No comments about The Wealth of Nations: With a Foreword by George Osborne, MP and an Introduction by Jonathan B. Wright, University of Richmond.

2 comments about John Maynard Keynes.

1. This book contains an excellent summary of what Keynes emphasized in the GT -the impact of uncertainty on long run investment spending,on the rate of interest(liquidity preference and the speculative demand for money),and the subsequent dominating role that various forms of speculation,based on margin account financing and leveraging,would obtain periodically in financial markets both in the USA and the world.
   The main criticism of the book is that Minsky had absolutely no idea about the technical analysis that Keynes presented in the GT in chapters 19(appendix to chapter 19)20,and 21 in the form of elacticities which demonstrated the special case nature of neoclassical economics.However,this criticism applies to practically all economists,historians,etc.None can follow Keynes's mathematical analysis,although Meade came very close to duplicating Keynes's results in 1937.



2. This is a great book. But it is a book about the views of Minsky, and not really on Keynes. The first chapter examines the way in which Keynes' 1936 book was received and interpreted, and Minsky's explanation is for the most part correct, namely, that Keynes' work represents more a revolution than an extension of "classical" economics. However, as is argued throughout Minsky's book, The General Theory contained only "the seeds for a deep intellectual revolution in economics and in the economists' view of society." According to Minsky, the Keynesian revolution was aborted and the seeds were prevented from reaching their full fruition due to the "bastardization" of Keynes' seminal message. Minsky sets himself the task in this book to bring these ideas back to life.
   
   Chapter two explores the more orthodox (conventional) view of Keynesian economics. Chapter three is very good, as it spells out the concepts that are to be used later in Minsky's analysis of capitalism: the recurrence of the business cycle, uncertainty, and investment and disequilibrium.
   
   Chapters 4 - 7 develop Minsky's theory of capitalism. Minsky argues that booms are inevitably followed by crises and debt deflation not because of certain institutional weaknesses, but because of the fundamental nature of capitalism. In other words, "Keynes visualized [the imperfections of the financial system] as systemic rather than accidental or perhaps incidental attributes of capitalism." Minsky explores the way investments are made, and examines how they are financed. Central to Minsky's analysis is the importance of uncertainty. Financing and liability structures cannot insulate themselves from danger (excessive risk) precisely because the future is uncertain. Another important element in Minsky's book is the importance of money, which he describes as as "insurance policy." This is consistent with Keynes' definition of liquidity. In the event that sales proceeds cannot meet existing liabilities, the possession of money becomes essential due to the frequent revaluations of capital assets making their quick sale at certain prices nearly impossible.
   
   I really enjoy Minsky's work, but this book gives me the impression that Minsky was more concerned with fitting Keynes in his (minsky's) own analysis than in explicating very clearly and honestly Keynes' own economic views. This can best be seen in the last two chapters on social policy. Nevertheless, Minsky is the most important expositor of the "Financial Instability Hypothesis" and this book is a great place to begin.

5 comments about Active Value Investing: Making Money in Range-Bound Markets (Wiley Finance).

1. One of my only posts because few are so bad that they compel me to write a review.
   
   This is easily the worst book on investing I've ever read. I actually experienced a sense of agony in reading this book knowing I could be reading something better. It should not even be called a value investing book.
   The author suggests finding companies that have low P/E's, that are fundamentally sound. He gives a very brief, useless description of what soundness is and is not. In fact his method for determining a stock's value as a whole is very shallow. I felt like he is just a journalist describing the surface of things. He mentions nothing of where to find a companies fundamentals, but briefly describes how they should look "strong, good, upward-trending", etc.
   
   The worst of all is that I have a firm suspicion the he had his close friends and colleagues give him such high reviews. For example take a look at all the reviews. Most read just like the editors review of the book. Very long and touting promise. Next he gave the book to several of the reviewers and asked them to review it. They actually mention that in their reviews. The result being that all the longer reviews sound the same as if he gave them some press release to put their own spin on without reading the book. And lastly, a good number of reviewers come from the city where he teaches at, Denver. Most likely associates of some sort just doing him a favor.
   If you think that unlikely, Google the book. You'll find the same reviews of the book from Amazon on other investors websites.
   
