Essential Managers: Managing Budgets

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OK Book

We should send a copy to every member in Congress ;>

Excellent primer on budget management

Essential Managers: Managing Budgets
DK Publishing , and Stephen Brookson
Manufacturer: DK ADULT
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Amazon.com

If you need to take responsibility for the budget of your organization or department--or if you're not directly responsible for it, but it would help you immensely to be able to understand it--you'll love this energetically formatted pocket-sized book that explains the whole budgeting process in 72 quick-and-clean pages. Opening with a basic explanation of budgets and their purpose, it goes on to illustrate how to prepare one (clarifying objectives, standardizing it), write one (anticipating revenues and estimating expenditures, producing the figures, understanding capital budgets, and producing cash budgets, then consolidating and finalizing them), and monitor one (analyzing discrepancies, monitoring and investigating variances, making adjustments, and recognizing "behavioral" problems). If all of that sounds confusing, you'll be happy to know that boxed tips, sample budget sheets, to-do checklists, and easily followed flow charts demystify the process on every page--even for those (like this reviewer) who barely can balance their own checkbooks! Granted, if you're looking for very specific or in-depth guidance, you might find this book too cursory and general in its approach. But, if you're looking for a thumbnail guide to the basics, it'll do just fine.

It's worth mentioning that the book is part of the "Essential Managers" series by reference publisher Dorling-Kindersley--a series comprising 20 itty-bitty books on business and career topics that range from communication, leadership, and decision-making to the management of time, budgets, change, meetings, people, projects, and teams. Combining the talent of the "For Dummies" book series for breaking down a lot of information into bite-sized bits and sidebars with Dorling-Kindersley's signature design style of crisp, classy graphics on a gleaming white backdrop, the books don't represent the cutting edge of business thinking or reflect necessarily any unique individual perspective. Instead, it's as if someone had collated the best general thinking on these 20 topics, and rolled them out into 72 brightly designed and easy-to-read pages--studded along the way with boxed tips, color shots of a multiracial cast of "coworkers" animatedly hashing through the workplace issues of the day, and, on the last few pages of each volume, a self-test of one's skills in the topic at hand. Again, they're not for anyone who's looking for more in-depth or focused help on any of the covered subjects, but they're perfect as a quick general-interest reference; and, let's face it, they're so damn cute, and look so smart in a neat little stack or row, that probably you'll want to buy a whole bunch to give as gifts to your entire staff or department. --Timothy Murphy

Book Description

Forecasting, expenditures, priorities, and safety margins.

Learn all you need to know about the budgeting process, from preparing a forecast to monitoring variances and making adjustments. Managing Budgets gives you a clear understanding of the budgeting cycles and explains standard concepts and terms. It shows you how to create a personalized budgeting system, anticipate revenues and estimate expenditures, correct errors, and motivate staff to achieve financial targets. Useful tips help you to handle real-life situations and develop first-class budgeting skills that will dramatically improve efficiency and results. The Essential Manager have sold more than 1.9 million copies worldwide! Experienced and novice managers alike can benefit from these compact guides that slip easily into a briefcase or a portfolio. The topics are relevant to every work environment, from large corporations to small businesses. Concise treatments of dozens of business techniques, skills, methods, and problems are presented with hundreds of photos, charts, and diagrams. It is the most exciting and accessible approach to business and self-improvement available.

Customer Reviews:

OK Book.......2007-09-04

I was looking for a better book and this book did not give me all the knowledge I was looking for

We should send a copy to every member in Congress ;>.......2001-08-26

Money in...Money out. How do you control the flow and make sure you balance your budget? To learn all you need to know about the budgeing process, you have to first consider the expenditures, anticipate revenues and correct errors.

"Budgeting is the process of preparing, compiling, and monitoring financial budgets. It is a key management tool for planning and controlling a department within an organization."

Tips like: "Always remember that if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail" sounded familiar. Monitoring Budgets is a helpful chapter as it also has a case study. Graphs, charts and a budget analysis all add to the fun.

This compact reminder will help managers to keep an eye on the company budget and will give them some new ideas. I still think a copy of this book would be handy for everyone in Congress.

