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Volume X - Issue XII - December 2008
PM Book Reviews
Book Title: Strategic Thinking: A Four Piece Puzzle
Author: Bill Birnbaum
Publisher: Douglas Mountain Publishing
List Price: US$ 16.95 (soft cover)
Publication Date: January 2004
ISBN: 1-932632-13-1
Reviewer: Hussein Mzee
Review Date: November 2008
Introduction to the Book
Bill Birnbaum’s Strategic Thinking: A Four Piece Puzzle is a handy and easy-to-follow guide for managers and strategy planners concerning basic business concerns. The book covers numerous strategy areas from adapting to the product life cycle in a market, to areas such as anticipating the inevitable decline in demand for new products and compensating counter-actions. The book also analyzes in detail staff performance issues by discussing how to get the best out of your reports, to judiciously applying the "80-20 rule" (20% of the input is usually responsible for 80% of the output, and total output can be significantly improved by focusing on that 20%). The core message Birnbaum drives at throughout this book is to learn how to focus on a few objectives and getting them done right. Strategic Thinking is an easy read, written in straightforward, accessible terms.
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About the Reviewer
Hussein Mzee
Hussein Mzee holds an MBA from the Project Management Executive MBA program at the University of Texas at Dallas. Mzee has wide global experience with major IT and telecommunication companies. He is currently a member of the Strategy team at Perot Systems, a Fortune 1000 company, and is based in the company’s global headquarters in Plano, Texas. He can be contacted at Hussein.Mzee@ps.net.
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Book Titles:
Management in Practice,
how to select the right project manager,
Characteristics of Effective Project Managers, and
GMPM and Other Modern Afflictions Affecting
Project Managers
(practical guides for project managers,
their employers and clients)
Author: Tom Taylor, with illustrations by Rob Dee
Publisher: dashdot enterprises ltd. (UK)
List Price: MiP = £12; How to Select = £20; Characteristics = £10; GMPM = £8
Publication Date: 2006, 2007, 2008
ISBN: 095541321-4; 095541323-0; 095541320-6; 095541322-2
Reviewer: René Le Bel
Review Date: November 2008
Introduction to the Books
This series of cleverly illustrated books on project management is aimed at practitioners who are looking for helpful solutions with a little humor on the side. Just the title alone of GMPM (Genetically Modified PM) indicates some of the humor the author and illustrator have in store for readers. All four books in the series have common features. Each book has an overarching theme derived from the title and provides readers with definitions, templates for developing processes, and thoughtful questionnaires. The series is really a "how to book series" on project management "a la dummies" without actually coming out and stating the possibly offensive "how to...?" intent.
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About the Reviewer
Rene LeBel
 
René Le Bel has over twenty years experience in educational publishing. He is the publisher for a secondary schools science schoolbook company in Texas. His undergraduate degree is from Univerisité de Montréal and he is currently enrolled in the Masters of Project Management at the University of Texas at Dallas. He lives in Dallas with his family and can be contacted at rene@lebel.com .
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Book Title:
Principles of Negotiating
International Business
Authors: Lothar Katz
Publisher: Booksurge Publishing
List Price: US$18.99 (soft cover)
Publication Date: 2008
ISBN: 1-4196-9503-7
Reviewer: Ishkhan Topalian
Review Date: September 2008
Introduction to the Book
The book is written by Mr. Lothar Katz who has many years experience with industries and international markets. He shares his international negotiations experience in this detailed book where he also differentiates the different techniques used in different parts of the world and within different cultures. The book can be used as a guide to gaining an understanding to negotiating in an international environment or as a supplement to a negotiating class for experienced professionals and undergraduate students alike.
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About the Reviewer
Ishkhan Topalian
Ishkhan Topalian is a Compliance Program/Project Manager for a specialty auto insurer, Unitrin Specialty, in Dallas, Texas, USA. He has been in the auto insurance industry for the past 12 years working with all aspects of claims, operations, and compliance. Ishkhan is in the last month of his Executive MBA progam in Project Management at the University of Texas at Dallas. He can be contacted at itopalian@unitrin.com
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