   Bottom line. Don't buy this book. I'll be putting mine on here for .01 cent if you really must have it.



2. The beginning of this book explores the idea of a "range bound market." We often forget that stock markets can go long periods of time without going up. One example of this is the range bound market from January 1966 until October of 1982, a period when the total return of the Dow was 0, despite rising and falling a lot within that period. Range bound markets often happen when, despite earnings growth, there is a P/E contraction. Katsenelson spends the first few chapters explaining range bound markets, and arguing that we are in, or about to enter one.
   
   The second part of the book looks at the QVG - quality, value, growth - framework for analyzing stocks. If you are already a student of value investing, most of this will be review for you. Katsenelson puts more value on growth than the average value investor, but I think that's fine, as it can result in stock picks that have an overall higher quality, instead of the kind Warren Buffett calls "cigarette butts," meaning they just have one good puff left.
   
   The third part of the book looks at investment strategy and covers the buy process, the sell process, and international investing. The best part about this book, in my opinion, is the chapter on the sell process. When to sell is a problem for many value investors, as so much of the educational material is focused on when to buy. Yet, it a proper decision making process for when to sell is important, because buy and hold can be a lousy strategy in range bound markets.
   
   The fourth and final section of the book has to do with risk and diversification. Like most value investors, Katsenelson is skeptical of beta, pointing out that risk really stems from ignorance. He advocates a small and focused portfolio that is large enough not to kill you if you make a bad decision, but small enough that you can really follow and continually analyze the companies you own.
   
   Overall, I think this book is one of the top 3 books on value investing that I have ever read. It's clear, a little bit humorous, and has excellent examples to reinforce the points made in the text. It will serve well as an intro to value investing, or as a more in-depth study for the experienced value investor.



3. Mr. Katsenelson makes a compelling argument that the next 10 to 15 years will resemble the bear market of 1967-1982, when the Dow traded at or around 1,000 for 15 straight years. Though a sideways market poses challenges to every investor, Vitaliy presents a clear and concise method to profiting in such turmoil. Investors new and experienced, will be smarter for having read this book. This is a truly unique viewpoint of a lesser documented branch of value investing.



4. Vitaliy's book is written in three sections: a background on range-bound markets, his active value investing strategy, and various bits of advice on applying his active value investing strategy. It's actually quite a friendly read and is something which any reader with a basic knowledge of investing terms (i.e. P/E, simple valuation, etc.) could make sense of this book and learn from it. Vitaliy's writing style is conversational and smooth though, at times, the book reads a bit too much like a one-way conversation and Vitaliy tries a little bit too hard to make pop culture references to illustrate his points. For example, there's one dubious paragraph in which Vitaliy attempts to use Steve Irwin's tragic death as an analogy for risk and risk management strategies.
   
   Despite any qualms I may have had about the writing or choice of anecdotes, the content of this book really shines. It elucidates many topics and investing lessons that most new investors have to learn about the hard way. Vitaliy's Active Value Investing strategy, while not necessarily novel, puts together many important lessons on investing in a very simple and understandable way through his QVG (Quality, Valuation, and Growth) framework. He discusses how to find strong companies (quality of the business and growth of its business) and hammers home the point that a good company does not necessarily mean a good stock (valuation). He even puts together a rigorous but easy to use valuation framework which he describes as his "absolute P/E model" which basically allows an investor to quickly create a target value for a company's stock based on the price to earnings multiple and some qualitative assessment of the company's business.
   
   Beyond putting together a quick and effective investment framework for investors, he also devotes the last third of the book to sharing with the reader a lot of his own thoughts on buying, holding, and selling stocks. These valuable lessons are priceless for anyone who are just starting off in investing. Probably the most refreshing chapter to see was a chapter on "selling" and how to develop a strong sell strategy. (Admittedly something I need to work on.)
   
