Book Description
This highly successful undergraduate corporate finance text is recognized for its tradition as the best corporate finance textbook at teaching finance. Block and Hirt's approach focuses on pedagogy and how students learn. With the Ninth edition, the authors' careful writing style and step-by-step explanations make the text easy to understand. They also have presented a strong real world emphasis throughout this new edition. Not only will students find real-world emphasis in text examples using "hot" companies recently mentioned in the business press, but there are also Finance-In-Action boxed readings that give an in-depth look at real business decisions, and consistent placement of real company logos in the text's margins. The Ninth edition continues to present a simple and understandable story of finance for students. All of these features come together to present a comprehensive story of finance.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Self Study.......2005-08-13
The text is very easy to read and simple to follow along. The self study guide that comes with it is very handy to get a full understanding of the mathematical equations. I was disappointed that the weblink provided in the book to get more up to date information from Standard & Poor's was not working. I had to order the 11th edition for my second finance class but that was by order of the university. When the 11th edition arrived the weblink in that book worked. I really enjoy reading the book on my commute to and from work. I recommend this book to even the curious person who wants a better understanding of retirement and pension plans.
I will always refer back to the two texts for all my finance needs.
Foundations of Financial Management, 10th Edition.......2003-09-28
Delivery was terrific. I received the book 6 days after I ordered it and it's brand new!
Very Good, But Not Excellent.......2002-07-12
As an undergrad taking his first finance class, I have have found this book to be quite useful. The concepts are explained in simplified, less-complicated ways and make reading each chapter less frustrating than perhaps some others (compared to some of the econ texts that I have had to use!).
It is well-written, concise, and employs some very straightforward, easy-to-follow graphs/diagrams. Also, both the formulas and the exercises at the end of each chapter are quite useful.
The only reason that I did not give it a 5-star rating is because some of the chapters did not use enough "real-world examples" or hypothetical situations in some of the more challenging lessons. This might better aid those students who are new to finance or simply need another angle to better grasp the idea.
A comprehensive, well-written finance textbook.......2002-03-02
This text is characterized by its extreme simplicty in explanation and presentation of its material. The flow of presenting the contents of each chapter is so sequentially logical that it makes the reader grasp the financial concepts very fast and effectively. Colorful illustrative diagrams are employed extensively to facilitate a high level of understanding and help the learner develop the necessary conceptual links between inter-related topics and items. In addition, it is very comprehensive and intensely supported with a "luggage" of real-life cases .I recommend this excellent text to everyone who needs to take an introductory course in corporate finance.
An excellent book for those who do not wish to learn finance.......2001-06-04
I used to be "illiterate" in terms of finance and I thought that this book would help me to comprehend the basic principles of corporate finance. Unfortunately, the content of this book is completely implicit. The authors wrote a book without taking into account the nature of the audience. Consequently,this book does not address to financial managers or to any kind of managers or even students. The only people who can really understand the content of this book is the authors themselves!
After having read many books regarding corporate finance and financial management, I have become familiar with this discipline. There are hundreds of well-structured remarkable books that you can purchase at a lower price...
Book Description
Organizational Behavior provides the essential knowledge base and skill set so that future managers can harness the power of employees and teams to successfully navigate the changing world of work. Organizational behavior is the study of individual behavior and group dynamics in organizational settings. It focuses on timeless topics like motivation, leadership, teamwork, and communication. The text presents the opportunity to know concepts, ideas, and theories, and to practice skills, abilities, and behaviors to enhance the management of human behavior at work. To make the book more relevant to the learner, we have enhanced and further integrated the subtitle Foundations, Realities, Challenges into the theme in the 5th edition. The reader will see the tie to the subtitle with new feature titles: Foundations (new title: Science), Realities (new title: The Real World), and Challenges (new title: You) that have a more contemporary and personal feel. This theme will be integrated throughout the text and supplements making a true integrated learning package. In this new edition, six new focus companies have been selected. The authors use the focus companies so that learners can see how one company responds to different organizational situations. The focus companies are a variety of company types, for example, Whole Foods, Pixar, and Canine Companions. The authors also make sure to integrate four organizational behavior key themes into each chapter. These supporting themes are globalization, diversity, technology, and ethics. Sub-themes are designed to arm future managers with the tools they need to meet organizational challenges.
