Customer Reviews

Business: The Ultimate Resource

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Business: The Ultimate Resource" takes the reader through a very thorough exposition of business in all of its forms. Although it is a huge book with a table of contents larger than many business book indexes, it is well organized and easy to use. The primary divisions of the book include sections on Best Practice (various essays from business leaders), Management and Action Checklists (detailed lists of each step to implement or calculate various items), Management Library (summaries of the most influential business books), Business Thinkers and Management Giants (profiles of business leaders), Business Dictionary, World Business Almanac, and Business Information Sources (including addresses, phone numbers, web sites, etc. for additional help and/or information).

Some of the articles that are on the cutting edge of current business thought include Managing 21st Century Financials, Integrating Real and Virtual Strategies, Making B2B Your New Operational Standard, Emotional Intelligence and Leadership, and Managing Dynamic Change.

Checklists include lists in various categories including People Management, Personal Effectiveness (including excellent checklists on effective communication), HR/Training, Marketing, Operations, Small Business, Business Planning, E-Commerce, Personal Development, Accounting and Finance (includes how to calculate just about any accounting ratio or value that you would need).

The Management Library book summaries are well done in a format that gives the background on the book along with the key points made in the book. It includes such business classics as Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" and Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations" to more current thought such as "Blur" by Stan Davis and Christopher Meyer. Although this is a book published in 2002, the most recent summary is on a book published in 1998. So it does not contain summaries of the more recent books, but the summaries of books prior to 1999 are excellent.

In short, instead of providing information on a limited aspect of business (such as management or accounting or personnel) it provides a comprehensive understanding of business as a whole. An excellent reference for any business professional, the price makes it a steal and a recommended buy.

In today's go-go, "give it to me in two words or less" world, the idea of buying a big, heavy business reference book with more than 2,000 pages in it seems absurd. Ludicrous. Nuts!

But getting this book is actually very smart. Intelligent. Brilliant!

Why? Well it's definitely not plane reading. And it's not likely bed-time reading. But as a useful reference tool and practical guide to just about everything (from calculating net rate of return to "finding your calling and living your passion"), BUSINESS is a superb tool to keep close at hand.

By contrast, I also own the equally hefty "AMA [American Management Association] Management Handbook," which is, in a word, worthless as a practical tool. In the AMA tome, many topics are either missing, written with an academic, "about the subject," treatment, or so light on practical application as to measure zero (or less if you count the time wasted in your search) on the utility scale.

So is "BUSINESS: The Ultimate Resource," in fact, the ultimate resource? Well, that's publisher hyperbole. The index is not nearly complete. But it will point you to a few places where your subject is treated, and those articles are often cross-referenced with others...

So if you follow the chain, you'll find a heck of a lot of useful information. And the huge tome comes with some other interesting stuff such as summaries of "the most influential business books of all time," and profiles of "management giants," a business dictionary, and yet more reference material.

But the real draw for me: There's lots of actionable advice about very practical things--from setting organizational strategy to more fully engaging passive, compliant staff members.

Moreover, most articles on any given topic fill only about two pages at a crack. So you can get in, get what you need, and get on with your real work.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, this reviewer wrote a brief Best Practices article on leadership development for the book. It's two-pages among the reference's more than two-thousand. (And candidly, when I first heard about the project, I thought an overwhelming, omnibus treatment of all matters business was flat-out goofy. That was until I actually saw the book. And started reading critically. It proved its usefulness very quickly.)

You'll recognize many prominent experts among the contributors. Even better, you'll find that they've been held to a tight, focused, practical style and format---with no philosophical diatribes and no time-wasting sidetracks.

That editorial discipline won't mean much as the volume rests heavily on your credenza. But it will really serve you when some new, unexpected and unfamiliar responsibility lands in your in-box. When your mind sounds the alarm --- "What the heck am I supposed to do about this?!" --- just take a deep breath, heave open the covers, and dig in!

Having this big black book nearby will be akin to career insurance.

You'd be hard-pressed to find either more ample or more useful advice for so little an investment.

Quite an impressive collection of reference material in one book. Very well organized. It is basically a whole library in one. The only downside is it's size. The book weighs something like 10 lbs, not something you can take to the coffee shop for a read. I didnt find the checklist section very useful. It contains many scenarios that will not come up in the normal course of business. This book is better suited for libraries and academic institution use. Perhaps if they broke this book down into several volumes it would be more useful. Having said all of this, the book does appear to be very well written and researched. For all of the information that it contains, it is a real bargain.

