MBR: The Business Shelf

The Business Shelf

Beowulf for Business
E.L. Risden
Whitson Publishing Co.
PO Box 38263, Albany NY 12203
9780878755660, $21.95, No Web Address

The ancient warrior's ways have seemingly vanished from today's world
– or have they? "Beowulf for Business: The Modern Warrior's Guide to
Career Building" is a look at how seemingly the famous yet old British
folk tale of Beowulf contains valuable lessons that today's work force
and spring business men can take heed of and apply to their lives and
careers. Advice on taking a stand when no one expects one to, dealing
with strange places with strange people, and being the hero when it's
needed, among other lessons extracted from the old poem apply well –
making "Beowulf for Business: The Modern Warrior's Guide to Career
Building" a top pick for any business person who wants a different
approach and for community library career collections.

Total Alignment
Riaz Khadem Ph.D.
Infotrac
483 Carter Ave, Atlanta, Georgia 30317, USA
Jane Weisman Public Relations, Inc. (publicity)
322 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1702, New York, NY 10001
9780979572203, $15.95, www (dot) infotrac (dot) com

When something becomes a problem, it has already done an untold amount
of damage to ones' business. "Total Alignment: Integrating Vision,
Strategy, and Execution for Organizational Success" is a guide for
business managers to transform their company into a tip top machine,
solving problems before they become serious problems, encourages
employee responsibility on all levels, and points the company as a
whole in the right direction. Written in a fast paced style that
avoids the droning style of most business books, "Total Alignment:
Integrating Vision, Strategy, and Execution for Organizational
Success" is highly recommended for community library business
collections and for any manager wanting the best approach possible.

Flow in the Office
Carlos Venegas
Productivity Press
444 Park Avenue South, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10016
9781563273612, $35.00, www (dot) productivitypress (dot) com

Nothing is more soul crushing than being crammed into a small tiny
area to work for eight hours. "Flow in the Office: Implementing and
Sustaining Lean Improvements" is a complete and comprehensive guide to
improving working conditions and in turn, the mental conditions of
employees leading them to be happier, more alert, and most
importantly, more productive each day. Focusing on the concepts of
'Lean' and 'Kaizen', "Flow in the Office: Implementing and Sustaining
Lean Improvements" is top pick for anyone looking to make their office
a better place in more ways than one – highly recommended for
community library business collections.

How to Self-Destruct
Jason Seiden
Trestle Publishing
c/o Green Leaf Book Group
4415 Mo Pac South, Suite 600, Longhorn Building, 3rd Floor, Austin, TX
78735
Booth Media Group (publicist)
1386 Nightshade Road, Carlsbad, CA 92011
978097994312, $12.95, www (dot) howtoselfdestruct (dot) com

Climbing to the top of the corporate is an incredibly difficult task
for many – something that everyone is not going to succeed at. "How to
Self-Destruct: Making The Least of What's Left of Your Career and What
to Do If You Fail at Failing" asks with odds like that, why bother? In
a kind of skewed reverse psychology, author Jason Seiden outlines
career strategies in a guide that has a thinly veiled 'Do Not Really
Do This' disclaimer throughout the book, while giving straight advice
to those who go against the books message of guaranteed failure. "How
to Self-Destruct: Making the Least of What's Left of Your Career and
What to Do If You Fail at Failing" is highly recommended for community
library career shelves and for anyone who wants to turn their career
around – whether it's on the rise or the fall.

Starting a Collection Agency
Michelle A. Dunn
Never Dunn Publishing
PO Box 40, Plymouth, NH 03264
9780970664563, $57.95, www (dot) michelledunn (dot) com

No one likes bill collectors, but they are a necessary evil to the
continued financial prosperity of America. "Starting a Collection
Agency: How to Make Money Collecting Money" is a guide to being what
is viewed as many as the bad guy, but in fact is just something that
must be done. Outlining all everyone needs to start their own company
in this field, it leaves nothing to guesswork, covering everything
from the frivolous as the stationary, to the advanced tactics of
professional promotion. "Starting a Collection Agency: How to Make
Money Collecting Money" is highly recommended for anyone looking to
start their own business, and doesn't mind being viewed as the bad guy
to do so.

