Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Kentucky Real Estate Law or Chicken

Kentucky Real Estate Law

Author: Virginia L Lawson

The most current real estate law text specific to Kentucky! The book is a practical, straightforward explanation of Kentucky real estate law relating to real property ownership and real estate transactions. This book covers the many aspects of Kentucky real estate law that will be beneficial to practicing real estate agents, attorneys, educators, consumers those who want to learn about real estate in Kentucky. Practitioners will find it particularly useful in their day-to-day real estate practice. A clear explanation of the statutes and regulations that govern the practice of real estate in Kentucky and forms that are used in the industry are included in the book. An extensive glossary provides clear definitions for hundreds of terms used in real property law.



Table of Contents:
1. Real Property.
2. Limitations on Ownership Rights.
3. Forms of Real Property Ownership.
4. Transfer of Real Estate.
5. Brokers and Sales Associates.
6. Brokerage Practices.
7. Brokerage Relationships.
8. Kentucky Real Estate Commission.
9. License Law Violations.
10. Contracts.
11. Listing Contracts.
12. Sales Contracts.
13. Liens on Real Estate.
14. Closing the Transaction.
15. Landlord Tenant Relationships and Lease Agreements. Glossary.
Appendix A: Forms.
Appendix B: Statutes.
Appendix C: Regulations.
Appendix D: Cases.
Appendix E: Legal Abbreviations.

Book review: Yoga and AyurVeda Self Healing and Self Realization or Healing Depression and Bipolar Disorder without Drugs

Chicken: The Dangerous Transformation of America's Favorite Food

Author: Steve Striffler

Anthropologist Steve Striffler begins this book in a poultry processing plant, drawing on his own experiences there as a worker. He also reports on the way chickens are raised today and how they are consumed. What he discovers about America’s favorite meat is not just unpleasant but a powerful indictment of our industrial food system. The process of bringing chicken to our dinner tables is unhealthy for all concerned—from farmer to factory worker to consumer.

The book traces the development of the poultry industry since the Second World War, analyzing the impact of such changes as the destruction of the family farm, the processing of chicken into nuggets and patties, and the changing makeup of the industrial labor force. The author describes the lives of immigrant workers and their reception in the small towns where they live. The conclusion is clear: there has to be a better way. Striffler proposes radical but practical change, a plan that promises more humane treatment of chickens, better food for the consumer, and fair payment for food workers and farmers.



Which World or Kiplingers Practical Guide to Your Money

Which World?: Scenarios for the 21st Century

Author: Allen Hammond

<p>In Which World?, scientist Allen Hammond imaginatively probes the consequences of present social, economic, and environmental trends to construct three possible worlds that could await us in the twenty-first century: Market World, in which economic and human progress is driven by the liberating power of free markets and human initiative; Fortress World, in which unattended social and environmental problems diminish progress, dooming hundreds of millions of humans to lives of rising conflict and violence; and Transformed World, in which human ingenuity and compassion succeed in offering a better life, not just a wealthier one, and in seeking to extend those benefits to all of humanity.<p>"Hammond's credo, 'to envision the future we want and then set about making it happen,' is a thinking person's call to arms. ..... By bringing together an ambitious set of data, lively scenarios, and provocative claims, Hammond seeks to reorient and reenergize public conversation about sustainable development and the strategies of peoples and institutions. It is a vital conversation, and this is a notable contribution to it." Kai N. Lee, Environmen.<p>"Hammond offers an excellent contribution to the growing literature on the human predicament and the challenge of sustaining the Earth's legacy. The book will open the eyes of the ignorant, and fulfill its purpose of stimulating further thought and action." Carl Folke, Scienc.<p>"In Which World?, Allen Hammond offers both knowledge and vision. He presents a lucid and incisive guide to the trends with which we have to work, and the possibilities they offer." Stephen Schmidheiny, founder of the World Business Council for Sustainable Developmen.<p>"Fascinating and thought-provoking." Library Journal

Library Journal

Hammond (director, Strategic Analysis, World Resources Inst.) bases the title of this work on the results of the 2050 Project, a joint research program of the Brookings Institution, the World Resources Institute, and the Sante Fe Institute. Given the fairly liberal bent of these organizations, it is not surprising that the most enlightened and socially productive path centers around the "Transformed World" scenario, which requires some enlightened social engineering, significant environmental payoffs, and enlightened self-interest among international market forces. The other two scenarios are "Market World" and "Fortress World." Market World pictures a number of positive social and economic indicators but also significant degradation of environmental quality. Fortress World imagines a world beset by massive social and economic unrest and inequalities, dwindling natural resources, and less tolerant governments. The book concludes with surveys of seven major global regions and how each of the three scenarios could play out there. Hammond quite correctly sees elements of all three scenarios in world economic, social, environmental, and security trends. Fascinating and thought-provoking, this is an excellent choice for all academic and larger public libraries.--Stephen W. Green, Auraria Lib., Denver



