by Paul Simister
on January 14, 2017
When I reviewed the book
“Turn Around Your Business by 5 PM“
by Maurice Stein, I gave it a four stars rating. This means I consider it to be in the range of good to very good.
Here is a copy of my review on Amazon.co.uk.
The title of this book gives the wrong impression but it is good for business owners who feel stuck
I’m reading and reviewing quite a few turnaround management books at the moment which describe how to rescue a business at risk of failure.
Before starting to read this one, I thought I was going to criticise the 5 pm part of the title. Turnarounds are tough, and while they need urgent action, you can’t do everything in a day, or as many business owners will think, three quarters of a day. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on January 10, 2017
The full title of this book by Henry Moore is
“Business Turnaround: How to do it: A guide for advisers and managers“.
When I reviewed it on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it a Four Stars rating, which means I consider it to be in the good to very good range.
Here is my review.
A good summary of how to professionally manage a business turnaround
The author originally wrote this book as a training resource for new employees in his turnaround management business. The guide was then used for other professional turnaround projects and finally, was published more widely. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on November 29, 2016
The full title of this book by Mac Attram is
“Face It & Fix It: How to Avoid Disaster and Turn Around Your Small Business“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Four Stars. This means that I consider it to be good.
Here is my book review.
A practical book that looks at the causes of business failure
This is a good, practical, wide – ranging book that looks at 43 different causes of business failure.
It then tells a few stories where businesses found themselves in trouble and through effective action, turned themselves around. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on November 28, 2016
In my review of
Turnaround Guidelines for Businesses in Decline or Distress by Hendrik S. Palm
on Amazon.co.uk, I rated the book at the Four Stars level. This means I consider it to be good.
Here is my book review.
This is a short guide on the turnaround process
This is a short guide on the turnaround process including:
- how businesses get in trouble,
- establishing whether the business can be turned around in the time available,
- diagnosing potential interventions using the value chain, capacity constraints and the 7-S model implementing the necessary actions including strategic repositioning,
- generating cash, selling assets, improving cash management and reducing costs.
[continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 4, 2015
The full title of this book by Mark Blayney is
“Turning a Business Around: How to Spot the Warning Signs and Ensure a Business Stays Healthy“.
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk , I gave this book Five Stars. This means I think it is Excellent and it is Very Highly Recommended.
Here is my book review.
An easy to read guide for owners/managers of businesses in trouble
This is a very good book if you ever find yourself in the scary and stressful situation of owning or managing a business in financial distress or you fear that the business is heading that way.
In the preface Mark Blayney sets two main purposes for the book:
- To act as a fire extinguisher for a business already in a crisis.
- To act as a smoke detector to help identify the early warning signs while there is time to correct the problems. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 11, 2013
The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox
Book Review Rating – 5 Stars
“The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement” is a fantastic book about performance improvement in a manufacturing business wrapped up in a novel that is hard to put down.
First published in 1984 this book introduced the world to the Theory of Constraints.
The big idea is that many of the ideas for improving a business are misguided at best and expensive mistakes at worst.
That’s because an improvement in an area outside of the constraint that is holding back performance is more an illusion than substance. Real improvements come from removing the constraint.
The Story Of The Goal
I think this was the first popular management book to be written as a story but it is an extremely effective teaching method for putting across the big ideas. The weakness is that it’s hard to pick up the details to put the ideas into action. Eli Goldratt wrote The Race as the follow-up hands-on guide. [continue reading…]