Skills Books - Page 17

Working With You is Killing Me: Freeing Yourself from Emotional Traps at Work

Katherine Crowley, Kathi Elster

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Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Business Life -> General AAS
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Management & Leadership -> Motivational

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Scratch the surface of any company and you uncover a group of people often rubbing each other the wrong way in a hotbed of emotions?people feeling anxious about performance, angry with co-workers, and misunderstood by management. Leaders are burnt-out and assistants are buried in resentment. WORKING WITH YOU IS KILLING ME helps readers unhook" from these emotional pitfalls in the office and work with any personality, whether dealing with a peer, subordinate, or boss. Readers learn about the most common types of destructive workplace relationships including The Empty Pit," where a coworker starts out as nice but turns needy and The Saboteur," where sweet talk quickly turns into sabotage. Valuable insights include: Documentation in place of frustration: When passed over for a promotion or a coworker takes credit for your work, don't flip out. List your accomplishments or create a record of your involvement via email or memo. Take control by managing up: Instead of letting emotions get the better of you, avoid frustration by training your boss to meet regularly and always be prepared to report on your projects.Business Parenting: Employers should learn that being boss is always like being a parent and employees need to know exactly what's expected of them.

Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling

Harold Kerzner

Amazon Price: $68.60 List Price: $99.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Wiley Amazon Marketplace: 78 new & used starting at $51.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Not very good 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is quite bad. You can tell it is the ninth edition because the material does not flow or build upon itself, it contradicts itself from section to section, and fails to use the same terminology from one section to the next. The questions at the end of the chapters often have nothing to do with the content in the chapter and sometimes even refer to non-existent figures or charts, which further leads me to believe that this book suffers from bad editing. Finally, there are literally thousands upon thousands of bullet points in this book (it reminds me of one big boring PowerPoint presentation), so it is really tedius to read. In fact this book put me to sleep more often than not, so if you suffer from insomnia, this might be just what you need.

Editorial Review:

This Ninth Edition of the industry-leading project management “bible” applies its streamlined approach to new, authoritative coverage aligned with the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMI’s PMBOK), the new mandatory source of training for the Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification Exam. Written by one of the best-known authorities on the subject, this extraordinary edition gives a profound understanding of project management.

Content from this book is available as an online continuing professional education course at http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-320255.html#intro_pm.  WileyCPE courses are available on demand, 24 hours a day, and are approved by the American Institute of Architects.

The 25 Best Time Management Tools & Techniques: How to Get More Done Without Driving Yourself Crazy

Pamela Dodd, Doug Sundheim

Amazon Price: $14.93 List Price: $21.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Peak Performance Press, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 31 new & used starting at $13.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Trust this title! 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Trust this title! This book really does contain The 25 Best Time Management Tools & Techniques. Ultimately this will tell you How to Get More Done Without Driving Yourself Crazy. Let's face it--24 hours in a day don't seem nearly long enough when you have multiple projects and deadly deadlines. These authors have put together strategies that actually work, simply because they have proven these techniques themselves. Both of them are out in the business world and therefore understand the time constraints, which led them to develop a solution for success.

The basic idea of the book is terrific. The authors read the top 20 time management books on the market and compiled the best advice into one easy-to-read book. Getting the benefit from 20 top-selling authors makes this one book a valuable resource. Five specific areas are covered: Focus, Plan, Organize, Take Action and Learn. A steady progression of ideas and actions are presented, allowing the reader time to think through the principles and actually apply them. Although it's best to read the book straight through, if a reader is tight on time, these specific categories can be used to find certain areas that may need immediate improvement. Already, the book saves the reader time!

The 25 tools and techniques mentioned in the title have the potential to positively affect anyone in the business world. These principles are clear and concise, but most importantly, they are realistic. While they involve a lot of concepts already known to successful people, having them arranged in this manner was a definite plus. From prioritizing to organizing, this book takes the reader into the corporate world and gives them a solid and secure route to achieving maximum productivity.

