Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Services Marketing or Organization Modeling

Services Marketing

Author: Christopher H Lovelock

Significantly revised, restructured, and updated to reflect the challenges facing service managers in the 21st century, this book combines conceptual rigor with real world examples and practical applications.
Exploring both concepts and techniques of marketing for an exceptionally broad range of service categories and industries, the Sixth Edition reinforces practical management applications through numerous boxed examples, eight up-to-date readings from leading thinkers in the field, and 15 recent cases.
For professionals with a career in marketing, service-oriented industries, corporate communication, advertising, and/or public relations.

Booknews

A text for use in MBA and executive MBA courses, designed to complement material found in traditional marketing principles texts. Offers a strong managerial orientation and strategic focus in an integrated approach to studying services that places marketing issues within a broader general management context. This fourth edition contains four new chapters, seven new readings, five new cases, and more coverage of consumer behavior, people management, and Internet- based services. Lovelock gives seminars and workshops. He was on the faculty of Harvard Business School for 11 years. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



Interesting book: Gestão Estratégica:Criação de Vantagens Competitivas

Organization Modeling: Innovative Architectures for the 21st Century

Author: Joseph Morabito

The revolutionary guide to architecting your entire organization!

  • Modeling your entire organization for maximum effectiveness
  • Architecture-in-the-large and architecture-in-the-small
  • Harnessing tacit knowledge and learning
  • Practical guidelines for implementing your models

Now, go beyond modeling your software and your processes: model your entire organization for maximum competitive advantage. Organization Modeling: Innovative Architectures for the 21st Century introduces the revolutionary discipline of object-oriented organization modeling, combining today's most sophisticated approaches to IT modeling with the latest advances in organization and management frameworks. Discover powerful new tools for modeling-and transforming-your organization's environment, goals, processes, information and knowledge resources, structure, technology, even culture. Coverage includes:

  • Why it's dangerous to think of today's IT models as "business models"
  • How to create and align small-scale "organization molecules" into effective enterprise-wide architectures
  • Envisioning organizational patterns
  • Integrating data, knowledge, and information

Whether you're an executive, IT planner, analyst, software professional, or student of management, if you want to improve your organization's effectiveness, you finally have a disciplined, systematic framework for doing so: Organization Modeling.



Table of Contents:
Preface
Ch. 1Organization Modeling1
Pt. 1Organizing OM9
Ch. 2An Introduction and Critique of Organization Theory14
Ch. 3Designing Organizations26
Ch. 4A New Approach to Organization Modeling43
Ch. 5The Layered Organization62
Ch. 6Organization Molecules78
Ch. 7Aligning Organization Molecules94
Ch. 8The OM Design Process109
Ch. 9Organizational Patterns124
Pt. 2Building a 21st Century Organizational Architecture155
Ch. 10Directionality and Culture158
Ch. 11Process Formulation169
Ch. 12Data, Knowledge, and Information199
Ch. 13Knowledge Formulation230
Ch. 14The 21st Century Learning Organization248
AppA Brief Review of Information Modeling275
Bibliography281
Index286

Monday, February 16, 2009

Banking Risk Management in a Globalizing Economy or Mind Set Management

Banking Risk Management in a Globalizing Economy

Author: Panos Angelopoulos

Banking is now an active asset-liability risk management enterprise, attributable in large part to the globalization of commerce. The authors of this descriptive yet practical, applications-oriented book examine the sources and management of traditional and nontraditional banking risks, then the conventional on-balance sheet and the modern off-balance sheet risk management methods. The authors offer experienced as well as novice practitioners an easily accessable way to understand and cope with the banking risks. The book will also be useful as a supplemental text in college-level courses on money and banking and on the operation of financial markets in general.

Booknews

Angelopoulos, a Greek credit analyst and consultant to the Ministry of Education on developing courses in banking and stock markets, and Mourdoukoutas (economics, Long Island U., New York) introduce the risks for banks in a world in which consumers can shop the Internet for banking services. They explain how to manage, measure, monitor, and control risks, emphasizing the use of financial derivatives to control the interest rate, exchange rate, and credit risks as the three major banking risks at the core of banking business. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



Books about: Data Structure and Other Objects Using C or AutoCAD 2002 Tutorial

Mind-Set Management: The Heart of Leadership

Author: Samuel A Culbert

You can follow any business guru you want, be it Peter Drucker or Tom Peters. You can adopt any new management concept, from reengineering to "empowering people." But Samuel A. Culbert has one caveat: no matter what managerial "religion" you choose--and there are many sound ones--before you can lead, manage, or team up effectively, you must comprehend the mind-sets that direct the people with whom you are interacting. In Mind-Set Management, Culbert provides a model for thinking about other people--about their self-interested motives and about their biased views of work events--as he shows managers at all levels how to use psychology instead of manipulation in giving valid, even great, advice.
The essence of leading and managing, says Culbert, is "staging the conditions for others to be effective," which today entails giving advice and feedback, not issuing directives. This is particularly true with today's "empowering" management styles. But, as most managers know all too well, advice is often resisted, resented, and ignored. The problem, Culbert contends, is that managers don't have the other person in focus: When they formulate advice, they think they are attuned to the other person, but in fact the person they have listened to most is themselves. Mind-Set Management will help you focus on the person you want to advise, explaining what you need to learn and to know in order to give advice that is great because it is advice that actually gets used. It will prompt you to ask yourself (and will help you answer) such questions as: Why do people insist on seeing events with their own particular biases and distortions? Why do they resist my best ideas and advice about howthey can function most effectively? Why can't I get people to change how they reason and think? Why do people have so much difficulty putting internal politics aside? What's needed for people to trust one another and listen to advice? Why are some people blind to the obvious logic behind the feedback and advice they receive? Culbert has packed the book with vivid case illustrations and stories that people, whether CEOs or project staff, will identify with--weaving the concepts and stories together to present evidence that makes the lessons personally compelling. With these lessons, you will find yourself reading essential, previously unseen dimensions of what is critical in the other person's thinking. You will be better able to see where other people's interests lie and how they view the corporation and the task at hand, and you will be able to give great advice, advice that will be followed because it serves the interests of the person who receives it even as it advances the company's goals.
Today there are many new and progressive ideas about how to manage more effectively, but without the psychological component that Samuel Culbert provides in Mind-Set Management, you are simply putting old wine in new bottles--as what seems "new" quickly becomes business as usual. Thus this is an important, groundbreaking work. Indeed, Warren Bennis, in the Foreword, calls it "one of the lasting contributions to our understanding of corporations, the psychology of people who work in them, and perhaps most of all, a contribution to understanding ourselves."



