Visual Basic

Paul Wilmott on Quantitative Finance 3 Volume Set (2nd Edition)

Average customer rating:

One of well written books ever in the field of risk management
Good summary, but of no use to a job seeker
A must have for anyone interested in finance
An Excellent Summary of Quantitative Finance
We are better off with Wilmott's work than without it

Paul Wilmott on Quantitative Finance 3 Volume Set (2nd Edition)
Paul Wilmott
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Monte Carlo Methods in Financial Engineering (Stochastic Modelling and Applied Probability)

ASIN: 0470018704

Book Description

Paul Wilmott on Quantitative Finance, Second Edition provides a thoroughly updated look at derivatives and financial engineering, published in three volumes with additional CD-ROM.

Volume 1: Mathematical and Financial Foundations; Basic Theory of Derivatives; Risk and Return.
The reader is introduced to the fundamental mathematical tools and financial concepts needed to understand quantitative finance, portfolio management and derivatives. Parallels are drawn between the respectable world of investing and the not-so-respectable world of gambling.

Volume 2: Exotic Contracts and Path Dependency; Fixed Income Modeling and Derivatives; Credit Risk
In this volume the reader sees further applications of stochastic mathematics to new financial problems and different markets.

Volume 3: Advanced Topics; Numerical Methods and Programs.
In this volume the reader enters territory rarely seen in textbooks, the cutting-edge research. Numerical methods are also introduced so that the models can now all be accurately and quickly solved.

Throughout the volumes, the author has included numerous Bloomberg screen dumps to illustrate in real terms the points he raises, together with essential Visual Basic code, spreadsheet explanations of the models, the reproduction of term sheets and option classification tables. In addition to the practical orientation of the book the author himself also appears throughout the book—in cartoon form, readers will be relieved to hear—to personally highlight and explain the key sections and issues discussed.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Customer Reviews:

One of well written books ever in the field of risk management.......2007-04-23

I bought tons of books before this set. This is the place to start. It is written with style and humor coupled with a pace that is simple to adjust to. I judge a book by how many equations it has - more is BETTER! This set strikes a balance. The exposition is solid. It covers many specialized topics like Energy Derivatives (just a taste, mind you, but it is there to get us thinking). I guess the bottom line is this book allowed me to start thinking like a Financial Quant and less like a mathematical physicist. I have gotten much more out of the other more mathematical works because I understand how the Quants think. I still like The Physics of Finance by Ilinsky. This is more than the past Derivatives book (that makes up the first 65% of volume 1) and sets a real tone to understanding - this is just what I was looking for as I re-tool. Buy this FIRST. Read the TOC, and Get moving!

Good summary, but of no use to a job seeker.......2007-04-01

I totally agree with the review of James Ward below. It really doesn't make sense to complain that a SUMMARY of any kind "doesn't cover x" or "glosses over y" because that's unavoidable.

However, I'd like to shed some light of how large the "non-coverage" can be. For instance, you may think that if you have read what Wilmott has to say on Fixed Income Securities, you are at least familiar with the basics, but that's not the case. If you are an entry-level quant looking for a job who claimed to "know the fixed income" you are likely to answer the first 2-3 fixed income interview questions, but fail the rest - unless you add, like, 500 or more pages of fixed income material to what is given in Wilmott.

So if your goal is to be able to claim (even a basic) knowledge of a certain QF topic in your resume, it's necessary to purchase a few good books dedicated entirely to that topic. And to find out what books are good, you don't really need Wilmott's references - using Amazon search and customer reviews should do the job.

A must have for anyone interested in finance.......2007-03-08

I'm only through the first book of the set, and already can't wait to start the second one. This is the best book I've read on quantitative finance (and I thought Hull was pretty good). The language is easy, the math is not cumbersome, everything is clear.
If I had to make a suggestion, it would be in text references. They specify the author and publishing year, but often omit the name of the book (e.g. Wilmott refers to Neftci's 1996 book as the best on stochastic calculus for beginners, yet Amazon doesn't show anything by this author from that year)

An Excellent Summary of Quantitative Finance.......2007-02-15

As the student of the Msc in Mathematical Finance programme organized by the University of Oxford, I found that this book is indeed an excellent reference. Paul, as the founder of the captioned programme, write this book as a completion collection on all-you-have-to-know in quantitative finance. Most of the books for this topics are really expensive and Paul's work summarizes all the essential as well as the recent theories. For the 'Quants' who could able to derive models by themselves, or the semi-professionals in derivatives finance, it serves as 'budget' quick reference. As a cult writer, Paul's presentation is very funny indeed. All in all, it is a must buy for all students in this subject.

We are better off with Wilmott's work than without it.......2007-02-04

Paul Wilmott has made quantitative finance his life's work, and this (now three volume) collection of his explications of his own fundamental work and the aggregation of the dispersed work of others is a welcome reference library in a field of increasing density.

Here is the bad news; it doesn't contain everything.

Here is the good news: it doesn't contain everything.

And thank God, because if Wilmott had gone through each topic in the rigorous theorem-proof of yellow-spine Springer books we'd be old men before we got finished.

Wilmott's critics usually center around three areas: tone, incompleteness (or sloppiness), and emphasis.

On emphasis, Wilmott's strengths is his own material in partial differential equations (PDE approach), which makes sense as his earliest background was in the mathematics of fluid dynamics. Some readers, therefore, may detect that there is a heavier hand on PDEs over other analytic or numeric approaches, etc. But like any novel, any collection and textbook must have a "spine" on which to build and reference other topics in extension and contrast.