Customer Reviews:
Good Stuff.......2005-10-01
I am using this textbook for an MBA course. I had already started the class when I ordered the book, but I received my book in enough time where I was not left behind. I appreciate the prompt service. Thanks:-)
Book Description
Foundations of Financial Management is a proven and successful text recognized for its excellent writing style and step-by-step explanations to make the content relevant and easy to understand. The text's approach focuses on the "nuts and bolts" of finance with clear and thorough treatment of concepts and applications. There is a strong real-world emphasis presented throughout. This text has definitely stood the test of time due to the authors' time, energy, and commitment to quality revisions. In addition to completing the textbook revisions, the authors also revised ALL end of chapter problems and complete the solutions themselves. Block and Hirt know what works and what doesn't work for students, and they have consistently maintained a high quality textbook that is responsive to the demands of the marketplace.
Book Description
Enterprise architecture defines a firm’s needs for standardized tasks, job roles, systems, infrastructure, and data in core business processes. Thus, it helps a company to articulate how it will compete in a digital economy and it guides managers’ daily decisions to realize their vision of success. This book clearly explains enterprise architecture’s vital role in enabling—or constraining—the execution of business strategy. The book provides clear frameworks, thoughtful case examples, and a proven-effective structured process for designing and implementing effective enterprise architectures.
Customer Reviews:
This book is about IT Strategy.......2007-08-31
I have read very few books which comes this close to defining IT's Strategic practice. Enterprise Architecture is the place where IT meets the needs of business. Enterprise Architecture is where operational risk is measured, future operational planning is done and the new business strategy is transformed into IT strategy. This book does a very good job of linking Enterprise Architecture with core business processes. It also explains the differences between, often confusing terms, such as -- application, data and IT systems/infrastructure architecture.
In last few years EA has become a large practice for Federal Government. It is fast becoming a need for every big company who is involved in making its IT agile, productive and innovative.
IT managers and business strategists both should read this to understand their role in crafting EA. This book is an easy read and uses very simple words, business examples and analytical frameworks. It is an unique book because most of Enterprise Architecture arena is muddled with acronyms and jargons, which makes the issue not only confusing but also very intimidating.
Enterprise Architecture As Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution
Best EA book over.......2007-07-23
This book is undoubtedly the best EA book I have ever read. It gives an overview of how to form a
1) overall strategy
2) Make EA a habit in the corporate
3) How to implement EA etc.
Enterprise Architecture As Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution.......2007-05-28
An excellent book for people with vision.
Very Good High level IT landscape vision.......2007-05-07
The book provides a very interesting point of view regarding IT Departament evolution states. Some chapters, while its contents are known, also are so cristal clear that helps when painting the landscape picture. If you are interesting about IT charting, it is very useful.
In the other hand, in my opinion, the book is not very clear when explaining the "operating model" concept and, the chapters related with it (operating model) are "dry" and do not encourage you to keep on with the reading, but if you progress forward, the book gets very interesting and easy to read from this point on.
EA Strategy.......2007-04-11
For those of us who need insight on how to visualize Enterprise Architecture Strategy in a step-by-step manner, this book fits within that realm. It provides insight into the characteristics of four different operating models and provides examples of how business processes relate to these operating models. Additionally, there is knowledge to be learned on how to approach the various stages of Enterprise Architectural maturity and what are the best management practices and how to utilize them. Lastly, the leadership section is the best in the book and the principles given are truly worth the time to read and absorb.
Book Description
"This new edition of Active Portfolio Management continues the standard of excellence established in the first edition, with new and clear insights to help investment professionals."
-William E. Jacques, Partner and Chief Investment Officer, Martingale Asset Management.
"Active Portfolio Management offers investors an opportunity to better understand the balance between manager skill and portfolio risk. Both fundamental and quantitative investment managers will benefit from studying this updated edition by Grinold and Kahn."
-Scott Stewart, Portfolio Manager, Fidelity Select Equity ® Discipline
Co-Manager, Fidelity Freedom ® Funds.
"This Second edition will not remain on the shelf, but will be continually referenced by both novice and expert. There is a substantial expansion in both depth and breadth on the original. It clearly and concisely explains all aspects of the foundations and the latest thinking in active portfolio management."
-Eric N. Remole, Managing Director, Head of Global Structured Equity, Credit Suisse Asset Management.
