The Business Shelf

The Girls' Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business
Susan Wilson Solovic
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019
0814474195, $21.95 www.amacombooks.org

While women have outpaced men in opening small businesses over the last years, it's surprising to note that less than three percent of women-owned businesses in the U.S. gross a million or more than revenue - and less than eight percent gross over, $200,000. That makes The Girls' Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business an essential guide to both business libraries and women's studies collections alike: it offers lessons on how to make good business decisions, hire right, and avoid common obstacles to building that bigger business. The keys to a million dollar business are right here for any businesswoman to consider.

The Boss from Outer Space and Other Aliens at Work
Patricia J. Addesso, Ph.D.
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 01019-7420
0814474438, $15.00 www.amacombooks.org

The Boss from Outer Space and Other Aliens at Work: A Down-to-Earth Guide for Getting Along With Just About Anyone should be required reading for any worker. General-interest libraries as well as business libraries will find invaluable an approach which goes beyond the usual boxing and identification of personality disorders in the workplace, addressing how to cope with these difficult personalities. An outstanding survey of distinctive and related issues reveals all kinds of options for compromise and positive change.

Your MBA Game Plan
Omari Bouknight and Scott Shrum
Career Press
Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
1564149684, $17.99 www.careerpress.com

Written by the co-founders of a leading business school admissions service, YOUR MBA GAME PLAN is an invaluable resource for any who would go beyond the usual reference telling how to gain an MBA. It focuses on the school itself, discussing everything from acing the GMAT and getting into a top business program to selecting the right school, and this revised edition includes sample essays and resumes from successful applicants. It's a 'must' not just for college libraries but for general-interest lending collections catering to business school students.

Disagreements, Disputes, and All-Out War
Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D.
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019
0814480632, $15.00 www.amacombooks.org

Conflict is an inevitable part of life, whether it be at home or in the workplace - and Disagreements, Disputes, and All-Out War: 3 Simple Steps for Dealing With Any Kind of Conflict is key to understanding - and managing - conflict effectively, using easy exercises to demonstrate and assess typical conflict scenarios. From conflicts stemming from poor communication and incorrect assumptions to developing win-win solutions for all involved, DISAGREEMENTS, DISPUTES AND ALL-OUT WAR goes beyond the usual advice on handling difficult people to address the fundamentals of conflict, offering concrete, real-world applications for resolution. An excellent pick not only for business libraries, but for general-interest collections.

Self Marketing Power
Jeff Beals
Keynote Publishing
PO Box 540663, Omaha, NE 68154
Concierge Marketing, Inc. (publicity)
13518 'L' Street, Omaha, NE 68137
9780979743801, $19.95 www.selfmarketingpower.com

Real estate executive and radio talk show host Jeff Beals provides real-world examples and entertainingly illustrative anecdotal stories in "Self Marketing Power: Branding Yourself As A Business Of One" to provide aspiring entrepreneurs with a kind of do-it-yourself instruction manual and guide for building a personal brand name recognition targeted at specific personal audiences. Beals maintains that the entrepreneur must think employ the kinds of promotion for business success that a politician utilizes to elected to office. Beals shows how to establish name recognition and become a 'celebrity' inside your own sphere of influence; get tangible results from networking efforts; exploit current employment to create self-marketing benefits; and become a kind of 'superstar' within the context of your own particular profession. Of special note is what Beals has to say about developing an expertise and become a sought-after speaker, consultant, and source for news stories. "Self Marketing Power" is exceptionally valuable reading for anyone seeking to establish their own reputation and success within their own particular business arena.

All Your Money Won't Another Minute Buy
Curt Finch
Journeyx, Inc
9011 Mountain Ridge Drive, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78759
9781430323839, $16.99

All Your Money Won't Another Minute Buy: Valuing Time as a Business Resource lives up to its title with a wealth of tips, tricks and techniques for business decision-makers to efficiently manage company time. From choosing the right time tracking software and negotiating with the appropriate vendors, to automating payroll and billing, to staying in step with government regulations and much more, All Your Money Won't Another Minute Buy walks the reader through solutions to time-wasting problems large and small. Highly recommended, especially for service organizations; since time is money, All Your Money Won't Another Minute Buy quite literally pays for itself.

Ally Relations
Anthony O. Putnam
Burns Park Publishers
PO Box 4239, Ann Arbor, MI 48106
9780977228607, $24.95

Author Anthony O. Putman has spent over thirty years helping the leaders of service businesses seize a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Ally Relations: The Key to Sustained Success for Your Service Business distills his wisdom for service business leaders with a solid base of clientele. In today's modern world, providing excellent service is no longer enough to set one's business apart; "your most valuable asset is the inclination of your market to buy from you instead of your equally qualified competitors". Whether it's called "goodwill", "customer loyalty", or "sustainable competitive advantage", this quality is crucial. Ally Relations stress that while it's impossible to differentiate the service one provides from that of equally qualified competitors, the relationship between service business and customer can be differentiated, and skillfully honing these relationships is the key to success. From learning how to construct give-and-take dialogues with allies rather than drill them with interview questions, to learning how to listen effectively, Ally Relations is a step-by-step primer to changing how one perceives and interacts with clients in order to cultivate positive relationships and repeat business. Highly recommended for service industry leaders everywhere, whether the business they lead is a one-man show or a big corporation.

