The Benchmarking Workbook: Adapting Best Practices for Performance Improvement

Book Description

Managers today need benchmarking to anticipate trends and maintain competitive advantage. This practical workbook shows you how to do your own benchmarking study. Watson's discussion includes a case study that takes you through each step of the benchmarking process, raises thought-provoking questions, and provides examples of how to use forms for a benchmarking study.

Book Description

Learn the 25 keys in managing the growth of a business, including identifying the company's competitive advantage, implementing a total-quality strategy, hiring a professional management team and creating a visionary growth-oriented corporate culture. Growing & Managing A Business is part of The New York Times Pocket MBA Series, a reference series easily accessible to all businesspersons, from first-level managers to the executive suite.

Customer Reviews:

MBA.......2007-01-25

Generic text book MBA stuff.-worth the purchase, good leaning tool while stuck in traffic. No imagination!

Average customer rating:

The definitive guide for whiskey

Fascinating, delightful, and FULL of great info!

Essential whisky buying guide

Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible 2004
Jim Murray
Manufacturer: Carlton Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Spirits | Drinks & Beverages | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible: Over 2500 Whiskeys Tasted, Evaluated and Rated

Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch

The Complete Guide to Whiskey: Selecting, Comparing, and Drinking the World's Great Whiskeys (Pocket Guide Series)

Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch

Scotch Whisky Directory

ASIN: 1844429172

Book Description

Featuring tasting notes on hundreds of different brands, Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible is a truly expert whiskey guide, an exhaustive review of distilleries, new brands, changes in legislation, award-winners, and whiskey associations. The author has traveled around the world for the full whiskey experience, from the world-leaders Scotland, Ireland, Japan and the United States to distilleries as far-flung as Pakistan and Finland. The compact volume also includes a place for readers to keep track of their tastings and findings as they assay single malts, sippin' whiskies and bourbons from all over the world. The audience of whiskey aficionados has grown exponentially in the last ten years. Jim Murray's educated, opinionated and eminently readable guide is a delightful and useful reference for everyone who enjoys this strong and storied liquor.

Customer Reviews:

The definitive guide for whiskey.......2007-10-06

Why would you buy this book? Why not just drink that old bottle of Jim Beam or Johnny Walker? Because you don't want to make the mistake of buying a bottle of blended Scotch for $500 with a rating of 77/100, like a family friend did. Cost or more aging does not necessarily equate to a higher rating or a higher complexity of taste, body, and finish.

This book is one of the most detailed and comprehensive guides to Whiskey/Whisky in the world. Covering Scotch (single malt and blends), and whiskey from every whiskey producing country such as the United States, Canada, Ireland, Japan, Australia, and Austria, Jim Murray rates spirits by Nose, Taste, Body, and Finish (0 to 25 with a composite of 0 to 100). I would not and have not wasted any of my time or money on purchasing whiskey, without referring to this book. From the rare 50 year old 6,000 British pound bottle of Royal Salute to the $18 dollar bottle of Bourbon, this book covers a vast majority of them.

Each year he bestows upon various distilleries the best of each class of whiskey (World Whisky of the Year, Scotch Single Malt of the Year, Best New Scotch Single Malt of the Year/Single cask, Bourbon of the year, Irish Whisky of the Year, etc).

In the front of the book there is a summary page that shows ratings with the subclassifications (for example, 97 Rating with subheadings of Scotch Single Malt, Bourbon, etc). It is helpful if you're about to go somewhere and try to find 'the best'.

His writing style is straightforward and a pleasure to read. Notes are descriptive and accurate, and drinks are rated from a scale of 0 to 100 (although, I have never seen anything higher than a 97). 0-50, he comments as "Nothing short of absolutely diabolical", whereas 98-100 is "Better than anything I've ever tasted". He also talks about the latest trends in the industry and each installment of the book rates more and more whiskey, each subsequent year.

Even though some of the more obscure barrels of bourbon are not in this guide (for example, Pappy van Winkle 18 year old), it's still a worthwhile investment.

Before you buy that $200 dollar of bourbon or that $1,500 bottle of Macallan, you need to read this book. It WILL save you time, aggravation and money. I am still searchin' for a good ol' bottle of George T. Stagg (97/100).

HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.

Fascinating, delightful, and FULL of great info!.......2004-04-29

Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible 2004 is one of the most delightful whisky reads in existence. It is absolutely loaded with nuggets, ratings, tips and lore. Like Michael Jackson's excellent tome, Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible is very approachable, yet somehow even more engaging. (Maybe it's because Murray's writing is more casual and conversational.) Plus, the 2004 version is at least four years newer than the latest edition of Jackson's guide, so you will find more complete coverage of all the labels and varieties--making the ratings significantly more useful when you tote this book to the local liquor store. Although I disagree with some of Murray's ratings, you can't question his credentials.

