learning and new product development, you need to read this book.

Exploration...Discovery...Conquest.......2000-08-07

All the Right Moves

Markides provides a cohesive and comprehensive guide to crafting breakthrough strategy for ANY organization. The basic premise of his book is that "superior strategy is all about finding and exploiting a unique strategy in the company's business while at the same time searching for new strategic positions on a continuing basis." He organizes his materials as follows:

Part I How to Create a Unique Strategic Position

* How to decide what your business is

* How to decide who your customers and what to offer to them

* How to "play the game"

* How to identity and secure strategic assets and capabilities

* How to create the right organization environment

* How to develop a superior strategic position

Part II How to Prepare for Strategic Innovation

* How strategic positions develop

* How to evaluate and respond to strategic innovation

* How to take a dynamic view of strategy

In the final chapter, Markides concedes that "designing a successful strategy is a never-ending quest. Even the most successful companies must continually question the basis of their business and the assumptions underlying their 'formula for success.' (In fact, in one way or another, this is what most successful companies have done to get where they are.). New who/what/how positions are constantly popping up around the mass market, and established companies must be on the lookout for them. Like a modern-day Christopher Columbus, each company must set out to explore its industry's evolving terrain, searching for new and unexploited strategic positions."

In this brilliant book, Markides explains HOW.

A valuable guide to the basics of strategy.......2000-06-08

Markides argues:

"The essence of strategy is to choose the one position that your company will claim as its own. A strategic position is simply the sum of a company's answers to these three questions: Who should I target as customers? What products or services should I offer them? How should I do this? ... Ultimately, strategy is all about making choices, [to achieve] a distinctive strategic position ... The most common source of strategic failure is the failure to make clear and explicit choices in each of these three dimensions."

In itself, the statement is simple, even obvious. But, as he points out, many companies fail to make these explicit choices.

The value of the book lies in how the author works through these propositions. The advice is good common sense, laced with valuable insights. The language is clear and simple. The approach is systemic - the author is as concerned with how all the elements fit together within a dynamic market as with the elements themselves. Each chapter ends with a good summary of the arguments.

Even highly complex and highly dynamic strategies rest on these simple foundations. The book therefore provides both an excellent guide for those new to wrestling with strategy and excellent 'mental furniture' with which to approach more complex formulations.

A thought provoking guide to What is Strategy?.......2000-03-15

All the Right Moves grapples with the issues which form the essence of the strategic management field. Professor Markides provides readers with a landscape for strategy which covers: 1) positioning, 2) business system interdependence, and 3) dynamics of competition. Positioning is recouched in an easy to understand and apply framework based on a new Who-What-How combination. An important message is that positioning is only part of the story. Once position is determined, management must coordinate a complex system of interrelated and interdependent activities which typically extend beyond our cognitive limits of bounded rationality. Further, once these activities are coordinated for one position, the firm cannot stand still. Competitive dynamics erode away any advantage over time, and therefore firms must continuously question their positioning . I whole-heartedly recommend this refreshing and thought provoking book to managers and academics alike.

The Right Moves: to Getting Fit and Feeling Great

Average customer rating:

GREAT BOOK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Incouraging, well written, amazing ,helpful book
Great book for girls (and women!)

The Right Moves: to Getting Fit and Feeling Great
Tina Schwager
Manufacturer: FREE SPIRIT PUBLISHING
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

For Children | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Healthy Living | Personal Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Fitness Training for Girls: A Teen Girl's Guide to Resistance Training, Cardiovascular Conditioning and Nutrition

Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor
Luna Bars, Nutz Over Chocolate, 1.69-Ounce Bars (Pack of 15)

ASIN: 157542035X

Book Description

The Right Moves to Getting Fit & Feeling Great by Tina Schwager, P.T.A., A.T.,C., and Michele Schuerger. The benefits of good nutrition and regular exercise can last a lifetime. This upbeat, positive book encourages girls to reach their full potential by developing a healthy self-image, eating right, and becoming physically fit. Part 1, "Pump Yourself Up," helps girls boost their self-esteem, build confidence, set goals, handle puberty, and pamper themselves. Part 2, "Food Is Your Fuel," focuses on diet (and diets), nutrition, "fat-free" foods, and more. Part 3, "Bodies in Motion," invites girls to explore the wide world of exercise, design a personal fitness plan, and gear up to get moving. Includes quizzes, quotes, facts, and fun activities to guide readers along the path to total fitness, inside and out.

Customer Reviews:

GREAT BOOK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2004-11-18

THIS BOOK WAS GREAT! IT HAD A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT I DIDNT KNOW ABOUT DIETING AND FITNESS. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!

Incouraging, well written, amazing ,helpful book.......1999-05-30

When I read this book I thought it was like any other girl help book but this one was different. I used to be shy but now I am strong and have confidence in myself. I used to be a tad overweight but now I am at my comfortable weight w/ a lifetime of healthy eating ahead of me. I also learned the appropriate way to exercise w/o strain. It was a very good book and I think I've read it over about 12 times now.I recommended it to all my friends and they said it was the best book they have read.

Great book for girls (and women!).......1998-08-22

I love this book--good, solid information, easy to read, fun format. I recommend it for any girl who is interested in health and fitness!