   Honestly, these two portions of Vitaliy's book - his active value investing strategy and his various chapters on practical application - would probably be enough for a strong entry into a sea of investing books usually heavy on promises and light on actual content. Active Value Investing delivers even more. Vitaliy presents his case for Range-Bound Markets and presents some original research supporting this rather worrisome market phenomenon that he believes we are in the midst of. Basically, the idea is that markets typically have two long-term "trends" and they are not bull and bear. Instead, he believes there are bull markets (the last of which finished in 2000) and flat, range-bound markets. Between 1960 and 1980, major indexes moved up and down and up and down but over the entire twenty year period there was little or no appreciation in either the Dow Jones or the S&P 500. He believes that in 2000, we started yet another one. His chapters on range bound markets are interesting and provide some very enlightening analysis of the psychology which drives long-term trends in the markets.
   
   All-in-all, Active Value Investing: Making Money in Range-Bound Markets is an enlightening book for anyone starting out in investing which provides some great lessons that you don't often find in investing books more concerned with simply teaching do's an don'ts rather than the investing thought process. That being said, some of the writing can drag and Vitaliy's strategy may feel a bit "dumbed down" for more experienced investors.



5. Vitaliy Katsenelson's book is written in three sections: a background section, a section on active value investing strategy, and a section on applying his active value investing strategy. It's quite a friendly read which any reader with a basic knowledge of investing terms could make sense of and learn from it. The writing style is colloqial however, and the author uses pop culture references to illustrate his points. An example of bad taste is a paragraph that attempts to use Steve Irwin's tragic death as an analogy for risk and risk management strategies.
   
   Despite these qualms, the content of this book has shining moments. The Active Value Investing strategy, while not necessarily novel, puts together many important lessons on investing in a very simple and understandable way through his QVG (Quality, Valuation, and Growth) framework. The author uses simple metrics like "P/E" to build a framework for analysing companies. In view of the recent accounting irregularities associated with the "E" in P/E, however, this one dimentional metric may be too simplistic for anybody but the most novice investor. Still, it's a start.
   
   The last third of the book shares with the reader a lot of the author's own thoughts on buying, holding, and selling stocks. Probably the most interesting chapter to see was a chapter on "selling" and how to develop a strong sell strategy. (Useful for traveling salespeople)
   
   Two portions of Vitaliy's book - his active value investing strategy and his various chapters on practical application - would probably be enough for a strong entry into a sea of investing books usually heavy on promises and light on actual content. Basically, the author's idea is that markets typically have two long-term "trends" and they are not bull and bear. Instead, he believes there are bull markets (the last of which finished in 2000) and flat, range-bound markets. Between 1960 and 1980, major indexes moved up and down and up and down but over the entire twenty year period there was little or no appreciation in either the Dow Jones or the S&P 500. He believes that in 2000, we started yet another one. His chapters on range bound markets are interesting and provide some very enlightening analysis of the psychology which drives long-term trends in the markets.
   
   All-in-all, Active Value Investing: Making Money in Range-Bound Markets is an enlightening book for anyone starting out in investing. That said, some of the writing can drag and Vitaliy's strategy may feel a bit "dumbed down" for more experienced investors. Furthermore, statistically a passive index has been found to beat active investing around 60% of the time, going back to the turn of the last century. A better book on investing would be Jeremy J Siegel's "Stocks for the Long Run".

5 comments about Hedgehogging.

1. Hedgehoggers come in different sizes and personalities, and their results swing widely from high levels of success to abject failure. Hedge-fund investing is only for rich people and institutions; however, these funds play an important role in the stock market and the economy. Author Barton Biggs is a cultured, high-level money manager and global strategist. After 30 years with Morgan Stanley (which took public exception to parts of this book), he raised substantial capital through his wealthy family and investors, and entered the hedgehogging jungle. He describes the field both coldly and romantically. He is an effective raconteur, especially when he details war stories about Wall Street's unethical, double-crossing maneuvers, and strange but wealthy characters. getAbstract recommends this book for its smooth, dramatic writing about hedge funds, their context and the players who run them.



