Book Description
"Who's Counting?", by Jerrold M. Solomon, is a business novel that, for the first time, explains how accounting and manufacturing personnel must develop a partnership to successfully achieve world class results. This novel takes readers on a successful "Lean Journey", and illustrates how to bring accounting practices into the 21st century in order to compete in today's global market. A must read for all those interested in successfully implementing lean accounting!
Customer Reviews:
Who' Counting & Practical Lean Accounting: 1+1>2.......2007-07-16
"Who's Counting" and "Practical Lean Accounting" are two great books on lean accounting. I wondered some time ago, which one to read and I am glad that I could not decide, so I bought and read them both. They complement each other extremely well and each one conveys the lessons of lean accounting from a different angle.
"Practical Lean Accounting" is a well structured textbook, approaching lean accounting in a systemized way. Starting from straight-forward shop-floor measurements, like the day-by-the-hour report, it gradually immerses the reader into more demanding topics, like value stream costing or lean performance measurement, culminating in the thorough description of the Sales, Operations and Financial Planning (SOFP) process, which is the way, how an entire lean enterprise is planned, controlled and measured. Lean practitioners looking for specific answers to particular questions will find it easy to navigate through the book. People with the luxury of time for reading it cover to cover will also like it, due to the gradual increase in the complexity of the topics and the many references to other chapters.
"Who's Counting" focuses more on the human side of turning the vision of lean accounting into reality. The novel format is the best way to illustrate, how strong the resistance against change will be and from how many corners of the organization it will attack back. Knowing what to do and knowing why is not enough, the issue is not capturing people's brains. The real challenge is conquering their hearts, while tearing down decades worth of wrong beliefs, bad trade-offs and political game-playing. Mike, the hero of the book teaches us through his own mistakes, that patience, tactfulness and respect for people is more helpful, then acting like a bull in a china shop. The reward is the enthusiastic desire of fellows to go his way and take ownership of the new processes. He even manages to turn Fred, a CFO who has to recognize, that most of what he built during his career was wrong, to use the 3 years until his retirement for becoming the most enthusiastic advocate of change!
Both books provide the reader with insight and incite self-reflection about "the way, we do things". There is hardly any chapter without a sacred cow being slaughtered, however this will strike the reader as plain common sense, due to the thorough description of the reasons. Deeply engrained management practices, such as approval routings, full absorption overhead allocation, standard costing or departmental budgeting will seem ridiculous, once the reader starts to open the eyes to see their fundamentally wrong assumptions.
These books will make You hate many of Your current processes!
Clear for beginners.......2006-12-02
I am a student of finance and bought the book to learn more about lean accounting. I had never heard of the subject before but Solomon does an effective job of explaining a dry and complicated subject through a bright and simple narrative. As with a lot of business novels the story starts with the hero facing serious problems at work and his job on the line. Next comes a suggested, controversial solution and lots of conflict before everything is resolved and the business becomes a world beater.
The only area of the story that put me at unease was reference to operating efficiencies of sub-units. This seemed to be a contradiction of Eli Goldratt's theory (see 'the Goal') which states that efficiencies should only be attempted of a whole production system based on the rate of the slowest step within that system; separate optimisation of sub-systems will result in higher work-in-progress inventories.
This critiscism should not detract from the overall quality of Solomon's work, but it does illustrate the value of a wider scope of reading.
A Must Read for Leaders on a Lean Journey.......2006-06-30
I work in Finance for a Fortune 200 company that is 100% committed to the Lean Journey. This book has been distributed, read and re-read throughout the company's leadership, both in Finance and in other areas, to help frame the issue of why Finance can be a barrier or an enabler to Lean. It does a great job of explaining not only the technical issues but really demonstrates the cultural obstacles and why they exist, all in an easy-to-read story. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and in particular Finance leaders who are wondering where they fit in with Lean.
Show me the Muda !.......2006-04-27
"Let's not rely on seventy year old accounting practices to compete in today's global market". - From the author's introduction.
It seems strange to be recommending a novel to normally intelligent and sensible accountants - particularly one which reads like a cheesy TV melodrama !. But it is a business novel on an accounting topic which, I believe, will be crucial for management accountants in future.
"Who's Counting" provides a simple and easily digestible introduction to lean accounting. The book focuses, particularly, on the marginal costing versus absorption costing debate; but other accounting issues and lean techniques are also covered, including stock valuation issues; the impact on earnings per share; and a tantalising glimpse of what a kaizen event might comprise in the accounts department !.
You're not expecting Jane Austen, and you certainly don't get her. The plot is virtually non-existent; the characters one-dimensional; and the writing style juvenile ("Can we take a freakin' bio break first, or isn't that allowed in Lean ?".). But I am being unfair. The book is a very easy read, and it covers the key issues in lean accounting well. It makes the language and ideas of lean understandable; and to my mind that is an achievement that forgives poor dialogue and uninteresting characters.
As a simple introduction to lean accounting this book is worthwhile. It covers all the bases and you'll whiz through it. You couldn't implement a lean accounting system from this book, but for students and accountants wishing to learn more about the field, it is a good place to start. I do recommend this for beginners in the subject. It is fun in a cheesy way, and it has spurred me on to the next stage - reading something more substantial on the topic.
