Book Description
Brings together the disciplines of economics, political science, law, and ethics to address a class of management issues of growing importance to the performance of companies. Provides conceptual frameworks for understanding issues in the environment of business and their development; strategy formulation; analysis of the news media; political analysis; the economics and politics of government intervention in markets (regulation, antitrust, and torts); the economics and politics of international trade; the political economy of countries; and ethical analysis and decision-making. For all business professionals, including managers looking to enhance their knowledge of an ever-changing, increasingly global field.
Customer Reviews:
Business and Its Environment (5th Edition).......2006-07-19
This book is an easy read. It has tons of useful information. I would recommend this book.
New Edition is Better.......2005-12-05
There is a new edition (the fifth) for this book, and it is better than the edition shown here. While avoiding a polemical view, Baron illustrates business ethical priciples with very poignant examples and stories. The case studies are very up to date and fun to read. More than that, though, the case studies can form a basis for classroom debate and discussion which not only brings the material to life but also promotes critical thinking and articulation among students.
I liked it very much, and recommend it highly.
The book for dilettante readers.......2002-01-21
The author provided some good examples demonstrating a picture of business and its environment. People who have exposed to Industrial Organization (or at least some levels of application of game theory) will get bored of all arguments without mentioning anything about its quantitative aspect.
The book for dilettante readers.......2002-01-21
The author provided some good examples to demonstrate some business's environments. The book is very readable. You will get bored if you have exposed to industrial organization or some applications of game theory.
Pretty Easy Reading.......1999-05-30
I've read a good chunk of this book during a B-school elective on non-market strategies, and found it imparted some valuable information. It's not very prescriptive if that's what you're looking for. But it made me feel like I got something out of the class despite an unstellar professor.
Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive, flexible approach to the basic skills of business management with an emphasis on skills and applications. It presents traditional concepts, important contemporary issues, and timeless insights into applying management know-how–all toward the goal of achieving organizational success. Built around the concept of âCore Plusâ â a core of chapters covered in most courses, surrounded by a rich selection of optional chapters â enabling flexibility in the way the text is used.
Management History, Operations Management, Information Technology in Management, and Creativity and Innovation in Management.
For managers at all levels.
Customer Reviews:
Bad Costumer Care.......2007-03-11
Sell Sell Sell. That's what they really want only!!! ... I needed my book faster. I sent an email right before ordered it, saying that I wanted something faster, or I needed to cancel. Of course it was my fault of not seeing that they were from Europe, it was going to take 2 weeks but, there was no understanding AT ALL. Never buying with them anymore!!!
Fast Service, Great Quality.......2005-10-03
The book wsa in the exact condition the seller listed it at, which was close to perfect. It was delivered fast, no problems at all.
Great!!.......2005-09-17
The book was in excellent conditions also I got it before the estimaded date.
The "Foundation" of Knowledge For Successful Management.......2001-06-24
This book is one of the best foundation establishers I've read. I am the Chief of Strategy for a major headquarters and currently teach for three universities in such subjects as Strategic Management, Business Policy and Strategy, Business Communications, Supply Chain Management, and Production Operations Management. The point of that statement is that this book that I use on the job, as well as, to some degree in each course I teach. It is well written, organized, and provides outstanding tables and figures to clearly articulate the concepts. This is a desk-reference that will get lot's of handling. A must read!
good starter book for new mangers and students in business.......1999-07-22
author has good grasp of management in 21 century. What tools and skills will be needed
Book Description
Need help with your kids? Learn how to parent with love and logic and be amazed at the great results! Now with a new look and updated content, readers will enjoy passing along this best-kept parenting secret to their friends.
Customer Reviews:
Fabulous Book.......2007-10-05
This book was recommended to me by a newly married woman with stepchildren. I, at the time, was dating a woman with children (none of my own). I was having a difficult time being an 'instant father', and didn't know what to do half the time. I loved this book, and used the information daily. When I am around children now, I still use the information in the book. When I have children of my own, you better believe I'll be re-reading this one. (I also bought this book for my brother)
A MUST-HAVE!.......2007-09-19
There are not enough good things to say about this book. I have it in conjunction with Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood and contrary to some other reviewers, I love having them both together.
I can't recommend this parenting technique enough. I have a 2 year old boy and we started using love and logic principles just after his 2nd birthday. What a difference it made in us all!!! Just like the authors say - it puts the fun back in being a parent. We are always getting comments on his calm demeanor and our ability to always be patient.
