Business arrangement in the forefront
927862
While I really enjoyed Kat's new found maturity and her ability to treat children with such compassion, I wasn't too excited about the relationship between her and Bowie, which should really be the centerpiece of the book. Not every book in a long running series can be your favorite and for me, this one was that one. Updates and info on other Haven Pointers was fun and I believe there will be another wintertime installment to look forward to.
4356374
I love this business story. I admire Mr. Howard Schultz for leadership.
I have my own desire to build this kind of company.

R. Lasak
739831
Many scholors have been researching in corporate strategy so far. And now this theme seems to be coming back. Too much emphasis on competitive strategy and business strategy of business units are likely criticized indeed. Mulibusiness corporations really need the optimal fit between corporate strategy and business strategy. This book is the one of challenging and quick respoce to that trend. The faster The better..... I don't know. But difinitely it is worth while reading for practitioner and researchers in this field. Including A.D.Chandler's discussion, outstanding papers of harvard business review are contained. Probably you will find new standpoint of academic field.
84553
This is a collection of readings on the role of business in its social environment. Written in the late 1970s, many of the principles discussed in the book's articles are still surprisingly very relevant today in the early 21st century. It was fun to go through the book's articles to see how over forty years "the more things change the more they stay the same."

Being a researcher and analyst of activist engagement of companies, of specific interest to me was the article entitled "Citizen Groups and Business." This article by John Linley Holcomb discusses the strategies adopted and issues engaged in by advocacy groups engaging corporations. Many of the strategies discussed were limited to the arena of working through the legislative process in order to apply pressure to corporations. However, it was interesting to see the other strategies mentioned which ultimately became the groundwork for and have evolved into the direct engagement of corporations strategies that many activist groups practice today.

I'd recommend this book to anyone working in the area of activist engagement with business. The work will provide a good historical perspective not only on activist practices, but also on the general social environment in which business must operate.
3237295
The Peril of Thyself allowed me to be a fly on the wall at not just one but two managing consulting firms. I was able to overhear not just what happened at board meetings but to see and hear the backstabbing, jockeying, and planning before each meeting. An added bonus was my fly on the wall status in the VC's office too. The Peril provides intrigue, deceit, and lust too.
4005074
There are so many excellent books already in print which focus on the formulation, implementation, and refinement of business strategy. (Several are identified within this book's Notes section.) That said, I remain convinced that senior-level executives should complete some due diligence on other volumes available by reading the comments on those which are rated highest in the Customer Reviews provided by Amazon. I also think it desirable to consult more than one source (preferably several) which seem most relevant to the specific circumstances within the given organization.

In this volume, Greenwald and Kahn succeed remarkably well with clarifying their readers' "understanding of strategy and to reframe their approach to it. We want executives to know how their markets work, where there competitive opportunities lie, and how to develop and protect them. To this end, we include both broad discussions of general principles and detailed case studies of actual competitive interactions. Taken together, we think they present a useful guide for people who make strategic decisions."

In large organizations, there are entire departments responsible for strategic planning. (Obviously, their efforts are supervised by senior-level executives and usually a board member or two.) In much smaller organizations, strategic planning may be conducted by the owner/CEO alone or by one or two executives. Whatever the situation, strategies are still "hammers" which drive "nails" (i.e. tactics) and invariably require both long-term commitments and substantial allocation of resources. Strategies are the cornerstones of plans for achieving and then sustaining success, plans which specifically focus on the actions and responses of competitors. Therefore, in essence, as Greenwald and Kahn correctly observe, "strategic thinking is about creating, protecting, and exploiting competitive advantages." That is as true of the family-owned neighborhood store as it is of a Fortune 500 company. The only major differences involve those of scale (e.g. operations and resources). However, I doubt that many owners of neighborhood stores will read this book.