As Tom Cruise almost said in one of his films "Show me the muda !". To find out what muda is, you'll need to read the book. And, as the book tells us near the end, "Accounting is beginning to operate on a different level because of some of the improvement efforts you've led. They're excited about really affecting results not just keeping score". Creaky prose aside, isn't that what management accounting should be ?.
I think lean accounting is a massively important for management accountants in the future. I want to be in there, and this book is a good place to start learning about it.
This is a must for anyone passionate about lean.......2006-03-03
I found this book a great and fast read. I am not an expert in finance but passionate about lean manufacturing and I understand the obstacles of traditional financial practices to lean.
I strongly recommend this book. Many of my work colleagues have found it very interesting and right on the money.
I recommend this to anyone working to transform their business.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Book! A quick read with great lessons!.......2006-12-11
Excellent book described in much detail by the other reviewers. I thought about giving it 4 stars since it is a little dated on current CMM status but I think that would have been a disservice.
Thanks Tom DeMarco for another great title. Check out Mr. DeMarco's other titles including Peopleware.
Too sad to be true.......2006-11-10
After working for a software company for more than 7 years , this book is actually of no surprise to me at all. However, those of you who want to know how software projects work in reality, this book is a very good and true reflection of that. We probably all studied Project Management Essentials, but all the projects I have been involved in so far, run more like the one described in this book and not like in the school manual. Enjoy the reality.
excellent novel cum software project management insights!.......2006-06-19
The setting of the novel are in the fictitious republic of Morovia where our lead character ends up somehow.
The target of the govt of Morovia to have the best software export facility in the world by some time , has indeed parallels in the real world , most notably India and those who want to follow the Indian model like China , Pakistan , etc etc .
Mr.Demarco's acute powers of observations in the real world is more than apparent in his incisive analysis of the personalities that have had varoius roles in the past , as depicted in the setting of the novel. Whether it be that of General Markov and his remarkable administrative capabilities owing to a career span of experience in military origanisations or Binda who is reportedly the world's best project manager or researchers like Abdul Jamid who have studied and developed various models for modelign the hunches of good managers , in all of this Demarco has sort of amalgamated - in my opinion - his deep observations of different people in these roles from the real world based on his experiences and his own opinions on these roles formed through the author's rather distingushed career . This gives us a wonderful insight into the dynamics of these roles , and that too in the setting of a novel which maintains all the while to be an interesting read.
His insistence through the mouthpiece of the lead character of this novel that good management , more than anything else is about people - while overly simplistic - is still , in my opinion , correct in its spirit and core. The same as a matter of fact is true about anything else in real world and life - it is all about people.
Coming back to the book review , I believe Mr.Demarco has done remarkably well in employing this pedagogical device of a novel like like setting to discuss various issues one has to cope with in a high tech software project . This has been done through various characters with different roles who interact with the lead character of the novel : people like superb project manager colleagues , bossy and stupid management, expert consultants , good and bad team members etc .
Any reader who has been in the software industry for a while in any role will be able to relate to a fair subset of these people and the experiences.
The value of this novel is in the various valuable insights coming from different people of the novel setting which invariably have parallels in the real world . It would not have been possible for someone to write this novel unless like Mr.Demarco they have been in the software industry themselves .
I would highly recommend this very readable novel to people from the software industry , as it offers a lot of educating insights even if at times one does not agree to some of the opinions of the characters involved.
Could have been summarized in about 5 pages.......2005-10-05
Deadline follows the two-year fictitious journey of IS project manager Webster Tompkins, illustrating the lessons he learns along the way. I bought this book primarily due to the great reviews it garnered on Amazon.com. After all, you can't go wrong when a book rates 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 25 readers, can you? Yep. This book was terrible, because of two very big problems: the book didn't say very much in 300+ pages and what it did say I don't agree with (it also tends to contradict much of Tom Peter's 'In Search of Excellence'). Or, to state it another way, the book points out about five very useful lessons/pieces of information, but takes forever to do so. Those lessons could have been summarized in about five pages--with compelling examples.
Not the author's best (includes spoilers).......2005-05-26
While I greatly enjoyed DeMarco's non-fiction books "Peopleware" and "Slack", I felt this attempt at a novel was weak.
*** spoiler warning ***
Tompkins, the main character, has supposedly been chosen for his role in this novel because he is an gifted, experienced manager. Yet pretty much every chapter is a lesson he learns by screwing up. Perhaps I would have found it more palatable if the character was a newly-promoted manager, who knew he was ignorant.
In the end, comes the revelation that, in spite of all the mistakes, he is an excellent manager because he *cares* about people. I don't see how this shows. Among the management problems he faces is reporting to a difficult supervisor up the chain, and the solution to this problem is essentially to have the man poisoned and sent to the hospital! Can you say cognitive dissonance?
Book Description
Maybe, just maybe, the reason Scott Adams is able to so completely and utterly skewer the absurdities of the modern workplace is that deep down he really enjoyed his many years as a cubicle dweller. Perhaps his comic strip Dilbert is nothing more than a cleverly disguised 17-year-long love letter to corporate America.
