Help protect your family and your assets, and save on legal fees! Quicken WillMaker Plus Estate Planning Essential 2007 Edition provides the legal forms you need. So comprehensive, the CD-ROM assembles your forms from among 40,000 document possibilities -- but so easy to use, you'll have them finished in minutes.
Important documents for executors
The CD-ROM also provides forms you can use every day, such as authorizations and agreements, child and elder care forms, promissory notes and documents to help you repair your credit.
For each document, Quicken WillMaker Plus Estate Planning Essentials 2007 Edition takes you through a step-by-step interview. Your documents will automatically reflect the laws of your state. If you have any questions, simply check out the comprehensive onscreen legal manual. Expert tech support is also available.
Need to know more? Here are in-depth details about what you can do with Quicken WillMaker Plus Estate Planning Essentials 2007 Edition:
Your Will
Provide for family, friends and charities. Name a personal guardian to care for young children. Specify the executor (or "personal representative") of your estate. Select a trusted person to manage property left to young people. Revise and update your will whenever you like.
Your Living Trust
Make a basic trust, whether you're married or single. If married, you can create a AB trust (or bypass trust) and spare your heirs from potentially heavy estate taxes. Create subtrusts for minor children and young adults. Name custodians for property left to children. Change or revoke your trust at any time.
Your Health Care Directive lets people who care for you make important decisions about your life and health when you can't. Create a:
NEW! Health Care Power of Attorney Permit a loved one to make important medical decisions for you if you are unable to do so yourself.
Living Will
Specify whether you want your life prolonged through artificial means. Appoint someone to make sure your wishes are carried out.
Your Financial Power of Attorney
Name someone to make your financial decisions, in case you are medically incapacitated. Don't worry, you can grant as much authority as you wish.
Your Final Arrangements
Plan a funeral or other ceremony. Clarify whether you want a cremation or burial. Select someone to oversee your final arrangements -- and more!
Documents for Your Executor
Make sure your executor ("personal representative" in some states) has all the forms and instructions he or she needs to do the job: Checklists, letters, notices, claim forms -- and more.
Personal Finance Documents
Over a dozen forms that let you handle financial situations you might face on any given day, such as disputing a credit card charge, lending or borrowing money to friends or family, creating bills of sale -- and more!
Home & Family Documents
Whether you need to authorize someone to travel with your child to another country, want to lend your car to a friend, or create an agreement with a trusted person to take care of your elderly parent, Quicken WillMaker Plus can handle all these family situations -- and many more!
Estate planning documents not valid in Louisiana.
Customer Reviews:
very thorough.......2007-09-25
Probably the best product available. I bought the book plus CD. The book is very detailed and covers most topics you would want to know about in case you pass on. I feel I have a good understanding of the process. Estate planning is somewhat complex and takes time. You must read the book before plugging in the software so you will understand the major decisions you must make.
This package will crank out straight forward, no nonsense wills and related paperwork that is valid and binding. You do not need a lawyer. However if you have anything complicated or involves many conditions, you better pay the lawyers fees.
It's OK but won't work on Mac.......2007-09-12
I have not used all the pieces of this and it has some limitations but it is a cheap way to get a will I guess. I am mostly annoyed that they don't make it for Mac which makes it a bigger hassle for me since I am a Mac user.
Very good if your needs are basic.......2007-08-24
My wife and I bought this product before we went on an out of the country vacation and left our toddler with relatives. We wanted to have the peace of mind that our intentions were documented and known. Our situation is not complex so we found the program and documentation to be very accommodating.
I would guess that someone who had a great deal of acquired wealth and assests, or a complex family system may want to invest in an attorney's assistance.
Easy to use product........2007-08-23
WillMaker was simple to use, and didn't take much time at all. It is a great way to get your affairs in order. It's not easy to think about death, but I think it is important, so those who survive you don't have as many difficult issues around one's death.
This program also has some other useful legal programs such as childcare contracts.
Lots of Reading but Well Worth It.......2007-08-08
I didn't want to go to a lawyer and spend lots of $ on the very little money I have. The software comes with a very detailed book and explains everything very well. I did actually write my will that day and living will as well.I just have to get it signed by witnesses and notarized. I didn't give it a perfect 5 b/c there is no such thing as perfect. That's just my own opinion. Well worth the money and the software goes through the will process step by step.
