5 comments about National Electrical Code 2008 Handbook (National Fire Protection Association//National Electrical Code Handbook).

1. This book is a must have.... That's why I can hardly wait to get one! Seriously, if you are an electrician and need to argue your case to an inspector this book (if it's like all it's predecessors) is the authority to help the inspector see your reasoning. After all, this book was written by the NFPA (The same agency that produces the NEC)! If you are an apprentice then you should buy this book instead of the 2008 NEC Code Book. This book has detailed explanations, pictures, and examples to help you understand most if not all the legalese found in the code. It also has the complete 2008 NEC text. If you want to be an expert on electrical code then this is the text for you!



2. I bought this book recently as a gift for my husband who is a master electrician. He loves this book!!! Its a great reference because it provides pictures and blue prints on exaclty what the code is explaining. If your in this trade, you cannot live with out this book. Its definetely an updated version from the NEC 2005!



3. The explainations aid with the technical aspects of the code.
   If you are not already in the trade, it won't be much help.
   Definatley not for the "do-it-yourselfer" or for the "jack of all trades".
   It may give someone pause enough to hire a professional rather than attempting to do the work themselves.
   Not a bad thing when it comes to electric work.



4. es un buen libro tiene mucha ilustracion good book have interesting ilustracion to electricistas recomendado recomended



5. I like the NEC because it is a guide for preforming electrical jobs in the workplace. If I don't know the local jurisdiction's preference, I can use the NEC and proceed from there with little fear of reprisal from those concerned authorities. I like the fact that there is a national standard that field techs can refer to for quick reference and guidance on job assignments. This book can save a lot of telephoning for answers to electrical questions.

2 comments about The New Age of Innovation: Driving Cocreated Value Through Global Networks.

1. How to prosper in the "N = 1 and R = G" world
   
   I have read and then reviewed all of C.K. Prahalad's previous books and thus was especially interested in reading this book, co-authored with M.S. Krishnan. As they explain in the Introduction, "We view innovation as shaping consumer expectations as well as responding continually to the changing demands, behaviors, and experiences pf consumers. We must do this by accessing the best talent and resources available anywhere in the world. These two ideas must be connected - the resources of many to satisfy the needs of one.. We suggest that this is possible only if we pay attention to the glue that enables ideas to be transformed into operations. We will focus on the business processes and analytics as the glue."
   
   Prahalad and Krishnan acknowledge that there is a fundamental transformation now underway, worldwide, that will radically alter the very nature of an enterprise and how it creates value. This foundation of this transformation has two basic pillars:
   
   1. "Value is based on unique, personalized experiences of consumers. [begin italics] The focus is on the centrality of the individual. [end italics] We will designate this pillar as N = 1 (one consumer at a time.)"
   
   "2. No firm is big enough in scope and size to satisfy the experiences of one consumer at a time. [begin italics] The focus is on access to resources, not ownership of resources. [end italics] We will designate this [pillar as R = G (resources from multiple vendors and often from around the globe)."
   
   There are several key elements of this transformation. Prahalad and Krishnan focus on five: Value is shifting from products to solutions to experience; all companies seek access to the talent, components, products, and services they need from the best sources; flexible systems are a prerequisite and must be developed; resources in a company's ecosystem must be continually configured; and finally, specific models must be developed that enable a company to focus on one consumer from among the millions. These are indeed formidable challenges. Prahalad and Krishnan suggest a number of strategies and tactics to consider when responding to them. When proceeding through the rigorously and eloquent narrative of this book, it is imperative to keep in mind that their ultimate objective is to help companies to prosper in this "N = 1 and R = G" world. To that end, they share the most important business lessons learned from a number of exemplary companies that include Amazon.com, Apple Computer, eBay, Google, ICIC Bank, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Unilever, and United Parcel Service (UPS).
   
   To me, some of the most valuable material is provided in Chapter 5 (Pages 109-145) as Prahalad and Krishnan discuss the requirements of an information and communication technology (ICT) architecture and the governance mechanisms that can connect business processes and analytics to data and applications. In one of several graphics, Table 4.1 (Pages 124-126), they summarize the specificati9ons of the new ICT architecture in terms of four categories (i.e. "buckets"): Confronting Reality (e.g. capacity to link large systems and multiple databases), Compliance and Change (e.g. regulatory compliance and change), Evolving Capabilities (e.g. Security and privacy of data), and Enabling Foundations (e.g. from transaction-driven to event-driven systems).
   