And maybe, just maybe, monkeys will fly out of Donald Trump's butt.
In Try Rebooting Yourself, AMP's 28th Dilbert collection, the world's most dysfunctional office family is back and doing what it does best. Wally adroitly steers clear of new assignments¿and perfects his "work grimace." The Pointy-Haired Boss (PHB) thinks of new ways to demoralize and disenfranchise his employees. (As part of a new strategy to make the pension plan solvent, he reminds employees "Smoking is cool.") Dogbert continues his lucrative consulting business. And Dilbert, alas, he soldiers and smolders on, searching for intelligent life in the corporate universe¿and maybe, just maybe, a little action. (Fat chance.)
This time out, the gang is joined by a host of odd (but strangely familiar) guest characters including the clueless Hammerhead Bob, and Petricia, the PHB's fawning but ferocious sycophant. All office workers may now nod knowingly.
Customer Reviews:
Dilbert is still striking!.......2007-06-08
It's indeed amazing to see how Scott Adams, after almost twenty Dilbert years, is still capable to make us laugh this way. Not a brainless laughter but an inteligent one and with the usual subtlety he always manages to put into his characters. I own many Dilbert books but this one has no repeated strips - just good plain humor. I loved it.
Great book, hilarity ensues.......2007-01-24
Great dilbert collection. However it's on the thin side. I read the whole thing in one night. The stickers it comes worth aren't the best design. Would a dogbert sticker have been too much to ask?
As wickedly funny as always.......2006-12-09
Featuring eight bonus stickers to liven up anyone's cubicle, Try Rebooting Yourself is cartoonist Scott Adams' latest compilation of Dilbert cartoons, which savagely mock and jeer corporate ineffectualness, human obnoxiousness, and the literally cutthroat (or shove-off-a-roof) competition of office politics. A special point of interest is a short series of strips in which Adams dares to break the fourth wall and draw himself into a few cartoons! As wickedly funny as always, Try Rebooting Yourself is the perfect dose of humor anywhere and anytime, but especially recommended as an inexpensive gift of gut-busting laughter for Secretary's Day, Boss' Day, or co-worker birthdays. "You know what two things are very similar? Unpaid overtime and death. They both deny me the pleasures of being alive."
Average customer rating:
- Innovative
- If you like learning from novels
- 5 star concepts in a 3 star novel
- A must for every potential project manager
- if you manage projects for a living...
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Critical Chain : A Business Novel
Eliyahu M. Goldratt
Manufacturer: North River Press
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Binding: Paperback
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It's Not Luck
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The Goal
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Theory of Constraints
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The Race
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Necessary But Not Sufficient
ASIN: 0884271536 |
Book Description
Powerful yet simple techniques to solve project management's toughest problems. This book teaches companies to drastically cut project development times resulting in early completion within budget and without compromising quality or specifications.
Customer Reviews:
Innovative.......2007-01-03
An interesting concept presented in an innovative novel. Easy to read and follow. Just like a novel once you start, it is a page turner and hard to put down.
I highly recommend this along with Goldratt's first novel, The Goal.
If you like learning from novels.......2006-10-24
A "made-for-TV" novel with a lesson about a new method of project scheduling. Goldratt invented the "Theory of Constraints," a general problem analyis and planning method which he then applies to various areas. Each application presented in story format.
"Critical Chain" = "Critical Path" x "Theory of Constraints".
Read this book if you want an easy read and a fun introduction to the subject. But if you actually want to apply the Critical Chain method, you'll probably need a textbook format. Or make the effort to abstract the method from the dialogue of the story.
5 star concepts in a 3 star novel.......2006-10-04
Eli Goldratt is one of the most respected experts in the field of Project Management. His work on the Theory of Constraints provides project managers with some very useful tools for keeping projects focused, on budget, and on target. I have definitely benefitted from Goldratt's insights into these topics.
Unfortunately, this work of fiction, with three largely separate story lines, makes for an awkward read. The 246 page novel has about half of its page count spent on two stories that add little to the main message of the book. The ongoing storylines about fixing the business school's executive MBA program and the main character's relationship with his wife Judith have nothing to do with project management. Fortunately, these two superfluous stories are at the end or beginning of each chapter and it is easy to skip over them and get to the useful subject material in the main story line, the running of projects and their problems. Skipping over about 100 pages of the book makes me question the value of paying for a book that could have easily been less than half as long. I might be OK with that if the stories were interesting or well written, but they are not.
Using the book as a reference would be challenging. It has no Table of Contents, no Index, nor a Glossary. The Chapters do not even have titles, or a summary of the key concepts at the end in most cases. I would struggle to find an important concept if I went back to the book more than a week or so after reading it.
A much slimmer, edited version of this book, with just the TOC and project management material, laid out end to end would be an instant must have, and a valuable learning tool.
A must for every potential project manager.......2006-08-11
I've been introduced to CCPM (critical chain project management) years ago in school, but thought it was boring. Reading Goldratt's novel opened my mind to it in a much deeper way, and I'm now using it at my work with great success. I also recommend his other business novels.
if you manage projects for a living..........2006-06-27
Face it, everything that happens in a business is either a process or a project. Even companies that manage projects for a living (e.g. construction, software development) often are lousy at managing internal projects (working ON the business). If you have anything to do with projects, you need to read this book. It will change how you look at projects forever. This guy is brilliant.
