REFERENCE MATERIAL - Books, etc

Business Basics for Engineers by Mike Volker, P.Eng
Contacts: Mike Volker, Tel:(604)644-1926, Email:mike@volker.org
Updated: 27Sep2007

BUSINESS BOOKS: 

Jim Collins, "Good to Great" - Why some companies make the leap and others don't.

Clayton M Christensen & Michael E Raynor, "The Innovator's Solution"  - Written as an answer to the Innovator's Dilemma by author Christensen, the Innovator's Solution shows how companies create disruptions rather than being destroyed by them.

Michael E Gerber, "The E-Myth Revisited -  Why Most Small Businesses Still Don't Work and What You Can Do about Yours".

This is a sequel to the well-read "E-Myth" published some years ago.

Sherry Cooper, "The Cooper Files" - a practical guide to your financial future (a dot-com economic futurist). A leading economist's optimistic views on how technology will spawn decades of economic prosperity.
 
 

Denzil Doyle, "Making Technology Happen" (available from Mike Volker) - a good starter for technology entrepreneurs.

Author Dennis Perkins et al, "Leading at the Edge: Leadership Lessons from the Limits of Human Endurance" (great book on Leadership based on Shackleton's Antarctic expedition).

Roger Allen, "Winnie the Pooh on Management", Everybody’s favourite bear dispenses savvy ideas on how to implement and maintain positive management techniques within a business covering topics like setting objectives, developing communications, leadership skills and more.

Ken R. Blawatt, "Entrepreneurship - Process & Management" - good for startups (written by an SFU Adjunct Prof)

John P. Kotter, "Matsushita Leadership" (a must read on tenacious and innovative entrepreneurship!)

Jeff Papows, "Enterprise.com" - market leadership in the information age (Papows is CEO of Lotus). An Insider's Guide To The It Revolution.

Paul Grescoe, "The Mavericks: Lessons from the West's  Winning Entrepreneurs", some insights into select Western Canadian business entrepreneurs.

Michael E. Porter, "Competitive Strategy" - techniques for analyzing industries and competitors. Porter has dozens of other great books on competition.

Nuala Beck, "Shifting Gears" - Thriving in the New Economy. Beck, a Canadian, has written various other popular "new economy" books as well.

David K. Foot, "Boom, Bust & Echo" - a great read for consumer trends in Canada.

Geoffrey A Moore, "Crossing the Chasm" - a must-read for technology entrepreneurs. This is an insightful book on marketing and selling hi-tech products.

Geoffrey A Moore, "Inside the Tornado", a sequel to "Crossing the Chasm". Popular with tech managers. Marketing strategies from Silicon Valley's cutting edge. 

Stephen Covey, "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" - a best seller on personal management. How to develop oneself to be more effective.

Michael Gerber, "The E-Myth Manager". A great book about why companies fail and what to do about it. Helps you decide what you want to do.

Peter F Drucker, "Managing for the Future", an interesting book on managing in the 1990's and beyond. Drucker has written numerous classic texts on business and is a leading business guru.

Warren Bennis, Michael Mische, "The 21st Century Organization", a topical text on Reengineering.

James A Belasco, Ralph Stayer, "Flight of the Buffalo", a good book for managers on how to let employees lead.

Bill Gates, "The Road Ahead", a so-so read.

Canadian Securities Institute - How to Read Financial Statements, Investment Terms and Definitions (contact CSI in Vancouver at tel: 683-1338)

John T. Ramsay, "Technology Transfers and Licensing" - a great textbook on the subject of Intellectual Property written by a Calgarian and active practitioner with a business and legal background. 

Albert E Muir, "The Technology Transfer System", a good American textbook on technology transfer.

William Illsey Atkinson, Prototype: How Canadian Innovation is Shaping the Future - recent (2001) book on innovative Canadians and their companies.

Len Brody et al, Innovation Nation, Published by Wiley. 

Len Brody & David Raffa, "Everything I needed to know about Busines, I learned from a Canadian", Published by Wiley. 

Darcy Rezac, "The Frog and Prince", Frog & Prince Networking Corp, Vancouver BC.

PERSONAL FINANCE:
 

Guy Kawasaki, "Art of the Start" - a great book for tech entrepreneurs to get started. It includes some excellent tips on presenting one's company. This is a very practical, hands-on book. Guy is with garage.com.

Robert Hagstrom, "The Warren Buffet Way" - investment strategies of the World's Greatest Investor. Buffet is one of the world's most richest men having made his wealth by investing in quality stocks.
 
 

Robert Kiyosaki, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad"
(a superb book which points out the difference between a career and creating personal wealth)

Roger Dawson, "Secrets of Power Negotiation", a great book on how to be a better win-win negotiator. 
 
 

Dave Chilton, "The Wealthy Barber" - a very popular book on personal finance, written by a Kitchener, Ontario former teacher, also available from most local bookstores. A real bestseller!

Richard Branson, "Losing My Virginity", - The flamboyant Virgin entrepreneur from the United Kingdom shares some of his business successes, world adventures, and personal background in his bubbly autobiography. "Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way" is a very appropriate title as it is exactly what the book is about.
 

Clifford Gross, Uwe Reischl, "The New Idea Factory", -  aimed at helping entrepreneurs and managers of tech companies more easily identify, manage and transfer technologies and create profitable products.

Charles J. Givens', "Wealth without risk for Canadians", a book on personal financial strategies - avail at London Drugs and elsewhere. A very practical read.

Peter Thomas, "Never Fight With A Pig". Peter made his first fortune with Century 21 Real Estate and nearly lost it all. Now he's head of Samoth Capital in Vancouver.

Alex Doulis, "Take Your Money and Run", (I haven't read this one but a number of friends have recommended it. I wonder to where he ran?)

Spencer Johnson, "Who Moved my Cheese", a simple quick read. A good, "take control and don't grumble", type of inspirational text.

Thane Stenner, "True Wealth", great financial advice for high net worth Canadians.

PERIODICALS, MAGAZINES, PUBLICATIONS

Among the BEST business publications (available at most newstands):

GLOBE & MAIL'S REPORT ON BUSINESS 
BUSINESS IN VANCOUVER
SILICON VALLEY NORTH (now defunct)
CANADIAN BUSINESS
PROFIT (Canadian)
BUSINESSWEEK (USA)
FORBES (USA)
FORTUNE (USA)
INC. (USA)
RED HERRING (USA)

VIDEOS and OTHER MATERIAL

PBS's series (available on Video) on the Silicon Valley evolution, titled "Triumph of the Nerds"
PBS's series on the Origins of the Internet.
Tom Peters', "In Search of Excellence" (Book, Video, Audiotape)
Danny DeVito in "Other People's Money" (humor, but true!)

Copyright 1995 - 2007 Michael C Volker.