The Carrot Principle: How the Best Managers Use Recognition to Engage Their Employees, Retain Talent, and Drive Performance

The Carrot Principle: How the Best Managers Use Recognition to Engage Their Employees, Retain Talent, and Drive Performance
Average customer rating:

What's up Doc?

More than the traditional Carrot!

Enjoyable read *and* applicable

Important Stuff in Depth, but Nothing New

Good Idea - Doesn't Need an Entire Book

The Carrot Principle: How the Best Managers Use Recognition to Engage Their Employees, Retain Talent, and Drive Performance
Adrian Gostick , and Chester Elton
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Communications | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

A Carrot a Day: A Daily Dose of Recognition for Your Employees

The 24-Carrot Manager: A Remarkable Story of How a Leader Can Unleash Human Potential

The Invisible Employee: Realizing the Hidden Potential in Everyone

Managing with Carrots : Using Recognition to Attract and Retain the Best People

Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't

ASIN: 0743290097

Amazon.com

Book Description
Got carrotphobia? Do you think that recognizing your employees will distract you and your team from more serious business, create jealousy, or make you look soft? Think again.The Carrot Principle reveals the groundbreaking results of one of the most in-depth management studies ever undertaken, showing definitively that the central characteristic of the most successful managers is that they provide their employees with frequent and effective recognition. With independent research from The Jackson Organization and analysis by bestselling leadership experts Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, this breakthrough study of 200,000 people over ten years found dramatically greater business results when managers offered constructive praise and meaningful rewards in ways that powerfully motivated employees to excel.

Drawing on case studies from leading companies including Disney, DHL, KPMG, and Pepsi Bottling Group, bestselling authors Gostick and Elton show how the transformative power of purpose-based recognition produces astonishing increases in operating results--whether measured by return on equity, return on assets, or operating margin. And they show how great managers lead with carrots, not sticks, and in doing so achieve higher

* Productivity
* Engagement
* Retention
* Customer satisfaction

The Carrot Principle illustrates that the relationship between recognition and improved business results is highly predictable--it's proven to work. But it's not the employee recognition some of us have been using for years. It is recognition done right, recognition combined with four other core traits of effective leadership.

Gostick and Elton explain the remarkably simple but powerful methods great managers use to provide their employees with effective recognition, which all managers can easily learn and begin practicing for immediate results. Great recognition doesn't take time--it can be done in a matter of moments--and it doesn't take budget-busting amounts of money. This exceptional book presents the simple steps to becoming a Carrot Principle manager and to building a recognition culture in your organization; it offers a wealth of specific examples, culled from real-life cases, of the ways to do recognition right. Following these simple steps will make you a high-performance leader and take your team to a new level of achievement.

"The Carrot Principle: How Great Managers Use Employee Recognition"
An Essay by Adam Gostick and Chester Elton

For organizations that do it right, it's a bit like discovering gold in your backyard. Employee recognition, long considered a benefit that costs money, can actually be a management tool that makes money. At first blush, the idea is counter-intuitive. As leaders, we've become accustomed to viewing recognition programs as a cost of doing business. But employee recognition is evolving. A groundbreaking research study of 200,000 employees, unveiled in our new book The Carrot Principle, presents a new paradigm: Applying employee recognition techniques within a context of goal-setting, open communication, trust and accountability, (what we have come to call the Basic Four) accelerates the impact of all of these critical management skills.

Continue reading "The Carrot Principle: How Great Managers Use Employee Recognition"

More to Explore

The 24-Carrot Manager

Managing with Carrots

Book Description

Got carrotphobia? Do you think that recognizing your employees will distract you and your team from more serious business, create jealousy, or make you look soft?

Think again.

The Carrot Principle reveals the groundbreaking results of one of the most in-depth management studies ever undertaken, showing definitively that the central characteristic of the most successful managers is that they provide their employees with frequent and effective recognition. With independent research from The Jackson Organization and analysis by bestselling leadership experts Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, this breakthrough study of 200,000 people over ten years found dramatically greater business results when managers offered constructive praise and meaningful rewards in ways that powerfully motivated employees to excel.

Drawing on case studies from leading companies including Disney, DHL, KPMG, and Pepsi Bottling Group, bestselling authors Gostick and Elton show how the transformative power of purpose-based recognition produces astonishing increases in operating results -- whether measured by return on equity, return on assets, or operating margin. And they show how great managers lead with carrots, not sticks, and in doing so achieve higher

Productivity

Engagement

Retention

Customer satisfaction

The Carrot Principle illustrates that the relationship between recognition and improved business results is highly predictable -- it's proven to work. But it's not the employee recognition some of us have been using for years. It is recognition done right, recognition combined with four other core traits of effective leadership.

This exceptional book presents the simple steps to becoming a Carrot Principle manager and to building a recognition culture in your organization; it offers a wealth of specific examples, culled from real-life cases, of the ways to do recognition right. Following these simple steps will make you a high-performance leader and take your team to a new level of achievement.

Customer Reviews:

What's up Doc?.......2007-10-14

What's up is this. The authors' reference studies that point to an "undeniable correlation" between recognition and organization success. Companies with effective recognition strategies have better financial performance - 3 times higher Return on Equity, and Return on Assets, and operating margins almost 6 percentage points higher. Unfortunately this important information continues to go unheeded as companies tend to cut recognition programs precisely when they should be ratcheting them up.

The authors review the four basic characteristics of leadership: Goal setting, Communication, Trust, and Accountability. Recognition, they point out, is the accelerant that allows management effectiveness soar in each of the 4 areas. This is the Carrot Principle. "Great management is born when recognition is added to the 4 basic leadership characteristics."

The authors go into much detail on the basic 4 characteristics and how recognition is used as an accelerator. They review why certain managers recognize and others don't and debunk the many myths surrounding recognition. They explain how to build a carrot culture specifying the types of recognition and how often and when they should be given. The book finishes up with 125 recognition ideas.

The data in the studies referenced in this book are eye-opening. How about this one? A 2005 Towers Perrin Global workforce study revealed that 86 of 100 employees will not go the "extra mile" for their organizations/employers. At a time when global competition is fiercer than ever, imagine what an advantage it would be to improve upon that statistic, especially if you are currently being squeezed by the low cost of labor elsewhere. You can't afford not to. Read and heed. Doctor's orders!

