Terrible book, September 11, 2010

There is no glossary in the back of the book, so if you need to look up a term or vocab word you are out of luck.

Each chapter has a glossary at the end, but there’s 14 chapters so if you need to look up a word, you are out of luck because it could be under any of the 14 chapters.

There is also not nearly enough information in the book to even BEGIN to answer any of the questions, exercises, or problems. The book also contains absolutely no answers, so you have no idea where to even start. It is impossible to learn anything with this book. These authors are terrible. Not just this book, ALL of their books. Big thumbs DOWN

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Not a book to sit down and learn from., August 27, 2011

I concur with the other negative reviews here: this is not a good book to learn from. Too much narrative (boring) and not enough concise information and/or examples to work with. I have found the prepared PP slides to be a little helpful because of their incorporation of brief exercises and problems (which they solve). Other than that, all of this author’s books are similar in uselessness. I am lucky that my professor gave me some of the answers and that’s how I learned. Do not recommend.

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Well done, February 25, 2011

I purchased this book for an accounting class. I can say with certainty that while I may not always understand my professor, I can always understand this text book. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in managerial accounting.

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Practical and Realistic Guide for Startup Business, February 12, 2010

In 2009, after losing my “paycheck job” as a result of a cash strapped economy, I struck out in search of options and advice to start and run my own business. Not interested in having another boss, I sought to turn my office support skills into a viable, profitable business, where I would be the primary decision maker and pilot of my own financial future. While the internet and mobile tools can ease the way for some startups, I quickly learned that sustainability is a whole `nother ballgame.

I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, primarily for copy editing, and found myself nodding along with Melinda Emerson’s straightforward and easily followed approach to launching (or growing) a small business. Emerson’s words mirrored my own reality – in which I wear multiple hats, must have a strong support system and enough money to get through the early months (possibly years) until profitability is achieved.

My greatest take away from this book is – there is no easy street when you become your own boss. But, with solid planning, smart decision-making and industrious persistence, success and financial independence can be achieved.

I recommend that anyone who is thinking about starting a business or is stuck and needs to grow their business – read this

book – and then read it again.

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Small Business Help to Get You Up and Running, February 16, 2010

By 

T. McCue “Helping Small Business Owners Succeed” (Seattle, WA) – See all my reviews

  

From the earliest parts of Melinda’s book, she pulls no punches. For the person thinking about starting a business of nearly any type, she gives sound advice. How many people have told you — “Just start your business… Your passion will drive the results…” or some such nonsense. Sure you need passion and raw energy and persistence, but you also need some money, some savings, so Melinda says “Don’t quit your day job… yet…” She doesn’t just say start. She says PLAN. Get your life together first, then start your company.

Melinda’s advice is full of common sense or I should say Uncommon Sense as it doesn’t seem near as common. I’ve started several companies and I wish I had this book before taking off for points unknown. The book also includes some links to good free resources from the author. After many years in business for myself, there are things I definitely knew, but just as many things I never considered. I would recommend this book for those friends who have “Start My Own Company” stars in their eyes and need to know the truth – which is positive and negative. It’s hard work, but rewarding work to own your own business. Two chapters stood out for me: Chapter 8 on Niche to Get Rich because I believe that the tighter your focus, the better your business. Chapter 18 was helpful because I deal with small company owners and their websites and how they approach and sell to a customer. It offered some good reminders.

Full disclosure: I’m a big fan of Melinda’s work via her #SmallBizChat (a weekly real-time chat on Twitter) program and have heard her share a lot of her advice “from the trenches” so I’m a bit biased because I’ve seen and heard her help people, including myself. But unlike many reviews, I wasn’t paid or encouraged to say positive things. Melinda Emerson’s book gives useful and smart tips any biz owner can benefit from reading.

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Please, month 1, meet with venture capitalists?, January 9, 2012

By 

Paul Fountaine (Fresno, CA USA) – See all my reviews

  

I’m sorry, but could we please get a grip? Meet with venture capitalists?

It must be nice to sit atop this mythical throne, where we simply have meetings, created a logo (SERIOUSLY?), and buy CRM software and bam, we are in business?