An annotated bibliography and a couple bonus sections are helpful, although some readers may be overwhelmed with all the additional information. As a sourcebook and a place of ready reference, this book is a hands-down winner. Anyone in the business world can benefit from this book, whether they are a seasoned CEO or a bright-eyed and excited entrepreneur.

There is a definite upbeat attitude by the authors, drawing readers in and assuring them that success and time management can be achieved, once their relationship is understood and applied. Practical advice is freely given, and detailed plans of action are both clear and informative. There are principles to help the reader say no, delegate work and communicate better.

In an exciting and wonderful way, this book practices what it preaches. It gleans the best advice, organizes it in a logical sequence, provides additional references and sums it all up for the reader. There is a lot of very useful information in this book. Sit down with a notebook beside you and prepare to be impressed at the authors' research and be ready to put these ideas into action. These field-tested, concrete management techniques can definitely help you get more done in the course of a day, while keeping sane. There is something useful on every page, and the way these techniques are presented makes the concepts readily available and easy to remember.

Raymond Le Blanc. psychotherapist & economist
Author: Achieving Objectives Made Easy! Practical goal setting tools & proven time management techniques

Editorial Review:

A no-fluff, easy-to-read compilation of the best advice from the top 20 time management books. Recommendations cover five areas: Focus, Plan, Organize, Take Action, and Learn. Short chapters cover the A to Z of time management from finding out what time means to you to prioritizing, overcoming procrastination, and managing stress and well being. You can read the book from start to finish or zero in on specific areas for improvement. The book includes a useful annotated bibliography and bonus sections on recommended books on being successful and how to buy books for much less.

The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company

David A. Price

Amazon Price: $18.45 List Price: $27.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Knopf Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $12.20

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Another whitewashed PR job for Pixar/Disney 1 out of 5 stars.
9 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I don't expect anyone to believe this, but I have to get it off my chest. Price's book gives credit to John Lasseter's wife for creating the character of Jessie in Toy Story 2. Nothing could be further from the truth. I wrote the second draft of TS2 as an independent contractor at Pixar for three months when Ralph Guggenheim was the producer and Ash Brannon was the sole director. Ken Mitchroney was a story artist on the project and the person who had recommended me to try to fix the ungodly mess that was the first draft. He had suggested the film have a cowgirl, and I agreed.

Ken did preliminary character sketches, one of which was quite similar to the final character (and modeled on his redheaded wife). The final design was done by Jill Colton, also uncredited. I created Jessie on the page -- she was named and partially modeled after my friend Jessie Horsting, former West Coast Editor of Fantastic Films Magazine -- along with most of the film structure as it currently exists (the major exception being the third act, which I was much less involved with).

Not only did Lasseter's wife not have a thing to do with the movie, Lasseter didn't have much to do with it either. I never saw him once during my time at the production (and his taking co-credit for, and accepting awards on behalf of, the movie was a factor in Ash Brannon [SURF'S UP] leaving Pixar as well). After I left Disney showed up with their army of useless middle management, fired everybody, replaced them with their corporate flunkies, and let the project languish for another year. Rita Hsiao wrote a credited version, yet as far as I know what she did was stick post-its under storyboards. But, you know, she worked for Disney and was credited with Mulan. Woo hoo.

Finally Lasseter threw Andy Stanton at the project, the smartest thing he could have done. He made changes I wish I'd thought of and gave it a strong third act. Of Rita Hsiao's influence on the script I can't imagine a trace. Yet when story credit was handed out, Disney (yes, Disney; nobody actually involved with the picture determined story credit, and as a result people who literally did not write a word on the project got equal or higher billing, along with, quelle surprise, the aforementioned Ms. Hsiao) did not credit my script. If anything, I created Jessie and the Woody's Roundup scenes.

Ken Mitchroney designed the character of Zurg as well. Ken was a friend of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth and has done a ton of Rat Finks and Hotrod/Tiki designs. Hey, what a surprise: Zurg is really a Tiki head! Look at him again. Ken also conceived, storyboarded, and pretty much created the traffic cone scene. He's the voice of Zurg on the ride at Disneyland.

