Book Reviews 2004

Best Practices: Building your business with Customer-Focused Solutions

Robert Hiebeler, Thomas B. Kelley and Charles Ketterman

Simon & Schuster New York

Big Bucks! – How to Make Serious Money for Both You and Your Company

Ken Blanchard & Sheldon Bowles

HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

‘Big Bucks!’ is not a book that tells you who has it, who used to have it, how to invest it, or how to squeeze it if you already have it. ‘Big Bucks!’ brings the basics back to you by telling you how to get it in the first place.

Written in the parable style of their previous books, ‘Raving Fans’ and ‘Gung Ho!’, this book introduces a character named Len, who aspires to be a millionaire. Under the guidance of a group of mentors, ‘Big Bucks!’ illustrates Len’s learning of the 3-Test depicted in a story-telling style, which is appealing and unconventional. If you wish to uncover the secrets of these 3 tests, ‘Big Bucks!’ is definitely worth a flip.

Head First: 10 ways to tap into your natural genius

Thorsons – HarperCollinsPublishers

Hey Whipple, Squeeze this: A Guide to Creating Great Ads

This book is essential for anybody aspiring to be in the advertising field or is already in it and wants to expand their knowledge and skills. Written by Luke Sullivan, an award winning copywriter with over 20 years of experience, ‘Hey Whipple, Squeeze This’ manages to be educational and entertaining at the same time. Filled with examples of great ads, the book takes readers through the whole process of creating an ad, in an interesting and down-to-earth manner.

With his humor and confident style that came from years of experience, Sullivan definitely educated and inspired me!

Post Capitalist Society

Harper Collins Publisher, 1993

Drucker, The Guru of Modern Management portrays to us an accurate assessment of the society we presently live in and how it has affected us in ways unimaginable.

This book is fast paced and filled with facts. Drucker continuously makes comparisons between the previous generation and now. No topic is out of bound; politics, race development, education, the economy, management and social thinking for the last 150 years is all touched upon

Drucker’s aim here is not to teach but to provide information and give his assessment and opinion on what he sees. This book is highly recommended for all, to learn of changes happening to us as individuals, an organization, a society and the world that we may not be aware of. A must read.

Stop Selling, Start Partnering

John Wiley & Sons Inc

This book shares the new thinking about finding and keeping customers. It points out that hard selling methods are no longer true. Customers today are fed-up with salespeople and organizations that try to sell them something, and they are not going to take it anymore.

Stop Selling, Start Partnering will help you in a fresh approach from finding a customer to building a long-lasting customer partnership. Filled with smart advice and practical customer partnering guidelines, this book definitely redefines the smart and successful approaches.

Charles Margerison & Dick McCann

Singapore Institute of Management

This book is the result of the authors’ work and research in the various industries and service sectors. It provides an insight into understanding how people work together. The authors have introduced a new approach in managing high performing teams i.e. to first understand one’s strength and then leveraging it in managing teams.

It is a guide suitable for managers who would like to improve co-operation and commitment within a team. Readers can gain knowledge on practical hands-on skills and techniques to develop and manage teams.

Synergy Books International

Inspire Any Audience

Advantage Quest Publications

Management Processes for Quality Operations

Synergy Book International

This book is a management study which focuses on performance management, planning, implementation, quality customer service and other organizational systems that support the Total Quality Management (TQM) process. It also emphasizes on the important roles played by the organization’s leader in the TQM process.

The author presented a generic management system which is readily adaptable, and can be implemented to enhance the existing management system in any organization.

If you are in the quest for excellence, consider this book as it will provide a structured approach to guide you towards achieving quality excellence.

Marketing Without Money

John C Lyons and Edward de Bono

Marketing Without Money is an inspiring and motivating book for entrepreneurs determined to achieve success.

The book provides insights into the real life experiences of twenty of Australia’s top entrepreneurs. Readers will learn about their fascinating journeys of how the entrepreneurs themselves successfully entered the markets without any money.

Pick up this book to experience the trials and tribulations faced by these entrepreneurs, and at the same time motivate yourself to make something happen!

Leading By Design: The IKEA Story

Ingvar Kamprad is the founder of IKEA (Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd) who grew up on a farm in a rural village. He was not interested in becoming a farmer but his visionary ideas lead him to be a successful entrepreneurial furniture dealer. The book speaks about his enthusiasm and persistence towards making his business the leader in the industry.