If you or someone you know is struggling with a child, toddler to preteen, this book will change the family for the better. It gives you the exact things to say in all kinds of situations, in fact half to book is dedicated to doing just that. This book gives you the tools to restore peace, happiness, hope, order and fun back into your home. I'm so thankful for this book!
THE best parenting book ever.......2007-09-18
All my friend and I SWEAR by this book. This my not be the ONLY book you need, but it surely is one key book you MUST have. Extremely practical - there are actual cases and actual phrases to use, while explaining the philosophy behind the approach. This is the ultimate "how to" book on raising responsible, moral, kind children who understand cause and effect! It also takes the "you vs me" out of it and teaches children that their choices and actions have consequences. As a Christian, it sits well with me. It is especially excellent with defiant or contrary children, and children raise in foster homes or others who have attachment challenges.
Best parenting book my wife and I have found.......2007-09-03
This is an excellent book on parenting, the best my wife and I have found. The principles work very well - we wish we had found it earlier. We and our children are much happier after using this book.
This is very sound parenting. This book teaches you how to raise responsible children who think about the consequences of their actions. It teaches principles and gives you strategies to help your children anticipate the real consequences of their actions - a good thing to learn when you're still a child and "the price tag is still low."
This book is not the draconian book that some negative reviewers have interpretted it to be. The authors advocate genuine compassion for children who experience realistic consequences to their bad choices. It is true that the principles in this book likely require more work on the part of the parent than other approaches.
Regarding whether this book advocates corporal punishment - it does not. Page 221 from the 2006 edition:
"Spankings ... give kids a quick escape from the responsibility of living with a bad choice. Instead of having to live with consequences and think about solutions, youngsters have a brief moment of pain, and then they're off the hook."
"The original edition of this book advocateded the use of spanking in limited, controlled situations. However, as we have grown in our professions and as more valid research has become available, we have changed our postion. There are many good reasons to avoid the use of spankings...[list follows]."
Sick authors.......2007-08-30
Any author who presents themselves as wanting to help children and then advocates corporal punishment is a sociopath at worst or terribly misguided at best. They should never yield power over someone smaller or weaker than themselves. Maybe the authors need to be physically bullied (ex. spanked) by someone 100+ lbs bigger than them so they can feel what a child feels when some stupid or gullible adult follows their advice. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Parents and caregivers- please think long and hard before you hit the children who are depending on you for love and protection. There are much better ways of discipling children. Learn them.
Book Description
A decade ago, The Oz Principle took the business world by storm. At its root, the principle works like this: Like Dorothy and the gang in The Wizard of Oz, most businesspeople have the tools to succeed, but when things go wrong they blame circumstance or others instead of looking within for the true cause of unsatisfactory results. Once individuals learn to accept responsibility, they can use the Oz Principle to become better leaders.
Now, with corporate scandals in the headlines and the culture of victimization running rampant at every level of the business world, Roger Connors, Tom Smith, and Craig Hickman return with a new edition of The Oz Principle. Fully revised, this edition will update the statistics, concepts, and relevant companies through fresh, timely anecdotes and stories.
Customer Reviews:
I built a company culture on this book!.......2007-10-02
I'm now using this book to build a corp. culture for the second time. I buy a copy for every employee. I know they don't all read it. But, we use it as the text for company meetings, training and performance expectations. Big help in getting people to take more responsibility for our success as a company.
enjoyed the book.......2007-09-30
normally I am a cynical employee and our company is going into this hot and heavy. I figured that for once I should read about something before I talk bad about another fad. I read it cover to cover with a open mind and I agree with what it is pushing and I hope that my company really tries to follow the example.
Sadly, I do not see this taking hold where I work as the "CYA" principal will never go away and that is a shame.
Old Fashion.......2007-06-08
I guess i can understand the purpose of the material. However, it all seems to be common sense to a recent college grad who had to do any teamwork. I would find books on "treating women equal" just as useful. The concept is outdated, these things are already being taken care of in society.
Hackeneyed cliches and unsupported conclusions.......2007-05-15
I could not have been more disappointed in a supposedly useful business book. The entire book consisted of assertions on how "accountability" leads to better results, without a single empirical example to support it. Rather, there were plenty of quotes from Jack Welch (he who had 5 good years out of 20 at the top) and anecdotal stories linked to the Wizard of Oz. How dumbed down has business press gotten? What's next, management according to "Go Dog Go"? It was just bloody awful
Book and tape combo.......2006-02-19
I listened to the tape and used the book as documentation of the most important parts. It worked really well as a study method.
