Reviews (79)

Well written!
The problem with most books dealing with Economics is that they are poorly presented and not enjoyable to read, being stuffed with incomprehensible graphs and technical jargon. This book avoids those pitfalls and is both entertaining and informative. Alfred Marshall would be proud.

Cogent rundown on why the economy matters to you personally
In this brief, cogent book, author Tim Harford provides an accessible, entertaining introduction to economic thinking. This deftly written report belongs on the shelf of anyone with an interest in economic matters - and as the author makes clear, everyone has an interest in economic matters. He deftly punctures the balloons of those who advocate fair trade coffee, protectionism, government-underwritten medical care and other such policies. These tactics may seem humane on the surface, but he contends that they often merely advance the selfish goals of the few at the expense of the many. If the book has a weakness, it is Harford's tendency to take certain points of political opinion for granted and to state them as moral choices without qualification or proof. For instance, he puts forth the admirable - though some would say questionable - notion that governments are obliged to cushion the shock of unemployment. That, however, is a quibble. We highly recommend this concise, comprehensive book.

Fascinating discovery of the interconnectiveness of everything
It is entirely possibly if I had had access to book like this when I was growing up, I would have become an economist. Harford takes apart many of the conundrums in our modern world and shows how trends, political and corporate decisions have all shaped the world in which we live in.
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Subjects:  1. 1990-    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Consumer Behavior - General    6. Consumer education    7. Economic History    8. Economics    9. Economics - General    10. General    11. Business & Economics / Economics / General    12. Economics | Social   

Reviews (3)

Success through suppliers
The pursuit of knowledge that gives us an understanding of factors that determine success in the market place has always considered "the firm" as the unit of analysis. This has been the case with microeconomics, game theory, competitive strategy and many such specialized areas of research. Cartels that manipulate supply and prices are perhaps an exception to this rule. If, instead of considering the firm as the unit, we consider a group of firms teaming together to collectively provide value to the customer and succeed as a unique identity as a unit of analysis, the methodology to understand competition would undergo a paradigm shift. This book is precisely about this concept as applicable to the automobile industry. A Masterpiece
Having followed Dyer's other research, I think that this is a theoretically elegant piece of work. He builds further on his pieces in SMJ (with Singh from Wharton) and AMR and illustrates the concepts of relationship-based assets in firm networks. The running exemplar has he uses (Toyota) illustrates his theoretical arguments quite elonquently. The book also highlights the limitations of his concept of collaborative advantage, and his closing chapter illustrates how cultural differences (here with Benz) can keep this strategy from becoming reality. This book is not for folks looking for cut-out recipies. This book is a MUST for researchers and managers who like to think instead of searching for cookbooks! The concluding chapter is a gem because it highlights our gaps in knowledge. This is an excellent book, and having read Dyer's other works, it's high quality comes as very little surprise. Buy, own, read, reread, and profusely highlight your own copy! VERY highly recommended.

Highly Recomended!
Jeffrey Dyer, an accomplished scholar and management teacher, has developed a cogent and sophisticated theory of extended enterprise management based on a wealth of empirical data from the history of Toyota in Japan and from his six-year study of Chrysler Corp. before its merger with Daimler-Benz. Beyond being a detailed and rigorous case study of the automobile manufacturing industry, Dyer's book presents an extremely valuable model for vertical integration. His model can be applied to other complex product industries, though he is honest about the limits of its applicability. This book provides a clear, effective blueprint for achieving value-chain collaboration. We [...] recommend it to consultants, executives in complex product industries and leaders in firms that supply components or materials. If you always suspected you were part of a greater whole, now you can be sure.
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Subjects:  1. Automobile Industries (Economic Aspects)    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business networks    5. Business/Economics    6. Case studies    7. Chrysler Corporation    8. Comparative management    9. Corporate & Business History - Strategies    10. Industrial procurement    11. Industries - General    12. Management    13. Management - General    14. Organization Of Industrial Production    15. Purchasing & Buying    16. Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabush    17. Business & Economics / Corporate History    18. Business | Management    19. Management & management techniques    20. Ownership & organization of enterprises   