Excellent primer on budget management.......2001-07-13

This short book provides a clear blueprint for managers faceing the insidious hurdles of P&L management for the first time. The chapters provide an easy progression from basic COGS management to allocating scarce dollars between competing interests and simultaneously controlling the small items which eat into your profit margin. It is sufficiently general enough in scope to be applied to a number of different situations but specific enough to offer concrete advice.

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Managing Budgets (Essential Managers)
Steve Sleight
Manufacturer: Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Letters for Every Occasion.......2007-04-10

Excellent book for pastors of every congregation who need to send out letters on various topics. I recommend this book as a resource for your personal library.

Missing In Action.......2007-03-13

I never received the item but did get promptly refunded. I would have love to have the book instead of the refund.

Book Description

Timely, authoritative, and practical—an incomparable guide to the crucial "difference makers" that keep patrons coming back… When it comes to customer satisfaction, good food served in a timely and attractive manner is only half the story. Restaurant Service takes you beyond those basics to offer a comprehensive guide to important rituals and amenities that make customers feel comfortable and turn a meal into a memorable event. This incomparable how-to guide features:

Step-by-step guidance on extraordinary table and guest service—from meeting, greeting, and seating, to coat and parcel check, taking reservations, and handling customer complaints
A comprehensive guide to buying, storing, displaying, preparing, and serving wines, liquors, and other beverages
Detailed procedures for service setup and administration
How to feature and serve luxuries and regional specialties that add sizzle to your menu
ADA requirements and how to comply with them
And more

Customer satisfaction relies as much on your establishment's courtesy skills as on the quality of the food and the elegance of the surroundings. Timely, authoritative, and extremely practical, Restaurant Service is an incomparable guide to all the important "difference makers" that keep patrons coming back.

Customer Reviews:

Clear and Useful.......2000-07-13

From handling guest compliants to serving rare wines this book is clear and useful. It is informative and organized with easy to use pertinent information. It is detailed and it works in practice. I've seen a lot of books that talk about "proper service" but never get into the nuts and bolts. This book doesn't sit on the shelf because I keep it on my desk and use it often. It is a great reference, well written and useful.

Book Description

Proven Tools for Transforming Your Work Life -

Consciousness, teaches Fred Kofman, is the capacity to observe, choose, and act in accord with your values. And "conscious business" means using that ability at every level of your work: in being aware of the needs of others and expressing your own—in seeing the hidden emotional obstacles that may be holding your team back—in making good decisions under pressure—and even in delving into such "spiritual" questions as "Who am I?" and "What is my real purpose here?" On Conscious Business, you will join this visionary teacher and founder of Leading Learning Communities to master these skills.

Higher Consciousness,Real World Results, What if you walked into your office tomorrow and discovered that others finally understood your work challenges and were ready to help you solve them…that every meeting was valuable…that everyone honored the commitments they made to you…and that your strongest talents were finally being put to use? For more than 10 years, Fred Kofman has helped organizations ranging from small nonprofits to major corporations become "learning communities" with these remarkable qualities. Now, you can learn the five specific skills you need to transform your workplace in the same way.

Becoming more conscious in business requires courage and an open mind. It means putting aside the "right way" in order to discover something better. If you're ready to make that leap—and start turning your workplace into an adaptive and resilient community that cultivates intelligence, creativity, and integrity in every member — Conscious Business is the place to begin.

Customer Reviews:

I can't think of anyone who shouldn't read this.......2007-01-31

The hard part about starting or running a business is not the long hours, the tight deadlines, or the stresses of being overworked in the face of an insecure future. The real challenges that make or break us surround dealing with our own integrity, our priorities, and conflicts with others.

This book covers those challenges and offers many tools and examples of how we can manage them and come out ahead having built a stronger foundation and a stronger company.

I personally can't stand the idealistic tones of the book but I will admit, unlike most of these books that I have read, this one is much more grounded inthe harsh challenges of reality such as the fact that, while in business and in dealing with others failure is not an option but success is not always achieved.

If you read this book you will find yourself referencing it as you deal with life on any level because the authors clear mind and direct language gives you the language to describe and communicate the situation and how best to manage it.