Human Resource Transformation
William J. Rothwell, et.al.
Davis-Black Publishing
1055 Joaquin Road, 2nd Floor, Mountain View, CA 94043
97800891062516, $34.95 www (dot) daviesback (dot) com

In 1998 the authors identified key business trends which would
influence organizations into the 21st century, from technology and
globalization to cost containment and knowledge. A decade later their
predictions have uniformly come true – and their new book continues
the journey, describing how human resource professionals are posed to
change organizations. From historic human resources viewpoints of
trends shaping the workforce to future projections, strategy and
concept link here to create an important survey perfect for college-
level business libraries.

The Turnaround Kid
Steve Miller
Collins
HarperCollins
10 East 53rd Street, New York NY 10022
9780061251276, $25.95 www (dot) harpercollins (dot) com

THE TURNAROUND KID: WHAT I LEARNED RESCUING AMERICA'S MOST TROUBLED
COMPANIES recounts the high points of the author's career rescuing
American business disasters – and in the process offers college-level
business libraries the opportunity to understand the evolution of a
business genius. Blending business management concepts with a memoir,
THE TURNAROUND KID shows how the author turned around his own life as
well as businesses, reshaping and restructuring the very foundations
of big business procedures in the process. An inspiring, enlightening
account.

Internet Riches
Scott Fox
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019-7420
0814409954, $17.95 www (dot) amacombooks (dot) org

E-business consultant Scott Fox reveals strategies he's used to build
million-dollar internet enterprises in INTERNET RICHES: THE SIMPLE
MONEY-MAKING SECRETS OF ONLINE MILLIONAIRES. It packs in interviews,
action plans, and details on how to start and foster a successful
internet business. From different business models to handling multiple
opportunities, INTERNET RICHES is packed with exciting ideas for any
contemplating moving wholly or partially online and makes for a fine
addition to any general-interest or business lending library.

Family Wars
Grant Gordon & Nigel Nicholson
Kogan Page
525 South 4th Street, #241, Philadelphia PA 19147
9780749446307, $37.50, www (dot) kogan-page.co.uk

Family businesses should be stress free – if anyone can get along it
can be family, right? "Family Wars: Classic Conflicts in Family
Business and How to Deal With Them" realizes that even families can
have conflicts, and they can do far more damage than a conflict
between two unrelated people. Seeking to give advice that will keep
families staying together while keeping the business profitable, it's
an ideal guide for any family business who doesn't want to let money
get in between people and their devotion to family. "Family Wars:
Classic Conflicts in Family Business and How to Deal With Them" is
highly recommended for community library collections dedicated to
business.

2011
Richard Laermer
McGraw-Hill
2 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121
9780071497275, $25.95, www (dot) mhprofessional (dot) com

What's the difference between a trend and a fad? It's Richard
Laermer's job to know in "2011: Trendspotting for the Next Decade".
Looking at the commercial industry of thinking of things before
uttering the line "I Wish I Thought of That", he gives advice on how
to look at the world like a marketer and spot trends before they come
up so one can be on the bandwagon before everyone else. A seminal and
scholarly look at the ways of marketing, "2011: Trendspotting for the
Next Decade" is a top pick for community library business collections.

Effective Publications Management
Cathy Connor Lips
Allworth Press
10 East 23rd Street, New York NY 10010
1581154860, $29.95 www (dot) allworth (dot) com

Both college-level courses on business management and graphic design
and any library featuring references on graphic design publications
management will appreciate this primer which discusses project stages,
key players, provides examples from the industry, and more! From
determining publication image and message to creating proposals,
assembling a team, managing research and budgets and selecting a
printer, this is packed with essential, important tips for publication
success.

Brand Rejuvenation
Jean-Marc Lehu
Kogan Page
120 Pentonville Road, London N19JN, United Kingdom
9780749451462, $35.00, www (dot) kogan-page.co.uk

The name of a brand is something that carries a lot of power in
society – when someone mentions something such as Sony, many images
come to the people due to the association they have developed with
that brand. "Brand Rejuvenation: How to Protect, Strengthen, & Add
Value to Your Brand to Prevent it From Ageing" is a guide for those in
charge of a brand to develop their brands to keep them in the game in
the modern world. It gives advice to note when your brand is in need
of rejuvenation, how to adjust it effectively, and to prevent the
problems before they happen. "Brand Rejuvenation: How to Protect,
Strengthen, & Add Value to Your Brand to Prevent it From Ageing" is
essential for business collections and for anyone in charge of the
future of a brand.

