Making the Cisco Connection: The Story Behind the Real Internet Superpower

Amazon.com

Cisco Systems is one of the most valuable companies in the world, yet few know very much about it. Making the Cisco Connection, by Upside Media CEO and editor David Bunnell, is a clear and comprehensive corporate history that certainly will change that. Beginning with the firm's 1984 founding at Stanford University--when Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner first concocted a way for different computer systems to communicate with each other--Bunnell follows the major players and their key actions in order to place this continuing Silicon Valley success story in the proper perspective. There's its meteoric rise at the cusp of the online age, when Bosack and Lerner initially devised the electronic router that is now the backbone of the Internet. There's the power struggle with a venture capitalist that ousted this once-married duo, the marketing savvy that ultimately gave their product an 80 percent market share, the acquisition strategy that has brought both allies and competitors into the fold, the culture that celebrates cooperation and fair play, the ongoing drive to become an even broader communication gateway. These and other moves, which Bunnell fully details, have built a company worth $200 billion today. "In the end," he writes, "who knows?" --Howard Rothman

Book Description

Cisco Systems is known among the technology elite in Silicon Valley as one of the most successful companies to emerge from the Valley in many years. It has been dubbed computing's next Superpower.

Just as Intel and Microsoft soared to lofty heights with the rise of the personal computer, Cisco Systems is flying on the spectacular updraft of the Internet. The company, which makes specialized computers that route information through a network--acting as a sort of data traffic cop--has captured 85 percent of the market for routers used as the backbone of the biggest network of them all, the Internet. As a result, over the last five years, the value of Cisco's total outstanding stock has risen over 2,000 percent--twice the increase of Microsoft Corp. stock in the same period. Beginning as a tale of two college sweethearts at Stanford University who cofounded the company fifteen years ago, the often-told Cisco legend has all the makings of a great novel--love, money, a villain or two, corporate coups, and the sweet taste of victory. But mostly, the Cisco story is a very unusual tale of corporate success. Despite the struggle of passing through several regimes, Cisco managed to hit all the crucial spots of its business. Cisco consistently bested competitors like 3Com and IBM with insight, innovation, customer focus, and one of the biggest corporate buying sprees in history. Making the Cisco Connection deftly traces the networking giant's path to success, from its founding couple, Sandra Lerner and Leonard Bosack, to current CEO John Chambers. It highlights the company's astounding knack for buying other businesses and making them part of a huge conglomerate; its own highly developed use of technology; and its unusually tight-knit culture. Featuring the perspective of top Cisco executives and competitors, this book reveals how Cisco's technology, employees, and even its competition have blended to make Cisco possibly the most important company shaping the future of communications. Next to ruthless competitors Microsoft and Intel, Cisco shines with a kinder, gentler image, emphasizing happy customers and employees. You'll see how Cisco built its impressive culture by cultivating community, boosting morale, whittling down bureaucracy, and saving money to boot. This book also explains how Cisco is positioning itself to enter a new competitive playing field, moving beyond Internet routers in an attempt to build a single, giant, global communications system--based on the Internet--that would make the current telephone system obsolete. Cisco wants to be the company that delivers the infrastructure of this new network, which will combine computer networks with telephones, television, radio, and satellite communications. To do that, it is now challenging global giants such as Lucent Technologies and Fujitsu. Cisco plans to become the backbone of the entire communications industry, making it a corporation of incredible power as the Internet Age blossoms in the new millennium.

Provocative and instructive, Making the Cisco Connection traces the unique history of one of the most profitable and enduring technology companies in business today.

Acclaim for Making the CISCO Connection

"If you want to learn the whole scoop about the first Internet-Age company, and one of the most successful firms of any age, you've come to the right place. Bunnell's treatment of Cisco's rise--and continued rise--is fascinating and full of human detail. It's clear that Cisco is not just a firm with great technology, but also great leaders and managers."--Thomas H. Davenport, Director, Andersen Consulting Institute for Strategic Change; Professor, Boston University School of Management

"Cisco has emerged as a twenty-first century leader. David Bunnell captures the ongoing story of the Cisco executive team exploiting IT, structuring a unique organization, and creating a dynamic strategy for this breakaway dot com company."--Richard L. Nolan, William Barclay Harding Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

Customer Reviews:

Technology company from start-up through growth stages.......2007-07-27

Some reviewers call this text a "puff piece." I don't see that. It is possible that Bunnell was friendly with Cisco management when he wrote the book -- why not? He has access to better information that way.