CONSCIOUS BUSINESS.......2007-01-29

Fred Kofman does a good job explaining his concepts, however his accent can be a little disconcerting at first. If you are a Landmark Education graduate, the material on these CD's is very nearly a rip-off of the same concepts (i.e., having Integrity, Honoring your Word, etc...). For non-Landmark graduates, these CD's cover many soft-skills concepts that can be effective in your personal life, but he applies them (a little obscurely) to a work environment. If you are trying to get your own business off the ground, "Conscious Business" does not offer strategies for doing so, but rather best practices to remain successful. In other words, you won't find tips regarding how to file your returns, collect data effectively, or document discipline. You will instead find tips about the importance of keeping your word, how to stop stressing about work, and things of that nature. The program was not bad--in retrospect, I would have found it no more than $15 worth of value. Take that for what you will.

A Unique Value Creation Model .......2007-01-16

Business is an essential part of our lives. Doing business consciously, Fred Kofman, a co-founder of the consulting firm Axialent, is an essential part of living consciously. The author presents a business model where managers are more conscious of the inner and outer lives of employees.

Anyone who works intuitively understands there are two types of managers. As a professor of accounting, Kofman begin his classes by having students listen to one of Beethoven's pieces over and over. Gradually the students would realize that the music was not in the CD; but in the listening. In music as in business, Information's only value is in how it is interpreted.

Most recognize the need for smart employees with the latest in technical competency. Kofman argues it is more important, and less recognized, that organizations recruit and retain employees with high-level consciousness.

He draws a contrast between unconscious attitudes and their conscious counterparts. They are:

Unconscious Attitudes.....................Conscious Attitudes
Unconditional Blame.......................Unconditional Responsibility
Essential Selfishness........................Essential Integrity
Ontological Arrogance.....................Ontological Humility
Unconscious Behaviors....................Conscious Behaviors
Manipulative Communication..........Authentic Communication
Narcissistic Negotiation....................Constructive Negotiation
Negligent Coordination.....................Impeccable Coordination
Unconscious Reactions.....................Conscious Reactions
Emotional Incompetence...................Emotional Mastery.

These qualities are simple to understand; yet, they are difficult to implement. They represent common sense; yet, they are not found widely in common practice. They seem natural, yet they challenge deep-seated assumptions individuals hold about themselves, others and their world.

Kofman opens the reader's conscious to a unique resource for maximizing profit and potential in the workplace and beyond. Written concisely and coherently he communicates an uncommon wisdom about the truth of our emotions and healthy interpersonal practices in business and life.

A clarion call for balancing fiscal obligations with ethical and moral responsibilities.......2007-01-06

Written by Fred Kofman (co-founder and president of Axialent consulting company), Conscious Business: How to Build Value Through Values is a straightforward guide to applying conscious awareness to its fullest extent, recognizing the needs of others, and effectively expressing one's own needs order to build responsibility, integrity, leadership, and reputation - all of which are invaluable tools to a business' continued success. Drawing from real-world examples by such famous companies as Microsoft, Yahoo!, and much more, Conscious Business reveals how being mindful of fundamental human virtues and even "spiritual" questions such as "Who am I?" and "What is my real purpose here?" are positive, empowering assets. A clarion call for balancing fiscal obligations with ethical and moral responsibilities for increased success in all dimensions of business life.

Creating a Cooperative Culture of Improving Performance.......2006-12-14

Conscious Business is the first book I've read on an important subject I'd like to tackle as an author: How to move those in an organization from focusing on their selfish interests to concentrating on what creates the most good for the most people . . . with the least potential harm to any individual. I thought that Dr. Kofman did a good job in defining one path to creating mutual benefit in Conscious Business. If people in your organization seem to be emphasizing their own careers rather than the tasks that need doing, this book is a must-read for you!

Let me agree with Dr. Kofman about his warning for readers: It's much easier to understand his principles than apply them. But with practice, you can do great things.

Here are the goals he sets:

"In the impersonal It dimension, the goal is to accomplish the organization's mission, enhancing its ability to continue doing so in the future, and delivering outstanding long-term returns to shareholders. In the interpersonal We dimension, the goal is to establish cooperative, trusting, and mutually respectful relationships, a community of shared purpose and values in which people feel they belong. In the personal I dimension, the goal is to live in a state of flow, feeling a transcendent happiness that comes from living in full integrity, with one's principles and ideals."