   Given the fundamental shift in the focus, the sources, and the processes of innovation and value creation, what do suggest for an agenda for managers to consider? They respond to that question in the final chapter. Specifically, they invoke a metaphor --- The New House of innovation - whose design and construction must be viewed as an "integrated package" in terms of its architecture, construction materials, and subsequent maintenance. The organizational transformation process must also be comprehensive and cohesive during a transition period (i.e. a "migration") of management practices to develop new skills, attitudes, and behaviors. It remains for decision-makers in each organization to design and then build its own new house pf innovation. Fortunately, they can use the information and counsel that C.K. Prahalad and M.S. Krishnan provide to guide and inform those initiatives.
   
   Those who share my high regard for this brilliant volume are urged to check out Competing in a Flat World: Building Enterprises for a Borderless World co-authored by Victor Fung, William Fung, and Yoram (Jerry) Wind as well as Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning co-authored by Thomas Davenport and Jeanne Harris. Also Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution co-authored by Jeanne Ross, Peter Weill and David Robertson and Dean Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement: Rethinking the Way We Measure and Drive Organizational Success.



2. The New Age of Innovation is good but miss-titled. This is not a book about how to be innovative. Rather the book advances an idea that all companies must face a world where they deal with customers individually and get their resources globally. The authors drive this home in a mantra of N=1 (there is one customer) and R=G (your resources are global). The N=1 R=G idea is cute and it is used throughout the book,but as you read the book N=1 R=G becomes the rational for everything and therefore nothing.
   
   It is hard to give a book that covers such a breadth of important topics a mediocre review, but I have thought about this and come to the conclusion that this book is O.K. I am glad I read it as there are some good things here, just not to the level that I could heartily recommend it. If you are interested in these ideas and study the subject of enterprise strategy and management, then please buy this book as it will round out your experience. If you are looking for innovative ideas, then I am sorry this is not the book for you - in my opinion.
   
   Besides the book not being about innovation, or really about how you drive co-created value, it is pretty good with some very good ideas. Prahalad and Krishnan start with an interesting premise - that all markets are not individual and that no company will have all the resources at its disposal to serve those individual markets. Put that way it provides a fresh way of thinking about global business. However that fresh thinking quickly devolves into a way of explaining a large range of business decisions from Wal-Mart to UPS, to GM to ICICI and others. I am always suspicious when a framework can cover such a diverse set of companies - not that the framework is poor, but rather that it is capturing something that we already know and have already dealt with. That is more the case in this book and the reason why it gets only 3 stars.
   
   This book had the potential to redefine some basic tenants of corporate thinking - in other words extend beyond Treacy and Wiersema value disciplines. The N=1 R=G is a simple framework that requires blending multiple disciplines to delivery. However, the book does not do that - rather it advances the idea of intergration across all fronts without a target destination. This makes the book comprehensive, but it also makes it disjointed in some areas and therefore difficult to see how it would really apply to my company or my situation.
   
   Strengths:
   
   The presentation of these two ideas (customer centrality and global sourcing) is strength in that these issues are rarely discussed in an integrated fashion.
   
   Incorporation of a comprehensive view of the enterprise including its business processes, analytics/information, information technology and social/managerial technologies. Few books have ever looked at the enterprise from such a multi-faceted view.
   
   Chapter 6 on efficiency and flexibility, it should have been the second chapter of the book as it puts the N=1 R=G into a set of clear management decisions.
   
   The book highlights the need for the interconnectedness of the issues involved. It continually points to the need for process connectedness, visibility and transparency. It also points out the need to address decisions that are often thought of as contradictory (chapter 6) and the tools in figure 4.3 (p. 129)
   
   Weaknesses:
   
   The discussion of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is bold in its vision but very weak in its implementation. (See Chapter 4 review) The book talks about ICT in a major way in three chapters and not the same way in any of them.
   
   Using multiple titles and tags for roughly the same thing which makes it unnecessarily complicated. This is seen in the way the book tries to redefine issues like business process transformation, capabilities, components, change management etc. It would have been better to use standard terms and then talked about the new insight based on the ideas of the book.
   
