Quick review : experienced practitioners and academics 2.5 stars - comes across as a student textbook, ideal for undergraduates or others looking for an up to date thorough introduction to the topic. However, it is doubtful if more advanced academics or already knowledgeable practitioners will appreciate the format or simple checklists given.

Full Review : This book's aim is to clarify the concept of brands, help plan for building powerful brands, and ensure a better return of investment.

Part one is a basic introduction to what brands and branding are, what different types there are, how brands have developed and why they are important.

Part two looks at effective brand management for consumer, business to business, service and retailer brands. It covers issues such as how consumers make choices and how these can be influenced, psychological and social aspects of consumer brads, and how consumers use brands for communication. The section on business to business brands cover how organisations buy brands and how this market is different to the consumer market. The section on service brands covers case studies from the financial and insurance markets, the differences between goods and services marketing, the roles of employees and customers in the delivery of service brands, and how these roles can be designed to strengthen service brands.

The authors argue that what is needed for the marketing of services is a fine-tuning of the existing branding theories and not a completely new theory.

Part two finishes off with a look at the growing power of retailers, who are increasingly producing good quality own brands.

Part three of the book is called 'Winning the brands battle' and it looks at ways of positioning and sustaining brands and brand added values, and how to fight off competitors. It also looks at brand planning. The authors argue that it is important to recognise and communicate core values, and keep them consistent.

The last chapter of the book looks at brand equity - how the health of a brand can be measured.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing produces books for students and practitioners, and this book does come across as a student textbook. It is a very well written textbook, ideal for undergraduates or others looking for an up to date thorough introduction to the topic. However, it is doubtful if more advanced academics or already knowledgeable practitioners will appreciate the format, with key arguments and definitions already noted in the margins, basic discussion about what marketing and brands are, frequent summaries and outlines of the conclusions.

Each chapter has a 'Marketing action checklist' at the end, which contains suggestions for organisations. However, even these look a bit like exam questions or tutorial exercises. For example, the checklist for chapter two suggests that you should 'Write down what you understand by the term 'brand' and compare your views with those of your colleagues.

On a minor point, non-UK readers may be unfamiliar with some of the companies mentioned in passing, for example Sainsbury and Hovis.

This book is of a different nature than Kunde's Corporate religion (see review at this site), which is more practitioner orientated and inspirational.

Creating Powerful Brands covers the basic concepts of branding, and for someone who is trying to improve his/her company's branding strategy the center would recommend them to read de Chernatony's and McDonald's book first in order to brush up on any weak areas of knowledge, and then Kunde's book as inspiration and motivation.

iam a marketing executive currently passed out of the b school.iam feeling sorry for not coming across this book in my school.excellent book.starts with a saying for the need of a brand and how a product is perceived as brands by customer quoting the famous pepsi and coke fight on customers mindshare, the blind test and all.this book not only says about the branding of the products but also branding of the various services and also how to do the branding for business to business transaction also.the author clearly mentions the straegies for the dealer outlets ,retail shops and also says in what way these branding can be converted to make profits.lot of advertisements also reprinted for explaining the role of advertising in building the brands.reference they have mentioned is extremely good.all the brand management experts names are mentioned. a good book for all students ,beginners and practitioners of branding.

I think that this short, well illustrated book is an excellent introduction to Neonatology,and will also serve well as a review for those undertaking further training in the subject. I strongly reccomend the text for medical students, midwives, and for junior paediatric trainees, doing their first rotation in SCBU/ NICU. I think it covers the common conditions very well, and gives a good balance between detail on the important, common problems, and also giving some brief information on the rarer neonatal problems that one also has to have some knowledge of. I found the text well supported by graphs, diagrams, and pictures. I think the only features that it lacked were some brief, illustrative case histories, and a self assessment section at the back of each chapter. I have read (and enjoyed) the book a few times.

It is an excellent concise introductory text for medical students. It's well-organized & well-illustrated, not to mention its up-to-date information. Unfortunately, it doesn't have self-assessment section. However, it's worth buying!

I bought this book for the Science Fiction adventure, but was really taken with the amazing unfolding accuracy of Dickson's vision of the future. The book was written in 1997, yet the author correctly identified muslim fundamentalism as the 21st Century threat to world peace. He goes one-step further with his evil fundamentalist ruler of a revived Islamic empire. One hopes that this vision does not become reality.