As you can see from this quote, Dr. Kofman draws heavily from his interest in Buddhist tradition and other streams of spiritual beliefs that are outside of the Judeo-Christian tradition. The text is enlivened by quotes from many sides of the spiritual spectrum and psychologists. As a result, the material will speak directly and deeply in places to virtually any reader, regardless of background and beliefs.

The risk he points to is a real one: If we don't make our intentions explicit and specific, people will take the knee-jerk route of looking after themselves. That self-focus is the basis of much bureaucratic behavior, procrastination, avoidance, poor customer service, misconceptions, disbelief about what needs to be done, poor communications and over-reliance on tradition.

A key exhibit in the book can be found on page 17 where Dr. Kofman draws a contrast between relying on unconscious versus conscious attitudes in business. Here are the unconscious attitudes and their conscious counterparts:

Unconscious Attitudes.....................Conscious Attitudes

Unconditional blame.........................Unconditional responsibility
Essential selfishness........................Essential integrity
Ontological arrogance......................Ontological humility
Unconscious behaviors.....................Conscious behaviors
Manipulative communication..............Authentic communication
Narcissistic negotiation....................Constructive negotiation
Negligent coordination.....................Impeccable coordination
Unconscious reactions.....................Conscious reactions
Emotional incompetence...................Emotional mastery

The book goes on to devote a chapter to each of the seven conscious attitudes (excluding conscious behaviors and reactions from the list above). Since those attitude titles are not exactly self-explanatory, let me see if I can explain each a little more.

Unconditional responsibility is the Victor Frankl concept of determining your response to a situation, even if it is a situation you cannot change. You take charge of choosing your response.

Essential integrity is acting in accordance with your values, even if the results are less than perfect.

Ontological humility is being open to seeing what's going on from the perspectives of others and valuing those perspectives.

Authentic communication means sharing your emotions, opinions and knowledge openly with those who appear to be headed in the wrong direction . . . and encouraging them to do the same. From that baseline, you can then proceed to develop options that may better fit what's needed.

Constructive negotiation is focused on finding a great solution for everyone, rather than simply winning your point.

Impeccable coordination involves making informed commitments, staying on top of what's needed to meet those commitments and letting others know when things go wrong to devise solutions that may improve matters.

Emotional mastery means being able to function objectively, even if something outrages or frightens you.

As you can see from these terms and concepts, Conscious Business is a book of applied psychology by someone who is well versed in the field. The strength of that approach is that Dr. Kofman can reference psychological works that you may know well to give you a touchstone. The drawback is that the book can seem to be too academic if you aren't familiar with the terms and references.

Two things humanize the book from those weaknesses:

(1) Each chapter opens with an extended example of a business problem involving unconscious behavior and reactions. The key concepts are then explained and applied to turning the extended example into a way of employing conscious behavior and reactions.

(2) Dr. Kofman has had many interesting experiences that he deftly weaves into his story. I was especially impressed by his learning from having lived in a totalitarian regime in Argentina as a youth and his mountain climbing experience in South America.

All that said, the opening of this book was awfully abstract and academic. It wasn't until page 42 that I began to resonate with the material. So be patient. The book is quite accessible and interesting from that point on.

Book Description

A clear and concise guide to writing your resume and preparing for interviews. Lots of examples - detailed and easy to understand.

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Money Adviser 1998 (Money Adviser)
Steve Gelman
Manufacturer: Time-Life Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1883013356

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A Big Fan

The Green Banana Papers

Pick Up, Put Down, Pick Up - A Great Reference

Pick Up, Put Down, Pick Up - A Great Reference

Pick Up, Put Down, Pick Up - A Great Reference

The Green Banana Papers : Marketing Secrets for Technology Entrepreneurs
Chris Coleman
Manufacturer: St. Barthelemey Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Lead Generation for the Complex Sale: Boost the Quality and Quantity of Leads to Increase Your ROI

ASIN: 1887617027

Book Description

Plenty has already been written about marketing theory and planning. That's not what this book is about. Instead, it's a no-nonsense look at what really causes technology marketing to succeed or fail--and practical advice for entrepreneurs who don't have time or money to waste on experiments.

The Green Banana Papers is packed with valuable tips and insights you can use immediately. Finally, a book for the skeptical, the confused, the disappointed--and every other executive who's spent money on marketing but isn't sure why.