This is beyond nonsensical. Most if not the vast majority of small businesses do not start with venture capital, nor do they need a logo or to purchase CRM software (FYI, here in 2011, there are perfectly good FREE CRM systems available like ZohoCRM to mention just one).

What passes for a 4 star book now a days is stunning.

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Horrible., February 19, 2011

This book is horrible. Material is difficult and doesn’t feel like an “intro” to accounting. Not even a month into the semester, there have already been 3 errors found in the book. Errors on something like spelling or grammar wouldn’t be as bad, but these errors are on numbers where you have to make math calculations, which is unacceptable. If you have to pay over 0 for this book, then there can’t be errors like this.

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steer clear, January 30, 2009

Although extremely rigorous in definitions and concepts, definitely not the type of text book I would recommend for a MBA introductory accounting class. Steer clear.

The structure is confusing, and the way it has been presented made it even more confusing. Only positive note are the problems at the end of each chapter, which are challenging enough and offer a good preparation even for the toughest tests.

Previously, I had another intro accounting class in which Horngren/Harrison Financial Accounting Managerial was used. I have found this latter text book much clearer, to the point, concise.

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Worst Text Book Ever, July 1, 2007

By 

Iris I. Rodriguez “IROD” (Washington DC) – See all my reviews

  

This book is horrible. It does show you how to work the problems. It’s full of high level explanation and no deep explanation of the concepts or the problems. It’s poorly organized and super expensive. It does not contain answers to the odd problems in the back of the book like most (math type of books) text books tend to have. There is no study guide for this edition; the publisher’s web site claims there exist, I have not found it there or anywhere else. However, a study guide does exist for the previous edition. There is a solutions manual that one has to purchase a key to access the anwers to the odd problems online. The solutions manual falls really too, because it just gives the answers and offers no explanation of the problems. I really need some kind of study guide that explains the problems in detail so that I can check myself. The book has a companion site that is a little helpful, it has one online quizzes, chapter summary and spreadsheets for each chapter.

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Zero would be more precise because of the time wasted on this book, August 8, 2008

By 

Hatef “Big H” (Washington, DC, United States) – See all my reviews

  

Forced to use this text as a part of an MBA program, I found myself pouring over every paragraph without advancing my knowledge. Additionally, the book is riddled with errors, making it even harder to establish any trust between reader and author. If you too are forced to use this text, I hope you are better at finding external resources than was I. If you are using the text for self-study and have little or no background in accounting, I strongly urge to you to look elsewhere.

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Confusing Presentation of Material & Condescending Tone, May 5, 2008

By 

L. Bell (USA) – See all my reviews

  

I am very disappointed in this text. Am using it at a jr college for intro micro (also using same author for intro macro). The material is presented in a confusing way, often omitting important details, and I find the author’s “conversational” tone to be condescending… especially when making references to “those of you who just don’t get math” and similar phrases to the student…

I bought and use Mankiw’s texts to quickly and accurately learn the material taught in both of my classes, and only refer to Colander’s texts to ensure I’m studying the corresponding Mankiw chapters for upcoming exams. I’m easily achieving 100% on graded Aplia assignments and averaging 95% on all exams so far in both classes, thanks to Mankiw’s clear, precise, and accurate texts. Meanwhile, my classmates who are using only Colander’s texts are really struggling to learn the material needed to be successful in both classes (micro & macro).

I do not understand the popularity of this author – Mankiw’s my author of choice to achieve an easy, excellent grade while actually learning the course material.

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Helpful to Understanding Economics, September 20, 2010

I am struggling in my economics class. The professor recommended I purchase and use this study guide when I asked for advice on how I can grasp the material we are covering better.

This study guide really does help me grasp the material and really understand it better.

I would recommend this study guide to any other students that are struggling with the material. It does an overview of the key points in the textbook chapter and then it has lots of questions to answer and then it provides the answers to the questions with an explanation as to why they are the correct answers.

Now if only I could get the professor to actually put some of the material covered in the chapter, the study guide and the chapter questions on the quizzes…my grade would improve. ; ) He’s a tricky one.

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was as promised, October 3, 2011

Poorly packaged but came without damage and was as promised,

Will do business again.

Poorly packaged but came without damage and was as promised,

Will do business again.