Table of Contents:
Preface
Acknowledgments
Pt. ILooking Ahead
Ch. 1Thinking About the Future3
Ch. 2The Power of Scenarios13
Pt. IIThree World Views
Ch. 3Market World: A New Golden Age of Prosperity?26
Ch. 4Fortress World: Instability and Violence?37
Ch. 5Transformed World: Changing the Human Endeavor?47
Pt. IIITrends That Shape Our Future
Ch. 6Critical Trends: Demographic, Economic, and Technological66
Ch. 7Critical Environmental Trends87
Ch. 8Critical Security Trends102
Ch. 9Critical Social and Political Trends115
Pt. IVRegional Choices
Ch. 10Latin America: Equitable Growth or Instability?130
Ch. 11China and Southeast Asia: Can the Asian Miracle Continue?148
Ch. 12India: A Second Independence?172
Ch. 13Sub-Saharan Africa: Transformation or Tragedy?187
Ch. 14North Africa and the Middle East: Autocracy Forever?201
Ch. 15Russia and Eastern Europe: Transition to What?213
Ch. 16North America, Europe, and Japan: Leadership or Stagnation?223
Pt. VGlobal Destinies
Ch. 17Choosing Our Future239
Which World? On-line: A HyperForum on the Future253
AppRegions and Projections: The Details255
Notes269
Index293

Book review: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 40 Unleashed or The Truth About Identity Theft

Kiplinger's Practical Guide to Your Money: Keep More of It, Make It Grow, Enjoy It, Protect It, Pass It On

Author: Kiplingers personal finance magazine editors

Kiplinger's Practical Guide to Your Money covers every one of life's financial milestones in detail-from renting or buying a home, purchasing life insurance, and sizing up banks and credit unions, to marrying, paying for a child's education, and planning for retirement-making this the most exhaustive handbook on the market. What's more, Kiplinger's Web site, kiplinger.com, complements the guide by providing all the latest tax code information. When it comes to money, the editors of Kiplinger's Personal Finance contend that people should be able to keep more of it, make it grow, enjoy it, protect it, and pass it on. Equipped with their sound advice, readers will assume responsibility for their financial futures, so that they can gain and maintain greater financial independence.



Contract Law for Paralegals or The Economic History of Japan 1600 1990

Contract Law for Paralegals

Author: Melinda Thomas

The applied, practical approach to contract law in a briefer, less expensive paperback text presents this challenging material in a non-intimidating style. Hypothetical scenarios and sample contracts are used throughout each chapter to illustrate concepts. Two to three edited cases per chapter with follow-up questions. Practical research and drafting assignments give students experience with tasks they will perform on the job. ALSO AVAILABLE INSTRUCTOR SUPPLEMENTS CALL CUSTOMER SUPPORT TO ORDER Instructors Manual, ISBN: 0-314-20839-9



New interesting textbook: Surviving Cancer Emotionally or A Modern Herbal

The Economic History of Japan, 1600-1990, Vol. 1

Author: Osamu Saito

Written by leading Japanese scholars, this multi-volume series on modern Japanese economic history has been abridged and rewritten for a non-Japanese audience. It ranges from the time when a discernible consumer population began to form within cities, to the start of rapid industrialization.


"Overall, this is a treasure trove of information for students of both Japanese and comparative economic development, and it is valuable for making the recent work of some of Japan's leading economic historians accessible to readers who do not know Japanese."--CHOICE



Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Study Guide to Accompany Macroeconomics or Working in America

Study Guide to Accompany Macroeconomics

Author: Mark Rush

prepared by Mark Rush



Read also Programming Python or Introducing Microsoft Silverlight 2

Working in America: A Blueprint for the New Labor Market

Author: Paul Osterman

The American labor market faces many deep-rooted problems, including persistence of a large low-wage sector, worsening inequality in earnings, employees' lack of voice in the workplace, and the need of employers to maximize flexibility if they are to survive in an increasingly competitive market. The impetus for this book is the absence of a serious national debate about these issues.

The book represents nearly three years of deliberation by more than 250 people drawn from business, labor, community groups, academia, and government. It traces today’s labor-market policy and laws back to the New Deal and to a second wave of social regulation that began in the 1960s. Underlying the current system are assumptions about who is working, what workers do, and how much job security workers enjoy. Economic and social changes have rendered those assumptions invalid and have resulted in mismatches between labor institutions and efficient and equitable deployment of the workforce, as well as between commitments to the labor market and family responsibilities. This book should launch a national dialogue on how to update our policies and institutions to catch up with the changes in the nature of work, in the workforce, and in the economy.



