Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Real-World Intelligence: Organized Information for Executives by Herbert E. Meyer ISBN: 1-55584-147-3 Publisher: Pub Group West Pub. Date: 01 January, 1988 Format: Hardcover List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.67 (3 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: Simplistic and lightweight.
Comment: Real World Intelligence reveals no secrets. In fact I think everything the Author explains is well know and generally accepted amongst those who think about this kind of thing. To be fair this book was first published in 1987. Some of this may have been new at that time. Now it is not.
The author states quite clearly that he has no secretes to reveal in this book, so perhaps that criticism is not valid either. However he does claim to inform us of the new role of intelligence in business. Unfortunately there is remarkably little new information in this book. In a few cases the author falls into trite cheerleading. In my opinion there is very little insight into how to run a successfully intelligence operation. The author claims to have extensive experience in that realm. This book would have been improved had he shared some of those experiences.
The book is well written and offers a clear overview of the topic of open source intelligence. He also covers the role of intelligence in corporations. This role will clearly be growing. This text may be valuable as a high level overview of what intelligence is and how it can be used. The authors simplistic righting style and lightweight content make it only a basic primer.
Rating: 5
Summary: Do You REALLY Know?
Comment: Meyer's distinguished career includes serving as associate editor of Fortune magazine (primarily responsible for coverage of the U.S.S.R.) and then as special assistant to the director of the C.I.A. and vice chairman of the C.I.A.'s National Intelligence Council (primarily responsible for estimates and projections concerning the U.S.S.R.). Meyer is widely recognized as the first senior government official to predict the collapse of the U.S.S.R. Upon retirement from public service, Meyer founded RealWorld Intelligence, Inc. of which he continues to serve as chairman and CEO. He is widely recognized as a leading authority on competitive intelligence. He and his associates developed the world's first customized turn-key intelligence system for organizations and they now work with clients throughout the world.
There are many misconceptions about the C.I.A. For example, contrary to what many people think, only a small percentage of time and effort (about 5%) is devoted to espionage (or "spying"). Most of the work consists of obtaining and then evaluating "open-book" information. That is, information readily available to virtually anyone. There may also be misconceptions about the subject of Meyer's book, competitive intelligence. For example, that efforts to obtain the information on which it depends must necessarily be illegal, unethical, immoral, etc. Not so. As Meyer carefully explains, there is an abundance of information in the public domain which is easily (and legally) accessible. In RealWorld Intelligence, Meyer organizes his material within six chapters:
The Most Powerful Management Tool of All
The New Intelligence
How Intelligence Works
What Intelligence Outfits Look Like
Intelligence and Policymaking
The Future of Intelligence
What he offers in this book is a cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective system by which to determine (a) which information is of greatest importance to an organization, (b) how to obtain that information and then manage it, (c) how to convert (or upgrade) that information to intelligence, and finally (d) how to derive greatest benefit from it.
In the so-called Age of Information, it is imperative for any organization (regardless of size or nature) to establish and then develop such a system. Think of intelligence as "radar" which will enable an organization to survey and then navigate its way through totally unfamiliar "territory." Think of intelligence as a means by which to recognize critically important early-warning signs and then respond effectively to them. Also think of intelligence as a means by which to know what an organization needs to know about its competitors but, much more importantly, what it needs to know about its customers and their customers as well as what it needs to know about the rapidly-changing world it shares with them.
Anyone who questions the importance of such intelligence should ask this question: "The next time I am behind the wheel of a vehicle, what if I were wearing a blindfold as I pull out into traffic?" Obviously that makes no sense and yet many organizations are now wear a blindfold as they proceed into an uncertain future. Hence the great value to them of Meyer's book. END
Rating: 4
Summary: Gem of continuing value--"must read" for busy managers
Comment: Herb, one of the distinguished speakers at OSS '92, has been Vice Chairman of the National Intelligence Council, and is in my mind one of the top five pioneers of business intelligence in the United States. He started in late 1970's, and his little paperback book is both a gospel and a guide of continuing value. This book was distributed at OSS '92, and continues to be worthy of reading by senior executives who don't do a lot of reading.
 |
Title: How to Write: Communicating Ideas and Information by Herbert E. Meyer, Jill M. Meyer ISBN: 0935166076 Publisher: Storm King Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 1993 List Price(USD): $6.95 |
 |
Title: Early Warning: Using Competitive Intelligence to Anticipate Market Shifts, Control Risk, and Create Powerful Strategies by Benjamin Gilad, Ben Gilad ISBN: 0814407862 Publisher: AMACOM Pub. Date: 01 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
 |
Title: Silent Warfare: Understanding the World of Intelligence by Abram N. Shulsky, Gary J. Schmitt ISBN: 1574883453 Publisher: Brassey's Inc Pub. Date: 15 May, 2002 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
 |
Title: The war against progress by Herbert E Meyer ISBN: 0935166009 Publisher: Storm King Publishers Pub. Date: 1979 |
 |
Title: Hard Thinking: The Fusion of Politics & Science by Herbert E. Meyer ISBN: 0935166084 Publisher: Storm King Press Pub. Date: 01 June, 1993 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