Managing Online Forums
Patrick O'Keefe
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019-7420
081440197X, $24.00 www (dot) amacombooks (dot) org

MANAGING ONLINE FORUMS: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO CREATE AND RUN
SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY DISCUSSION BOARDS is the first book to cover
everything an administrator needs to know to launch and run a
community forum. From understanding forum software and the basics of
developing a safe environment for people to share their thoughts to
either creating a community or taking over an existing one, MANAGING
ONLINE FORUMS is a key business tool recommended for business and
public libraries alike.

How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Construction Company
Tanya R. Davis
Atlantic Publishing Group
1405 SW 6th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471
9781601380173, $39.95 www (dot) atlantic-pub (dot) com

Starting even the smallest construction company can be most
profitable: it's an industry always in demand, and unaffected by
changing technology – and still is a rapidly growing field. That said,
How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Construction Company
shows how to make the most of such a venture, covering all the basics
on opening such a business, including sample business forms,
discussions of leases and contracts, and more. Any considering
starting their own construction firm needs these guidelines to avoid
common pitfalls.

Stimulated!
Andrew Pek and Jeannine McGlade
Greenleaf Book Group Press
4425 Mo Pac South, Suite 600, Austin, TX 78735
Booth Media Group (publicity)
1386 Nightshade Road, Carlsbad, CA 92011
9781929774500, $21.95, www (dot) gbgpress (dot) com

Creativity – something that used to be ignored in the business world,
but now is a necessity. "Stimulated!: Habits to Spark Your Creative
Genius at Work" is a guide to get those now required juices flowing
and get everything one needs to make the most of their time. Focusing
on the details of how to draw inspiration from the world around you,
making a proper environment to facilitate ones thoughts, committing
yourself, learning from your failures, and most importantly, learning
to have fun with ones job. A deftly written guide for anyone in a
field calling for creativity, "Stimulated! Habits to Spark Your
Creative Genius at Work" is highly recommended for community library
business collections.

Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling
Sam Richter
Adams Business & Professional
c/o Beaver Pond Press
7104 Ohms Lane, Suite 101, Edina, MN 55439
1592982093, $34.95, www (dot) beaverpondpress (dot) com

Going in cold – knowing nothing about your perspective client. As they
say, Knowledge is power – and having no knowledge is having no power.
"Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling: Web Search Secrets for the Inside
Info on Companies, Industries, and People" is a guide for using the
internet as a powerful tool to gain knowledge of clients in advance –
and see what they want and what they are looking for, to better apply
ones company to appeal to the most clients possible. "Take the Cold
Out of Cold Calling: Web Search Secrets for the Inside Info on
Companies, Industries, and People" is a must for any business looking
to attract more clients and for community library business
collections.

Business Letters for the Construction Industry
Andrew Atkinson
BNI Building News
990 Park Center Drive, Ste E, Vista, CA 92081
Craftsman Book Company
6058 Corte Del Cedro, Carlsbad, CA 92009
9781557016096, $59.95, www (dot) craftsman-book (dot) com

Saying the right thing to get the right things is an invaluable asset
to the construction industry, where the right things are needed to get
the job done. "Business Letters for the Construction Industry: A Guide
to Construction Communications" is a complete and comprehensive guide
to writing letters for the business industry complete with over one
hundred examples to use to get the job done. Covering letterheads,
designs, record keeping tips, and more, it's enhanced with a glossary,
index, and a bonus CD-ROM containing all of the example letters in
Microsoft Word document format. "Business Letters for the Construction
Industry: A Guide to Construction Communications" is a must for any
construction administrators and a good addition to community library
business collections.

Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies
Tom Demarco & Collaborators of Principals of the Atlantic Systems
Guild
Dorset House Publishing
353 West 12th Street, New York, NY 10014
9780932633675, $41.95, www (dot) dorsethouse (dot) com

What makes a project successful or doomed – loved or hated? Those are
the questions "Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies: Understanding
Patterns of Project Behavior" hopes to answer, looking critically at
the archetypes of people and engineers that people constantly fall
into, whether they know they are or not. Not afraid to take a humorous
look at it all, it's a comprehensive guide that offers an example of
what is a good and bad behavior coming from team members in management
of a project. "Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies: Understanding
Patterns of Project Behavior" is highly recommended to anyone in
charge of a group project and for community library business
collections.