Amazon.com
QBQ! by John G. Miller is a motivational primer aimed at purging the "blame, complaining, and procrastination" from the workplace. Miller believes that one of the hallmarks of today's business culture is a lack of personal accountability; he prescribes the cure in this series of short stories and personal observations drawn from his years of experience running his organizational development firm. His main point is that positive change begins with individuals changing themselves: "Instead of asking, 'When will others walk their talk?' let's walk our talk first." The result is choppy (39 chapters in 115 pages), and at times Miller's advice boils down to truism and cliché. Nevertheless, managers whose workplaces demand remedial, straightforward advice should find a useful tool here. --Harry C. Edwards
Book Description
Who Moved My Cheese? showed readers how to adapt to change.
Fish! helped raise flagging morale.
Execution guided readers to overcome the inability to get things done.
QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, already a phenomenon in its self-published edition, addresses the most important issue in business and society today: personal accountability.
The lack of personal accountability has resulted in an epidemic of blame, complaining, and procrastination. No organization-or individual-can achieve goals, compete in the marketplace, fulfill a vision, or develop people and teams without personal accountability.
The solution involves an entirely new approach. We can no longer ask, "Who dropped the ball?" "Why can't they do their work properly?" or "Why do we have to go through all these changes?" Instead, every individual has to ask the question behind the question: "How can I improve this situation?" "What can I contribute?" or "How can I make a difference?"
Succinct, insightful, and practical, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question provides a method for putting personal accountability into daily action, which can bring astonishing results: problems get solved, barriers come down, service improves, teamwork grows, and people adapt to change.
Download Description
"Who Moved My Cheese? showed readers how to adapt to change. Fish! helped raise flagging morale. Execution guided readers to overcome the inability to get things done. QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, already a phenomenon in its self-published edition, addresses the most important issue in business and society today: personal accountability. The lack of personal accountability has resulted in an epidemic of blame, complaining, and procrastination. No organization-or individual-can achieve goals, compete in the marketplace, fulfill a vision, or develop people and teams without personal accountability. The solution involves an entirely new approach. We can no longer ask, ""Who dropped the ball?"" ""Why can't they do their work properly?"" or ""Why do we have to go through all these changes?"" Instead, every individual has to ask the question behind the question: ""How can I improve this situation?"" ""What can I contribute?"" or ""How can I make a difference?"" Succinct, insightful, and practical, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question provides a method for putting personal accountability into daily action, which can bring astonishing results: problems get solved, barriers come down, service improves, teamwork grows, and people adapt to change. "
Customer Reviews:
It should be required reading.......2007-09-05
The book is thin and it is a simple read. My 6th grade daughter would understand every concept in the book. While this would all generally make for a low rating, I instead give it the highest rating. Why? Because although it does not present many original ideas, the vast population of American at least, do not follow the QBQ. If it takes a book that can be read in an hour and that can be understood by someone who reads at a 6th grade level for people to start taking responsibility for their actions and thier lives, then I am all for it.
This is not to say that the only people who will benefit from this book are the young and irresponsible. Many of the points, while not rocket science, were new ways to look at old ideas and as the book says "repetition is the motor of learning."
Personal accountability is fine in theory, but more should be said about what to do when others do not.......2007-08-22
Personal accountability is fine in theory, but enormously difficult in practice. This is because it will only work if the overwhelming majority of people practice it. It is a fact of life that it takes only a few people engaging in selfish behavior to slow down the progress of everyone else. If you hold yourself accountable for what is done and those you work with do not, then the group, including those that are unproductive, will collectively get the credit.
I am not saying that you should avoid holding yourself accountable for what you do; just that one must be reasonable about doing it. You must keep your expectations to a manageable level and understand that there might be times when only you will know what you have accomplished.
Personal accountability of course starts with the actions of each and every individual and from that perspective this is a good book. Miller discusses what questions or statements should be said rather than what is actually being said. By using the singular pronoun I in "What can I do better?" rather than "What do I get out of it?" each person can take an enormous step towards success and personal achievement. However, as has already been stated, the actions of others may render your achievements down to a much lesser height than they could have been. Miller largely ignores this segment of reality, which lowers the value as you ramble down your lane of the rat race.
Outstanding!.......2007-08-14
In a word, OUTSTANDING! This book is an inspiration and a guide for me every day. I share it with my students in EVERY class. It is a quick read and full of simple insight.
Buy this book!
Motivational.......2007-07-27
I think every business owner should require their staff to read this book. "what happened to personal accountability", this is the main theme of this book. Amen!!!!! Our generations view things so differently, however I think we can all agree on the information presented in this book. This is another required read for all of my new staff.