On incompleteness, readers should consult the "Look Inside" feature for a list of topics, and recognize that quantitative finance is now a field so vast that no one volume can circumscribe the subject. Nevertheless, if there is one collection that covers the most interesting and common topics, it is this one (Hull's 6th edition leaves out some helpful chapters contained in the 5th edition, for example).

On tone, colleagues complain Wilmott glosses over important dimensions and has a flippant engagement with the material. My view is this criticism is simply one of preference. Each author chooses how to express his subject, often injecting themselves into the explanation: this is an effective literary technique hollowed by time and results. Reading Hull is like reading a report from an audit committee: Hull's tone is lean and exact. Wilmott, on the other hand, holds that quantitative finance need not be pompous, needlessly abstract, self-important or dull. In fact, it should be fun. Hull isn't funny nor lively, while Wilmott tries to be both. Neither is wrong, just different approaches to the same goal: trying to get the reader to understand the material.

The term "encyclopedia" (which Wilmott wisely does not use) may have as its root meaning "all knowledge" but even Voltaire's original encyclopediaists were aware of the hubris contained in the phrase. Anyone who whines "it doesn't cover (x)" or "it only glosses over (y)" or "the math isn't rigorous enough" is never going to be satisfied and misses entirely the purpose of this work. If you want to collect all these formulas and topics in the expression of academic journals and enjoy reading about them that way you are but a Google-Scholar search and three years of spare time away from satisfying your unique utility curve. Perhaps it is only for meatheads like me, but so be it. Wilmott's hefty contribution merits widespread use as a reference work, but like anything it is a condensed collection that for any single topic needs additional work by the reader.

Programming Microsoft Visual Basic 2005: The Language (Pro Developer)

Average customer rating:

Excellent, monumental book - but not for everyone
excellent book for experienced programmer
Best book on VB.NET
Very Good Reference
VB 6 TO VB 2005 With Ease

Programming Microsoft Visual Basic 2005: The Language (Pro Developer)
Francesco Balena
Manufacturer: Microsoft Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 Step by Step (Step By Step (Microsoft))
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Programming Microsoft Visual C# 2005: The Language (Pro Developer)

ASIN: 0735621837

Book Description

Get the expert insights, indispensable reference, and practical instruction needed to exploit the core language features and capabilities in Visual Basic 2005. Well-known Visual Basic programming author Francesco Balena expertly guides you through the fundamentals, including modules, keywords, and inheritance, and builds your mastery of more-advanced topics such as delegates, assemblies, and My Namespace. Combining in-depth reference with extensive, hands-on code examples and best-practices advice, this CORE REFERENCE delivers the key resources you need to develop professional-level programming skills for smart clients and the Web.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent, monumental book - but not for everyone.......2007-05-31

Visual Basic appeared more than 15 years ago as a tool to define quick prototypes and develop GUI applications with ease. Its development environment, which the language was literally blended in, was remarkably easy to use. I remember those good old days when a fellow colleague of mine showed me how to draw VB forms and in less than an hour after I was already developing a new GUI application.

Visual Basic has gone through a long way since then. The language is nowadays a powerful, complex, potent medium to develop sophisticated applications. In fact, Visual Basic.NET is virtually on par with C#.

"Visual Basic 2005: The Language" by Francesco Balena tries to show - in a gentle yet dense manner - the long way that VB has pursued over the years and well as the current state of affairs. It succeeds on both counts.

The book is divided in four bigs parts:
1) The Basics - which introduces the reader to what Visual Basic.NET is all about, with explicit references to the differences between VB6 and VB.NET (very useful for VB6 programmers).
2) Object Oriented Programming - which presents the OOP support in VB.NET. This section is important because VB.NET departs from the old OOP support and gets more in line with the .NET paradigm.
3) Working with the .NET Framework - which may be seen as a natural continuation of the previous part in the context of the .NET framework.
4) Advanced Topics - which tackles how advanced .NET elements (like attributes) get handled in VB.NET as well as what VB.NET is still better than, say, C# (namely the interop with COM and Automation).

The book is truly monumental in form and dense in content. The style is slightly verbose but this adds value: you cannot skip pages without losing valuable information and in such conditions reading a book of this size is quite a task.

As an added bonus, the author presents several mini-projects that are in fact mini how-to tutorials: how to build a plug-in for WinForms, how to develop a n-tier application. Without the generosity of Mr. Balena you'd have to buy an extra book for an introduction in such useful stuff.

"Visual Basic 2005" has several minor drawbacks, though:
1) The remarks showing the differences between VB6 and VB.NET are scattered throughout the text. For a VB6 programmer this is difficult to follow and for a non-VB6 programmer this is slightly annoying. Perhaps Mr. Balena should have dedicated a special chapter to those differences and then forget about them.
2) The book does not say much about all the other .NET languages, as if VB.NET is the only .NET language under the sun. In fact, .NET diminishes the differences between languages without making them identical. This is not apparent from this book.
3) The book does not say enough about what is specific to Visual Basic, besides syntax. Why would anyone want to program in Visual Basic.NET when you have C#? In my opinion, Visual Basic.NET is not going to go away any time soon especially because it retains those qualities of VB6 - a verbose and intuitive syntax, a loose typing system (perfect fit for Automation interop) as well as a slightly better exception catching mechanism. In my opinion, "Visual Basic 2005" does not elaborate enough on such necessary topics.

Overall, the book is a must if you want to come up to speed with the Visual Basic language after years of programming in other languages. However, if you want to learn Visual Basic from scratch or if you want to use Visual Basic.NET for more "mundane" tasks - such as building WinForm applications - then this book is not for you.

excellent book for experienced programmer.......2007-05-19

I based my purchase of this book on the reviews on it, and I must say that they were accurate. This book is an exceptionally good means for an experienced programmer to learn how to program in Visual Basic 2005. Assuming one already is familiar with typical program mechanisms and mindsets, this book allows you to immediately become effective without wasting time discussing elementary concepts.