Table of Contents:
1The New Management Models: What They Say and What's Needed to Pull Them Off3
2The Artifact of Mind Insight25
3The Outsider's Perspective or "If you're from out of town, you must be an expert."45
4Giving Advice and Feedback Are Inherently Political Activities64
5Mind-Set Sensitivity: The Importance of Knowing How the Other Person Reasons and the Importance of the Other Person Knowing That You Know84
6Understanding What Personal Competence Means: The Alignment Model of Empowerment105
7Discerning Alignment Strategies and the Mind-Sets That Derive from Them124
8Gaining Control by Relinquishing It149
9Getting People Interested in the Feedback You Have to Give167
10Mismatches in Levels of Feedback Sent and Received183
11Different Levels of Influence and Advice and the Categories of Interaction They Create203
12Breakthrough Learning218
13Assessing the Feasibility of Achieving Breakthrough-Learning Results230
14Perspectives to Keep in Mind When Participating in Breakthrough-Learning Interactions253
15Breakthrough Learning: Case Study and Exam264
16Performance Evaluation: The Capstone Event in Giving Feedback and Advice275
17Breaking Out of the Program294
18How the Artifact of Mind Insight Instructs Us to Act312
Epilogue323
Glossary327
Index335

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Marketing in Travel and Tourism or New Jersey Dreaming

Marketing in Travel and Tourism

Author: Victor T C Middleton

Now in its third edition, the best-selling text, Marketing in Travel and Tourism, explains the principles and practice of marketing as they are increasingly being applied in the global travel and tourism industry. Building on the success of previous editions, the authors have completely revised the text to reflect the changes in the travel and tourism industry in the 21st century.

International examples and case studies drawn from recent practice in several countries are used throughout the text. Case studies emphasising the role of ICT include: Microburners, Travel Inn (budget hotels), RCI Europe, the Balearic Islands, and ICT and the role of the Internet in international NTO strategies.

With its comprehensive content and user friendly style, Marketing in Travel and Tourism third edition takes the reader from an initial definition of the subject matter through to the application of marketing in the travel and tourism industry, discussing crucial components such as planning strategy and the marketing mix, making it an indispensable text for both students and practitioners alike.

Explains the concepts and principles of marketing
Extensive use of case histories and examples
A classic work of reference



Table of Contents:
The meaning of marketing in travel and tourism; Understanding the marketing mix in travel and tourism; Planning strategy and tactics for travel and tourism marketing; Using the principal marketing tools in travel and tourism; Applying marketing in the travel and tourism industry; Case studies of marketing practice in travel and tourism; Epilogue: prospects for travel and tourism marketing.

Interesting textbook: Globalized Islam or Best Laid Plans

New Jersey Dreaming: Capital, Culture, and the Class of '58

Author: Sherry B Ortner

Pioneering anthropologist Sherry B. Ortner is renowned for her work on the Sherpas of Nepal. Now she turns her attention home-ward to examine how social class is lived in the United States and, specifically, within her own peer group. In New Jersey Dreaming, Ortner returns to her Newark roots to present an in-depth look at Weequahic High School's Class of 1958, of which she was a member. She explores her classmates' recollected experiences of the neighborhood and the high school, also written about in the novels of Philip Roth, Weequahic High School's most famous alum. Ortner provides a chronicle of the journey of her classmates from the 1950s into the 1990s, following the movement of a striking number of them from modest working- and middle-class backgrounds into the wealthy upper-middle or professional/managerial class.



Saturday, February 14, 2009

Exploring Macroeconomics or Trade and Industrial Policy under International Oligopoly

Exploring Macroeconomics

Author: Robert L L Sexton

The 4th Edition of Robert Sexton's EXPLORING MACROECONOMICS is now available in a modular format. The 4th Edition offers the macroeconomics content in 5 modules - in other words, it costs less than a traditional macroeconomics text. Buy a product that provides more value for your dollar! You no longer have to buy the same material twice your instructor will not get through during the term. You are no longer paying for unused material -- and no longer carrying a heavy text!



Table of Contents:
1. The Role and Method of Economics
2.Six Powerful Ideas for the Economics Way of Thinking. APPENDIX: Working with Graphs
3.Scarcity and the Economizing Problem
4.Supply and Demand
5.Elasticities
6.Consumer Choice and Welfare. APPENDIX: Consumer Choice Theory
7.The Public Sector
8.Introduction to Macroeconomy
9.Measuring Economic Performance
10.Economic Growth in the Global Economy
11.Aggregate Demand. APPENDIX: Aggregate Expenditure Model
12.Aggregate Supply and Macroeconomic Equilibrium
13.Fiscal Policy
14.Money and the Banking System
15.The Federal Reserve System and Monetary Policy
16.Issues in Macroeconomic Theory and Policy
17.International Trade
18.International Finance.

