The Business Shelf
Open Source Solutions For Small Business Problems
John Locke
Charles River Media
20 Downer Avenue, Hingham, MA 02043
1584503203 $39.95 charlesriver.com
Ninety percent of companies in America quality as small businesses but
have to
deal with large-business headaches ranging from common computer programs,
to
management issues, to reducing spam. Consultant John Locke's Open Source
Solutions For Small Business Problems is the key to understanding the
operational problems most small businesses share; from identifying good
open
source software for solutions to these issues to understanding their
strengths
and weaknesses. Volume 1.2 of an accompanying 'Open CD' provides a range
of
software for Windows, essays, and a short video about open source issues,
and
will run on Windows 98 operating systems on up. An invaluable small
business
reference for any who use a computer to run operations.
Make Your Small Business Website Work
John Heartfield
Rockport Publishers
33 Commercial St, Gloucester MA 01930
1592530532 $40.00 www.rockpub.com
Small companies with or without sites often struggle to decide what
business
– if any - should be offered or conducted on the net, and how a business
can
build the most effective web site. Enter John Heartfield's How To Make
Your
Small Business Website Work: the subtitle is 'Easy Answers to Content,
Navigation and Design' and chapters to just that, covering the basics from
devising effective home pages and automated navigation to stressing
simplicity
and consistency between pages. Plenty of web site examples demonstrate
good
versus bad site structures.
Successful Landlord
Ken Roth
Amacom
1601 Broasdway, New York NY 10019
www.amacombooks.org
0814472284 $19.95 1-800-250-5308
How does the successful landlord make money off real estate rentals? By
choosing leasing routines which will not make him nuts, explains real
estate
lawyer Ken Roth in his Successful Landlord treatise. Roth's background
emphasizes real estate issues plus he holds his own realtor's license and
is a
Florida property manager; so he's in the perfect position to assess to
reveal
common pitfalls in rental agreements and how they can best be overcome.
From
determining rental price and interviewing tenants to considering deposits,
terms and lease conditions, Successful Landlord is not to be missed by any
who
dream of easy money through rental property ownership.
The Wisdom Of Crowds
James Surowiecki
Doubleday
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
0385503865 $24.95 doubleday.com
Collective wisdom shapes businesses, economies, and nations alike: while
James
Surowiecki's The Wisdom Of Crowds: Why The Many Are Smarter Than The Few
And
How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies And Nations
could
easily have been featured in any of our sociology or political science
columns,
it's featured here especially for business managers interested in the
basic
concept that large groups of people are smarter collectively than the
individual. Surowiecki's concept holds vast implications for the business
and
marketing world, and his sophisticated argument is presented in very
readable
terms to make The Wisdom Of Crowds accessible to a wide audience.
A Term At The Fed
Laurence H. Meyer
HarperBusiness
10 E. 53rd St., New York NY 10022-3299
0060542705 $26.95 www.amazon.com
It's rare that a former governor of the Federal Reserve takes pen in hand
to
write about Fed politics, policies and economics, which makes Laurence H.
Meyer's A Term At The Fed : An Insider's View all the more surprising and
important: here former Fed Governor of the Board Meyer provides an
intriguing
insider's viewpoint of workings behind the scenes at the Fed. The Federal
Reserve has been called the most powerful institution in America, but
relatively few modern Americans have any inkling of how it operates or
makes
policy decisions. Meyer's firsthand analysis provides an excellent
historical
overview and survey of the Fed's operations and should be considered
essential
reading for any American businessman and/or economist.
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
235 Montgomery, #650, San Francisco CA 94104-2916
www.bkconnection.com
Henry Mintzberg's Managers Not MBAs: A Hard Look At The Soft Practice Of
Managing And Management Development (1576752755, $27.95) is no light
reading:
it takes a hard and critical look at the practices of managing and
management
development, providing a critique of how managers are mis-educated and how
their policies don't translate to the average workplace reality. Chapters
pinpoint the problems inherent in conventional MBA programs and concepts,
from
an overemphasis on analysis to a distorted idea of how management may be
practiced. Henry Mitzberg is a professor who has been name a Distinguished
Scholar, among other awards: Managers Not MBAs attacks the fallacies
inherent
in MBA programs – and offers solutions. Maggie Mahar's Bull!: A History
Of
The Boom, 1982-1999: What Drove The Breakneck Market--and What Every
Investor
Needs To Know About Financial Cycles (0060564-13X, $27.95) investigates
the
driving force behind the stock market from 1982-99 – and uses it to
illustrate basic concepts of financial cycles and forces underlying the
market.
From the origins and first years of the boom to behind-the-scenes Wall
Street
politics and economics, Bull! portrays not just politics and economics,
but
many of the moving figures of the times, from Alan Greenspan's wizardry to
James Cramer. Maggie Mahar is in the perfect position to provide this
lively
report: she was a financial journalist and an English professor at Yale,
and
provides a fine coverage of the financial market accessible to lay
readers.