   It is true that India is a hot bed of innovation and growth but to imply that Indian companies are primarily the ones that get these ideas is a bit uneven. There are many innovative and market capturing companies in India (ICICI is one that we all need to study and understand). However, the authors keep returning to these companies as the prime examples of what success will look like. This refocusing, particularly on the Indian software industry, weakens the book as it gives the reader with the miss-impression that all I need is an educated, cheap and plentiful labor source and my problems are solved - that is too simplistic and undercuts what these leaders have done.
   
   References as there is neither a single footnote nor source in the book, when several sections are clearly based on work that I have read before. I am not saying that they are copying these materials; rather some references would have been nice and more professional. The discussion of Li & Fung is an example as much of that material was covered in a Wall Street Journal article a few years ago.
   
   The book appears to contradict itself in several areas. The discussion of IT throughout is one also the case examples can be viewed as contradictory, particularly the use of North American and European Companies whose actions can be just as easily explained using other frameworks (Wal-Mart, UPS, ING, etc)
   
   CHAPTER REVIEW
   
   On a chapter by chapter level there are some good ideas - the reason it is not a one star recommendation. So if you pick up the book here is where to concentrate and here is where to be on the lookout.
   
   Chapter 1: The Transformation of Business is a good chapter that lays out the basic premise that the focus of value is on the `centrality of the individual'. At the same time the focus of the firm is on realizing that it must "focus on access to resources not ownership of them." This is not new news, but putting the two ideas together does spark some new thinking.
   
   Chapter 2: Business Processes should have been a killer chapter and provided a basis for repositioning process in the internet era. It did not, first it defines processes as the expression of strategy - leaving out the customer which is interesting given that N=1. Instead of focusing on process, the chapter talks about IT and the layers of IT. The chapter has a good review of ICICI - an Indian financial services company.
   
   Chapter 3: Analytics highlights the central role that information plays in serving customers as individuals using a global network. But rather than telling you how to use information, run the business based on information, it dwells on the analytics/visibility/transparency. The chapter misses a chance to redefine management by discussing the qualities of information rather than its application and impact.
   
   Chapter 4 IT Matters is a call for component based systems and technologies. This chapter is the most disappointing as it is filled with generalized statements regarding what IT should do and be rather than how to deliver it. If you have read books about object oriented and component based development before then you have read much of this chapter. Sorry but this chapter reads like someone who has read a lot about IT and talks about IT but does not practice it - too theoretical and aspirational
   
   Chapter 5: Organizational Legacies starts out like a gem by highlighting the need to understand the dominant language that forms the context and the basis for managerial points of view and change management. The first part of this chapter is good; the back half looks to redefine what the book says about IT from Chapter 4 and seeks to redefine change management practices which were not needed.
   
   Chapter 6: Efficiency and Flexibility highlights the central challenge of implementing the ideas behind N=1 and R=G how to gain the efficiency needed to serve customers at a profit and be able to meet their changing needs and changing capabilities in the supply chain. This chapter dwells too much on it being a trade off, and again returns to IT as a disconnect.
   
   Chapter 7: Dynamic Reconfiguration of Talent discusses the people issues which are critical to making this work. If this chapter did not exist, then the book would have been another diatribe for strategy and technology.
   
   Chapter 8: An Agenda for Managers brings all these ideas together and highlights a 12 point agenda for managers to look at. The authors believe that N=1 and R=G will be here by 2015 - sorry to say that in many industries it is here now.
   
   If you have read this far, then thanks for considering this review. It is a good book, one that I am smarter for having read, but it is not a great book and not one I can recommend you clear the decks to read.

5 comments about Microsoft® Office Project 2007 Step by Step (Step By Step (Microsoft)).

1. I thought I already gave this one a review, but if you did not receive it, I just wanted you to know that your expedient service was excellent!



2. This book may have been usfull for running a home business but, not too usful for me.



3. I bought this book because it was recommended for an online-college course that I am taking. I couldn't believe that the same book was much higher in price on several other websites and how affordable it was to get through Amazon. The book itself is excellent as it gives step-by-step directions on how to use the project. It is an excellent resource and very easy to use. I would recommend this book to anyone seeking detailed, but easy to understand directions regarding the product it is designed for.



4. This item is half the price in the collage bookstore. It arrived quickly, unlike our bookstore with a record of delivering tech books after classes start for the upper level courses.



5. This has been a great book for learning Project 2007. If you already know Project, it does a great job of providing review material, guiding you away from unnecessary chapters. If you have never really spent time with Project, this book does a very good job of walking you through, Step by Step, aspects and capabilities of Project, as well as exposing you to solid project management practices.