Does Prices' book go even mention us? It is to laugh. This is just another book-length press release in which the writer nods his fannish head excitedly and scribbles on a legal pad while essentially acting as a mouthpiece for someone who is more than happy to take credit for the considerable work of others far more creative than he will ever be. It happily abandons any attempt at research and jumps on the bus of easily digestible corporate myth. Do you seriously think John Lasseter co-directed Toy Story 2? If you folks saw the pile of bodies those cute li'l characters stand on -- well, I have no doubt you'd still pony up your $12 and pack the theaters.

You never hear about this stuff because writers are afraid they won't work in this industry again. I, on the other hand, have nightmares that I will. Maybe this will help prevent that.

Is Price's book worthless because I didn't get credit? No, that's not the axe I'm grinding here. It's worthless because it's essentially a souvenir, a piece of memorabilia created, by proxy, by its subject matter. And I'm mad about it even now because I get to see paper towels and toy store aisles and coupon ads chock full of stuff that came out of my head (without any credit or compensation beyond a weekly salary -- and try finding a lawyer who will take on Disney), and continually witness people fed this lying corporate pablum, and here's yet another example by a lazy fanboy who doesn't bother to go beyond the same self-serving sources. It ain't so, folks.

Editorial Review:

The roller-coaster rags-to-riches story behind the phenomenal success of Pixar Animation Studios, and the first in-depth look at the company that forever changed the film industry and the "fraternity of geeks" who shaped it.

Administrative Assistant's and Secretary's Handbook

James Stroman, Kevin Wilson, Jennifer Wauson

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Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Skills -> Secretarial Aids & Training
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Skills -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Between coordinating meetings, making travel arrangements, and running the phone lines, being a professional administrative assistant requires an astonishing and varied range of skills involving interpersonal communication, written presentations, and organizational ability. Written in a down-to-earth style, "Administrative Assistant's and Secretary's Handbook" provides readers with information on subjects including record keeping, telephone usage, office machines, mail, business letters, and computer software skills.Now in its third edition, the book has been completely revised with expanded coverage of topics including electronic records management, interpersonal and communication skills, troubleshooting computer problems, time and stress management, customer service, event planning, web conferencing, math for office professionals, office management and supervision, transcription, and much more. Comprehensive and completely up-to-date, this is the book every administrative professional should own.

Mythologies

ROLAND BARTHES

By: Jonathan Cape London Amazon Marketplace: 6 new & used starting at $26.95

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A must for old-school Marxists and modern rhetoricians 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

In Mythologies, Barthes offers a series of snapshots with titles such as "Plastic," "Striptease," "Toys," "The World of Wrestling," and "Operation Margarine." His aim is to reveal the ideological abuse hidden in these myths, which are manufactured to read as reality.

Though complex, Barthes essays are accessible, charming, and funny. I have taught Mythologies to first-year college students, because it does not require its reader to have read volumes of theory to engage in Barthes' clever reflections.

My favorite essay might be "Toys," which demystifies modern (1954-56) French toys as designed to produce consumers ("users") rather than creators. "Toys" exemplifies how, 50 years later, Barthes' myths are still alive and worth reading.

Entertaining essays, dense critical theory 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I was assigned this text as the final leg of a Greek and Roman Mythology course. Having no idea what to expect, I easily read through the collection of short essays and was thoroughly entertained. Even in translation, Barthes is graceful, lighthearted, and humorous in telling of the modern myths surrounding him in 1950s France. A very well-educated philologist, lexicologist, and sociologist, it wasn't until after writing the short essays here compiled that he rigorously developed his semiological/structuralist theories. Those with knowledge of structural linguistics and semiology and those without such a background alike will certainly enjoy every essay of this brief collection.

Furthermore, the longer essay, "Myth Today," which follows the shorter essays published originally in the 50s is replete with extremely interesting, albeit dense, critical theory. While someone with little knowledge of structural linguistics or semiology will have some difficulty with this final essay, it is certainly worth the struggle.