But whether the book is biased is less important than what it covers. Cisco Systems is a company started in what amounts to a living room, by tech people who could foresee a market for equipment that could make computers talk to each other -- computers which at the time were in nearby buildings, never mind around the world!

Every entrepreneur can benefit from a history that tells us how Leonard Bosack and Sandra Lerner can go from the leaders of a start-up that had more sales than it could manufacture for, to unemployed with stock options worth millions. It's too bad the book didn't follow them after they left Cisco, as their story (especially Lerner's) may be worth another book.

Not every small company can grow to Cisco's size, but any small company that survives must face a maturing process that promises to completely change the way it does business. This book serves as a signpost for all entrepreneurs, telling us what's just ahead.

Could be alot better.......2003-03-18

After seeing CISCO profiled on one of Robert Cringley's Nerds 2.0.1 documentary, I was fascinated about how one of the giants of communications was created within a dining room.

I bought this book expecting to hear about the excitement and struggles of an organization as it is becoming very big, very fast. This book seemed to vaguely cover this period within Cisco's history. There is very little written about the struggle and difficulties within the management that must have existed at that time.

I would not recommend this book.

More pulp non-fiction from the assembly line.......2002-12-27

This book does a severe disservice to the Cisco story, and to the business book genre in general. The author's lack of insight, much less comprehension of the industry and technology is laughable. Worse yet, his lack of passion for the subject exposes the fact that book was basically a con on his readers.

Some representative excerpts:
1) "All and sundry goods could be purchased at McWhorters Express Store in building J. Money was available from the conveniently located ATM."

*Talk about telling a compelling story. Alas it has come to this.

2) "The Cisco-Powered Networks campaign was Cisco's first foray into the spehere of the home networking market."

*Wow. Time to get a better author, or at least an editor. Hilarious.

3) "Nouns and verbs in Cisco-speak include AccessPath, ClickStart, ..., and FastHub."

*What more can one say? Reading this book is laborious, and yet you will learn virtually nothing.

Given Cisco's incredible rise from tiny startup to global giant, somebody will eventually write a book that does justice to the story. But not yet, and when they do, I doubt if a "conveniently located ATM" will figure prominently.

A bit thin on details, but still a good story.......2002-02-06

There has not been a review on this bk for a while, so I thought I will do one. With Dot Com crashes, and Cisco laid off 7000+ workers in 2001, John Chambers' ideal of no large company wide lay offs provide an interesting contrast to much of the PR in this bk.

I have just finished reading Hard Drive, by Wallace; and Jack Straight from the Gut, by Jack Welch. Compare to these two books, Making the CISCO Connection was a bit thin on details. I do not know if its editorial lapses or the authors understanding of the material, Bunnell keeps making wild claims like " the future is going to be 100% pure IP.." with no supporting evidence. He also spent quite a few passages comparing ATM and IP as if they are competing technology trying to grap market share. ATM is just another way of hooking up networks like Frame Relay, ISDN... etc. and IP is a protocol that happily runs on any network technolgy that support it.

Jeff Bezos made a late appearance towards the end of the book, funny the author never mentioned who he was. There were quite a few of this name dropping with no adequate introductions. You'll get used to it and ignore it.

Still, a good story on the rise of Cisco, but don't look for a "behing-the-scene" management guidebook. For interesting decision making process of some of these industry players, go for Hard Drive.

Don't waste the money, read Cisco's press releases instead.......2001-08-13

Truly a puff piece. The authors don't acknowledge any of the major challenges facing Cisco or give any sort of balanced review of the company. Cisco and technological innovation are about as far apart as they are at Microsoft. It's just a marketing machine, pure and simple.

Average customer rating:
More Tea Bag Folding: Celtic and Oriental Designs
Janet Wilson
Manufacturer: Search Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Tea Bag Folding

Tea Bag Folded Greetings Cards (Greetings Cards series)

Teabag Folding (Crafter's Paper Library)

Memory Folding: Memory Makers

Paper Folding Made Easy

ASIN: 1903975328

Book Description

A delightful sequel to Tiny Van der Plas and Janet Wilson's first tea bag folding book which is packed with exciting new ideas and techniques.