Table of Contents:
Preface
Acknowledgements
1Reframing the Debate1
2Tracing the Shifting Labor Market27
3The Corporation in the Labor Market57
4Extended Networks: A Vision for Next-Generation Unions95
5The Emergence of New Institutions131
6Recasting the Role of Government149
7New Institutions in Action181
App. AMembers of Task Force205
App. B: Other Participants207
Notes213
Index227

Success for the New Global Manager or Process Consulting

Success for the New Global Manager: What You Need to Know about Managing across Distances, Countries and Cultures

Author: Chris Ernst

As globalization has evolved from being the latest corporate buzzword to a basic economic reality, more and more organizations are realizing that they need managers with skills that translate well to the international arena. But unfortunately many organizations do not know how to identify and develop people for such complex responsibilities. This book-from the Center for Creative Leadership, ranked #1 worldwide in leadership education in a BusinessWeek survey-shows how. Success for the New Global Manager explains what new global managers-those who manage across distance, countries, and cultures- look like and presents four explicit skills they must have to succeed in this new reality. It shows managers how to identify and grow these new capabilities and how to adapt the skills they already possess to a broader global context. And it advises organizations on how they can help managers acquire these important capabilities.

Managing Information Strategies

Reveals lessons that are universal and the book avoids the simplicity that undermines much business writing in the US.

Booknews

Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative research on management issues related to various industries and cultural backgrounds, this book presents a four-part framework for effective global management. It offers advice on making the most of existing skills, traits, experiences, and capabilities, gaining new abilities, identifying needs, and assessing organizations. Appendices discuss the research study business ethics, and human rights standards. The authors are consultants and researchers. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Soundview Executive Book Summaries

Creative Solutions for International Challenges
The international arena is new terrain for many managers, but it contains the lifeblood for many organizations that are ready to tap new sources for economic prosperity. Managing successfully across vast distances, cultural gaps and political differences requires specific abilities, and the authors, members of the award-winning Center for Creative Leadership, present the essential skills that can help global managers do it. By documenting the scope, scale and layers of global complexity, the authors help managers see the complexity in their own lives and operate more effectively when dealing with tough challenges.

The authors write that the "greatest obstacle to global effectiveness is a shortage of people who are prepared to manage and thrive in this new business paradigm." Global experience is a crucial asset for managers, and gathering that experience is not particularly a classroom experience. To provide managers with the knowledge they need to work effectively in an international environment, the authors sought the help of 211 local and global managers who work for four major multinational corporations. Each manager provided answers to nearly a thousand questions on a survey whose results comprise the bulk of this book. The rest of the text is drawn from several other pertinent studies and reports from other experts in the field of global management.

To deliver the skills that global managers need, the authors focus on understanding them by using real case studies, fictional characters who are undergoing the changes that will help them function in a new global domain, and context information that makes understandingthe complexity of international management easier. The book focuses on what global managers must do, and what they need to know. The concept of effectiveness is also hashed out, and ways for managers and bosses to rate effectiveness are discussed.

Essential Managerial Capabilities
Every global manager needs certain essential managerial capabilities, and the authors present five that are necessary for local and global managers alike. They are:

  1. The ability to manage people. This skill includes motivating people to do the best job they can do, and moving them toward accomplishing organizational goals.
  2. The ability to manage action. This skill includes decision making, negotiation and conflict management.
  3. The ability to manage information. This ability includes monitoring information, keeping track of it, serving as an external spokesperson for the organization, and communicating information throughout the organization.
  4. The ability to cope with pressure. Long hours, integrating vast sums of information, performing work on the run, and long hours traveling away from family and friends can create obstacles to a healthy lifestyle and effective management.
  5. A core business knowledge. Understand how the organization works locally and globally with customers, vendors and suppliers.

To help managers understand how to modify their behavior in response to the demands of global work, the authors present three tools:

  1. Geographic distance. Technology makes global management possible, and faxes, the Internet, PCs, and Palm Pilots help managers work simultaneously across multiple time zones, country borders and cultures.
  2. Country infrastructure. A country's culturally determined relationships between financial institutions, businesses and the government determine business practices and laws, which greatly influence an organization.
  3. Cultural expectations. Understanding people as a society takes looking deeply at tacit norms, rules and expectations that influence behavior, generational groupings, and ethnic identification.

Adaptation Skills for New Situations
After describing the pivotal capabilities of the successful global manager, including the skills, knowledge and motivation that are necessary to succeed, the authors describe how managers must adapt and change as situations demand. On the way, they show managers how they can integrate who they are, what they know and available experiences to develop better global skills. The authors write, because there are so few organizational resources available for this development, managers must take responsibility for their own progress, and work to develop the next generation of global managers.

Why Soundview Likes This Book
Success for the New Global Manager succeeds in providing pertinent lessons and guidance for those who are entering the world of international management because it balances the nuts and bolts of a resource book and the case studies of an academic workbook. Along with clear examples of organizational and cultural integration and adaptability, the authors have compiled several appendices that lend support to their mission of creating a smoother transition between the local level and the global level for managers. Copyright (c) 2002 Soundview Executive Book Summaries

Soundview Executive Book Summaries

Creative Solutions for International Challenges
The international arena is new terrain for many managers, but it contains the lifeblood for many organizations that are ready to tap new sources for economic prosperity.

