Some of my students have asked for recommended books in various content areas. These books should provide a jumping off point. I have not read all of these books, but the titles are of interest. I have commented on some and included others' comments where appropriate.
ENJOY!
The list is not complete and will be added to and changed from time to time.
Please email suggestions and updates to the compiler of this list, Phil Richardson . Thank you.
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The Anatomy of Persuasion
Norbert Aubuchon. AMACOM, 208 pages, $17.95.
The subtitle of this book sums it up: "How to persuade others to act on your ideas, accept your proposals, buy your products or services, hire you, promote you." Learn this way to think and plan and your persuasive powers will grow fast. Best Business Books, 1997
Say It with Power and Confidence by Patrick J. Collins. Prentice-Hall Direct, a division of Prentice Hall, Inc., 296 pages, $29.95.
Here is real help for you as a public speaker. First, Collins will help you to build your confidence, so getting up on your feet is no longer a terrifying experience. Next, he will prepare you for many circumstances, such as handling a question-and-answer session, looking your best in a job interview, or presiding at meetings. Result: you'll be confident and look your best, no matter how you're challenged. Best Business Books, 1998
Roger Dawson's Secrets of Power Negotiating by Roger Dawson. Career Press, 302 pages, $21.99.
Negotiating is like playing chess, says the streetsmart Dawson. This book will teach you the game and help you get the best deal on a car, piece of property, business, materials, etc. If you buy things, you need this book. Best Business Books, 1995
Secrets of Power Presentations by Dr. William Hendricks, Micki Holliday, Recie Mobley, and Kristy Steinbrecher. Career Press, $16.99.
This one has it all: Overcome your fear of speaking in front of an audience, choose a style that fits you, capture the audience's attention, and close memorably. Indispensable. Best Business Books, 1996
Leading Out Loud by Terry Pearce. Jossey-Bass, 176 pages, $23.
These days, technique and entertainment in speechmaking seem to be valued over substance. This book is for the executive speaker who wants to do something more than entertain: move his or her audience to action. You can only do this by being authentic, Pearce believes -- using examples from your own life, acknowledging the audience's resistance, providing a background and context for the change you're calling for, and more. Pearce's prescriptions will get you the respect of your followers, and something more important: lasting change to help you meet today's competitive challenges. Best Business Books, 1995
How to Be a Great Communicator
by Nido R. Qubein. John Wiley & Sons, 252 pages, $16.95.
The new communications technology is great, but it still needs the touch of a trained communicator to be effective. And, says Qubein, despite the advances, the human voice is still the most effective media. Reading this book will get you off to a good start, whether you are speaking or writing, with its battery of effective ideas. Best Business Books, 1997
Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations
John Bryson, Revised Edition, Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1995.
John Bryson has done excellent work here. If you want to understand how public and non-profit organizations can plan better, make good use of this book. This is a 'must keep' - even the 1988 edition.
Managing Public Systems
by Ross Et Al Clayton / Published 1980
Managing Nonprofit Agencies for Results : a Systems Approach to Long Range Planning
by Daniel L. Conrad / Published 1978
The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Nonprofit Organization : Participant's Workbook (The Drucker Fundation Self-Assessment)
Peter F. Drucker / Paperback / Published 1994 / Amazon.com: $11.95
Public Sector Management, Systems, and Ethics
Louis C. Gawthrop / Published 1990
Reinventing Government
David Osborne and Ted Gaebler, Plume Books, 1992.
Is there a better way? Let me know what you think after reading this stimulating book. As a student and practitioner of public administration, I pray for transformation in the public sector. This might provide a start.
Banishing Bureaucracy
David Osborne and Peter Plastrik. Addison Wesley Longman, 397 pages, $25.
It's possible to banish bureaucracy, introduce entrepreneurial methods, and improve quality in government, as has been done in business. This book introduces five strategies that will accomplish this. Best Business Books, 1997
Management Control in Government
by Alan Walter Steiss / Published 1982
Thinking Strategically: A Primer for Public Leaders
Susan Walter and Pat Choate, Council of State Planning Agencies, 1984. Good to get the mental juices flowing in new directions.
Managing Public Systems : Analytic Techniques for Public Administration
Michael J. White / Paperback / Published 1986 / Amazon.com: $34.00 (Special Order)
Small Business Management
Going Solo
by William J. Bond. McGraw-Hill, Inc., 248 pages, $14.95.
Here's a guide to setting up a home-based consulting service. Using your experience, you can be your own boss. Everything you need to know, from how to get organized to the four steps that will get results for you. Best Business Books, 1997
For Entrepreneurs Only Success Strategies for Anyone Starting or Growing a Business
Wilson Harrell / Paperback / Published 1995 / Amazon.com: $10.39 ~ You Save: $2.60 (20%)
Effective Small Business Management 6th Ed.
Hodgetts, R.M. & Kuratko, D.F. / Dryden Press, 1998.
Text for UM course, SBUS 200, Small Business Management
The Overnight Consultant by Marsha Lewin. John Wiley & Sons, 234 pages, $19.95.