Book review: Création des Équipes Efficaces :un Guide pour les Membres et les Chefs

Trade and Industrial Policy under International Oligopoly

Author: Sajal Lahiri

The existence of firms with different levels of efficiency within a country plays an important role in this in-depth analysis of industrial and trade policies in a multi-country trade-theoretic framework. Sajal Lahiri and Yoshiyasu Ono examine various industrial policies, R&D subsidies and trade policies under conditions of imperfect competition in a product market created by the presence of Cournot oligopolistic interdependence in production. The book covers commodity trade (assuming full employment) and foreign direct investment (assuming unemployment) making it of interest to researchers, advanced students and policy makers.



Friday, February 13, 2009

Illusions of Prosperity or Industrial Revolution

Illusions of Prosperity: America's Working Families in an Age of Economic Insecurity

Author: Joel Blau

Faith in the free market--the idea that, for instance, profit-seeking managed care companies will improve the health care delivery system--has become a basic tenet of public policy debate. But as Joel Blau demonstrates in this eye-opening book, so-called "free market" programs have been a dismal failure, heightening inequality, lowering the median standard of living, and steadily eroding the quality of our social and political life.
In Illusions of Prosperity, Blau launches a far-reaching assault on idea that "the market" knows best. Blau writes that while the share of the national income held by the bottom four fifths of the population (the poor and broad middle class combined) has continued to decline, the top fifth gained 97 percent of the increase in total household income between 1979 and 1994. "Few experiments," Blau comments, "yield such clear outcomes. Although many had hoped to benefit from the new market economy, this affluent fifth is the only segment of the population that truly has." Blau looks at recent reforms in NAFTA, education, job training, welfare, and much more, showing that the new social policies have made matters worse, because reforms that rely on the market can't compensate for the market's deficiencies. Instead, he calls for a stronger, more caring government to counter the debilitating effects of the market, and he urges the development of the broadest possible political alliances to ensure economic security.
Sure to raise controversy, Illusions of Prosperity turns today's conventional wisdom inside out, making a profound case for the importance of a strong government in a world where markets do not have all the answers.

Library Journal

Blau's uneven polemic asserts that the current "market" approach to social ills helps only the top 20 percent of society while the rest suffer. He proposes increased federal government intervention as the solution, championing national healthcare, vastly expanded day care, stronger unions, and worker participation. Blau (social work, SUNY at Stony Brook), who looks at America through a Western European Socialist lens, feels that as long as business controls hiring and investments, education will not help most Americans. He acknowledges that his views are not in the majority but notes correctly that the pendulum could swing. Liberals may like his ideas; conservatives will cringe. Both will find this a tedious, occasionally condescending read--a lonely call for a return to big-government liberalism that most libraries will find more effectively argued in periodicals like the New Republic or the Nation. Neither lively enough to be called a screed nor convincing enough to be recommended.--Patrick J. Brunet, Western Wisconsin Technical Coll. Lib., La Crosse Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.



Interesting book: Administración de recursos Humana

Industrial Revolution

Author: Pat Hudson

The period c. 1760 to 1830 used to be seen as a watershed in the transition to modern industrial society. More recently historians have disputed the existence of fundamental change in economic, social, or political life at this time. The British industrial revolution is quietly disappearing from the history books. Hudson challenges this development, arguing that the process of revision has gone too far: continuity has been emphasized at the expense of change and many historically unique features of the economic and society of the period have been unjustly neglected. This new edition retains the successful structure of the highly praised original but extends the author's defense of the dynamism of the period with greater coverage of social and cultural changes, trust and networks as well as innovation, trading, and financial developments. The text is fullu updated to take account of major new research during the past decade.



Thursday, February 12, 2009

Economic Justice in an Unfair World or Strategic Transformation and Information Technology

Economic Justice in an Unfair World: Toward a Level Playing Field

Author: Ethan B Kapstein

Recent years have seen a growing number of activists, scholars, and even policymakers claiming that the global economy is unfair and unjust, particularly to developing countries and the poor within them. But what would a fair or just global economy look like? Economic Justice in an Unfair World seeks to answer that question by presenting a bold and provocative argument that emphasizes economic relations among states.

The book provides a market-oriented focus, arguing that a just international economy would be one that is inclusive, participatory, and welfare-enhancing for all states. Rejecting radical redistribution schemes between rich and poor, Ethan Kapstein asserts that a politically feasible approach to international economic justice would emphasize free trade and limited flows of foreign assistance in order to help countries exercise their comparative advantage.

Kapstein also addresses justice in labor, migration, and investment, in each case defending an approach that concentrates on nation-states and their unique social compacts. Clearly written for all those with a stake in contemporary debates over poverty reduction and development, the book provides a breakthrough analysis of what the international community can reasonably do to build a global economy that works to the advantage of every nation.



Table of Contents:
1Economic justice in an unfair world1
2Fairness in trade45
3Allocating aid86
4Justice in migration and labor114
5Harnessing investment147
6Toward a level playing field : a policy agenda175

Go to: Terrorism or Human Behavior and the Social Environment

Strategic Transformation and Information Technology: Paradigms for Performing while Transforming

Author: Marilyn M Parker

Focusing on the realities of global competition and the impact on businesses and information technology (I/T) and its organizations, this dynamic, progressive book highlights the significant changes in the competitive environment and within the enterprise, illustrating how each directly impacts I/T, and how I/T can impact the enterprise change mechanisms.Analyzes major uncertainties an enterprise must face and the resulting new business paradigms required for successful business transformation that imply new directions, responsibilities, and environments for I/T. Discusses the impact of new business paradigms and initiatives surrounding enterprise transformation, and the consequences for I/T applications and activities. Examines new responsibilities and roles of I/T, its accompanying change of charter and organizational infrastructure. Introduces a three phase Strategic Transformation methodology for planning. Identifies and discusses new business paradigms and the resulting change of I/T paradigms. For business and technology professionals.



Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Ohio Real Estate Law or Regionalism in East Asia

Ohio Real Estate Law

Author: Carol Irvin

Undoubtedly, the most comprehensive and completely updated guide available anywhere. OHIO REAL ESTATE LAW is packed with the latest information on legislative changes and discussion of the newest forms supported by an online integrated learning system with illustrated case scenarios, storyboards, and practical assignments throughout delivering a complete, blended-learning tool.



Books about: The Myth of a Christian Nation or The Culture of the New Capitalism

Regionalism in East Asia

Author: Fu Kuo Liu

Regional co-operation and integration have emerged as key issues for East Asia following the financial crisis. This book explores these issues, and examines the degree to which a new paradigm is emerging. It reviews the evolution of the concepts and practices of regionalism in East Asia, and considers the factors which are shaping new patterns of regional co-operation and integration. It includes discussions of historical developments, economic co-operation, socio-political factors, and defence and security. It considers the role of those states, including China and Japan, which have distinctive approaches to international relations, and assesses the role of regional international bodies such as ASEAN.



Table of Contents:
List of contributors
List of abbreviations
Preface
Prologue: Whither regionalism in East Asia?
Pt. IThe critical review of regional concepts and theories of regionalism1
1East Asian regionalism: Theoretical perspectives3
2The post-Cold War development of regionalism in East Asia30
3Economic cooperation in East Asia: Revisiting regional concepts and the subregional case of ASEAN52
Pt. IIRegional cooperation in practice in East Asia and encountering regional theories69
4East Asian regionalism and the evolution of a fragmented region: A conceptual approach towards the political sector of security71
5Regionalism and subregional cooperation: The ASEAN experience85
6Regionalism and regional governance in Northeast Asia100
7Northeast Asia: Developmental political economy and the prospects for regional economic integration119
Pt. IIIThe new direction of East Asia regionalism139
8The impact of the financial crises of East Asian regionalism141
9The concept of 'Greater China' and East Asia153
10Sovereignty at bay? Business networking and democratic politics of informal integration between Taiwan and Mainland China in the 1990s176
11Regionalism through interregionalism: East Asia and ASEM197
12Conclusion: The renewal of regionalism and an East Asian new order220
Bibliography231
Index250

Monday, February 9, 2009

Health Care Finance or White Farms Black Labour

Health Care Finance: Cost, Productivity, and Strategic Design

Author: Steven R Eastaugh

Health Care Finance: Cost, Productivity and Strategy Design is a thorough and balanced exploration of what is happening in the rapidly changing health care marketplace. New payment incentives, which stimulate change in the marketplace are analyzed. Tools for success include better financial planning productivity improvement, better scheduling systems, total quality management, cost effectiveness, and cost—benefit studies. The range of coverage is wide and detailed, making this book essential reading for health care professionals, health care finance students, and health economics students.

Booknews

Examines the various cost-containment proposals and other financial strategies that have been advanced in the 1990s against the backdrop of the empirical research available to date. The author covers payment incentives, integrated systems, marketing and pricing, quality improvement, HMOs, competition, tax- exempt and for-profit systems, access to capital and debt financing, and future policy options. Intended for managers, policy makers, health care providers, and graduate students studying to enter the industry. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.



Table of Contents:
Preface
Acknowledgments
Ch. 1Payment Incentives, Integrated Systems, and Cost Management1
Ch. 2Specialization, Accounting, and Standard Costing17
Ch. 3Paying the Doctor35
Ch. 4Cost-Effectiveness and Cost-Benefit Analysis55
Ch. 5Marketing and Pricing75
Ch. 6Productivity Improvement: Managing Effective Cost Controls103
Ch. 7Quality Improvement125
Ch. 8HMOs, Competition, and Managed Care141
Ch. 9Long-Term Care: Issues and Options155
Ch. 10Tax-Exempt and For-Profit Systems179
Ch. 11Evaluation of Financing Alternatives191
Ch. 12Access to Capital and Debt Financing213
Ch. 13Future Policy Options: The Bumpy Road Ahead235
Index249

New interesting book: The Modern Presidency or No Place to Hide

White Farms, Black Labour: Agrarian Transition in Southern Africa, 1910-1950

Author: Jonathan Crush

Paper Edition. The essays in this collection explore various aspects of the lives and experiences of black farm workers who were driven off their own land and forced to labor on white farms instead.



Sunday, February 8, 2009

Public Relations Writing or Whats in a Name

Public Relations Writing(Series in Mass Communication and Journalism): Form and Style

Author: Doug Newsom

Write with understanding and purpose with PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING: FORM AND STYLE! With a practical approach, this communication text uses the principles and theories of public relations to provide you with the tools you need to improve your writing skills. Examples, illustrations, and end-of-chapter exercises give you the opportunity to see public relations in action. The book-specific website saves you time by providing you with exercises, tutorial quizzes, and web activities.



New interesting book: Principles of Accounting or Media Organisations in Society

What's in a Name?: Advertising and the Concept of Brands

Author: John Philip Jones

This is a completely rewritten and updated version of one of the true classic books in the field of marketing and advertising -- once described as "pure gold" by advertising guru David Ogilvy. What's in a Name? Advertising and the Concept of Brands analyzes brands from the point of view of modern marketing theory. It deals in detail with the role of advertising in creating, building, and maintaining strong brands -- the lifeblood of any long-term marketing campaign. The work is empirically based and is supported by the best research from both the professional and academic fields. The authors describe the birth and maturity of brands and dissect the patterns of consumer purchasing of repeat-purchase goods. This new edition of What's in a Name? besides including all-new research findings and examples, adds new coverage of the short-term, medium-term, and long-term effects of advertising on sales of brands. The book concludes with new recommendations on how to develop and expose better advertising.



