Business: The Ultimate Resource

by Basic Books

The "Business Bible" that captured the imaginations and fueled the ambitions of readers from the boardroom to the mailroom has now been completely revised and updated to reflect the state of the business world today. This one-ofa- kind reference guide offers readers a portable M.B.A. between two covers without the expense of tuition, the trouble of entrance exams, or the struggle of making it to classes on time. As business is arguably the most potent force in society today--CEOs wield more power and influence than political leaders, trade of goods and services spreads cultural values around the globe, even the rules of commerce increasingly govern the administration of our educational, nonprofit, and social institutions--it is more important than ever that professionals from all walks of life understand its language and its theories. The Ultimate Resource captures the state of the art in business today, and the extensive revisions and additions make this second editionthe undisputed reference for anyone in the field. The additional material includes 30 new articles from authors such as Michael E. Gerber, Howard Rheingold, and Francis Fukuyama; the Management Library is 40 percent new with 39 articles, including "The Tipping Point" and "Barbarians at the Gate." Moreover, everything else--from the Actionlists to the Dictionary-is fully updated to reflect the latest in business knowledge. Business is the gold standard of insight and information for executives and managers, entrepreneurs, administrators, educators, and students alike.

Genres: Business, Reference

2208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was impressed enough with the library copy of the first edition that I bought the second edition. Now, a few years later, the third edition is out (by a different publisher), and I have bought it. Why is it that each of the three editions was published by a different publisher. Page numbers below refer to the second edition. Much of the content is similar, however, the third edition has fewer pages. I have not yet identified quite what is different.

Here are a few favorites - I like the book, and it's not reasonable to copy everything I like, so I marked the portions that impressed me to make it easier to go back and review them.

"Trust the process - fun takes root in organizations that are high-trust rather than high-fear. The more trust we show, the more fun there is; the more fun there is, the more trust we show. Fun is an energy force that can't be mandated or controlled by rules. If you trust people with your company's most valuable assets, why not trust them to use their judgment in blending fun with work?" (Page 38) Leslie A Yerkes

"We are speeding up our lives and working harder in a futile attempt to buy the time to slow down and enjoy it. (Page 38) Paul Hawken

"You don't need to interpret tea leaves stuck in a cup to understand that people who work sitting down get paid more than those standing up." Ogden Nash (p. 82 footer)

"Key skills will be the ability to win friends and influence people at a personal level, the ability to structure partnerships, and the ability to negotiate and to find compromises. Business will be much more about finding the right people in the right place and negotiating the right deals." (Page 97 2nd ed, Charles Handy, author of The Elephant and the Flea, and others)

How to Get Lucky by Donald N Skull is quite meaningful (Page 101-103)
"The most successful companies exemplified active waiting ... " He then describes the components of active waiting.

It's time to mark the second edition book as read. Not that I ready every page, but I gave it to my son to take to college since he is going into business. So, I now have the third edition.

[Florian B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be very honest I have not read all of this book, it is just far too long, at over 2000 pages, although over the course of a number of years I have read quite a bit. It is a reference book that I use every now and then, but only when I need it. In this respect it is very like a dictionary. You don't read a dictionary from cover to cover. You look up what you need and then you put it away. This book is exactly like that. The range of (business) content is enormous. I think it represents incredible value for money, as it was not an expensive book to buy considering its very large size. It has been well-written and is well-organized throughout. An essential addition to any business-oriented library. Illustrated.

[Zuheb Siddique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trust me!!! This is a book every single person should have!! I have absolutely no words for this book! It explains things from online marketing, websites, marketing, branding, business communication, writing newsletters, building customer base and tons of more things.

This is definitely a collectors stuff!

[Ryankelley490 · Rating 4 out of 5]

For what it is, this book is great. It is a book with hundreds of two page essays on a given topic such as: direct mail marketing, writing a corporate brochure, credit days...

Utterly useless and mind-numbing if business principles bore you. Good for small business owners.

[Steve Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well thought out basic business reference. Great as a starting point for the development of training materials and for reference documents. Print version gets out dated quickly, but there are very timely references to check latest edition of.