Reviews (4)

Great RV Companion Book
RV LIVING IN THE 21ST CENTURY by Peggi and John McDonald is an excellent publication and a MUST for ALL RVers - from those new to the RV lifestyle to seasoned RVers. The book is organized by chapters which guide you through buying an RV or camper to where to stay, how to pack, what to purchase for multiple uses, how to add storage and organize, and many many more tips.The authors are well qualified for writing this and their other books listed below. They have spent years living in their RV six months in Canada and six months in the United States each year. They are also authors of 'SPIRIT OF THE OPEN ROAD and RV PACKING TIPS and RV LIFE LESSONS and EASY LIVING HINGS and RV TRAVEL TO CANADA E-BOOK.
Comprehensive, conversational guide
For anyone considering or experiencing the RV lifestyle, this book is a wide-ranging tour of things you need to know. Peggi McDonald, a Canadian with extensive (20 years on the road) RV knowledge; been there, done that. She shares the kind of information and advice that enable people to build their competence and confidence as pat-time or full-time RVers.
RV Living in the 21st Century
I enjoyed reading this RV book. I found it to be easy reading and presented in an easy to digest format. The security tips for your house while you are away and health & safety tips are just a couple of subjects out of many, that are invaluable and give you peace of mind! I have been RVing for years and even learned things I hadn't come across before. I am really impressed that another woman RVer knows so much about the systems of an RV and among other things knows how to actually dump the holding tanks. After reading this book you will also know how! One of the most important and overlooked subjects about your RV are the weight issues involved. Peggi gives information about where and how to weigh your RV and terminology involved this includes motorized and towables. For new RVers especially, reading this book will put you light years ahead of the game! Good job Peggi Mcdonald! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    2. Reference - General    3. Travel    4. Travel - General    5. Motor cars: general interest    6. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY   

Reviews (1)

Great Book!
I was looking for a book on body work for someone that has never done it before; I found it!
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Subjects:  1. Automobiles    2. Automotive    3. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    4. Automotive - General    5. Bodies    6. Maintenance and repair    7. Painting    8. Techniques - Painting    9. Transportation    10. Transportation / Automotive / General   

Reviews (2)

Need to know basics
My quest for a recent Mercedes SL 350 shifted into an higher gear when I came upon this link and decided to buy this book. It's brimful of tips 'n tricks on buying strategies. When visiting several candidates I was able to identify 1. a (possible) leak in the rubber ring of the cilinderhead 2. a simple slipping clutch on the first two candidates (it was a tiptronic)
Clearly Communicates Used Car Information
Buying a used car? I just did. Buy the "Consumer Reports Used Car Buying Guide" first.
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Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    3. Consumer Guides    4. Transportation   

Subjects:  1. Automobile Buying Guides    2. Automotive    3. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    4. Consumer Guides    5. Prices    6. Transportation    7. Used cars    8. Transportation / Automotive / Buyer's Guides   

Subjects:  1. Automotive - General    2. Engineering - Automotive    3. General    4. Management    5. Motor vehicle fleets    6. Motor vehicles    7. Purchasing    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Specifications    10. Technology    11. Transportation   

Reviews (1)

A Must Buy for Jaguar Enthusiasts
One of the best, if not the best, book on the Jaguar XK8/R series by a top expert on Jaguars. Great information if you own one, and you absolutely must buy this book if you are thinking about buying a used one. Also many good photos that I have not seen published elsewhere. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    3. Transportation    4. Motor cars: general interest    5. Transportation / Automotive / General    6. Vehicle maintenance   

Reviews (3)

Is outdated price whise, not enought details,
is not a bad guide for used car research but just don;t see why it worth 10 bucks, price can;t follow try online usually is more accurate, blue book or edmunds, not details of each car either very basic guide not worth the money.