Managing successfully across vast distances, cultural gaps and political differences requires specific abilities, and the authors, members of the award-winning Center for Creative Leadership, present the essential skills that can help global managers do it. By documenting the scope, scale and layers of global complexity, the authors help managers see the complexity in their own lives and operate more effectively when dealing with tough challenges.

The authors write that the "greatest obstacle to global effectiveness is a shortage of people who are prepared to manage and thrive in this new business paradigm." Global experience is a crucial asset for managers, and gathering that experience is not particularly a classroom experience.

To provide managers with the knowledge they need to work effectively in an international environment, the authors sought the help of 211 local and global managers who work for four major multinational corporations. Each manager provided answers to nearly a thousand questions on a survey whose results comprise the bulk of this book. The rest of the text is drawn from several other pertinent studies and reports from other experts in the field of global management.

To deliver the skills that global managers need, the authors focus on understanding them by using real case studies, fictional characters who are undergoing the changes that will help them function in a new global domain, and context information that makes understanding the complexity of international management easier. The book focuses on what global managers must do, and what they need to know. The concept of effectiveness is also hashed out, and ways for managers and bosses to rate effectiveness are discussed.

Essential Managerial Capabilities

Every global manager needs certain essential managerial capabilities, and the authors present five that are necessary for local and global managers alike. They are:

  1. The ability to manage people. This skill includes motivating people to do the best job they can do, and moving them toward accomplishing organizational goals.
  2. The ability to manage action. This skill includes decision making, negotiation and conflict management.
  3. The ability to manage information. This ability includes monitoring information, keeping track of it, serving as an external spokesperson for the organization, and communicating information throughout the organization.
  4. The ability to cope with pressure. Long hours, integrating vast sums of information, performing work on the run, and long hours traveling away from family and friends can create obstacles to a healthy lifestyle and effective management.
  5. A core business knowledge. Understand how the organization works locally and globally with customers, vendors and suppliers.
To help managers understand how to modify their behavior in response to the demands of global work, the authors present three tools:
  1. Geographic distance. Technology makes global management possible, and faxes, the Internet, PCs, and Palm Pilots help managers work simultaneously across multiple time zones, country borders and cultures.
  2. Country infrastructure. A country's culturally determined relationships between financial institutions, businesses and the government determine business practices and laws, which greatly influence an organization.
  3. Cultural expectations. Understanding people as a society takes looking deeply at tacit norms, rules and expectations that influence behavior, generational groupings, and ethnic identification.
Adaptation Skills for New Situations
After describing the pivotal capabilities of the successful global manager, including the skills, knowledge and motivation that are necessary to succeed, the authors describe how managers must adapt and change as situations demand. On the way, they show managers how they can integrate who they are, what they know and available experiences to develop better global skills. The authors write, because there are so few organizational resources available for this development, managers must take responsibility for their own progress, and work to develop the next generation of global managers.

Why We Like This Book
Success for the New Global Manager succeeds in providing pertinent lessons and guidance for those who are entering the world of international management because it balances the nuts and bolts of a resource book and the case studies of an academic workbook. Along with clear examples of organizational and cultural integration and adaptability, the authors have compiled several appendices that lend support to their mission of creating a smoother transition between the local level and the global level for managers.



Book about: Folk Art of Japanese Country Cooking or Best Vegetarian Recipes

Process Consulting: How to Launch, Implement, and Conclude Successful Consulting Projects

Author: Alan Weiss

Follow the expert advice in this book--the fifth in The Ultimate Consultant series--and you will learn what it takes to work effectively with clients to launch and conduct projects and bring them to a successful conclusion. Alan Weiss, internationally recognized consultant and author of the best-selling Million Dollar Consulting, shows you how to form partnerships with clients who will enthusiastically assist and support the implementation of all your consulting projects.

Booknews

With 40 case studies and numerous tips, this Rhode Island-based PhD-level consultant presents a practical rather than theoretical approach to preparing the groundwork for successful consulting partnerships with clients in implementing change. Includes sample process visuals, and a concisely annotated bibliography of classic and more recent references in the field. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



Table of Contents:
Introduction
Acknowledgments
Ch. 1Conditions for a Successful Intervention1
Ch. 2Gathering Intelligence: Strategy19
Ch. 3Gathering Intelligence: Tactics35
Ch. 4Coaching Key People53
Ch. 5Culture Change and Change Management71
Ch. 6An Interlude: Managing Misfortune89
Ch. 7Learning Lessons105
Ch. 8Developing Client Strategy123
Ch. 9Creating Change141
Ch. 10Improving Leadership159
App. A: Sample Process Visuals177
App. B: Annotated Bibliography183
Index187

Finance or Business Math

Finance: Introduction to Institutions, Investments, and Management

Author: Ronald W Melicher

The Thirteenth Edition of this successful book provides a survey of the foundations of the finance discipline. It covers the three major financial areas: Institutions & Markets, Investments, and Financial Management. This approach helps readers develop an integrated perspective of the different foundations of finance.