I should also add that the writing of the book is pleasant, the proofing very well done, and the overall appearance is quite nice. There aren't many books that get 5 stars but this is one.

Best book on VB.NET.......2007-03-29

I have read through a few best selling VB.NET books and I believe this is the best book on the topic. The best part about this book is that it does not give the rehashed technical manual feeling that most other books would give you. Instead, you can tell the author had been planning to write this book for a while and he added many fine details about VB.NET and Framework which might have been puzzling you. However this book only comvers the core topics and there are some other fine details which are missed, so I recommend you reading together with Visual Basic 2005 Programmer's Reference (Programmer to Programmer). That book gives you the rehashed feeling, though.

Very Good Reference.......2007-03-27

If you are looking for a beginners book then go elsewhere. If you are looking for a very well written reference on the more advanced features of VB then this is your book. It covers all advanced aspects very well and has lots of sample code to assist you in your development efforts.

As a very experienced VC++ and STL developer switching to VB, I needed a reference on how to code my ideas in VB2005. This book was the best investment of the 5 books I have purchased on the system.

VB 6 TO VB 2005 With Ease.......2007-03-15

I found this to be the best source I've read that reveals the code changes from VB 6 to 2005. The code samples explain in detail how to easily accomplish tasks in VB 2005.

Excel VBA Programming For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

Average customer rating:

Great Book!
Fast delivery, excellent quality
Great for beginners
good enough
Excel VBA Programming

Excel VBA Programming For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
John Walkenbach
Manufacturer: For Dummies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Excel 2003 Power Programming with VBA (Excel Power Programming With Vba)
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Excel 2003 Bible

ASIN: 0764574124

Book Description

Having Excel and just using it for standard spreadsheets is a little like getting the ultimate cable system and a 50” flat panel plasma HDTV and using it exclusively to watch Lawrence Welk reruns. With Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programming, you can take advantage of numerous Excel options such as: creating new worksheet functions; automating tasks and operations; creating new appearances, toolbars, and menus; designing custom dialog boxes and add-ins; and much more.

This guide is not for rank Excel amateurs. It’s for intermediate to advanced Excel users who want to learn VBA programming (or whose bosses want them to learn VBA programming). You need to know your way around Excel before you start creating customized short cuts or systems for speeding through Excel functions. If you’re an intermediate or advanced Excel user, Excel VBA For Dummies helps you take your skills (and your spreadsheets) to the next level. It includes: <ul type="disc">

An introduction to the VBA language

A hands-on, guided, step-by-step walk through developing a useful VBA macro, including recording, testing, and changing it, and testing it

The essential foundation, including the Visual Basic Editor (VBE) and its components, modules, Excel object model, subroutines and functions, and the Excel macro recorder

The essential VBA language elements, including comments, variables and constants, and labels

Working with Range objects and discovering useful Range objective properties and methods

Using VBA and worksheet functions, including a list and examples

Programming constructions, including the GoTo statement, the If-Then structure, Select Case, For-Next loop, Do-While loop, and Do-Until loop

Automatic procedures and Workbook events, including a table and event-handler procedures

Error-handling and bug extermination techniques, and using the Excel debugging tools

Creating custom dialog boxes, also known as UserForms, with a table of the toolbox controls and their capabilities, how-to for the dialog box controls, and UserForm techniques and tricks

Customizing the Excel toolbars

Using VBA code to modify the Excel menu system

Creating worksheet functions and working with various types of arguments

Creating Excel add-ins such as new worksheet functions you can use in formulas or new commands or utilities </ul>

Author John Walkenbach is a leading authority on spreadsheet software and the author of more than 40 spreadsheet books including Excel 2003 Bible and Excel 2003 Power Programming with VBA. While this guide includes tons of examples and screenshots, Walkenbach knows there’s no substitute for hands-on learning. The book is complete with: <ul type="disc">

A dedicated companion Web site that includes bonus chapters plus all sample programs to save you a lot of typing and let you play around and experiment with various changes

Information to help you make the most of Excel’s built-in Help system so you can find out other stuff you may need to know </ul>

What are you waiting for? Sure, learning to do VBA programming takes a little effort, but it’s a Very Big Accomplishment.

Download Description

Shows ordinary users how to harness the power of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and create custom Excel applications

This book introduces people to a wide array of new Excel options, including creating new worksheet functions, automating tasks and operations, creating new toolbars and menus, designing custom dialog boxes and add-ins, and much more

Begins with the most important tools and operations for the Visual Basic Editor, then provides an overview of the essential elements and concepts for programming with Excel

John Walkenbach, a.k.a. "Mr. Spreadsheet," runs a popular Web site (www.j-walk.com) on Excel techniques and is the author of many bestselling books on Excel </ul>

Customer Reviews:

Great Book!.......2007-06-14

I found this book to be an excellent introduction to using VBA in Excel. The author provides clear and usable examples to illustrate what he's talking about and demonstrate good programming practices. Clearly written for beginners who have never really used VBA, this book will get you writing VBA in no time, and best of all, it's not some boring technical manual that threatens to put you to sleep.

Fast delivery, excellent quality.......2007-01-10

The book arrived sooner than I expected and was in perfect condition.

Thanks again!

Great for beginners.......2007-01-05

This is not the book for building complex applications within Excel but that's not what I got it for. I wanted something that would get me started on understanding how to manuver within VBA and do some basic coding and this book fits the bill perfectly. It's amazing how many books there are on this subject that don't fill the need for a beginner.

good enough.......2006-11-03

the book doesn't tell you everything, but it tells you what you need to know to get started and get some things done. It is great resource to take you from zero knowledge to proficiency with the most commonly used VBA tasks. However, a VBA beginner will quickly outgrow this book and need to move on to John's more advanced VBA books.

