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 September 12, 2016
The full title of the book by Darren Stephens & Spike Humer is
The 10 Day Turnaround: How to Transform Your Business Virtually Overnight
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 3 Stars.
Here is my review.
Not as good as I’d hoped
I have a lot of respect for one of the authors, Spike Humer although I don’t know Darren Stephens. I expected this book to be excellent but I was left disappointed.
My interest is professional because I enjoy helping business owners whose businesses aren’t performing as well as they’d like and I thought I’d pick up some new ideas and tips. Inevitably it’s hard not to think that because it’s different from the way I work, that the book is wrong and I’m right. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on September 10, 2016
The full title of this book by KE Hall is
Kick This Recession In The Butt, Turnaround Your Small Business Today
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it One Star.
Here is my review.
Don’t waste your time
This is more of a pamphlet than a book on business turnaround as it is incredibly skimpy.
There are two purposes for its publication: [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 June 5, 2015
The full title of this book by Jeremy Kourdi is
Surviving a Downturn: Building a Successful Business.without Breaking the Bank
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it Three Stars.
Here is my review.
Sensible advice
This book focuses on helping a company to recover from a downturn in its fortunes rather than surviving a downturn in the economy. There is a subtle difference and I think of it more as a turnaround book. [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…]