Mathematically rigorous and meticulously organized, Active Portfolio Management broke new ground when it first became available to investment managers in 1994. By outlining an innovative process to uncover raw signals of asset returns, develop them into refined forecasts, then use those forecasts to construct portfolios of exceptional return and minimal risk, i.e., portfolios that consistently beat the market, this hallmark book helped thousands of investment managers. Active Portfolio Management, Second Edition, now sets the bar even higher. Like its predecessor, this volume details how to apply economics, econometrics, and operations research to solving practical investment problems, and uncovering superior profit opportunities. It outlines an active management framework that begins with a benchmark portfolio, then defines exceptional returns as they relate to that benchmark. Beyond the comprehensive treatment of the active management process covered previously, this new edition expands to cover asset allocation, long/short investing, information horizons, and other topics relevant today. It revisits a number of discussions from the first edition, shedding new light on some of today's most pressing issues, including risk, dispersion, market impact, and performance analysis, while providing empirical evidence where appropriate. The result is an updated, comprehensive set of strategic concepts and rules of thumb for guiding the process of-and increasing the profits from-active investment management.
Customer Reviews:
One to add to your reading list.......2007-06-30
I know many have this book and have never read it. Others read this book but never really understand it. However, if you can read it and understand it, it can offer a powerful tool for how to allocate capital. It actually is the basis for most indexing and quantitative methodologies. When applied to fundemental approaches to investment it can be quite powerful.
Sadly, though not enough money managers embrace what this book is trying to say with regards to risk and return.
Practical approach and mathematically rigorous at the same time.......2006-02-01
Excellent book for whom is looking for a practical approach that at the same time is presented through a rigorous mathematical methodology. The book is absolutely superior over the academic textbooks that usually limit themselves to CAPM and efficient market theory. Grinold and Kahn go much forward and at the same time had managed to clearly and meticulously show the CAPM model, its limitations and the more sophisticated tools developed from it. Beside of showing the active way of managing a portfolio, the serious mathematical presentations through which the different theories such as CAPM are described are very convincing of how difficult it could be to beat the market.
Theoretical framework with no practical examples........2005-01-20
There is important information in this book but most of us need to see numerical examples to reinforce theoretical concepts. This book really comes up short in this area. It provides some discussion with the formulas/equations it presents but is very incomplete in terms of worked out examples. Yes, including worked out examples might might mean a book three times as long, but the book would then be many, many times more useful to practitioners.
As it currently stands the book can only benefit the super-genius-theoretical types who do not need to see examples to understand OR someone who ALREADY really understands the concepts.
The book rather frequently presents variables or constants without explicitly defining them for the reader (it assumes we know what they mean from the accompanying discussion).
The book gives exercises, but without answers what good are these?
The one thing the book does is make you realize there is a lot you do not know. You can find ideas in portfolio management that exist by reading this book but if you are at all like me you are going to have to look elsewhere for the answers. I have had better luck with Google searches for stuff like Style Analysis.
The book shows how smart the authors are: they know stuff that must of us do not. Unfortunately this is the feeling I get as I read sections of their book. They intend to keep it this way. Bottom line: the book fails to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
This is the seminal text for Quantitative Finance.......2004-11-11
If you work for one of the top alpha quant shops (Barclays, Goldman, etc.), this text is a the proverbial must read. These are the guys that essentially invented quantitative finance in its modern form, building upon the [only somewhat applicable] concepts of Sharpe and Rosenberg and demonstrating how they can be harnassed to drive alpha. Anybody who has given this text a poor review obviously doesn't work in quantitative finance (chances are they're merely stock-pickers). If you want to understand how to drive alpha and beat the market, this text goes a lot further than explaining the simple concepts of information ratio and tracking error; instead, this book touches on the beauty of multi-factor models and covariance risk management.
Very boring and dry.......2004-10-05
This book is a funny phenomenon in itself: it seems that every portfolio manager keeps a copy on her desk, but nobody I've talked to likes the book, or has even really read it. I read it and had to struggle hard to go from one page to the next. It's one of the WORST books I've ever read in any field. The book attempts to give the reader a comprehensive overview of the portfolio management discipline. Unfortunately, it's extremely dry, to the point of boring the reader to death. A lot of pages are also wasted on topics of dubious value, while important subjects like global management is treated lightly. I highly recommend against this book. It's a waste of money.