Excel VBA Programming.......2006-08-18

Great Book.
Easy to Read and understand in typical John Walkenbach style.
Just what every VBA beginner needs to get started.

Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 Step by Step (Step By Step (Microsoft))

Average customer rating:

Gets the Job Done
not helpful, would not buy again
Review
Not quite complete
SPEED!

Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 Step by Step (Step By Step (Microsoft))
Michael Halvorson
Manufacturer: Microsoft Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Programming Microsoft Visual Basic 2005: The Language (Pro Developer)
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Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 Step By Step (Step By Step (Microsoft))

ASIN: 0735621314

Book Description

Visual Basic 2005 focuses on enabling developers to rapidly build applications, with enhancements across its visual designers, code editor, language, and debugger that help accelerate the development and deployment of robust, elegant applications across the Web, a business group, or an enterprise. Now you can teach yourself the essentials of working with Microsoft Visual Studio® 2005 and the new features of the Visual Basic language—one step at a time. With STEP BY STEP, you work at your own pace through hands-on, learn-by-doing exercises. Whether you're a beginning programmer or new to this specific language, you'll understand the core capabilities and fundamental techniques for Visual Basic 2005. Each chapter puts you to work, showing you how, when, and why to use specific features of Visual Basic and guiding as you create actual components and working applications for Microsoft Windows®. You'll also explore data management and Web-based development topics.

Customer Reviews:

Gets the Job Done.......2007-06-23

Study each chapter, type in and compile the samples and by the end of the book you'll have a good "basic" understanding of the subject. This is a good place to start for someone who has never used BASIC.

not helpful, would not buy again.......2007-04-02

if you know nothing about vb it might be useful; treats you like an idiot

Review.......2007-03-09

Probably the most helpful of the basic programmers class books, the author has considerable experience outside the computing world and consequently is able (at least for me) to put his message across clearly to the rest of us humanoids. And with humour!

Not quite complete.......2007-01-11

This book is very good for the beginning VB.net programmer but lacks some topics if you wish to use it as a reference book. I would like to see this book have some information on stored procedures and triggers.

SPEED!.......2007-01-11

This book brings you up to speed very fast. I was a complete novice but now using Visual Basic to write a program in my dissertation.

The only downside is that you have to get Visual studio separately, it would have been a nice addition even if at an extra cost or charged separately.

Ivor Horton's Beginning Visual C++ 2005 (Programmer to Programmer)

Average customer rating:

Nice introduction to Visual C++
Informative, but long winded.
Good even for experienced VC++ programmers
It looks like an excellent book
Ivor Horton's Beginning Visual C++ 2005

Ivor Horton's Beginning Visual C++ 2005 (Programmer to Programmer)
Ivor Horton
Manufacturer: Wrox
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition Programming for the Absolute Beginner (For the Absolute Beginner)
Microsoft Visual Studio Standard 2005
Pro Visual C++/CLI and the .NET 2.0 Platform
Professional C++ (Programmer to Programmer)
Enterprise Application Development with Visual C++ 2005 (Programming Series)

ASIN: 0764571974

Book Description

<ul>

Popular author Ivor Horton uses his trademark approachable writing style to provide novice programmers with the basic tools as they learn Visual C++ 2005

Readers will learn how to program in C++ using Visual C++ 2005-without any previous knowledge of C++

More than 35 percent new and updated material covers the new release of Visual C++, and exercises and solutions help readers along the way

Demonstrates the significant new features of Visual C++ 2005, providing improved flexibility in developing Microsoft applications in C++ </ul>

Download Description

Popular author Ivor Horton uses his trademark approachable writing style to provide novice programmers with the basic tools as they learn Visual C++ 2005 Readers will learn how to program in C++ using Visual C++ 2005-without any previous knowledge of C++ More than 35 percent new and updated material covers the new release of Visual C++, and exercises and solutions help readers along the way Demonstrates the significant new features of Visual C++ 2005, providing improved flexibility in developing Microsoft applications in C++

Customer Reviews:

Nice introduction to Visual C++.......2007-04-19

I bought this book from Amazon. Its a nice introduction to Visual C++. Ivor Horton gives a gentle introduction to C++ and then leads into Visual C++ Windows programming. The book should be easy for beginners to read and is detailed enough to enable an experienced programmer to write commercial Windows programs.

On the negative side, the book has many errors, and in my opinion is a bit misorganized

Informative, but long winded........2007-03-22

I bought this book because I've had little experince with C++ or Visual Studio, and I wanted something that would be in-depth and thorough. While this book is a very authorative resource, it seems that he repeates himself too often. Also he doesn't give enough examples. But all in all it was a good buy for the money.

Good even for experienced VC++ programmers.......2007-03-11

I have 12 years of C++/MFC experience and I still found this book to be THE one that would ultimately propel me to learn C++/CLI and be on my way to becoming as proficient in .NET as I am in MFC. I still have a long ways to go, but this book is the one to start with.

It looks like an excellent book.......2007-03-09

I found this book excellent for those who want to learn this language, it contains a lot of examples easy to test, and the explanations are extensively detailed, ...

Ivor Horton's Beginning Visual C++ 2005 .......2007-03-08

Looked at several books before purchasing. Excellent book for beginner or advanced needing review of c++. Second Ivor Horton book. Highly recommend.