Booknews

A text for a first course in finance for finance and non-finance majors, with 18 chapters covering three major financial areas involving the financial system, investments, and business finance. Coverage encompasses the role of the financial system in a nation's economy, financial markets, bonds and stocks, accounting concepts, and different ways to organize businesses. Pedagogical features include chapter objectives and summaries, discussion questions, problems, and Internet activities. Other features are margin definitions and concept checks, boxes on personal financial planning, career profiles, and appendices of more in-depth information. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



Table of Contents:
1The Financial Environment1
Pt. 1Institutions and Markets22
2Money and the Monetary System24
3Banks and Other Financial Institutions48
4Federal Reserve System81
5Policy Makers and the Money Supply107
6International Trade and Finance134
Pt. 2Investments164
7Savings and Investment Process164
8Structure of Interest Rates191
9Time Value of Money220
10Bonds and Stocks: Characteristics and Valuations250
11Securities Markets291
12Financial Return and Risk Concepts328
Pt. 3Financial Management362
13Business Organization and Financial Data364
14Financial Analysis and Long-Term Financial Planning404
15Managing Working Capital439
16Short-Term Business Financing471
17Capital Budgeting Analysis501
18Capital Structure and the Cost of Capital531
Appendix569
Glossary579
Index589

See also: The Island of the Colorblind or Bypassing Bypass Surgery

Business Math: Essential Math Concepts for Any Business Environment

Author: Steve Slavin

You can get there

Where do you want to go? You might already be working in a business setting. You may be looking to expand your skills. Or, you might be setting out on a new career path.

Wherever you want to go, Business Math will help you get there. Easy-to-read, practical, and up-to-date, this text not only helps you learn fundamental mathematical concepts needed for business, it also helps you master the core competencies and skills you need to succeed in the classroom and beyond. The book's brief, modular format and variety of built-in learning resources enable you to learn at your own pace and focus your studies.

With this book, you will be able to:
* Understand the business uses of percent calculations.
* Solve business problems using algebraic equations.
* Learn why stores markup and markdown their inventory.
* Calculate different types of discounts.
* Examine different banking options.
* Compare personal, sales, and property taxes and the implications of taxing income, property, and retail sales.
* Calculate simple and compound interest and learn how each affects the future value of money.
* Explore the uses of promissory notes, mortgages, and credit cards and how to calculate the cost of each.
* Learn different ways to determine the loss of value of business property and equipment, and the effect of depreciation on taxes.
* Examine financial statements and learn how to read the income statement and the balance sheet.
* Learn how to calculate the mean, median, mode, and range of data.

Wiley Pathways helps you achieve your goals

When it comes to learning about business, not everyone is on the same path.But everyone wants to succeed. The new Wiley Pathways series in Business helps you achieve your goals with its brief, inviting format, clear language, and focus on core competencies and skills.

The books in this series--Finance, Business Communication, Marketing, Business Math, and Real Estate--offer a coordinated curriculum for learning business. Learn more at wiley.com/go/pathways.



Monday, December 29, 2008

The Visual Design Primer or Managing Learning and Communication Systems As Business Assets

The Visual Design Primer

Author: Gary S Wheeler

The Visual Design Primer is a user-friendly textbook for beginning graphic communication designers. The book explains, demonstrates, and dissects the world of design. It discusses design history, practical applications, and procedures for entering the field. Information is presented using text, visuals, and step-by-step examples, which include rough thumbnails, revised layouts and completed designs. Using a wide variety of illustrations, The Visual Design Primer demonstrates design techniques and processes in a practical, easy-to-follow style.



Table of Contents:
Prefacev
Introductionvi
Section IBackground
1Historic Milestones2
2Target Audience6
3Design Process8
4Professionalism10
Section IIDesign Preliminaries
5Tools12
6Creative Process16
7Research18
8Seeing Design20
9Thumbnails, Layouts & Comps24
10Drawing30
Section IIIDesign Components
11Design32
12Type42
13Identity48
14Visuals52
15Color58
16Proofing62
Section IVDesign Production
17Pictograms64
18Systems68
19Posters72
20Ads74
21Brochures78
22Newsletters80
23Finished Art84
24Paper88
25Printing90
26Web Pages94
27Presentations98
28Videos100
Section VDesign Profession
29Prepare102
30Contact104
31Resume106
32Portfolio108
33Interview112
34Evaluate114
Glossary115
Index118

New interesting textbook: Changing the Atmosphere or Public Private Policy Partnerships

Managing Learning and Communication Systems As Business Assets

Author: Diane Gayeski

This contemporary and readable book—filled with research-based advice, case studies, and efficient tools—demonstrates how organizations measure, manage, and maximize their “intangible assets” of communication and knowledge. Its unique perspective on “performance technology” shows employees not only how human behavior in the workplace can be engineered to achieve corporate success, but how to communicate those methods and processes used, and the value they add, to employers and clients. Comprehensive coverage of “human capital” factors that impact organizational performance—such as training, employee communication, branding, and performance management—supplies readers with need-to-know and -learn information integral to successful HR and communication. Other coverage of “hot topics” includes measurement and evaluation, corporate culture, e-learning, and knowledge management. For Human Resource Managers, Marketing Managers, Performance Consultants, and Management Consultants; and for any and all personnel involved in the training and development of employees in a corporate setting.



