Book Description
The world's most exciting, fastest-growing new market? It's where you least expect it: at the bottom of the pyramid. Collectively, the world's billions of poor people have immense entrepreneurial capabilities and buying power. You can learn how to serve them and help millions of the world's poorest people escape poverty.
It is being done-profitably. Whether you're a business leader or an anti-poverty activist, business guru Prahalad shows why you can't afford to ignore "Bottom of the Pyramid" (BOP) markets.
In the book and accompanying CD videos, Prahalad presents...
Why what you know about BOP markets is wrong A world of surprises-from spending patterns to distribution and marketing
Unlocking the "poverty penalty"
The most enduring contributions your company can make Delivering dignity, empowerment, and choice-not just products
Corporations and BOP entrepreneurs Profiting together from an inclusive new capitalism
"C. K. Prahalad argues that companies must revolutionize how they dobusiness in developing countries if both sides of that economic equation areto prosper. Drawing on a wealth of case studies, his compelling new bookoffers an intriguing blueprint for how to fight poverty with profitability." Bill Gates, Chairman and Chief Software Architect,Microsoft
"The Bottom of the Pyramid belongs at the top of the reading list forbusiness people, academics, and experts pursuing the elusive goal ofsustainable growth in the developing world. C. K. Prahalad writes withuncommon insight about consumer needs in poor societies andopportunities for the private sector to serve important public purposes whileenhancing its own bottom line. If you are looking for fresh thinking aboutemerging markets, your search is ended. This is the book for you." Madeleine K. Albright, Former U.S. Secretary of State
"Prahalad challenges readers to re-evaluate their pre-conceived notionsabout the commercial opportunities in serving the relatively poor nations ofthe world. The Bottom of the Pyramid highlights the way to commercialsuccess and societal improvement--but only if the developed worldreconceives the way it delivers products and services to the developingworld." Christopher Rodrigues, CEO, Visa International
"An important and insightful work showing persuasively how the privatesector can be put at the center of development, not just as a rhetoricalflourish but as a real engine of jobs and services for the poor." Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme
Customer Reviews:
Saving the World.......2007-10-02
The author loves his TLA's (3 letter acronyms)! I wish someone had told me how technical this book was; those with an MBA will get the most out of it. But I love Prahalad's outlook and creativity. Perhaps with a little advice I can take my ideas and come up with a formal business plan.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and anecdotal evidence is not proof.......2007-06-24
Last year this book became a best seller hit among the developmental community at Washington, D.C., to the point that all bookstores at Metro DC run out of it. With notorious and well publicized praising comments from Madeleine Albright, Bill Gates and the like, I bought it too, but just to discover all the frenzy was undeserved from the viewpoint of poverty eradication.
Undoubtedly Mr. Pralhad's research demonstrates there are plenty of opportunities to do good business among the poor at the BOP (bottom of the pyramid), for them to benefit from the products and services not available now, and for some of them to go out of poverty by becoming entrepreneurs (market penetration is always limited). I agree on these conclusions, as commented extensively by the previous reviewers, and without a doubt this book will become a reference in many Business Schools. But to assert that this strategy will eradicate poverty and bring development is plain sophistry. As Carl Sagan said "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence".
Why sophistry? Regarding the poverty eradication claimed by Mr. Prahalad I will try to highlight some of the main flaws in his rationale and lack of sufficient evidence:
1. Despite the consideration of several cases from around the Third-World, most of the discussion and arguments to build the framework are related to India, excessively. The conditions of the poor in Latin America are quite different, and often, they have better public services available to them. On the other hand, many African countries have worst conditions. So you can not reach valid conclusions based solely on a country with such unique cultural and ethnical conditions. For doing business the cases are fine, especially for India or China because they are such huge markets at the BOP.
2. Wealth creation is hugely overestimated. Poor entrepreneurs and their immediate family will undoubtedly benefit from these new economic activities, but the framework lacks an explanation about how these oases of welcomed capitalism will trickle-down to the rest of their neighbors and poor villages. The implicit assumption is that everybody at the BOP has to become an entrepreneur for this strategy to work, because by just having access to affordable consumer products it seems very unlikely that poverty will be eradicated. The proposed framework is just good for doing business and for the poor to have access to new services and products, but where is the sustainable "fishing industry" for the rest of the poor population? The cases are very unique, islands of excellence, and with limited potential for a population the huge size of the BOT to bail out of poverty in significant numbers.
3. The analysis lacks the historical, cultural, legal and socio-economical background for a given country or region, and this consideration is fundamental for a proper analysis on sustainable development. Even when Mr. Pralhalad correctly identifies lack of education, corruption and the size of the informal sector as barriers for development and doing business, he then oversimplifies a lot on how to overcome these key issues, and again, an isolated Indian case is used as the magic formula to solve the problem through information technology. In fact, at the end of Chapter 6, within the conclusions, he recognizes that the illustrations he provides "are but islands of excellence in a sea of deprivation and helplessness". As the development community knows well, these successful stories are very hard to replicate. In Latin America we have the outstanding cases of Chile, Uruguay and Costa Rica. In Brazil, we have the cases of the Southern states of Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul. All of them very developed as compared to their neighbors (in terms of income, education, health, etc.), but despite all efforts, no one has successfully reproduced these islands of excellence at a scale that makes a difference.