Book Description
The Leader of the Future 2 follows in the footsteps of the international bestseller The Leader of the Future, which has been translated into twenty-eight languages, and is one of the most widely distributed edited collections on leadership to date.
In twenty-seven inspiring and insightful essays, this book celebrates the wisdom of some of the most recognized thought leaders of our day who share their unique vision of leadership for the future.
Returning Contributors: Ken Blanchard with Dennis Carey, Stephen Covey, Marshall Goldsmith, Charles Handy, Sally Helgesen, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner, Richard Leider, Ed Schein, Peter Senge, and Dave Ulrich with Norm Smallwood.
New Contributors: John Alexander, Darlyne Bailey, Howard Gardner with Lynn Barendsen, Usman Ghani, Ronald Heifetz, Joe Maciariello, Jan Masaoka, John Mroz, Brian O'Connell, Jeff Pfeffer, Ponchitta Pierce, Srikumar Rao, General Eric Shinseki, R. Roosevelt Thomas, Noel Tichy with Chris DeRose, and Tom Tierney.
"Hesselbein and Marshall Goldsmith, one of the USA's top executive coaches, edited the collection The Leader of the Future 2. Its 27 eloquent essays provide a kind of hopeful, idealistic best-case scenario for future leaders of non-profits and businesses. This is not a cookie-cutter, how-to approach. The job of the essayists is to provide food for thought and goals. The high quality of writing here should inspire anyone who has aspirations for leadership."
—Bruce Rosenstein, USA Today
Customer Reviews:
Your organization needs "the "leader of the future" now, today, this moment...........2007-09-24
Frances Hesselbein is currently editor-in-chief of Leader to Leader quarterly. Previously, she served as CEO of the Girls Scouts of the USA and then as chairman and founding president of the Leader to Leader Institute, formerly the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. Her published works include this book as well as its predecessor, The Leader of the Future, co-edited with Marshall Goldsmith and Richard Beckhard, and Be*Know*Do (an adaptation of the U.S. Army's leadership manual) to which she and General Eric K. Shinseki (USA Ret.) co-wrote the Introduction as well as Hesselbein on Leadership for which Jim Collins provided the Foreword.
Twenty-seven individual essays comprise this volume. The material is organized within five Parts:
A Vision of Leadership (Chapter 1)
Editors' Comments: "[Our] book begins where it should, with Peter Drucker's vision of leadership...[His] thoughts on creating organizations that have a spirit of performance built upon the `theory of the business,' creating a positive social impact and demonstrating consistent effectiveness, challenge the reader to both embrace change and become a change leader."
Leading in a Diverse World (Chapters 2-5)
Excerpt: "Leaders of the future will be progressively more cosmopolitan, progressive, diverse, and values oriented. They increasingly will come from countries with enormous growth potential outside of North America and Europe, such as the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), places where leaders must also address daunting obstacles such as poverty or environmental depredation, regardless of the sector or the focus of their enterprise." Rosabeth Moss Kanter, "How Cosmopolitan Leaders Inspire Confidence"
Leading in a Time of Crisis and Complexity (Chapters 6-11)
Excerpt: "Leadership becomes necessary to business and communities when people have tough challenges to tackle, when they have to change their ways in order to thrive or survive, when continuing to operate according to current structures, procedures, and processes no longer will suffice. We call these adaptive challenges. Beyond technical problems, for which authoritative and managerial expertise will suffice, adaptive challenges demand leadership that engages people in facing challenging realities and then changing those priorities, attitudes, and behaviors necessary to thrive in a changing world. Ronald A. Heifetz, "Anchoring Leadership in the Work of Adaptive Process"
Leading Organizations of the Future (Chapters 12-19)
Excerpt: "Leaders will need to go beyond looking at the work to be done and consider the human doing the work. They will need to understand the incredible pressures that have been brought about by globalization, technology, and competition. They will need to appreciate the hard work and sacrifice needed for professional success in a much tougher world. Leaders will need to realize that as work becomes even more important, and organizations become even more important, they will become even more important - in helping to shape the quality of life and the futures of the professionals they lead." Marshall Goldsmith, "Leading New Age Professionals"
The Quality and Charter of the Leader of the Future (Chapters 20-27)
Excerpt:
"Leaders who think like anthropologists would realize several things. First, they would realize that they are leaders by virtue of their basic fit into the cultural milieu in which they grew up and in which they are now operating. It is all well and good to note that leaders "create" and "change" cultures, as I have argued in the past [i.e. in Organizational Culture and Leadership, 2004], but first they must realize that to change culture you must thoroughly understand the culture that created you and legitimized you...In other words, leaders must be culturally self-c0njscious and be aware of the cultural layers in their own personalities. Second, leaders who think like anthropologists would be conscious of the cultural variations among countries and companies, and among occupational subgroups within their companies." Edgar H. Schein, Leadership Competencies: A Provocative New Look"
Note: Schein then explains in his essay that in addition to thinking like an anthropologist, effective leaders must also have the skills of a family therapist and cultivate and trust artistic instincts.