Nice quick and concise read for personal accountability.......2007-07-10
I had the pleasure of hearing Mr Miller speak to my organization and felt his message in personal accountability spoke volumes about how to make small changes create a large impact.
Mr Miller speaks eloquently about his topic and is obviously passionate about the role QBQ takes for everyone, be they a leader, parent or any human being. The book is an easy read and the concept is not a stretch to understand, follows similarly to "Who Moved My Cheese" or the One Minute Manager series. This is the type of concept that asks you to think about what is the right thing to do, and more importantly, complete it. The procrastination concept is powerful and impactful, again, very simple, however a concept all need to follow and practice...practice being the root of all habits.
Mr. Miller has one example of a cashier at Home Depot that lowered the rating from 5 to 4 stars; this example is too far fetched and the litigious results that potentially could arise from other customers feeling slighted is too over the top. I understand what Mr. Miller is presenting, and why he purposely ignores the repercussions of such an act, this example only degrades the message he is presenting.
I look very forward to reading "Flipping the Switch" and putting these concepts into action, along with re-reading this series annually to ensure I continue to practice personal accountability.
Book Description
Make smarter business decisions with BUSINESS AND SOCIETY: ETHICS AND STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT! Emphasizing a businessÂ's social, legal, and ethical responsibilities, this management text exposes you to diverse and important stakeholder and ethical frameworks for considering and protecting stakeholder interests. Through its use of cases and other real-world applications, youÂ'll get the opportunity to apply stakeholder and ethical systems to specific business problems. With questions provided for all cases and applications, preparing for class has never been easier!
Customer Reviews:
Business & Society: Ethics and Stakeholder Management w/ infotrack review.......2007-01-10
This book was just what I needed. It helped me to pass the course I was taking and I received an A+. The book was a bit boring at times but all in all it had a lot of useful and great information!
Book Description
From THE ENEMY AT HOME:
“In this book I make a claim that will seem startling at the outset. The cultural left in this country is responsible for causing 9/11. … In faulting the cultural left, I am not making the absurd accusation that this group blew up the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I am saying that the cultural left and its allies in Congress, the media, Hollywood, the nonprofit sector, and the universities are the primary cause of the volcano of anger toward America that is erupting from the Islamic world. The Muslims who carried out the 9/11 attacks were the product of this visceral rage—some of it based on legitimate concerns, some of it based on wrongful prejudice, but all of it fueled and encouraged by the cultural left. Thus without the cultural left, 9/11 would not have happened.
“I realize that this is a strong charge, one that no one has made before. But it is a neglected aspect of the 9/11 debate, and it is critical to understanding the current controversy over the ‘war against terrorism.’ … I intend to show that the left has actively fostered the intense hatred of America that has led to numerous attacks such as 9/11. If I am right, then no war against terrorism can be effectively fought using the left-wing premises that are now accepted doctrine among mainstream liberals and Democrats.”
Whenever Muslims charge that the war on terror is really a war against Islam, Americans hasten to assure them they are wrong. Yet as Dinesh D’Souza argues in this powerful and timely polemic, there really is a war against Islam. Only this war is not being waged by Christian conservatives bent on a moral crusade to impose democracy abroad but by the American cultural left, which for years has been vigorously exporting its domestic war against religion and traditional morality to the rest of the world.
D’Souza contends that the cultural left is responsible for 9/11 in two ways: by fostering a decadent and depraved American culture that angers and repulses other societies—especially traditional and religious ones— and by promoting, at home and abroad, an anti-American attitude that blames America for all the problems of the world.
Islamic anti-Americanism is not merely a reaction to U.S. foreign policy but is also rooted in a revulsion against what Muslims perceive to be the atheism and moral depravity of American popular culture. Muslims and other traditional people around the world allege that secular American values are being imposed on their societies and that these values undermine religious belief, weaken the traditional family, and corrupt the innocence of children. But it is not “America” that is doing this to them, it is the American cultural left. What traditional societies consider repulsive and immoral, the cultural left considers progressive and liberating.
Taking issue with those on the right who speak of a “clash of civilizations,” D’Souza argues that the war on terror is really a war for the hearts and minds of traditional Muslims—and traditional peoples everywhere. The only way to win the struggle with radical Islam is to convince traditional Muslims that America is on their side.
We are accustomed to thinking of the war on terror and the culture war as two distinct and separate struggles. D’Souza shows that they are really one and the same. Conservatives must recognize that the left is now allied with the Islamic radicals in a combined effort to defeat Bush’s war on terror. A whole new strategy is therefore needed to fight both wars. “In order to defeat the Islamic radicals abroad,” D’Souza writes, “we must defeat the enemy at home.”
