EVA Challenge was OK. It is more geared towards senior managers who are thinking about EVA as a model for their companies. In that regard, this books does a fine job.

I was hoping the book would deal with more of the matamatics associated with defining EVA in relation to various projects and business decisions. This book contailed very little information in this regard.

Authors Joel Stern and John Shiely advocate a total revolution in the way companies are valued and measured. They make a convincing case for using EVA ("Economic Value Added") as the primary measure of corporate performance. The authors argue that the SEC's yardstick for corporate reporting, the "Generally Accepted Accounting Procedures" (GAAP), was designed to protect lenders by depicting a company's liquidation value. As such, GAAP provides an overly conservative and only marginally accurate picture of financial health. EVA principles - at least according to the consultants who advise companies on using them - evaluate intangible assets more realistically and correspond more closely to stock market performance. We from getAbstract recommend this book to executives who seek improved corporate financial and market performance, and to investors interested in understanding how value is created and maintained.

One of the most difficult questions to answer is what a company's worth is. Two developments in American Capitalism have contributed to the question's complexity. First, shareholders have divorced themselves from the corporations operation, leaving the task to professional managers.

Second, generally accepted accounting principles do not align expenses with benefits, distorting economic reality. As a result, investors who want to compare the cash they can take out of a company with the cash they have invested are hampered.

The authors argue Economic Value Added (EVA) is a true measure of a company's economic performance, in addition to being a strategy for creating shareholder value. Properly implemented, they state, EVA frees the measurement of corporate performance from the vagaries of accounting principles and gives both shareholders and management a clear picture of the value the company creates.

EVA is the profit that remains after deducting the cost of the capital invested to generate that profit or EVA = Net Operating Profit After-Tax minus capital charge. Effectively implemented, the tool becomes the basis for an incentive plan that rewards managers for actions that increase shareholder returns and vice versa.

John S. Shiely, president of Briggs and Stratton and co-author of the book, notes this strategy provided the foundation of his company's turnaround. In 1989, the world's largest producer of air-cooled engines had an EVA of negative $62 million based on $1.3 billion in sales. By re-organizing and focusing its strategy while developing its EVA program, the company staged a dramatic turnaround. By 1999, it reported a record positive EVA of $50.9 million. Shareholders, who bought $100 worth of stock at the beginning of the program, saw it increase in value to $673 in 1999.

The authors claim EVA is ideal for knowledge-based companies making heavy infrastructure investments today for any anticipated return later. EVA treats cash outlays that represent investments as capital rather than expenses. The capital in these knowledge based industries consists of research, development, marketing, advertising and start-up costs. Accounts view these expenditures as expenses, but it is realistic to capitalize them and amortize them over their useful lives.

EVITA: THE REAL LIFE OF EVA PERON is the definitive biography of the woman most famously known as the subject of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. What this book has that all other biographies lack is: research. The authors visited Argentina in the process of their writing, and interviewed dozens of people who knew and worked with Evita.

The other key ingredient to the success of this book is the neutrality of the authors. They don't have anything invested in what the reader thinks of Eva Peron. They do not want to sway the reader in any particular direction. The authors are neither "pro" nor "anti"-Evita. In the preface to the book they make the promise to try to present Eva as a human being, but concede that this is not as simple a task as it sounds. Evita, they claim, is buried beneath more myth and fantasy than any other historical figure of modern times.

Originally published in 1980 as EVA PERON, this re-issue, made to coincide with the release of the movie starring Madonna, contains a new introduction and epilogue in which Nicholas Fraser comments on the odd re-emergence of Evita as a late 20th Century phenomenon. Astonishingly, the re-emergence was predicted by Evita, who said, "I will return and I will be millions," shortly before she died. Though her story is at last a part of history in her homeland, "In the rest of the world," writes the author, "she has attained the condition of apotheosis." Fraser theorizes that the return may have to do with the fact that we live in a celebrity obsessed era where actors are paid more attention than politicians, making Evita - an actress-turned-politician who was accused by her opponents of turning national political life into show business - the perfect minor deity.