Nick McCormick - Author, Lead Well and Prosper: 15 Successful Strategies for Becoming a Good Manager

More than the traditional Carrot!.......2007-08-21

While the title may sound like authors Gostick and Elton are espousing the positive half of the carrot and stick motivational model, the book actually demonstrates the performance improvement correlation when recognition of individual contribution and identity (purpose-based recognition) is applied to the four basics of leadership - goal setting, communications, trust, and accountability. Recognizing that the knowledge economy requires the harnessing of people's commitment, the authors advocate moving beyond a transactional management model into emotional-based management, using purpose-based recognition to build a Carrot Culture. Without using the "R" word, they espouse a relational management model, supported by recognition.

The authors do a good job of demonstrating the business performance benefits when employees are engaged with the goals of the organization. They then provide ample guidance for how to use recognition to enhance engagement, including an extensive list of ideas for use with each of their four basics of leadership. All in all, an easy read, recommended for managers who know they might do better at acknowledging the contribution of their people and are looking for something to help them get into action.

Enjoyable read *and* applicable.......2007-08-09

With all of the sales and managerial books out there, how to really discern which makes for a fun airplane read or which really offers applicable value? This book offers both. Both my husband and I read our library copy, and experienced it as so useful we bought our own copy.

Important Stuff in Depth, but Nothing New.......2007-08-02

Here are the big ideas from this book.

Positive consequences, such as praise and recognition, are great tools for encouraging people to try new things and to continue desired behaviors. They send a message about what managers value.

In work teams where people say they have been praised recently, productivity, morale, and measures of engagement are more likely to be high and people are more likely to stay with the organization.

In teams where people say they have not been praised recently, productivity, morale, and measures of engagement are more likely to be lower and people are more likely to want to leave.

Companies with high productivity, morale and engagement and low turnover are more profitable.

Managers rate themselves higher on giving praise and recognition than their subordinates rate them.

There are no breakthrough, thought-leader ideas here. There is nothing really new.

The jacket blurb implies that this is based on exciting new research. It's not. It's based on research by the authors' firm that reinforces other research, including Gallup, Blanchard, a boatload of academic researchers and my own study of top performing supervisors. So if you're looking for new or breakthrough stuff, you don't have to buy the book and you don't need to read any further.

That doesn't mean that you won't get value from the book. The points the authors make are worth making again and again. Praise in all its forms is the most powerful and most underused tool for growing great, engaged teams.

Because the book is devoted, essentially, to a single idea, you get lots of depth on that idea. Some of those are just small insights.

On page 84, the authors make the point that in service industries, the perceived value of the product is tied to the behavior of the person that the customer comes in contact with. I knew this at some level, but seeing it in print got me to reflect on it and what it means.

Other things are more substantive. The authors provide details on different types of recognition: Day-to-Day; Above and Beyond; Career; and Event. They offer forms and lists and charts.

If you haven't read much about the power of praise and recognition this is a good place to start. The book covers most of the basic research, puts it in context, and gives you tools for putting it to use.

Remember that the authors wrote this book to sell their services and products. Sometimes they try way too hard to stretch their single bed blanket of product over the double bed of the subject. Sometimes they struggle to name things "carrot" or paint them orange, when simple description would do just fine.

If you're looking for a tool to use with managers at our company or in your peer group to increase the amount and effectiveness of legitimate praise, this is a good book to buy and use. You may also want to investigate the authors' other products.

Good Idea - Doesn't Need an Entire Book.......2007-07-29

I found the overall message of this book good and for that I might give it 5 stars. However the book takes too long to try to prove itself, and is overly detailed. I found it boring and dry. I respect the authors for writing a book since that is hard to do, but it seems like too much writing for a simple message. I would rephrase the book here, except I'm not that good of a writer. My best attempt would be to say, money motivates senior management, but does not tend to motivate most employees. Focus on recognizing employees clearly for distinct behavior, and give personal rewards (not plaques, trophies, or candy), immediately, and publicly. Also have an altruistic attitude towards your employees. Most of the book is fairly obvious for progressive managers, and those who are not just won't get it. In the end I don't think it will have a earth shattering effect on your business. Instead I would recommend something, anything, by Seth Godin.

Average customer rating:

Reward yourself- buy this book.
Management Techniques that work.
1001 Ways to Reward Employees
Decent ideas
It says "Money isn't everything" - but apparently it is

1001 Ways to Reward Employees
Bob Nelson
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

1001 Ways to Energize Employees
The 1001 Rewards & Recognition Fieldbook: The Complete Guide
301 Ways to Have Fun at Work
Make Their Day! Employee Recognition That Works
Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay (3rd Edition)

ASIN: 0761136819

Book Description

Why is 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, with over 1.4 million copies in print, such an extraordinary bestseller? Because a little over ten years ago Bob Nelson took the seeds of an idea and turned it into something indispensable for business. The idea? That it’s not a raise that motivates an employee, and it’s not a promotion—what really sparks a person to perform are those intangible, unexpected gestures that signify real appreciation for a job well done.

Now, after having worked with thousands of organizations in the years since 1 1001 Ways to Reward. . . was first published, Bob Nelson presents a second edition packed with hundreds of new ideas and examples of how companies are using rewards and recognitions to boost productivity and keep their valued employees happy. Airplane mechanics are rewarded with balloons and pinwheels. Another manager calls his employees’ mothers and thanks them for raising such industrious children. There are ideas from the offbeat (The Margarita Award) to the company-wide (a quiet room) to the embarrassingly simple (a hand-written thank you note) to the wacky (the Laugh-a-Day challenge) to the formal (a two-week promotion to special assistant to the president). Each section includes no-cost rewards and low-cost rewards, both public and private, making this new edition an indispensable resource for making the person/achievement/reward equation work.

Customer Reviews:

Reward yourself- buy this book........2007-09-07

This book is great and works under the premise that you get the best effort out of people not by lighting a fire under them, but by building a fire within them. In short, its simply a collection of ways to reward employees for doing a good job. Its divided into 6 sections (day to day rewards, intangible rewards, tangible rewards..) so there's definitely a boatload of reward ideas to fit just about any work situation. Examples from companies across the United States make it a fun read as well. Also recommended: The Sixty-Second Motivator to learn the basics of motivating people.

Management Techniques that work........2007-08-13

Finding management and team building books in 2007 is easy. The problem is finding what works. Bob Nelson may not be the most prolific writer, but what he does write is usually of high quality, and 1001 Ways is no exception. I learned many new ideas that I was able to use right away. The results were startling. I was so excited that I showed the book to a friend that works in Human Resource at a large company. As it turns out, she had also read the book and agreed. This book will get you results.

1001 Ways to Reward Employees.......2007-04-02

User friendly, Great examples, works well in group discussions. If you want to examine your organization's recognition and rewards program this is an excellent source.

