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Product details

Listening Length	2 hours and 4 minutes
Author	Bob Fifer
Narrator	Bob Fifer
Audible.com Release Date	January 03, 2012
Publisher	HarperAudio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Abridged
Language	English
ASIN	B006ST3HXE
Best Sellers Rank	#41,871 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #24 in Corporate Finance (Audible Books & Originals) #141 in Corporate Finance (Books) #406 in Business Management (Audible Books & Originals)

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4.4 out of 5

563 global ratings

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Tom D

Some Good, Some Ugly Thoughts

Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2014

Verified Purchase

This joins a long list of lightweight books that have more than enough truth and good thoughts to justify the read. I'll go all the way back to Robert Townsend's out-of-print "Up The Organization" Double Your Profits will probably challenge your underlying assumptions and make you think about day-to-day operations and practices that have stagnated into mediocrity.

An example: "Never call a meeting to discuss; call a meeting only to decide. Never, or rarely, accept "Let me think about it and call you back" as an answer. What more are they going to know later to make the decision that they don't already know now? Make the decision now, so that later they can make another decision or achieve something else and therefore be twice as productive."

Good thoughts and probably accurate if you fully address the context. Your choice whether this is a good "meeting" rule, but either way, worth the thought.

Some of it is out-of-date, like the notion "you can work productively in the back of an airplane and the odds are the seat next to you will be empty so you can spread out."

His short "Accounts Payable" chapter is disgusting, though often standard practice. Basically he recommends ignoring contracts and paying people only when you absolutely must to continue in business.

Short book, big print, a collection of ideas to think about.

4 people found this helpful

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Steven Ulmer

Interesting read which will make you uncomfortable

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2013

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This book was written almost 20 years ago. A few parts of the author's advice may appear to be dated, but there is enough content to recommend the book. The author distills his advice into 78 steps taking up less than 250 pages. It is a quick read.

In today's highly competitive business environment, it is important to instill a culture of cost consciousness. In the author's opinion every cost is up for grabs and needs to be justified. There is waste in any organization such as too many layers of management, the amount of time spent in meetings, spending on offsite meetings, and unnecessary reports. However when it comes marketing, the author recommends outspending the competition in both good and bad times.

Some parts of the book will likely make readers uncomfortable including the lack of concern for many of the people who make up a company's workforce and certain suggestions for extracting concessions from suppliers. In the latter case some people will question the ethics of his approach. This book is certainly not "If Aristotle Ran General Motors." It is not about pleasing multiple stakeholder groups. It is a no nonsense book about improving the bottom line.

There is no doubt a company can improve the bottom line following the author's advice especially in the first few years. I would be interested in case studies of some of the author's client companies. What has been the longer term impact on their corporate culture, employee turnover and relations with suppliers? How have their top line and bottom line growth fared over time?

In reading this book I had to work to separate the message from the messenger. I was turned off a bit by the author's tone. It is interesting that the author left Kaiser Associates, Inc. in 2000 and set up his own firm which I believe is just a one person operation. I did some research and found an interesting quote from a May 28, 2007 interview with U.S. News and World Report.

"I ran one company [Kaiser, his consulting firm] for 18 years. The company did very, very well, but we hit a wall. If I knew then what I know now, I would still be there, and the company would be 20 times larger. I would come into the office and, by force of my person and bravado, try to move the company by myself. It worked until we had eight offices on five continents. If I had had more humility and been more principled in how I treated other people, I would have built an organization with depth. No CEO is good at everything, but when people perceive you are selfish and greedy, the holes remain exposed and don't get closed. When you have a strong character, people rally behind you in a way that plugs those holes."

21 people found this helpful

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Trey Parker

common sense advice on how to generate profits

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2023

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Decent, old school way of doing business and generating profits. Enjoyed it. However, keep in mind that it was written years ago. May be a tad bit outdated

Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2024

Verified Purchase

The book is a must-have for all managers, no matter the industry.
There are parts that when you implement them, results will show up both in short amd and long term goals .
I recommend this as a permanent book in your library, digital or physical.

Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2010

Verified Purchase

Got the indication from a Brazilian business magazine - Exame - issued January 2010. Marcel Telles, one of the greatest Brazilian entrepreneurs, recommended the book, as a must read, and as the book that influenced him the most. You might ask, who is this person...well, he is one of the guys behind AB-Inbev deal!

Although the book dates from 1993 (I don't like much old business books), most principles are very interesting and totally applicable for today's market. The focus on cost reduction is clear, and can generate blunt results. I can clearly understand how inspiring this book were for some successful Brazilian companies in the past decade, specially the ones from GP group. Some of the tips such as giving away your own office (as a CEO) to bring cost down is a true example on how you can demonstrate to your crew how committed you are in order to maximize the company's result. Nice reading.

3 people found this helpful

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Lisa Welch

Okay

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2013

Verified Purchase

More in depth business book than the name would imply. More advice than doubling profits, lots of good business principles.

Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2023

Verified Purchase

Easy and nice read. Could need some updating to account for chapters on saving money on computers etc. Other than that, mostly a timeless and essential read for entrepreneurs , business owners and managers.

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DDS905

Loaded with important basics that every business manager should know!

Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2018

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Very quick read providing practical insights to driving and/or sustaining profitability. Bob describes the "old school" methodology to business management; which has been demonstrated to work time and time again. Even though some of the tactics are antiquated and may not be a good fit in today's millennial rich environment, I strongly recommend the read. A minor update will have this book on the Best Seller's list once again for many years to come!

When you finish this book consider "Welcome to the Big Leagues: Nine Innings of Essential Tips for the Corporate Rookie" by Carmine Del Sordi. Also loaded with tips and writing styles are very similar.

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Guilherme Fajardo

Simples e direto

Reviewed in Brazil on May 28, 2023

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Ótimo livro para gestores que querem ir além dos clichés

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Cliente Amazon

buena relación calidad precio

Reviewed in Spain on March 12, 2019

Verified Purchase

Un buen producto tal y como aparece en la fotografía y lo han enviado muy rápido y en buenas condiciones. Todo perfecto.

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Hertz

Perfekt

Reviewed in Germany on May 5, 2019

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Hat alles super geklappt. Bücher sind in einem top Zustand. Lieferung war pünktlich. Jederzeit gerne wieder.

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Kunal B

Practical advice

Reviewed in India on December 16, 2018

Verified Purchase

Practical actionable advice, clearly and precisely laid out. Observations made by Bob about wasteful expenses at large companies are absolutely true in my experience.

Jacklyn

Great advice you already Know!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 30, 2017

Verified Purchase

Easy and excellent read. You know most of it already but great to be reminded again!

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