4. An example will help to understand how superficial the cases are from a point of view of development and poverty eradication. The Brazilian case of "Casas Bahia" lacks the consideration of the socio-economic environment of the country, especially the case omits to mention key characteristics of the financial and credit markets (for those interested in this particular case from the point of view of business, I recommend you read "Samuel Klein e Casas Bahia: Uma trajetoria de Sucesso", Novo Seculo, 2005, this is a real and really impressive business success story). Mr. Klein successfully, by trusting the poor, built an empire that today is still one of the few option many mid- and low-income families have to buy the first computer for their children going to college in Brazil. But, let's see why the market share for credit cards is only 4%, and why it is not a real threat for Casas Bahia own financial system as stated in the book, as well as why there is not much in here to help eradicat poverty in Brazil. Annual inflation today in Brazil is in the order of 3-4%, and the Brazilian currency, the "Real" have been steadily revaluating against the dollar for the last 3 years. However, interest rates in Brazil are sky-high, a legacy of the hyper-inflation times of twenty years ago. Interest rates for well-known international credit cards are 9-11% per month, which compounded translates to an annual rate close to 180%, regardless of whether you're poor or rich. Today retail chain stores of this type charge around 3% per month, embedded in the price of the consumer products, so the consumer doesn't know up-front the real price. This translates to a compounded rate of 43% per year. Often if you try to pay upfront, there is no discount. So where is the real benefit for the poor? Or are they just getting every day more indebted, and spending money on fat interests that they could have used to buy more or better food or better health services for their kids. I do not see where poverty eradication fits in this case. Obviously Brazil has a problem of lack of real competition in the capitalist sense; even the branches of American Banks doing business in Brazil charge these exorbitant rates. As a reference for the readers, you can buy a 30Gb iPod in Brazil for the "reasonable" amount of US$1,000, payable in 12 installments, and for the high price we also have to thank the federal government high taxes on almost everything. Coming back to the case, as an additional "benefit", you only can make the payments in person at stores of the retail chain, just to make sure the poor are tempted every month and come back for more when they are close to payback that debt. That's why there is a 77% of clients who make reapeat purchases as the book reports. Not surprisingly the case description mentions the criticism "that Casas Bahia simply exploits the poor and charges them exorbitant interest rates", but neglects to present a due explanation of why this is not truth, and simply disregards the cristicism.
5. Finally, Mr. Prahalad is extremely optimistic. At he end of Chapter 6 and in his own words: "I have no doubt that the elimination of poverty and deprivation is possible by 2020". This prophecy speaks by itself about the reliability of the analysis. And again, let's remember that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. All the book presents is anecdotal evidence, which is not proof as any scientist knows, and the framework presented has no predictive power, much less to assert that poverty will end by 2020.
Unquestionably an excellent business book, and a very innovative one, but just for that, business. That's why to me it only deserves 3 stars. On the other hand, not much value-added in there for doing real sustainable development across the board, as the author insinuates and some of the readers think, and certainly not much for real poverty eradication. For that outrageous addition to the book's title I took the other 2 stars. The "Erradicating poverty through profits" part of the book's title should be erased, so the book really deserves the 5 stars most reviewers gave to it (and as the previous reviewer rightly complained, the cases were really awfully edited for the paperback edition, even with repeated sentences). Definitely this book is not recommended if you are serious about new ideas for sustainable development. For a real book on that subject, read the recently publicated "The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It" by Paul Collier, though its scope refers mainly to very poor African countries, it is an example of a serious and proper approach to the problem of eradicating poverty. To understand the complexities of promoting development, you may also read "Making Globalization Work" by Joseph Stiglitz. These two books will clearly ilustrate why "The Fortune at the BOP" is not a book on development, and absolutely, no Nobel Prize is deserved.
Hardcover and tradepaperback are different!!!.......2007-04-13
Here is a note I sent to the editor after buying the tradepaperback version.
Your editorial staff has done something so dumb I am astounded! (Also really $%^& mad.) The hardcover and trade paperback versions of CK Prahalad - The fortune at the bottom of the pyramid, are NOT the same. I assigned readings from this book to my class of 100 students. They went and bought the book and found that the case studies aren't there. On closer investigation I see that you shortened the case studies and renamed the chapters. Unfortunately the editing on the shortening is terrible and I simply can't ask my students to read such badly written material.
You did several things wrong
1) You sell two books with identical titles and covers, which have different content
2) You edited very very badly
3) You did this on an award winning book with high visibility
As far as I can tell there is no way for anyone to figure out that the content is different except in the very rare case that they own both versions.
This is a black mark on the Wharton name. What were you thinking?