Customer Reviews:
It's justifiable homicide, of course.......2007-08-27
D'Souza's logic and syntax are impeccable, as always.
If I annoy Dinesh - Liberal that I am - or if I cause Dinesh to view me as a sinner, it is therefore my fault if Dinesh decides to blow up my house or even some other house that looks like it in my neighborhood.
Dinesh makes an persuasive argument in defense of Al Q'aida and grumpy old terrorists everywhere.
I recommend that all true Americans read his book and edumacate themselves immediately.
good questions.......2007-08-24
I don't know if the American left really are so unpatriotic that they are allying themselves with the terriorists. However, it is a good questions to asked.
I agree with the author in the analysis of the imposing American ideals onto other countries. But I believed it goes both ways. It is arrogance for the Conservatives to impose the American Ideal of Democracy onto the unwilling participants. It is also very arrogant of the sophisticated Hollywood crowd to impose their ideals of the freedom of choice and feminism onto the unwilling participants. It is ethnocentric view on both sides. There will always be someone that wants to break out of the mode in all the developing countries. That does not mean the mass majority are willing to give up their way of life as they know it.
Author stressed that most traditional societies does not agree with the liberal view of the world. The liberal view works for the west, it doesn't necessary work for the rest. If the conservatives are guilty of imposing views on others, the Liberals are equally, if not more forcefully impose their liberal values onto the rest of the world that do not want them, via internet, media, entertainments. Conservative use military force, liberal uses softer but more pervasive method in infiltrating the rest of the world by....."Americanization" Combined with the unwanted morals of the liberal, and the military force, this make us the prime target for any counntries that have any grievence against the US.
Provocative but thought provoking.......2007-08-24
Dinesh D'Souza has written a powerful and provocative book, containing a unique perspective difficult to attain other than by an author straddling his traditional culture of origin and the newly adopted progressive culture of his current environment. While many readers will be offended by the book's central thesis of the left's putative contribution to the moral decay of American society, the book has much to offer in terms of understanding strengths of the Islamic family structure alien to Western ethnocentric analysis. Despite some minor factual errors regarding the Spanish Inquisition and the role of Islam in science, the data in the book are in the main sound. Its up to the reader to react to the analysis. Sean Penn might look elsewhere.
Well Worth Your Reading Time.......2007-08-13
I approached this book with much skepticism; by the time I was mid-way through the book, I was much intrigued with the author's thesis. Toward the end, however, I was of the mind that the author's deductions and conclusions were too much of a stretch.
I believe the D'souza correctly diagnosed several key points, which escape many mainstream thinkers:
1. The driving passion behind the masterminds of 911 was not religious, but cultural.
2. Most Americans, at all levels, tend to be rather ignorant about other cultures and simplistically believe that what we think is good should naturally be welcomed by other cultures. In reality, as many scholars have pointed out, democratic institutions must be home grown for them to take hold. People in foreign lands perceive America through the lens of American pop culture, which has become very coarse and depraved. We also "export" ideas such as strident feminist, abortion and homosexual agendas which, even in our own society are controversial, are viewed with suspicion and contempt in other traditional societies.
3. The key to winning this war is winning the hearts of traditional Muslims. Traditional Muslims have more in common with conservatives than many think. Most traditional Muslims do not subscribe to the fringe teachings of the Taliban and Al Queda; they are God-fearing people who want to live in a society where the traditional family values are respected. They are natural sympathizers of the radical Islamists, although they are not active supporters. We should not attack their religion and drive them right into the arms of the radicals. Many in the West tend to look at certain things, such as "honor killing", in the Muslim world, and conclude that Islam is outdated, and its followers barbaric. In reality, such practices are not the norm in the traditional Muslim society. On the other hand, a traditional Muslim probably finds partial birth abortion as revulsive as we find honor killing.
What I am not ready to agree with the author was his assertion that Bin Ladin and the Left in this country are in a conscious alliance. Regardless of how much their short-term goals and interests coincide with each other, there is neither logic nor evidence for an alliance to exist. The Left in this country are a pathetic bunch who want power, but it is one of those inevitables of a Western-style democracy.