If you love whisky, this is a MUST read.

Essential whisky buying guide.......2003-12-14

Jim Murray is, according to many whisky aficionados, the premier writer on whisky. He has visited virtually every distillery in existence, and has an unsurpassed knowledge and love of whisky.

His latest book is tall and narrow, the same size as Michael Jackson's Pocket Guide to Beer, so it can be carried along to stores when purchasing whisky. And this is Murray's intention: the book is written as a buying guide for the consumer. Unlike in his previous books, Murray gives numerical ratings to the more than 2000 whiskies he evaluates, a number from 0 to 100, broken down into numbers for nose, taste, finish and balance, each receiving up to 25 points. Although numerical ratings will help whisky drinkers and store owners, he knows that many in the industry may be unhappy with his ratings.

Murray intends his guide to become a yearly publication that will be supplemented and updated throughout the year on the web site www.whiskybible.com.

The book begins with introductory material, including a review of the whisky year, as well as a three-page diatribe about "The Evils of Colour Prejudice", meaning the adding of caramel coloring to whisky. Murray claims that colorization degrades the taste of whisky and in many of his reviews, even very positive ones, he claims that the addition of caramel has taken its toll on the whisky's quality.

The book's beginning also contains Murray's award winners for the year in 19 categories, with overall whisky of the year being George T. Stagg bourbon. He then lists, in four pages, all of the whiskies that received a score of 93-97. (One omission: Longmorn 15 year old, to which he gives a score of 93, is not on the list.) Only two whiskies receive a 97, George T. Stagg and Old Malt Cask Ardbeg 1975 Aged 25 years (bottled Oct 00), "without a shadow of a doubt ... the two best whiskies it has ever been my luck and privilege to taste in nearly 30 years". Along with many expensive and rare whiskies on this list are found widely available relatively inexpensive whiskies. Receiving 94, for example, along with Old Malt Cask Ardbeg 1975 Aged 24 years and Laphroaig 40 year old, one finds Glenmorangie 10 year old, Dalwhinnie 15 year old, and even the Canadian Seagrams VO, which I'd guess is most often used as a mixer.

Scotch whisky, including single malts, grain whisky and blends, accounts for about 70% of the book's contents, the remaining 30% being devoted to American, Japanese, Canadian, European and world whiskies. There was no room in this edition for Indian and other Asian whiskies, but Murray hopes to accommodate these in future editions. The book concludes with a Stop Press section evaluating late bottled and additional whiskies, a glossary, and advice on how to drink whisky.

As always, Murray's writing is personal and passionate, and the book makes for fascinating reading. His commentary is by turns lyrical, colorful, provocative, angry and funny (see his review of Littlemill Dunglas, to which he gives a rating of 17).

Jim Murray is a romantic about whisky whose writing draws one into his intense devotion to the drink. For someone beginning to explore the world of whisky, as well as for the whisky expert, this book is a must.

Average customer rating:
The Best of the Professional Traders Journal: Options Trading and Volatility Trading

Manufacturer: M. Gordon Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Futures | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Investment Secrets Hedge Fund Manager: Exploiting the Herd Mentality of the Financial Markets

The Bible of Options Strategies: The Definitive Guide for Practical Trading Strategies

How Markets Really Work: A Quantitative Guide to Stock Market Behavior

Option Volatility & Pricing: Advanced Trading Strategies and Techniques

Entries & Exits: Visits to 16 Trading Rooms (Wiley Trading)

ASIN: 0965046176

Book Description

97% of options traders lose money. Professional trader Larry Connors shares his best options trading strategies with you to help you avoid being just another losing trader. By exploiting stock splits and pricing inefficiencies as well as applying his own strategy, the Connors VIX Reversal, Larry delivers 4 powerful options methodologies that move the odds decidedly in your favor. In addition, Larry also provides you with the latest research on the little-known, but powerful indicator, historical volatility. From concept to action, Larry explains to you step-by-step how to best use historical volatility to conquer the futures, stock, and options markets.

Book Description

Mergers and acquisitions is the predominant form of internationalization, expansion, and growth. In the past, research on M&As focused on legal, financial, and economic aspects to determine the best "strategic fit" with optimal synergy effects.

Yet a failure rate of roughly fifty-percent gave rise to an increasing awareness of organizational and cultural aspects of integration strategies, the importance of cultural factors for globalization: the "cultural fit". The reader, based on case studies of transnational companies, provides an overview of the different theoretical and methodological approaches and debates crucial issues of high significance for management students and managers alike.