Book Description
Essentials of Corporate Finance, 5/e by Ross, Westerfield, and Jordan is written to convey the most important concepts and principles of corporate finance at a level that is approachable for a wide audience. The authors retain their modern approach to finance, but have distilled the subject down to the essential topics in 18 chapters. They believe that understanding the “why” is just as important, if not more so, than understanding the “how,” especially in an introductory course. Three basic themes emerge as their central focus: 1. An emphasis on intuition—separate and explain the principles at work on a common sense, intuitive level before launching into specifics. Underlying ideas are discussed first in general terms, then followed by specific examples that illustrate in more concrete terms how a financial manager might proceed in a given situation. 2. A unified valuation approach—Net Present Value is treated as the basic concept underlying corporate finance. Every subject the authors cover is firmly rooted in valuation, and care is taken to explain how decisions have valuation effects. 3. A managerial focus—Students learn that financial management concerns management. The role of financial manager as decision maker is emphasized and they stress the need for managerial input and judgment.
Customer Reviews:
Great!.......2007-07-26
I think the book does a good job of simplifying finance for those of us who are beginners in the field. They give clear, step-by-step examples so that it is easy to understand
Finance Textbook.......2007-07-23
The textbook's price was competitive, it was delivered in a timely manner as promised and in mint condition as promised.
I enjoyed doing business with this supplier.
Not sure why someone rated it poorly.......2007-06-02
I'm an MBA student with quite a number of courses finished. I'm over half way through the finance course that uses this book and have found it to be written very well. The example problems are great, and the explanations are thorough. Our professor did make available the answers to the questions at the back of the book and used the powerpoints developed by the author. All in all the only drawback I could find was cost (as usual with college texts). As a side note, several students did use the 4th edition in our class with the permission of the instructor and did just fine.
Finance Textbook.......2007-02-11
The description of the textbook on the web was confusing and resulted in the buying the wrong book; but the return policy and credit correction worked very well;
Good for a textbook.......2007-01-03
I had to buy this book and use it for Finance class. It was helpful and used real world examples.
Book Description
The market leading Essentials of Investments, 6e by Bodie, Kane and Marcus is an undergraduate textbook on investment analysis, presenting the practical applications of investment theory to convey insights of practical value. The authors have eliminated unnecessary mathematical detail and concentrate on the intuition and insights that will be useful to practitioners throughout their careers as new ideas and challenges emerge from the financial marketplace. Essentials maintains the theme of asset allocation (authors discuss asset pricing and trading then apply these theories to portfolio planning in real-world securities markets that are governed by risk/return relationships).
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book for begineers.......2007-05-10
For someone who is new to world of finance, this is best book I have come across which is easy to read and covers details of investment. I like the layout of chapters and most of basic chapters are followed by more advance concepts in next chapter.
If you'd like a serious headache, buy this book........2006-10-05
I made the mistake of choosing this book as this text for an undergraduate finance course because it is used by the New York Society of Financial Analysts in their portfolio management class. Don't make the same mistake!! Part One is very informative and gives the reader practical information and advice. The rest of the book is terrible. The equity section concentrates on Modern Portfolio Theory--the Efficient Fronter, co-variation, efficient markets, blah, blah, blah. While Value Investing is mentioned (barely), it is almost an afterthought and it's certainly frowned upon. I wonder how poor investors like Warren Buffet and Seth Klarman have made any money at all using the Value Investing approach. I found the section on bonds and fixed income portfolio management interesting but difficult to follow. I traded corporate and municipal bonds for 20 years. If I had not had such a background, I would have been totally confused. If you are a quantitative GENIUS, this book MAY help you. If you are not, you can choose another book and learn much more.
Poor.......2006-06-16
This is a poorly written finance text. It is not organized and unclear in some sections. I have a degree in Finance, and I would never recommend this book to anyone.
Knowing your subject and knowing how to teach it are different things.......2006-05-21
The authors no doubt know Investment analysis. Unfortunately they don't communicate that information too well. Frequently happens when Phd's forget they are writing to students, not other Phd's. Bought this book for a senior level finance course, required to complete my major in finance.
Even my Prof. started the course with, "the textbook is difficult to read but just follow my notes and you should do ok". Not too good of an endorsement for a textbook. Now, after completing the course, I am searching for another text on the subject to keep as a reference. Even after the lectures, this book's explinations of the same topics are difficult to follow.