Book Description
When it became syndicated in 1989, Dilbert struck a nerve with workers everywhere. Through its frames they saw life on the job as they knew it, with all the absurdity, craziness, and dry humor that underlies any living, breathing organization. The fact that the strip focused on a hapless engineer and his cynical dog just made it all the more funny.
Now work life seems downright unimaginable without Dilbert and Dogbert's take on everything from management ill-practices to nonperformance reviews. What Would Wally Do?, AMP's twenty-sixth Dilbert book, delivers that same combination of pain and humor that readers count on. This collection especially highlights Wally, Dilbert's colleague, fellow engineer, foil, and fool.
Wally's that short quirky guy with little hair, plenty of horn-rimmed frames, and almost zero work ethic. After all, who's got time for a job, thinks the self-proclaimed "Lord Wally the Puppet Master," when you're busy surviving the "Mobility Pool," turning your cubicle into a tourist attraction called "Sticky-Note City," and selecting a mail-order bride from Elbonia? Weasel-Boy makes a point of highlighting his poor performance and lack of respect . . .and usually gets another raise for his efforts. Such is life in Dilbert and Wally's world. Such are the laughs in What Would Wally Do?
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing - Scott Adams should be mad.......2007-07-06
Dilbert is a great comic strip, and it's a fine idea to assemble a bunch of funny strips about Wally. I don't even mind that it's all recycled material.
But it's an insult to the reader to assemble the strips so badly. If there are two strips from the same sequence, why separate them by several pages? I'm taking this one back - it doesn't add anything new and it's edited badly.
A book about Wally or by Wally?.......2007-06-28
I can't decide if the poor editing in this book is intended to be part of the humor or not. The "Wally Version 1.0" back story was entertaining and, as always, there were some laugh-out-loud strips in this book.
Unfortunately though, it seems that the publisher assigned some interns to pull out all the Dilbert strips they could find where Wally supplies the punch line and then put them in the book in no particular order. At first, it appears that the strips are being presented in the order they were written or published but that "theme" is not maintained. At one point, there are three strips on one page that are obviously part of a single narrative but the last strip on the page is the "setup" for the punchlines in the first two. This was only the most glaring example of the lack of effort put into this book. Several other related strips appear out of order (in at least one case, separated by about 1/3rd of the book). Other strips are presented without critical context (presumably because the contextual strips don't feature Wally?) so they lose a lot of their punch.
I laughed while reading the book but I couldn't help imagining the publisher was also laughing on his way to the bank with my money.
REVIEW.......2007-04-16
I am a big fan of DILBERT, and I'm sure that you will think this book is hilarious. Wally is probably my favorite character, and Dilbert is my second. Office politics are so funny, and Scot Adams hits them on top of the head.
Almost too funny collection by Scott Adams.......2007-01-15
I'm a fan of comics, but I'm very picky about which ones I choose to love. "Peanuts" will always be the standard, since I followed them since I was old enough to read. Of course, many other classics have hung around for decades, some, like Beetle Bailey, like seeing an old friend, and magnum puke affairs like "Family Circus", which is so square and traditional, you just know they're all neo-con evangelicals.
No strip out there matches day to day the wit, sarcasm and accuracy of "Dilbert", Scott Adams' view of the workplace and all the idiocy that comes with it.
"What Would Wally Do?" celebrates the worst worker in the world (although I know a few who could be serious contenders) or maybe the greatest work avoider of all time, depending on your point of view.
Adams is always on the money when it comes to the stupidity of corporate America, and it's scary because in so many cases it's true, especially in the suck-up world of management, where snitching, butt kissing and treachery are more important for success than dependability, hard work or intelligence. Wally, Dilbert's co-worker, knows the system and how to beat it.
All of the "Dilbert" books are brilliant and will make you laugh out loud and best of all, will assure all of us that in the world of the workplace, when it comes to dealing with morons and slackers, we are definitely not alone.
The History of Wally.......2006-10-20
In the introduction Scott Adams talks about his time at Pacific Bell and the management decisions that resulted in the real-life Wally, an employee that worked hard to be in the bottom 10% so that he could be laid off with a substantial severance package. From there we move to the strips which cover most of the range of the Dilbert Years right from the early, unpolished days of Wally. Reading the collection we can see hoe the coffee mug carrying character has developed over the years.
Since this is a Wally retrospective there are no real story arcs in this collection. Instead, we get the strips that specifically showcase just how low Wally can sink. There are a small handful that seem like they don't belong to the collection but most give us the unvarnished truth about our favorite comic slacker. If you are a fan of Wally then you will need to read this almost-biography. General fans of the strip will still like the collection as it also showcases how the strip as a whole has changed over all these years. Check it out.
Book Description
Make-or-break decisions involving millions of dollars are all in a day’s work for Christian Gillette, chairman of Everest Capital, New York’s most renowned private equity firm. He’s taken on the toughest, most powerful, and often most dangerous adversaries and prevailed–all the while honing his skill for being cool under fire, literally. But now Gillette will be put to the ultimate test. He’s offered the chance to seal a deal unlike any other, one that goes beyond boardrooms, balance sheets, and even Everest itself–one that will leave its mark on history.