Chris Coleman founded Folio Z, the first technology marketing firm in the Southeast, in Atlanta in 1986. Her firm has launched, branded and promoted more than 200 technology products worldwide and merged recently with Multi-Media Holdings, Inc., in Washington, D.C. Coleman is co-author of Winning the Technology Talent War: A manager's guide to recruiting and retaining technical talent in a dot-com world and a member of the National Speakers Association.

Customer Reviews:

A Big Fan.......2001-09-08

I wish I had bought Green Banana Papers before ever spending a dime on marketing. It's a candid conversation with a talented marketing veteran who has made a career out of making the tough decisions and winning. Coleman anticipated all my questions and answered each with clarity, intelligence and humor. Where's the sequel? I don't want the conversation to end!!!!!!!

The Green Banana Papers.......2000-12-21

I found the book very insightful and interesting to read. There is quite a bit of valuable information for new companies, and great ideas to help established companies stay focused. Ms. Coleman uses actual business examples of her theories in the book which drives home the value of the information.

Pick Up, Put Down, Pick Up - A Great Reference.......2000-12-05

This book is packed full of extremely timely and useful information for those who want to know what an 'intuitive thinking' marketing pro knows. It's fresh and practical, so it gets 4 stars. The layout and design is clean, crisp and draws you in with packaged snippets of advice and examples. Clean, simple visual communications bumps it up a star for me to a 5.

Keep it around as a reference, pick it up and read a few pages, flip through it until your eyes zoom in on a few words that catch your attention. You'll either learn something or have something you believe to be true reconfirmed. A great reference!

Pick Up, Put Down, Pick Up - A Great Reference.......2000-12-05

Book Description

Special Blend Fusion Management From Asia & The West "This superb book deserves to be on the must-read list of Asian as well as non-Asian decision makers. To prepare successfully for the global market place of the future, one must understand the past. In this volume, Ms. Lithgow has presented the cultural, political and the economic history as well as the business practices of the diverse economies of Asia and she has done that with clarity and rare insight." Ambassador Linda Tsao Yang Former U.S. Executive Director Asian Development Bank "A remarkable book. I am impressed with the author's keen sense of observation and her candid yet fair elucidation of the Asian way of managing business. In the process, she introduces the reader to influential men - and women - who will shape the first decade of the new millennium in Asia. A commendable work." Dilip Ratha Senior Economist The World Bank "This book is a good combination of history, culture, and current events. It is highly enlightening as it answers many questions for me about why things are the way they are in the Asia-Pacific." Robert G. Lees Secretary-General Pacific Basin Economic Council "Lynette Lithgow draws upon her extensive knowledge of Asia to write a highly articulate reassessment of the Asian economic model. It is an optimistic analysis that challenges the view that Asia's economic landscape will become a mere Western duplicate in the aftermath of the financial crisis." Desmond Supple Head of Research, Asia Barclays Bank "Special Blend is a must-read for managers with multi-country responsibilities and anyone seeking to understand the business transformation now underway in Asia." James Castle Managing Director The Castle Group

Customer Reviews:

Brilliance..........2000-10-09

This is a long-awaited and much-needed insight into the way history and culture have informed and influenced management styles in Aisa and the West. Lynette Lithgow's book is a timely reminder that the results of today are often to be found in the mistakes of the past. Worth reading...

FOOD FOR LONG-FLIGHT THINKING.(Review) (book review): An article from: Association Management

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FOOD FOR LONG-FLIGHT THINKING.(Review) (book review): An article from: Association Management

Manufacturer: American Society of Association Executives
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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This digital document is an article from Association Management, published by American Society of Association Executives on November 1, 2000. The length of the article is 445 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: FOOD FOR LONG-FLIGHT THINKING.(Review) (book review)
Publication: Association Management (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2000
Publisher: American Society of Association Executives
Volume: 52 Issue: 11 Page: 133

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Benin Business Law Handbook
Emerging Markets Investment Center
Manufacturer: International Business Publications, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
ASIN: 0739704184

Book Description

This law handbook contains information on basic business legislation, laws and regulatoins affecting export-import, business, foreign investments, property rights, taxation and banking.

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Benin Business Law Handbook
USA International Business Publications
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Book Description

This law handbook contains information on basic business legislation, laws and regulatoins affecting export-import, business, foreign investments, property rights, taxation and banking. (Updated annually)

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