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A textbook on the firm., June 24, 2002

This book is probably the first textbook on economics of organization. Since published in 1992, it has been widely used in classes. The main framework of the book lies in the conception of the firm as a system of incentive/coordination to allocate efficiently resources. So this book is an extension of neoclassical approach to the area of organization, though such concepts like bounded rationality and transaction cost are incorporated deeply into the architecture of the book. Unlike usual textbooks, this book has the overarching coherence with theoretical depth over various subjects like centralized/decentralized organization, moral hazard, rent, ownership, human resource management, investment, corporate governance. Such consistency is possible for its theoretical position: neoclassical approach. In that stance, the actor is motivated in its rational calculation, in other word incentive, although it¡?s bounded in terms of information. How to organize such actor into an organization is the problem of coordination in the theory of the firm. Such an approach was widely adopted in the 1980s. But these days, resources/capabilities approach and evolutionary economics dominate the discourse on the firm. Capabilities, resources, dynamic capabilities, organizational learning, routine, tacit knowledge, knowledge creation, those are buzzwords to date. If you are to be specialized in the theory of the firm, this book should be read. But if not, I recommend Besanko, Dranove, and Shanley¡?s ¡?Economics of Strategy¡?. It takes trendy approach and that, it explains each subject with live examples from business world.

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Great book; the worst print quality you’ll ever seen, November 20, 2008

By 

G. S. Pita (S?o Paulo, Brazil) – See all my reviews

  

The book delivered by Amazon.com looks like a photocopied book, not a printed one. Paper quality is the worst. It’s totally incompatible with the US$ 140 price.

It should be out-of-print or something and then Prentice-Hall found it cheaper to photocopy and bind it, rather then issuing a new edition. Amazon.com should let customers know this in advance.

The book content is great as the other reviewers have said, but I’m about to see a book with worse print quality than the one Amazon sent me.

I wish I have bought a used book, printed 15 years ago, for US$ 40.

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Interesting and still relevant text on business economics, September 29, 2004

By 

Craig Matteson (Saline, MI) – See all my reviews

  

  

  

Paul Milgrom and John Roberts are big name professors at Stanford. You know they are big name because on the cover of the book their names are bigger than the title. That’s sort of the definition, right?

Seriously, this is a very fine book. Even though it is a dozen years old and much has happened in the theories of organization, compensation, and incentives, the information in this book remains valuable. The book has 17 chapters organized in 7 parts. They are:

1)Does Organization Matter

2)Coordination: Markets and Management

3)Motivation: Contracts, Information, and Incentives

4)Efficient Incentives: Contracts and Ownership

5)Employment: Contracts, Compensation, and Careers

6)Finance: Investments, Capital Structure, and Corporate Control

7)The Design and Dynamics of Organization

I think that presenting these business topics as topics in economics is very helpful in developing the right habits of thinking. While the book is not heavy in mathematics, it does present the relevant formulas and does not shy away from serious discussions of economics. In this way it is a very practical and applied text.

While this book has been and should continue to be used in classes, I hope it gets a larger audience in the general readership interested in business and economics. It really is that interesting and well written.

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Wonderful this is so easily available, August 18, 2011

The reasons for the financial collapse are many and complicated. This bi-partisan report delves into a number of them and is great reading for anyone who truly wants to attempt to understand the causes. It’s lengthy but quite nice that readers can highlight their favorite parts and other kindle readers can see those passages. I appreciate that this and other government documents are so easily available today.

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Skip the MBA and read this book! Save ,000, March 4, 1999

First, this book is a "fun" read which is unusual for most business books. If you want to know how mananagement thinks and how it works in most corporate environments today – get this book.

The first half is execellent and by the time it’s completed you’ll know exactly the way your poor boss has been tramautized over the past 10 years with all the new passing management fads. No wonder management is basically skeptical and seems to have a schizophrenic identity crisis.

The second half of the book hangs a bit, maybe the authors ran out of ideas. But the final Index of the 10 essential management books is invaluable. I’ve already read 3 of the suggestion.

Read this book. Take your boss to lunch, realize how trapped he really is, get a raise, and save ,000 on your MBA. Just keep reading and reading books like this.