I would recommend EVITA: THE REAL LIFE OF EVA PERON to anyone interested in a somewhat scholarly rendering of Evita's life, as opposed to sensational pop biography (such as EVA PERON by Alicia Dujovne Ortiz).

You may remember her, Eva Peron, I do not in fact, purly because of my age, but you may remember her. She spoke words in which brought courage to a weak nation, those words, beautiful, passionate and ever so powerful. I feel this piece of respective litriture portrays her soul, better that any photograph.

After seeing a documentary on Evita, I thought I knew everything about her. This book added more interesting parts of her life (as well as what happened after she died). I'd read it again. I can't see how anyone could not enjoy it.

I gave it a three because I thought it contained other information, but however it is a good guide to the ancient rituals of Egypt. It's contents just tell about what they said and all during the process of the ceremonies.

I've always had something of an interest in Egyptian mythology and especially art, so this book is a goldmine for me. The plates are astoundingly beautiful in my opinion, and the translation is...well...it's hard to read, but I imagine there's no other way for it to be; it's of an ancient language very different than English. But it is readable, and it offers interesting insights into the pantheon--how even the god most commonly called the evil god had some very good and noble purposes. So it helps flesh out the gods and goddesses in ways that ordinary books with stories can't.

This book is an outstanding translation and presentation of the books that make up the Papyrus of Ani. Faulkner is far superior to Budge, and this book proves it out. In addition to the beautiful pictures and fine translations, the commentaries in the back, along with the explanations of the vignettes contained in the papyrus are well worth the money. A must for anyone interested in Ancient Egypt and their culture.

This book is one of my favorites. I picked it up not knowing the author at all and became lost in a touching romance. I now try to find her books wherever I can. This is usually in libraries, because most of her adult books at out of print.

This book is not hard to find used or at a public library. Otherwise, I would hate to get anyone's hopes up. There is nothing worse than saying, "I just read a fabulous book and you will never be able to find it yourself." This novel is set in Europe and South America in the early 20th century before WWI, a time period I would like to see used more frequently. The heroine, Harriet, meets a little boy at an English estate who tells her she must somehow travel to South America and find his lost uncle to redeem his faltering estate. Harriet enters a touring ballet company of "Swan Lake" as a dancer in the corps by running away from the stifling home of her father-professor in Cambridge, England. The troupe travels to South America to perform and there she meets the hero, Rom, the lost uncle. There are some amazing coincidences in this book that you might not accept in a lesser work. There are also some big misunderstandings between Harriet and Rom. However, this novel is so well written by its Viennese author that those plot devices cause no annoyance whatsoever. The author's writing style is quite distinct from an American's or a UK writer's style which I found a refreshing change since those two writing groups tend to dominate the market. There are also many humorous moments and characters that will have you LOL as you read. The prima ballerina and the insect professor, to name two, are absolutely hilarious. I am now trying to find this author's other novels, all of which seem to be out of print and I can only hope that I beat you other auction aficionados to the punch! Thanks to EP and LLF for recommending this over on an online message board. You couldn't have been more right about this novel.

In 1912, Cambridge, Harriet Morton lives in an oppresive household with her dry, clutch-fist aunt and narrow-minded father. Like Anna (of A Countess Below Stairs by the same author), Harriet possesses the pure, luminescent quality that Ibbotson seems to favor in her leading females. Harriet's main joy in her life is her dancing lesson; she is offered a chance to become part of a troupe going to the Amazons. She meets at a neglected Yorkshire mansion an endearing, odd little boy named Henry that begs her to find The Boy; Henry is sure that The Boy is in the Amazons and that he will save the ruined household. Struck with this serendipitious sign, Harriet takes the chance to follow her dream to the far-away land. We meet the bumbling, insensitive suitor, and the tempermental, aging ballerina; we meet Harriet's roommate and friend, Marie-Claude, a beauty who wants to open an inn by the mountains. Sometimes, the secondary characters can "break-or-make" a story; in this case, they perform their roles to perfection.