War on Waste or Globalization and Education

War on Waste: Can America Win Its Battle With Garbage?

Author: Louis Blumberg

<p>A comprehensive analysis of the solid waste problem and the major alternatives for a solution to the crisis.

Library Journal

Do we want to take our throwaway society from landfilling to ``moonfilling'' via the ``consumerism blitz'' and the ``end-of-the-pipe'' approach, or do we want to provide political and economic support to reasoned waste alternatives--reduction, reuse, recycling? This book is a contemporary history and sociology of solid waste from the turn of the century to the present day and was adapted from an award-winning report by UCLA graduate students. It provides a more substantive analysis of waste management than the recent excellent critique of mass incineration, Rush To Burn: Solving America's Garbage Crisis ( LJ 7/89). To stimulate public debate on this important topic, libraries need both.--Diane M. Brown, Univ. of California Lib., Berkeley



Go to: Conducting Meaningful Experiments or Communicating and Adapting Across Cultures

Globalization and Education: Integration and Contestation across Cultures

Author: Nelly P Stromquist

The effects of globalization have long been dealt with in terms of economic and technological consequences, but what about the influence on education? Though still not a precise concept, what we understand as "globalization" is bringing forth numerous and profound changes in the economic, cultural, and political life of nations. With increased opportunities for interaction and learning, education around the world is rapidly becoming transformed. The essays contained in this comprehensive yet readable book, strive to provide a thorough examination of the impact these changes are having on how education is defined, whom it serves, and how it is assessed around the world. "Globalization and Education" is organized into three sections. The first addresses conceptual and theoretical issues underlying such notions as globalization, internationalization, and multilateralism. The second presents empirical data from various contries and provides examples of shifts and transformations within a specific level or modality of the educational system. The third looks at the totality of educational changes taking the nation as the unit of analysis.

Author Biography: Nelly P. Stromquist is professor in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. Karen Monkman is assistant professor in the International and Intercultural Development Education Program at Florida State University.

Booknews

International scholars of education, social and cultural studies, economics, and other fields present 17 essays which examine the changes globalization is having on how education is defined, whom it serves, and how it is assessed around the world. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



Sunday, December 28, 2008

Standards of Living in the Later Middle Ages or An Introduction to Modern Welfare Economics

Standards of Living in the Later Middle Ages: Social Change in England c. 1200-1520

Author: Christopher Dyer

Between 1200 and 1520 medieval English society went through a series of upheavals--wars, pestilence, and rebellion. This book looks at aristocrats, peasants, townsmen, wage-earners, and paupers, and examines how they obtained and spent their incomes. Did the aristocracy practice conspicuous consumption? Did the peasants really starve? The book focuses on the varying fortunes of different social groups in the inflation of the thirteenth century, the crises of the fourteenth, and the apparent depression of the fifteenth. Dr. Dyer explains the changes in terms of the dynamics of a social and economic system subjected to stimuli and stresses.



Read also Florida Cookbook or Traditional Scottish Cookery

An Introduction to Modern Welfare Economics

Author: Per Olov Johansson

This is the first book on welfare economics to be primarily intended for undergraduates. It explores such concepts as Pareto optimality in a market economy, the compensation criterion, and the social welfare function, and analyzes market failures using different ways of measuring welfare changes. The book covers public choice, and the issues of efficient provision of public goods, government failures, and efficient and optimal taxation, concluding with an examination of applied welfare economics, methods for revealing people's preferences, cost-benefit analysis, and project evaluation in a risky world.



Table of Contents:

Preface;

1. Introduction;
2. Pareto optimality in a market economy;
3. The compensation principle and the social welfare function;
4. Measuring welfare changes;
5. Market failures - causes and welfare consequences;
6. Public choice;
7. A smorgasbord of further topics;
8. How to overcome the problem of preference revelation: practical methodologies;
9. Cost-benefit analysis;
10. The treatment of risk; Appendix; References.

Public Relations in Health Care or The Spaces of Neoliberalism

Public Relations in Health Care: A Guide for Professionals

Author: Kathleen Larey Lewton

This comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about PR provides a theoretical overview and practical advice for PR professionals new to health care and new ideas and insights for veterans. The authors explain how the PR function can contribute to the success of the contemporary health care organization.