Excellent Introduction.......2006-05-13
Bodie's "Essentials of Investments" sevres as helpful, comprehensive introduction to investments. This book is modeled on Bodie's larger graduate text "Investments" leaving out only the sections on Equilibrium in Capital Markets and skimping on some of the finer mathematical details within the other sections. You will prefer this book if you are just beginning in the field, and you will not be disappointed with what you learn. The book is an easy and engaging read if you are an "intelligent layman", and it is certainly feasable even if you have a limited general education background. Overall, great introduction to the investment field. Recommended.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-02-13
I really enjoyed this book. One reason is because it is a short book, and another is that it is written in easy, understandable terms.
Best place for on line purchases.......2006-03-02
As always, very happy with the service received by Amazon. Pront delivery and in perfect condition.
Overall a very good book.......2005-12-09
This is a very well written book. I used this book as part of my MBA program. No frills or fluff - just goes right to the point and explains it well in relatively fewer words. Also helped me tremendously in my job and the knowledge gained from this book does helps me in doing a better job. A must read for all managers.
Easy to understand.......2005-10-26
This book gets right to the point. Even though it is direct it also offers excellent examples to help you understand the information quickly.
Well written and solid intro to the field of Org Behavior.......2004-07-13
"Essentials in Organizational Behavior" is a solid text for a course surveying the field of Organizational Behavior. Its sixteen chapters are grouped into four parts. Part I introduces the field of organizational behavior, its goals and functions within an organization along with some challenges and opportunities.
Part II contains chapters two through six and focuses on how individuals function within an organization and the considerations managers need to have with values, personality, motivation, emotions, and how individuals make decisions.
Part III contains chapters seven through twelve and discusses groups in the organization. It begins discussion foundations of group behavior, some basics on work teams, communication, leadership & creating trust, power & politics, conflict & negotiation.
Part IV discusses the Organization System in chapters thirteen through sixteen. It begins with the foundations of organizational structure, culture, and then gets into the role of human resource policies and practices. The book concludes with Organizational Change and Development.
There is an epilogue to wrap things up, endnotes, and index and a glossary.
The book is clearly written. I like the way the author presents a variety of views and theories and never becomes dogmatic about a certain approach. Because it is concise it actually has a chance of being read (the usual 750 page textbook is largely left unread in most courses). However, to really become proficient in any of the many topics presented here the student will have to do much more study and practical work. I am confident that any teacher adopting the text for coursework would make the necessity for further study clear to the student. The endnotes do provide many fine sources for such study, but I would like to have seen some sources organized into a list of readings for study organized by topic. It would have added a few pages, but would not have overburdened this text.
In any case, this is a good introductory read for anyone who wants to a quick tour of the universe of Organizational Behavior.
Customer Reviews:
Not worth your time........2006-09-27
Basically I had to purchase this for a class. The book is full of acronyms and buzz words with no application. The end of chapter review is great if you just wanted to add new words to your vocabulary and be able to repeat their definitions with little understanding. This is a classic example of a text book gone wrong.
Good for its purpose.......2006-06-14
If you need a management information systems book, this is the book you should be looking for! Its not useful for much else, however, maybe kindling...
deluxe RIP OFF.......2004-12-20
I 'was forced' to buy this book for an MIS course. We all know how textbooks are scams anyway, but this one takes the cake. My college even had the balls to 'bundle' this with an MS Access book so we were stuck with a $170 bundle. All the info I needed to take the course was available on the website webct. If you can find a way to access that site, you don't even need this outrageously expensive book. I got an A in the course and never cracked the book. I just used the info on the website. You should try that route if you can, and forgo purchasing this book.
Just not worth the cost........2004-10-12
This book is compulsory for a class I am in. Do what I did, don't waste your money - borrow from a library..... or find other solutions. This is way too much money for information that can be covered in other sources. The publisher is clearly exploiting the fact that it is used as a textbook to raise the cost outrageously.
This book is a scam.......2004-09-09
My friend used Management Information Sustems: Managing the Digital Firm 8th edition. Now that I received this one I can see that 95% of of the content in the new book is identical to the one my friend has. Oh, right, the authors also added to the title the words "essentials of" Management...
I can believe the publisher let the authors publish this kind of book. A previous review says that the book is almost identical to the previous edition of the same book. Now I am saying that the book is almost identical to a different book writen by the same authors...this is outrageous.