EXTREMELY educational.......2007-07-30
This book did more to educate me about the 'whys' behind the current world situation than any of the many books I have read. Yes, there are many opinions given that sound like facts, but it is impossible to 'know' everything that is going on in this extremely complex situation. I am glad that the writer has gone out on a limb to push our thinking, to stretch us to believe that we may be part of the problem. Gee!! Hard to believe that, huh? I am in fact a conservative, but I don't 'blame' the left. It's like the boiled frog syndrome -- place a frog in boiling water and it will jump out. Place it in warm water and turn up the temperature slowly and it will die. What has happened to this country in the last 30+ years is like turning up the temperature slowly. We HAVE become a decadent society. Anyone who doesn't believe that has his head in the sand. Conservatives are as much to 'blame' as liberals because we have done such a lousy job of articulating our thoughts, and making them connect to the current world situation. The Bush administration has done a TERRIBLE job of educating the country. While I agree with much of what the Bush administration has done, I hold them 100% accountable for not providing a clear understanding of the world situation, and why America must do what it is doing. Perhaps no one in the administration has read D'Souza's book. It is surely not 100% right, but it sure helps put things in a lot better perspective than anything else I have read. Now the strategies HAVE to change. You cannot kill all the radicals. The Bush administration has been woefully weak in understanding the larger context for the Muslim violence around the world. We, the people of the USA, must become more educated, and FORCE our elected representatives to be more thoughtful, and less antagonistic to 'the other side'. Otherwise we have turned over to our children a terrible future.
Amazon.com
Like the carefully engineered dies which created his company's first products--steel pitons and carabiners which climbing enthusiasts would recognize as primitive forerunners of today's sleeker gear--Yvon Chouinard is if nothing else an original. How many other shy French-Canadian boys become surf-and-climbing bums, then blacksmiths forging their own play tools, and eventually founders of world-renowned sports equipment and apparel companies like Patagonia? How many other heads of multi-million dollar enterprises open their memoirs by stating bluntly, "The Lee Iacoccas, Donald Trumps, and Jack Welches of the business world are heroes to no one except other businessmen with similar values. I wanted to be a fur trapper when I grew up." The proverbial mold from which Chouinard was cast got broken.
In Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman, readers get a fascinating look inside the history and philosophy of both Patagonia and its irascible, opinionated founder. From its beginning, the book shares a sense of Chouinard's strong-willed personality and his love of the outdoors. He recounts a mostly happy childhood spent in a still-unspoiled southern California, climbing, diving, fishing, and surfing. The narrative soon moves into Chouinard's early entrepreneurial efforts, which were less focused on market-share domination than on earning a basic living to finance his own sporting habits. As his company's first catalog noted, delivery could be slow in the summer months, when Chouinard typically left the "office"--a dilapidated shack converted into an ironworks--for climbing adventures across the American West.
Eventually, though, the story settles into a pattern familiar to business audiences: Patagonia grows rapidly, takes on more employees and product lines to sustain hungry demand from customers, but overreaches with over-ambitious expansion plans and suffers a hiccup in its adolescence. This make-or-break juncture of a business's development often contains the most interesting material, and here Chouinard and his beloved company are no exception. He describes a series of wrenching decisions through which he and Patagonia management team navigated in 1991, as sales growth stalled while capital and operational expenses sprinted ahead. From this crisis emerged Patagonia's first-ever layoffs, affecting a hefty 20% of the workforce, and a serious re-examination of the business's core principles and methods.
The historical part of Chouinard's book largely ends at this point, and gives way to an exposition of philosophies which emerged at Patagonia during its dark moments in the early 1990s. The rest of the book serves as a kind of primer to business, the Patagonia way: one chapter each on product design philosophy, production philosophy, distribution philosophy, image philosophy, financial philosophy, human resource philosophy, and so on. Fans of Patagonia can revel in the company's working details, as can those who support or want to build businesses with self-consciously cultivated soulfulness. Readers who enjoyed Gary Erickson's story about Clif Bar, for example, should definitely find this a welcome addition to their bookshelves. --Peter Han
Book Description
In his long-awaited memoir, Yvon Chouinard—legendary climber, businessman, environmentalist, and founder of Patagonia, Inc.—shares the persistence and courage that have gone into being head of one of the most respected and environmentally responsible companies on earth. From his youth as the son of a French Canadian blacksmith to the thrilling, ambitious climbing expeditions that inspired his innovative designs for the sportÂ's equipment, Let My People Go Surfing is the story of a man who brought doing good and having grand adventures into the heart of his business life—a book that will deeply affect entrepreneurs and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
Customer Reviews:
A Model For Humane Business.......2007-10-15
Conscious review of all aspects of business is the theme here.
Yvon is definitely strong in his beliefs about what needs to happen. He doesn't pussy-foot around the issues. As he states "Patagonia's image is a human voice. It expresses the joy of people who love the world, who are passionate about their beliefs, and who want to influence the future. It is not processed; it won't compromise its humanity. This means that it will offend, and it will inspire."