Table of Contents:
List of Figures and Tables.
About the Author.
Preface.
Acknowledgments.
1. Introduction.
2. The Role of Public Relations in Health Care.
3. Integrating the Public Relations Function within the Organization and the System.
4. Senior Public Relations Officer-CEO Relationship.
5. Organizing the Public Relations Function.
6. Public Relations and Institutional Planning.
7. The Role of Research in Health Care Public Relations.
8. Developing Stakeholder Relationships: The Core of Health Care Public Relations.
9. Identifying and Managing Issues.
10. Community Relations.
11. Media Relations.
12. Crisis Communication.
13. Publications.
14. Marketing Communications.
15. Other Public Relations Methods.
16. Relationships with Special Audiences: Employees.
17. Relationships with Special Audiences: Customer (Patients, Members, Subscribers, Families).
18. Relationships with Special Audiences: Physicians.
19. Relationships with Special Audiences: Payers and Intermediaries (Employers, Insurers, and Managed Care Organizations).
20. Building Relationships with Special Audiences: Legislators and Policy Makers.
21. Special Challenges: Ethical and Legal Issues.
22. Evaluation.
23. Looking Ahead.
Appendix A. Community Assessment: A Model "How-To" Based on Two Communities' Experience.
Appendix B. General Guide for the Release of Patient Information by the Hospital.
Appendix C. Riding the Wave: The Future of Health Care Marketing and Public Relations.

Books about: L H Voice XPress for the Office Professional or Advanced Century 21 Accounting

The Spaces of Neoliberalism: Land, Place, and Family in Latin America

Author: Jacquelyn Chas

"The breadth of topics in this collection is noteworthy. . .a useful addition to the international development and women’s studies literature . . offers the reader a wide-ranging set of examples and geographies. . .appropriate for an advanced undergraduate or graduate course.
—Ethics, Place and Environment, June 2003

"Brings together some outstanding contributions. . . most accessible for classroom use in the United States."
—Latin American Research Review, Vol. 39, No. 3

"Ambitious. . . provides a number of thoughtful essays around the theme of changing political economy and local spaces.
—Journal of Latin American Studies, No. 36

"A highly interesting and complex contribution to the study of neo-liberalism and its effects in Latin America in the past twenty years."
—Iberoamericana, Vol. IV (2004), No. 15

"Important in recording the multitude of responses people have to neoliberal market reforms."
—Counterpoise, Vol. 6, No. 4

• For students and researchers in Latin American studies, international development, geography, and anthropology

• A contemporary exploration of people’s responses to neoliberal market reforms in everyday life in Latin America

Readers will learn how local communities, ethnic groups, and women react to market power and see how state policy affects people in their daily lives. The Spaces of Neoliberalism looks at several aspects of sociopolitical tensions including the politics of land and land reform, and the family as a place of negotiation between the roles of men and women.

Booknews

Explores how markets and market ideology affect the lives of Latin American people through their communities, culture, resource base, local labor markets, and households. Among the topics of the eight papers are tensions between women's and indigenous groups over land rights, gender and reproduction in a Brazilian company town, and the restructuring of labor markets and household economies in urban Mexico. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



Corporate Bodies and Guilty Minds or An Anthropological Critique of Development

Corporate Bodies and Guilty Minds: How Corporations Evade Criminality

Author: William S Laufer

We live in an era defined by corporate greed and malfeasance—one in which unprecedented accounting frauds and failures of compliance run rampant. In order to calm investor fears, revive perceptions of legitimacy in markets, and demonstrate the resolve of state and federal regulators, a host of reforms, high-profile investigations, and symbolic prosecutions have been conducted in response. But are they enough?
In this timely work, William S. Laufer argues that even with recent legal reforms, corporate criminal law continues to be ineffective. As evidence, Laufer considers the failure of courts and legislatures to fashion liability rules that fairly attribute blame for organizations. He analyzes the games that corporations play to deflect criminal responsibility. And he also demonstrates how the exchange of cooperation for prosecutorial leniency and amnesty belies true law enforcement. But none of these factors, according to Laufer, trumps the fact that there is no single constituency or interest group that strongly and consistently advocates the importance and priority of corporate criminal liability. In the absence of a new standard of corporate liability, the power of regulators to keep corporate abuses in check will remain insufficient.
            A necessary corrective to our current climate of graft and greed, Corporate Bodies and Guilty Minds will be essential to policymakers and legal minds alike. “[This] timely work offers a dispassionate analysis of problems relating to corporate crime.”—Harvard Law Review



New interesting book: The Menopause Diet or The Menopause Diet

An Anthropological Critique of Development: The Growth of Ignorance

Author: Mark Hobart

This provocative volume, the latest in the EIDOS series, debunks the assumption that the application of Western knowledge in the implementation of economic and social development is an unqualified success. The author argues that it is unacceptable to dismiss problems encountered by development projects as the result of an inadequate implementation of knowledge. Rather, it suggests that failures stem from the constitution of knowledge and its object.