Ah, yes. The cases at the end of the chapters are different
Book Description
This cost-effective textbook/workbook/handbook presents a streamlined, no-nonsense approach to business communication that includes comprehensive Web resources and unparalleled author support for instructors and students. ESSENTIALS provides a three-in-one learning package: (1) authoritative text, (2) practical workbook, and (3) self-teaching grammar/mechanics handbook. Especially effective for students with outdated or inadequate language skills, ESSENTIALS offers extraordinary digital and printed exercises to help students build confidence as they review grammar, punctuation, and writing guidelines. Textbook chapters teach basic writing skills and then apply these skills to a variety of e-mails, memos, letters, reports, and resumes. Realistic model documents and structured writing assignments build lasting workplace skills. The Seventh Edition of this award-winning favorite features increased coverage of employment communication, communication technology, and professionalism in the workplace.
Customer Reviews:
Marketing Textbook.......2007-10-04
The book was in perfect condition, however, it didn't come with the user access code for internet review websites.
Best Text for Learning Communication Skills.......2007-01-04
I am an instructor for a local college. I selected the Essntials of Business Communication as the textbook for my Business Communications course after working with it in a previous class. It is the best organized text I have found with step by step instructions for students to readily grasp the techniques used in modern business documents. The book covers e-mails, memos, a variety of business letters, reports, business proposals, resumes, letters of application and communication skills for oral presentations and interviews. Lectures, examples, assignments, and grammatical challenges are pre-designed for the instructor's use, making this a turn-key system for teaching communication skills.
Yes Indeed........2006-01-30
Yes indeed this book was/is (I still crack it open)very helpful to me. Before I read this book, or took the class that used this book, I was a very bad speller. My grammer was poor and my writing technique was even worse. If this book helped me I am sure it will help you.
Excellent book for college and your career.......2000-07-29
Finally, a complete text that is always useful. I have read this book over and over... each time learning something new. It's great if you need a complete and extensive description or a quick overview. This book will go from your college backpack to the desk of your new exciting job!
An Excellent Guide to Business Writing.......2000-04-03
This book is an excellent tool for writing, especially for the non-native English writer. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a study guide with many examples that have been updated for the current business environment. The numerous samples and the grammar review are very helpful for studying the fundamentals. This book is extremely relevant in a business world crowded with a cornucopia of poor writing, misspelling, and incorrect grammar usage. My heartfelt thanks to Ms. Guffey for writing such an excellent guide.
Book Description
Essentials of Management makes the connection between theory and concepts to actual practice by showing how managers and organizations effectively apply the basic principles of management. The text takes a functional approach, first introducing the role of a manager and the modern managerial environment, before exploring planning organizing, leading, and control . The Sixth Edition has been extensively revised and updated to include the latest information, examples and activities to help readers understand the skills necessary to manage, lead, and compete in today's world. .
Customer Reviews:
College Book.......2007-09-04
Book required for my course, ordered it was delivered the day classes started, I'm a happy man.
Book Description
What makes an effective executive?
The measure of the executive, Peter F. Drucker reminds us, is the ability to "get the right things done." This usually involves doing what other people have overlooked as well as avoiding what is unproductive. Intelligence, imagination, and knowledge may all be wasted in an executive job without the acquired habits of mind that mold them into results.
Drucker identifies five practices essential to business effectiveness that can, and must, be learned:
- Managing time
- Choosing what to contribute to the organization
- Knowing where and how to mobilize strength for best effect
- Setting the right priorities
- Knitting all of them together with effective decision-making
Ranging widely through the annals of business and government, Peter F. Drucker demonstrates the distinctive skill of the executive and offers fresh insights into old and seemingly obvious business situations.
Customer Reviews:
Getting the Right Things Done vs. Doing Things Right.......2007-09-06
The breadth of Drucker's knowledge and insights never cease to amaze me, and goes to reinforce my perception - as well as that of many others - that he is, in fact, "the founding father of the science of management." That's the reason I quoted him seven times - on seven different management topics - in by book, The Three Pillars of Sustainable Profit & Growth The Three Pillars of Sustainable Profit and Growth.
The essence of The Effective Executive is this: not too long ago, the business community was essentially engaged in manufacturing where the need was for efficiency - the ability to do things right.
As our business world evolved into service and science-oriented enterprises, employees became "knowledge workers" as opposed to "manual workers." Thus, a whole new set of executive qualifications were required - the key one being effectiveness - the ability to get the right things done.
