Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Coming soon to the Business Expert Press Collection: As I Was Saying...Thoughts on International Business and Trade Policy, Exports, Education, and the Future

Coming soon to the Business Expert Press Collection is Michael Czinkota's As I Was Saying...Thoughts on International Business and Trade Policy, Exports, Education, and the Future.
With a Foreword by Philip Kotler, the S.C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and the artistic touch by David Clark—an award winning and syndicated cartoonist—this exciting new title by Michael Czinkota is the perfect read for businesspeople to better understand just what is at stake in understanding and strategizing about international issues and opportunities. Czinkota quickly takes the reader on a voyage between sight and word, and even hard core analysts will not be able to avoid cracking the occasional smile. A long-term vision, accompanied by ongoing analysis of the key international business and marketing issues that shape our global world is just a little of what you’ll find inside. There is the old saying that “When storms come about, little birds seek to shelter, while eagles soar.” By reading and enjoying this book, you are hopefully likely to prefer the altitude of the eagles!
Check it out and preorder here.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Interview With a Librarian: Bob Kelly of Eastern Michigan University

Bob Kelly is the Collection Development Librarian for Eastern Michigan University.

What prompted you to start the trial?
Dave’s enthusiasm about developing a more user friendly paradigm in eBook publishing piqued my interest at the 2010 Charleston Conference. EMU participated as an advisory board member so helped to influence the ultimate product design.

What prompted you to purchase it?
The title list was a good fit for EMU and its College of Business. Additionally the fact that we paid once and owned the titles without any restrictions really appealed to me in terms of having the content available to our community, truly 24-7 365.

What's your opinion on e-books in libraries today in general?
We purchased a large number of eBooks in early 2000, but after experiencing low use and the challenges with the interface, we decided to not purchase this format until it was more mature. Today we see the market finally beginning to settle on e-readers as a delivery device. So with that in mind we are looking for content portability that is device agnostic and has minimal drm restrictions. Most publishers are not there yet, but with Ebrary’s move to downloading content to an eBook reader, we are seeing publishers become more comfortable with the format. Perhaps learning from the experience of BEP, publishers/authors will be more open to making their content accessible.

Electronic books work really well for EMU's Business students, many of whom take classes while working full-time and raising families. Being able to provide immediate full text via a browser really helps. Electronic books are also ideal for online courses, so I try to purchase many titles in electronic form.

Why choose Business Expert Press?
BEP provides uncomplicated access that makes my job as a reference librarian easier. I really appreciate that students won't find access blocked when another student is using the book and the assignment is due the next day. Electronic books work really well for EMU's Business students, many of whom take classes while working full-time and raising families. Being able to provide immediate full text via a browser really helps. Electronic books are also ideal for online courses, so I try to purchase many titles in electronic form.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Interview with the Author: Parissa Haghirian

Parissa Haghirian recently published her second book with Business Expert Press, Successful Cross-Cultural Management: A Guidebook for International Managers.
 
First, can you briefly tell us what your book is all about and why we should read it?
My book “Successful Cross-cultural Management” deals with the complexity of managing in a foreign environment. I wanted to write a book for international managers who seek practical advice on how to deal with cross-cultural challenges in multinational corporations. It focuses on what managers can do to avoid cross-cultural conflict and how to succeed when negotiating with foreign clients or when leading culturally diverse teams.

What are the top trends in your area(s)?
One important and very interesting aspect that I am investigating at the moment is biculturalism in international management. Here the main questions are how bicultural and bilingual managers can improve management processes and which roles they usually have in multinational firms.

What do you like best about using e-books? Do you own an e-book reader (if so, which one and why)?
I like e-books especially when reading books about business or when I read articles for my work. I think it is very handy to have a whole library with me. At the moment I plan to get a new i-pad. When reading novels, however, I still prefer “real” books.

What made you decide to publish with Business Expert Press?
I liked the business concept of Business Expert Press. The idea of writing books which should present the main aspects of business topics for managers is innovative and very practical.
Business research mostly only targets publications in journals, but often does not reach the most important target groups, managers and students. I was very interested in writing business books in a practical and readable format for people who actually do manage.

Have you read any other Business Expert Press books, and if so, which one was your favorite?
I liked “Conducting Market Research for International Business” by Tamer Cavusgil, Gary Knight, John Riesenberger and Attila Yaprak. And of course my other Business Expert Press book “Understanding Japanese Management Practices”

What prompted you to write this book?
I am European and work in Japan. Almost every day I am confronted with cross-cultural challenges. Every time I meet friends for dinner most of the conversations deal with the question “what does my Western/Japanese colleague mean, when doing/saying this?”. I spend very much time explaining and analyzing management behavior in multicultural teams.

What were your favorite business courses when you were in school?
I liked HR Management most. Courses in Cross-Cultural Management were rare, when I was a student. I took only one of them, but this was very inspiring.

What do you like to do when you're not working?
I travel very much and I read a lot. The last year I spent as a visiting professor at the University of Munich in Germany, where outdoor sports, such as running and cycling, are very popular. I also enjoyed this very much.

What was the best non-business book you read recently?
At the moment I read “Can Asians Think? Understanding the Divide Between East and West” by Kishore Mahbubani. A very inspiring book!

How long did the process of writing the book take you?
I usually spend a lot of time thinking about the book, its structure and message before I start writing. Once I made up my mind about all these aspects, I wrote the book in 3 months.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Review- Business Planning and Entrepreneurship: An Accounting Approach

by Michael Kraten
 
“...practical guide to the functional elements that constitute a business plan and explains how these elements fit together...views the business plan components through the lens of "management accounting" and addresses six topical elements:  the business model, volume estimation, cost estimation, revenue estimation, investment value, and risk management ... antidote to the abundant business plan templates readily available on the Web, which are often fill-in-the-blanks exercises that discourage the comprehensive thought and analysis required to produce a solid business plan.  Highly recommended.”  
-CHOICE Magazine

Monday, January 2, 2012

Top 11 Books of 2011

1. A PRIMER ON CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
2. FIVE GOLDEN RULES OF NEGOTIATION
3. A PRACTITIONERS GUIDE TO PUBLIC RELATIONS RESEARCH MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION
4. COST MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL IN GOVERNMENT
5. BUSINESS GOES VIRTUAL REALIZING THE VALUE OF COLLABORATION SOCIAL AND VIRTUAL STRATEGIES
6. DESIGNING THE NETWORKED ORGANIZATION
7. TOP MARKET STRATEGY APPLYING THE 80 20 RULE
8. BUSINESS PLANNING AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP AN ACCOUNTING APPROACH
9. MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES
10. DEVELOPING NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
11. AN OVERVIEW OF THE PUBLIC RELATIONS FUNCTION