Author: Biz India

Editor: Edited by Jonathan Pogash with Rick Rodgers. Photography by Ben Fink Publisher: Wiley Publishing – 338 pages Book Review by Nano Khilnani This 68th edition of the world-renowned Mr. Boston Official Bartender’ Guide has numerous recipes for all kinds of drinks. About 150 of them are completely new. And unlike other books on creating cocktails and other drinks, this one contains an intelligent Introduction and an insightful section called Bar Basics that add great value to this guide. This is not just a collection of recipes for drinks, even though it has numerous new ones added. The Introduction mentions that this “little red book,” first written by the well-known bartender Leo Cotton three quarters of a century ago (right after the lifting of the Prohibition) has endured because he thoughtfully and meticulously created cocktails with genuine ingredients, not substitutes. And he did his work with passion. That 11 million copies of this book have been sold over the last 75 years is not just a matter of chance. Leo Cotton, who was a purchasing agent for the Mr. Boston liquor brand, wrote his first book and subsequent editions with great care, keeping in mind always the need by the public for authenticity and accuracy in using the right components for making excellent cocktails. Keeping that in mind, the current and latest edition of this classic book for bartenders...

Authors: Kenneth H. Marks, Robert T. Slee, Christian W. Blees, Michael R. Nall Publisher: Wiley Finance – 376 pages Book Review by:  Nano Khilnani Investopedia defines “middle market” as that area or range of companies typically having annual revenues from $50 million to $1 billion. But it qualifies that the limit has not been set by any entity, so the lower minimum may be $10 million and the upper limit could be $500 million. Companies in the middle market sector of the United States economy’s private sector could be contributing as much as two thirds to its gross domestic product. While total GDP is known to be around $15.2 trillion, we do not know much of that is the public sector or government. (The government does not create and contribute new income to the GDP, but rather consumes it, so we do not know how to classify or measure the dollars it spends in the economy – we will leave that to economists) Just like in the market where products and services are bought and sold, so are companies of all sizes and types purchased or ownership changing hands. The buyer may overpay or on the other extreme, get a company for a steal. It all depends on valuation and how that is done. Valuation of a company is not just its net worth or sum of all its...

Author: William L. MacDonald Publisher: AuthorHouse. 175 pages Book Review by Ramu Nakliba   MERGE is a process of sales and marketing that stands for: Magnify: Research phase to identify value gaps Engage: Longevity phase to expand trust, stay engaged and bring value Recommend: Consulting phase to identify alternatives Generate: Creation phase to evaluate alternatives, generate solutions and implement Explore: Intervening phase to confirm value gap. This is a book about marketing and sales, not about company mergers and acquisitions, as I first thought it was. There are hundreds of books in the market about the critical importance of sales. Sales is a primary requirement of all companies these days, and growth of sales is key to increasing profit, which can be invested to further grow sales by adding financing to add products and services, adding employees to sell them, and adding outlets to further increase sales and profits. The cycle of growth goes on in this way. So, realizing that sales and its growth are key first requirements to creating a successful business, how does a company tackle the problem of competition? How does a company differentiate itself from its competitors? Indeed, how does a company offer something its customers need that other companies cannot? If you’re in the product business, it is easier, with everything else being equal. But if you’re in the business of providing services,...

Author: Tracey Marks, MD Publisher: Bascom Hill Publishing Group, 147 pages Book Review by Laxmi Chaandi I heard someone say to me in my youth: “One of life’s most precious treasures is sleep, especially sound and restful sleep.” Dr. Tracey Marks, a sleep specialist who is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist has been studying and advising patients on how our mind-body connection determines quality of lives we live. She has written this book to provide answers to an increasingly large number of people who have trouble with: falling asleep, having good-quality sleep or waking up fully rested. The answers she provides in this book are to questions like: how much sleep is required, what happens if you don’t sleep, why you can’t sleep, whether you need to evaluate your sleep, if you need sleep medication and if so, which ones to take and which to avoid. Dr. Marks also writes about the things you can do to improve your sleep such as sleep hygiene, relaxation therapy and something you may not have heard of: chronothetapy. She also helps you discover cognitive therapy and bright-light therapy. If you like millions of people have problems falling asleep, staying asleep and getting enough sleep, this is a must-read book for you. Sometimes, you sleep well but your child cannot. Well, that’s a sleep problem you need solutions to. So, sleep disorders in children...

Authors:  Neil Baum, MD and Gretchen Henkel Publisher: Jones and Bartlett – 574 pages Book Review by:  Nano Khilnani This is the 4th edition of a book that was first published 16 years ago. That it has been around for so long and that it has been updated three times gives you an idea how valuable and useful it is to you, the doctor or manager of a medical practice. This is no doubt a comprehensive work, covering many aspects of a physician practice, from “Giving Your Practice a Checkup” thru surveys of your patients and peers to “Identifying Your Moments of Truth” (positive, negative or neutral patients’ impressions of your practice) to “Marketing On 10 Minutes a Day” by doing more than expected for key patients to “Need More Patients? Brochures Are the Cure.” And these four names of chapters are only in the first part or “Pillar” of the book.  There’s much, much more. This book has been written for you the doctor (or his-her office manager) by a practicing physician to help you retain patients, keep them happy and satisfied, and acquire new ones.  It can be read and easily understood by any non-doctor, such as the wife of a doctor or a manager who handles the non-medical, particularly the business aspects, of a practice.  It does not contain medical terminology. More than a quarter of...