Decent ideas.......2007-01-04

This book has a lot of ideas on how to reward employees. Most of them only seem possible at larger companies or with the right type of people. Still worth reading for ideas.

It says "Money isn't everything" - but apparently it is.......2006-12-24

I own a charity-focussed website, and have over 300 volunteers who donate their time and effort towards the site's efforts. We deliberately channel all the extra money we can towards charities. I greatly value and appreciate all of the volunteers efforts and try to do my very best to show them my appreciation. I bought this book looking for ways to help those volunteers to feel cared for and respected.

You get about 225 pages worth of one-paragraph blurbs describing specific ways that companies have recognized their employees. Many of these, despite the book's subtitle of "low cost ideas", are rather expensive. Leo Burnett provides $3,000 in adoption assistance. Kollmorgen Corporation takes its people for ocean cruises. Domino Pizza holds company-wide Olympics, giving away $4,000. I just don't have that kind of budget.

Still, as with most management books, if you go through the details, you can pick out a few great ideas amongst all of the ones which are entirely unworkable. You can make a hall of fame of outstanding employees. Create awards for individuals who go above and beyond the call of duty. Recognize great contributions immediately, and encourage people to offer up suggestions on how to improve things. Find ways to help your employees become healthier and happier.

I really did appreciate many of the suggestions, like offering cash prizes, would help companies with spare cash. I think I was disappointed because right at the top of the book it says "money isn't everything" and "low-cost ideas". There were a few inexpensive ideas at the beginning of the book - and then it promptly went into things requiring a fair amount of money or are simply cash bonusses. If I had money to burn, then I could *easily* think up thousands of ways to reward my volunteers without any help at all. That would be easy! The balancing act is that I do *not* have a lot of money - but want those volunteers to know how incredibly valuable they are. That is the challenge, and I had hoped this book would help me with that. The book claimed on its cover that it would ... but that wasn't quite what it offered.

For those with a fair amount of money, the book will be a great help. However, I think that it should remove the "money isn't everything" title at the top, given how many of its suggestions are either cash awards, or costly items.

Enterprise Risk Management: From Incentives to Controls

Average customer rating:

Great for the novice Risk Manager
This book is a must read for all mid-level and executive level managers
Remarkably Succinct Coverage of a Hot New Topic
A well written and thought out book on Risk Management
A Must Read for Risk Management

Enterprise Risk Management: From Incentives to Controls
James Lam
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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

Risk Assessment | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Making Enterprise Risk Management Pay Off: How Leading Companies Implement Risk Management
Simple Tools and Techniques for Enterprise Risk Management (The Wiley Finance Series)
The Essentials of Risk Management
Fundamentals of Private Pensions
Actuarial Aspects of Individual Life Insurance and Annuity Contracts

ASIN: 0471430005

Book Description

Enterprise risk management is a complex yet critical issue that all companies must deal with as they head into the twenty-first century. It empowers you to balance risks with rewards as well as people with processes. But to master the numerous aspects of enterprise risk management, you must first realize that this approach is not only driven by sound theory but also by sound practice. No one knows this better than risk management expert James Lam. In Enterprise Risk Management: From Incentives to Controls, Lam distills twenty years' worth of experience in this field to give you a clear understanding of both the art and science of enterprise risk management.

Organized into four comprehensive sections, Enterprise Risk Management offers in-depth insights, practical advice, and real world case studies that explore every aspect of this important field.

Section I: Risk Management in Context lays a solid foundation for understanding the role of enterprise risk management in today’s business environment.
Section II: The Enterprise Risk Management Framework offers an executive education on the business rationale for integrating risk management processes.
Section III: Risk Management Applications discusses the applications of risk management in two dimensions–functions and industries.
Section IV: A Look to the Future rounds out this comprehensive discussion of enterprise risk management by examining emerging topics in risk management with respect to people and technology.

JAMES LAM is President of James Lam & Associates, an independent risk advisory firm. Before starting his own firm, Lam was founder and president of ERisk and partner of Oliver, Wyman & Company. In 1997, as chief risk officer at Fidelity Investments, he was named the first-ever Financial Risk Manager of the Year by the Global Association of Risk Professionals. Prior to Fidelity, he was chief risk officer of Capital Markets Services, Inc., a GE Capital Company. Lam graduated with honors from Baruch College and received his MBA from UCLA. He is also currently an Adjunct Professor of Finance at Babson College.

Customer Reviews:

Great for the novice Risk Manager.......2006-07-27

If you are a budding Risk Manager/ Officer or are considering a career move towards Risk Management, this book is a good high-level illustration of what the major sleeves of Risk Management has to offer.

For the experienced risk professional, this is a bit too fundamental.

This book is a must read for all mid-level and executive level managers.......2005-09-21

James Lam has written a remarkably clear and relevant portrayal of how [enterprise] risk management can be used to deliver real value in any business.

During the past year, I developed a course for the Executive MBA program at Villanova University. After reviewing several books on the subject, I chose this one because of its clear and comprehensive coverage of the subject matter.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a serious interest in understanding risk management from a holistic perspective. This includes risk professionals as well as those involved in line and staff functions.

Remarkably Succinct Coverage of a Hot New Topic.......2005-02-04

You bought Jorion, Pearson, and Hull; you slammed headfirst into the quantitative quagmire of risk management, and you may even have passed the Financial Risk Manager exam, sponsored by the Global Association of Risk Professionals, but are you prepared to become your company's "Risk Champion?" Can you explain to laymen why loss distributions are not normal? Can you illustrate the "sweet spot" in the profit/risk tradeoff? If you aren't quite there yet, pick up James Lam's new book, Enterprise Risk Management, From Incentives to Controls. It's a book you can read on the five hour flight from New York to Los Angeles, and its melodies will linger in your memory. This book has changed the way I communicate with people both in and outside the risk management profession. Read it with a highlighter in your hand, and keep the book within easy reach.

A well written and thought out book on Risk Management.......2004-10-05

This book provides practical and insightful look at risk management and how it can benefit companies. Reading and understanding this book should be a pre-requisite for any person going to take on management position.

A Must Read for Risk Management.......2004-08-23

This book is not only about the theory of enterprise risk management, but also a summary of the author¡¯s experience in practicing risk management for more than twenty years. And what is more, there are several case studies that are deeply analyzed in the book. It is because of this that I think it is an excellent work on enterprise risk management. In addition, it is interesting that the Balance of the Yin and Yang in the Chinese traditional philosophy is applied as Lesson 7 by the author. It is a must read for all business managers and students who want to pursue a career in risk management.