5 comments about The Design of Everyday Things.

1. Without question, a wonderful piece of work!
   (I've given a dozen copies to students as inspiration.)
   However, the publisher's stinginess in neither providing adequate interior margins (between pages) nor adequately accommodating for the thickness of the book by type placement on the page is a perfect illustration of the design failures under discussion.
   The type has to be read curved & distorted over the waves of too thick pages rushing toward the spine. Oddly, more than adequate margins have been provided on the outer edges of each page - presumably for annotation. As such, the publisher might include a note in each succeeding edition suggesting how well this exemplifies the issue. That way there would be no need to fix the problem. I might even suggest the coinage of an near-eponymous term for this: "Normandizing".



2. Even though some people think this is not useful in practice, I strongly believe this is a must read for anyone who designs an artifact for users. A very amusing and thoughtful book. Can even be used as a required reading in many courses such as UI design.



3. Norman has created an entertaining and enlightening treatise on the psychology of everyday objects. Why do some things work so well while others completely baffle? What distinguishes successful utility from frustration? How does one research and develop successful products? Most importantly, how does one avoid wasting time developing products that are doomed to fail? Many everyday objects are examined for their utility and user-friendliness. Norman uses three basic concepts, Affordances, Constraints, and Mappings to deconstruct everyday objects.
   If you are designing Web sites, user interfaces for computer applications, writing manuals, or creating anything that will be used by a human being, this book will help you succeed. Norman encourages you to remove your creativity and ego from the process by affording you the objectivity to examine the goal from the point of view of the user. He shows you how social and cultural constraints can be used to enhance products.
   An excellent book but you must understand that using Norman's advice requires no small amount of humility which makes it difficult to sell to established shops. For instance, I know a Web design team that uses the "don't make them think" mantra for many decisions. But they've been using it so long they think they know everything about the best Web interface design. Their prejudices get in the way of successfully developing half of their projects because they can no longer think like users and visitors. They might never be able to use Norman's advice because they'd see it as obvious and pedestrian.



4. Written by a Usability Guru, some of the examples are a little dated, but still valuable for today's usability issues. A good read and well written.



5. very nice delivery very fast response. One of the best sellers at amazon.
   will do business any time with them.

5 comments about The Praxis Series Official Guide (Official Guide to the Praxis).

1. I purchased this book for the sole purpose of preparing for the PPST in reading, writing, and math. I went into the exam completely confident with the skills I got from this book. This book is a must have if you have any nervousness at all about taking the exam.



2. This guide was perfect for studying for the Praxis Exam. The material is fairly basic to begin with but I would've had a much harder time on the exam had I not used this text to review. The guide reviewed all the basic materials you will need for the test, provides samples of all the types of questions as well as sample essay questions and different level graded essays. When I took the test a few weeks ago my essay topic was one of the exact topics from the book! The practice tests are super helpful and realistic, even if you are taking the computerized test like I did. This book allowed me to find all the information I may have already known and keep it available for the test. I was able to finish each section with time left over because I had the knowledge ready in my brain and the confidence of studying and taking the practice tests. I HIGHLY recommend this guide. (By the way, the scores are out of a possible 190 and I got a 185 Math, 184 Reading and am awaiting my writing scores - which I feel great about!) Good Luck!!



3. I bought this book to study for the Elementary Content Knowledge portion of the Praxis II. What a waste! You are better off buying the Kaplan version of the Praxis study guide, it has more sample test and a lot more information on Psychologist for the PLT part. Don't waste your money on this book.



4. First, let me say that this book is produced by the folks who write the PRAXIS tests, so there is a lot of useful information here. I only give it four stars, however, as I felt the Math (my weak point) review section was not that well organized; I think liberal arts majors (like myself) will appreciate Barron's Math section, as it seemed to me to be better organized, and subsequently, more helpful.



5. Great book to prepare for the Praxis series of tests. Excellent!! Great deal too!

5 comments about National Electrical Code 2008 (National Fire Protection Association National Electrical Code).

1. book came in great condition. Took a long time to get the book, but other then that was very satisfied.



2. When I ordered paperback (bound as from publisher) and the book arrived looseleaf punched for a 3-ring binder, we didn't know until we opened it. I posted a review here to save others from the same problem but don't see it anymore. I know that Amazon will get a handle on all the different formats this book come in, and when tabs can be used. The info is available on the NFPA website so it should be easy.
   