He goes on to point out that intelligence, knowledge and imagination are common in most executives, and they were the primary qualities needed when our business world was engaged in manufacturing and manual workers. However, with the emergence of the service/science-oriented business world and the knowledge worker, these same qualities appear to have little correlation with an executive's effectiveness. Today's business world needs executives who can get the right things done.
True Drucker.......2007-07-21
Trust Drucker to give you the best info on management.
Kishore Dharmarajan
Author of Eightstorm: 8-Step Brainstorming for Innovative Managers
Finally, an actual executive handbook!.......2007-06-10
Fantastic overview of the skills on which an executive should focus and how to acquire those skills. I've been looking for something like this for quite a while. Ranks with Good to Great and Tipping Point as one of my favorite books in the lst 5 years.
Drucker.......2007-04-24
IF you only read one management book in your life.
This is it.
Vital tool.......2007-02-07
This is a fantastic book. It is written in an old-school style that is somewhat hard to get through.....but the messages are very clear. This book totally changes the way you think about your role in an organization - regardless of your rank or profession. It's definitely a book you should read at least twice.
Amazon.com
What do the Honda Supercub, Intel's 8088 processor, and hydraulic excavators have in common? They are all examples of disruptive technologies that helped to redefine the competitive landscape of their respective markets. These products did not come about as the result of successful companies carrying out sound business practices in established markets. In The Innovator's Dilemma, author Clayton M. Christensen shows how these and other products cut into the low end of the marketplace and eventually evolved to displace high-end competitors and their reigning technologies.
At the heart of The Innovator's Dilemma is how a successful company with established products keeps from being pushed aside by newer, cheaper products that will, over time, get better and become a serious threat. Christensen writes that even the best-managed companies, in spite of their attention to customers and continual investment in new technology, are susceptible to failure no matter what the industry, be it hard drives or consumer retailing. Succinct and clearly written, The Innovator's Dilemma is an important book that belongs on every manager's bookshelf. Highly recommended. --Harry C. Edwards
Book Description
In this revolutionary bestseller, Harvard professor Clayton M. Christensen says outstanding companies can do everything right and still lose their market leadership -- or worse, disappear completely. And he not only proves what he says, he tells others how to avoid a similar fate.
Focusing on "disruptive technology" -- the Honda Super Cub, Intel's 8088 processor, or the hydraulic excavator, for example -- Christensen shows why most companies miss "the next great wave." Whether in electronics or retailing, a successful company with established products will get pushed aside unless managers know when to abandon traditional business practices. Using the lessons of successes and failures from leading companies, The Innovator's Dilemma presents a set of rules for capitalizing on the phenomenon of disruptive innovation.
Find out:
- When it is right not to listen to customers.
- When to invest in developing lower-performance products that promise lower margins.
- When to pursue small markets at the expense of seemingly
- larger and more lucrative ones.
Sharp, cogent, and provocative, The Innovator's Dilemma is one of the most talked-about books of our time -- and one no savvy manager or entrepreneur should be without.
Download Description
Revised, updated, and with a new chapter, this book continues to take the radical position that great companies can fail precisely because they do everything right. It demonstrates why outstanding companies lose their market leadership when confronted with disruptive technology--and it explains how to avoid a similar fate. Drawing on insights from a number of industries--such as the computer and disk drive industries, discount retailing, minimills, pharmaceuticals, and the automobile industry--Christensen shows why good management often turns out to be all wrong--and what to do about it.
Customer Reviews:
No Dilemma Here.......2007-08-18
It is the typical manager's nightmare. A startup with a powerful idea wipes out all the dominance your large ogranisation had. It can happen overnite and without warning.
How do you stop this nightmare from happening? Well, the answer could lie in The Innovator's Dilemma.
Kishore Dharmarajan
Author of Eightstorm: 8-Step Brainstorming for Innovative Managers
A disruptive view on innovation.......2007-08-09
Professor Clayton Christensen introduced the term "disruptive innovation" as a management buzzword, the whole book spins around this concept and offers very perturbing views on why being a star performer is a major threat to pass the next opportunity.
First, a definition: disruptive innovations are those that offer "less" in the critical performance parameters of current customers. As a consequence disruptive innovators have to look for different customers than the ones that established companies already have.