-james
at last a pragmatic approach to develpment.......2007-01-09
Prahalad'book "the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid" demonstrates the importance to get the people we are "supposed" to help to get involved. The bottom up approach is in line with William Shaffeerly and David Bornstein books where the people are key to any lasting development. The top down approach a la Jeffrey Sacks are fine for the politicians but did not bring much results after all these years. It is time for a change in approach and the Nobel Price to Dr. M.Yunus is very encouraging.
Magical .......2006-08-29
FBP is an intriguing concept and the model can be scaled up or down in size in all parts of the world. The book serves as a wake up call to businessmen across the world.
Product Description
This is the newly expanded version of the world's greatest treasury of health secrets. The information in this book is not a substitute for personal medical advice. Before making any decision regarding your health, please consult a physician. Telephone numbers, prices, offers and web sites listed in this book are accurate at the time of publication, but they are subject to frequent change.
Customer Reviews:
Let the buyer beware.......2007-09-16
Even as I type this review I have five, yes, 5 Bottomline Invoices on my desk (I've returned the books, but their accounting department is apparently inadequately staffed). Against my better judgment, but seduced by masterful marketing emails, I ordered Bottomline Book of Moneysavers ($35.92), Healthbreakthroug 2007 ($35.95),Prescription Alternatives ($35.92), Bottomline Uncommon Cures ($33.91), and Superhealing, Unlimited ($39.91).
I, perhaps fortunately, didn't have time to peruse all of them, but the two I looked at were hundreds of pages of brief paragraphs, nuggets of information, teasers. Supposedly written by experts, but there would be an opposing opinion by another expert on the same subject on another page.
I found it very frustrating, both not enough information, and way, way too much on too many topics. Much of the information is common sense or widely disseminated.
In reality, I may very well purchase these books, but certainly NOT from Bottomline. The Amazon Marketplace serves me well. I firmly believe, given the quality of these books, there will be an endless supply of "Like New" for pennies on the dollar.
below zero.......2007-08-12
In general, I consider all Bottom Line books a SCAM. I subscribed to their newsletter and instead of sending info, I was sent the same come-on's that if i paid more i could get the answers. They usually tell you things that you already know, if you have been reading health reports and these are things you can get on the internet.
"Every" Imaginable Health-Related Topic Covered.......2007-08-06
This may not be exactly the world's biggest treasury, but it sure is comprehensive! It discusses not only intuitively-obvious topics related to health, but also such things as emotional health, light therapy, antibacterial soap, giving advice to others, snoring, the onset of puberty, lactose intolerance, longevity, insomnia, health-wise computer use, various alternative therapies, etc.
There is varied discussion of conventional treatments. For instance, Luvox (Fluvoxamine) usually helps compulsive gamblers (p. 459). The Water Pik is said to be the best adjunct to regular and prolonged tooth brushing (p. 371).
Every topic in this book has its own author. Dr. Kenneth Cooper, who wrote AEROBICS in 1968, now advocates non-strenuous exercise, although he himself maintains a running regimen (reminiscent of his earlier "Cooper's Poopers"). He says that a 30-minute brisk walk, done 5 times a week, constitutes sufficient exercise for the adult (pp. 375-376). Excessive exercise risks injuries.
To test the ability of vitamins to dissolve in the intestine, one should do the vinegar-dissolution test (pp. 536--537). If a vitamin pill doesn't dissolve in vinegar heated to 100 F within 45 minutes, it won't dissolve inside you. However, proof of dissolution may not necessarily be proof of absorption in the intestine, nor of bioavailability at the cellular level.
I bought this here after seeing the infomercial.......2007-05-22
I give it a thumbs up. I've tried many of the suggestions throughout the book on friends and family and it's going on a shelf in with my collections to refer to. A must have, especially at some of the prices available here!
Save your money.......2007-05-17
I paid only 4.00 but I still consider it a waste of money. I feel sorry for the people who pay $39 plus shipping on the infomercial.
Book Description
A Practical Guide to Using the Principles of Servant Leadership
Leadership is a calling. And servant leadership—the idea that managing with respect, honesty, love, and spirituality empowers employees—helps individuals answer that calling. Bestselling author and former Fortune 500 executive James A. Autry reveals the servant leader’s tools, a set of skills and ideals that will transform the way business is done. It helps leaders nurture the needs and goals of those who look to them for leadership. The result is a more productive, successful, and happier organization, and a more meaningful life for the leader. Autry reveals how to remain true to the servant leadership model when handling day-to-day and long-term management situations, including how to:
•Provide guidance during conflict and crisis
•Assure your continued growth and progress as a leader
•Train managers in the principles of servant leadership
•Transform a company with morale problems into a great place to work
Practiced by one-third of the companies on Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list, servant leadership is a thriving philosophy. Ultimately, Autry explores how it can be a valuable, refreshing, and rewarding approach to leading others in business life.