Event Planning : The Ultimate Guide to Successful Meetings, Corporate Events, Fundraising Galas, Conferences, Conventions, Incentives and Other Special Events

Average customer rating:

Not for beginners and not for professionals
Very useful Hand Book
This Book is Alright
Packed with Knowledge!
Great book

Event Planning : The Ultimate Guide to Successful Meetings, Corporate Events, Fundraising Galas, Conferences, Conventions, Incentives and Other Special Events
Judy Allen
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Communications | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Running Meetings & Presentations | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management Science | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Public Relations | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Etiquette | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Service | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Customs & Traditions | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Business of Event Planning: Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of Successful Special Events
The Essential Event Planning Kit
How to Start a Home-Based Event Planning Business (Home-Based Business Series)
Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies
Start Your Own Event Planning Business: Your Step by Step Guide to Success (Start Your Own Event Planning)

ASIN: 0471644129

Book Description

For event planners, there's no such thing as a dress rehearsal!

Any event you plan and stage is a reflection of your company's image — from the initial invitation to onsite operations. Whether you're planning a product launch, conference, sales meeting, an incentive event, or a gala fund-raiser, remember that the magic of a truly memorable event is in the details, but so is the devil. Special events are fraught with thousands of details, and have to come off without a hitch. Whether your event is for 50 or 2,000 people, whether it has a budget of a few thousand dollars, or hundreds of thousands, planning and executing the project is like a high-wire act without the safety nets. Event Planning gives you a blueprint for planning and executing special events with flair and without any unexpected surprises and expenses. This unique book is loaded with practical advice on every aspect of organizing and managing special events:

Choosing the best venue
Preparing and managing the budget
Scheduling and staffing
Coordinating food and beverage, décor, entertainment, and themes
Working with professionals, such as public relations firms and creative directors.

What you don't know or know to ask can have a major effect on the success of your event and on your budget. Event Planning takes you through every aspect of organizing and executing a successful event: the planning stages, timing and logistics, budget preparation, operations, and on-site management. Event Planning:

Includes sample costing forms to help you generate a detailed project plan and budget.
Explains what you need to ask before you contract with suppliers.
Is loaded with practical tips and examples that will help you avoid expensive mistakes.
Features a companion website with forms from the book, additional forms, author Q&A, and more.

Event Planning takes you behind the scenes, and provides practical tools for anyone who has to plan and execute a truly special event:

Corporate in-house event planners
Public relations and communications companies, and their clients
Marketing and corporate communications professionals
Fundraisers and not-for-profit organizations
Professionals in the hospitality and entertainment industries

Customer Reviews:

Not for beginners and not for professionals.......2007-05-03

It is hard to tell who this book is geared towards. A novice should not take on any event that is as over their head; as most of the event situations that are listed in the book are. A professional would know from experience the answers to most of the questions or they would have the common sense to take care of any odd situation that arose. The book may be helpful to assistant managers or banquet captains, but most houses have their own way of doing things. Interesting read and a good refresher, buy used.

Very useful Hand Book.......2007-03-10

It was very useful to me as I used it to brak into the wedding/event business. It presents a very corporate approach, yet it seems to uncover all kinds of secrets of the event world that are hidden to the public eye.

This Book is Alright.......2006-08-09

Being an avid reader of Event Planning literature, I must say that this book is alright.

Packed with Knowledge!.......2005-10-14

Details, details, details. That's really what successful event planning is all about, and that's the key to this very successful event-planning manual. Author Judy Allen notes, lists, copes with and gives an example of virtually every detail in planning anything from a sedate corporate event in a major city to a huge celebration on a remote island. She provides examples galore plus tips, questions and answers, sample cost sheets and schedules. How much floor space does a person need to be comfortable in a tent? Answer: 20 square feet. How many bathrooms should be available for a party? Answer: One per 75 guests. And don't forget to ask about the stemware, adequate parking and even the photographer's back-up camera battery. This author seems to have thought every contingency, as the book's ambitious title promises. Her one glaring omission is that she does not include the party planner's fee - our guess is that she'd be worth it. We highly recommend this well-organized, very practical book to all event planners. Don't send out press releases for your party without consulting Judy Allen.

Great book.......2005-10-01

This is a great book for anyone interested in working in the event planning field.

A Carrot a Day: A Daily Dose of Recognition for Your Employees

Average customer rating:

I'd have to give this book an F for sheer annoyance
Same old maxims
Praise and Recognition Improves Morale
I wish my boss would read this book!
Great for the office and beyond

A Carrot a Day: A Daily Dose of Recognition for Your Employees
Adrian Gostick , and Chester Elton
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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

Motivational | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The 24-Carrot Manager: A Remarkable Story of How a Leader Can Unleash Human Potential
Managing with Carrots : Using Recognition to Attract and Retain the Best People
The Carrot Principle: How the Best Managers Use Recognition to Engage Their Employees, Retain Talent, and Drive Performance
The Invisible Employee: Realizing the Hidden Potential in Everyone
Make Their Day! Employee Recognition That Works

ASIN: 1586855069

Book Description

From the bestselling authors of The 24-Carrot Manager comes a manager's handbook on motivating employees through praise and recognition. Employees fed a steady diet of carrots focus better on company goals. They spot new opportunities faster. They have longer employment life spans (translation: lower turnover). And they can lift companies higher than you might have dreamed possible.

Customer Reviews:

I'd have to give this book an F for sheer annoyance.......2007-10-10

While I'm sure it has good intentions this book should truly be burned, buried, and then have the ground over which it lay salted so that it may never rise to torment humankind (or fellow office workers) again.

Unfortunately, this book encourages many a lonely 40-something secretary/cat-lady to email quotes to her fellow co-workers (who have better things to do mind) or add to the bottom of her email signature (as if anyone really needed to get in touch with the secretary for anything ever).

Same old maxims.......2006-02-14

I looked forward to receiving this book but was sorely disappointed with what it delivered. I've had the same thoughts on employee recognition forever. There were no new ideas and very little specifics on improving recognition.

It is set up in a format where you can have a daily reminder that employee recognition is good and that is the best part of the book.

Definitely not a must have but a decent addition for your bookshelf.

Praise and Recognition Improves Morale.......2005-05-13

"The celebration of one success launches a thousand more." ~Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton

Can you achieve world-class results through recognition? We all know how it feels to be appreciated and yet why do so many companies focus more on profit and less on encouragement?

Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton are the world's leading authorities on employee motivation and explain how a steady diet of "carrots" is a much wiser way to build a strong workplace. This is a place where people are committed to company goals, are much happier, live much longer and respect their employer.

What are the carrots? They are ways you inspire, challenge, encourage, reward efforts and celebrate achievements.

This book is organized by the days of the year and reminds me of a desk calendar with quotes. Each page is filled with helpful suggestions and quotes by famous people.

The ideas I loved:

A Day Off for No Reason At All - now there is a way to garner some appreciation...
Dressed for Success - Reward an employee with a shopping spree for clothes
Perform a Random Act of Kindness
No More "Good Jobs" - avoiding generic responses

There are some surprising entries, like the one on February 11 where the authors show how you can reward failure and have a positive result. Just because someone failed, doesn't mean they didn't try or take great risks.

"People are afraid to risk in their jobs, primarily because of fear that failure will bring some sort of reprisal or ridicule. When this atmosphere is present, growth and innovation are stunted." ~February 11

A Carrot A Day is an excellent resource for managers who want happy and productive employees.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

I wish my boss would read this book!.......2004-10-07

Bosses sometimes overlook the power of a kind word or an expression of approval. But to an employee such an expression can mean everything. This book is filled with great daily tips to help bosses remember to recognize deserving employees. For an employee its the little things that keep you motivated. I wish my boss would read this book!

Great for the office and beyond.......2004-10-07

The practical concepts offered in this book simply make sense. On a business level, these real-life action items provide great ideas to truly motivate my employees. I have to believe that if company leaders would truly embrace these principles they would not only enjoy more passionate employees but they'd also enjoy the bottom line impact. On the personal side, I also appreciate the hints that translate into being a better husband and dad.

Encouraging the Heart: A Leader's Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing Others

Average customer rating:

A Key Relational Leadership Process
Book for Senior Vice President
Leading Through Encouragement: "Thoughtfully" Expanding the Potential of your Team
If people are what matter, this is a critical read for leaders
Valuable Insights...Practical Advice

Encouraging the Heart: A Leader's Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing Others
James M. Kouzes , and Barry Z. Posner
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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

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

Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Leadership Challenge, 4th Edition
Encouraging The Heart Workbook
The Leadership Challenge Workbook
Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It, Revised Edition
A Leader's Legacy

ASIN: 0787964638

Amazon.com

Leadership authorities James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner say employees perform best when their contributions are genuinely appreciated. Unfortunately, the two contend, most executives have not mastered the decidedly soft-management skill of "encouragement" that fosters such behavior. In Encouraging the Heart, they examine how this type of compassionate supervision is becoming a critical part of successful management today, and through example and suggestion they describe how readers can establish the process in their own businesses.

This is not a book about glad-handing and backslapping, gold stars, and payoffs. It's about the importance of linking rewards and appreciation to standards of excellence. It's about why encouragement is absolutely essential to sustaining people's commitment to organizations and outcomes. It's about the hard work it takes to get extraordinary things done in organizations, and it's about ways to enhance your own ability in--and comfort with--recognizing and celebrating the achievements of others.

The book's opening section introduces their concept of the caring leader; the second outlines their "seven essential principles" for encouraging workers; the third explains how the process can be personalized and describes 150 additional suggestions for implementing it. --Howard Rothman

Book Description

All too often, simple acts of human kindness are often overlooked and under utilized by people in leadership roles. Advising mutual respect and recognition of accomplishments, Encouraging the Heart shows us how true leaders encourage and motivate those they work with by helping them find their voice and making them feel like heroes. Recognized experts in the field of leadership, authors James Kouzes and Barry Posner show us that, through love, leaders can encourage, and indeed allow those around them to be their very best. Both practical and inspirational, Encouraging the Heart gives readers a thoughtful approach to motivating individuals within an organizational structure.
Read Chapter 3 or Chapter 12, or see The Encouragement Index.

Customer Reviews:

A Key Relational Leadership Process.......2007-09-25

Continuing their `Leadership is a Relationship' philosophy, best-selling authors, (The Leadership Challenge and Credibility), Kouzes & Posner focus this book on the 5th of their five essential practices for exemplary leadership - Encourage the Heart. After demonstrating that even the best performers are `starved for recognition' and will respond positively to a heart-felt "thank you", the authors provide descriptions and examples of the seven essential components of the Encouraging the Heart practice, devoting a chapter to each of the following:
1. Set Clear Standards
2. Expect the Best
3. Pay Attention
4. Personalize Recognition
5. Tell the Story
6. Celebrate Together
7. Set the Example
But, reading about how others do it is never enough, and the so the last part of the book takes the reader beyond tools and techniques, with a "Finding Your Voice" chapter coming before the listing of "150 Ways to Encourage the Heart" of others.

If you believe that money is the prime motivator of exceptional performance, you may want to spend a few quiet hours with this easy-to-read, how-to manual for getting to the heart of individual performance. This book is recommended for anyone wanting to learn a foundational process for relational leadership. Dennis DeWilde, author of "The Performance Connection"

Book for Senior Vice President.......2007-03-08

I did not read this book. I am a corporate librarian and was asked to purchase it for one of our senior vice presidents.

Leading Through Encouragement: "Thoughtfully" Expanding the Potential of your Team.......2006-11-25

* The famous journalist Walter Lippman once said, "The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind in others the conviction and will to carry on."

* That is the test for all of us, not only those is a managerial position, but all of us. A leader may be the guy in a suit and tie down in the corner office, but a leader can also be the sixty year old woman working as a cashier who knows not to put our bread and canned goods in the same bag.

* Every one of us leads, whether directly or indirectly, in the actions we perform every day. Whether we know it or not, right now, each of us is showing something the right way to be or the wrong way to be.

* James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, discuss in their bestselling book The Leadership Challenge, the five principles they have found in leaders who have teams that get "extraordinary" things done:

* These leaders:

* Challenge the Process

* Inspire a shared vision

* Enable others to act

* Model the way

* And, Encourage the Heart.

* But what does it mean to "encourage the heart?"

* Encouraging the Heart shows how, with a few main ideas, how each of us - management or not - can take the initiative to bring common courtesy and kindness into the workplace, and how effective that everyday emotional bond between human beings can translate into a successful, more productive, and generally happier workplace.

* And as we all know, the more content the team is, the better that team will be. And a successful team is often attributed to the successful leader of that team. Encouraging the heart forms that connection, and helps boost the overall strength of the team as well as the strength of the leader.