Gillette is no stranger to Jesse Wood, the first African American president of the United States, having been Wood’s chosen running mate in his historic bid for the White House. Though still slightly upset over being dropped from the ticket at the eleventh hour, Gillette’s not about to ignore the chief executive’s summons to a top-secret meeting at Camp David. There, Wood drops a bombshell: The president of Cuba is dead. Cuba’s communist regime has kept the dictator’s demise hush while it races to fill the power vacuum. And the United States is poised to support a cabal of Cuban professionals plotting a coup. The President wants Gillette to meet with the conspirators and size up the chances for a successful capitalist revolution. But by no means can his mission be traced back to the White House. If anything goes wrong, Gillette is on his own.
And if certain people have their way, something will go wrong. For the conspiracy to liberate Cuba isn’t the only one afoot. Enemies in high places, who will go to any lengths to wreak revenge on Gillette and to unseat President Wood, have set in motion a campaign of deception, sabotage, and murder whose shockwaves will resonate from the streets of Havana to the Oval Office. But for Gillette, who has just named his alluring and ambitious protégé, Allison Wallace, as his successor at Everest, the greatest peril may lie much closer to home.
The Successor is blue-chip Stephen Frey, marshaling his flawless instincts for edgy, provocative, breathtaking suspense with a master’s touch.
Customer Reviews:
The Political Bore Fest..........2007-08-15
I normally like reading Stephen Frey novels, and have enjoyed the Christian Gillette series over the past couple of years, so much so that I've overlooked some of the shortcomings in the writing style, and character development skill of the author.
However, this novel has to be one of the most poorly written I've read in a long time. Also, although politically I'm a moderate (sometimes I'm a Democrat and sometimes I'm a Republican), I find it amusing that the author in at least the last two Christian Gillette series, would depict all Democrats as the good guys and people who really care about their fellow man; while all Republicans are depicted as evil, heartless, racist against minorities, in league with big business, and whose main agenda is to maintain the status quo. This type of storytelling is of course geared towards one political leaning class of readers, however most level headed and fair minded people will know that the depictions described in the novel are much too simplistic.
The nagging feeling that there is an unmistakable political agenda in the storyline that the author presents to us is all too powerful. Reading this novel gave me the impression that the author was more concerned with trying his best to sell me a bill of goods: to think Democrat and to vote Democrat (which I may or may not)...but in doing so, he forgot to add basic key elements required in any story --- good character development.
Then again, the question remains, how can one develop multiple "complex" human characters in a novel, when one apparently clearly appears to see his readers as simplistic human beings?
And that's my "take".
Redux.......2007-05-28
I liked the first few Frey novels of high finance and the people who deal with money - good and especially the bad, but now I have the feeling that I am re-reading the same book over and over. The writing is adequete, and the characters are interesting, but sorry to say it seems to be the same plot over and over. The author has come to a point where he needs to stretch a little more or risk losing his audience.
4 1/2 Stars.......2007-03-21
Is Christian Gillette wise to leave protégé Allison Wallace in charge of Everest Capital while he runs off on another scary international mission? Though this has little to do with most of this novel, it has about all there is to do with Everest.
I thought this to be a highly entertaining 'Christian Gillette' novel. Sure, this time it was more political thriller than financial thriller.
I welcome the change.
Sure I questioned Christian's relationship with the 'younger woman'. It made no sense logically, but the author tried to convince the reader he would do it because of his sister.
I'm sure there will be another novel featuring C. Gillette, and I think it will be full of surprises. Including bringing back someone. You know who.
Not Impressed.......2007-03-16
I have always liked Stephen Frey's books, but this one seem to be hum drum. The logic behind main character Christian's actions is subpar and naive for a tough, savvy wall street executive. Blah and disappointing ending.
Ummm, typical Frey, not happy with the end.......2007-03-01
Well, well, well, it's all over for Christian Gillette. I read all four books in this series and, at least, I hope it's over.
If I could turn back the clock and not have had to read the last 15 pages of the book, I would do so.
An absolutely miserable, formulatic ending that Frey obviously had no idea how to wrap up. It took 275 pages to set up and 10 pages to reach a climax that never really occurred. And the ending's ending was woeful, I wasn't expecting to get a Hallmark card and, wouldn't you know, there it was, plasterd all over the final 3 pages.
As well, one of the main, and outside of Gillette, the most important, characters is killed off with a few words and very little substance. It was miserably anticlimatic and, way worse, totally unnecessary and he nothing to do with advancing the plot or allowing the story to reach its final resolution. It was kind of tossed in as an aside, as a matter of fact.
That's how you treat characters the readers spend multiple books reading about and getting to know?
Terrible job by the author and it really left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth about the whole series.