“When I first read Jim’s work, I was thrilled. Finally, someone had clearly and con-cisely articulated these principles in a way that people can quickly adopt into their lives.”—from the foreword by Howard Behar, retired president, Starbucks
“This is an awesome book. James Autry’s gift is that he brings lofty ideals down to earth with general illustrations that make them easy to understand and apply. I highly recommend it!”—Jack Canfield, coauthor, Chicken Soup for the Soul
“The Servant Leader describes the kind of leadership upon which Starbucks Coffee Company has been built and is a concept that is closely aligned with our mission and guiding principles.” —Howard Schultz, chairman, Starbucks
Customer Reviews:
Use this book for coaching managers & execs.......2007-07-27
As an executive coach, I often rely on books for extra inspiration for my clients. James Autry's Servant Leader book is the one I most often recommend to clients. The first half of the book is especially compelling and succinct, and it supplements my efforts to instill change in old-style managers and executives. There are plenty of "servant leader" books available, but this is the one I turn to every time.
Great book, even better concept..........2006-12-28
The Servant Leader has a great title and develops the concept. It only falls short in giving true-to-life, concrete examples. If you are new to the concept of servant leadership, this is a great starter. Great book!
Servant Leadership "Must-Read".......2006-08-21
James Autry's (2001) book is essential reading for the servant-leader and servant-led who are looking for practical tools to change organizational culture. The book was arranged in four major sections: "A Foundation of Character and Vision" (pp. 1-36); Servant as Manager: The Everyday Nuts and Bolts" (pp. 37-98); The Harsh Realities of Organizational Life" (pp. 99-154); and "Finding the Balance" (pp. 155-240).
His main contribution to servant-leadership is threefold: (a) he rightly points out the famous proverb about managers doing things right and leaders doing the right things is not a prescription that recommends leaders to think only of the forest and not the trees; "instead, it is meant to define what a manager must move beyond (focusing on how to do) in order to become a leader (focusing on what to do and how to be" (pp. 37-38); (b) as an organizational leader with deep experience, he does not shy away from discussing the harder aspects of organizational life--he is an effective counterweight for some of the Pollyannaish literature; and (c) as an experienced organizational leader, he provides some management and leadership technologies and understandings that the theorist alone cannot.
"Because this concept of serving others is an essential part of what I believe about leadership, let me offer you a list of six things I believe about leadership:
1. Leadership is not about controlling people; it's about caring for people and being a useful resource for people.
2. Leadership is not about being boss; it's about being present for people and building a community at work.
3. Leadership is not about holding on to territory; it's about letting go of your ego, bringing your spirit to work, being your best and most authentic self.
4. Leadership is less concerned with pep talks and more concerned with creating a place in which people can do good work, can find meaning in their work, and can bring their spirits to work.
5. Leadership, like life, is largely a matter of paying attention.
6. Leadership requires love." (pp. 20-21).
Practical Leadership.......2002-10-07
A timely and insightful book. Autry brings a fresh prospective to the leadership and management table. Too often today we hear the negative aspects of leadership. Leaders are portrayed as being consumed with power and greed, not motivated to promote the company and protect the employee, but to advance their own wealth. The leader that Autry describes is much different. This leader is a servant first, placing high emphasis on the worth of the individual and believes that the people are what make and hold the company together.
Unlike other books on servant leadership, Autry gives the reader a clear, concise idea of how to apply the principals of servant leadership to the ethical and personal problems leaders face on a daily basis. He effectively illustrates "how to build a creative team, develop great morale and improve bottom-line performance". He introduces a concept that will be unsettling to some leaders when he states "Business is about people. Business is of, by, about and for people". As far as he is concerned organizations are not different, they may produce different or unique products, but they are all dependent on people and that is what makes them the same.
This is not a book about soft or fussy management; it relates to business practices that we use everyday. Instead of focusing on the bottom-line Autry's focus is on people. He believes that if he takes care of the people that work for him and treats them in a fair and ethical manner he will improve bottom line performance.
Autry addresses issues that HR professionals and leaders have to work with. The chapter on Finding the Right People is about recruiting. The chapter on Tools of the Trade focuses on job descriptions, performance standards, performance appraisals and rewards systems. Nothing touchy feely here, just areas that can either have a positive or negative impact on profits. These topics tie directly to the productivity of the company because, if done incorrectly, they will adversely affect moral and performance. There is also a great chapter on dealing with difficult employees, which I found very insightful.
This book is a great tool for the leader that is looking to have a positive impact on the lives of their employees. It acknowledges the fact that you will have legal and personal issues to deal with and it helps you work though the problems from a different prospective.
I highly recommend finding a place for it in your toolbox.
Vital for Future Leaders.......2002-01-23
I've just spend a thought-provoking afternoon with Jim Autry. No, I've never met the man. But, I feel like we've had a personal conversation and I can call him friend. That's the way this book reads. Now I'm motivated to read his previous books: "Love and Profit," "Life and Work," and others.