Average customer rating:
Dimensions International acquired: CEO says Honeywell will take the company where he could not.(B.E. 100s): An article from: Black Enterprise
Alan Hughes
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000VE5S6G
Release Date: 2007-08-23

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Black Enterprise, published by Thomson Gale on August 1, 2007. The length of the article is 464 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Dimensions International acquired: CEO says Honeywell will take the company where he could not.(B.E. 100s)
Author: Alan Hughes
Publication: Black Enterprise (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 38 Issue: 1 Page: 27(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

During the thirteen months covered by this volume, Thomas Jefferson spent more than half of his time in Philadelphia serving as vice president under President John Adams and presiding over a Senate that was dominated by his political opponents, the Federalists. Debates in Congress took place against a backdrop of bitter partisan rivalry, characterized most famously by the near-brawl on the floor of the House between Matthew Lyon and Roger Griswold. Congress and the nation waited, in a "state of extraordinary suspense," for dispatches from the American envoys in France. When the accounts of the XYZ Affair became public, the nation prepared for war. Two days after the Alien Friends Act was signed into law Jefferson left for Monticello, stopping at Montpelier to convey the latest news to James Madison. Disheartened and frustrated by the Alien and Sedition Acts, Jefferson penned the famous resolutions adopted in November by the Kentucky legislature. He kept his authorship a secret, however, seeking to avoid any appearance of "rashness" by Republicans. This endeavor reflected his struggle to make sense of the political direction of the nation in times he could neither comprehend nor accept.

Jefferson continued to engage in scientific pursuits and fulfill his role as a promoter of American science and learning. He was reelected to the presidency of the American Philosophical Society, to which he presented his paper on the moldboard plow. He corresponded on American Indian languages, astronomy, and the Anglo-Saxon language. He longed for Monticello, and, as Jefferson had learned before, his property fell into neglect when he was away on public business. Renovations to the house slowed, supplies for the nailery were disrupted, and he had to arrange for the sale of his crops through intermediaries. With the prices of wheat low, he was drawn back into financial dependence on tobacco.

Average customer rating:
Adams Papers Diary of Charles Francis Adams 4 Volume Set
Charles Francis, Aida Dipace Donald and David Donald (eds.) Adams
Manufacturer: Belknap Harvard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000U89BSE

Average customer rating:
The Adams Papers Diary of Charles Francis Adams Volume 3

Manufacturer: The Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WE0AQS

Average customer rating:
The Adams Papers Diary of Charles Francis Adams Volume 4

Manufacturer: The Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WE1HOM

Average customer rating:
The Adams Papers. Diary of Charles Francis Adams: Volume 3, September 1829-February 1831

Manufacturer: The Belknap Press of Harvard University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I86V4I

Average customer rating:
The Adams Papers: Diary of Charles Francis Adams. Volumes 1-4.
L. H., (Editor), Butterfield
Manufacturer: Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000P5L0HC

Average customer rating:
Diary of Charles Francis Adams
Charles Francis ADAMS
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RJ4U8C

Average customer rating:
Diary of Charles Francis Adams 2 Volumes
Aida Donald
Manufacturer: HARVARD UNIV PRESS @
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UE296Y

Average customer rating:
Diary of Charles Francis Adams 2 Volumes
Charles Francis Friedlaender & Butterfield Editors Adams
Manufacturer: Belknap Press of Harvard University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N2BQ94

Average customer rating:
Diary of Charles Francis Adams 2vol
Aida Donald
Manufacturer: HARVARD UNIV PRESS @
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000QBR9V6

Average customer rating:
Diary Of Charles Francis Adams Volume 3
Friedlaender
Manufacturer: The Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N3BNHI

Book Description

The proliferation of regional trade agreements is fundamentally altering the world trade landscape. The number of agreements in force surpasses 200 and has risen eight-fold in two decades. Today as much as 40 percent of global trade takes place among countries that have some form of reciprocal regional trade agreement.

Global Economic Prospects 2005: Trade, Regionalism, and Development addresses two questions:

** What are the characteristics of agreements that most promote—or hinder—development for member countries?
** Does the proliferation of agreements pose risks to the multilateral trading system, and if so, how can these risks be managed?

The report argues that agreements leading to open regionalism—that is, deeper integration of trade as a result of low external tariffs, increased services competition, and efforts to reduce cross-border and customs delays costs—are effective as part of a larger trade strategy to promote growth. Such regional agreements can complement a strategy that, on the one hand, includes autonomous liberalization to promote productivity gains and, on the other hand, leverages domestic reforms to enhance market access.

Although regional agreements can prove beneficial to member countries, they can have adverse effects on excluded countries. Lowering of border barriers around the world is crucial to minimizing these effects. The completion of the Doha Development Agenda by all countries in the World Trade Organization will reduce the risk of trade diversion associated with regional agreements and will decrease trade losses of countries excluded from agreements.