In the city where I live, we have a number of outdoor markets at which slices of fresh fruit are offered as samples of the produce available. In that same spirit, I frequently include brief excerpts such as these from a book to help those who read my review to get at least a "taste" of the material in question. All of the material in this volume is of a very high quality. The value of each article, however, will be determined by the needs and interests of each reader.
Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Hesselbein's The Leader of the Future published earlier, co-edited with Marshall Goldsmith and Richard Beckhard and Be*Know*Do (an adaptation of the U.S. Army's leadership manual) to which she and General Eric K. Shinseki (USA Ret.) co-wrote the Introduction; also Hesselbein on Leadership for which Jim Collins provided the Foreword.
weLEAD Book Review by the Editor of leadingtoday.org.......2007-06-17
The Leader of the Future 2 is a labor of love and a gift to all those who enjoy the study of leadership. This is the first book published by the Leader to Leader Institute (formerly The Drucker Foundation) since the death of leadership patriarch Peter Drucker. All proceeds support the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. This book follows the publication of the international bestseller, The Leader of the Future.
This meditative work is the collection of 27 essay chapters that contemplate the kind of leadership needed for the future of the world. Each chapter is written by a respected leadership consultant or educator who provides their unique and challenging perspective on the kind of leader our world needs now and will need in an uncertain future. This collection of "thinkers" has varied experience in all sectors of modern society. As it states in the foreword of the book, "This book delivers a "battle cry" that will mobilize the leaders of the future to build viable, relevant organizations that will sustain us in the times ahead... Planning in the past was rigid, inflexible, and hierarchical, but planning for the future will require leaders to be fluid and flexible, and move easily across their organizations. The Leader of the Future 2 is indeed part of a blueprint for planning in a dynamic new world."
The genesis of the book was the tragic events that occurred on 9/11. Since that event a lot has changed in the world, and will continue to change in our uncertain future. The Leader of the Future 2 divides its 27 chapter into 5 interesting parts. Each part focuses on a certain aspect of leading in the future like vision, diversity, complexity, change and character. This is a book for serious thinkers and at times is not easy to read. Some of the gifted contributors would be the first to admit that writing with clarity is not their greatest personal strength. But in all fairness, they are looking back on the past with eyes toward the future and this is always an ambiguous rehearsal. The Leader of the Future 2 is brain-candy for anyone who likes to step outside of everyday thinking and ponder the "what-if" of tomorrow!
Expert takes on leadership today.......2007-05-03
In a 1964 obscenity court case, then U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart wrote that pornography was difficult to define, but noted, "I know it when I see it." The same might be said of leadership. Since 1990, the Leader to Leader Institute (formerly the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management) has dedicated itself to examining, defining and elevating the art of leadership through books, educational materials and its respected journal, Leader to Leader. This book is a sequel to the Institute's The Leader of the Future, an international bestseller published in 28 different languages. This follow-up volume features 27 essays on being a leader in today's complex, challenging world. We confidently recommend this leadership treatise, which presents the informed thoughts, insights and opinions of respected experts from academia, the media, business, the military, the nonprofit sector and numerous other venues. Thanks to such contributors as Stephen Covey, Howard Gardner, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, this collection of essays clearly addresses the challenges of modern leadership.
The Essential Leadership Guide.......2006-10-07
Once again, Marshall Goldsmith and Frances Hesselbein have provided readers with an essential guide to the biggest challenges and the best thinking of thought leaders and practitioners in the field of leadership. In a world in great need of leadership, this book provides an array of outstanding contributions from those who have shaped and inspired this field. This book provides a superb addition to the libraries of all those who care deeply about leadership -- and who among us does not (or should not)?