Table of Contents:
List of Tables and Figures
Foreword: Advertising and Brand Planning
1Introduction3
2Brands: What They Are and Why They Emerged19
3Factors That Shape a Brand During Its Conception and Birth45
4Factors That Shape a Brand During Its Growth and Maturity73
5The Mature Brand and the Consumer: The Nature of Repeat-Buying Theory107
6Advertising Research: A Digression on Recall136
7How Advertising Influences Sales163
8How Advertising Builds Brands188
9Giving a Brand Legs: Brands as Collectible Entities214
10The Contribution of Advertising Strategy to Brand Building230
11From Advertising Strategy to Advertising Campaign257
12How to Develop and Expose Better Advertising270
Index291
About the Authors309

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Evaluative Inquiry for Learning in Organizations or Improving Organizational Performance

Evaluative Inquiry for Learning in Organizations

Author: Hallie Preskill

How does evaluative inquiry contribute to your organizational learning? How do you practice evaluative inquiry to maximize individual and team learning? Offering you a way of thinking about and conducting evaluative inquiry in every kind of organization, Evaluative Inquiry for Learning in Organizations provides a data-based approach to organizational learning and change. By focusing on the use of evaluative inquiry processes within organizations rather than across large-scale, multisite programs, authors Hallie Preskill and Rosalie T. Torres are able to bridge the gap between what research "says" about individual, team, and organizational learning and what it "says" about evaluation. The authors lay the foundation and context for evaluative inquiry by including:

- How organizations are changing.

- What it means to learn at the individual, team, and organizational levels.

- The four learning processes that facilitate evaluative inquiry.

Through the use of an illustrative case, the authors guide you through the three phases of evaluative inquiry - from focusing the inquiry to developing action plans. Also included are interviews from four different organizations: Land O'Lakes, Colorado Department of Education, Ford Motor Company, and Presbyterian Hospital and Healthcare Services. These interviews allow you to "hear" how participants perceived and experienced these procedures. This exciting volume concludes with additional considerations when practicing evaluative inquiry, including an exploration of the evaluator's role and challenges to implementing evaluative inquiry in today's organizations.

Writtenfor evaluators, managers, consultants, and trainers, Evaluative Inquiry for Learning in Organizations shows you how to integrate evaluative inquiry into your organization's work processes so that its members are better able to make their organizations successful.

 

Booknews

Provides a data-based approach to organizational learning and change, focusing on the use of evaluative inquiry processes within the organization rather than across large-scale, multisite programs. Illustrative cases demonstrate three phases of evaluative inquiry, from focusing the inquiry to developing action plans. Interviews with managers at four different types of organizations reveal how participants experienced these procedures. For evaluators, managers, consultants, and trainers. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.



Table of Contents:
List of Strategies, Exhibits, and Figures
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1Evaluative Inquiry and Organizational Change1
2Learning in Organizations17
3Evaluative Inquiry Learning Processes51
4Focusing the Evaluative Inquiry71
5Carrying Out the Inquiry97
6Applying Learning131
7Building the Infrastructure for Evaluative Inquiry153
8The Practice of Evaluative Inquiry183
Questions for Facilitating Evaluative Inquiry193
References201
Index211
About the Authors217

Book about: The Move to Community Policing or The Business Case for Enterprise Class Wireless LANs

Improving Organizational Performance: A Practical Guidebook for the Human Services Field

Author: Gary V Sluyter

A practical guide to recently developed management principles, Improving Organizational Performance takes the reader beyond the basics of the TQM fad to the core concepts that undergird it. The book provides a basic reference and field guide for mental health service organizations that are interested in learning about and applying sound management principles. In addition to basic theory, it presents procedures for putting quality practices in place, using examples from the field to illuminate points, and including a complete case study to help organizations learn the quality improvement team process. Improving Organizational Performance is an effective tool for improving performance for managers in mental health, human services, and social services.

Booknews

Provides a basic reference and field guide for managers of mental health, human services, and social service organizations. Includes basic theory as well as practical information: specific procedures for implementing quality practices, examples from the field, and a case study to help organizations learn the quality improvement team process. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.



Friday, February 6, 2009

International Business or Business Cycle Theory

International Business

Author: Stuart Wall

 

International Business provides an accessible and theoretically rigorous introduction to the subject. Starting with an analysis of external environmental factors, the book moves to examine the functional and operational issues faced by international businesses. Throughout the text, more subtle organisational and cultural isues, increasingly crucial to success, are given strong prominence.

The throroughly updated second edition provides new cases and FT articles, encouraging the reader to explore the practical applications of the key concepts. There is also an increased emphasis on international strategic directions to highlight the importance of long-term business planning. A coherent structure is supported by a strong pedagogical framework, with further substantial resources available on the book's website at www.booksites.net/wallrees.

Ideally suited for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and modules in International Business, the book will also appeal to 'non-specialist' students from disciplines outside business and management.

Key Features
• Emphasis on culture, ethics and the environment
• New Chapter 8: International strategic issues
• New and revised case material and FT articles
• Broad coverage of key environmental and operational factors
• Strong pedagogical structure enabling and active and open-learning approach
• Companion website provides resources for both students and lecturers

Stuart Wall is Subject Leader in Business and Economics at Ashcroft International Business School, Anglia Polytechnic University and has actedas a consultant on international business issues for the OECD. Bronwen Rees is Senior Research Fellow, also at Ashcroft International Business School, and has been a Visiting Fellow at both Cranfield School of Management and Judge Institute, Cambridge University.



Look this: L'Ergothérapie Réussie

Business Cycle Theory

Author: Lutz G Arnold

Business cycle theory is a broad and disparate field. Different schools of thought offer alternative explanations for cycles, often using different mathematical methods. This book provides a compact exposition of the main theories since Keynes--Keynesian economics, monetorism, new classical economics, the real business cycles theory, and new Keynesian economics--using a unified mathematical approach.