2. the book is compeltely unstructured. the author jumps from one theme to another. finally we get this crazy story about the guy who sees tommorow's numbers in today's WSJ and get a brief on Keins biography. come on guys! if you dont know what to write in a book, publish your articles in journals. he's a smart guy(the author), but a lousy writer. Maybe he's got a lousy publisher, somone shoul've helped him structure it much better.



3. As a finance student,i thought that i will capture some good ideas,and fascinating stories from a book written by an experienced man in the finance business.Unfortunatly it was not the case the writer did not have any common sense on how to organize the book ,the style of writing was ok Barton Biggs surely knows a lot of fency words,but he lacks organized thoughts.
   To conclude this book is just flash backs from lunches and dinners that biggs attended ,almost in every page of the book he used [lunch or dinner]meeting ,i never seen his picture before but in my mind he must be 300 pounds



4. Biggs is an engaging enough teller of anecdotes, but he's prone to making conclusions based on little to no data. He also seems blinded by his own industry's whoppers. Claiming, for instance, that LTCM went down because of "3 sigma" events is just plain wrong. The Kindle conversion is sloppy. Font sizes are off. Dashes that originally seem to hae split word in a paper text are for some reason retained. Lazy.



5. Its a great book, I came on here to buy another copy for a friend who runs a well known hedge fund. Well organized? No, not really, but it doesn't matter. It really does capture the flavor of the world nicely.
   
   The quality of the writing is substantially better than expected - which is to say quite good.

5 comments about Reminiscences of a Stock Operator Illustrated (A Marketplace Book).

1. Picture this; it's the early 1900's, the dawn of the Roaring 20's. Gatsby like characters abound and are romanticized in the Saturday Evening Post, Horatio Alger rags to riches stories are all the rave. Along comes Jesse Livermore, a ballsy, throw caution to the wind and risk it all by leveraging it up to the hilt and letting it ride type of guy. It's a time when the market is on fire and behaves something like the late 90's but the regulators are nowhere to be seen. Charles Ponzi takes Boston by storm with his promises of 50% in 45 days with his Ponzi Notes and creates an all out frenzy engulfing what seems like half of the City.
   
   I read this book in 1990 when I first entered the securities business, and promptly bough 10 copies to give to friends. Over the years I have either given as a gift or recommended this book to everyone entering the business (Wall St. and the investing business in general).
   
   In this edition the illustrations from the 1920's Post are worth every penny, however the market insight is invaluable. Just think about what you can learn from a guy that was day trading and scalping eights 70 years before it was in vogue!
   
   I enjoyed the ride of the market throughout the 90's as a Wall Street broker and then moved on to real estate in 2001. I would recommend this book to anyone just starting out on Wall Street and for those that are Street veterans and have not read it yet, shame on you.
   
   By Kevin Kingston, author of: A 20,000% Gain in Real Estate: A True Story About the Ups and Downs From Wall Street to Real Estate Leading to Phenomenal Returns
   
   Blog: bloglines.com/blog/KevinKingston



2. If you believe Market Analysis,you ought to choose Jesse Livermore.If you believe Company Analysis,you ought to choose Warren Buffett.If you believe Country Analysis,you ought to choose Jim Rogers.Good lucky!



3. As useful in the mad 1920's and 30's as it is today! Every trader should read it... at least twice. If you're into Hedge funds, Private Equity or Asset Management, you should probably read it not less than 3 times - in between the lines!



4. As I read this book I wondered if it was written recently, as most books written in the last couple decades seem to have the same info, including the 'newly discovered' psychology of trading. Save a ton of money and buy this book first. Then you may not want any of the others. It's well written, though the author's whole intent is to prove no one can 'beat' the market, which is a little discouraging. I mean, after all, I think I will. Everyone interested in trading should read this early in their career, if not first.