Financial Theory and Corporate Policy (4th Edition) (The Addison-Wesley Series in Finance)

Average customer rating:

Disappointing
A Good Update to a Classic Text
It is definitely not a book for PhD level
It's a masterpiece!

Financial Theory and Corporate Policy (4th Edition) (The Addison-Wesley Series in Finance)
Thomas E. Copeland , J. Fred Weston , and Kuldeep Shastri
Manufacturer: Addison Wesley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Corporate Finance | Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Intermediate Financial Theory (Academic Press Advanced Finance Series)
The Theory of Corporate Finance
The Econometrics of Financial Markets
Asset Pricing: (Revised)
Options, Futures and Other Derivatives (6th Edition)

ASIN: 0321127218

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2007-05-09

I had this book for a PhD class in finance and have very few good words to say. The derivations should have been omitted: rarely is anything followed from the beginning to the end; the excerpts that are provided do not give much additional insight. Abundant typos in the formulas. In addition, the context of the models is often poorly presented and I was often left wondering what the situation or some assumptions are. Overall, relatively poorly written.
The book does give an overview of a lot of papers and as long as it is viewed as a starting point to read the papers it is acceptable. Still, the presentation is very fragmented and frustrating, creating a strong desire to read the original papers.

A Good Update to a Classic Text.......2007-04-09

It took a while before this 4th edition came out. The 2nd and 3rd editions were pretty good, and the 4th ed still contains a lot of the old material. Clearly, this says something about finance theory - but it updates a lot of the empirical results and includes some new/relevant topics. I would have to agree that this book is probably a little shallow for the Ph.D. level, but most Ph.D. corporate finance courses probably would use papers rather than texts. Hence, that's where your actual derivations and the actual author's thought comes from. On the other hand, this book takes a very good approach and the authors are very respected in the field. In terms of a more advanced MBA text, I think that this is the best book available.

It is definitely not a book for PhD level.......2006-08-01

The book suggests it serves as a first course in finance for PhD students, and a second course in finance for master students. But as I see it, it is too shallow for PhD level reading, as it never explain some complicated derivation clear enough. You don't know how some statements or conclusions come from. There is just not enough explanation. I mean, the author could have said that "after some derivations" or "it can be shown that...", but they just give some results without mentioning whether it can be derived with some convoluted math but because it is out of the depth of the book, only the result is given, or it just comes easily from the assumptions or conditons. I have to figure their logic since usually I just like to thought about how to derive a result as I am supposed to read it as a first book in finance for a PhD student. Many times I have to give up figuring, as the steps the authors take from the conditions to the results are usually too big to guess. So I ended up with treat this book as an ElEMENTARY level book, giving up any derivation and analyzing, just taking the results as granted.
According to my roommate who is a master in finance student and who happened to look at my book for curiosity, this book looks too deep for a master level in some topics, e.g., real options. They try to talk about some complicated financial theories, not deep and clean enough for a PhD student and also not that intuitive to understand for a master student.
In sum, I would say, don't waste money and time on this book. If you are a PhD student, read some books or papers treating certain topics with clear derivations and depth. If you are a master student, though my opinion is sort of partial, the book does not provide good intution for some advanced topics.

It's a masterpiece!.......2005-03-31

"Financial theory and corporate policy" is THE theory-of-finance book. It is so well-written, concise, and most importantly, it gives you the framework of conceptual knowledge and intuition to understand what the literature on financial theory is trying to do and how it all fits together. It is appropriate for a second course in finance or a first PhD level course. The building blocks needed to get the most out of this text is matrix algebra, elementary calculus (integrals and differentials), intermediate microeconomics, basic statistics (regression analysis), some optimization (min and max of functions), and basic financial skills such as discounting, the use of cash flows, pro forma income statements and balance sheets. The book has excellent appendices if you lack or need to brush up on these topics. Also, after each chapter state-of-the-art references are listed, very useful if you want to delve a little deeper. To summarize, I just love this book, and I think you will too.

Practical Guidelines and Best Practices for Microsoft Visual Basic and Visual C# Developers (Pro-Developer)

Average customer rating:

A very useful book
Average book
Good book
Driven to buy by the negative review
Starts Slow, But Great Stuff

Practical Guidelines and Best Practices for Microsoft Visual Basic and Visual C# Developers (Pro-Developer)
Francesco Balena , and Giuseppe DiMauro
Manufacturer: Microsoft Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Programming Microsoft Visual Basic 2005: The Language (Pro Developer)
Framework Design Guidelines: Conventions, Idioms, and Patterns for Reusable .NET Libraries (Microsoft .NET Development Series)
Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 Core Reference
Programming Microsoft ADO.NET 2.0 Applications: Advanced Topics
Programming Microsoft Visual C# 2005: The Base Class Library (Pro-Developer)

ASIN: 0735621721

Book Description

Get the real-world coding guidelines, expert tips, and rock-solid guidance you need to take your Microsoft .NET development expertise to the next level. Drawing from their extensive programming and consulting experiences, respected developers Francesco Balena and Giuseppe Dimauro share 350 best programming practices for Visual Basic and Visual C#, clearly stating the purpose of each practice, and when and how it should be applied. Youll get practical, valuable advice on the rightand wrongapproaches to using different language elements, programming the .NET Framework, and working with related technologies to create reliable, scalable, maintainable, and security-enhanced solutions.

Customer Reviews:

A very useful book.......2007-05-01

In the [...] environment there are many different ways to accomplish the same result. This book provides information from people who are indisputably knowledgeable in the area that helps enormously in choosing between the various options. One of the most useful parts of it is the explanation that is provided for why one option has been chosen above another, which is to say, why it's a "best practice." I would recommend this book to any .Net programmer who wants to acquire concrete data that will help him in making his programming decisions.