The book will have the effect you choose to let if have upon you. For me, it was completely inspirational as a model to operate in. Truth be told, even if everyone operated the way advocated, we probably will not get out of the mess we are headed for. However, in the words of Ghandi, "Everything you do is insignificant, but it is very important that you do it."
I read the book as an emerging consciousness - first self concern, then concern for the interests of other people, then concern for other beings, finally concern for the balance of the ecosystem. It is an ethical progression that we all should make, even though it is not a cultural norm.
Well worth reading. Well argued from the environmental or business perspective.
Who knew that Patagonia had a mean side?.......2007-10-04
Yvon Chouinard built an iconic business which exemplifies commerce with a conscience. I have long been enamored of their products, the photography, and the essays of their catalogs. As a surfer and career environmentalist I was anxious to read this book.
Yvon shared some interesting philosophical perspectives. He takes the position that people who believe the earth to have been created and not the result of evolution are hiding in their faith from the facts. Furthermore, because creationists don't believe in evolution they don't aspire to improve. (Clearly, Yvon never heard of the doctrine of sanctification.) He argues that abortion is a means by which we can keep too many children from being born and then over-running the carrying capacity of the ecosystem. And Republicans? Don't get him started! He might be the only mean spirited Zen Buddhist of whom I have had the displeasure to read.
There is so much to commend here with regard to encouraging businesses and individuals to be environmentally and socially engaged. Too bad the message is soured with arrogance, condescension, and obvious ignorance of those he apparently considers to be enemies of the environment.
let my people go surfing.......2007-09-01
this book is an inspirational page turner until it gets to the philosophy section which is good and interesting, but the first half is really, really good. i would highly recommend it for all 20-40 year olds that are thinking about changing up their careers to something more fulfilling.
An Opus on Business, Management, and Environmental Action.......2007-08-16
Yvon writes clearly and succinctly about his triumphs and mistakes. He's fanatical about product quality but insists on his MBA style of management (management by absence). He shows how doing the right thing is frequently profitable and Patagonia has been a field leader ever since Chouinard decided early on that his petons were destroying the rocks that he climbed on. Making a daring move away from his top selling product to a new product, the hexentric nuts; that would not wreck the rock, proved to be a genius move. Since then, Patagonia has lead the field with material science in using PCR soda bottles in their fleece jackets, making the switch to Organic Cotton, and building the Reno, Nevada Service Center out of all sorts of recycled materials and green technologies
Yvon also discusses how childcare and healthy cafeteria food contribute to a more productive work environment. He rewards employees for purchasing hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles.
Patagonia publishes catalogs that are artful for their photography while at the same time they are calls to action on various environmental issues. There is no push to higher priced products or mega sale enticement. Patagonia has become the best in the outdoor industry by challenging the status quo and daring to be different. It's Yvon's disdain for the mentality of behaving like a sheep and blindly following the current trends whether in business or life that make him extraordinary. It is my hope that he will produce more books of this quality in the future. I finished the book in three days- I couldn't put it down.Patagonia: Notes from the Field
You've got to read this one.......2007-07-02
Whether you're looking for a case study on: a successful business with happy employees, how to create a business from your passion, or what businesses need to do to help the environment.
From management tips, to HR lessons learned, Yvon brings in all his Patagonia experience (good and bad).
As one of the first environmentally-conscious companies in the world, Yvon has a lot to say about the world and what needs to happen:
"The Zen master would say if you want to change government, you have to aim at changing corporations, and if you want to change corporations, you first have to change the consumers." -Yvon Chouinard
This is a book you can't ignore. Especially since Yvon pioneered the `green business' movement back in the 80's.
Book Description
A parent's guide to raising financially responsible children in an age of unprecedented wealth
It is natural as parents that we want to give our children the best of everything. And in an age of unprecedented wealth and easy credit, upper- and middle-income parents can indulge that urge like never before. Yet, you have become alarmed over the impact this newfound affluence may be having on your children. You fear that through your generosity you are training your children to be greedy, selfish spendthrifts. The first parenting guide to focus exclusively on this increasingly sensitive topic, Silver Spoon Kids was coauthored by a psychotherapist who counsels people with money-related emotional problems and a lawyer specializing in estate planning.
Drawing upon their experiences as members of the renowned NYU Family Wealth Institute, they tell you how to talk to kids about money, how to teach them to handle it responsibly, and how to instill in your kids a sense of giving to their communities.