As a consulting futurist, I advise my client organization's leadership teams how to prepare for their future. The emphasis of my work is workforce and workplace issues. Looking at the design and performance of the corporation of the future, I'm confident that we'll see a significantly different style of leadership than we see in today's organizations. I teach-and-preach this shift in my consultations, seminars, and speeches to management groups. The emerging style is much more employee centered, less authoritarian. Some have called this emerging model "servant leadership," so I was eager to read Autry's book to learn about his perspective.
Though a consultant and speaker himself, Autry's "been there, done that." He's practiced the principles he espouses in a number of settings, including in his former role as president of the Meredith Corporation's publishing group. This experience enables him to present real-life examples from his personal leadership career, moving this book from an academic treatise to almost a personal story of "here's how I did it . . . and got great results." Readers of this book will enjoy a feeling of sitting in a comfortable setting having a conversation with this thought leader.
The book is organized into four parts. The first part, A Foundation of Character and Vision, presents two baseline chapters: Characteristics of the Leader as a Servant, and Understanding the Three Aspects of Vision. This portion of the book alone produced sufficient value for me that I knew I wanted to give this volume high marks. Managers and leaders may find themselves looking more introspectively at their own styles, values, and expectations as they read these pages. Sure started me thinking.
Part Two of the book gets into some nitty-gritty. Application of the servant leader approach. How to build a community of people who enjoy working productively together to achieve shared desired results. Listen to the chapter titles: Finding the Right People. Training the Servant Leader. Tools of the Trade. Coping with the High-Tech Workplace.
There were a couple of places in this portion of the book where my mind began to wander, but I was quickly drawn back to the text as I gained insight into how the principles of servant leadership work hand-in-hand with the more mundane aspects of management like job descriptions and performance appraisals. I turned down a lot of page corners.
The book's third section is entitled The Harsh Realities of Organizational Life. In three chapters, Organizational Issues, Personal Issues, and Legal Issues, Autry tackles everything from Firing People to Sexual Harassment. In the fourth part of the book, Autry gets into what he calls Finding the Balance. Hard work doesn't mean nose to the grindstone 18 hours a day. A servant leader builds loyalty (Servant Leadership and the Crisis of Loyalty), and helps resolve counterproductive problems in the workplace (Conflict). The other two chapters in this section address The Responsibilities of Family and Community Life and Leadership When Things Go Wrong and Times Are Bad. Good stuff for today's world!
The book closes with an interesting approach to an epilogue, Script for a Future Slide Show. In 24 snapshots of workplace situations in 2015, Autry gives us his glimpse of what life will be in the future with servant leadership. I doubt that we'll have to wait until 2015, agree that we'll see what he forecasts. I believe we'll see this leadership design in successful companies long before then, and it's application will engender positive differences in workforce stability, productivity, profitability, and the happiness of both leaders and led.
The book includes a workable index, but I would have liked to see a more comprehensive table of contents. With that aid, readers coming into this book would have a greater sense of the value they will receive. I'd encourage you to read this book, with a mind that is not only open from curiosity, but one that is open to make some changes in the way you lead.
Special note to aspiring future leaders: don't miss this one! And do some more reading on the topic as more books come out on servant leadership in the years ahead.
Book Description
""Businesses need to stop focusing on 'paradigm shifts' and 'strategic initiatives' and realize that none of that makes any sense if your front-line employees don't 'give a damn.'"" —Rhoda Olsen, President, Great Clips, Inc.
Transform the Your Bored, Uncaring ""Generation Why"" Young Workforce into a
Powerhouse of Performers and Innovators
According to the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs, by 2012 there will be a shortage of more than two million front-line service workers in retail sales, customer service, and food preparation. Only a fraction of the restless Generation Y workers who typically fill these positions stay with their employer longer than a year! Dubbed ""kidployees,"" these 16- to 24-year-olds share an entirely different set of values, expectations, and skills that must be reckoned with if you're among the millions of business owners and managers in America.
In Getting Them to Give a Damn, nationally recognized Generation Y expert Eric Chester shows readers how to hire, train, manage, and motivate a workforce that won't blindly conform to traditional standards and time-honored company policies and standards. Chester reveals the management techniques that leading-edge employers are using to get these quirky, book-smart, and streetwise kidployees to contribute in innovative and entrepreneurial ways.
Customer Reviews:
Motivate Young Employees.......2005-12-19
I was often puzzled by employees in their early 20s. They brought different values, expectations and skills to the workplace. My job was to teach them the service ethic, to keep them long enough to get the benefit of my training efforts and keep them motivated to put in a good day's work.
This book addresses those issues. Any employer today needs to inform themselves on how to deal with this age group.
A 'must' for any member of the 'next generation employer'.......2005-10-11
Eric Chester's Getting Them To Give A Damn: How To Get Your Front Line To Care About Your Bottom Line provides an excellent key to turning uncaring employees into performers and innovators. The latest generation shares a new set of values and won't blindly conform to company policy - but they can be motivated, and 'Generation Y expect' author Eric Chester shows how. From recruiting the best new employees to using different types of training to make them loyal, this is a 'must' for any member of the 'next generation employer'.