I was especially interested in what Greenwald and Kahn have to say about business strategy at work within companies such as Wal-Mart, Coors, the Fox Network, and Kiwi Airlines as well as within others in direct competition: Compaq vs. Apple, Coke vs. Pepsi, and Kodak vs. Polaroid. I was also interested in what they have to say about mergers and acquisitions, venture investing, and brand extensions. In all organizations (regardless of size or nature), it remains imperative for their decision-makers to decide who their organization is...and who it isn't...before launching business development initiatives to become more successful, whatever the given competitive marketplace(s) may be. Greenwald and Kahn's final observation provides an appropriate conclusion to this commentary. In the absence of competitive advantages and barriers to entry, those initiatives have only one strategic imperative: "The efficient use of all the resources they require."
885142
Superb book! The authors make the case that offering profit sharing and stock options, etc., make companies more prosperous when the employees have a share in the ownership of the company. Through extensive research they show that this practice is consistent with the vision of our founding fathers about the value of land ownership, and that in our more modern, urban society this vision can be achieved by providing employees with a share in the ownership of the company through stock options and profit sharing. This is one of the most carefully researched books I have read.
4801489
Pretty good book for a glimpse into one of America's most respected companies.  I find it funny when they say they don't want to grow their business, but overall this has been a great read.
2348472
In today's world of business, change is the only constant. Many businesses seem to rely on the tried and true methods of yester-year hoping that the things which worked yesterday will work tomorrow. Those who think this way are in for a rude awakening.
A changing marketplace demands business innovation that puts value on serving the customer better than the competition, and delivers shareholder return.
The authors of this work contend that the "ultimate competitive advantage" is an ever-evolving business model.
By "business model" the authors mean the "who, what, where, when, and how" of how a company goes about satisfying consumer needs. Those who do this better than their competitors will ultimately win, while those who merely fix what was broken yesterday so that it runs today will find themselves out of business.
The book delves into what exactly is a business model and how it relates to the customer and the competition. One important fact stood out in the book: to merely change a part of your business practice without adapting to a changing market place and increasing customer satisfaction, will lead to disaster.
In other words, it isn't so much a fixing of a problem area as it is constantly observing the market and making those little adjustments to your business model--the way you do things, the overall picture--so that you reduce costs, increase customer service, and provide increasing value to both customer and shareholder.
The book abounds with profiles of scores of companies and what they did to adapt their business model to changing times. The book is also replete with many recommendations as to how a bisiness--large or small-- can implement these same strategies to improve their profit picture.
In the foreward, it is recommended that if you read only one business book in the next five years, make it this one. And I believe that the writer is right on track. The book has hit the nail on the head in recognizing that the business which makes continual surveys and adjustments to their business model are the ones who are going to survive in this age of the ever-changing marketplace.
4889000
Couple of interesting outcomes,

* Very Good articulation of the market transition from Business 'to' Business to business *FOR* business thru a outcome based offerings.

* How effectively we can manage this transition

* Strategy to deal with the volume of consumption data and being a part of customer's business

*  Framework to conceptualize outcome based service offerings.
2394958
This book follows a basic principle of re-invention.  Going back and looking to see where you can improve to make your business more  profitable.  The are several examples of companies who have done just that.  Giving you a practical model to succeed.  Well worth the price to give your business what it needs to compete in the Global Marketplace.
4799237
Awesome book.  A good recalibration for those of us in business that there are multiple stake holders.  Does a nice job showing how the noble profession of business got hijacked to where the shareholder was the only pertinent stakeholder, and the tragic consequences of that change.  Many of us still believe that the title "businessperson" is a noble profession.
This book shows how to get that back.
3073047
I'm looking to form a business with some investors, and I know very little about doing so. After reading the book, I decided to form a partnership that may grow into a corporation one day. The book is an easy read and is accurately described by the title. It is well organized and concisely explains the different business forms in terms of: a general overview, taxation, and legal considerations.
3374088
The book gives a glimpse of import-export but main focuses on starting any business. It's main focus is on the divergent type of business structuring.
3268623
I bought this book in conjunctioin with a business planning course taught by the author.  I'm usually not a fan of most law books, but this book presents valuable content in a manner accessible to both law and business students.
2269914
Business isn't always about making a profit, but to provide a service that can improve human life.
4804967
Getting ready for business next year a have to have.