Average book.......2006-05-17

Although there are some good insights here and there, not too much to gain.

Good book.......2006-01-17

I am a reader of Balena's books and appreciate his writings. I have read this book and would only say that the objective of the book if not teaching theory to computer science students but to explain practical guidelines.
I am a computer engineering graduate myself and have studied both thoery as well as working on cutting edge technologies for past 7 years.
There are times where most of the theories are not in line with the practical development life cycle and I have seen best of the architects breaking Mr Codds rule on database most of the times.

This book is one such master piece that gives you information on real world development guidelines and best practices and have recommended this book to most of the fresh developers in my team.

- Techie

Driven to buy by the negative review.......2006-01-07

I was driven to buy this book by the negative review of Papadimoulis. I now have the book in my hand, and I haven't been able to put it down.

So far, I haven't seen any recommendations I disagree with. It's actually entertaining to explore the book and discover several tips that I did not really know about. Even the seemingly simple {_string == ""} being slower than {_string.length == 0} was a pleasant surprise.

That elegant and really simple snippet for providing asyncronous support is worth the money I paid for this book. I can already imagine many team mates casually coming by my desk, picking up this book, rifling through absent-mindedly and then suddenly ... wide-eyed with amazement because they just stumbled across a gem.

Starts Slow, But Great Stuff.......2005-09-07

This book has great stuff in it. However, it starts off really slow and might tempt you to skip it. Don't! There is a ton of information for many areas of development. I especially like having both VB and C# and their differences noted. This can be used at any level, but the more experienced reader will value the wealth of knowledge even more.

Financial Modeling - 2nd Edition: Includes CD

Average customer rating:

As advertised.
Nice Text but Inadequate Preparation for Real-World Banking or Consulting Careers
Develop Advanced Financial Modeling Skills
amazing!!!!!!!!!!!
A useful handbook for financial modeling

Financial Modeling - 2nd Edition: Includes CD
Simon Benninga
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Principles of Finance with Excel: Includes CD
Advanced modelling in finance using Excel and VBA
Investment Valuation: Tools and Techniques for Determining the Value of Any Asset, Second Edition
Building Financial Models with Microsoft Excel: A Guide for Business Professionals
Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies, Fourth Edition

ASIN: 0262024829

Book Description

Too often, finance courses stop short of making a connection between textbook finance and the problems of real-world business. Financial Modeling bridges this gap between theory and practice by providing a nuts-and-bolts guide to solving common financial models with spreadsheets. Simon Benninga takes the reader step by step through each model, showing how it can be solved using Microsoft ExcelÂ®. In this sense, this is a finance "cookbook," providing recipes with lists of ingredients and instructions.

Areas covered include computation of corporate finance problems, standard portfolio problems, option pricing and applications, and duration and immunization. The second edition contains six new chapters covering financial calculations, cost of capital, value at risk (VaR), real options, early exercise boundaries, and term structure modeling. A new technical chapter contains a potpourri of tips for using ExcelÂ®.

Although the reader should know enough about Excelâ¢ to set up a simple spreadsheet, the author explains advanced ExcelÂ® techniques used in the book. The book includes chapters dealing with random number generation, data tables, matrix manipulation, and VBA programming. It also comes with a CD-ROM containing ExcelÂ® worksheets and solutions to end-of-chapter exercises.

Customer Reviews:

As advertised........2007-05-26

The book arrived on time and in the condition as it was advertised.

Nice Text but Inadequate Preparation for Real-World Banking or Consulting Careers.......2006-11-13

Simon Benninga's Financial Modeling covers a wide range of topics in varying degrees of depth. Much of what investment banking analysts or associates would need to know is contained in chapter 3, Financial Statement Modeling and Chapter 4, Using Financial Statement Models for Valuation. However, the lack of depth in these chapters would leave the reader grossly unprepared for real-world modeling tasks.

Typical transaction models (i.e. acquisition, LBO) have many dependencies that are driven by selectable scenarios. A working model gets rather complex and ultimately turns into a debugging exercise. With various assumptions modules (operating, working capital, transaction scenarios etc.) contained within the model, a great deal of thought has to be placed on structure. At the same time, attention to detail and presentation are very important.

Unfortunately, it would be very difficult to teach the step-by-step process of creating a fully functional model in a textbook. Hence, the most suitable training occurs in company-provided courses or for-profit training organizations. The latter are expensive and only located in NYC as far as I know. One exception is Deal Maven, which is an e-Learning course that covers transaction models in detail. Expect to spend over a thousand dollars though. In all cases, it will take 60 - 80 hours of instruction if you already have excellent Excel skills.

If you are attempting to get somewhat proficient with modeling *before* entering analyst or associate training, it might be helpful to study a handful of chapters in this book. If you need to hit the ground running, seek banking training on Craigslist in NYC or use an online program such as DealMaven.

Develop Advanced Financial Modeling Skills.......2006-03-06

As a university teacher of strategic corporate finance and optimal investment, I have watched the financial industry analytics transcend hand calculation with financial calculators to financial modeling with spreadsheet software. Depending on whether the financial specialty is in corporate or banking/brokerage, the job skills requirement can range from corporate cost control to optimal portfolio design. Thus, modeling skills services both company research and financial planning.

Whenever I travel in my business, this reference book goes with me; additionally, in both Russia and Germany, it was the book used by the corresponding McKinsey consultants. If you are comfortable with financial principles, purchase this book. If, however, you need to review financial fundamentals, then first purchase Dr. Benninga's textbook, Principles of Finance with Excel (see my review).

Statement: Learning this skill will keep you from selling electronic appliances at a discount retailer, cold calling for a debt shop, or writing contracts on leased vehicles, as your first "out-of-college" job. If you are already out of college, learning this skill might keep you from being stuck in a dead-end position.

