“This is exactly what I am hoping to promote with this book: to find out why we need to change the way we do business, and how that might best be done”, writes successful international entrepreneur, adventurer, and founder of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson, in his visionary and thought provoking book Screw Business As Usual. The author describes how it is time to transform capitalism from a purely money making concept to one where business leaders play an ever increasing role in improving the world and the lives of people across the globe.

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“Every day, many times a day, you are selling you – your ideas, beliefs, products, services, desires. No matter what you do for a living or what you hope to achieve in your personal or professional life, can change the impressions that you make on others by changing the way you communicate. Getting those yeses will ensure that you become your best you, your Alpha You”, writes communications seminar and workshop leader, consultant, corporate trainer Tonya Reiman, in her very practical and insightful book The Yes Factor: Get What You Want. Say What You Mean.. The author describes how to coordinate one’s speech, clothing, and body language to present a completely authentic and confident message that will result in achieving one’s personal and professional goals. Continue Reading »

“Wouldn’t it be heavenly if the people you manage were developing new skills while they delivered results every day? They would be more productive, happier, and less likely to leave”, write Managing Partners of Talent Savvy Manager, Wendy Axelrod and Jeannie Coyle, in their very practical and results oriented book Make Talent Your Business: How Exceptional Managers Develop People While Getting Results. The authors describe why it’s important to develop staff and help them learn new skills, and provide the hands on tools for improving employee performance and transforming a company culture to one of ongoing employee development.

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“Process design involves the development of an effective flowsheet to transform reactants into products in a profitable, safe, environmentally friendly, and controllable plant”, writes Professor of Chemical Engineering at Lehigh University, William L. Luyben, in his comprehensive and detailed book Principles and Case Studies of Simultaneous Design. The author describes the general design principles, and provides the necessary mathematical formulas, for understanding the process for creating an effective flowsheet and control structure for the development of a chemical process.

William Luyben understands that the role of a chemical process is to take chemical discoveries and transform them efficiently and safely into a marketable product. The process involves scaling up small scale experiments and scaling them up into manufacturing sized quantities. William Luyben points out that how a chemist conducts small scale projects may be very different from the application of the concept in product development. The chemistry and physics of scaling up a small batch to a large scale often poses a problem for engineers. As a result, William Luyben provides the tools, formulas, and mathematics necessary for scaling a small experiment into a full manufacturing scale operation.

William L. Luyben (photo left) recognizes that scaling up a process from the laboratory to the large sale product building process is really a synthesis problem. The designer faces many challenges within the process, and some of those challenges are very often in direct conflict with one another. For the author, the chemical design process is a crucial area of chemical engineering. With concerns of energy and environmental issues and how they interact, reviving interest in energy efficient processes and plants, the author focuses on achieving the goals of developing process designs in a safe and environmentally sound manner.

William Buyden provides the principles of general design in a concise way to develop an effective and efficient flowsheet and control structure. The development of a chemical process requires consideration of both the steady state economic and controllability parts of the process. That is the simultaneous design concept that is addressed so effectively in this book.

For me, the power of the book is how William L. Luyben combines the theory of simultaneous design with the mathematical formulas and chemical engineering reactions to guide students, chemists, and engineers in developing a process. The author reinforces the principles outlined in each chapter with real world case studies of those same principles in action. William Luyben provides a service to industry as well, through the recognition of the need for developing new products, refining their processes, and for ensuring a safe and environmental quality control.

The author shares the crucial technical information that is understandable for the engineering student, practicing engineer, and for chemists and designers in the scaling up of small scale tests into large scale processes. Non-engineers and students are reminded that this book is very technical in nature and requires some understanding of mathematics and chemistry.

I highly recommend the important and all encompassing book Principles and Case Studies of Simultaneous Design by William L. Luyben, to any chemistry or engineering students, practicing chemical engineers, product designers in industry, and business leaders looking for a fresh approach to simultaneous design issues. This book will transform your company’s industrial processes and product design into one of a leader in process design.

“Whenever you feel like a data storm is about to block out the sun, we want you to turn to the straightforward questions that form the backbone of this book – questions that we still ask ourselves every day. In other words, don’t ask us: ask yourself. But ask the right questions”, write vice president at American Express, Christopher Frank; and vice president of business development and alliances at Openet, Frank Magnone, in their insightful and provocative book Drinking from the Fire Hose: Making Smarter Decisions Without Drowning in Information. the authors describe the critical importance of asking the deep and probing questions that divide data into groups that measure and groups that inform.

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“The flaws in our 500-year-old double-entry accounting system for recognizing the value of intangible assets are at the heart of a current and pervasive debate in the accounting and finance professions”, writes partner in the Washington, D.C. office of James Day and a top-rated Adjunct Professor in the MBA and Executive MBA programs at the University of Maryland and at Georgetown University Law School, Andrew J. Sherman, in his thought provoking and transformational book Harvesting Intangible Assets: Uncover Hidden Revenue in Your Company’s Intellectual Property. The author describes how the concept of innovation as a company growth creator is widely recognized, but the results of that innovation in the form of intellectual property, is not often well managed or developed fully as an asset.

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“Diversity has become a smorgasbord from which companies are taking what they desire and leaving the rest. The partial use of the diversity concept has resulted in the formation of a persistent racial ceiling in corporate America”, writes award-winning investigative journalist and columnist Susan E. Reed, in her research based and eye opening book The Diversity Index: The Alarming Truth About Diversity in Corporate America…and What Can Be Done About It. The author describes how white women, as beneficiaries of gender diversity, have become part of the roadblock to racial diversity.

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“Although the specifics vary quite a bit based on the industry, the type and scope of the new system, many system failures have similar root causes, issues, costs, and ultimately, consequences”, writes technology consultant, speaker, and thought leader Phil Simon, in his landmark and very hands on book Why New Systems Fail: An Insider’s Guide to Successful IT Projects. The author describes the major causes of new information technology (IT) system failures, and provides strategies for preventing problems at any point during or after system implementation.

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