This book provides an insight on Kamprad’s cutting edge management strategies and innovative methods to produce the products and tools used to grow the IKEA brand towards international recognition.

12 Simple Secrets of Happiness at Work

Glenn Van Ekeren (Foreword by Bestselling Author Zig Ziglar)

Integrating Reengineering With Total Quality

Synergy Books International

This book is about Quality, Total Quality and Total Quality Management (TQM), and how they are related to and integrated with reengineering. The author has presented several extremely powerful ways of viewing and implementing TQM. Readers of this book will be exposed to the use of terms “QVALITY”, the Demerit System, and Extroversive Management.

This book is an essential tool in the hands of executives and specialists who wish to implement ways to increase competitiveness.

My Sister’s a Barista

The Sales Advantage- How to Get It, Keep It & Sell More Than Ever

J. Oliver Crom and Michael Crom
Of Dale Carnegie and Associates, Inc.

This book represents the first compilation of the time-tested, proven techniques by the world-famous Dale Carnegie sales training program.

The Sales Advantage is packed with ideas that are both field-tested with real customers and classroom-tested by a Dale Carnegie instructor. While acknowledging the importance of knowledge in selling, this book highlights the skill and attitude a professional salesperson needs to excel in sales.

If you wish to know how to get new accounts, build loyal customers and sell more to existing clients; The Sales Advantage might just be the advantage you need.

Thinking In The Future Tense

This book provides us with a look into the future of business and management styles that are required to keep companies competitive. The author with her wit and stimulating approach in presenting us with her thoughts and penetrating insights made it easy to understand and apply critical skills for success in the 21st century.

Some of the practical insights are policies and perceptions that are clouded by nostalgia always create bad decisions, and the future is in the hands of those with the ability to adapt, and change.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values

I read this book the first time when I was in my teens and then the second as part of my university Philosophy class required reading and now once more in my adulthood. Zen has constantly been an influencing factor in enlightening my perspectives of my maturing values in the different stages of my life.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is not a book about the traditional Zen Buddhist practice nor is it a book on how to repair motorcycles. Pirsig offers his intellectual insights of life and the values we carry with us intertwined into a road trip.

To get the most out of this book, it should be read whilst continuously drawing from situations you are currently in. This will help you, the reader to utilize Pirsig’s insights to better examine and understand your current perplexing dilemmas.

The best description of this book is summed up in a comment by the Village Voice, “A miracle.”

Creating the Innovation Culture

How To Command Attention, Change Minds & Influence People

Advantage Quest Publications

The Hook, The Spin and The Buzz. Three weapons in the battlefield of business communication warfare where you fight to be heard. Soden, an established specialist in the field of communications uses these three approaches so commonly used in advertising to drive home his ideas.

The pace of communications has accelerated to a neck-breaking pace and we are left with less and less time to communicate our thoughts and make our points persuasively. In comes Soden’s three-prong approach to persuasive business communication. My interpretations:

The Hook: An instant appeal; the part of your message that gets your audience interested from the onset.
The Spin: A fresh perspective; to present an idea where the audience is manipulated to draw a conclusion of your opinion which they believe is their own.
The Buzz: A good word; creating a fad or set of beliefs from a word in your message.

This book is a good collection of knowledge with ideas drawn from the disciplines of marketing, advertising, social psychology and communication. All woven together into a vivid tapestry to form a fairly effective basis for persuasive business communication. A good read to introduce a new perspective and revisit what you learnt in college.

Let’s Get Results, Not Excuses!

James M Bleech & Dr. David G. Mutchler

Advantage Quest Publications

Six Weeks To Professional Excellence (Chapter 6–Memory Techniques)

Jonathan Hancock & Cheryl Buggy

An excellent read, this chapter introduces us to the whole frame of mind and how amazing our brain really is. A lot of emphasis was put on methods to enhance our memory. This book teaches us how to become a positive and active thinker. Many useful techniques and tips are shared throughout the book. Apart from that, many questions are posed to the reader so as to ensure the right steps are taken.

This book is a must read for anyone wanting to improve their memory!

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Great Customer Service

Ron Karr & Don Blohowiak

On the surface, customer service may seem simple enough. However, providing great customer service and applying the principles to great customer service is no easy task.

In organizations nowadays, the realization that customer service is no longer a department but is a culture cultivated throughout the organization needs to be strengthened. Every individual within the organization has a direct effect on the organization’s ability to provide great customer service. In fact, it is not realized but everyone is a customer service representative.