A 'must' for any member of the 'next generation employer'.......2005-10-11
Eric Chester's Getting Them To Give A Damn: How To Get Your Front Line To Care About Your Bottom Line provides an excellent key to turning uncaring employees into performers and innovators. The latest generation shares a new set of values and won't blindly conform to company policy - but they can be motivated, and 'Generation Y expect' author Eric Chester shows how. From recruiting the best new employees to using different types of training to make them loyal, this is a 'must' for any member of the 'next generation employer'.
If you employ them and want to retain them...Read this Book!.......2005-08-17
If you employ a team or are looking to employ (and retain) a team that includes anyone in the 15 to 25 age bracket, this book is an absolute MUST READ.
Several very good examples of what other successful operators are doing and plenty of food for thought that can lead to real application in your business.
A great investment and a very good read!
Much-Needed Book, Right on Target.......2005-05-03
If you are a business owner employing people between the ages of 16 and 24, buy, read, absorb, and apply this book. If you are a manager or supervisor in any kind of company where you are responsible for employees between the ages of 16 and 24, buy, read, absorb, and apply this book. If you are the confused parent of one or more children between the ages of 16 and 24, buy, read, absorb, and apply this book. If you are an educator of students between the ages of 16 and 24, buy, read, absorb, and apply this book. Are we communicating here?
OK, your first reaction is the profanity in the book title. Live with it! You will find the word a few places in the text, but it's there to make a point. Yes, the writing is punchy, direct, and pushes the envelope of your thinking. However, so do the attitudes and behavior of your young people. We older folks (let's say that term refers to all us gray beards over 35) need to wake up and smell the differences between today's young workers and their counterparts in previous generations. They are different, and must be managed differently. Learn how and succeed. Ignore the lessons of this book and continue to pour profits down the drain by recruiting, training, recruiting, training, recruiting, training, ad nauseum.
Eric Chester is respected as the leading authority on this age group, assuming that anyone can be an expert on kidployees. As a consultant and author in the workforce field, I'm very comfortable telling you that the man is right-on in his writing as he is in his speaking. He'll grab you at the beginning of the book and hold your attention with anecdotes (some from his own life) and lessons learned. In page after page, Chester presents knowledge, insight, techniques, and advice that-if heeded-can substantially strengthen a manager's effectiveness.
In the first of five well-organized sections of the book, you'll gain valuable perspectives about the 16-24 year olds (Generation Why), noting how and why they're different...and how the difference can be a powerful asset for your company. Subsequent sections address how to attract, keep, and connect with this important employee group. The last section offers important insight into some employers who get it right...why and how. An index supplements the text, enabling you to go back to particular sections for refresher readings.
You will be amazed at how much the author has packed into this comfortably-sized book.
After you're finished with your first reading, you'll probably be inspired to buy copies for other managers in your organization. Wait. I take that back. That inspiration will come to you before you've finished with the book. It hit me somewhere about half through the pages.
Warning: if your competitor uses this book and you do not, you are in big trouble!
Book Description
'Bottom-Line Call Center Management breaks new ground by addressing key skills and techniques in assessing and implementing effective management practices to maximize the human and capital resources at the call center manager's disposal. Drawing on the author's unique data sets and years of research experience in the industry, 'Bottom-Line Call Center Management' helps call center managers evaluate their current status, implement cost-effective changes, and measure results of their changes to ensure a culture of accountability within the call center at all levels increasing the bottom line.
The processes include an evaluation of current customer service representatives, defining, delimiting and assessing the labor shed of the center, and exploring the customer service representative's unique skills and leveraging those skills into a unique and dynamic work environment. Likewise, the process also determines the learning skills and competencies necessary to meet and exceed the basic requirements for all call centers. Furthermore, each step has a pre, in-process, and post evaluation to ensure projects are progressing according to plan. Lastly, all evaluations are measured against the bottom line through a return on investment (ROI) model.
The framework for this book uses the culture of call centers, defined and lived through the customer service representatives, as the lens to view all processes, measurements, accountability and return on investment. This framework is critical since there has been much emphasis on technology-as-a-solution which treats the employees as a hindrance instead of the enablers of positive change. Likewise, customer service representatives eventually act as strong determinants of success with the call center and thus the bottom line.
*The only book to focus on accountability in call center management within a framework of progressive management and HR practices
*Draws on the author's unique data sets about best practices in call center management
*Step-by-step processes to assess, implement, and measure the ROI of effective management practices, with pre-, in-process, and post-evaluation built in
Customer Reviews:
A hands-on guide to customer running customer call centers.......2004-05-20
Until recently, customer call centers were very much back-end operations, out of site and out of the minds of corporate chiefs. That was before several recent high-profile fiascos in the US, UK and Australia, where badly-run call centers destroyed in a few months the customer goodwill that had been expensively built up over years.
It doesn't have to be that way. David Butler shows how call centers can be a bottom-line asset to companies, not just a money sink. It cites, for example, the case of a highly cost-effective center in the south-west United States with an annual employee turnover of under 3% and (if I guess the real identity of the company correctly) many happy repeat customers, including myself.