Table of Contents:
1Introduction
2Keynesian Economics
3Monetarism
4New Classical Economics
5Real Business Cycles
6New Keynesian Economics
7Lessons About Business Cycles
References
App. 1Stochastic Second-order Difference Equations
App. 2The Over-investment Theory
App. 3A Goodwinian Model
Index

Thursday, February 5, 2009

The Audience the Message the Speaker or The Rise and Fall of Abacus Banking in Japan and China

The Audience, the Message, the Speaker

Author: John Hasling

This brief, core introduction to public speaking combines a concern with classic rhetoric with a strong focus on ethics, diversity, and the latest technology. The Audience, The Message, The Speaker emphasizes the speaker's responsibility to convey succinct, meaningful information that is well organized, reliable, and clearly expressed for the relevant audience. The new edition features new sections entitled "Analyzing the Audience in a Post 9/11 World," "Making PowerPoint Presentations," and "Researching on the Internet."



New interesting textbook: American Shamans or The Seattle Sutton Solution

The Rise and Fall of Abacus Banking in Japan and China

Author: Yuko Arayama

Bankers in Japan and China are masters of accounting, not risk management, and American-style rescue packages won't solve their banking crises. Cleaning up balance sheets and purging non-performing loans won't work either, say Arayama and Mourdoukoutas. The problem goes deeper. It stems from high growth environments and tight government regulation. The result has been to limit competition in Japan and eliminate it in China. And that led to the control of management behavior, which weakened incentives for Japanese and Chinese bank decision makers to manage, hands-on, their traditional and nontraditional banking risks. They may be experts with the abacus but they have little experience with or understanding of the other more important aspects of banking. A challenging, provocative, readable study and analysis it is, an essential resource for academicians and policymakers in business, government, and international finance and investment.



Table of Contents:
Beyond Nonperforming Assets: Abacus Banking
The Rise and Fall of Abacus Banking and the Banking Crisis in Japan
The Rise of Abacus Banking in Japan
The Fall of Abacus Banking in Japan
The Banking Crisis
The Rise and Fall of Abacus Banking and the Looming Banking Crisis in China
The Rise of Abacus Banking in China
The Fall of Abacus Banking in China
The Looming Banking Crisis in China
Conclusions

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Service Quality Management in Hospitality Tourism and Leisure or European Modernity and Beyond

Service Quality Management in Hospitality, Tourism, and Leisure

Author: Jay Kandampully

Does your staff deliver the highest quality service possible?

Customers today expect a very high overall level of service in hospitality, tourism, and leisure. Competition in these fields will thus be driven by strategies focusing on quality of service to add value, as opposed to product or price differentiation.

Service Quality Management in Hospitality, Tourism, and Leisure highlights concepts and strategies that will improve the delivery of hospitality services, and provides clear and simple explanations of theoretical concepts as well as their practical applications! Practitioners and educators alike will find this book to be invaluable in their businesses and in preparing students for the business world.

This essential book provides you with clear, comprehensive explanations of theoretical concepts and methods that will give you the competitive edge in this fast-changing field. Topics covered include:

  • services management
  • marketing
  • operations management
  • human resources management
  • service quality management
Service Quality Management in Hospitality, Tourism, and Leisure brings together an array of pertinent materials that will measure and enhance customer satisfaction and help you provide superior hospitality services, and groups them in easy-to-use clusters for quick reference.

Booknews

For managers and educators, a guide to measuring and improving customer satisfaction in a hypercompetitive market. The three editors and 16 contributors are academics in hotel, restaurant, and tourism management, business management, and human resource management in the UK, US, Australia, and New Zealand. The work is an effort to provide a holistic, interdisciplinary view of what service quality is and how it can be managed. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



Table of Contents:
About the Editors
Contributors
Preface
Ch. 1Concepts of Tourism, Hospitality, and Leisure Services1
Ch. 2Unique Characteristics of Tourism, Hospitality, and Leisure Services5
Ch. 3Service Quality Concepts and Dimensions Pertinent to Tourism, Hospitality, and Leisure Services51
Ch. 4The Impact of People, Process, and Physical Evidence on Tourism, Hospitality, and Leisure Service Quality67
Ch. 5Understanding the Role of the Service Encounter in Tourism, Hospitality, and Leisure Services85
Ch. 6Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction, and Value: An Examination of Their Relationships97
Ch. 7Competitive Advantages of Service Quality in Hospitality, Tourism, and Leisure Services111
Ch. 8Approaches to Enhance Service Quality Orientation in the United Kingdom: The Role of the Public Sector123
Ch. 9Service Quality Monitoring and Feedback Systems143
Ch. 10Measuring Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction159
Ch. 11Managing Service Failure Through Recovery193
Ch. 12Empowering Service Personnel to Deliver Quality Service223
Ch. 13Service Guarantee: An Organization's Blueprint for Assisting the Delivery of Superior Service239
Ch. 14Managing and Marketing Internal and External Relationships255
Ch. 15Cross-Cultural Issues in Service Quality269
Ch. 16Technology and Its Impact on Service Quality281
Ch. 17Delivering on Service: What Are the Questions and Challenges for Tomorrow's "Virtual University"?297
Index319

New interesting textbook: Planification Financière Personnelle

European Modernity and Beyond: The Trajectory of European Societies, 1945-2000

Author: Goran Therborn

The European community has evinced dramatic changes since the conclusion of the second World War; both individually and collectively, its nations have experienced continuous shifts in political, cultural, and economic climes. Has this process resulted in greater solidarity among European nations--and with others on the globe--or has it only strengthened disparities? To what extent has the period 1945-2000 produced fundamental differences or revealed areas of continuity? Through his broad-ranging analysis of the profile of contemporary European societies, Göran Therborn assays the development and outcome of such crucial issues as mass consumption, collective memory and identities, modes of collective action, and the two great steering projects of the times: socialism in the East and European union in the West. Combining theoretical depth with empirical data, this volume will be essential reading for all students of the politics and sociology of Europe and of contemporary industrial societies.



Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The Evolution of Economic Thought or The Prehistoric Exploration and Colonisation of the Pacific

The Evolution of Economic Thought

Author: Stanley Bru

The Evolution of Economic Thought, 6/e presents the history of economics and the philosophies that drive the economic way of thinking. It stresses the importance of understanding contemporary economics, by grasping new ideas, evidence, problems and values that call for reconsideration of basic disputes and major contributions of the past. The textbook explains the ideas of the great economic thinkers and their logical connections to the world of today and tomorrow. Updated pedagogial features provide clear insight into issues like antitrust perspectives and game theory. Introducing ideas like Robert Solow's pioneering model to discuss recent renewed emphasis on growth theory and technological change, the author sheds historical light on modern debates and thoughts. Stanley Brue once again carries on the legacy of Jacob Oser, the book's creator, by offering a scholarly and timely presentation of the history of economic thought.



Interesting book: Certain Victory or JK Lassers Your Winning Retirement Plan

The Prehistoric Exploration and Colonisation of the Pacific

Author: Geoffrey Irwin

The exploration and colonization of the Pacific is a remarkable episode in human prehistory. Early sea-going explorers had no knowledge of Pacific geography, no instruments for measuring time and none for exploration. Forty years of modern archaeology, experimental voyages in rafts, and computer simulations of voyages have produced an normous range of literature on this controversial subject. This book represents a major advance in knowledge of the settlement of the Pacific by suggesting that exploration was rapid, purposeful and undertaken systematically, and that navigation methods progressively improved.



Table of Contents:
List of figures
List of tables
1An introduction to the Pacific and the theory of its settlement1
2Pleistocene voyaging and the settlement of Greater Australia and its Near Oceanic neighbours18
3Issues in Lapita studies and the background to Oceanic colonisation31
4Against, across and down the wind: a case for the systematic exploration of the remote Pacific42
5The colonisation of Eastern Melanesia, West Polynesia and Central East Polynesia64
6The colonisation of Hawaii, New Zealand and their neighbours101
7Issues in the colonisation of Micronesia117
8Voyaging by computer: experiments in the exploration of the remote Pacific Ocean133
9Voyaging after colonisation and the study of culture change174
10The rediscovery of Pacific exploration205
Bibliography223
Index232

Monday, February 2, 2009

Prof Communicatn Intrnl Settin or Human Resource Management

Prof Communicatn Intrnl Settin

Author: Ron Scollon

In today's global business environment it is necessary to communicate successfully across cultural boundaries of languages, styles, and values. Professional Communication in International Settings provides a practical way to help individuals deal with a variety of cultural practices by systematically developing their own capacity to learn culturally appropriate behaviors and actions.

  • Proposes a new approach to intercultural communication.
  • Includes training material that illustrates how to effectively develop intercultural communication.
  • Represents the outcome of thirty years of consultation experience as well as six years of research in Hong Kong, Finland, and Beijing.


  • Look this: The Breast Cancer Survival Manual or Midlife Mamas on the Moon

    Human Resource Management: A Customer Oriented Approach

    Author: Diann R Newman

    Human Resource Management: A Customer Oriented Approach addresses the needs of human resource management in the hospitality industry. Drawn from industry research and developments in real organizations, the book presents a comprehensive and practical discussion of the human resource issues unique to the hospitality industry. Dedicated to identifying and addressing customer needs, developing outstanding service, and maintaining total quality service; the book presents the role of HRM activities and provides applications of those functions to improving service, productivity, and profit. It presents total quality management in a practical manner so readers can apply these ideas in the workplace. And it emphasizes diversity, ethics, discrimination, and the ways hospitality managers address these issues. A valuable reference for any manager in a hospitality business seeking to improve the functioning of that organization.

    Booknews

    A text on human resource management in the hospitality industry, covering communication and decision making, human resource management activities, and the role and importance of customers. Covers recruiting and selecting associates, motivation, the international customer, total quality service, and developing an effective career plan. Learning features include chapter summaries, key terms, review and application questions, self-feedback exercises, cases with questions, and answers. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.



    Table of Contents:
    Ch. 1Contemporary Issues in Human Resource Management3
    Ch. 2Who Are You?29
    Ch. 3Communicating Effectively63
    Ch. 4Effectively Managing Change and Conflict93
    Ch. 5Developing Your Decision-Making Skills123
    Ch. 6Recruiting, Selecting, and Orienting Associates157
    Ch. 7Training, Developing, and Appraising Associates189
    Ch. 8Motivating Associates219
    Ch. 9Creative Effective Associate Relations247
    Ch. 10Identifying and Addressing Customer Needs283
    Ch. 11Understanding the International Customer313
    Ch. 12Developing Outstanding Service341
    Ch. 13Maintaining Total Quality Service365
    Ch. 14Future Challenges399
    Ch. 15Developing an Effective Career Plan431

    Sunday, February 1, 2009

    Innovative Approaches for Difficult to Treat Populations or Getting the Most from Online Learning

    Innovative Approaches for Difficult-to-Treat Populations

    Author: Scott Henggeler

    Innovative Approaches for Difficult-to-Treat Populations makes recommendations for developing and disseminating innovative mental health services. It is geared toward clinicians, administrators, and policy-makers struggling to develop both clinically effective and cost-effective mental health and substance abuse services, and it focuses on services for individuals who use the highest proportion of mental health resources and for whom traditional services have not been effective. These target populations include youth with serious behavioral and emotional disturbances and adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses.