Apart from that, the book also guides people on how to use the Internet and e-mail to further enhance their customer service. A small effort can go a long way in providing customer service.

This book is very user-friendly, easy to follow and divided into logical sections. The many tips and case studies highlighted throughout the book make the learning experience an enjoyable one.

The Only Thing That Matters

This book introduces the concept of Total Quality Service. The first 3 chapters focus on creating the awareness on the new emerging paradigm in Quality. The key concepts of Customer Value and Customer Centric are well illustrated with stories relating to the service industry.

The remaining chapters outline in detail the 5 components in the Total Quality Service Model. The key components in this model can be used as fundamental guidelines for organizations which aspire to embark on a customer-centric journey. Customer focused organizations will find the recommendations provided in this book applicable to their business operations.

This book is highly recommended for Quality practitioners in the service industry.

Capstone Publishing Ltd

This book truly serves as an Entrée for readers who wish to get a ‘taste’ of everything before savoring Biographies of famous inspirational business leaders.

The spread covers 50 influential business personalities from both the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of the well known names in business and management included are Bill Gates, Henry Ford, Jack Welch, Richard Branson and Sam Walton; while others are more recognizable by their established brands, like Akio Morita of Sony, Ray Kroc of McDonald’s, Robert Woodruff of Coca-Cola, and Phil Knight of Nike.

Readers with a larger appetite may find the 3-4 pages per personality insufficient. Nevertheless, the author manages to balance each profile with an introduction on personal background and memorable quotes, followed by brief business milestones. Key learning summary are also included in each page for reader’s reference.

Winning Minds can definitely add to your list of “Books to read while commuting daily to and from work”, as the chapters or profiles are nicely segmented individually.

All Business Is Show Business

EQ - Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace

SNP Publishing Pte. Ltd.

Based on research by Dr Daniel Goleman, Dr. Patricia Patton explores EQ or Emotional Quotient (Intelligence) in the working environment.

In this carefully structured presentation of EQ in the working environment, Dr. Patricia Patton illustrates how our emotional understanding of ourselves and colleagues can play a major role in shaping professional performance and inter-personal communications.

In this book, Dr. Patton manages to dissect and analyze the many aspects of emotional understanding of ourselves and others around us in the workplace. Her expertise in the subject is evident in her interpretation of Dr. Goleman’s work.

The book is structured in the form of a step-by-step guide leading the reader through from understanding ourselves to application to the workplace. Chock full of areas illustrated in point form, it forms an action plan for implementation intra and inter-personally.

A highly insightful book that may reveal more than you would like to discover about yourself.

Great Answers to Tough Interviewing Questions

Jack Welch is one of the greatest corporate leaders of all time. He managed to revolutionized GE’s culture with his innovative management practices, focused vision and continuous appreciation of his top management.

The book "Jack" is undeniably a book that provides an exhilarating understanding of leadership. It provides useful and practical tips/techniques on building a team with emphasis on people development, quality and his approach to meet the ever changing demands of globalization.

Berrett-Koehler Publishers

A light read for the bedside table, How To Get Ideas by Jack Foster is an interesting retrospect into his experience dealing with creativity and ideas. He shares his experiences from students and professionals he’s come across in his career.

Mr. Foster provides a good insight into how the many great minds of our time gets ideas via a collection of quotes and quips. The book seems well researched and his thoughts are put across in a very readable format with 14 point (?) print. In a nutshell, Jack Foster’s summary of how you get ideas in 5 steps is:

1. Define the problem
2. Gather the information
3. Search for the idea
4. Forget about it
5. Put the idea into action

I felt this casual read had too many references to famous people and their quotations on creativity or ideas. I felt like I was reading a book on famous quotations!

Million Dollar Closing Techniques

The Million Dollar Round Table Center for Productivity

The Magic of Thinking Big

Firestone Publishing

In today’s changing environment; for organizations to succeed it is necessary that they create the new and not replicate the old. Companies today need to be Creation companies, not the traditional Compliance Companies of control.

Creative Companies emphasize on freedom not control. They highly value individual expression and collaborative work. They realized the need to work with integrity and purpose to maximize the people potential in the organization.

Creative companies are constantly reinventing the way they work; not only in technology and process, more importantly the people, to ensure the company "Whoosh" past their competitors.

This is an eye opening book, especially for those not moving with the changing business environment.