David Butler owns a call center management company and is a recognized expert on the subject. "Bottom-Line Call Center Management" contains detailed information on where best to locate new call centers, how to evaluate and implement new call center technology, how to calculate the value of a call center in dollar terms, and how to create an environment that will attract and retain a loyal and productive staff.
For those of us on the customer side of the business, Dr Butler stresses the need to ensure that representatives are familiar with the products they support or sell. Call center representatives, just like all customer-facing staff, need to understand how customers use the company products and services. If representatives can't articulate product knowledge and understand customer concerns, they really are just a "cost center" and, as the author repeatedly warns, are in danger of having their jobs eliminated or sent abroad. That represents a disaster to their communities and a financial loss to the companies that employed them.
Product Description
HEALTH & HEALING TIPS FROM SOME OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST EXPERTS!
Book Description
In The Referral of a Lifetime, author Tim Templeton frames a powerful plan for cultivating clients and customers in a fable about businesswoman Susie McCumber, who feels increasingly like a failure. A friend refers her to the mysterious Mr. Highground, who introduces her to four successful people. They show her how they transformed their businesses and their lives by determining how others view them and how they view themselves as both human beings and businesspeople. Each of the four represents a "type" in this schema - from the "relational/business" type who puts the relationship first but thinks strategically when the talk turns to business, to the "business/business" type, who avoids relationships unless they work to a business advantage. Templeton shows how understanding one's type allows one to showcase strengths while improving weak areas in this simple, easy-to-use guide to success in business and in life.
Customer Reviews:
Simple and Powerfull.......2007-06-15
Tim Templeton offers a fun, crisp read that brings to life a simple but powerfull network marketing system that virtually anyone in business can adapt to their own style.
I have given away several copies to my leads group memebers and have my copy all marked up with highlights.
I's a keeper.
PROMISED MUCH - DELIVERED NOTHING.......2007-06-11
There are very few good books on referrals - This is not one of them
Relationship Marketing.......2007-04-12
Tim Templeton's book is an excellent resource for any one who wants to learn about relationship marketing. This book is a perfect fit with the BNI philosophy of "Givers Gain". Building relationships that last a lifetime will generate more business than just going for the "sale". Reading this book will help you to start building those relationships.
Golden Rule in real life sales.......2007-03-25
This book is a blueprint for putting the Golden Rule into your business. This is just what I have been looking for, validation that you can do the right thing AND make money.
gwolf.......2007-01-09
One of the top books on the philosphy and mechanics of nerworking.
A direct approach for the everday person. I have given this book to colleagues and clients. I read this after Never Eat Alone and Endless Referrals and truly enjoyed it.
Book Description
The Triple Bottom Line is the groundbreaking book that charts the rise of sustainability within the business world and shows how and why financial success increasingly goes hand in hand with social and environmental achievement. Andrew Savitz chronicles both the real problems that companies face and the innovative solutions that can come from sustainability. His is a hard-line approach to bottom-line fundamentals that is re-making companies around the globe.
Customer Reviews:
If You Want To Get Fluent Fast, Read This Book.......2007-02-20
This book is for interested general consumption rather than a technical practitioners' text book and as such is more than successful in teaching the basics of the triple bottom line. I'm not quite sure why some of the Amazon reviewers seem so testy about this, as the majority of American business management (mid-baby boom and above) never encountered much if anything about corporate responsibility (or ethics) in the curricula they studied on their way up. To consider what that means for concepts like the triple bottom line, pretend that for 25 years today's generation of senior managers had never been told to maximize shareholder value and now in 2007 were expected to internalize the concept and reflexively apply it to everything they do. Particularly from that point of view, Savitz' book is a superb tool to help people become intelligently informed on basic issues of corporate responsibility and sustainability. What individuals do with that is up to that is up to them, but the writing's good, the ideas are clear, the concepts are thought-provoking, and it's the kind of book that drives one to want to learn more. The graphics are particularly useful and uncluttered.
OK as an "Appetizer" not as the "Main Course" for Sustainability.......2007-01-11
While the book's title intrigued me, the amount of coverage in each topic left me hungry for more. As a noted Big Six Consultant, I was sure that Mr. Savitz would have had more to offer, but feel that he fell short. Here are my reasons.
Specifically, his use of specific examples were noteworthy, but the level of detail he provided left me asking more questions than he had answeres for. He also fell short in following through on specific tangental areas, such as describing more about emerging EU directives, as some of his competitors describe in their books.
Other examples include his description of the Maine power company struggle as well as the issues related to Hershey Foods, which could have benefited from more detail and expansive information and then closing with a "lessons learned" to captivate the reader. Perhaps the fault could lie in his choice of a co-author, someone who may be a writer, but is not a subject matter expert - you need someone in that capacity to help pull it all together.