When it comes to claims of "one-stop stores" and the "ultimate" this or that, I'm a cynic. Further, (prior to purchase) I found it ludicrous that one individual resource claimed it could provide guidance relating to a given business scenario. And, while BUSINESS: THE ULTIMATE RESOURCE ("BTUR") is by no means the end all to a one-stop library for business knowledge, it comes about as close as anything I've seen in my career. Quite surprising, indeed.

To sum up this voluminous work, BTUR is the ultimate business encyclopedia. At a full eight pounds (and awkward as hell), it promulgates its place in a manager's bookshelf as a simplified answer to information and answers for the harried executive. And, in many areas, it achieves its lofty self-proclamations.

An example of some of the extremely helpful offerings:

- Over 100 management checklists providing answers (and more importantly, thoughtful consideration) to daily operational-type issues;
- Over 100 biographical thumbnails of leading business leaders, visionaries and pioneers;
- Summaries of the 70 most influential business books of all time (this list is suspect but decent);
- A dictionary of business nomenclature, words and phrases; and
- Over 100 "best-practice" essays from mainstream treatises to obscure, isolated areas.

These "lists" are very helpful and poignant in that they are all found in one resource. This then, if for no other reason, is why BTUR is a resource worth owning. BTUR's objective is to provide "basic business literacy." Author Goleman writes in his introduction: "Business advantage is gained by harnessing smart ideas...." Never could a statement be more profound or true relative to business success.

While I found this book (can you call something that weighs 8 lbs., a book?) a qualified multi-purpose guide, the very purpose it intends to serve is its one downfall. That is, rather than avail itself as a useful 'filter' for the amplitude of business information in our world today, it manifests extreme data overload {at times}. In other words, there are a variety of offerings that are so obscure that most will just stare and say, "Huh?" Don't believe me? Take a look at the Table of Contents under "Best Practices." Further, to truly make BTUR a indispensible resource, one will have to become very familiar with the Table of Contents and the Index. There is no way this guide will be of any help otherwise inasmuch as this pup comes in at just over 2,200 pages.

In summary then, its easy to look at a resource guide of this magnitude and scoff. However, before you do, you should take a serious look at the content...not just the Table of Contents. This book has true value. As one who coaches and consults with businesses relative to profit performance and operational efficiencies, I found BTUR to be a very reasonable and competent supplement. Further, I found certain ideas very palatable for potential use with my clients (something about old dogs and new tricks comes to mind). Its definitely no end-all but its worth the price.

This book is massive and holds a wealth of information unsurpassed by any management/business book I've encountered. The layout is exceptional and is unassuming as it's driven by icons and clearly organized. The book has a top-notch advisory board. The little extras listed under "For More Information" such as websites and books are invaluable. They've done all the legwork for you. Also, each section highlights possible application of the concept discussed in a section called "Making It Happen" and the numerous management checklist make this book very applied. If there is a lacuna in your knowledge base it will surly be filled with Business the Ultimate Resource. Additionally, the bios and details of business gurus are helpful in understanding what it takes to be successful in a global market. Yes, this book does have a global perspective from illustrating the Japanese methodology of Kaizen to business opportunities in Mozambique. So, if you are looking for an exceptional reference book that overshadows Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace by 670 pages this is it!

What a great book! Need information about maintaining websites? It's in there. Need info about starting a small business? It's in there. Somebody in your Sunday foursome recommend you look up something about the Fifth Discipline? There's a summary in there. Want to know the degree of cellphone penetration in Chile? In there. Child needs info about Howard Hughes for a book report? There's a biography in there.

In short, a near complete encyclopedic reference on the theories, strategies, tactics, personalities, concepts, places, and literature throughout history. Well worth the bucks for any student of business.

When I ordered this book from Amazon[.com], I had no idea how valuable it would be to me. It sits in a prominent place on my desk. It's also currently on my "Best 6" list of business books for sales professionals on my book's website.

Dave Stein

This is an amazing resource. May be intimidating in size, but is really a good read as there are articles from several sources, information on businesspeople throughout history, definitions, calculations, and everything. If you enjoy reading business books, the HBR, etc. this is something that should be on your bookshelf.

This book is worth every penny you pay for it and then some!

The size of this book is indeed intimidating. Fortunately, the content indeed matches well with its heaviness. This is the most complete business reference book I'd ever seen. The book is well organized. Topics are well arranged. Articles were written by wellknown experts in the world of business. This is a book that will be valuable for any organization. It's a must-have reference for your organization's library.