The Software Requirements Memory Jogger: A Pocket Guide to Help Software And Business Teams Develop And Manage Requirements (Memory Jogger) (Memory Jogger)

Ellen Gottesdiener

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent content, deeply flawed concept 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I bought this because I have and like Gottesdiner's "Requirements by Collaboration." The idea of the "Memory Jogger" was very appealing. That is, my requirement was to have quick access to the essential requirements of the requirements process that I could use as a content and quality sanity check throughout the development project life cycle.

What "Memory Jogger" delivered was a good basic text on the requirements process presented in a virtually unusable format.

The rationale behind the "pocket-sized" format is beyond me. This will not fit into my pocket. I'm already carrying a laptop, a project binder (or two) and probably a flip chart; one more reasonably-sized book isn't going to make much difference in what I'm lugging around. Indeed, its size, shape, and weight guarantee that the "Memory Jogger" will either constantly slip from the stack I'm carrying around or get buried under the stacks on my desk.

The more serious problem with the format is that the type is too small. In attempting to fold a reasonably complete text on requirements into the inappropriate format, the publisher has reduced point size as well as cramped character spacing. In some sections the spacing between words has been reduced to the extent that the text is virtually unreadable.

An additional issue with the small page format is that most sentences are wrapped around multiple lines - one example that I'm looking at right now runs to five lines, making it hard to read and comprehend. Multi-column tables are obviously even worse. Let me emphasize that this is not because the content is verbose or poorly written; it's because of the constraints of the format.

The reviewer who was looking for flip charts or fold-outs is on the right track. I would also suggest that a more extensive use of color would have been useful, say by tipping the pages of each section in a different color. This would be a nice, fast visual indicator - one could flip quickly to the green section or the purple section as one needed.

Editorial Review:

The Software Requirements Memory Jogger is an easy-to-use guide for developing and managing precise software requirements. The Software Requirements Memory Jogger provides every member of your project team with the tools and techniques to foster communication between business and technical teams on the necessary requirements for producing successful software. The Software Requirements Memory Jogger will benefit all stakeholders at any organizational level involved in software development projects management team, practitioners, QA/QC personnel. - Explore practical steps, tips, and examples to help you develop and manage requirements - Follow the User Requirements Roadmap a toolkit of techniques for discovering and analyzing user requirements - Streamline communications between all requirements stakeholders - Learn how to write clear, concise requirements documents

The Restaurant Manager's Handbook: How to Set Up, Operate, and Manage a Financially Successful Food Service Operation 4th Edition - With Companion CD-ROM

Douglas Robert Brown

Amazon Price: $50.37 List Price: $79.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Atlantic Publishing Company (FL) Amazon Marketplace: 28 new & used starting at $39.95

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Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Industries & Professions -> Service