Groundswell
Charlene Li & Josh Bernoff
Harvard Business Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
9781422125007, $29.95, www (dot) groundswell.forrester (dot) com

No longer Is mass media only an outlet for those with money and
corporations – with social sites such as Myspace, Youtube, and
Wikipedia, the public has far more say against the corporate media.
"Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies"
is a guide on how companies can view this new surge of media not as a
threat to their power, but an opportunity for greater success. Twenty
five examples are laid out in this valuable guide, making
"Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies"
highly recommended for all businesses initially fearful of the
Internet as a marketing tool.

Leadership
Sue Roberts and Jennifer Rowley
Facet Publishing
7 Ridgemount Street, London, WC1E 7AE
info DeleteThis @facetpublishing.co.uk
Neal-Schuman Publishers Inc.
100 William Street, Suite 2004, New York, NY 10038
9781856046091, $115.00, www (dot) facetpublishing.co.uk

Leadership skills are a flat out requirement to anyone who wants to be
successful over the challenges in life. "Leadership: The Challenge for
the Information Profession" focuses on the information profession and
how leadership is very much required in this success to lead the
companies peddling this information to success. Tackling everything
one needs to know about the business, challenges, ones own leadership
skills, innovation, strategy, and being influential among other vital
aspects, "Leadership: The Challenge for the Information Profession" is
a top pick for anyone who sees themselves in this position and for
community library business collections.

The Granularity of Growth
Patrick Viguerie, Sven Smit, & Mehrdad Baghai
Wiley Publishers
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Jane Weisman Public Relations, Inc. (publicity)
322 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1702, New York, NY 10001
9780470270202, $45.00, www (dot) wiley (dot) com

Growth is something every company needs – but how to do it
efficiently? "The Granularity of Growth: How to Identify the Sources
of Growth and Drive Enduring Company Performance" is an examination of
growth, and handbook for businesses that seek to do it. Analyzing
companies' desire to increase their size, power, and potentially
profit, alongside their plans to do so with tips to improve it, and
how they are going to manage it all, the book leaves no stone unturned
and no aspect to pure chance. "The Granularity of Growth: How to
Identify the Sources of Growth and Drive Enduring Company Performance"
is an essential acquisition for business leaders and for community
library collections catering to them.

Information Security Management Handbook
Harold F. Tipton, CISSP and Micki Krause, CISSP
Taylor & Francis Group
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
0849374952, $159.95 www (dot) garlandscience (dot) com 1-800-634-7064

Now in its sixth updated edition, Information Security Management
Handbook is an in-depth reference for business executives and
professionals as well as a technical resource for information
management experts. Essays written by a diversity of expert authors
cover complex issues of information security management: the latest
laws and regulations designed to force corporations to strengthen
their ethics policies, risk assessments, metrics, disaster recovery,
and much more. From the many different types and uses of cryptography,
to effective implementation of physical security from guard personnel
to closed-circuit television, to security in computer architecture, to
telecommunications and network security, Information Security
Management Handbook lives up to its title. An extensive glossary and
index round out this massive reference, featuring over three thousand
pages of expertise distilled in terms accessible to lay readers and
professionals alike. "Password cracking would include cryptographic
and brute-force attacks against password files, applying massive
amounts of computer power to overwhelm the cryptographic protection of
the passwords, typically in a remote or offline mode. Password
guessing would include users attempting to guess the passwords to
specific accounts, based on analysis and conjecture, and would
typically be conducted through the password interface in an online
mode. Password disclosure would include users sharing password
credentials, or writing down passwords such that they are discoverable
by an attacker." An absolute "must-have" for information security
professionals, and anyone else responsible for ensuring that trade
secrets stay secret!

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to
promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We
accept no funds from authors or publishers. Full permission is given
to post any of these reviews on thematically appropriate websites,
newsgroups, listserves, internet discussion groups, organizational
newsletters, or to interested individuals. Please give the Midwest
Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines
"California Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch",
"MBR Bookwatch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch".
All are available for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www
(dot) midwestbookreview (dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them
to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to
Frugalmuse DeleteThis @aol.com (Be sure to include the book title, author,
publisher, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit
ISBN number, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review