Hot on the heels of their first success, Tiny and Janet have brewed up a stunning selection of Celtic and Oriental designs with an innovative and inspiring range of projects and techniques. Tea bag folding papers are cut, folded and layered to create stunning cards, windchimes, pictures, boxes, partylights, fans and frames. They also include other techniques to embellish and enhance designs: paper architecture, embossing, stamping and paper burning. This book is just what you've been waiting for - offering inspiration to beginners and all those who love this absorbing craft.

Book Description

For centuries, dictators ruled Russia. Tsars and Communist Party chiefs were in charge for so long some analysts claimed Russians had a cultural predisposition for authoritarian leaders. Yet, as a result of reforms initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev, new political institutions have emerged that now require election of political leaders and rule by constitutional procedures. Michael McFaul traces Russia's tumultuous political history from Gorbachev's rise to power in 1985 through the 1999 resignation of Boris Yeltsin in favor of Vladimir Putin.

McFaul divides his account of the post-Soviet country into three periods: the Gorbachev era (1985-1991), the First Russian Republic (1991-1993), and the Second Russian Republic (1993-present). The first two were, he believes, failures--failed institutional emergence or failed transitions to democracy. By contrast, new democratic institutions did emerge in the third era, though not the institutions of a liberal democracy. McFaul contends that any explanation for Russia's successes in shifting to democracy must also account for its failures. The Russian/Soviet case, he says, reveals the importance of forging social pacts; the efforts of Russian elites to form alliances failed, leading to two violent confrontations and a protracted transition from communism to democracy.

McFaul spent a great deal of time in Moscow in the 1990s and witnessed firsthand many of the events he describes. This experience, combined with frequent visits since and unparalleled access to senior Russian policymakers and politicians, has resulted in an astonishingly well-informed account. Russia's Unfinished Revolution is a comprehensive history of Russia during this crucial period.

Customer Reviews:

McFaul Skipps Over Important Data.......2003-05-22

The subtitle title of the book, 'political change from Gorbachev to Putin', defines what you expect to find between it's pages. Only that's not what's covered. McFaul covers the Gorbechev years, as well as Yeltsen's presidency -- but only until 1996. There is virtually nothing after 1996. I would expect that Putin's coverage would be light, given a publication date of 2001, but to skip over Yeltsen's final years is simply neglegent.

By giving only a few sentances to the 'Shares for Rubles' program, he skips over the criminal neglegance and fraud that occured. This behavior had strong impacts on the Russian economy, which directly caused the crash of their economy in 1998. This crash is skipped over completely -- possibly because at the time, as a reporter, McFaul was cheering Anatoly Chubais the mastermind and archetect behind the economic reforms. (If Chubais attempted to do what he did in the US, he would be spending a lot of time behind bars.) In short, it looks like McFaul is skipping over the time period when his journalism was (effectively) cheering on the corruption.

The complete failure of the economy (which -- to reiterate -- was skipped over completely), combined with the treatment of the oligarchs (also skipped over) directly led shaped the Russian perception of democracy and the free market. These factors also directly effected the conclusions at the end of his book, but he presents no explination as to why the results are so bad -- probably because the explination would involve covering the ground he choose to skip over. To skip over these major milestones is unforgivable for an author who is attempting to track the political and economic reforms in Russia.

On the positive side, he does give a lot of good information, and there are a lot of references to look up additional data. I would recommend this book for someone researching Russia up to, but not after, Yeltsen's re-election. And even then, it helps to have an idea of the issues he doesn't talk about.

gasp!.......2002-12-03

I admit there may be others, but is McFaul the worst Moscow-based Western journalist around? I feel like beating my head against a wall when I read his M.T. articles. They read like school reports written on the Metro. Heaven knows what 400 pages would do to anyone.

Good but lacking.......2002-05-21

McFaul's work is an easily readable overview of Soviet/Russian politcal change since the mid-1980s. McFaul's analysis of the Gorbachev's period is inferior to that of other experts, such as Archie Brown. His analysis of the Yeltsin period is perhaps the best aspect of the book, especially the reason for the failure of the 1st Russian Republic, and the endurance of the second. But at times he loses his 'scholarly distance' and is almost an appologist for Yeltsin. There is little mention of Russian politics sicne 1996, though he does subtitle it "From Gorgachev to Putin." Putin's is only mentioned in passing in the conclusion. Brown's latest edited work is far better in terms of contemporary trends including the significance of Putin. THis work is best suited as introduction for advanced undergrads or masters students.

