Where did the author go?

A lot of factual books acknowledge the input of others but then let it be known that the work is in the end totally the author's responsibility. Here the author admits to strong input from outsiders having let it be edited under a wiki format on the web. In the end I don't think you hear Charles Leadbeater's heart or soul in this book but a lot of pussy footing around the subject having tried to accomodate multiple viewpoints. <br /><br />Contrast Benkler's Wealth of Network's which although available as a wiki the hard copy delivers Benkler's authorship.<br /><br />Interesting book in the nonetheless in a Cluetrain sort of way!

The Best Little Book About English

This little book is considered classic and timeless by many professors and students. I find it very helpful. It inspired me to write my own book about English. <br /><br /><br />Brandon Simpson

Brilliant and well written!

Jefferey Liker's well reasoned book explains the management principles that enable TOYOTA to outperform its piers - and explains why western managers pre-occupied with `management techniques' can't `go lean', without changing the culture of their organisation

Read the first half of the book - excellent. 2nd half- dull

I have been reading their reviews over the years and its good to see a summary book of their principles of value innovation. Their contextual examples really emphasise their thoughts well and for any practising marketeer, the strategic canvass section is an excellent tool in developing genuine new market space. By identifying key qualities in a market, or consumer need, and then reducing, eliminating, increasing or creating qualities, new market space is found. The end of the book is filler and offers no more insight than many other books on similar subjects - but then at least you only have to read half the book to gets it true value.

Educational?

This book probably is good in its content but unfortunately you soon realise that it is riddled with spelling errors and mistakes! Maybe its me being picky but surely when you spend £10 on a book you should expect the basics to be right. I lost count of how many spelling mistakes there were which suggests it was written and put together rather hastily.<br /><br />This just serves to annoy the reader from start to finish.

The best self improvement book I have ever read

I really cannot recommend this book enough. Of all the self improvement/education books I have read this has been the best. It clearly breaks down the subject matter into easily understandable points and supports each of these points with excellent real world examples. Furthermore, the question based format, quickly results in answering the question that come into mind when reading the book. This book is for anyone who wants to come away from a meeting, discussion, debate or negotiation better off than they do now by improving their understating and practice of negotiating skills.<br /><br />I am now going straight into their next book.<br />

A nice magazine article

Bit of a let down, really a series of short pieces - some of which had an 'Ahhaaa' moment, most of them didn't - Shame really.

Persuaded, I certainly was !

James Borg has provided us with one of the best books ever written on the art of persuasion. Prepare to dog ear and highlight this book to death as James gives you simple yet powerful techniques to better your influencing skills. For anyone who deals with people and wants to be more effective in their communication then this book fits the bill, I guess that's everyone then!?

Brilliant!

This is the best business book I have ever read. I was working out how to write a pitch for my new business and this book jumped out at me. It is a good buy because it gives you information on precisely how to communicate your pitch in order to maximise sales. It is so obvious when you know, but strange how very few people know it. It explains how to do this in a variety of contexts - presentation, sales pitch, networking and referrals. This is very readable, which you can't put down once you start. This author has a brilliant mind and I am very impressed by what his guidelines have achieved for others. If you follow the advice he gives you are certain to increase your sales.

Great thinking from the ad industry

This books is a great collection of many ideas, thoughts, ironies and creative thinking from the ad industry. Plus a few new thoughts. I've bought loads of these (and Purple Cow) and given them away to clients, desperate to get them to think a little more creatively. I use it with students as well. A must read (and the second book). Quick to read and easy, maybe that's why it's sold over 1/2 million. Paul was regarded as one of the great all time creatives within advertising but sadly he died recently - a great loss to the ad community.