   I gave the 3-ring binder version to a buddy so now I want to buy AND RECEIVE the bound conventional paperback version but I can't get an answer from Amazon if the problem is corrected. I don't want to order again and get another looseleaf copy.



3. I needed this book for my required continuing education units to renew my license in the state of Oklahoma. The price was right, and if I had thought about it sooner (ha, ha) I would not have needed second day shipping and saved even more. Great product, great price.



4. This book is essential to install electrical installations. It basically was created by the National Fire Protection Agency it explains how to install electrical systems so that you do not burn down the house or building down that you wire. It does not teach you how to be an electrician, but it does give you the basic guidelines legal guidelines as to how to install electrical systems. Sporte1111



5. The NEC has gotten so large, that the ability to lay it flat while researching is really nice.

5 comments about The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations.

1. I expected this book to make me think - based on both the title and others' recommendations - and it delivered. Insightful and thought-provoking.



2. This book is simply a great read. The best part about this book is the writing itself. It's simple, short and to the point. This book could have easily been dragged out over 400 pages, but it wasn't. It was just the right size.
   
   Moreover, the concepts in the book were very well explained. My favorite section deals with how to battle something that is decentralized. This section is fantastic.
   
   The only criticism I have is that the authors did not use a large variety of examples to support their arguments. They usually stuck to the same companies or anecdotes and just applied them to different situations. And don't get me wrong, they worked in each scenario. I just think it would've made the book that much better had they used a larger variety of real life examples.



3. Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom are entrepreneurs. In "The Starfish and the Spider" they express their fascination of decentralized organizations, and their impact on the business world. Based on numerous examples, ranging from Alcoholics Anonymous to Skype and Wikipedia, they present to us a model of decentralized organization and the new business rules it implies.
   
   A decentralized organization, compared to Starfish, can be defined by several characteristics, such as:
   
   1. No specific person in charge and no headquarters, which imply that it's not easy to destroy it by "thumping it on the head"
   2. An amorphous division of roles, so that the organization would not be affected by losing any of its units
   3. Distribution of knowledge and power
   4. Flexibility
   5. Self-funding of units
   6. Direct communication between the working groups
   
   On top of the above characteristics, the authors define five building blocks of starfish organizations:
   
   1. Circles: Decentralized organizations consist of autonomous and independent circles. When using Internet for communication, the circles become virtual, which are very easy to form and join. However, virtual circles also lack bonding between its members, and may be subject to free-riding or destructive behavior. Circles lack hierarchy or structure, but instead they depend on norms for realizing their objectives. These norms are self-enforced, members enforce them with one another. As a result, there is a sense of trust among the community.
   
   2. The Catalyst: According to the authors, every open organization starts with a catalyst - a person who initiates a circle and then moves into the background, giving away control to the members. Catalysts let go of the leadership role, and transfer it to the circle.
   
   3. Ideology: Decentralized organizations are built on a foundation of shared ideology.
   
   4. The Preexisting Network: Very often, starfish organizations are started from the basis of a preexisting, decentralized platform. Currently, the Internet has become such platform. Because there are almost no entrance barriers for the Internet, it is very easy to launch web-based decentralized organizations in this environment.
   
   5. The Champion: The champion represents another key role in starfish organizations, next to the catalyst. While catalysts envision the organization and inspire the members, champions actually implement the ideas and drive execution. Champions are key in gaining a critical mass of any movement, as they engage new members and "sell" the catalysts' vision.
   
   Following the description of leaderless organizations, the authors define several rules that apply to the business world affected by decentralization:
   
   1. Decentralized organizations tend to become more open and decentralized when attacked, while centralized organizations react with greater centralization to an attack.
   2. Centralized and decentralized organizations are not easy to distinguish.
   3. The knowledge and intelligence are spread throughout the system of starfish organizations.
   4. Open systems can easily mutate.
   5. The decentralized organization advance and grow unnoticed.
   6. As industries become decentralized, overall profits decrease.
   7. People are eager to contribute when they are in an open system.
   
   Other topics covered in the book include a characteristic of catalysts, strategies to combat starfish organizations, and a hybrid business model (introducing decentralized elements into a centralized organization).
   