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All-in-one book for successful management basics, January 5, 2005

By 

Muhannad Musallam “Good Will Promoter” (Amman, Jordan) – See all my reviews

  

After reading this book (first edition), I have found it to contain most of the basic skills a manger needs to develop to be efficient and successful. Because the book has a wide coverage, you won’t find in-depth details about each subject, but it is an excellent introduction to management skills, and conveys these skills to you in an enjoyable read, thus saves you the time and effort of figuring out what successful mangers do. This book serves also as a skills refresher (when you are already a seasoned manager) and helps bring you back to the track of success if you start deviating.

The skills covered are:

- Organization, time management, planning

- Delegation

- Leadership

- Hiring, interviewing

- Motivating employees

- Goal setting

- Project management, measuring and monitoring performance

- Performance evaluations/ feedback, disciplining and correction of unwanted behavior

- Presentations

- Business writing

- Meetings management

- Organizational structuring

- Team building and leadership

- Office politics

- Change management

- Stress management

- Employee development and training, career path setting, mentoring

- Budgeting and accounting

- Business processes optimization / reengineering

- Information technology

- Organizational culture / behavior

- TQM (Total Quality Management) / Deming Method / continuous improvements

- Systems thinking

- Creation of a learning environment

- Innovation support

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Great introduction for beginnners, reminder for experienced, February 16, 2001

This book is a must for all beginners moving into the world of management, and I highly recommend it as a refresher course for those of us who have been doing it for a while. I do not have an MBA, but I do have a number of years’ real-world experience in management, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is very light and easy to read, and although much of it seems like it should be common sense, there are a number of things that are easy to forget, and it’s worth the refresher. I skipped some chapters because they were too basic, but I probably read 2/3 of the book (in the matter of a business trip) and actually did learn some new information.

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Mostly the usual tips, but some new and many updated, August 4, 2011

By 

Wulfstan “wulfstan” (San Jose, CA United States) – See all my reviews

  

  

OK, we have all seen those books full of money-saving and penny pinching tips. This is yet another in that genre. But it’s the newest, freshest and most up to date book in this genre, and many of the “same-old same-old” tips have been updated for our current financial hard times. Not only that, but there’s a scattering of unique tips by “the worlds cheapest man”.

If you are newly into penny-pinching this is an excellent book to get you started. If you are an experienced saver, you will still pick up some new tips and plenty of updates on the old stand-byes. Don’t get me wrong- if you just bought one of his competitors books, you probably don’t have to rush out and buy this one- but it couldn’t hurt to take a look at Clark’s book anyway.

There’s 250 tips, some of which are “well sure” but many of which are “Why didn’t I think of that!”. Clark Howard covers insurance, prescriptions, utility savings, mortgages, cell phones, and even consumer fraud and identity theft. These last are part of what sets this book apart- sure those security tips are available elsewhere, but it’s nice having them all in one easy to read book.

I do note that one idea- that of getting your MD to prescribe larger doses of your daily meds then cutting the pills in half is something my MD isn’t crazy about. But Howard has several other ideas that could save you a nice chunk of change every month.

Note also that Clark Howard has a rather interesting and useful website, with synopsis of his radio & TV shows and appearances, consumer tips, and even monthly bargain topics.

The book is written in a friendly and easy to read manner.

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Clark Delivers Again!, August 9, 2011

I follow Clark Howard via podcasts and I check out his web site frequently. He is full of great ideas and tips, delivered in a relaxed and friendly manner. I really get the feeling of Clark’s sincerity. Not only do I learn a lot from him, but it feels good at the same time. I read almost all the financial literature and I keep up to date on finance and investment. Even so, I am constantly learning new things and tips from Clark, as he keeps his info fresh and updated. Clark has saved me a BUNCH of money. Yes, a lot of the information is available on his web site and (free) podcasts. But some people want to read a book, they don’t follow this stuff like some of us do. This book is another method for Clark to reach people, and it’s a great read. Clark states on his podcast frequently where, when and how one can buy his book at a discount or to check the book out at the library. But if you like to collect good books, like I do, then this is a great addition to your collection!