5. Reminiscences of Stock Operator is a classical works that testifies that the psychological and technical aspects that moves the market has not changed even to this present day... The beauty of the fictional story based on the greatest of minds that traded in the market and made millions and lost fortunes speaks very vividly to us today from their wisdom and experience... I have found the book to be full of wisdom, education and guidance that the financial markets is not a game to be played on the hopes of getting rich for nothing...To be successful requires the greatest discipline on our ourselves..And in the game of speculation this book let us know that the financial markets owes us nothing and that we can't force our hands...

5 comments about Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict.

1. This book is not good only because it explains all well known difficult concepts which noone so far has been able to explain clearly and rigourosly in one book but for new important topics that are less known for the majority of game theorists. I'm refering to the idea of networks and cooperation structures and also cooperation under uncertainty with the idea of virtual utility.



2. very comprehensive book. Covers pretty much everything. It's supposed to be a graduate text but undergrads can handle it as long as they know some math and aren't too scared by all the notation. Oh and Myerson is nice guy too.



3. This book is a masterpiece: it goes from the simple and straightforward (with examples of sequential equilibria) to technical and challenging material (such as the Mertens-Zamir type space). I own Fudenberg-Tirole and Osborne-Rubinstein, but it is Myerson that gets picked up the most. What I find most rewarding is that Myerson introduces everything gently, working from examples to build a general theory.



4. excellent book,very comprehensive step by step approach.I especially enjoyed the sections on Nash equilibria and infinite strategies.Great for those who wish to understand the underlying foundations of decision making via both simple and intricate mathematics. The concepts are also explained well in english through generally understood examples.



5. Even though Myerson asserts that this book is intended to be "a general introduction to game theory" in Preface, it is difficult to understand for beginners who have not mathematics knowledge in the level of upper class. In this point, the volume is different from other introductions - e.g. Morton Davis' "Game Theory"-, rather is suitable for M.A. or first year Ph.D students. However, this book is not so much for students majoring economics as for various social sceintists in the sense that it does not focus on only "economics" but on pure game "theory" in nearly all areas.

3 comments about Hedge Funds: Quantitative Insights (The Wiley Finance Series).

1. I bought this book with the hope that finally I would learn how hedge fund strategies should be implemented in a quantitative and practical way. What a delusion I was under! Suffice to say that I regretted this purchase. You will not learn about investment strategies here, so if this is your motivation, look somewhere else (Lhabitant's first book "Hedge Funds: Myths and Limits" is better on investment strategies, but only in a qualitative way). All the same, I have found some use for this book. If you want a review of finance/investment theory like asset pricing models (CAPM, APT), risk and return measurement, regression analysis, etc. the book will do just fine. I recommend looking at the table of contents to see if this book suits your purpose. I have found chapter 5 on hedge fund indices, and the problems with these, very useful. Also, chapter 9 on style analysis is good, as well as chapter 8.5 on hedge funds as option portfolios which summarizes the scientific papers by Fung, Agrawal and those guys. However, you will find most of the book's topics in finance textbooks used in graduate schools, but if you haven't read those, I guess this book will be very useful for you.



2. Honestly I was surprised to see the book is founded on the mainstream economic theory when the hedge fund industry itself is an idealization of alternative thesis. There is no quantitative insight whatsoever into the hedge fund strategies there, even though the author does provide useful information for anyone interested in understanding the bits of this secretive industry. In my humble opinion, the book should have moved beyond those generic topics to how the quantitative models are derived and which fields of knowledge are assisting in that endeavour, ie quantum mechanics, chaos theory, etc. Instead of those interesting insights, I got a recap of what a MBA student learns in her first semester in finance class, coupled with some considerations about how to put upon the microsope the hedge fund historical data.
   