The science was very good in this book, too. Dickson hypothesizes a complete chain of life beneath the ocean's of Jupiter's moon, Europa, based on chemosynthesis, rather than photosynthesis. In 1997 this was not a widely accepted theory. Additionally, the author develops an interesting theory of extra-terrestrial evolution, which he calls "convergent evolution". This basically postulates that similar life forms will evolve on different worlds, given the same set of biochemical circumstances. Based on this theory, he postulates prehistoric, giant predatory fish on Europa, which closely resemble arcehtypes from Earth's own Devonian period.

This book will not appeal to everyone. But hard-core science lovers should find it fascinating. I give it a hearty "thumbs-up"!

This new novelist is a very easy, fast read; and his scientific knowledge is excellent. Europa is a gripping, fast-moving tale about the future exploration of Jupiter's moons. I rank this author very close to Kim Stanley Robinson in the depth of his technical knowledge. I highly recommend this book to any sci-fi fan.

There is hardly any significant fact about viruses that missed-out in this edition of "Fields Virology". Page after page, this sound all-inclusive reference doles out authoritative information on both viruses and viral syndromes. From taxonomy to etiology, metamorphosis to replication; the analyses of this text is grand. The same applies to its attached CD-ROM. Its practical outlook was intended to benefit both microbiologists and pathologists. Bernard Fields and his colleagues made their mark with this book. It is a great effort.
However, most botanist may not be pleased to know that little attention was paid to plant viruses. Again, many potential buyers may be demoralized by the rather high price that this virology-set demands.

It covers all fields of virology. Perfect and wonderful ! Easy to understand. I really recommend this book to who is involved in biology

When his literary brother Lawerence Durrell (the Alexandra Quartet) compiled a book of stray writings he brought them together under the title "Spirit of Place" as they revolved around the mediterranean spirit. When the irrereverent younger brother Gerald decided to trawl his notes for a new book to fund his zoo in Jersey he jokingly suggested to Lawerence that he could call it "Fillets of Plaice", being a low caste version of his brothers book. The name stuck and this book contains some wonderful and evocative stories. Best of all I think are the two horror stories at the end. I never realised Gerald had such a dark side.

Well, I may have mangled the quote for this review's title but I am right about the rating of this book. This was such a good book that I actually felt a bit sad after turning the last page! Many of the encounters in this book of short stories shares the same wit, keen observation, and gentle spirit of My Family and Other Animals . . .then there are a few surprises. There are two chapters recalling incidents that must have been decidedly unpleasant and yet he managed to make them uproariously funny! I'd like to say more but it wouldn't be fair to go into too much detail.

I have just read this book and sent General Singlaub the following letter.

Dear Jack, Under"Acknowledgements", you mention the "ill-fated John Saar background briefs", I believe Churchill would have referred to them as the beginning of your "finest hour". Without that encounter with John Saar, Washington Post reporter, our appreciation of you as the ultimate super military soldier would have never been revealed to the American people. You were magnificent and fearless. No one was able to intimidate you nor could they compel you to change your stance on the issues, not even the most powerful people in the land including, Jimmy Carter, the president of the United States. Your courage met all challenges with integrity and honor and truth even though you understood that your whole brilliant career was in the balance. You did not waver or waffle as other great warriors have done when faced with loss of pensions, future advancement, even death. Many came to their "moment of truth" and stumbled miserbly. Your action of heroic patriotismand dedication to duty can not be surpassed in the recorded annals of U.S.History. Holding firm to your beliefs and convictions, your dedication and patriotism took on heroic proportions and should, at the very least, lead to The Congressional Medal of Honor. "Hazardous Duty" should be required reading in every school and college in the land as well as in the world. Your reference in Part III to "No Parade" perfectly presents to the world why democracy really works and why totalitarian governments fail, i.e. Hilter, Mussolini, Stalin whose systems are motivated by fear with no fair representation.