INVESTMENTS:
The study of equity and capital markets is fundamental to anyone specializing in finance. Potential development from studying this book is the possibly dramatic extension to your financial skill set by adding the ability to analyze and then model optimal investment portfolios using Excel. Most analyses in business will be completed using spreadsheets, or other software, and not by hand calculation. In fact, much of your time as a financial specialist, in any capacity, will be building spreadsheets to solve complex financial problems. The sequence of spreadsheets used in investments analytics have become increasingly sophisticated: From complex financial models in asset valuation to detailed derivative payoff structures. With the skills developed in studying advanced business analysis techniques in Dr. Benninga's textbooks, investors, and advisors, can locate efficiently run companies to be included in optimally diversified portfolios.

In watching the financial industry analytics transcend hand calculation with financial calculators to financial modeling with spreadsheet software, I have repeatedly witnessed students with financial modeling skills obtain jobs that are typically reserved for specialists holding advanced degrees or having multiple years of experience. Both brokerages and banks in the investment side of the financial industry are increasing requiring knowledge and skills in designing optimal portfolio design. Put simply, it is the ability to strategically design a "real time" investor's portfolio that is driving the demand for Excel modeling skills by financial firms. In order to design optimal portfolios, skills in corporate financial modeling are necessary. The ability to recognize well run companies is the ability to compile a diversified and optimal portfolio: The company seeks tools to help run operations and financing efficiently, and the investor seeks tools to help find efficiently managed companies. While most company's financial models are designed based on revenue analytics, the investor's model is a portfolio consisting of the various potentially profitable investments. For investors, the stocks being held in the investor's portfolio will be those of efficient companies exhibiting the investment characteristics required by the investor. From the business viewpoint, those who truly gain from knowing these analysis techniques are the businesspeople that use them to run efficient companies; from the investment viewpoint, those who truly gain are the individuals who use the tools to find those efficiently managed companies worthy of investment. It is important to realize that the skills needed by an investor are no different from the skills needed by good managers. When evaluating a company for investment, an investor will often use the same models that business executives use in their financial and operational management and forecasting. Once an individual learns how to analyze and value cash flows, the viewpoint can be either that of a business evaluating a potential project, or an individual evaluating a potential investment. The point in all of this, with either company financial planning, or investment planning, making the needed modifications to a changing, and rapidly more global, world in Excel is easy.

In using Dr. Benninga's books, you can expand beyond the capital market basics in your financial knowledge to include spreadsheet modeling; furthermore, in this process, develop highly marketable financial modeling skills that will boost your ability to advance your career.

amazing!!!!!!!!!!!.......2006-01-22

Amazing, these kind of tools are basic for anyone interested in a financial career. Its an excellent book, an it is easy to read and very dynamic and useful

A useful handbook for financial modeling.......2005-10-11

This is a quite useful handbook for its easy understanding excel sheets and graphs demonstration. The CD-Rom attached is very helpful for practicing financial modeling problems.

Visual Basic 2005 How to Program (3rd Edition) (How to Program (Deitel))

Average customer rating:

Veronica Sanders
an excellent read
You need to know the target audience
The Very Best Visual Basic Book ........Period!

Visual Basic 2005 How to Program (3rd Edition) (How to Program (Deitel))
Deitel & Associates
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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Visual Basic(R) 2005 for Programmers (2nd Edition) (Deitel Developer Series)
Visual C# 2005 How to Program (2nd Edition) (How to Program)
Simply Visual Basic 2005 (2nd Edition)
Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 Step by Step (Step By Step (Microsoft))
Start-to-Finish Visual Basic 2005: Learn Visual Basic 2005 as You Design and Develop a Complete Application (The Addison-Wesley Microsoft Technology Series)

ASIN: 0131869000

Book Description

With Visual Basic.NET, Microsoft transforms Visual Basic into a supercharged tool for developing next-generation Web services and Windows applications. Now, learn Visual Basic.NET hands-on, through thousands of lines of live code in hundreds of complete working programs -- explained with exceptional clarity by the renowned programming trainers of Deitel & Associates! Visual Basic.NET How to Program starts by introducing the Visual Studio.NET development environment; then covers all key VB.NET programming fundamentals, from control structures to methods, arrays, and object-oriented programming. It delivers in-depth coverage of VB.NET GUI development; multithreading; graphics and multimedia; XML programming; database development with SQL and ADO.NET; building Web Forms and Web Services with ASP.NET; network programming; data structures; accessibility; and more. The book contains hundreds of real-world tips and techniques for writing high-quality code, improving performance and reliability, and efficient debugging. For all beginning programmers -- and developers experienced with traditional languages -- who want to master Visual Basic.NET quickly.

Customer Reviews:

Veronica Sanders.......2007-02-15

As a former IT Instructor, I give the thumbs up on this book. Its great, informative and very detailed. It takes a novice programmer to the intermediate level of programming.

.......2007-01-10

Only about a quarter of the way throught this text but I am enjoying its depth and coverage of programming concepts.

an excellent read.......2007-01-03

The book is very well set out and easy to follow. I cannot fault the way in which each subject is approached and explained. The questions and answers are a useful test to find out if you have understood the chapter.

If I were to say anything against the book it would concern the test examples at the end of each chapter. I know that the book is for teachers and their students so I understand that answers aren't given. It would, however, be nice to have a couple of questions with answers for those of us who are using the book on their own to learn Visual Basic.

I whole heartedly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn Visual Basic.