   Notwithstanding all this, I am still confortable with 3 stars here because the area is still a black box and certainly is not easy to write a book on the topic without falling into the trap of vagueness since eventually all successful funds have tight non disclosure agreements with their R&D staff to prevent leaks. At the end, the public is only informed of those strategies and insights have lead to disaster in hedge fund collapse, ie LTCM in 98 while the sucessful quantitivative insights are kept secret at least until they prove unsuccessful.



3. If you come from a background of very limited knowledge about hedge funds, this book is a great first step. I had to read and study this book for my CAIA Level-1 exam.
   
   The book covers a lot of MBA-level finance concepts and applies them to the fairly new world of hedge funds. It begins with risk and return statistics and continues on with covariance, correlation, and regression analysis. It delves into databases, indexes, and benchmarks, which is a pretty new concept in alternative assets, as well as style and cluster classification. It also considers hedge funds from a diversified portfolio perspective and deals a lot with risk budgeting and risk management.
   
   It's a solid book and it a good first step if you're interested in the quantitative side of funds. The quantitative insights aren't that new for a student of finance, but they are taught from the perspective of applying them to the management of a fund. I would recommend this book to those who aren't already well-versed in finance and are interested in the basics of hedge funds.

5 comments about The Little Book of Value Investing (Little Books. Big Profits).

1. The author states that over a long period of time value companies have outperformed the growth companies. You buy a value company when you pay less its intrinsic value (Buy Stocks On Sale). The key aspect of value investing is an ability to analyze financial statements of the company. The author explains, in the very friendly manner, such indicators of an intrinsic value like Operating Income, Current Assets vs Total Assets (and liabilities), Operating Margin, EBITD Margin, "Margin of Safety" and so on.
   
   The author declares that you can reduce the risk of loss in case of one stock's failure by building a diversified portfolio. However, when it comes to emerging markets, the authors suggest bewaring of them because of the frequent political disasters in particular countries. I do not agree with the author's advice of totally avoiding emerging markets. As an ETF of U.S. stocks like SPDR Trust (SPY) saves from one company's failure, an ETF that includes most of emerging countries, like iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index (EEF) can save from a failure in one of the countries. Alternatively, you can build a portfolio of stocks in different emerging countries (as if you do this for U.S. stocks) by yourself without using an ETF or an index mutual fund.
   
   The author also proclaims that cognitive psychology explains why some investors make huge losses because of fear, panic, or following the crowd when it comes to hot sexy stocks. If you like the topic of how cognitive psychology affects investors, I can recommend "The Only Three Questions That Count: Investing by Knowing What Others Don't" by Kenneth L. Fisher.



2. Great book as an introduction to the principles of value investing as laid out by Benjamin Graham. Very easy to read. With about 140 pages, you can get through this book in a couple of hours.
   
   I'd use this as a warm up book to Intelligent Investor.



3. I learned from a broad range of investing books, and I got this one primarily because it was a short book. I'm only about half way through it, but I think it is very well written. It has some important information on how to approach researching a company. One of the glaring failures is how rapidly the trading environment can change. The book specifically tells investors to avoid China, and I've been making a lot of money investing in my first Chinese company. Read and learn, but ultimately decide for yourself on what you want to buy.



4. This a very clear and concise book--another one, all of which seem lately to contain the same wisdom: buy low (and buy smart). I'm trying. You can still pay too much, or buy too soon, or catch the wrong end of a falling knife, etc. But it's certainly a far better idea than taking hot tips from e-mails, or from brokers.



5. This book was an easy read that introduced the concepts of value investing very well. It will open up a lot of possibilities for those who take notes. If the reader does not know a single thing about stocks this book will have some concepts that will take some time and practice before fully understanding them. That is why I would recommend getting another book that defines stock market terms and concepts in a beginner's format in conjunction with this one. There are some websites online, such as ABOUT.COM that offers a helpful "class" on stocks that will be most beneficial.
   