Clearly Communicates Used Car Buying Data
Buying a used car? I am. Buy the "Consumer Reports Used Car Buying Guide" first.
A great help for husbands
I bought this book as per my husband's request and he is very happy with it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automobiles    2. Automotive    3. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    4. Consumer Guides    5. Prices    6. Purchasing    7. Reference    8. Used cars    9. Transportation / Automotive / Buyer's Guides   

Reviews (9)

Acutally not that great
It's really only for the beginner, it gives general information on everything related to the Civic, even custom paintjobs. good startup book for those with a honda and an itch to mod
book focuses mostly on basic suspension theory and NA performance, as well as a quick glance at on how to mod your car visualy Pretty good actually
This book would help you to get to know your honda civic engine even more. Good book for beginners. It would tell you which mods are worth buying or not and what kind of power to expect. It tells you what kind of HP gains you can expect from your engine when modified from "don't even bother" to "mild" to the "best". The only thing I think it didn't cover is the auto tranny which some has... it mostly concentrated on the D16Z6 SOHC and B16A DOHC Si engines and manual tranny. All in all get this book if you wanna learn more about civics and it would help you get on the right track. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    3. Automotive - Customizing    4. Automotive - Repair & Maintenance    5. Customizing    6. Honda Civic automobile    7. Performance    8. Reference    9. Transportation    10. Motor cars: general interest   

Reviews (1)

Corvette Black Book 1953-2006
Purchased as a gift in conjuction with another book, not what I thought it would be. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    2. Automotive - History    3. Transportation    4. Transportation / Automotive / General   

Reviews (4)

its ferrari
the book is generally perfect for knowin about ferraris but its not high quality book...
ferrari catalogue
This is an excellent companion to the standard catalogue series.

Written by an enthusiast for the Tifosi
Mike Covello is a real car guy and a Ferrari owner.He loves the marque and his passion shows in his writing - I follow his work as a regular contributor to Auto Week and Forza Magazine. Yes, this book does have a few warts probably the result of time pressure, the difficulty in confirming details and simple human error. But it's still one of those "must have" books that Ferrari fans need on their book shelves. I have a signed copy and consult it when I need to understand the differences between the many confusing (to me) models. This book is priced well and rich enough in detail to make it a worthwhile investment. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Automotive - Antique & Classic    4. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    5. Catalogs    6. Ferrari automobile    7. History    8. Transportation    9. Motor cars: general interest    10. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000    11. Reference works   

Reviews (1)

Porsches by the numbers.
This book is very helpful for checking vin numbers and engine numbers to find out what it should/could be. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    2. Automotive - General    3. Foreign Automobiles - History    4. History    5. Porsche 911 automobile    6. Transportation    7. Motor cars: general interest    8. Transportation / Automotive / General   

Reviews (19)

Good info, but the online stuff is overblown ...
This book provides some good information on buying cars, and many of the tips suggested are spot on. But when it comes to the role of computers and the Internet in this equation, the author really needs to do more research for the next edition of this book. I work for one of the bigger online car-buying sites as well as providing support for car dealerships in getting their inventory online, and I thought it important to clear the air about a few things.
20 yrs since I first read this, and it still works
I first read this book back in 1985 when I bought a Mazda 626.Got it for exactly 3% over the dealer's invoice, and this was before the day when they'd share that very readily.I've bought several cars over the years with the knowledge I've gained from this book and I've NEVER felt taken.The sources of data are even better now than they were in 1985, so you can make sure you're not taken ever.What I've found is that as soon as the dealers know you know their cost and what's a fair price, you get a great deal fast.It's also one of the most entertaining books I've ever read that was teaching me something.Some of the best money you'll ever spend because it will pay you back 100 fold.