If people are what matter, this is a critical read for leaders.......2006-10-24

No communities are not a collection of assets, financial reports, and marketing, they are made up with people. This may be obvious. On the other hand, a large percentage of managers and leaders act as though people are robots there but to order around and attack if performance does not match expectations. Of course expectations have never been clarified, but that is an other story. If this description of management and leadership offends you, you really should be reading this book. There is a well documented better way to work with, reward, and encourage people. If we all treated people the way that is outlined in this book, our world would be a better place.

This is also a very easy to read book with clear and valuable recommendations. It is worthy of a learning group within your management team. Bring your managers together into circle and explore how to implement this principles. You will be glad you did.

Valuable Insights...Practical Advice.......2002-03-02

Those who have already read Kouzes and Posner's The Leadership Challenge will immediately realize that this volume provides a deeper examination of the concepts introduced in Part Six ("Encouraging the Heart") of the previously published work. After introducing and then discussing five "leadership practices common to successful leaders" and ten "behavioral commitments" among those leaders studied iwhile preparing to write The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner focus on recognizing contributions (i.e. linking rewards with performance) and celebrating accomplishments (i.e. valuing the victories) in Part Six. In this volume, these two "leadership commitments" receive their full attention. The material is carefully organized within 12 chapters which range from "The Heart of Leadership" to "150 Ways to Encourage the Heart." Why did they write this book? There are four reasons.

Practicality: "We wanted to offer a set of principles, practices, and examples that would provide leaders with a repeatable process -- a set of essential actions --they could apply in their own settings."

Principle: "In this book, we not only demonstrate that encouraging the heart is not soft; we show how powerful a force it is in achieving high standards and stretch goals."

Curiosity: "We've been intrigued for some time by this finding that] "female constituents do not report that their leaders encourage the heart any more than do male constituents, regardless of the gender of their leader] and we wanted to explore the practice in depth to see if we could understand more about these differences."

Finally, "...because we wanted to add our voices to the discussion of soul and spirit in the workplace."

Kouzes and Posner note that the word "encouragement" has its root in the Latin word "cor" which literally means "heart." (So does the word "courage.") To have courage is to have heart. To encourage -- to provide with or give courage -- literally means to give others heart. For me, there are at least three especially important core concepts: First, love what you do. Love those for whom you are responsible. And love them enough to set high standards for them and then give them hope that you and they can meet those standards. Second, don't think of leadership in terms of position, title, power, status, etc. Rather, think of it in terms of initiative. Encourage, recognize and reward initiative whenever and wherever you find it throughout your entire organization. Third and finally, practice what you preach and do that every day. The most effective leaders care....and care deeply. They have credibility because their values and behavior are in unshakable alignment. They have earned others' trust.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out David Maister's Practice What You Preach, Tim Sanders' Love Is the Killer App, David Whyte's The Heart Aroused, and Larry Davis' Pioneering Organizations.

The Sales Compensation Handbook
Average customer rating:

Avoid thousands in consulting fees!

Meeting the challenge of creating incentive plans for sales

The Sales Compensation Handbook

Manufacturer: AMACOM/American Management Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Advertising | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Sales & Selling | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Finance | New & Used Textbooks | Stores | Books
General | Human Resources | Business & Finance | New & Used Textbooks | Stores | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Compensating the Sales Force: A Practical Guide to Designing Winning Sales Compensation Plans

The Complete Guide to Sales Force Incentive Compensation: How to Design And Implement Plans That Work

Compensating New Sales Roles : How to Design Rewards That Work in Today's Selling Environment

The Complete Guide to Accelerating Sales Force Performance : How to Get More Sales from Your Sales Force

Proactive Sales Management: How to Lead, Motivate, and Stay Ahead of the Game

ASIN: 0814404111

Book Description

THE SALES COMPENSATION HANDBOOK Second Edition

Now in an updated and expanded edition, The Sales Compensation Handbook provides the information and tools needed to design and implement top-notch sales compensation programs.

This authoritative reference from experts at Towers Perrin provides guidance on all aspects of compensating salespeople, including cash and non-cash incentives * base salary, bonus, and commission scales * team-selling roles and implications * linking compensation to company culture, and much more.

Sales managers and compensation professionals alike will find this comprehensive resource a valuable tool for building sales rep productivity.

STOCKTON B. COLT (Los Angeles, CA and Santa Fe, NM) is a principal at Towers Perrin, an internationally known consulting firm in the compensation field. He is also a frequent speaker on sales productivity and compensation.

Customer Reviews:

Avoid thousands in consulting fees!.......1998-11-15

This book was just what I needed, and much more. I expected a primer on sales compensation design. What I found was a challenge to review the underlying systems of the Sales Department _AND_ state of the art sales incentive compensation plans.

This book is a must-read for every sales manager who is looking to make sure that compensation is not the reason his or her sales force doesn't achieve its goals, or is churning. Putting these tactics to work takes real discipline; but the rewards are tremendous.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the art and science of a finely tuned sales machine.

Meeting the challenge of creating incentive plans for sales.......1998-08-03

As one who does a considerable amount of consulting work in designing sales compensation plans, I was delighted with this publication. Anyone who has had the challenge of creating an incentive compensation plan for salespeople, or of leading and motivating a sales force, will appreciate the scope and depth of this book. Using an abundance of diagrams and tables, the chapters and sections examine a very comprehensive range of topics that is highly helpful in shaping sales compensation. One important point that is clearly made is the enormous range of potential root causes of performance problems, other than the nature of the compensation plan. In this regard, compensation is viewed in the broader context of the sales management system; far too often, this big picture is missed, or glossed over. But most of the book focuses on designing sales incentive compensation plans and provides plenty of solid content and detail. I expect readers will find this work a very worthwhi! le contribution to a complex subject; one with which so many organizations seem to continuously wrestle and, more often than not, fail to fathom and, ultimately, succeed.

The 24-Carrot Manager: A Remarkable Story of How a Leader Can Unleash Human Potential

Average customer rating:

The Value of Recognition
Highest ROI Book Ever?
Execution is the key
Simple Ways to Energize Your Employees
A recipe book for providing recognition

The 24-Carrot Manager: A Remarkable Story of How a Leader Can Unleash Human Potential
Adrian Gostick , and Chester Elton
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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

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

Motivational | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Managing with Carrots : Using Recognition to Attract and Retain the Best People
A Carrot a Day: A Daily Dose of Recognition for Your Employees
The Invisible Employee: Realizing the Hidden Potential in Everyone
The Carrot Principle: How the Best Managers Use Recognition to Engage Their Employees, Retain Talent, and Drive Performance
Make Their Day! Employee Recognition That Works

ASIN: 1586851543

Book Description

In this companion volume to their successful Managing With Carrots, Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton present a remarkable story of how a great leader can unleash human potential--creating success in even the worst economy. Providing strategies and solutions for the managers of today, this book offers answers for improving employee commitment and profitability by strategically acknowledging employee effort. How is it done? The deceptively simply answer: with carrots. Plentiful examples show how to choose the right reward for each employee, how to time the giving of a reward to motivate performance, how to effectively present rewards, when to give praise in private and when to make it a public celebration, and how to motivate employees to work harder and work smarter with the company's goals in mind.