How To Start A Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant Service
Victoria Ring
Graphico Publishing
1601 West Fifth Avenue, Suite 123, Columbus, OH 43121-2303
0976159171, $79.99 www.graphicopublishing.com

In "How To Start A Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant Service", certified paralegal Victoria Ring draws upon her years of experience and expertise in having developed an online service business drafting bankruptcy petitions for attorneys nationwide. She then went on to train others in how to draft well-detailed bankruptcy petitions so they could build their own successful businesses. Clearly, deftly, and comprehensively written in 'user friendly', step-by-step detail, the reader can use "How To Start A Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant Service" to start their own virtual bankruptcy service, working out of their own home, and whether or not they have any prior legal experience. Of special note are the additional services available from Victoria Ring including her website at http://www.713training.com, 'The Bankruptcy Club' which provides a weekly tips e-letter, ongoing support through weekly teleconferences, access to previous teleconference, and discounts on all future purchases -- including seminars. "How To Start A Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant Service" is especially recommended to the attention of anyone seeking to establish their own entrepreneurial home-based business in the growing bankruptcy assistance industry.

We: The Ideal Customer Relationship
Steve Yastrow
SelectBooks
c/o MM Book Publicity
2817 West End Avenue, Suite 126-274, Nashville, TN 37203
9781590791219, $21.95 www.selectbooks.com

In "We: The Ideal Customer Relationship", marketing and branding consultant Steve Yastrow (who through his consulting firm Yastrow Marketing has services such clients as the McDonald's Corporation, the Cayman islands Department of Tourism, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, and Jenny Craig International) lays out a persuasive case for the necessity of a business (regardless of their product or service) differentiating themselves from their competition in the eyes of their targeted consumer demographics. Yastrow maintains that the best way to do that is to build strong relationships based on having the customer consider the business in terms of 'we' rather than 'us and them'. Backing up his argument with practical, 'how to' information and instruction, Yastrow has written a thoroughly 'user friendly' guide that is solid, practical, accessible, exceptional well written and organized, and very highly recommended (and profitable) reading for entrepreneurs, company executives, and corporate managers.

Private Label
Keith Lincoln & Lars Thomassen
Kogan Page USA
525 South 4th Street, #241, Philadelphia, PA 19147
9780749450274, $39.95 www.koganpage.com 1-800-232-0223

"Private Label; turning The Retail Brand Threat Into Your Biggest Opportunity" is the collaborative work of Keith Lincoln (one of the world's leading authorities and corporate consultants on brands and global trends) and Lars Thomassen (whose 30 year career in advertising includes involvement with developing many major global brands). The focus on the advertising concept of a 'Private Label' that is the basis of a one trillion dollar industry world wide. Readers will learn about the facts and the myths associated with the concept of Private Labels, issues that are directly relevant to the establishing, maintenance, and exploitation of Private Labels, opportunities for brand owners, opportunities for retailers, and the commercial future of Private Labels in a highly competitive and increasingly global marketplace. Informed and informative, "Private Label" is especially recommended reading for entrepreneurs and corporate executives seeking to develop and expand their products as distinctive, premiere, and high-end.

Why We Talk
Bolivar J. Bueno
Creative Crayon Publishers
230 Kings Mall Court, Suite 142, Kingston, NY 12401
Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists (publicity)
2100 Kramer Lane, Suite 300, Austin, TX 78758
9780971481534, $24.95 www.phenixpublicity.com

In "Why We Talk: the Truth Behind Word-of-Mouth", retail advertising and marketing expert Bolivar Bueno (a partner in Nonbox consulting, an Orlando, Florida-based consumer insight think tank) lays out seven principles for creating memorable customer experiences that will prompt those customers to share with their friends and families those favorable impressions that successful commercial transactions produce. Businessmen and marketing directors will learn just what motivates a consumer or a customer to 'spread the word' about a company and its products -- producing an unpaid advertising benefit that can insure a prosperous bottom line to any corporate endeavor. "Why We Talk" is a solidly informative and 'reader friendly' addition to any personal, professional, corporate, academic, or community American Business Studies reference collection or supplemental reading list.

Reaching the Goal
John Arthur Ricketts
IBM Press
Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
01323333120, $29.99 www.ibmpressbooks.com 1-800-428-5331

REACHING THE GOAL: HOW MANAGERS IMPROVE A SERVICES BUSINESS USING GOLDRATT'S THEORY OF CONSTRAINTS explains not only the basics of TOC, but how it improves business performance, using experiences from IBM research to document using TOC in services businesses. From its basic principles to applications in different areas of business, TOC is thoroughly covered including guidelines on how to implement in an existing organizational structure, making this a fine pick for both college-level business libraries and libraries catering to managers.