To make the point a deep analysis of the hard disk drive industry is made. More than 100 innovations are analysed and only 5 are claimed as being disruptive: the progressive reduction of size from 14", to 8", to 5 1/4", etc. All follow the same pattern: the innovation had lower performance on capacity which was the critical parameter for existing customers and innovators had to find new customers, eg for the 8" drive the mini-computer manufacturers instead of mainframe manufacturers. In fact innovations were so disruptive that almost none of the established companies was able to be successful in the new market. Although current players where by and large able to bring forward the other 100 sustaining inovations without major troubles.
The second part of the book recommends how to make disruptive innovations work, with supporting evidence from examples. This are:
-Create a new organization to deal with the innovation
-Match organization and opportunity size
-Allow the organization to fail rapidly and inexpensively and move on
-Leverage some of the existing resources but not the values and processes of the main organization
-Spend time looking for the right customers rather than the right technology.
The surprising learning is that what impedes that good companies cannot profit from disruptive innovations are that they are good at what they do in their main business not that htey are bad. The hot topic is still when a disruptive innovation is comming how can we spot and capitalise on it, and put ourselves in the dilemma of chosing the best option.
A well laid out, thought provoking and seminal work on innovation.
Repetitive.......2007-06-23
It was a hassle getting through this book, but overall it was worth it. A lot of good lessons learned, but he says the same things over and over again. Read the first and last chapters and you'll be fine.
Business calssic.......2007-06-17
The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen is a must read book for any person interested in keeping their business moving forward or for any person starting a business. Christensen clearly exposes the traps that cause successful companies to stop innovating and succumb to innovative new firms. The material is presented as a series of fascinating case studies with commentary.
just great book.......2007-05-12
Just great book for those considering start their own business.
Would be helpful for bean counters in large corporations too.
Amazon.com
This analysis of what makes great companies great has been hailed everywhere as an instant classic and one of the best business titles since In Search of Excellence. The authors, James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras, spent six years in research, and they freely admit that their own preconceptions about business success were devastated by their actual findings--along with the preconceptions of virtually everyone else.
Built to Last identifies 18 "visionary" companies and sets out to determine what's special about them. To get on the list, a company had to be world famous, have a stellar brand image, and be at least 50 years old. We're talking about companies that even a layperson knows to be, well, different: the Disneys, the Wal-Marts, the Mercks.
Whatever the key to the success of these companies, the key to the success of this book is that the authors don't waste time comparing them to business failures. Instead, they use a control group of "successful-but-second-rank" companies to highlight what's special about their 18 "visionary" picks. Thus Disney is compared to Columbia Pictures, Ford to GM, Hewlett Packard to Texas Instruments, and so on.
The core myth, according to the authors, is that visionary companies must start with a great product and be pushed into the future by charismatic leaders. There are examples of that pattern, they admit: Johnson & Johnson, for one. But there are also just too many counterexamples--in fact, the majority of the "visionary" companies, including giants like 3M, Sony, and TI, don't fit the model. They were characterized by total lack of an initial business plan or key idea and by remarkably self-effacing leaders. Collins and Porras are much more impressed with something else they shared: an almost cult-like devotion to a "core ideology" or identity, and active indoctrination of employees into "ideologically commitment" to the company.
The comparison with the business "B"-team does tend to raise a significant methodological problem: which companies are to be counted as "visionary" in the first place? There's an air of circularity here, as if you achieve "visionary" status by ... achieving visionary status. So many roads lead to Rome that the book is less practical than it might appear. But that's exactly the point of an eloquent chapter on 3M. This wildly successful company had no master plan, little structure, and no prima donnas. Instead it had an atmosphere in which bright people were both keen to see the company succeed and unafraid to "try a lot of stuff and keep what works." --Richard Farr
Book Description
Drawing upon a six-year research project at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras took eighteen truly exceptional and long-lasting companies and studied each in direct comparison to one of its top competitors. They examined the companies from their very beginnings to the present day -- as start-ups, as midsize companies, and as large corporations. Throughout, the authors asked: "What makes the truly exceptional companies different from the comparison companies and what were the common practices these enduringly great companies followed throughout their history?"
Filled with hundreds of specific examples and organized into a coherent framework of practical concepts that can be applied by managers and entrepreneurs at all levels, Built to Last provides a master blueprint for building organizations that will prosper long into the 21st century and beyond.