Simple, Smart Premise No Longer Ignored

"The Long Tail: How Endless Choice Is Creating Unlimited Demand" by Chris Anderson claims that thar's gold in them thar hills. He tells us it is not a few big chunks we want, but many small nuggets. <br /><br />Modern examples are Amazon.com and NetFlix, both of which sell plenty of Harry Potter products and the like. They also (or rent, as is with NetFlix) lots of less popular products. They hit the niche market hard. That's the gold. <br /><br />The long tail is the curve's far end. At the top of the curve is Harry Potter, for example, along with other New York Times Bestsellers. These products certainly represent a significant amount of sales. However, so do the accumulated number of books and movies which might sell only a few copies a year. Add those up, and there is serious profit. While the tail in the curve is not high, it is long. One copy of, say. The Love, a Hungarian film, and one copy of The Very Best of Ralph Stanley, a bluegrass CD, might not sound like much, but the tail is long. Those, with thousands of other products sold each month, would make their seller very happy. <br /><br />My own business is built on a long tail method. The market for Hungarian products is not like the Billboard Top 40. It is like the Billboard Bottom 20,000, if there were such a thing. It works. <br /><br />Anderson's principles can be applied by small businesses like mine, and massive Fortune 500s looking to reach where few are reaching. The markets are there, and, by considering Anderson's ideas, so is the process. <br /><br />I fully recommend"The Long Tail: How Endless Choice Is Creating Unlimited Demand" by Chris Anderson. <br /><br />Anthony Trendl <br />editor, HungarianBookstore.com

Chomsky

This is a great place to start if you're new to Chomsky and political books. It is one of his most accessible books, with a lots of varied information to whet your appetite. You are left with a feeling of shock, but also a desire to go out and learn more, which this book points you in the right direction of. Well worth a read.<br />

"Stunning","Electrifying","5 Thumbs Up!!"

Das' sardonic description of the derivatives industry provides an extremely entertaining new approach to a genre saturated with glorified good fortune and dire warnings of imminent market apocalypse. The comically acid tone with which he describes every element of the business (from front to back-office) has much more in common with Jon Stewart's"Daily Show" than the academic tomes on credit derivatives and structured products that preceded it.<br /><br />If you are considering a career in investment banking, this book is required reading. Along with an incredible introduction to derivatives and their impact on financial markets,"Traders, Guns and Money" touches on the frustrations involved in working at every level of the bank, describing the internal friction and disparity between support functions (product control, operations, accounting, risk control... the almost always overlooked segments of the firm that comprise the majority of people at any bank) and the front office traders with a surprising degree of insight. <br /><br />

It works

By doing the exercises it really helps take out any negative moments. While on holiday on the beach running, lost my wallet and thought that's it. However did the exercise in the book along with stuff I had read in"the secret", walked back to the beach with hundred on people on it and bumped into a couple who had my wallet. Our eyes met and we knew we had a connection. This was weird but i said a big thankyou. Needs to be viewed in connection with quantum physics and frequencies. Amazing once you get your head around it.A great read just be open to it.

Groundswell - A must for businesses looking to exploit social media

For many businesses who have still yet to venture into the world of social media."Groundswell" is a must read. The book cites a number of case studies which illustrate how companies are gaining insights, increasing revenues, lowering costs and engaging their customers within today's Web 2.0 world.<br /><br />Forrester analysts, Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff have produced the most up-to-book on the subject and present their findings in a clear and easy to understand format. Both demonstrate their expertise as analysts and writers and provide numerous data examples throughout the book.<br /><br />What is a Groundswell?<br /><br />Charlene and Josh define the Groundswell as:<br />"...a social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions".<br /><br />The authors discuss why it important to participate in the"Groundswell" and why the"Groundswell" is happening now. The book begins with an overview into what"social media" actually is, and discusses many of the successes and the pitfalls that a company can go through during its journey. The book then offers steps that a business should follow to implement a successful social media strategy.<br /><br />The book essentially examines how such tools threaten institutional power, and how individuals can use them to empower themselves and their businesses.<br /><br />Many businesses foolishly believe that participating in social media is as simple as creating a blog, or being active in Facebook. Groundswell does a great job at explaining that creating a successful social media strategy is probably one of the most difficult things that a business can do and takes time and commitment<br /><br />Hopefully by reading this book the business person will be well on their way to mastering the new dynamics of social media.<br /><br />Truly, a well presented and written book that is a must read for anyone who wants to learn and utilise Internet marketing, as it exists today and will exist tomorrow.<br /><br />So much so, I would say this is the most important book to be released since The Cluetrain Manifesto and Naked Conversations.<br /><br />Buy it!

Brilliant for the Beginner

Before reading this book I knew nothing about the stock market and the different types of securities, etc. Since reading it working life has become much easier, since I have but had to deal with texts on them in my line of work. Various aspects of the investment world (insurance, pensions, different types of securities, the workings of the stock market and more) are explained in clear and concise language -with the exception of the pooled funds chapter which becomes slightly bewildering, although that's more down to all the varieties there are- and sound advice offered plus guidance on how to read the financial pages. If finance is a new subject for you then it's brilliant and if you're an old hand in the financial world it will still serve as useful reference nevertheless.