For those who dream of going out on their own -- or who fear they may get shoved out in the next downsizing. Lewin covers the business end of consulting -- running an office, marketing, selling yourself, writing proposals and contracts, and more. You can be your own boss. Best Business Books, 1996
The 4 Routes to Entrepreneurial Success
by John B. Miner. Berrett-Koehler, 216 pages, $18.95.
Before starting your own business, get to know your talents, then follow paths to capitalize on them. Excellent for those planning a business, those who have failed, those succeeding -- and those dreamers who need the shove this book will give them. Best Business Books, 1997
Small-Business Management Guide by Jim Schell. Henry Holt, 236 pages, $25.
With four successful start-ups to his credit, Schell knows where the entrepreneurial potholes lie. This will help you move from the "managing by the seat of your pants" phase to more professional techniques. You'll learn to hire right, plan and provide direction, motivate, and more. Read this before your start-up crashes and burns. Best Business Books, 1995
Small Business Management, 4th Ed.
Siropolis, Nicholas C. / 1990, Houghton Mifflin, Boston
Start Up by William J. Stolze. Career Press, 287 pages, $16.99.
Author Stolze is a former professor of venture management and entrepreneurship and has founded several successful business over the past thirty years. In this book, he offers a complete and authoritative guide to launching and managing a start-up business. Best Business Books, 1996
What Losing Taught Me about Winning by Fran Tarkenton. Simon & Schuster, 256 pages, $23.
No, this isn't an old football hero reciting play-by-play his victories. It's the new Fran Tarkenton, a star entrepreneur with a lot of help for those starting or operating their own businesses. He's particularly good at explaining how to see opportunities and make them into profitable businesses. Best Business Books, 1997
Destination : Quality : How Our Small-Volume Building Firm Used TQM to Improve Our Business
Gilbert J. Veconi, Charles, A. Layne / Hardcover / Published 1996 / Amazon.com: $19.60 ~ You Save: $8.40 (30%)
The Creative Priority by Jerry Hirshberg. HarperBusiness, 262 pages, $25.00.
"Creative abrasion" can often spark creativity and innovative thinking. This is just one of eleven strategies for developing creative companies presented by Jerry Hirshberg, founder and president of Nissan Design International. He offers readers an entertaining, credible, and practical guide for designing a creative company. Best Business Books
Creativity, Innovation, and Quality
Paul E. Plsek / Hardcover / Published 1997 / Amazon.com: $21.00 ~ You Save: $9.00 (30%)
Stimulating Innovation : A Systems Approach
Tudor Rickards / Hardcover / Published 1985 / (Publisher Out Of Stock)
American Heart Association's Your Heart: An Owners Manual by the American Heart Association. Prentice Hall, 368 pages, $27.95.
This book first explains the heart and circulatory system and how they both work. Then it outlines what can go wrong. It then wraps things up masterfully by showing all the ways you can reduce your chances of heart disease. You'll find excellent discussions on eating and exercising right, reducing stress, quitting smoking, and more. An essential reference for fast-trackers who need energy for a swift climb upward. Best Business Books, 1995
Reality Therapy : A New Approach to Psychiatry by Dr. William Glasser
The Art of Problem Solving by Russell Ackoff
Russell Ackoff has stated that problem solving is what he has been trying to do all of his adult life, using whatever knowledge appeared accessible and relevant to him. In this book he draws on 30 years of his own and others' experiences to give clues on how to make problem solving more creative and fun. Readers will find that solving even the most serious problems can be fun and that having fun in a creative way is likely to increase the quality of the solutions produced. 208pp 1978
ISBN 0 471 85808 0 ; Ref.No. B92 £13.00 PB Reading Class C
Systematic Innovation; An Introduction To Triz (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving)
Terninko, John and Alla Zusman. ISBN:1574441116 / 01-MAY-97 / STLC / PB / Published 1998 / SOLE price: $14.75 ; Amazon.com price: $23.96
Also try the following sources for titles, authors, reviews and the books themselves. There are times when Amazon.com prices can be beat, particularly for specialist books that lack wide-scale appeal.
American Society for Quality Control
International Society of Logistics
The Financial Times (excellent book reviews)
The Los Angles Times On-Line
Journal of the American Management Association
Paid Subscription required for continued access
Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition
World Wide edition access; $49/yr subscription
BusinessLink (UK) SME business assistance
NBAA Business Aviation Fact Book, 1996
FAR's (Federal Aviation Regulations)
Textbook on the Solar System (online)
AERO - Alternative Education Resource Organization
See also:- http://198.247.136.12/Metro1/metro1.html
Educational texts-Univ. Michigan
The Idea Tree Highly Recommended.
Benet (Ben) Kutz has put together a great bibliography on his web site. Check it out. Over 4,000 citations (books and articles) organized by author, with each entry cross-classified by subject. Just search on the subject of interest (for example [BUS], [SYS], etc.) to see a wide range of current, background and classic works in the field. You too will thank Ben for all his work.
Revised 29 August 1999
Phil Richardson; prichard@faculty.ed.umuc.edu