How to Measure Anything

Hubbard boldly asserts that "Anything can be measured." In this book, he explains why some things may seem immeasurable, but are not. He provides examples of seemingly impossible measurements taken using simple, intuitive methods. He shows how advanced statistical techniques can be applied easily. He also illustrates the value of measurement data, showing that you have probably been making the wrong assumptions about your business or measuring the wrong things. He even demonstrates how to measure "soft" things like happiness, satisfaction, quality, risk, and other concepts that have previously been difficult to quantify. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to collect data about their business or organization in order to have a baseline for improving.

This book can be found in HECSA Library:

How to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of "Intangibles" in Business
2nd ed.
Douglas W. Hubbard
HF 5681 .I55 H83 2010

Trade Off

Maney explains how every decision that we make as consumers is a trade off between the products that we love and the products that we need. He asserts that there is a constant tension between the quality of a consumer's experience--fidelity--and the ease of getting and paying for a product--convenience. He asserts that products that are at one extreme or the other--either high in fidelity or high in convenience--catch on, while products or services that have a middle level of both are not adopted as enthusiastically by consumers. He uses examples from a wide variety of industries to demonstrate how the most successful companies skew their products or services to one extreme or the other.

This book can be found in HECSA Library:

Trade-Off: Why Some Things Catch On and Others Don't
Kevin Maney
HC 79 .T4 M3474 2009