Making the Right Moves in Real Estate: An Insider's Guide for Buyers and Sellers Seeking the Best Answers to Real Estate Questions

Average customer rating:

Right Moves Has It All

Making the Right Moves in Real Estate: An Insider's Guide for Buyers and Sellers Seeking the Best Answers to Real Estate Questions
Richard Ardia
Manufacturer: Moonlight Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Buying & Selling Homes | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0977960323

Book Description

Unlike most other real estate books, this one doesn’t offer any get-rich-quick schemes. It doesn’t delve into the different types of mortgages or other overly technical information, and doesn’t include a glossary of terms and definitions. That kind of “textbook” information is readily available elsewhere. Instead, Making the Right Moves in Real Estate focuses exclusively on the proven principles and concepts of real estate. In clear, cogent prose, author Richard Ardia teaches the reader about the basic building blocks of the real estate business and how to apply them to real-life situations. The book reveals the inner workings of buyers, sellers, and real estate agents. It also provides information about marketing, market conditions, and the financial concepts necessary to purchase and sell real estate. Intended to help the novice navigate the real estate maze, it is also a useful guide for real estate companies and their agents, regardless of experience level.

Customer Reviews:

Right Moves Has It All.......2007-09-30

After thirty years of buying and selling real estate, I thought I knew it all. I was wrong. Dick Ardia's creative, insightful and entertaining presentation of the subject has taken me to a new level of expertise. Within pages of opening the book you will realize Dick Ardia has been there and done it.

Remodel or Move?: Make the Right Decision

Average customer rating:

The first step a homeowner should make
Great award winning book on remodeling!
Highly recommended ... a must have for home owners
H Reichert
Helping seniors make decisions about changing housing

Remodel or Move?: Make the Right Decision
Dan Fritschen
Manufacturer: ABCD Publishing LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Buying & Selling Homes | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Buildings & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Home Repair | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Better Houses, Better Living: What To Look for When Buying, Building or Remodeling
Home Renovation Checklist: Everything You Need to Know to Save Money, Time, and Your Sanity
What The Experts May Not Tell You About Building or Renovating Your Home
House Transformed: Getting the Home You Want with the House You Have
THE Survival Guide: Home Remodeling

ASIN: 1933007699

Book Description

Homeowners considering whether to remodel their house or move into a new one will benefit from this guide to making the right real estate decision for their heart and their pocketbook. A step-by-step calculator provides readers with an easy method for determining the importance of such factors as financial constraints and the quality of their home, school district, neighbors, and backyard in their decision to stay or move. Tools for comparing and lowering real estate and housing materials costs, tips for finding top-notch contractors and real estate agents, and a comprehensive glossary of real estate terms are also provided.

Customer Reviews:

The first step a homeowner should make.......2006-09-24

Has your home stopped working for you? Usually homeowners think that means moving time - but remodeling is also an option, and REMODEL OR MOVE? MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION offers one of the few remodel books to consider the pros and cons of different projects. Chapters explore when to make changes and when to consider selling, offering tips on how to avoid costly options, how to lower costs, and how to make a decision. From gut feelings to real experiences, REMODEL OR MOVE is the first step a homeowner should make in the decision process.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Great award winning book on remodeling!.......2006-03-18

I bought the book late into my remodel, and when I used the Remodel or Move calculator, it came so close to the actual costs of the remodel, it was amazing to me. I noticed that The Bay Area Independent Publishers Association named Remodel or Move, Make the Right Decision, as the best real estate/home improvement book. The book has been praised by Better Homes & Gardens and the New York Post, and I can see why. It contains strategies and tactics designed to help homeowners work through the decision process. There is a combination of unbiased reference materials and no-nonsense advice, based on the author's extensive remodeling experience and by his consultation with other real estate and construction industry experts. I highly recommend it if you're trying to decide whether to remodel or move. Remodeling turned out to be the right decision for me, and the book helped me justify the costs involved.

Highly recommended ... a must have for home owners.......2005-04-20

This book is a must have if you are trying to decide whether to move or make changes to your existing home. It is especially nice because it is written in an easy-to-read manner... so someone like me who knows nothing about remodeling can actually understand the information, thus helping with this big decision.

H Reichert.......2005-04-14

If you are on the fence and not sure if it makes more sense to remodel or to move this book is the perfect resource. It is full of useful information on making a move or on how to go about a remodel. Not only has it helped with the decision but it has given me the tools I need to get started on my remodel.

Helping seniors make decisions about changing housing.......2005-03-26

This has been one of the most helpful sources of information for my husband and I to decide about our housing situation. The charts and sugesstions for dealing with all possiblies really was an extraordinary insite into many challeges that face such a decision.

Pat Fritschen
Arkansas

Average customer rating:

Good

Choose the Right Move
Daniel King , and Chris Duncan
Manufacturer: Everyman Chess
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Botvinnik: 100 Selected Games

ASIN: 1857441354

Customer Reviews:

Good.......1999-04-24

The book content is extreamly good, however the way the book is bound makes it break very easily. If you are patient and good with library tape you will enjoy this book. Based on content alone 5 stars--but with it falling apart on you it's not that great.

The Right Moves: Preparing for Dance Competitions (The Curtain Call Library of Dance)

Average customer rating:

The Right Moves: Preparing for Dance Competitions (The Curtain Call Library of Dance)
Pam Chancy , and Pam Chancey
Manufacturer: Rosen Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0823945596

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