Rachelle J. Canter, Ph.D.
An awesome collection!.......2006-09-30
An awesome collection! Jim Kouzes, Peter Senge, Edgar Schein. A great list of contributors. Some of the very best thinking on leadership, strategic thinking, and change.
Senge's article on the basic fundamentals for sound leadership in a changing world is nearly worth the price of the book on its own. If that article isn't enough, Edgar Schein's contribution on leadership competencies is just excellent. You'll find yourself rethinking a number of assumptions about what leaders do.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book on Work Systems and Information Systems Concepts.......2005-10-23
Full with real case studies that you can learn from. This book provides a clear explanation to the following major topics:
- Work system framework
- Work system life cycle model
- Work system principles
- And more
It is very obvious from the book that the author has a tremendous knowledge and practical experiences in the subject, his passion in explaining Information Systems Concepts is reflected in the quality of his book. I highly recommend that you visit his website: http://www.stevenalter.com/
A great text book for Information System.......2002-01-02
This book is one of the best resources for Undrestanding Information Systems.This Book covers almost every consept for undrestanding modern Information Systems.It`s good for MIS courses for business & management students
Book Description
This book offers a comprehensive exploration of the revolutionary developments occurring in the world's financial markets and institutions —i.e., innovation, globalization, and deregulation —with a focus on the actual practices of financial institutions, investors, and financial instruments.
KEY TOPICS: Extensive coverage of the markets for derivative securities. Coverage of Depository Institutions is included.
For professionals in the field of financial markets.
Customer Reviews:
Intense Reading.......2007-09-09
I am using this textbook for a MBA course and I just had to stop studying and write a review. The authors must have collectively agreed to make this the most confusing read possible. For every one definition, there are two to three words that can mean the same thing, and they are interchangeably used throughout the text; after several chapters, it is very difficult to remember which term matches with which definition. Besides that, the text book was written for people who ALREADY know all the terms associated with this field. They can take a simple subject and convolute it with jargon that the average user will not understand. The writing style used is VERY technical; instead of writing simple sentences that are clear/easily understood, it appears as though they used every word in the thesaurus. I spend more time in the index and glossary than I do reading the text itself. Why couldn't they have written it more intelligently? A good text book explains itself as it goes and does not jump off the high dive into the deep end of the pool. If you are a Finance Major, this is the book for you, for the rest, I would keep looking. I'm off to wade through the rest of this book and look forward to the last page; will it ever come?
Not worth the price........2007-01-02
Spelling and grammatical mistakes.
Personnel from Prentice Hall - Pearson displayed little interest in request for corrections.
Recommend seek books from other publishers.
This book is great, very educational!.......1999-10-12
I use this textbook for my Financial Markets class and I learn so much from it. Fabozzi does a wonderful job of transfering his ideas to students so they can comprehend them and learn. Because of this book, I will definately get an 'A' in my class. I recommend this book to anybody.
Book Description
“We need a new theory of management. The assumptions built into business today are not accurate.”-Peter Drucker
For sixteen months before his death, Elizabeth Haas Edersheim was given unprecedented access to Peter Drucker, widely regarded as the father of modern management. At Drucker's request, Edersheim, a respected management thinker in her own right, spoke with him about the development of modern business throughout his life-and how it continues to grow and change at an ever-increasing rate.
The Definitive Drucker captures his visionary management concepts, applies them to the key business risks and opportunities of the coming decades, and imparts Drucker's views on current business practices, economic changes, and trends-many of which he first predicted decades ago. It also sheds light onto issues such as why so many leaders fail, the fragility of our economic systems, and the new role of the CEO. Drucker's insights are divided into five main themes that the modern organization needs to, as Drucker would say, “create tomorrow” by
- Connecting with customers
- Innovating without abandoning what works
- Developing lasting partnerships
- Creating and retaining knowledge workers
- Establishing disciplined decision making
Drucker's penetrating questions, posed to those seeking his advice, helped business, corporate, and political leaders throughout the 20th century to see their work in a new perspective, and create phenomenal innovation. Edersheim's extensive interviews with some of these luminaries, including Warren Bennis, Ram Charan, Bill Gates, George Gallup, Jr. and A.G. Lafley offer compelling commentary on Drucker's vast influence.
