Blue Ocean Strategy Author: W. Chan Kim Renee Mauborgne Rating: ASIN: 1591396190 Binding: Hardcover List price: CDN$ 33.95 CAD Amazon price: CDN$ 21.39 CAD

This is truly an excellent book! The book makes a simple distinction by introducing two conceptual markets calling one a blue ocean and the other a red ocean. It then frames all business strategies around these two concepts. A blue ocean is an ocean open for business whereas a red ocean is so saturated with competition that business is cut throat -- a dollar is hard to come by in a red clean. The book then goes in to a simple way to only deliver those products and services to your customers that they value the most while leaving out all of the cruft. The book is good for anyone who does anything related with fulfilling consumer needs. As an example, Apple would be a great example of a blue ocean company whereas anyone trying to compete head-to-head with Microsoft would be in the red ocean, perhaps the direction that Google is headed these days.

Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling Author: Michael Port Rating: ASIN: 0471783935 Binding: Hardcover List price: CDN$ 31.99 CAD Amazon price: CDN$ 20.15 CAD

Michael Port in this book lays out a system which is essentially based on his personal experience as a business person trying to sell his consulting services. Part advice, part up sell, the book is layout is somewhat laid out like a workbook with information followed by worksheets that users can fill out. All in all the information in the book is not ground breaking, but it is helpful in getting a novice started in the basic activities necessary for a successful business. A few take aways offhand are introducing yourself by framing the question in terms of what you want the person in their terms, for instance asking, "You know when..." and then telling them of a situation when they might need their services. General networking advice is given and a number of plugs for other books and services are observed. All in a all a good day's read.

Inside the Minds: Leading CEOs - CEOs from Office Depot, Duke Energy, American Standard & More on Management, Leadership & Profiting in Any Economy Author: Aspatore Book Staff Rating: ASIN: 1587620553 Binding: Paperback List price: CDN$ 28.61 CAD Amazon price: CDN$ 28.61

This short book contains a number of essays from leading CEOs of major American corporations including Office Depot, Duke Energy, and American Standard who express their ideas about management, leadership and profiting in any economy. They recount their general strategy, successes and failure. The book in someways is a peek inside differing cultures among different organizations and the premises and understandings that inform those cultures. The CEOs explicitly at times criticize certain cultures that other CEOs observe such as not being involved and instead surrounding themselves in a ivory tower.

Red Queen Author: Matt Ridley Rating: ASIN: 0140167722 Binding: Paperback List price: CDN$ 22.99 CAD Amazon price: CDN$ 22.99

The Red Queen is an excellent introduction into sexual evolution. It's a book aimed at the average non-technical reader and gives you quite a bit of insight into the behavior of human beings and what inspires certain behaviors. The book is actually rather old at this point, but it's still quite a good, clear read.

Voltaires Bastards The Dictatorship Of Reason Author: John Saul Rating: ASIN: 014015373X Binding: Unknown Binding List price: CDN$ 24.00 CAD Amazon price: CDN$ 17.52 CAD

Saul's essential attack on reason and expertism is the subject of this book. Whether you agree with him or not, you should accept that there is a general problem with today's elites and their fascination with gaining and maintaining power and pushing policies that are very much against the general interests of the public and humanity. Further the use of language and complexity as a means to obfuscate their actions is a big problem as it denies people general understand. Being denied general understanding people turn to opinion leaders brought to them through marketing channels such as news networks which too are owned by the elites to push the government consumer sentiment to consume whatever product policy they're selling. In the end Saul's attack stand well against scrutiny because Saul actually is a quintessential blasphemer against the state religion of supposed reason. This book is a must read for any philosopher, whether academic or armchair who thinks that there is something wrong, Saul correctly points out much that is wrong and takes us to the foundations, the implicit argument that supposedly defines our society and tells us exactly what we're facing. Saul however doesn't have any solutions for us, he simply points out the problem in argument form and then gives cases that are a direct result of the problem. Saul is waiting for you to solve the ignorance that reason has left us with.