   Overall, the book is quite an easy read thanks to many stories and examples. The ideas presented in the book are novel and may stimulate a rethinking of the rigid business models. However, it's only a popular book - there is no evidence supporting the presented models and principles, and everything is based on observation and conclusion from several examples.



4. As succinctly illustrated in Rod Beckstrom's book The Starfish and the Spider, the massively complex and dynamic ecosystems of today's highly matrixed corporations can more effectively adapt to the market dynamics by way of decentralized competency teams. Substantial organizational inertia creates difficult personality dynamics, and also has the potential to bring out highly destructive corporate politics in any effort to drive meaningful change. Our research, coupled with the digitization of social networks, highlights a strategic asset in any manager, leader, or executive's investment of time and energy in not only creating decentralized teams, but also in nurturing productive relationships in their dynamic environments.
   
   In contrast to the Industrial Age - in which much of the current command and control organizational structure was focused on capital as the most valuable resource - the current multigenerational workforce leverages a very different asset for creating shareholder value. The highly integrated business unit, operating company, or division, which mobilizes and leverages its broad-based intellectual capital, tends to waste fewer cycles in redundant market penetration, talent acquisition, and strategic supplier relationships. Instead, their intracompany, as well as external relationship development efforts, can translate into not only more rewarding, productive work for its current and future talent, but also a greater Return on Capital at a relatively low risk.



5. Nutshell review - This is a very interesting and insightful book about centralized vs. decentralized organizations, from companies to terrorist cells. Well written with interesting and useful insights.

5 comments about Iconic America: A Roller-Coaster Ride through the Eye-Popping Panorama of American Pop Culture.

1. Though the cover line refers to `A roller-coaster ride through the eye-popping panorama of American pop culture' the book, fortunately, has a much further reach than just pop. With about four hundred subjects covered and obviously reflecting the hopes and aspirations of the two authors I thought the book was a fine celebration of Americanism.
   
   Firstly though the book is a visual treat. Designer George Lois has handled a whole range of graphic material brilliantly, especially in presenting similar items on the same spread: a photo of James Brown (The godfather of soul) facing Marlon Brando (The godfather of film) or Babe Ruth facing a Baby Ruth candy bar or a spread with a photo of an apple pie (As American as apple pie) and an Apple logo (Apple changes the American lifestyle). Another lovely design touch is running five Burma-Shave signs over five pages (The bearded lady/Tried a jar/She's now a famous/Movie star!/Burma-Shave).
   
   Lois has blended all the personality photos, product shots, logos, paintings, cartoons and display typography together beautifully and the 175dpi printing on quality paper makes everything sparkle. The design treatment did remind of a similar strong visual book covering the same subject 1,001 Reasons to Love America (1,001 Reasons to Love).
   
   I liked the wide-ranging coverage of icons throughout the pages and nicely not necessarily positive ones. Page seventy-one features the Enron logo, page 135 has a cutout photo of a lemon with Edsel printed on it, also included are a few frames from the Zapruder home movie of Kennedy's death likewise a photo of OJ Simpson, in court, trying on a glove.
   
   The book is essentially visual and all of the images get detailed captions, sometimes a hundred words or more. The authors, where needed, provide light hearted headlines as in the housewives' favorite 'Yes, Virginia, there really is no Betty Crocker'. Cesar Chavez gets 'The grapes of wrath' or 'The web of justice' for Spider-Man.
   
   You'll probably have your own icon that is not included, though with four hundred it'll be hard to pin-point something that's missing. All I could come up with is UPS and FedEx, neither are included in the comprehensive index. Maybe the reality is that the strength of America's past and present could easily produce a second volume!
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.



2. A Really nice book. If you like trivia, talk & say I remember when. Then this is the book for you.



3. Interesting book, with good photography and good coverage of items, descriptions tended to be brief.



4. I love this book! It's a positive look at America and to remember the great things our country has contributed to the world. Sometimes we forget, not just the big things, but the little things like Lifesavers, Halloween, Buddy Holly and the best thing of all the chocolate chip cookie! This book makes a wonderful coffee table book, wedding gift, or even graduation gift. That graduate can be educated on all America has given the world.



5. I just got this book today and it is awesome! It is very inspiring and informative. The pictures and information are in no apparent particular order, just burst of colorful images and succinct descriptions summarizing each icon's contribution to American life and culture. Describing this book verbally doesn't do justice to the visual treat contained within. This is a book you will want browse through over and over. I found it in an art museum gift shop for $60, so amazon is a much better deal. Makes a great coffee table book. Definitely worthwhile addition to anyone's library.