AWESOME!!!.......2001-12-15

Professor McFaul's book TOTALLY ROCKS! This is the most kick-butt book I've ever read. The other reviewer is right, too. The bibliography in this book RULES! It is way detailed and kicks butt over its rivals' bibliographies! I wish I could give this book SIX stars! The only reason I'd give it five is that there aren't enough pictures. I wish there were some pictures of Mr. McFaul in Russia with the pro-Western "young reformers". Those guys totally rocked during the 90s! This is a serious book for serious-type people, but it's also a fun book to read and had me laughing out loud at times.

A classic.......2001-09-24

I would go so far as to call this book the post-Communist "Fainsod," an allusion to Merle Fainsod's classic study of the Soviet system. This volume is a thoroughgoing, well-researched study of what happened day by day, institution by institution, from the waning days of Gorbachev's shaky, uncertain rule to the denouement of Yeltsin.
Without a doubt, thid book will be go down as the basic study of what the author aptly titled, Russia's unfinished revolution.

Intellectuals and Apparatchiks: Russian Nationalism and the Gorbachev Revolution

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Intellectuals and Apparatchiks: Russian Nationalism and the Gorbachev Revolution
Kevin O'Connor
Manufacturer: Lexington Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0739107712

Book Description

This book traces the origins and activities of an alliance of conservative Communist Party authorities and Russian nationalists during the late Soviet era. Specifically, it examines how and to what extent hitherto orthodox Communists sought political allies in the Russian nationalist movement in order to garner support of halting the reform program and saving the Soviet state from collapse.

Time and Revolution: Marxism and the Design of Soviet Institutions

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An important work!

Time and Revolution: Marxism and the Design of Soviet Institutions
Stephen E. Hanson
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0807846155
Release Date: 1996-01-08

Book Description

Stephen Hanson traces the influence of the Marxist conception of time in Soviet politics from Lenin to Gorbachev. He argues that the history of Marxism and Leninism reveals an unsuccessful revolutionary effort to reorder the human relationship with time and that this reorganization had a direct impact on the design of the central political, socioeconomic, and cultural institutions of the Soviet Union from 1917 to 1991.

According to Hanson, westerners tend to envision time as both rational and inexorable. In a system in which 'time is money,' the clock dominates workers. Marx, however, believed that communist workers would be freed of the artificial distinction between leisure time and work time. As a result, they would be able to surpass capitalist production levels and ultimately control time itself. Hanson reveals the distinctive imprint of this philosophy on the formation and development of Soviet institutions, arguing that the breakdown of Gorbachev's perestroika and the resulting collapse of the Soviet Union demonstrate the failure of the idea.

Customer Reviews:

An important work!.......1999-10-31

This is an excellent and innovative examination of the effects the Marxist approach to time had on the Soviet Union. A masterful blend of historical and philosophical discourse--a great read!

The August Coup: The Truth and the Lessons

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Interesting snapshot of Gorbachev's reform plans in 1991
The failed coup from the perspective of Gorbachev

The August Coup: The Truth and the Lessons
Mikhail S. Gorbachev
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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Conversations with Gorbachev: On Perestroika, the Prague Spring, and the Crossroads of Socialism

ASIN: 0060923423

Customer Reviews:

Interesting snapshot of Gorbachev's reform plans in 1991.......2007-04-17

I was very intrigued when I bought this used book for $1. It discusses very briefly the events of the attempted coup in the former Soviet Union by hard-line communists in August 1991 from the perspective of Mikhail Gorbachev. Pushed to the breaking point by an arms race with the US initiated by President Reagan in the 1980's, the Soviet economy was crumbling, and when Gorbachev was made General Secretary in 1985 he began instituting social and economic reforms known as glasnost and perestroika which caused even more national instability. I was surprised to find that the book had been published a mere month later. I jokingly commented to a friend that it was the sign of a good capitalist to write and publish a book so quickly after the event. But I was wrong in assuming the book was simply Gorbachev trying to capitalize on his side of the story and events.