Alan G. Robinson and Dean M. Schroeder's Ideas Are Free: How The Idea
Revolution Is Liberating People And Transforming Organizations
(1576752828,
$24.95) advises managers on how to tap into the 'idea revolution' often
fostered or instigated by their own employees. From simple ideas for
saving
time and money to new ways of doing or seeking business opportunities,
Robinson
and Schoreder's Ideas Are Free advocates recognizing employee ideas –
and
promoting them.
The Overwork Trap
Christine Elliot
Infinity Publishing
519 W. Lancaster Ave., Haverford, PA 19041-1413
www.buybooksontheweb.com
0741418592 $17.95 www.amazon.com
Millions of Americans are caught up in the trap of overwork, but have no
idea
how to balance work to the rest of life's goals: enter Christine Eliot's
The
Overwork Trap: How We Get Caught And How We Escape, written by an
executive
coach specializing in work/life balance for professionals. Elliot tells
how to
analyze overwork patterns, develop new strategies for escaping from
overwork
routines, and how to implement a Balanced Life mission plan. Chapters
consider
common traps of overwork and how to avoid them.
Linking Customer And Employee Satisfaction To The Bottom Line
Derek R. Allen & Morris Wilburn
Quality Press
c/o American Society for Quality
Box 3005, Milwaukee, WI 53201-3005
http://qualitypress.asq.org
0873895010 $50.00 1-800-248-1946
The collaboration of Derek R. Allen and Morris Wilburn, Linking Customer
And
Employee Satisfaction To The Bottom Line: A Comprehensive Guide To
Establishing
The Impact Of Customer And Employee Satisfaction On Critical Business
Outcomes
is organized into eleven distinct chapters focusing on the issues
thematically
related to developing and improving corporate fiscal success through
sustained
customer and employee attitudes toward products and services provided at
every
step of the corporate process. From the "Six Stigma" approach; to employee
retention issues, to diverse analysis frameworks, to "The Future of
Linkage
Research", this compendium of superbly organized and presented information
is
as meticulously competent and "user friendly". Enhanced with an appendix
focused on "Matrix Algebra in Statistics"; a glossary of specialized
terms, an
extended bibliography for further study, and a comprehensive index,
Linking
Customer And Employee Satisfaction To The Bottom Line is a seminal
addition to
professional reading lists, as well as corporate, and Business School
reference
collections.
The Secret Life Of Corporations
Mark Sirkin
New Chrysalis Press
333 Mamaroneck Avenue, #394, White Plains, NY 10605
097454910X $22.95 www.NewChrysalis.com
The Secret Life Of Corporations: Understanding The True Nature Of Business
by
management consultant, psychologist, lecturer, and organizational
development
expert Mark Sirkin is a management primer written specifically for the
business
management community of the 21st century. The focus is on showing just how
developing human capital is the preeminent strategy for corporate survival
and
sustainable profit margins in an era of increasingly competitive and
unprecedented changes by commercially and technologically. In The Secret
Life
Of Corporations, Sirkin applies concepts drawn from evolutionary
psychology,
biology, and organizational design in innovative ways to reveal just how
organizations are in fact "living systems" while underscoring that human
capital is more critical than financial capital. Also addressed are the
issues
of board governance, family businesses, information technology,
self-improvement at work, emerging trends at work, and the future of
business.
If you are responsible for corporate management and development, then Mark
Sirkin's The Secret Life Of Corporations highly recommended for careful
and
considered reading.
101 Home-Based Businesses For Pet Lovers
Louise Louis
Canyon New Media
6900 Westcliff, #801, Las Vegas, NV 89145
1879872005 $19.95 www.ToyBreeds.com
101 Home-Based Businesses For Pet Lovers is a comprehensive introduction
to the
possibilities of working at home surrounded by canine and/or feline
companions
-- or any other category of pet! Readers will learn how they can become
their
own boss, working from the comfort and convenience of their own home, and
simultaneously enjoy the company of their animals. A compendium of
full-time,
part-time, or retirement businesses ideas, this unique "how to" manual is
replete with examples ranging from horse lovers becoming freelance riding
instructors; to bird enthusiasts starting an aviary day care or bird cage
cleaning service; to cat lovers delivering kitty litter or making organic
catnip products; to walking dogs in an suburban area; to operating a
pet-welcoming Bed & Breakfast. No matter what kind of pet you have, there
is a
stay-at-home business opportunity for you! Just check it out in Louise
Louis'
101 Home-Based Businesses For Pet Lovers!
Creating A Culture Of Success
Charles B. Dygert & Richard A. Jacobs
Moo Press
PO Box 54, Warwick, NY 10990
0972485341 $19.95 www.moopress.com
Now in an expanded and updated second edition, Creating A Culture Of
Success:
Fine-Tuning The Heart And Soul Of Your Organization by expert and
experienced
business consultants Charles Dygert and Richard Jacobs defines what
organizational culture is, and how to make it successful in any
entrepreneurial
enterprise or corporate business. Emphasizing the importance of setting a
positive, challenging yet supportive work environment, that fosters
healthy
cooperation instead of destructive competition, chapters address how to
build
trust at all levels, focus on the zone of improvement, uphold high quality
standards, and much more. Written in plain terms that any general reader
will
rapidly pick up on, Creating A Culture Of Success is as useful and seminal
a
guide for non-profit or community organizations as it is for businesses of
all
sizes.