Like all good books, the plot seems fairly simple until you explain it. I can't go into detail of who The Boy is (surely you must have guessed anyway!) but I will leave in mystery WHO he has become and WHY he is where he is. It wouldn't be fair to compare this book to A Countess Below Stairs, which is what I incline to do. This one is longer, and sometimes does drag on; the agonizing love of Anna and Rupert is not repeated because A Company of Swans is lighter, and more suited to convention (which you will recognize if you've been a long-time romance reader). There is a villain, but unlike the bloodthirstiness in "modern" historicals (is that an oxymoron?) she does not receive her comeuppance as one is used to. But the threads of the story weave together to form an effortless plot and a sweet, charming tale. Rather Dickens-ish in its range of "coincidences" that bring Harriet, the heroine, and Rom Verney, the hero, together, A Company of Swans is nonetheless beautifully written and an engaging read.

This book does NOT offer 'A practical guide to valuation' but a theoretical,oldfashioned discussion of the 'Metrics War'and some empirical research on EVA, Compensation and CFROI-Fade.

My rating has got these origins: Empirical research on Compensation,EVA and CFROI-Fade: A+. Discussion of EVA/CFROI: D-. Terminology: D value for 'Hands-on-valuation': F- Structure: F- Style: F-.

This book does contain interesting empirical research on EVA etc, but it does not offer 'A practical Guide to Implementation' because it does not contain a STAGE-Approach. Its terminology differs from any other book I've read, you must often guess, which formulas the authors used, because they did not have the courtesy to express their formulas. Some formulas are wrong nad their discussion of the 'metrics war' betweenn EVA and CFROI lags 5 years behind reality. They attack old methods of CFROI,which Boston Consulting and Holt Value published 5 (!) years ago. They fail to know, that BCG have refined CVA/CFROI and that BAYER. Lufthansa,and VEBA have implemented these refined CFROI-techniques,which are way better, than the old methods, which the book attacks.

Moreover, this book is terrible to read due to a lack of structure, the absence of clear definitions, the lack of formulas, a wordy style,which exhausts your nerves, and many value judgements....

Kudos to S. David Young and Stephen F. O'Byrne, management consultants who largely steer clear of their industry's usual empty catchphrases and superficial hype. Instead, their lucid explanation of the importance of shareholder value takes center stage. The heftiness of EVA and Value-Based Management may be daunting, but most readers will be satisfied with Part I's strategic overview. The concepts reappear in Part II accompanied by a wealth of technical details, calculations and case studies to help finance professionals with nitty-gritty implementation of EVA (Economic Value Added) programs. The book honestly assesses EVA's power to motivate managers, noting that some companies just are not well-suited for this performance metric. We from getAbstract prescribe this book to corporate executives who have overdosed on consultant jargon but still want to drive value growth in their companies, and to finance specialists who seek a comprehensive roadmap to EVA implementation.

As an author, speaker and consultant on these topics, I highly recommend this book. Not only have the authors discussed the pros and cons of a number of approaches thoughfully and concisely, they also expand the level of understanding related to the calculations in an accessible way. Their book discusses both implementation issues and the nitty gritty of the mechanics. In sum, the book takes the reader to the next level of understanding. I highly recommend this book.

This book has EVERYTHING you need ... and then some. When you think you're not going to need one of the forms in this book, you later realize that YOU DO! As a freelance artist, using these forms made me feel as though clients noticed that they were dealing with a real professional. Absolutely a great investment.

While I probably won't use too many of these forms directly out of the book (or off the included CD), I find every form filled with helpful tools and ideas. Since purchasing this book, I have used a number of the forms just a guides for creating my own.
While I can understand that people might be disappointed that the forms included on the CD use fonts that not everyone has, as a designer, I would strongly recommend that you get those fonts anyway. If you are serious about being a successful graphic designer, you can't rely on the default fonts that come with your computer (besides, Helvetica is a great and well-crafted font).