In fact, I was disappointed to find that very little is discussed of the events of the attempted coup. Instead this is Gorbachev's attempt to tell his nation and the world what he was trying to do and the challenges they faced. It kind of has a feeling of desperation and he openly worries that the coup has exposed divisions among the various republics that made up the USSR and fears that the Union might disolve (which soon became a reality). He also tries to put to rest some of the rumors which spread from the event and his plans and ideas for how the problems it created should be dealt with. As such, it is not a history but a brief snapshot of his plans, and interesting in that regard even if it is a bit self-serving. For those of us who grew up in the 80's when the Soviet Union represented the spectre of possible nuclear war, it's an insight into the attempts to transition it to a free market economy by a man more celebrated and appreciated in the West than in his own country.

The failed coup from the perspective of Gorbachev.......2005-04-03

Nothing will ever convince me that Mikhail Gorbachev is not one of the greatest statesman of the twentieth century. While he was in power, he was held in high regard in the west as a new type of communist. However, when the Soviet Union collapsed so suddenly, the mood in the west changed to one of praising Ronald Reagan as the "winner of the cold war." The role of Gorbachev was largely forgotten. As a consequence of the dramatic drop in living standards and the rise of lawlessness in the Soviet Union after the collapse, Gorbachev is reviled in the Russian successor to the Soviet Union.
Even though Gorbachev performed well in the attempted coup, not giving in to the demands of the plotters, the primary consequence was the dramatic rise of Boris Yeltsin and the fall of Gorbachev. This book is Gorbachev's account of the course he was trying to set for the Soviet Union and what happened during the time that he was held incommunicado by the plotters. While some of his statements are naturally self-serving, he is basically honest in his tales. He was not naïve about the potential for a coup, the fact that it failed so miserably indicates that he had very little to fear from a coup. We in the west fail to appreciate the history of government in the Soviet Union and how much the Stalinist legacy restricted what Gorbachev could do as he tried to institute reforms.
In the final analysis, there was an amazing lack of bloodshed when the Soviet Empire collapsed. In the 1980's if anyone would have suggested that such a thing could possibly occur, they would have been ridiculed. Much of the credit for the smoothness of the transition should go to Gorbachev, who tried to reform the unreformable. This is his description of the last real days of the Soviet Union and it is a story well worth reading. From it, you realize that he is fundamentally a decent man, who really wanted to make his country better.

Can the Soviet System Survive Reform?: Seven Colloquies About the State of Soviet Socialism Seventy Years After the Bolshevik Revolution

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Can the Soviet System Survive Reform?: Seven Colloquies About the State of Soviet Socialism Seventy Years After the Bolshevik Revolution

Manufacturer: Pinter Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Five Years That Shook the World: Gorbachev's Unfinished Revolution

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Five Years That Shook the World: Gorbachev's Unfinished Revolution

Manufacturer: Westview Pr (Short Disc)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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A clear, concise and even witty study

Gorbachev and His Revolution
Mark Galeotti
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

A clear, concise and even witty study.......1998-09-27

There are lots of lengthy academic tomes about Gorbachev and his time as Soviet leader, just as there are a fair number of readable but lightweight biographies. It is very refreshing to find a book which manages to be comprehensive and intelligent, but also accessible and even a pleasure to read. Short and sweet!

Gorbachev's Information Revolution: Controlling Glasnost in a New Electronic Era (Csis Significant Issues Series)

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Gorbachev's Information Revolution: Controlling Glasnost in a New Electronic Era (Csis Significant Issues Series)
Wilson P. Dizard , and S. Blake Swensrud
Manufacturer: Westview Pr (Short Disc)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0813375185

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Gorbachev's Revolution
Anthony D'Agostino
Manufacturer: NYU Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Economic History | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0814718981
Release Date: 1998-07-01

Book Description

In the mid-1980s Mikhail Gorbachev's political and economic reforms promised a relaxation of tensions between the U.S.S.R. and the United States without disturbing the basic balance of power in Europe established after the Second World War. Then came the collapse of the Warsaw Pact and the vast democratic revolution that swept the Soviet empire, creating a power vacuum east of Berlin. Could such an upheaval have been a natural and logical extension of the course of reform that Gorbachev began plotting in 1985?

Gorbachev's Revolution argues persuasively that the end of Communism was never the goal of the Soviet leader but rather the unintended result of an intense and many-faceted struggle for power. Anthony D'Agostino demonstrates that the pervasive image of stable in-system reform in fact ignored evidence from history. Succession struggles in the U.S.S.R. were generally wars of ideas in which the victors got their way by challenging their opponents' interpretations of the past.