Book Description
Susan Hunter is a brilliant but lazy student at the Harvard Business School, who has a long-term plan for succeeding at Harvard and getting a high-paying job with the absolute minimum of work. Her plans begin to awry when she receives an invitation for a job interview with Preston Marsh, the quirky millionaire who has built his fortune on oddball businesses from selling designer musical tones to harvesting coins in fountains. Marsh convinces Susan to abandon her path of least resistance to work in his new business called BMOC, which guarantees its student clients that it will make them popular. But nothing in the job description prepares Susan for getting sent to LA to investigate a young woman's suicide. Susan has to struggle to adapt her business school training to what increasingly appears to be a murder investigation, as a consortium of media companies, tort lawyers, and even a US Senator fight to hide the truth. And that was before they started shooting at her.
Customer Reviews:
Great Page Turner.......2007-08-09
This book is thoroughly enjoyable beginning to end. Colorful characters engage the imagination in this well developed piece of fiction. A humorous caper with satirical jabs at pop culture and the establishment throughout.
Engaging, fun ... where's the sequel?.......2007-02-11
Though I love CoyoteBlog and read it quite religiously, I was not expecting much from this novel. I have always appreciated Mr. Meyer's logical approach and strict adherence to his libertarian principles, but I just wasn't sure how well he would translate into the creative realm.
I was more than pleasantly surprised. BMOC was engaging from the start, with the quick pace and plot hooks to keep reading that you find in the likes of Grisham, Crichton, Dan Brown et. el. Unlike some novels where the characters are interesting, but unreal in either form or capability, the main actors in BMOC were recognizable, albeit with a little extra 'juice' to make them engaging. Though Mr. Meyer's political and economic views were present, this was not at all a preachy endeavor; just good, (mostly) clean storytelling.
I'm looking forward to the next installment.
Fun, quick, entertaining.......2007-01-11
I really enjoyed this book. I have a 5 month old, so I haven't been doing anywhere near the amount of reading I used to and I've really missed it. This book was great though - it was a quick read that stayed entertaining throughout. I ended up taking it to bed and staying up late to finish it which, well, let's just say that hasn't happened in about 5 months! I especially enjoyed that it turned the typical whodunnit around - you know who did it the whole time, but it's fascinating to see how it all plays out!
BMOC - the BBTR (Big Book to Read)!.......2006-12-24
For lovers of the mystery genre ala Patterson, Cornwell and Tanenbaum, Warren Meyer's first release, BMOC, will surely please! The story is intelligent with enough actions and twists & turns to thrill any reader. Great, fun and smart characters: Susan, a bright young woman who demonstrates smarts in one area can certainly translate to others; Preston, the entrepreneur with cool ideas & the passion to guarantee success; Mason, the surfer-dude cop who does his job well and then some. A couple bumbling bad guys, the sleazy media mogul, attorney & Senator with ethics long-gone, a couple less-than-ladylike ladies and a Hollywood deal-maker provide the necessary troubles.
The story grabs you right from the start and keeps holding you until the last word. And - leaves you wanting more! My hope is to read more adventures of Preston, Mason and/or Susan for a long time!
Average customer rating:
- Golden Crown Literary Society award nominee finalist
- Real Page Turner
- Must Have More
- Buy this book!
- Amazing for the First Book!
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The Devil Inside
Ali Vali
Manufacturer: Bold Strokes Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Similar Items:
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The Devil Unleashed
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When Dreams Tremble
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First Instinct
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Flight Risk
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The Target
ASIN: 1933110309 |
Customer Reviews:
Golden Crown Literary Society award nominee finalist.......2007-08-08
Fascinating, Riveting Novel! Fast paced and utterly readable. This is an immensely entertaining book. Superior writing.
This is a page turner and makes an excellent beach or airplane read. Be prepared this is a bloody and violent story, chock full of unforgivable actions. The thirty-something leads are unforgettable.
Cain Casey is a New Orleans Mafia Crime Boss and makes a fascinating anti-hero. The fantastic supporting characters include 11 year old Hayden who is amazingly mature due to circumstances beyond his control.
This is a hugely popular book, I don't know anyone who has read it and not loved it.
I really enjoy this author's writing and look forward to reading her next novels. My favorites are the author's two romances 'Carly's Sound' and 'Second Season' - don't miss them!!
The sequel 'The Devil Unleashed' is available now.
Real Page Turner.......2007-01-12
This is a wonderful first novel. I have read earlier reviews and do generally concur. More detail/attention should have been paid to their physical features. Cain had lush, dark hair and blue eyes. Okay. Emma had blonde hair and green eyes. Okay. I was also keenly aware of something being missing though and finally realized that the physical relationship between Cain and Emma hadn't, for me, been sufficiently grounded from the beginning of the book. The earlier flashbacks were done well but failed to address what was missing, the history of/longing for their intense sexual attraction/desire. There was one scene and it was very nice but there was no volatile sexual chemistry woven throughout the story. I am not bemoaning a lack of explicit sexual scenes, but near the end when Emma felt a bolt of sexual energy/arousal when Cain touched her in the hospital room - there should have been more of that. And Cain was so completely shut down. What a soldier! Even when we believe she's bad for us, our feelings, emotional and sexual, will disagree with our brains. I didn't get any of that turmoil from Cain. Hayden was a very engaging youngster of 11, but smart or not, no 11 year old can sustain the depth of conversations and demonstrate the insight he did. He was just too young to be credible. Even Hannah at 4 was too young to be completely believed for some of her dialogue. I had trouble with those three areas. That distracted me throughout the read. But, I have already ordered the sequel because I really, really loved the story. It was engaging and entertaining and there are many fine lessons for all of us in there. Ali is a talented storyteller and I recommend this highly!