Customer Reviews:
How to help your children avoid entitlement.......2007-07-21
If you teach your children how to be financially responsible between the ages of 4 and 18, you have a much higher probability of having them not back at home living with you between the ages of 22 and 35.
Required Reading For Parents.......2007-05-12
I was introduced to this book while attending a financial seminar concerning the transfer of money to children. I read the book and passed it on to my children to use as a guide in bringing up their children. Money should give children an advantage to become happy and productive citizens. The sudden acquisition of money without adequate training in the use of wealth can have disastrous results as witnessed by the numerous sad stories of lottery winners. This book gives parents a guide on how to introduce children into the acquisition and proper use of money at an early age. Following the authors' advice can help parents raise financially responsible children.
Not for anyone who still works for a living.......2005-11-16
You do not *need* to give your children an allowance to teach them how to handle money. Really. The author's position is that you simply have to--and it makes you wonder if she also thinks it is okay to experiment with drugs in order to learn how to use them the "right" way. Just as you can educate children about the dangers of drugs without giving them any, you can also educate children about how to spend money wisely. One way is to take them grocery shopping with you, for example, and let them help you with calculating the best values for the money you have.
Others have said this book is good for those with middle class incomes. I disagree. If there will be any possible future scenario where your child will have to work for a living in any capacity, they need to know that money is NOT just handed to them, and that money belongs to the person who earned it (and the spouse, in community property states), NOT the children. This means that children need to learn that some things you do without compensation as being part of the family (chores), and other things you do in exchange for money (outside jobs or special jobs around the house) or something else (bartering). In real life, money is not just handed to you, unless you're on welfare. Someone has/had to earn that money at some point in time, and just handing money to someone will never educate them as to how to actually earn it.
This book might be okay for someone looking to leave their child a huge trust fund, where he or she just lives off the interest, but not for people trying to help their children truly make their own way in life.
Read this book along with your Dr. Spock!!.......2002-05-04
I work in the field of philanthropy have hosted many workshops on issues of children and money. The four hours I spent reading this book were the most educational and fruitful four hours I have ever spent on issues of how to raise children!! Whether your family is middle class or affluent, you will benefit from this book. In my opinion, the lessons offered by the Gallos on values and raising children go far beyond issues of money. I believe it is really a guide to raising well rounded and socially responsible children. I know I will return again and again to the chapters in this book both personally and professionally. Buy this book and read it!!
Practical Read for Parents.......2002-04-16
Silver Spoon Kids offers practical, hands-on tips for parents raising kids. Financial issues can be difficult to address and this book offers guidelines to meet just those needs. One need not be an expert in the field to grasp the concepts presented - they are perfect for all to understand and utilize. This book is a great resource and will be helpful to many.
Book Description
This text provides readers with the information needed to solve ethical dilemmas within the complicated criminal justice system. It begins with a straightforward presentation of the major ethical systems followed by a discussion of moral development and the ideal of justice. The book includes not only philosophical information but practical applications as well, because of the issue-based approach, which allows each student to make individual decisions.
Books:
- Chemotherapy & Radiation Therapy Survival Guide: INFORMATION, SUGGESTIONS, AND SUPPORT TO HELP YOU GET THRU TREATMENT (Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy Survivor's Guide)
- Common Sense Parenting: A Proven Step-By-Step Guide for Raising Responsible Kids and Creating Happy Families
- Constructions of Deviance: Social Power, Context, and Interaction
- Core Curriculum for Maternal-Newborn Nursing (Core Curriculum for Maternal-Newborn Nursing (AWHONN))
- Covenant Marriage: Building Communication & Intimacy
- Crystal The Snow Fairy: The Weather Fairies (Rainbow Magic)
- Dear Daughter: A Message of Love
- Eat Well, Lose Weight While Breastfeeding: The Complete Nutrition Book for Nursing Mothers, Including a Healthy Guide to the Weight Loss Your Doctor Promised
- Educating Exceptional Children
- Essential Exercises for the Childbearing Year: A Guide to Health and Comfort Before and After Your Baby Is Born
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
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- History: Fiction or Science
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- It's Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living
- George B. McClellan and Civil War History: In the Shadow of Grant and Sherman
- Accounting for War: Soviet Production, Employment, and the Defence Burden, 19401945
- Communities across Borders: New Immigrants and Transnational Cultures
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Sustainable Development
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Fundamentals of Cost Accounting
Death by a Thousand Cuts: The Fight over Taxing Inherited Wealth
Legal Environment of Business: A Critical Thinking Approach (4th Edition)
Introductory Statistics for Management and Economics
Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies (Longman Classics Edition) (2nd Edition)