Buy at your own risk w/o this book
I read the 1st or 2nd revision of this book and bought my first new car in '94.It saved me $2500.00 on my Nissan Altima.I still have the car today.I have bought 2 other cars since then and it saved me money everytime.I am getting ready to buy another car and can't find my copy of the book.I am going to purchase the book again to brush up on my car buying skills.I am sure the dealer's have come up with some new tricks to get into my wallet in the last 12 years.I recommend this book to all my friends who are buying cars.Besides being informative, the book is humorous and is a fun read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automobiles    2. Automotive    3. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    4. Computer network resources    5. Internet resources    6. Purchasing    7. Transportation    8. Trucks    9. Consumer guides & advice    10. Motor cars: general interest    11. Transportation / Automotive / Buyer's Guides   

Subjects:  1. Automobiles    2. Automotive    3. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    4. Consumer Guides    5. Consumer education    6. Purchasing    7. Transportation    8. Reference / Consumer Guides   

Subjects:  1. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    2. Automotive - Miscellaneous Vehicles    3. General    4. Personal & Practical Guides    5. Reference    6. Reference - Tips    7. Travel - General   

Reviews (3)

Great Implementation Book
Kanban Made Simple is a great book to help in teaching people how to implement Kanbans.While many people conceptually understand Kanban, they do not understand all the elements that go into sizing the kanban and into the design of the kanban.This book addresses all these elements (sizing, type, visual management, rollout, and batch size reduction)in a step by step method.I recommend it to all my clients.

Good BUT
Book is well organized.Chapters 3 (Data Collection) and 4 (Sizing the Kanban)need more detail.Overall, the book does take you through the process.CD is a waste of time.All the files are in PDF format.If these were in Word or Excel, it would be much easier to use.

Highly Recommended!
Visit any healthy manufacturing operation and you'll see a buzz of bewildering activity - parts being moved on overhead cranes, raw materials being wheeled in, line operators checking their production schedules before they change the line over to their next product. Those production schedules, as this book suggests, can really be a hindrance. Operators become dependent on them, although the schedules may not accurately reflect customer demand. The solution? Kanban, which is based on having a communication system right on the factory floor that communicates key indications of customer behavior - buying, ordering, canceling - directly to the workers themselves. Production activity, therefore, is actually scheduled based on customer demand rather than on past expectations, with the advantage that you hold less inventory and operate more effectively. This book (which comes with a compact disc of implementation directions) gives clear insight into this powerful scheduling system employed efficiently by Toyota and other world-class companies. We highly recommend it to executives, managers and supervisors of companies that earn their living by making widgets more successfully. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Corporate & Business History - General    5. Corporate & Business History - Strategies    6. Factory management    7. Industries - Automobile Industry    8. Just-in-time systems    9. Leadership    10. Production control    11. Organizational theory & behaviour    12. Production & quality control management    13. Purchasing & supply management   

Reviews (2)

2007 collector car price guide
Up to date ,very good information,I use it all the time with my appraisal business.

A load of information on all collectible cars
This book is very useful in determining a car's worth.
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Subjects:  1. Automobiles    2. Automotive    3. Automotive - Antique & Classic    4. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    5. Reference - General    6. Transportation   

Reviews (4)

Outdated material
I purchased this book in August of 2005.[...] Should have returned it, but most of the info. is still worth while knowing.The copyright of the book I received is 1998.So when it comes to any internet purchasing or research info., the bookis lacking.It still contains a lot of important tips to know before buying a car.I'm sure the most recent edition is great.

This text offers excellent information
This text offers information about buying a car from start to finish, from thinking about what you want, to insurance, to checking your car, to financing, to negotiating with dealers, and refers you to other great online and text sources for more information.
a good refernce book for making a car purchase decision
a good reference book for making a car purchase decision. we utilized a non-profit organization listed in this book to guide us through a safe car purchase ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Automobile Buying Guides    2. Automobiles    3. Automotive    4. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    5. Personal Finance - General    6. Purchasing    7. Transportation    8. Business & Economics / Personal Finance / General    9. Finance & Accounting   

Reviews (1)

tractor blue book
a must have if you want to know the worth of a tractor you plan to buy or sell ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - General    2. Antiques & Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Automotive    5. Automotive - Buyer's Guides    6. Automotive - Miscellaneous Vehicles    7. Farm Tractors    8. General    9. Transportation