|
Review
of:
Maximum Performance: The Dow Jones-Irwin Complete
Guide to Practical Business Management, Volumes I
and II
by Joseph Shetzen
New York, NY: Dow Jones-Irwin
The primary purpose
of Maximum Performance: The Dow-Jones-Irwin Complete
Guide to Practical Business Management is to provide
a practical self-study guide for entrepreneurs, particularly
those who have little or no formal training in managing
a business.
Continuing educators
who offer or teach programs in the areas of general
management, human resource management, production
or small business development will find these volumes
to be useful texts. Because most adult students, particularly
those who are taking noncredit courses, want practical
materials that can be used immediately on the job
and kept for future reference, the volumes are an
ideal resource. The many charts, worksheets, examples,
and easy-to-read explanations have been written for
the adult student who needs a brief overview of theory,
but must immediately apply the knowledge in the work
place.
The author terms
his integrated multi-disciplinary approach to business
management the Business Engineering Method
using engineering principles to solve business problems.
The six parts of his method include: general management
principles; personnel; financial management; production
and operations; marketing and sales; and business
analysis. Each part is written in simple language
and contains practical guides, detailed sets of working
instructions, and self-explanatory standard forms.
According to
the author, the Business Engineering Method
is a logical extension of the contingency approach
introduced in the late 1960s. His method expands that
approach by providing entrepreneurs with a practical
"be-your-own-management-consultant" set
of tools and techniques to evaluate the performance
of the organization, to identify management problems,
and to implement suitable solutions.
This comprehensive
approach, addressing all aspects of business, is most
impressive. An example of its comprehensiveness is
in the section on production and operations management
wherein the author discusses such issues as facility
design and location, process design, equipment evaluation
and selection, plant layout, requirement planning
(MRP) and Just-in-Time (JIT) manufacturing philosophy.
The comprehensiveness of the two volumes suggests
perhaps the best way to use the text is to design
a series of programs, each covering one topic. In
this use, students would self-select programs, based
on their needs. Thus, by using the texts for multiple
programs the student would only invest in the text
appropriate to the program taken.
As stated earlier,
the strength of these volumes is their accessibility
for the adult learner. It is refreshing to find material
that has considered the needs of our clientele in
its preparation. Just the number of forms provided
at the end of each volume is worth the price of the
text... Maximum Performance provides an overview
of management concepts useful for noncredit continuing
business education. Particularly in the area of industrial
management, the texts offer the reader an opportunity
to quickly gain basic knowledge of newer techniques
and applications used in industrial settings.
For continuing
educators who are seeking to broaden their knowledge
of industrial management, or for those selecting materials
for business programs, Maximum Performance
has been published Just-in-Time.
Dr. Suzanne Z. Miller, Ph.D.
Indiana University at South Bend
© CONTINUING
HIGHER EDUCATION REVIEW, VOL. 55, NO. 1 &2 (WINTER/SPRING,
1991) - pp. 113-114
|