Must Have More.......2007-01-02
Like all of the other reviewers here, I absolutely loved this book. It is a must read that grabs your attention from the very beginning and holds on tight to it until you finish. Which won't take you too long as you will find yourself unable to put this book down. The only drawback that I see is in waiting for the next book in the series. I truly recommend buying both books together so you don't have any down time in between. Kudos to Vali for her vibrant writing.
Buy this book!.......2006-11-16
Kudos to Ms. Vali! Her characterization and style of writing is superb. I felt very connected to Mama Bear Cain, and although I could never imagine leaving my child, I felt equally strong about Emma and her choices. It takes real talent for a writer to make this reader tear up and feel like I have a stake in the characters' decisions. Truly a joy to read, I've already recommended this book to every person looking for a page turner. Did I mention I work in a bookstore?? :)
Amazing for the First Book!.......2006-08-31
Ali Vali has an amazing talent! I could not put this book down! The Devil Inside was an easy and very enjoyable read. For this being her first attempt at a novel, I think the work rates Vali up there with the likes of Radclyffe and Gerri Hill. I can not imagine anyone not liking this book and the great characters. Derby Cain is a tough and powerful woman with a soft side that lets you fall in love with her. Cain's family comes first especially her son Hayden. In the begining you doubt Emma, Cain's wife but by the end of the book you find yourself rooting for her. As the story unfolds Emma's character is transformed and it makes you wonder what level she will be taken to in the sequel.
I enjoyed the humor in this book and the way it flowed the whole way through...no stumbling here! Vali is a very talented writer with a bright future! I look forward to reading more...actually I can't wait!
Book Description
The notion that Dilbert creator Scott Adams has secretly bugged every office, cubicle, and conference room in America-a belief widely held by Dilbert fans-has been debunked by pointy-haired experts. This discovery leads to an even more sinister yet inescapable conclusion: that the lunacy you thought was unique to your workplace is spreading with a viral malignancy across the nation's business landscape.
Yes, the Corporate America brand of insanity has garnered a majority market share among white-collar managers and so-called leaders at companies large and small. Product features (let's not call them "benefits") of this insanity include inflated executive salaries, irrelevant performance objectives, insipid management fads, inscrutable e-mail, interminable meetings, and oppressive work environments.
Dilbert is the inadvertent poster child for the Corporate America brand. In his 25th collection, he and his power-hungry dog, Dogbert, provide much-needed comic relief to working stiffs toiling in cubicles everywhere. Dilbert is featured in 2,000 newspapers and is read by 150 million fans in 65 countries and 19 languages.
Customer Reviews:
Short but worth it.......2006-07-28
Ok, so as you could guess, this is a small book compared to the other Dilbert collections, but you'll get your money's worth. Blah blah blah, reality of offices, ineffective management, unmanageable coworkers, evil contractors, malicious subdivisions, all here, as a Dilbert fan would expect, and holds what I consider the best dilbert strip: Dogbert explains corporate investing. You'll find some of these comics elsewhere, but for a dilbert collection fanatic, a worthy buy.
As Dilbert books go.................2006-02-25
Another great collection of Dilbert from the master of business humor!!!!! I still laugh out loud when I read it.
Can't get enough Dilbert!!!.......2005-10-20
I don't work in an office, but Dilbert applies just as well to those of us in the education field (change pointy-haired boss to pointy-haired principal and you get the picture) I have read Dilbert from the beginning, and I love it all. Dogbert will always be my favorite, and there is plenty of him in this book, along with Dilbert, Wally, Alice, Asok, Catbert...the whole gang. Great book!
Dilbert 25.......2005-10-03
I have read Dilbert from the first day. I don't think it is as cutting edge as it once was, but I still look forward to each one. This is as good as any.
The perfect way to end the day: Dilbert humor.......2005-08-07
This is one of the best Dilberts ever and I've read quite a few. Though it makes me skeptical about what my future boss may be like, it is still hilarious.
Amazon.com
You loved the comic strip; now read the business advice.
Or should that be anti-business advice? Scott Adams provides the hapless victim of re-engineering, rightsizing and Total Quality Management some strategies for fighting back, er, coping. Forced to work long hours, with no hope of a raise? Adams offers tips on maintaining parity in compensation. Along the way, Adams explains what ISO 9000 really is and assesses the irresistibility of female engineers.
The breath-taking cynicism of the strip should prepare readers for the author's no-holds-barred attack on management fads, large organizations, pointless bureaucracy and sadistic rule-makers who glory in control of office supplies. Readers of the on-line Dilbert Newsletter are familiar with the kind of e-mail Adams receives from his readers -- and may even have sent a few of those missives themselves. Along with illustrative strips, e-mail messages provide excruciating examples of corporate behavior which compel the reader to agree with Adams when he insists that "People are idiots".
The final chapter offers a model for would-be successful businesses to follow: the OA5 model. It's introduced with little fanfare, no outrageous promises and just the right amount of self-deprecation.