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The multiple award-winning Restaurant Manager s Handbook is the best-selling book on running a successful food service. Now in the fourth completely revised edition, nine new chapters detail restaurant layout, new equipment, principles for creating a safer work environment, and new effective techniques to interview, hire, train, and manage employees. We provide a new chapter on tips and IRS regulations as well as guidance for improved management, new methods to increase your bottom line by expanding the restaurant to include on- and off-premise catering operations. We ve added new chapters offering food nutrition guidelines and proper employee training. The Fourth Edition of the Restaurant Manager s Handbook is an invaluable asset to any existing restaurant owner or manager as well as anyone considering a career in restaurant management or ownership. All existing chapters have new and updated information. This includes extensive material on how to prepare a restaurant for a potential sale. There is even an expanded section on franchising. You will find many additional tips to help restaurant owners and managers learn to handle labor and operational expenses, rework menus, earn more from better bar management, and introduce up-scale wines and specialties for profit. You will discover an expanded section on restaurant marketing and promotion plus revised accounting and budgeting tips. This new edition includes photos and information from leading food service manufacturers to enhance the text. This new, comprehensive 800-page book will show you step-by-step how to set up, operate, and manage a financially successful food service operation. The author has taken the risk out of running a restaurant business. Operators in the non-commercial segment as well as caterers and really anyone in the food service industry will rely on this book in everyday operations. Its 28 chapters cover the entire process of a restaurant start-up and ongoing management in an easy-to-understand way, pointing out methods to increase your chances of success and showing how to avoid the many mistakes arising from being uninformed and inexperienced that can doom a restaurateur s start-up. The new companion CD-ROM contains all the forms demonstrated in the book for easy use in a PDF format. While providing detailed instruction and examples, the author leads you through finding a location that will bring success, learning how to draw up a winning business plan, how to buy and sell a restaurant, how to franchise, and how to set up basic cost-control systems. You will have at your fingertips profitable menu planning, sample restaurant floor plans and diagrams, successful kitchen management, equipment layout and planning, food safety, Hazardous and Critical Control Point (HACCP) information, and successful beverage management. Learn how to set up computer systems to save time and money and get brand new IRS tip-reporting requirements, accounting and bookkeeping procedures, auditing, successful budgeting and profit planning development. You will be able to generate high profile public relations and publicity, initiate low cost internal marketing ideas, and low- and no-cost ways to satisfy customers and build sales. You will learn how to keep bringing customers back, how to hire and keep a qualified professional staff, manage and train employees as well as accessing thousands of great tips and useful guidelines. This Restaurant Manager s Handbook covers everything that many consultants charge thousands of dollars to provide. The extensive resource guide details more than 7,000 suppliers to the industry virtually a separate book on its own. This reference book is essential for professionals in the hospitality field as well as newcomers who may be looking for answers to cost-containment and training issues.

Bookkeeping For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance))

Lita, MBA Epstein

Amazon Price: $13.59 List Price: $19.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: For Dummies Amazon Marketplace: 65 new & used starting at $7.18

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Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Small Business & Entrepreneurship -> Bookkeeping

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Accurate and complete bookkeeping is crucial to any business owner, but it’s also important to those who work with the business, such as investors, financial institutions, and employees. People both inside and outside the business all depend on a bookkeeper’s accurate recordings.

Bookkeeping For Dummies provides the easy and painless way to master this crucial art. You’ll be able to manage your own finances to save money and grow your business. This straightforward, no-nonsense guide shows you the basics of bookkeeping—from recording transactions to producing balance sheets and year-end reports. Discover how to:

• Outline your financial road map with a chart of accounts
• Keep journals of cash transactions
• Set up your computerized books
• Control your books, your records, and your money
• Buy and track your purchases
• Record sales returns and allowances
• Determine your employee [is “employee” necessary here?] staff’s net pay
• Maintain employee records
• Prepare your books for year’s end
• Report results and start over
• Produce an income statement
• Complete year-end payroll and reports

This guide features tips and tricks for managing your business cash with your books and also profiles important accounts for any bookkeeper. There’s no question that bookkeepers must be detail-oriented, meticulous, and accurate. Bookkeeping For Dummies shows you how to keep track of your business’s financial well-being and ensure future success!

The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World With Kindness

Linda Kaplan Thaler, Robin Koval

Amazon Price: $14.95 List Price: $21.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Oasis Audio Amazon Marketplace: 27 new & used starting at $13.09

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 65 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Nice book, but... 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

It's nice to be nice, and it works to be nice if you do it right. But don't try to be too nice, because it may not work. There is a good discussion about the reason in The Key To Career Success.

Editorial Review:

Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval have discovered a critical philosophy for getting to the top of their profession: be nice! In this audio, they share their own life and professional experiences, and the stories of other successful businesses, to demonstrate why, contrary to conventional wisdom, nice guys and gals do finish first. They challenge the mean-spirited "me or you" mentality, showing with real-life examples that "nice" companies have lower employee turn-over and recruitment costs, higher productivity, and success. In today's complex and interconnected world, companies and people with a reputation for cooperation and fair play forge the kind of relationships that lead to bigger and better opportunities, both in business and in life. Filled with helpful tips and inspiring advice, The Power of Nice will transform how each of us lives and works.