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the business side of graphic design, or anyone who is interested in covering their behind (protection from those eventualities such as uncooperative clients).

There are many books that contain legal forms for graphic designers but the reason why I enjoy these types of books from "Business and Legal Forms" is the fact that it does come with a CD and that you can fix the forms up to your liking.

It's one thing to use copies from this book or any book but more than likely you want to change something, omit something or add something to the forms and thus this is where this book provides convenience.

This book offers forms for graphic and web designers as well. Definitely a good investment.

In these trying times, this book is a gentle reminder that terrible events have the curious power to make us better (more caring, more open, more alive) people. I was utterly transfixed by Etty's swift transformation from a self-absorbed whiner to a spiritual and philosophical mystic who transcended the horrors of her time.
As a memoir of life and death during the Nazi Holocaust, as well as a chronicle of spiritual transformation, this ranks among the very best.
Though it has been five years since I read the book, I am still inspired by Etty's courage and love.

I found this book very difficult to get into. Like many spiritual journals this book seemed at first overly self-centered and indulgent; one page read boringly very much like the page that went before. Her sleeping around and her bizarre therapy with Spier put one off. And Etty herself felt very deeply, vehemently, passionately; reading her can be like drinking water from a fire hose. One might feel like giving up the battle, but it will be well worth your while to push on. More and more one begins to see astonishing signs of spiritual growth and maturity and then of extraordinary achievement and grace. Emotionalism passes into selfless and self-sacrificing love. She moves speedily from her first ability to say the word God to constant prayer and even to a mystical union, all the more significant for being so unrelated to any conventional religion. In the midst of ever increasing certitude about coming annihilation, and eventually amid the horrors of the transit camp of Westerbork, this young woman not only manages to preserve her sanity and keep herself from hating her persecutors, but somehow even comes to rejoice in the beauty and meaning of life. It is truly a wonder how anyone could manage to grow to such transcendent greatness of spirit in so short a time. How fortunate for us that it happened to a woman who felt so deeply, knew herself so clearly, and wrote so aptly, and whose writings from the midst of the Holocaust has survived to our time.

I was first drawn to this book by the black and white photo of Etty on the cover -- belying a woman who was thoughtful, mysterious, bohemian. Then when I saw that this was truly a book that was inspirational -- and written by someone who was herself a victim of the Holocaust -- I was indeed intrigued and purchased the book in anxious anticipation.

However, nothing prepared me for just how truly enlightening this book was to be! Etty lived in the same time period and only blocks from where Anne Frank was hiding, and had the advantage of living as a Jewish housekeeper in a non-Jewish household. Indeed she had many advantages that could have, has she pursued it, possibly spared her ultimate end at Auschwitz. However, Etty had some strong feelings, which she mentions more than a couple of times. One is that she did not see why she should be spared what so many thousands of others were having to bear. However she also dearly hoped to live past the end of this terrible era -- and she felt always certain that this dark era would end -- especially so that she would be able to tell the world something so important, and have the world listen. She would tell the world that "life is beautiful, in spite of everything." Though her life was cut off in Auschwitz in November of 1943, the book perhaps can fulfill that dear hope.

No Pollyanna or ostrich, Etty experienced her ups and downs fully. Yet she had a deep understanding of real fulfillment in and gratitude for life. Most importantly, she looked for her answers within, and while the world with out was often atrocious, clearly what she found within was a source of constant beauty and sustenance.

The only explanation I can find as to why I had not heard of her before -- and why her name is not as well known as that of Anne Frank -- was her very liberal attitudes which were no doubt especially unpopular after the war, including a very liberal attitude toward sexuality and an, albeit constructive, criticism of fellow Jews who responded to the Holocaust only with hatred and bitterness.

Etty Hillesum's life, and her reflections in this book containing her diaries and letters from a Nazi work camp, are rare and sparkling jewels indeed. I recommend this book -- especially those who are late teens through eldest adult!