Book Description
The creator of Dilbert, the fastest–growing comic strip in the nation (syndicated in nearly 1000 newspapers), takes a look at corporate America in all its glorious lunacy. Lavishly illustrated with Dilbert strips, these hilarious essays on incompetent bosses, management fads, bewildering technological changes and so much more, will make anyone who has ever worked in an office laugh out loud in recognition.
The Dilbert Principle: The most ineffective workers will be systematically moved to the place where they can do the least damage 埭anagement.
Since 1989, Scott Adams has been illustrating this principle each day, lampooning the corporate world through Dilbert, his enormously popular comic strip. In Dilbert, the potato–shaped, abuse–absorbing hero of the strip, Adams has given voice to the millions of Americans buffeted by the many adversities of the workplace.
Now he takes the next step, attacking corporate culture head–on in this lighthearted series of essays. Packed with more than 100 hilarious cartoons, these 25 chapters explore the zeitgeist of ever–changing management trends, overbearing egos, management incompetence, bottomless bureaucracies, petrifying performance reviews, three–hour meetings, the confusion of the information superhighway and more. With sharp eyes, and an even sharper wit, Adams exposes –– and skewers –– the bizarre absurdities of everyday corporate life. Readers will be convinced that he must be spying on their bosses, The Dilbert Principle rings so true!
Customer Reviews:
Best and truest workplace book EVER!.......2007-09-17
subject says it all- just get it and you will laugh your hiney off. Plently of Dilbert cartoon panels disbursed throughout. Published in 1996 but absolutely timeless and just as applicable today as ever; probably always will be.
A funny, smart, and revealing look into workplace dynamics.......2007-08-16
Yeah, we all know Dilbert. Meetings are waste of time, managers are stupid, and co-workers are imbeciles. I half expected this book to be full of these cliches. Not even close. Scott Adams does an excellent job of showing the humor of a job with smart observances and clever ideas. From the absurd yet funny comics, to actual written letters from organizations, and his own personal experiences - Adams gives out humor that is relevant, funny, and pertinent. His topics range from management, to consultants, to engineers, to marketing, and much more. He touches on all facets of the workplace in a manner that couldn't be handled well in a few comic strips.
I'm working and getting my MBA now, and this sort of book tends to ground me. It's a quick and easy read. Nothing special, but very smart and funny.
Total Quality Management Produced this.......2007-06-11
Scott Adams worked for a utility monopoly when he began his satirical comic strip that mocked decadent management. Does anyone believe his comic situations would apply to an owner-operated small business? Only a large monopoly could afford and profit from the examples in Dilbert-land. Their profits are based on costs, so their higher costs from mismanagement allow higher charges on their captive customers. Once you understand this you'll know why things work that way. But nothing lasts forever, many places will be closed, their employees outsourced offshore. The bad effects could be reduced by a program of internal competition and rotation of managers. (That pointy-haired manager has to have a relationship with somebody in upper management.) This book lacks an index and a bibliography, like a novel.
Note polarity when changing a battery (p.3). Statistics is the art of arranging facts so they produce the desired conclusion (p.5). Sometimes they can be factual. Adams' story about "bluffing" (p.6) tells me he is not a carpenter, painter, plumber, electrician, mason, farmer, or assembly line worker who produce something from real work. I doubt if any of them will ever read this book for humor. You might just as well explain television to a cave person. Adams doesn't understand the printing press; it reduced the cost to mass-produce literature for those who could read.
The `Introduction' seems truly idiotic. If his co-workers don't know much that tells you about their knowledge gained from weekly news-magazines, corporate broadcasts, weekly tabloids, etc. Does he have a cure? [I recommend reading a daily newspaper, news radio, and avoid broadcast media that features gossip and opinion, and magazines. Listening to advertising is a form of Pavlovian conditioning.] "The Dilbert Principle" (Chapter 1) originally appeared in the `Wall Street Journal' along with other curiosities of that day. [Browse a copy once a week, they have news that is often missing from most newspapers.] Adams wonders why certain people are promoted to management? It's the class system, managers do this to prevent being threatened by more talented people. Talented people will either leave for another company, or accept their fate (p.17). The ineffective manager is used as an expendable who can be sacrificed if the need arises (after blaming the workers who have only followed orders). You can read about this in the newspapers if you haven't seen this for yourself. Read C. Northcote Parkinson's book.
Giving Chapter 5 the title "Machiavellian Methods" tells me Scott Adams never read "The Prince". "Campaign Promises" may be a better title. "ISO 9000" is the way to document processes and job descriptions so the corporation can send this work offshore, fire employees, and save millions on salaries to give bonuses to upper management. There's no secret here (Chapter 20). This is followed by "Downsizing" (Chapter 21). Chapter 23 discusses "Reengineering". Did those two authors ever practice what they preached? If not, then what does it say about the mismanagers who believed their story? There is a hidden agenda here, a formula for mass layoffs.
The Dilbert Principle for Seth.......2007-01-25
I received what I ordered, on time, to the correct ship address and in good condition.
Excellent book........2007-01-03
If you want to know wath really happens inside a typical organization... read this book and you'll name everyone around your cubicle as the characters in the book. Have fun and discover the real organization structure.
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