|  | Authors: Leland Blank, Anthony Tarquin
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math
Buy Used: $105.99
as of 11/21/2009 18:17 CST details
New (21) Used (30) from $105.99
Seller: tnvalleybooks
Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 263937
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 6
Pages: 800
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.9
Dimensions (in): 9 x 7.4 x 1.3
ISBN: 0073205346
Dewey Decimal Number: 624
EAN: 9780073205342
ASIN: 0073205346
Publication Date: December 16, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Hardcover 6th edition. Heavy wear and creasing. Text clean and binding tight. Bow to book. NO ONLINE CODE. Remainder mark.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 13
 "How to make a good student want to drop out of college" June 19, 2006
Godzilla
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
As someone who loves to learn, this is the most incomplete, illogically written textbook I've ever encountered. As a disclaimer, usually I have better things to do than review books online for complete strangers, but thankfully I can vent here, or I may have been compelled to use it to shatter my living room window, which wouldn't be good.
At best, it meanders back and forth between actual formulas and their complementary Excel formulas, which leaves the reader wondering why they should learn the real thing when Excel can do it for them anyway; but its Excel teachings follow the incomplete style of the book, so there's little chance of improving your Excel skills either. To be fair, on page 671 it lets you in on a brilliant secret: that you can obtain help from Excel by "left-clicking" on the help bar...but even fails to mention the F1 key...par for the course!
At worst, the questions at the end of each chapter (which affect ones GPA and entire future) vary just enough with the examples in the chapter, that it is impossible for the student to solve them without using outside means, like contacting the professor 24/7 which I may have to.
If you think I'm being unfair or have any bias, I'll put it to you this way: Suppose you had never driven a car before, and I wrote a book on how to open the door, turn the key, put it in drive, etc. and then gave you an exam on how to rebuild the engine.
I'm so disgusted with this book, I'd rather be spending this semester in North Korea, where I'd definitely learn more.
Horrible Book February 1, 2006
Engineering Student (University of Virginia)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book doesn't explain anything. It just shows a bunch of formulas and doesn't give any hint about when and how to use them one. One of the worst textbooks I've encountered in college (and I'm in my last semester). I wholeheartedly agree with all the negative feedback.
 A comprehensive and easy going book! September 18, 2005
Hiram Gomez Pardo (Valencia, Venezuela)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
This text is superb. It contains the basic principles of the economic analysis for its application in decision take process, with a conscientious and dynamic presentation of ever chapter, carefully designed with appropriate problems that permit to capture the real essence of the whole containment.
 5th edition - my first read of this topic ever - good book. September 13, 2005
Mr. Robert Holleman (Arkansas)
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is a great book, in my opinion.
I placed "5th Edition" in the topic line just to be certain that I am indeed referring to the 5th edition. It appears that Amazon is making no distinction as I posted this review for the 5th edition. Why this review shows for the 6th edition is a mystery to me. Anyway...
I have never read a book that even remotely resembles this topic before taking a class entitled "Economic Decision Making", which utilizes this particular text. I took basic Business Finance in my undergrad studies, but honestly the only thing I remember covering in that class was compounding of interest. This book goes MUCH farther than that.
I am currently on Chapter 17 of the 19. The class is over, but I am continuing with this text because the topic is very interesting to me. The application of this knowledge is very apparent, both in corporate use as well as the home, just to a lesser extent for the latter. The concepts are presented fairly well so I'm not sure why there are a couple of overly-harsh negative reviews (my opinion, of course).
I have struggled with it in a few sections, but this material is new to me, yet I am definitely learning. I have to give it overall a 4-star rating, maybe 4.5, based simply on how much I feel I have learned from the book. It covers the basics of the time value of money and the formulas/tools needed for decision making when trying to maximize value or make the most efficient use of capital.
The preface shows how flexible the ordering of the chapters can be. One can jump around quite a bit in this text. Only a few topics must be covered sequentially, namely chapters 1 through 4. Chapters 5 through 9 can be explored out-of-order, but chapters 1 THROUGH 9 must be covered before anything beyond that point. This is all neatly diagrammed in the preface and understanding this order reinforces the concepts found therein.
Is this for a newbie? I think so. The formulas and their derivations are all there. Did I understand most of the derivations? Absolutely not, but that doesn't mean the tools can't be understood and applied. The rules, guidelines, and procedures for solving problems are all there.
The book has many examples; some that can be worked out mentally while others demand either paper and a calculator or the use of a spreadsheet. The authors illustrate the use of hand-computations as well as spreadsheet models in their examples - both are important. Their application of choice is, of course, MS Excel. I was spreadsheet illiterate before this book. Now I am slowly learning the power of the spreadsheet.
None of the concepts are difficult to understand. From that standpoint, this book is definitely okay for newbies. It covers the many items that must be considered before doing any calculations. Mastering the art of running the numbers, however, requires ambition. Formulas can be remembered by anyone; it's the discipline of using them appropriately and interwovenly that can become overwhelming. It takes practice if you are serious about learning to utilize this material. Be prepared to work the problems - some short and quick, others long and somewhat time-consuming. Use the online quizzes and resources. You will learn.
Perhaps there are better books out there for the beginner? I can't really say because this is my only exposure to this topic. I have seen the mention of Schaum's for the introduction of many complex subjects. Maybe this material can be covered in a more simplistic fashion - a "warm up" guide, if you will - and maybe that is what Schaum's offers, but I am not sure.
For me, it just took a little bit of grinding and sorting through the calculations provided in the examples. I am much better for it, too. I have learned a lot from this book and it will make a great reference for the future. However, I should probably insist that one buy the latest edition (6th edition) as the material on taxes is subject to change with time and this edition (5th edition) was published in 2002.
I say if you are new to this, this text is a good place to start. Also, it has plenty of exercises for the veterans out there who might want to challenge themselves.
Eng Econ 6th edition August 22, 2005
Ken R. Pence (Nashville, TN)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Much better than the 5th edition - problems are worked by hand, formula and Excel. Not for the faint of heart however - works fine with a class presentation and using the accompanying website which has detailed Powerpoints and examples for every chapter. In combination with the web site - it is an excellent, math intensive text. Covers lots of ground and examples are current - a failing in many other texts.
Showing reviews 6-10 of 13
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