Delivering keen analysis and revealing insights into business, The Definitive Drucker is a celebration of this extraordinary man and his life's work, as well as a unique opportunity to learn from Drucker's final business lessons how to strategize, compete, and triumph in any market.
Customer Reviews:
A story of the interview process.......2007-09-22
I enjoyed this book. The author shared her experience of going to Peter Drucker's home over a period of time to interview him and recounts having to contend with Peter's wife and the 2 hour limitations on his time thru her. The book presents his theories of business management and real life examples how companies employed them and where certain com[anies did not employ them.
Very good reading.......2007-08-09
I enjoy reading this book. It's a very useful abstract about the most important Drucker management ideas. I strongly recommend it.
Drucker as For-Profit Management Expert and Consultant for Large Companies with Newer Examples .......2007-05-28
I had the good fortune to spend one to three days a year with Peter Drucker from 1992-1999: He consulted with Carol Coles and me in developing research and consulting services for lowering the cost of capital, launching the 400 Year Project to accelerate global progress by 20 times during 2015 through 2035, and in writing about what the next generations of leadership best practices would be like. You can get a glimpse of that connection in Jack Beatty's book, The World According to Peter Drucker. I also will be writing more about Peter's ideas on and contributions to these subjects in the forthcoming book, Adventures of an Optimist.
I once asked Peter how he would guard his intellectual legacy after his death. He confidently replied that he had a very good plan and that all would be well. Having seen that this book was published after his death under the title, The Definitive Drucker, I'm not so sure he was right about protecting his intellectual legacy.
For the record, this book is not the definitive book on Peter Drucker. Why?
1. The book is almost totally devoted to his ideas about for-profit management as pursued by very large companies.
2. There is virtually no mention of his ideas about society in general.
3. His work on how to be effective executive is incompletely shared.
4. Dr. Haas Edersheim deliberately ignores the roots of Drucker's concepts as described in Adventures of a Bystander, which I believe is essential context for appreciating his observations.
5. The manner by which his nonprofit consulting experiences helped him formulate his for-profit ideas is ignored.
6. Almost all of my favorite anecdotes based on what Peter said to me about the companies described in this book are left out. Here's an example of the insights those anecdotes provide: Can anyone appreciate Drucker's tendency to revise his opinions to claim that he was the first to notice something without knowing that he insisted that I take most of my Dell examples out of The Irresistible Growth Enterprise because he was concerned that Dell wouldn't continue to prosper after 1999?
7. The full scope of his thoughts about for-profit management is ignored. For instance, his many questions and ideas about capital markets are mostly missing . . . except as they arise in the DLJ example of how he encouraged the founders to go public in the 1970s.
There is one excellent element about this book that makes it well worth reading: If you renamed this book, The Definitive Drucker as Consultant, you wouldn't be far off the mark. His consulting practice was mostly invisible to those who weren't his clients, but his approach is one that most consultants could learn much from. I was very impressed by the way that Dr. Haas Edersheim's interviews and writings captured the essence of Peter Drucker in a one-on-one situation. Although some of the earlier books about Peter addressed this topic, none did so as thoroughly and as well as this book.
Most business leaders today have read relatively little of Peter Drucker's writings. But most have read some of the so-called original management theories that are little more than a rephrasing of Peter's original designs while not acknowledging Peter's work at all. Where Peter always tried to pick the best example for a point he had to make, most business authors seem to be only able to write about recent examples that they have experienced. And many business book readers prefer it that way. Dr. Haas Edersheim's book fits that mold very well. She develops themes from some of Peter's long-time, large-company clients (like GM and GE), adds some of her own clients, and finds a few other examples that seem to fit what Peter has to say. For those who want to see some of Peter's work dressed up with more recent examples, this book is probably the best resource.
Even though English was a learned language for Peter, he wrote English like a talented, native-speaking novelist. Where Peter is quoted in the book, the beautiful language shines. Dr. Haas Edersheim, by comparison, writes like an academic/consultant and the experience is not always pleasant. She likes to force ideas into her metaphors (something Peter would never do), display lots of grids (something Peter couldn't imagine anyone wanting to do), and ramble on endlessly about things that could be stated quite simply (something Peter would use his ruthless self-editing to avoid).