Book Description

One of the greatest artists of the past century, Noguchi worked with an extraordinary range of materials to produce an equally extraordinary array of sculptural creations. Among the most powerful and haunting were his designs for theatre, especially the theatre of dance. This book celebrates that sculpture with splendid photographs of 37 set designs, mainly for Martha Graham, and with commentary on each that tells the story of the dance as well as the story behind the sculptor's creation, usually in his own words. This handsome, large-format book is a treasure for both art lovers and dance lovers.

Customer Reviews:

A Fascinating Tale of Discovery.......2004-06-08

Moving Target succeeds in transforming what could be a pedestrian topic into a fascinating tale of discovery. Ron Arias manages masterfully to make the reader a committed member of the author's family and his relentless quest to uncover the truth.

Arias accomplishes this considerable feat with an effective approach composed of painful candor, suspense and clean, compelling writing.

Moving Target - A Memoir of Pursuit.......2003-10-13

Moving Target was one of the best books I have read ever. It was a moving story of a family and the hunt for a father they knew or didn't know. I was jealous of the young mother, wishing she had been mine. Later on I was glad she wasn't! Her death was an enigma. Her writings were truly unbelievable and know that's where Ron got his talent for writing. I read this book several months ago and it took this time for me to write. It is tragically moving, poetic with an uncanny melodic verbage. The quest to find this father again took Ron to many places, winding up in of all places, California. The perseverance to not quit gave this reader a gut-wrenching mystery that kept me riveted to my seat. Once you start you cannot put it down. I will read this book again. I hope Ron continues to write as he haa a talent that needs shared with the world!

chronicle of a military family.......2003-05-31

Moving Target, by Ron Arias, is the story of an American family, but not your typical next-door-neighbor kind of family. This is the story of a military family from the perspective of a sensitive, intelligent boy. While fellow army-brats will nod their heads in recognition as they read this memoir, most civilians would be astonished by the impact war and the warrior culture of discipline and rootlessness can have on a marriage and family.

Once begun,this book is not easy to put down. It is a chronicle written in a clear, accessible style, and often reads like a mystery novel. It takes a trip through recent history, putting personal faces on the Korean Conflict and the Cold war. As the writer matures and explores his father's military career and his mother's aspirations and marriage, many questions emerge. I felt compelled to follow Mr. Arias on his search to find the "real" man who shaped his life. Both his parents are brought fully to life, and as a bonus, Mr. Arias shares his adventures as a journalist. It is a courageous, heartbreaking, intimate life story that I will not soon forget.

I couldn't put "Moving Target" down for even a moment.......2003-05-17

I made the mistake of starting to read "Moving Target" before going to bed one evening; at 3 am I was still unable to put this book down. It's the memoir of Ron Arias, a staff correspondent for People Magazine. It starts out as a biography of Arias' parents. His father, Armando, is being held as a POW in Korea. His mother holds the family together until Armando's return. But this happy event is soon overshadowed by many troubles; Armando is being discredited by the Army, his promotion to captain is delayed (is it because he's Hispanic?) And he's a changed man, brooding, a strict disciplinarian but now with an edge since his return from near-starvation and survival of a Korean POW camp. Ron and his brothers find the household tense and troubling after Armando returns.

And there are more mysteries. Why does Ron's mother refuse to take communion at Sunday Mass? There is truth to be uncovered here, and Arias takes us on a young man's journey to find himself and his family.

The memoir also shows us Arias' development as a writer, from a chance encounter with Hemingway in Pamplona, to a course in English literature in Argentina from a Professor Borges (yes, Jorge Luis Borges.) And in Argentina, Ron begins a career as a journalist. We follow Ron through a stint in Peru as a Peace Corps volunteer and watch how a young and talented journalist develops. But the story of his family and his identity is an equally compelling thread.

This is probably one of the best memoirs I've read in years. The writing is crisp, the description of everyday details sharp and focused. Arias has the ability to go back and look out of the eyes of innocence and ignorance-we follow him along in the book as if we all were sent back in time in his life. If you liked "The Color of Water" or "Angela's Ashes" this book will resonate with you. You really should read it. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Remembering Our POW's.......2003-04-17

The author has captured the depth and spirit that keeps our POW's alive, knowing that we cannot forget them and the sacrifice that they have made for us. It does not matter if they are held three weeks or three years, we must keep them in our hearts, minds, and prayers. This book should be required reading by the Military and their families, and those that are quick to find fault with the men and women in uniform. I came away from each chapter as a member of the family and their ordeal after the war. We must remember that the families are just as much POW's!

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books