Book Description

Qualitative Market Research follows through a complete research project from the perspective of both user and practitioner. In this respect, it can be used as both a continuous teaching text and training manual, or individual sections may be consulted to enhance knowledge of `best practices' and improve productivity in any specific research application. Section one begins with an overview of the history and philosophy behind the practice of qualitative research, using qualitative or quantitative approaches, organizing qualitative research (particularly those in `practice' such as research consultants), qualitative research applications (including product development, branding and advertising) and the varieties of qualitative research methods. Section two looks at the management of qualitative research and discusses project management, planning and budgeting issues. Section three looks at group moderation and interviewing techniques, and section four addresses the whole area of collecting and analyzing qualitative data, including discussion of computer-assisted software methods, as well as research reporting. This book meets the needs of several audiences by creating some common ground in the applied practice of qualitative research. It should consequently be invaluable reading to a wide readership, from social research methods students (particularly those in sociology, business, psychology, education, marketing and market research) to worldwide practitioners of qualitative research, both clients and consultants.

". . . a comprehensive survey of the topic . . . a complete resource and a fundamental yet creative cookbook . . . Mariampolski offers detailed suggestions on how to effectively set up each particular type of project with step-by-step guidelines on how to proceed at each stage along the way. . . . It will be very interesting to those who wish to work in marketing, advertising, or research."

--Journal of Advertising Research

Customer Reviews:

FIVE WHYS BEFORE ONE HOW !.......2007-09-09

The break-through Japanese management researcher Ishikawa,What Is Total Quality Control?: The Japanese Way (Business Management) whose work was popular in the West in the 1960's as the 'Fish Bone' Diagramme, had a rule. Before you asked 'how'(you were to do anything) first you exhausted the 'why' (it should be done at all or on a particular project or at a particular time).

We have to disclose up-front that One Big Idea Consulting Limited NZ has been training and educating managements around the globe at board level in the Ishikawa philosophy for two decades... as it applies to marketing research, creative branding and intergrated R&D. We are biased. No doubt about that.Guide to Quality Control Ishikawa has legs into the 21st century !

This Ishikawa focus, highlights the flaw of this otherwise quite decent novice guide to marketing research in its so called 'qualitative' guise. Too much 'how' and not nearly enough 'why'.

Wendy Gordon's Good Thinking: A Guide to Qualitative Research is much more to the point... and much more in line with Ishikawa skepticism. For skeptical researchers with a few hundred projects behind their focus groups, observation windows and discussion panels and open-ended questionnaires, Gordon stands out as a veteran consumer researcher who tackles the really tough 'WHY' issues beyond the run-of-the-mill 'HOW'. Other than that, we have no quarrel with the Miriampolski content such as it is. For the beginners it is an OK starter, before you graduate to Gordon and tough-test your thinking.

The key question is not so much as 'HOW' to apply one other research technique in the tool-box. The really critical issue is 'WHY' should one or other research project be done at all ! Gordon digs much deeper than Miriampolski in trying to answer the 'WHY'.

Thorough, enagaging - useful for new researchers as well as experienced professionals. Great basis for team workshopping........2006-01-16

Hy Mariampolski is an inspiring man - and both generous and energetic in spreading the word about qualitative techniques and ethnography. It is refreshing to read such a well-written guide without having all the self-promotional baggage that litters too many practitioners handbooks.

For a start, I find his history of qualitative techniques a great place to start this volume. As a synopsis of our professional history this is colourful, accurate and useful in contextualising why researchers do what they do.

He then rolls through the big questions - when to use qualitative research, which techniques to choose, the planning of projects (including a thorough section of choosing & screening respondents) and then the juicy section: running interviews or focus groups.

Here, Mariampolski makes us feel right at home. He's instructive without being didactic, and he speaks in a common-sense manner, peppering his advice with pertinent examples and a few illustrations. He includes a very useful chapter on the special considerations of youth research, multicultural research, interviewing business executives and covering particularly sensistive topics.

The final main section is on the analysis of qualitative information, and the presentation of this. Again, Mariampolski speaks directly and usefully.

Overall I'd say the book is pitched mostly at newer researchers, and at those who are contemplating a typically fascinating career in qualitative research, but this shouldn't stop a more senior researcher from going through the easily read 300 pages and making notes: even to check their own techniques and consider new ideas.

The book is current (2001) and would make an excellent basis for a set of in-house training workshops for the research team. It is well worth the purchase. I wish all research texts were this clear.

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