I have read about two-thirds of this book and must stop to send copies to my friend and to my daughter. General Singlaub's experiences and insights show the pattern in all the seemingly unrelated events between WWII and Viet Nam (that's as far as I've gotten), events that affected us all. I have been angry, amazed, amused, impressed and proud as I've read this book. I agree with the other reviewer: this should be the text for a history class. General Singlaub's integrity and intelligence illuminate many issues that were hidden in the shadows.

This book, The Highest Form of Killing wasa weel writen book. At first you were on the edge of yoursets but as the story moved on it got less and less interesting. I would recomend it to anyone who likes mysteries and has time.

I recieved this book as a gift from my parents. At first I thought it would be boring, the title didn't sound very appealing to me, and the beginning of the book didn't really grab my attention. But as I read on the story seemed to weave into a plot of excitement with an undercurrent of romance, fullfilled in a love triangle between the 3 main characters. The story line really grabbed my attention, pleading me to read on faster, just to find out what happened. Mark, Slyvia and Derek, the 3 main characters, each have a realistic personality which gives the story an even more lifelike feel. Although the story is based upon the dissapearance and leacking of a highly dangerouse, poisonouse gas, linking with the MOD and Military, you do not need to have any interest in these fields- I don't, and I still found the book an excellent read! I have read this book 3 times already, and each time I still get wrapped up in the story line, and cry at the ending. I would advise anyone who enjoys reading books for young adults/elderly teens to definitely give this book a try.

Thomas Jefferson Mayfield was only six years old when his family first laid eyes on the grand beauty of the primal San Joaquin Valley in Central California. The year was 1850 and California had just been admitted to the Union as a free state. The Mayfield family settled near Sycamore Creek, east of what is now Bakersfield. The Choinume Yocuts Indians inhabited the region and Thomas Jefferson Mayfield later recalled that the Indians were kind and compassionate to these visitors in their land. On many occasions they showed great care for their welfare.

The Indians provided meat and food stuff during desperate times, without ever being asked. After the brief illness and death of his mother, the Indian women asked Mr. Mayfield if they could watch over little Thomas during his many absences. He knew his son would be in better company with them than the white settlers and gladly agreed to the arrangement. For ten years he grew up knowing security and peace with the Choinumne Indians. He learned their ways and their language, their games and hunting techniques.

Conflict was in store for this peaceful tribe; the Monache Indians of the upper foothills and the settlers became overtly hostile. The Yocuts were the ones caught in the middle. Not only did Thomas Jefferson watch the landscape change, but he also watched his beloved guardians decimated by civilization.

This is Thomas Jefferson Mayfield's spoken testimony to historian Frank Latta of those precious ten years. The book is pleasantly laid out in a sequence that is easy to follow. The large print also makes this publication a joy to read.

As a fifth generation native of California, I had never heard of such a case where a white child lived with any of the local tribes prior to decimation and influence of outside influences. The true nature of these early natives is thus revealed with great credibility. This remarkable experience of the young Mayfield was almost lost when he revealed his story in 1928 for the first time just prior to his death at age 85. Still, it was not until 1993 that this story was published in it's pure and beautiful essence for the modern reader to enjoy and appreciate.

This book is very useful for someone, like me, who lives in Tokyo and needs a bit of inspiration to get up at the weekend and drag themselves out to see a bit more of Japan. If you're planning a trip and not sure where to go - this book will also be useful. It is full of very beautiful pictures.

It's not, however enough on its own to be used as a guidebook. Maps are too small, listings too brief and it lacks sufficient practical advice on coping with day to day life. For people coming to Japan to live or travel I would recommend this book as part of a selection of books to take. If you don't have the luxury of choosing several books then this may not be suitable. On the other hand if you're just sat at home wondering where to spend your next holiday - it would be a good buy.

If you are coming to live in Japan then I recommend: Being a Broad in Japan (by Caroline Pover) which is aimed at women, but probably useful for all travellers, to give you the practical side of things.

This book will tell you everything you need to know about Japan. I live in Tokyo, and it'll teel you that it is the largest city in the world, the most populated, and probably have the most cars you willl ever see. This book is something you should you for people going to Japan as a tour guide to hep them understand the Japanese cultures, and major tourists sites in Japan. So ig your ever planning a trip somewhere in the orient or planning on movie in Japan, read this book before getting there. It will help you a lot.