    The innovative approaches reviewed include diverse treatment methods for differing clinical populations. These varied approaches have several common elements:


    • Social-ecological theory frameworks
    • An emphasis on delivering flexible, comprehensive, pragmatic, and goal-oriented interventions in persons& rsquo; natural environments
    • Increased accountability on the part of service providers
    • The transition from centralized to community-based care is discussed, and normalizing a patient& rsquo;s daily routine as an important factor in the success of state-of-the-art community support programs is emphasized

    Innovative Approaches for Difficult-to-Treat Populations offers mental health professionals and students a firsthand look at the future direction of clinical services. Policy issues necessary to developing and disseminating progressive treatments are addressed, including the downsizing of state psychiatric hospitals, strategies for reforming state mental hospital systems, and ethical issues inresearch on child and adolescent mental disorders.

    Giridhar G. Reddy

    This book deals with innovative approaches for difficult-to-treat populations. The contributors are prominent clinical researchers from various universities in United States. The purpose is to suggest directions for development and dissemination of innovative mental health services, especially for difficult patients like youths with serious behavioral and emotional problems and adults with severe and persistent mental illness. The target audience includes clinicians such as psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and mental health planners. There are appropriate tables and a summary at the end of each chapter highlighting some of the salient points. The references are adequate and up-to-date. This book gives information on ways to more effectively treat difficult populations, such as children, adolescents, and adults with chronic mental disorders. These individuals consume mental health resources disproportionately, and traditional services have had little established effectiveness. There are two sections, the first dealing with mental health services for children, adolescents and their families and the second dealing with adults with severe and persistent mental illness. The emphasis is on a social-ecological model wherein interventions are delivered in the patient's natural environment. The interventions are highly individualized to each patient and comprehensive, with specific goals in mind and clinicians held accountable for these therapeutic goals. This book is essential reading for all mental health professionals.

    Doody Review Services

    Reviewer: Giridhar G. Reddy, MD (Rush University Medical Center)
    Description: This book deals with innovative approaches for difficult-to-treat populations. The contributors are prominent clinical researchers from various universities in United States.
    Purpose: The purpose is to suggest directions for development and dissemination of innovative mental health services, especially for difficult patients like youths with serious behavioral and emotional problems and adults with severe and persistent mental illness.
    Audience: The target audience includes clinicians such as psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and mental health planners.
    Features: There are appropriate tables and a summary at the end of each chapter highlighting some of the salient points. The references are adequate and up-to-date.
    Assessment: This book gives information on ways to more effectively treat difficult populations, such as children, adolescents, and adults with chronic mental disorders. These individuals consume mental health resources disproportionately, and traditional services have had little established effectiveness. There are two sections, the first dealing with mental health services for children, adolescents and their families and the second dealing with adults with severe and persistent mental illness. The emphasis is on a social-ecological model wherein interventions are delivered in the patient's natural environment. The interventions are highly individualized to each patient and comprehensive, with specific goals in mind and clinicians held accountable for these therapeutic goals. This book is essential reading for all mental health professionals.

    What People Are Saying

    Journal
    It is an excellent text that should provide assistance for almost anybody attempting to develop an effective mental health program (The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease).


    John R. Weisz
    The interventions described here take place in the real-world settings where the clients live their lives and confront their stressors-at home with their families, in shopping malls, and sometimes on the street, in police cars, and even in jail...The book offers both inspiration and instruction to mental health professionals seeking new approaches to old problems (John R. Weisz, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles).


    Leonard I. Stein
    This excellent book, edited by Henggeler and Santos, brings together, in one volume, chapters written by leading clinical researchers working with difficult-to-treat problems and presents cutting-edge information needed to provide appropriate clinical services (Leonard I. Stein, M.D., Director of Research and Education, Mental Health Center of Dane County, Inc., Madison, Wisconsin).


    Readings
    If out of all of the confusion and disorder there may still emerge a system of care that is human and efficient, Innovative Approaches for Difficult-to-Treat Populations can serve as a marker in mapping the direction such a system will take (Readings: A Journal of Reviews and Commentary in Mental Health).


    Mary Jane England
    This book presents a timely colloquium among leaders in mental health service delivery systems...it will serve as a benchmark for best practice throughout this decade of reform of American health care (Mary Jane England, M.D., Past President, American Psychiatric Association, President, Washington Business Group on Health, Washington, D.C.).


    David A. Brent
    This book is a comprehensive compendium of innovations in system change and service delivery. It should be useful to those involved in service evaluation, program development, system change, and training of the next generation of clinicians...(David A. Brent, M.D., Chief, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania).


    Rating

    4 Stars! from Doody




    Book about: U S vs Them or Open Society and Its Enemies Volume 1

    Getting the Most from Online Learning: A Learner's Guide

    Author: George M Piskurich

    Getting the Most from Online Learning is a must-have resource that helps people, become better e-learners by showing them how to prepare for, participate in, and apply e-learning in all its variations. Written by the leaders in e-learning, this book is filled with practical ideas, suggestions, and information about a wide variety of topics including how to:


    • Participate effectively in on-line learning experiences
    • Contribute to and learn from discussion groups and chat rooms
    • Handle e-learning peer evaluations
    • Participate in online group projects

    In addition, the expert authors share their personal e-learning experiences and show how they have mastered the discipline of e-learning for themselves.



    Table of Contents:
    Introduction
    About the Editor
    1Voices from the Edge of e-Learning1
    2e-Learning: An Introduction7
    3Becoming a More Self-Directed Learner: Why and How25
    4How to Prepare to Attend a Synchronous e-Learning Course39
    5How to Attend a Synchronous e-Learning Course59
    6Succeeding in an Asynchronous Learning Environment73
    7Chat Rooms and Discussion Boards85
    8Online Readings: Gaining the Most from What You Read93
    9How to Handle e-Learning Peer Evaluation111
    10Building Successful Online Relationships131
    11Participating in Group Projects Online145
    12Managing Distractions for e-Learners153
    Glossary161
    Index167