Interestingly, Peter always told me that the impact of his books was quite minor compared to the effect of his essays in The Wall Street Journal and other mass media. Why? Lots of people read well-constructed essays in the mass media and few read more than a few pages in any business book. He also doubted if very much in the Harvard Business Review was really read and understood. I was shocked to see how little this book relied on his essays. Hopefully, someone will realize that those essays are the essential kernel of his influence and write about them in the future.
Dr. Haas Edersheim obviously is drawn to strategic questions and Peter, of course, founded the field of strategy for organizations. If that's your interest, you'll find this book to be quite solid.
Great Drucker as always, differently written........2007-05-23
I love two opposite characters of Guru of Management, Tom Peters and Drucker, both are absolute dream management gurus. Personally I am more inclined to Tom. But I started to read and re read Drucker as my management readings get more "mature".
This book is not written by Drucker, but made out of months of interviews with Drucker and other people. This book is ABOUT Drucker and his thinking as interpreted by Elizabenth.
It is easy to follow, alive and well narrated, and will be more interesting and insightful if you know who is who the writer interviewed and talked to.
The insights articulated is deep and profound, even that it often repeat what has been said in previour Drucker's books. If you have any interest in Drucker (that will be a lot of "you" there) this book will delight. I think this is the "Management Biography" that Drucker wanted to be remembered.
Needs Restructuring and Updating.......2007-05-22
A silent revolution has taken place in business since the early 1990's - instant information flow, an exploding geographic reach of companies and customers, basic demographic assumptions have been upended (aging population), and walls defining "inside" and "outside" the corporation have fallen. All important insights. However, Drucker goes on to assert that the latest transformation is from an industrial society to a knowledge society - completely missing the revolutionary focus on dramatically lowering costs by outsourcing jobs to China and India, INCLUDING knowledge jobs!
Drucker then goes on to conclude that "companies aren't selling products; they're selling experience" such as dining out. Again, Drucker is right on, but misses the fact that the effect of outsourcing is to steadily move Americans DOWN the Maslow hierarchy of wants, where experiental wants are much less predominant.
Reading further, one sees that Drucker misses this key point a third time, claiming that "the U.S. economic engine is facing the gravest threat of the past 100 years: the need for corporations to be strategic collaborators rather than unilateral superstars." Reality - American corporations and its citizens are much more threatened by Asian powerhouses and illegal immigrants who remit billions to Mexico.
Drucker is rightly credited with emphasizing a focus on customers, as well as identifying those who are NOT targeted customers. However, as Clayton Christensen has demonstrated, even a focus on customers can be overdone and wreak havoc on a corporation. Nonetheless, Drucker's "If you weren't in this business today, would you invest the resources to enter it?" remains another stellar contribution.
Clearly Drucker has contributed much to management thought; however, one must be careful to not just read Drucker - the Toyota Production System, Hammer (re-engineering), Jack Welch, Clayton Christensen, Lou Gerstner, and others are also very important. "The Definitive Drucker" would also significantly benefit by restructuring it into a format more easily followed and assimilated.
Book Description
KEY BENEFIT: Keown allows readers to see the big picture by letting them understand the logic that drives finance rather than memorizing formulas. Very user friendly, the basic pedagogical approach to the presentation of new tools and techniques is âsay itâ then âillustrate it with an exampleâ and reinforce with lots of âreal world examplesâ.
As well as including strong international coverage some key topics are: Financial Markets and Interest Rates; Understanding Financial Statements and Cash Flows; Time Value of Money; Risk and Return; Bond and Stock Valuation; Capital-Budgeting Techniques and Practice; Cash Flows and Other Topics in Capital Budgeting; and Current Asset Management.
For an enduring understanding of the basic tools and fundamental principles upon which finance is based.
Books:
- Fundamentals of Financial Management (with Thomson ONE - Business School Edition)
- Fundamentals of Financial Management (with Thomson ONE - Business School Edition)
- Global Networks, Linked Cities
- Going Solo in the Kitchen
- Handbook on Ontologies (International Handbooks on Information Systems) (International Handbooks on Information Systems)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Books Index
Books Home
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Corporate Finance
| Finance
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Study Guide/Workbook to accompany Foundations of Financial Management
Business Law: The Ethical, Global, and E-Commerce Environment with PowerWeb and Student DVD
A Framework for Marketing Management, Second Edition
Organizational Behavior: Emerging Realities for the Workplace Revolution
Marketing (Mcgraw Hill/Irwin Series in Marketing)
