Business Defined

The author’s approach in “Business Defined” was interesting and thought-provoking. This book could easily be used as a textbook in a Business Class, read by a person currently in business or by someone who is thinking about going into business. I have been in business for close to twenty years, and after reading this, I realized that I have several areas that I need to revisit in my approach to business.

The author, James Lemoine, realized several years ago when he was teaching a seminar to leaders that they all had different interpretations of what leadership was, many of them conflicting with each other. Over the following years, he also noticed that leadership was not the only definition that was not understood, but many others. Through this book, he defines business terms and practices in easily applicable ways. He best describes the book’s content as -- “’Business Defined’ is a study of the very core of the business world, the Philosophy of Business. In the traditional sense, this is not a business book. This is not necessarily a tome that explains how to make a fortune in investing, or how to design an advertising campaign that drives sales, or even how to close big deals and earn rapid promotions. The point of this book is not to teach the reader how to succeed in the business world. This book’s goal is to illustrate what these everyday concepts really mean, how they’re misunderstood, and how they can be applied in the most intelligent and profit-generating manner.”

Each chapter in the book begins and ends with a definition of a concept that is thoroughly examined in the chapter. These concepts include: business, communication, compensation, ethics, forecasting and quality of life to name just a few. The author not only breaks down each concept but also looks at it from different perspectives. In the chapter on human resources he not only looks at the human resource manager’s position but also at what the interviewee should be presenting in the interview. He clearly understands what it takes to run a company at an optimal level. The human factor is a huge part of this as he explains in his definition of “qual·i·ty of life [kwŏl’ĭ-tē əv līf] –noun. From a business standpoint, the personal factors important to employees, especially those regarding availability of time away from work, all of which should be managed by employers to maximize both employee productivity and time away from work.”

I also found several great concepts throughout the book that I highlighted to refer back to. I have listed a few of my favorites here: “Managers love to lead the creation of plans, but only leaders love to manage plans.” “Customers aren’t only the people who buy products from you. They’re the people who could buy anything from you, even if you just want them to buy an idea or a belief.” “However, any level of service less than ‘fantastic’ and better than ‘bad’ has absolutely no impact on customer retention.”

Overall, I found “Business Defined” to be very well-written, informative and easy-to-read. I highly recommend this book to anyone in the business community, students, or people who are thinking about going into business. Lemoine presents a concise look at important terms, yet gives detailed information about how an actual business works and how a successful business can be accomplished.

Business Defined
James Lemoine
Harbinger Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9780615198897
Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (4/08)