5 comments about The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement.

1. This book is a very infomative and clear written book. Although it is not a breathe taking novel it is as best written as a text book could be written. Many senerios I found very helpful relating to my own real life experiences in the workplace and the challanges we meet everyday. Definitley well recommended. BUY IT...



2. Stories are one of the best ways to teach. Eliyahu Goldratt is a master at weaving a tale to teach a crucial concept in manufacturing.
   
   The Goal is the story of locating bottlenecks and streamlining a manufacturing line. The story is full of twists and turns, a super consultant named Jonah who speaks in riddles and a cast of believable characters. To make the story even more believable it is spiced with real life problems at home that our hero Alex must solve simultaneously while he is desperately trying to save the plant he is responsible for from closing down.
   
   Goldratt is on a mission to take manufacturing form an art to a science and this is his way of doing just that. The book is well worth the time for anyone interested in using critical thinking and common sense to solve manufacturing problems. Highly recommended!
   
   The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking



3. I was required to get this book for an operations management course in college. It was definitely an enjoyable read, especially for a business book. The narrative format made for a very easy read. The real world examples offered make the connection between theory and application. We were given this book in place of a textbook, and it was about a million times more entertaining than any textbook.



4. This book is a novel with the purpose of instructing the reader in the theory of constraints. The book details how one should go about analyzing operations or any system to find, fix and/or optimize the overall structure and the overall process. It is about the analysis of processes and how to structure them and manage them, in view of the constraints contained within them. Anyone interested in accounting, operations management, process management, continuous improvement, etc. should read this book. It is a fast and easy read, but it contains much substantive insight into analyzing and optimizing processes.



5. This is a fantastic book. I like the approach used to bring the concepts across to the reader. I highly recommend this book.

5 comments about Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.

1. This book is a compilation of research from two renowned professionals- biologist and architect- who seek to make us aware of what our senses are exposed to due to the use of and effects of toxic/chemical substances, unsustainable measures and detrimental environmental processes in the production of basically everything down to our basic survival need items. A persuasive voice calls for action against and change in current methods of production and localization of the same with no weak fundamentals. After reading this book I pictured myself stranded in an island [earth] with just what I needed to survive or even more;actually having caught the attention of a rescue team but unfortunately and surprisengly still dying right when the rescue team came due to the poor quality of materials/substances in my survival kit! Then you wonder if that's possible; if -assuming a non-stress life-you can still die while trying to eat healthy, excercising, etc. only because of the effects of the bad chemicals inherit in the very things you need to lead such a life what should be done? Certainly the authors desire that we be aware [very detailed information and examples are given], cautious [effects/cons, statistics revealed per example], demand better products [possibilities/solutions already in prog



2. Terrific book. Easy to read and the topic is absolutely relevant to the times. This should be required reading in Architectural schools, Engineering schools, Technical schools, Scientific studies and in our middle and high schools for sure but also in any studies done on the environment. The ideas put forth in this book are only the beginning I am sure but I believe they offer the only salvation for our beleaguered Earth. What a pair these two authors make. I look forward to anything they may have to say in the future.



3. this book introduces one to a new way of making things and eliminating the worry about pollution and garbage. It should be read by every manufacturer, politician, teacher, parent... in short by everyone who lives on this planet!!!!!
   it shows the right approach to production and consumption ....cradle to cradle, where waste becomes food or is comletely reused by the industry without leaving toxins behind. A fabulous and quite obviously a doable concept. Therefore animals, plants, water, air and soil can recover from the effects of our past practices.



4. This was a great introduction to so many key, elementary principles in sustainable thinking/living/product design. I learned a lot! I hope enough people are informed and inspired by it to create the kind of real change that is being discussed in this book in terms of truly ecological product designs in everyday things (e.g., cars, homes, and other "products" that incorporate biomimicry, etc).



5. This was an interesting book to read and an important one. Is has not used paper as its format. It offers a slightly different take on the ecology problems. It focuses on creating products that are designed at the onset to be environmentally sound and completely recyclable. It is well written, easy to read and offers a bit of hope. Although at times I felt it was perhaps a bit idealistic, since completing it I have read about 2-3 businesses that have been started using these principles. Numi tea one.