Bravo, Etty.

Note: I recommend that one not skip even one page of the initial forward and preface. It is a wonderful and immensely helpful introduction into the book.

Having enjoyed many of Lillian Too's books, I bought this one as soon as it was released. What a disappointment and what confusion! The book wasn't sequenced well and it was hard to know what to focus on in order to understand flying star feng shui. Too many concepts were included that could have been tabled for another book. I hope the Skinner book is more systematic in its approach so I can learn flying star feng shui.

This is THE reference book for Feng-Shui to date. A Master Course in Feng-Shui is thick, heavy and not diluted in any way just to make it user friendly. If you are into serious Feng-Shui this book has to be in your library as a comprehensive reference book.

Having read numerous books on the subject, I'd say that Ms. Wong's "A Master Course in Feng Shui" is truly an outstanding one. It's not easy reading, because it deals with very complex subjects, but since it's a workbook, you can always keep checking the level of your understanding.
But! If you have read about and applied either Compass School or Black Sect FS before, beware! Ms. Wong uses Authentic FS and you'll realize it has very little to do with what you've believed about this ancient art of placement earlier, so it might just either confuse or kind of disappoint you. I'd say that if one of those schools have worked for you, just stick with them.

Ive read Countess Below Stairs a hundred times and it's one of my favourite books ever, so when I bought this one I thought it would be as good as that one. But it wasnt. It was kind of boring. I enjoyed, it was good to spend the time, but it was not so great.

I am an avid fan of Eva Ibbotson's children's books, whose descriptions are in between JK Rowlings's and Edith Nesbitt's. This book was slightly less enchanting as her children's fantasies, but there was still that wonderful rich description. I do have to argue against the reviewer who said that few could match her warm, lyrical style; Jane Austen's and Charlotte Bronte's comes close. The plot is a fairly straightforward tale of a young woman who goes to work at a boarding school, so it isn't the most gripping tale, but it's still a wonderful beautiful story. Read it if you love Anne of Green Gables, Jane Eyre, or Ms. Ibbotson's fantasy books, or if you love the English language, or just spend a sophisticated, enjoyable few hours with a great book. Email me if you want more info or have a specific question.

This is the first Ibbotson book I had read and it ties with A Countess Below Stairs as my favorite. The author creates such memorable characters that you can't help wanting the story to go on forever. I loaned this book to a friend and we laugh over the characters like Andromeda, the self regulating baby. I could not put it down. I love to tell my friends about Ibbotson, but it seems like all her books are out of print so you have to get them at libraries. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story mixed with a little romance.

Victoria Holt really knows how to spin a yarn, and I've really enjoyed her other books. This one clips along and has some interesting plots turns, but you never really respect the main character, Cordelia, because of her attraction to a man who doesn't exhibit a great deal of solid character, and in fact in one scene attempts to rape her. At the end of the book I felt like her life would go downhill from there. Also, I guessed the keys to the mystery very early in the book.

I do not own the book but I have read it and it is terrific for someone who loves a good mystery, anticipation for romance, and enjoys the history of the 18th century. This is an old-fashioned romantic novel and is the best. I have read most of her novels and she always writes in 1st person which makes you feel like you are the character that she is writing about and that you are apart of this mystery and romance.

With the mystery part of it, she keeps it suspenseful enough to carry it throughout the novel and has some interesting twists to the key behind the mystery.

The romantic part of it is not so graphically detailed. The main character ends up finding romance but it's exciting and the thrill behind it is that the character keeps her guard up trying to resist this man's charms. There is the thrill behind the man that's peristently pursuing her for romantic reasons and the possibility for love. The author always makes the male character a man that might have quite an exciting past but he always manages to respect the main character that he is pursuing.

She has been my favorite writer since my mother made a recommendation on this. You can imagine how some books may be dry and not capture your interest. I can read this book many times more!

I loved this book so much, I re-read it as soon as I finished.