The Continual Improvement Process
Craig Cochran
Paton Press LLC
PO Box 44, Chico, Ca 95927
0971323186 $24.95 www.patonpress.com
The Continual Improvement Process: From Strategy To The Bottom Line by
Craig
Cochran (Project Manager, Center for International standards & Quality,
Georgia
Tech Economic Development Institute) is a guidebook especially for
business
managers and owners, offering practical wisdom for effective problem
solving,
learning to identify and communicate what is important, and generally
crafting
an environment that fosters improvement in efficiency, customer
satisfaction,
revenue, and more. Black-and-white diagrams help to clearly delineate the
basic
principles, and straightforward prose presents suggestions in
easy-to-grasp
terms for readers of all backgrounds. An excellent sourcebook for
strategic
planning ideas.
How To Work With A Secretary
Teresa Torres
Annabell Publishing
PO Box 22754, Denver, CO 80222-0754
0965560813 $9.95 1-866-484-6465 www.howtoworkwithasecretary.com
How To Work With A Secretary : The Boss's Handbook by Teresa Torres is a
no-nonsense guide to building a professional and effective boss-secretary
relationship. From hiring the right person, and proper training, to
supervising
without micromanaging, establishing business protocol, how to conduct a
weekly
meeting with one's secretary, the responsibilites a boss has toward the
secretary spelled out, and much more, How To Work With A Secretary lives
up to
its title with exacting precision. A no-nonsense, easy-to-understand
guide, and
a "must-have" especially for anyone who needs to quickly get used to to
working
harmoniously with a secretary.
How To Open A Financially Successful Bakery
Sharon L. Fullen & Douglas R. Brown
Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
1210 SW 23 Place, Ocala, FL 34474-7014
0910627339 $39.95 1-800-541-1336 www.atlantic-pub.com
The collaborative work of Sharon Fullen and Douglas Brown, How To Open A
Financially Successful Bakery is enhanced with an accompanying CD-ROM and
provides the reader with a complete "how to" instruction guide and
reference to
the operating a profitable commercial bakery operation. From finding an
optimum
location for one's business, to pricing formulas to follow, how to hire
and
retain a high-quality professional staff, successful budgeting, tips,
tricks,
guidelines, and much more, How To Open A Financially Successful Bakery
walks
the reader through virtually everything he or she needs to know. A superb
guide, filled with basic information valuable to any would-be small
business
owner, and an absolute "must-have" for anyone seriously considering a
bakery
business.
Loss Prevention Threats & Strategies
Thomas N. Monson & Sarah Kaip
Advantage Source, Inc.
33 North Central Avenue, Suite 202, Medford, OR 97501
0974383015 $44.95 1-800-867-0016 www.advantagesource.com
The collaboration of business security experts Thomas N. Monson and Sarah
Kaip,
Loss Prevention Threats & Strategies: How People Steal From Your Business
And
What You Can Do To Stop It is a detailed analysis of the top 20 security
threats to American corporations, and means by which business owners and
executives can prevent shoplifting, credit card fraud, identity theft,
employee
and vendor theft, embezzlement, workplace violence, and much more. A
solid,
practical guide emphasizing the crucial importance of instituting policies
to
protect from both external and internal theft, as well as lawsuits that
can
result from everything from accidents to sexual harrassment, workplace
violence, employee discrimination, neglegent hiring, and much more. An
absolute
"must-read" for any business owner in today's dangerous, litigatious, and
all
too greedy world.
The Edge Up
June Van Klaveren
Compellng Communications Inc.
512 Marie Lane, Machester, MO 63011
0974434957 $11.95 1-800-779-0067 www.TheEdgeUp.com
In The Edge Up: How Small And Home-based Businesses Can Leverage Customer
Service As A Competitive Advantage, author June Van Klaveren draws upon
her
decades of professional experience and expertise in helping service
related
companies attract and expand their customer base to provide succinct,
practical, and effective instruction, insight, and advice that will be
especially useful for the novice small business owner. These past couple
of
decades of corporate downsizing and outsourcing has resulted in a surge of
small businesses and home-based businesses being formed, often by people
who
are technically expert or knowledgeable in a particular field -- but not
in the
basics of customer service and the vital role it plays in making or
breaking
any commercial venture. Impressively "user friendly", June Van Klaveren's
The
Edge Up is a perfect introduction and a very highly recommended crash
course in
just that particular area of any commercial enterprise regardless of the
type
or category of service being offered in a highly competitive market place.
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