The 4Cs of Truth in Communications
Isabelle Albanese
Paramount Market Publishing Inc.
950 Danby Road #136, Ithaca, NY 14850
9780978660222, $24.95 www.paramountbooks.com

Any college-level collection strong in business marketing tools needs Isabelle Albanese's The 4Cs of Truth in Communications. It provides an easy guide on how to assess marketing communications efforts - and covers the common pitfalls in such communications. The coverage is barely a hundred pages but the lessons on how to identify and evaluate effective and non-effective communication processes are invaluable.

Working the Skies
Drew Whitelegg
New York University Press
838 Broadway, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10003
9780814794081, $20.00 www.nyupress.org 1-800-996-6987

WORKING THE SKIES: THE FAST-PACED, DISORIENTING WORLD OF THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT is a fine choice not only for any business library focused on careers or aviation choices, but for general-interest collections. It covers the life of the flight attendant, surveying the realities of the modern job, offering experiences of flight attendants past and present, and offering behind-the-scenes stories of their special challenges. It's an excellent, lively survey certain to reach a wide audience.

A Class With Drucker
William A. Cohen, Ph.D.
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019
0814409199, $24.95 www.amacombooks.org

Author William A. Cohen was a struggling young Air Force officer with no academic experience when he entered Drucker's PhD program in management, becoming the first graduate of Drucker's doctoral program. He used his newfound insights to further career and to gain a deeper insight into Drucker's approach and personality: A CLASS WITH DRUCKER reflects his experiences, expanding upon Drucker's lessons, revealing the teacher's personality through personal anecdotes, and providing fine tips on how Drucker's management tools continue to be applied in everyday business circles. Any business library needs A CLASS WITH DRUCKER.

The Go-Giver
Bob Burg & John David Mann
Portfolio
c/o The Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
Kathryn Hall Publicist (publicity)
PO Box 1486, Ukiah, CA 95482
9781591842002, $19.95 www.us.penguingroup.com 1-800-847-5515

The collaborative effort of Bob Burg (a top sales professional and successful public speaker) and John David Mann (author and business leadership authority), "The Go-Giver: A Little Story About A Powerful Business Idea" is the story of Joe, an ambitious young man who seeks advice from the enigmatic Pindar -- a legendary consultant referred to by his many devotees as 'The Chairman'. Pindar introduces Joe to a series of 'go-givers' that include a successful restaurateur, a corporate CEO, a knowledgeable financial advisor, a real estate broker, and a man known simply as 'The Connector' who brought them all together. Between these men, Joe learns about the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success and discovers how to open himself up to the power of giving as a means of success in business. Deftly written and thoroughly 'reader friendly', "The Go-Giver" is enthusiastically recommended for anyone seeking success in the competitive marketplace of products, services, and ideas, as being informed and informative, as well as inspired and inspiring.

AdWords for Dummies
Howie Jacobson, Ph.D.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5773
9780470152522, $24.99 www.wiley.com 1-800-225-5945

Internet marketing strategist and AdWords coach Howie Jacobson, Ph.D. presents AdWords for Dummies, a user-friendly manual to using Google AdWords to serve one's marketing needs. and attract the right kinds of visitors to one's website. Chapters discuss how to set up a starter edition AdWords account, uncover one's online market, choose the right keywords, craft attractive ads, improve one's ad campaigns through keyword management, follow up on prospects, apply conversion tracking to cut costs, common beginner errors when working with AdWords, and much more. AdWords for Dummies lives up to the solid reputation of the Dummies series by blending professional expertise with a simple and straightforward tutorial anyone can follow. A, $25 Google AdWords gift card rounds out this enthusiastically recommended aid to Internet marketing in the twenty-first century.

The Essential Guide To Workplace Investigations
Lisa Guerin
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
9781413306910, $39.99 www.nolo.com 1-800-955-4775

One of the responsibilities of employers is to insure a safe and secure workplace. This necessitates dealing with employee accusations of harassment, discrimination, workplace violence, employee theft, and other challenges to the workplace security of employees -- whether the problem is perceived from emanating from management or other employees. Lisa Guerin, an attorney specializing is resolving workplace issues, has written "The Essential Guide To Workplace Investigations: How To Handle Employee Complains & Problems", a 350-page, 'user friendly' instruction manual for managers, human resources professionals, and business owners, on investigating and resolving common workplace issues in a manner that is fair, effective, and in adherence to federal laws and state regulations. Enhanced with an accompanying CD-ROM with forms, sample polices, checklists, and other resources, "The Essential Guide To Workplace Investigations" is an informed and informative, offering step-by-step instructions on deciding whether or not to investigate a complain; taking immediate action if deemed necessary; selecting an investigator; planning the investigation; interviewing; gathering evidence; evaluating the evidence; taking appropriate action; documenting the investigation; and doing follow-up to insure future compliance. Simply stated, "The Essential Guide To Workplace Investigations" is an essential and basic reference for anyone charged with the responsibility of providing employees with a conflict-free work environment.

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