Customer Reviews:

The Value of Recognition.......2007-05-15

A valuable resource in any organization looking to improve employee morale and output
It highlighted issues we have faced in our current recognition program and provided
a long list of practical applications behind the philosophy.

Well worth the read.

Highest ROI Book Ever?.......2006-11-17

After I sink my scarce time into reading a book I always do a rough ROI analysis by comparing how much will it will help me build my business with how rough a slog it was to get through. This might me the highest ROI book ever ... it will have a profound impact on my business and it was a blast of fresh air to read!

Execution is the key.......2006-09-12

The idea that Gostick and Elton proposed is not new. In fact, it has been proposed in 1940s by Abraham Maslow in his hierarchy of needs. Maslow's argued that human behaviors are motivated by a series of needs, and are hierarchical in nature. If I understand correctly what Maslow had proposed and applied the same theory to this book, in fact what we are seeing is the execution of satisfying the needs on love/belonging and esteem. This is why an employee will prefer public recognition anytime compare to bonuses, since money, to a large degree, is use to satify the human needs for food and shelter only, which is at the lowest hierarchy of all human needs. The book carries no new theory of human behavior, but a new way in reminding managers that employees are human, and do satisfy human needs in the hierarchical form.

Simple Ways to Energize Your Employees.......2005-07-14

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Gostick and hearing him speak at the annual International Association of Business Communicators conference in June in Washington, D.C.

The value of this quick, easy-to-read book is remarkable. By learning how to do simple things to recognize and reward employees you will find excellent ways to engage your workforce, keep them loyal, focused and energized and have them reach their highest potential.

It is a great tool for all managers of any organization - big or small - or any industry.

A recipe book for providing recognition.......2003-04-12

This is an easy-to-read book providing useful tips on how to develop and implement a recognition reward program in your organization.

It offers suggestions at a macro and micro levels. Therefore, you can benefit from it no matter what type of managers you are. There are numerous best practices shared from a wide range of private companies.

Book Description

The authors began writing the First Edition of this textbook in early 1988. It took almost 10 years to complete this effort, because they did not want to write an ordinary textbook. Their goal was to write a book that would break new ground in both the understanding and explanation of finance and its practice. They wanted to write a book that would influence the way people think about, teach, and practice finance. A book that would elevate the level of discussion and analysis in the classroom, in the corporate boardroom, and in the conference rooms of Wall Street firms. They wanted a book that would sit on the shelves of financial executives as a useful reference manual, long after the executives had studied and received a degree. They were successful in their endeavor. The success of the first edition of Financial Markets and Corporate Strategy was very heartening. The market for this text has expanded every year, and it is well-known as the cutting edge textbook in corporate finance around the world. The book is used in a variety of courses, both for introductory courses and advanced electives. Some schools have even changed their curriculum to design it around this text. The authors have developed this Second Edition based on the comments of many reviewers and colleagues; producing what is a more reader-friendly book. The most consistent comment from users of the first edition was a request for a chapter on the key ingredients of valuation: accounting, cash flows, and basic discounting. This ultimately led to a new chapter in the text, Chapter 9, which is currently available in the "Sample Chapter" section of the book's website. In almost every chapter, examples are updated, vignettes changed, numbers modified, statements checked for currency and historical accuracy, and exercises and examples are either modified or added to. The goal of the Second Edition is to make the book ever more practical, pedagogically effective, and current.

Customer Reviews:

Unnecessarily Complex.......2006-08-28

Author devotes 2 pages to mathematically prove & philosophically justify that a manager should chose the highest NPV project before chosing the next highest NPV project. Such logic continues ad infinitum throughout the 800+ page text. Time for 3rd Ed.

A finance textbook full of errors and holes.......2005-05-07

I am a postgraduate student in finance and this book is on my reading list for corporate finance. I must say that I am not very pleased with this book. First, it seems to skip around from chapter to chapter with no real logical organizational structure. Second, it is full of typos and mistakes -- some that are quite dangerous for a proper understanding of the material. Third, it does not develop fully the statistically techniques in Chapter 4 that it builds on in later chapters. This is a major problem in my opinion. What saves this book from the lowest rating is that it does discuss empirical studies and journal articles, and it does not do an entirely awful job about the more qualitative subjects like adverse selection and capitalization policy.

For what it's worth, I received my undergraduate degree at Wharton and am now at the London School of Economics. Instead of this book, I recommend Brealey and Myer's Principles of Corporate Finance. This is what I used as an undergraduate and is what seems to be the de facto textbook in the top undergraduate and MBA programs.

N.

A Wonderful Approach to Corporate Finance.......2005-04-12

I will admit this book does not take the standard approach to learning corporate finance. The authors discuss a wide variety of common topics, ranging from market models, option valuation, capital structure concepts and decisions, to more specialized topics such as corporate governance and financial risk management.

What is unique about this book, though, is that the authors encourage students to think about problems more broadly than one often sees in introductory texts and courses. For example, the authors encourage the use of decision trees (i.e. binomial models) to value a wide range of assets, not just stocks. If one can value a stock option using a binomial tree, why not use the same framework to value a plot of undeveloped real estate, an untapped mine, or any other "real option" owned by a company?

Another reason this text is excellent is because the authors include a vast survey of recent financial and economic literature relevant for the financial decision-maker. Highly developed markets depend on the signaling of information between investors and management, creditors and debtors, customers and suppliers, and so forth; understanding the implications of these interactions and their subsequent effects is of primary importance to decision-makers.

For example, the "pecking order" theory of capital structure is one of the most well-known concepts in finance, but nonetheless often misunderstood (if you want proof of this, why did investors respond so enthusiastically to every IPO in the late 1990's?). Instead of glossing over an explanation of the theory, the book thorougly explains it and provides problems where the reader can actually work through a simplified model that really reinforces the concept.