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How to save money on this book about how to save money, August 4, 2011

By 

K. Swanson (Austin, TX United States) – See all my reviews

  

  

  

Other than the crooks who run Wall Street yet never seem to go to jail (Hello GS!), not many of us are doing too well these days. Tips on how to save money become more useful daily, so a book with 250 of them must be worth its weight in gold, right? (Well, maybe silver now, gold costs almost as much as gas these days.)

Yes…and no. Let me play Clark Howard for a second, and let’s talk about how to save money on Clark Howard’s book. It’s really very simple. As good as this book is for those who are rather new to cutting the fat from their spending, you can easily pull out your cash knife and cut away the purchase price of this book by…going to CH’s website. It’s that simple, really. Almost everything in this book is on there…for free!

Now why didn’t Clark tell us that? Well, can’t save EVERY penny, now can we? (He does hype the website more than occasionally, but doesn’t suggest it as a reasonable alternative to buying his book. Hard to blame him, though. Frankly, I think he’d agree with this review, if only on principle.) Just go to his site, which this one won’t let me link to, but use his name and that com thing and there you go. Now head to “Greatest Hits”, and shazam! Much of the best stuff in this book is there for you, laid out by title on one page. LOTS of good tips there, and you can be reading them in less than five seconds from now.

How’s that for saving you money?

But if you know someone who wastes a lot of cash on stupid frivolous things, or doesn’t know how to trim their expenses, then this might be a fine gift. It’s a good, useful, decently written book, and while not offering much new for long-time frugal folks, it will help out the many people who haven’t learned how to stop spending money and how to start saving it.

The key seems to be: THINK BEFORE YOU SPEND!

And on that note, isn’t there a website you’d like to check out?

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Wisest money you’ve spent in years!, October 10, 2006

Finances. Money management. Just thinking of it is enough to cause stress and anxiety attacks, especially if you are drowning in a sea of debt.

Certified public accountant, Deborah Pegues is an expert in money matters, and she has put together a simple, practical plan to help you control your spending habits and find more money in your pocket in just 30 days.

The author includes such information as:

– Write your vision

– See where you stand

– Prepare your plan

– Investigate your insurance

– Spend smart

– Eat economically

– plus much more

Included at the back of 30 Days to Taming Your Finances are several forms that you can copy and fill out to help you see where you stand and where your money is going.

I found the book easy to read, I read it through in a day, but would recommend going through this book slowly and mastering one step at a time before going on to the next. It is full of common-sense approaches such as making menus and shopping lists and don’t shop hungry, but also some other advice that one might not have considered. The only thing I didn’t care for was cutting down eating out to only two nights a week and two lunches a week. If our family of seven ate out that much we’d be bouncing checks like you won’t believe. So certain things you’d have to eliminate if they are too extravagant for your circumstances.

I recommend 30 Days to Taming Your Finances as a common sense approach to managing money.

Armchair Interviews says: If you are having trouble making ends meet and wonder where the money hole is, definitely pick this book up. You won’t be sorry–it might be the wisest you’ve spent in years.

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Excellent financial advice, December 19, 2006

By 

Barbara Warren – See all my reviews

  

This little book is chock full of simple, practical, advice. Who couldn’t use some help bringing finances under control. Deborah Smith Pegues starts out by showing the reader how to determine where he stands financially by considering two financial aspects; what you own and what you owe, and what you earn and where it goes. That last one is the one I’ve always had trouble with. It goes, that’s for sure, but I’m not always sure where it went.

She then helps the reader develop a fianncial plan, followed up with suggestions for saving and eliminating debt. She freely admits her own financial mistakes and shows the reader how to avoid them. Deborah Smith Pegues is an experienced public accountant who combines experiences with biblical principles in an effect plan for financial security. You’ll want to keep this for a reference book. It’s short and easy to read and full of excellent advice.

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Great……., December 10, 2010

By 

R. Lewis (Chicago, IL) – See all my reviews

  

This book gives great lessons on Taming Your Finances and is biblically sound. I also have Ms Smith-Pegues’ books entitled 30 Days to Taming Your Tongue and 30 Days to A Great Attitude. Focusing on one lesson per day is the best way to absorb and retain information. I simply love her books.

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