You need to know the target audience.......2006-07-02

I believe this book is targeted at new programmers or programmers who have no experience with VB language. I have read the previous edition cover to cover. I have to say this book does a good job of bringing your (VB) programming skills to a level that is just below commercial level. That is to say, despite the sheer volume, it does not teach you everything about VB.NET, many major advanced concepts are glossed over. For example, what is exactly the difference between a module and a class?(not explained clearly) Why are why namespace names seems to be hierachial?(glossed over) What's a inner class(Not included)? Why do we need structures? Why can't we just use classes for everything(Not included)?

What I'm saying is, despite this being a very good book to bring you to an intermediate level, it's not an advanced VB book. I still recommend this book if you have no VB.Net experience and the "Visual Basic. Net 2005, the language" seems to complement this book well, as that book incudes advanced topics.

The Very Best Visual Basic Book ........Period!.......2006-06-18

Just when I thought their second edition was the best, the Deitels have certainly outdone themselves once again. This book flat rocks. This book contains so much useful information it is unbelievable.

They have also improved the font as some have complained in the past in regards to this (which shows the Deitels listen to their customers)

Great job once again. One reviewer had it right.
"The deitels are deities"

Average customer rating:

No codes samples available
Great breakdown on the tool for novices and professionals alike!
Microsoft Visual Studio Unleashed
Full of insightful information
Nice information, puts it all in context...

Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Unleashed
Lars Powers , and Mike Snell
Manufacturer: Sams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Professional Visual Studio 2005
ASP.NET 2.0 Unleashed
Visual Studio 2005 All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
Professional Visual Studio 2005 Team System (Programmer to Programmer)
Mastering Web Development with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005

ASIN: 0672328194

Book Description

Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Unleashed is a deep dive into the Visual Studio 2005 tool. Specifically, it will provide you with solid guidance and education that will allow you to squeeze the ultimate productivity and use out of the Visual Studio 2005 development environment. This book folds in real-world development experience with detailed information about the IDE to make you more productive and ease transition from other development environments (including prior versions of Visual Studio). This book will also help you increase team collaboration and project visibility with Visual Studio Team Systems and it will give you straight, to-the-point answers to common developer questions about the IDE.

Chapters include:

<UL> <LI>Code Viewers, Explorers, and Browsers <LI>Refactoring Code 8 <LI>Writing ASP .NET Applications <LI>Defining Standards and Practices <LI>Introduction to Visual Studio Team System <LI>Work Item Tracking <LI>Unit and Load Testing</LI></UL>

Customer Reviews:

No codes samples available.......2007-03-07

An excellent book. Lots of examples. Unfortunately, you will have to type in all the code examples yourself as the Sams Publishing web page does not have any downloads even though the back covers says that they are available.

Great breakdown on the tool for novices and professionals alike!.......2007-02-21

This book did a great job of revealing the breadth of features available in the product. I think this book is quite useful to not only those that are just getting started but those that are seriously considering implementing VS/TFS in the organization. Even if you are an experienced user of Visual Studio you will certainly learn several new tricks. In fact, I reference this book with my clients who are interested in rolling out VS and TFS.

Microsoft Visual Studio Unleashed.......2007-01-10

The book has been a disappointment; it assumes that the reader knows almost everything there is to know about the Visual Studio 2005 program, and the explanations are vague, and far and few in between.
I just wasted valuable money buying this book. I should have checked its contents at the local bookstore first before purchaing it.
This book is poorly written.

Full of insightful information.......2006-12-18

I was very impressed with the content found in this book, there was wide coverage of not only the in's and out's of using the IDE, which is an excellent introduction to any beginner, but also great coverage of Visual Studio Team System and the automation model found within Visual Studio allowing anyone to extend the IDE, which is more in line with an intermediate developer. This book is well suited for the beginning to intermediate developer looking to get up to speed with Visual Studio 2005. Great job Lars and Mike.

Nice information, puts it all in context..........2006-10-08

OK... I can see why Microsoft Visual Studio has been such a popular IDE for developers. Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Unleashed from Lars Powers and Mike Snell does a nice job in explaining the value of the latest version of this classic, as well as being an in-depth guide to the feature set...

Contents:
Part 1 - An Introduction to Visual Studio 2005/.NET: A Quick Tour of Visual Studio 2005; A Quick Tour of the IDE; .NET Framework and Language Enhancements in 2005
Part 2 - The Visual Studio 2005 Environment - In-depth: Solutions and Projects; Browsers and Explorers; Introducing the Editors and Designers; Working with Visual Studio's Productivity Aids; Refactoring Code; Debugging with Visual Studio 2005; The Visual Studio Automation Object Model; Writing Macros, Add-ins, and Wizards; The .NET Community - Consuming and Creating Shared Code
Part 3 - Visual Studio 2005 at Work: Creating ASP.NET User Interfaces; Building Windows Forms; Working with Databases; Web Services and Visual Studio
Part 4 - Visual Studio Team System: Team Collaboration and Visual Studio Team System; Managing and Working with Team Projects; Source Control; Work Item Tracking; Modeling; Testing; Team Foundation Build; Index

For someone like me who isn't a .NET developer, I found Part 1 very useful. The intro and tour gave me a great overview of what the IDE offers, and I could easily relate the different parts to the environment (Eclipse) I'm already familiar with. With that background, I could have easily taken Parts 2 and 3 and become productive in relatively short order. The authors maintain a good blend of text to screenshots to code, so I felt like I was getting a combination of reference and tutorial information in one volume. The argument could be made that all this information can be found in the help files, as is the case with most applications. But it's a lot easier to learn a tool like this (at least for me) when there's a structured guide that puts all the information in context. The Unleashed titles do just that, and this one is no exception...

Programming Book:

Programming Book

Programming Book