While this book served as a good introduction to a wide scope of problems in finance, it was most useful because it helped me to apply economic tools not just to solve but to understand financial problems. The use of decision trees in the simplified, binomial model setting helped me to understand option/project valuation and risk-netural valuation, the linchpin of no-arbitrage pricing. It also has perhaps the most thorough, lucid explanation of Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT) I've seen anywhere- for a practitioner trying to understand factor models, this chapter alone makes the book worth it.

I understand that this is a very difficult book and that the problems are beyond what one may expect in a MBA-level course. Nonetheless, finance is an increasingly competitive field whose employers are starting to demand more analytical skills and intiution from recent graduates. In response to the reviewer who said this text is not suitable for CFA preparation, I do agree with that sentiment. First, the CFA program is designed for self-study that any motivated and capable professional can handle, while Grinblatt/Titman is clearly appropriate for a rigorous MBA-level sequence in corporate finance. Second, the CFA exam emphasizes asset valuation and portfolio management, while this book stresses financial decision-making from a manager's standpoint.

While I normally don't like reviews that justify their opinions by offering credentials, I also work on Wall Street and I find the concepts taught in this book to be quite relevant in handling real-world problems.

Good basic overview of finance intersecting corp strategy.......2005-02-25

I bought this book as a recommended supplemental text for a course in Corporate Finance in the MBA program at the U of Michigan Business School. I am very glad to have this book on my shelf of financial books and have benefited from it more than once.

I can recommend it to you strongly by praising it for these reasons:

1) It puts practical flesh on the financial model bones you learned in your first course on finance. There are very good discussions of the basic and well-known fundamental theories and models, but the authors also share with us what tends to happen in the real world. And isn't that what each of us need to add to our theoretical thinking?

2) Each chapter has effective summarizing Key Concepts and Key Terms with plenty of problems to work through and a list of References and Additional Readings that enable the reader to dive deeper into the topic of the chapter just read.

3) The book is helpfully organized into six Parts that provide the framework for the discussion. Parts 1-3 are a review of "Financial Markets and Instruments", "Valuing Financial Assets", and "Valuing Real Assets". This foundation gives the student a good grounding in order to see how these principles are used in the work of managing the capital structure of a corporation. Parts 4-6 discuss the "Corporate Financial Structure", "Incentives, Information and Corporate Control", and "Risk Management". These last three sections are the real meat of the book and where a great deal of its value to the business student lies.

4) Each of the Parts has an effective and brief introduction that sets the tone for what is to be studied. Even better, at the end of each the six Parts there are two very helpful summary sections: "Practical Insights" and "Executive Perspective".

This is a specialized topic. But it is an important topic. This is a very good book that can help a serious student get grounded in some very important principals necessary to managing the financial issues facing every corporation. I recommend it.

Missed the mark! Poor coverage of contemporary issues..........2004-12-22

This text is just below par for MBA / CFA or professional use. The quality of research is very poor. I almost bought this book recently but changed my mind instead for Brigham's "Intermediate Financial Management".

Compared to other finance texts I've used before such Reilly's "Investment Analysis & Portfolio Mgt." or Chew's "New Corporate Finance", Grinblatt's text is way way behind and offers nothing new and of value to my research & professional everyday use....

DON'T BUY this lousy book!

The 1001 Rewards & Recognition Fieldbook: The Complete Guide

Average customer rating:

Excellent
What a treasure!

The 1001 Rewards & Recognition Fieldbook: The Complete Guide
Bob Nelson , and Dean R. Spitzer
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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

Motivational | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Make Their Day! Employee Recognition That Works
1001 Ways to Energize Employees
1001 Ways to Reward Employees
365 Ways to Motivate and Reward Your Employees Every Day: With Little or No Money
Get Weird! 101 Innovative Ways to Make Your Company a Great Place to Work

ASIN: 0761121390

Book Description

Author of the Business Week million-copy bestseller, 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, Bob Nelson is the motivational specialist who helps businesses stay competitive by teaching them how to inspire their employees to excel. Now joined by Dr. Dean Spitzer, senior consultant and performance improvement expert for IBM, Nelson distills the knowledge, experience, and ideas gained from working with thousands of organizations into a hands-on, practical fieldbook.

Beginning with the basics of motivation, including the decline of traditional incentives and the trend toward empowered employees, the book lays the groundwork for developing and managing a rewards or recognition program in any work situation: how to recognize an individual or a group; how to develop a low-cost recognition program; how to sell it to upper management, prevent and fix common problems, and assess its effectiveness. There are planning worksheets, templates for different purposes?improving morale, improving attendance, increasing retention?plus perforated reference cards for immediate guidance, and 101 new low-cost/no-cost recognition ideas. Running through the margins are Nelson's answers to the questions most frequently asked since the publication of 1001 Ways to Reward Employees.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2007-02-10

Many great ideas. Using them in my current mgmt situation turned the department around. I work for the cheapest company in the world that treats their people like they don't deserve to work there. Financially they won't back my efforts at all, but hey, it's my career so I don't mind spending a little. The book is inspiring and well written. They have 2 other books related to this, but I didn't buy them b/c glancing through them they appear to not offer what this book does. Good hardcare information.

What a treasure!.......2003-12-03

Motivation of employees through rewards and recognition is critically important for organizational success. This topic is vital for supervisors, managers, executives, human resource professionals, business owners...the list goes on. Your power in this essential part of business is based on how much you know about what works, what doesn't work, and why. The more examples you can glean about what others are doing, the stronger you will be.

Nelson and Spitzer are internationally known experts in rewards and recognition. They both know their topic extremely well, and that high level of expertise comes out in this book. Readers familiar with the field will think they already have the answers if they have previous books written by these authors. Guess again!

This book is packed with information, insights, tips, ideas, case studies-you name it. Have you ever packed a suitcase so full that it was almost impossible to close it? That's the experience you'll have with this field book. You'll wonder how these gurus ever got this much stuff packed in between those two covers. Just a few pages of reading and you'll already be on information overload!

There are so many features in this publication, I'll probably not be able to name them all. (Do you hear enthusiasm in my review?) Case studies. End of chapter summaries. Good table of contents. Vignettes describing positive-and negative-experiences. Over 40 no-cost ideas. Worksheets. Resources. Training designs. Reminder cards. Comprehensive index. On and on and on. There are at least four separate books in these pages, all jammed into one tremendous resource.

Bob Nelson's "1001 Ways to Reward Employees" has sold over a million copies. This book is even more of a value...especially at the surprisingly modest price. There is no question that this volume will have an impact on readers and the organizations they serve. Even just modest application of the knowledge found in this tool chest will return many more times the investment of the purchase and the time to read all that the authors share.

Highly recommended.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books