   I thought this was an outstanding book for the beginner investor to help them establish good trading habits early on, but will leave them wanting more. To become truly successful at trading, more care and education will be necessary. In no way was this a magic book of knowledge that will leave the reader capable of making millions overnight, which, by the way, isn't what this book is about.
   
   This book is HIGHLY recommended for the beginner investor, and recommended for the intermediate investor.

5 comments about The Discipline of Market Leaders: Choose Your Customers, Narrow Your Focus, Dominate Your Market.

1. The book reemphasizes the importance of product or service leadership, customer intimacy, and operational excellence. Organizations willing to be "anything for a buck" will find they loose touch with their customers quickly as they thinly apply talent and resources to serve everyone averagely.
   
   Unity of purpose is also essential; a successful firm must act together to consistently and successfully compete. The book is good reading for managers and marketing professionals that need to review their business focus and the alignment of tasks, processes and competencies supporting that focus. The book offers materials to be used in team exercises.



2. Best Marketing book I have ever read, I will keep this book forever. This is a must read for anyone in the marketing field. This book provides great examples along with real life examples.



3. Treacy and Wiersema make the case that the value of a product or service to a customer can be categorized in terms of efficiency (eg. low cost, on-time delivery), innovation (eg. latest technology or fashion) and/or customer intimacy (eg. customized solutions). They go on to argue that delivering each kind of value requires a different organization and culture, and hence the most successful companies are those whose business strategy is focused on delivering a particular kind of value to the customers that appreciate it the most, while remaining competitive in other areas. The analysis is accompanied by case studies of AT&T Universal Card, Intel and Airborne Express. The core idea of the book is valuable and 200 pages is plenty to explore it in detail.



4. Helps provide a clear model for analyzing companies and developing corporate strategies. In many ways, it is a more accessible take on Porter's Competitive Strategy.



5. I'm doing my MBA and the marketing prof. wanted us to read this book. The only claim I can make about the book is, it is a little out-dated. Some of the companies given as examples are either not existing anymore, or are far from where there were in terms of what it is and what it is all about! The book came in exactly the same condition as it was said to be. Thank you Amazon as being the rescue team of our family :)

5 comments about The Heart of Change Field Guide: Tools and Tactics for Leading Change in Your Organization.

1. Dan S. Cohen's The Heart Of Change Field Guide: Tools And Tactics For Leading Change In Your Organization is a follow-up to the 1996 John Kotter best-sellers Leading Change, which outlined an eight-step program for organizational change which was applauded and followed by businesses around the world. Here leaders and managers receive tools and frameworks for bringing these changes to life within their own companies, teaching how to implement each step in the process and packing in checklists, commentary, tips, and practical application methods throughout. From communicating for buy-in to creating, shaping and imparting a vision for change, The Heart Of Change Field Guide takes idea and applies it to real-life situations.



2. This is a strong practical guide to organizational change. It's foundational with tools well integrated and clearly defined. Brilliant. Thanks for this practical guide.



3. The Heart of Change (2002), co-authored by Kotter and Cohen, hit a chord in the marketplace because it told stories that leaders could relate to (based on the eight steps of change) about project successes and failures. Cohen's Field Guide (2005) takes those winning principles and translates them into practical tools to help monitor and measure success along each step.
   
   As a consultant, I use these principles and tools on a regular basis to help my clients achieve lasting change. The diagnostic tools for each step are a great way to identify barriers and risks so you can bust through those barriers and mitigate risks.
   
   If your organization is undergoing significant change, this is a book that you MUST have not only in your library but on your desk for regular use.



4. I have been using The Heart of Change book in my consulting practice. Dan Cohen's Field Guide adds a new dimension to the useability of the model. In this book Cohen has brought his extensive experience with Deloitte Consulting's Large Scale Change Practice to bear in delivering tacit knowledge of how successful change initiatives using the Heart of Change model really happen. There are ample insights, tips and tools. In addition he very successfully integrates the the theory behind the model with key challenges, diagnostic tools, stories to remember and other helpful resources.



5. The book is what I needed and I recieved fast service and it was a good price