Customer Reviews:
Identity is Built to Last.......2007-08-30
It is interesting to review a business book more than 10 years after it has been labeled a best seller - is it still relevant today? Yes, in the case of this classic! The lessons conveyed are as useful today, as they were when it was first published. No surprise, given what the authors set out to discover when they began their research: What distinguishes long-time, high performing companies from their competitors? Their key concept about what it takes to build a visionary company - "preserve the core and stimulate progress" seems to be a fundamental truth about the evolutionary nature of free markets. Certainly their, "Try Lots of Stuff and Keep What Works" and "Good Enough Never Is", lessons sound like evolutionary processes of adaptation.
The key concept might be more simply described by saying, "Maintain your identity - core values & purpose - while focusing on a living performance vision." That makes it a personal concept as well as an organizational concept - not a bad thing when you consider that any organization is a collection of people. When something makes sense for the individual and the organization, perhaps there-in resides the reason it is a long-term winner! Dennis DeWilde, Author of The Performance Connection
Built to last.......2007-08-10
This is the most relevant, well-presented, easy-to-read research project I've seen. The data is easily transferable to to practical use. I have seen its implementation make a really big positive difference in groups within organizations.
Must-read for anyone interested in business.......2007-04-13
This book is the result of an elaborative research and a great data-analysis. It gives an insight into the some of the greatest companies of the world in different fields and different time-periods.
Authors have done a great job in explaining and justifying their research and data through the appendices and bibliography. A study of all the existing companies to find the visionary ones is really a daunting task and this research team has done a terrific job in establishing a definition of a "visionary company".
Must-read for professionals at any level of the organization hierarchy!!!
Great insight.......2007-03-30
Both Built to Last and Good to Great are the best business books anyone can ever read. Nice work!
Excellent Research, Very Helpful Findings.......2007-03-25
I would not necessarily agree that the predecessor was a better book. The two books have different purposes, and I believe both are very helpful.
The authors present their research process and findings, as well as 12 myths:
Myth #1: It takes a great idea to start a great company.
Myth #2: Visionary companies require great and charismatic visionary leaders.
Myth #3: The most successful companies exist first and foremost to maximize profits.
Myth #4: Visionary companies share a common subset of "correct" core values. [Note: by this, they do not mean to say that values are not important; on the contrary. However, they explain that there is no specific set of values common to all successful companies, but that these vary from one to another.]
Myth #5: The only constant is change.
Myth #6: Blue-chip companies play it safe.
Myth #7: Visionary companies are great places to work, for everyone.
Myth #8: Highly successful companies make their best moves by brilliant and complex strategic planning.
Myth #9: Companies should hire outside CEOs to stimulate fundamental change.
Myth #10: The most successful companies focus primarily on the competition.
Myth #11: You can't have your cake and eat it too.
Myth #12: Companies become visionary primarily through "vision statements".
The authors debunk each of these myths by presenting their findings.
One of the most powerful lessons, which I underlined, is this: "... most of them view their products and services as making useful and important contributions to customers' lives... they exist to do something useful..."
The authors show that companies with long-term and solid success throughout time are not simply focused on making money or growing their business by X% annually. They have a stronger and greater mission, and their products and service exist primarily to support that vision. This is why, even when products become obsolete, the company with a strong sense of purpose continues to change and evolve beyond product life cycles. An important lesson for most companies in corporate America.
Books:
- Reading Financial Reports For Dummies
- Reclaiming Surrendered Ground: Protecting Your Family from Spiritual Attacks
- Schaum's Outline of Statistics
- Standard and Poor's Guide to Money and Investing (Standard & Poor)
- StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup's Now, Discover Your Strengths
- The Elements of Color
- The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits (Wharton School Publishing Paperbacks)
- The Fundamentals of Risk Measurement
- The Japanese House: Architecture and Interiors
- The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns (Little Book Big Profits)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- History: Fiction or Science
- Brother Odd
- X-Urbanism: Architecture and the American City
- Animal Experimentation : A Guide to the Issues
- Barron's SAT Subject Test in Biology E/M 2007
- Designing World-Class E-Learning : How IBM, GE, Harvard Business School, And Columbia University Are
- Before I Say Good-Bye
- Mitchell Beazley: Wineries with Style
- A New Theory of Urban Design
- An Unthymely Death
Consumer Law
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Plan Your Estate
Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won't Have To (Book with CD-Rom)
![Quicken Personal Finances Deluxe 2007 [OLDER VERSION]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000GHV6N2.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
Quicken Personal Finances Deluxe 2007 [OLDER VERSION]
TurboTax Federal + State Premier Investments 2006 Win/Mac
Make Your Own Living Trust (Book & CD-ROM)