Practical guide for sustainability planning.......2007-01-05
Savitz does a nice job laying the foundation for sustainability thinking in the first part of the book and then provides a "how to" guide in the second part. Almost to a fault for intellectual thinkers the author appears to intentionally avoid complex and underlying theories associated with sustainability concepts. The result is a well written and straight forward practical book rich with examples which makes it easy for just about anyone to read and understand.
Preaching To The Choir.......2006-12-14
The book is divided into two parts -- a lecture on sustainability and then some general things to think about. The book's first half was a lesson to which a reader would have likely already bought into. The second half promises to deliver on "how to make it happen," but really is more general information than meaningful tools.
Given the author's prior work at PricewaterhouseCoopers, it is understandable that the book reads like a macro-level consultant's report. The book could have carried more weight with the inclusion of science and hard numbers of how to actually measure environmental and social value.
An alternative book for readers looking for more solid advice could be "Green to Gold."
Engaging guide to better fiscal, environmental, and social performance........2006-12-11
Sustainability is "the art of doing business in an interdependent world" according to consultant Andrew W. Savitz, who urges companies to focus on the "triple bottom line": solid profit, environmental quality and improved human welfare. Drawing on his experience as head of PricewaterhouseCoopers' sustainability practice, Savitz (writing with Karl Weber) makes a compelling case for moving your business toward "a sustainability sweet spot" where shareholders, environmental interests and other stakeholders can all feel satisfied. Sound like reheated corporate responsibility leftovers? Don't worry. This book offers much more than soft-headed "birdies and butterflies" rhetoric or a few threadbare anecdotes. Savitz marshals truly compelling arguments based on widely accepted demographic, regulatory and cultural trends. Even robber barons will feel the pull of his message, partly because the book is so engaging and well-paced that it reads like a novel, and partly because his prescriptions are so clear, coherent and actionable that they seem like common sense. We highly recommend this sustainability guidebook to those who want to begin the journey on which such companies as Toyota, GE, PepsiCo, Nike and Unilever have already embarked. Bottom line: you can't afford to ignore sustainability.
Book Description
Shows how to enhance our performance and improve our organizations by developing healthier self-concepts of ourselves and in others. A personal development and leadership guide to creating a work environment where self-determination and openness are the rule, offers strategies for heightening our awareness of ourselves and others as a key factor in shaping our relationships to work.
Offers a field-tested approach to improving organizational effectiveness, introducing innovative tools and exercises--including the concordance model of decision making, the Team Compatibility Index for team building, the Work Relations Index for improved individual performance, and the leader as completer concept of leadership--to promote creativity and openness at work.
Customer Reviews:
What a helpful book!!.......2000-09-22
I found this book completely helpful to know myself better and to know how the relationships work. Although my native tongue is spanish, I find it very easy and friendly to read it in english. I have answered the most of the questions about inclusion, control, openness and now I try to have a better quality of relationship every day. I understand the reactions that come from me and the different groups around me. This book helps me to be a better woman every day. Thanks Will Schutz for this gift!!!
A clear read on interpersonal behaviors........1998-08-24
This book is easy to read and the concepts are key in teams, groups, and one-on-one relationships. Shutz creates many opportunities to apply the concepts to real life and use the information to improve the way in which people relate to one another.
Schutz's Magnum Opus...a phenomenal workplace breakthrough........1997-08-22
The best exposition of how to truly succeed in business. Will Schutz strips away the myths of personal dynamism and strategic planning as foundations of leading workers in business today. Schutz, writing with elegance, simplicity and stark clarity builds a compelling case for basing business success on telling the truth,with personal awareness, in every situation. The author mixes the rational, scientific approach to business leadership with a superbly crafted series of right-brained activities such as imagery and drawing on memories. Highly recommended for anyone tired of trying to achieve higher productivity through successive reorganizations and "downsizing."
Product Description
NATURAL TREATMENTS TO COMMON & CHRONIC ILLNESSES
Books:
- The Guilt of Nations: Restitution and Negotiating Historical Injustices
- The Hunters (A Presidential Agent Novel)
- The March: A Novel
- The Mountain Meadows Massacre
- The North Carolina Experience: An Interpretive and Documentary History
- The Occupation: War and Resistance in Iraq
- The Pack: Touch Of The Wolf (Book 5) (Silhouette Nocturne)
- The Politically Incorrect Guide(tm) to Islam (and the Crusades) (Politically Incorrect Guides)
- The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics
- The Road to Arnhem: A Screaming Eagle in Holland (World War II Library)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Mexifornia : A State of a Becoming
- Dead and Dateless: A Novel of Vampire Love
- Protocols for Neural Cell Culture
- The Body in the Kelp: A Faith Fairchild Mystery
- Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith
- Creating, Implementing, & Managing Effective Training & Development: State-of-the-Art Lesson
- A Moorland Hanging
- The Barn: Classic Barns of North America
- The Smart Loft
- Flowering Trees of the World for Tropics and Warm Climates
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Capitalism at the Crossroads: Aligning Business, Earth, and Humanity (2nd Edition) (Wharton School Publishing Paperbacks)
Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty
The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time
How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas
The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else