By focusing on the ways in which agency in development is attributed to experts, thereby turning previously active participants into passive subjects or ignorant objects, the contributors claim that the hidden agenda to the aims of educating and improving the lives of those in the undeveloped world ultimately perpetuates ignorance.



Table of Contents:
List of figures
Notes on contributors
Preface
Introduction: the growth of ignorance?1
1Segmentary knowledge: a Whalsay sketch31
2Processes and limitations of Dogon agricultural knowledge43
3Cultivation: knowledge or performance?61
4His lordship at the Cobblers' well79
5Is death the same everywhere? contexts of knowing and doubting100
6Scapegoat and magic charm: law in development theory and practice116
7Knowledge and ignorance in the practices of development policy135
8The negotiation of knowledge and ignorance in China's development strategy161
9Bridging two worlds: an ethnography of bureaucrat-peasant relations in western Mexico179
10Potatoes and knowledge209
Name index228
Subject index232

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Who Owns the Media or The Emergent Organization

Who Owns the Media?: Competition and Concentration in the Mass Media

Author: Benjamin M Compain

This thorough update to Benjamin Compaine's original 1979 benchmark and 1982 revisit of media ownership tackles the question of media ownership, providing a detailed examination of the current state of the media industry. Retaining the wealth of data of the earlier volumes, Compaine and his co-author Douglas Gomery chronicle the myriad changes in the media industry and the factors contributing to these changes. They also examine how the media industry is being reshaped by technological forces in all segments, as well as by social and cultural reactions to these forces.

This third edition of Who Owns the Media? has been reorganized and expanded, reflecting the evolution of the media industry structure. Looking beyond conventional wisdom and expectations, Compaine and Gomery examine the characteristics of competition in the media marketplace, present alternative positions on the meanings of concentration, and ultimately urge readers to draw their own conclusions on an issue that is neither black nor white.

Appropriate for media practitioners and sociologists, historians, and economists studying mass media, this volume can also be used for advanced courses in broadcasting, journalism, mass communication, telecommunications, and media education. As a new benchmark for the current state of media ownership, it is invaluable to anyone needing to understand who controls the media and thus the information and entertainment messages received by media consumers.



Interesting textbook: Massage or Silent Passage

The Emergent Organization: Communication as its Site and Surface

Author: James R Taylor

This volume explores communication in organizations and advances the theory that an organization is both a pragmatic and cognitive construction. It is written for scholars in organizational communication, org studies, management, and related fields.

Booknews

In this monograph, Taylor (emeritus, U. of Montreal) and Van Every apply their academic and professional experience to develop a conceptual framework based on the idea that "organization" emerges in the mix of conversational and textual communicative activities that together construct organizational identity. Applying concepts from the philosophy of language, linguistics, semiotics, system design, sociology and management theory, they put forth an argument demonstrating the materiality of language and its constructive role in organization and society. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



Table of Contents:
Preface
Pt. ITheory of Communication1
1Organizational Communication: A New Look3
2Communication as Coorientation33
3How the a Priori Forms of Text Reveal the Organization69
4Language as Technology and Agent105
Pt. IITheory of Organization137
5Reinterpreting Organizational Literature139
6From Symbol Processing to Subsymbolic Socially Distributed Cognition173
7Conversation Transformed: Organization207
8Reenacting Enactment243
9Why "In"? of Maps, Territories, and Governance276
References327
Author Index341
Subject Index347

The Political Economy of American Industrialization 1877 1900 or Mathematics for Economics and Business

The Political Economy of American Industrialization, 1877-1900

Author: Richard Franklin Bensel

In the last decades of the nineteenth century, the United States underwent an extremely rapid industrial expansion that moved the nation into the front ranks of the world economy. At the same time, the nation maintained democratic institutions as the primary means of allocating political offices and power. As the combination of robust democratic institutions and rapid industrialization is rarely found in world history, this book explains how economic development and democracy coexisted in the United States during industrialization.



Table of Contents:

List of tables; List of maps and charts; Preface;

1. Introduction;
2. Uneven economic development in the United States;
3. Platform demands, party competition and industrialization;
4. Claims on wealth and electoral coalitions;
5. Political construction of the national market;
6. Political administration and defense of the Gold Standard;
7. Tariff protection and the Republican party;
8. Conclusion; Index.

Go to: Clinical Delegation Skills or Mobilizing the Modern War

Mathematics for Economics and Business

Author: Ian Jacques

“clear logical patient style which takes the student seriously” John Spencer, formerly of Queen’s University Belfast

This market leading text is highly regarded by lecturers and students alike and has been praised for its informal, friendly style which helps students to understand and even enjoy their studies of mathematics.

Assuming little prior knowledge of the subject, Mathematics for Economics and Business promotes self-study encouraging students to read and understand topics that can, at first, seem daunting.

This text is suitable for undergraduate economics, business and accountancy students taking introductory level maths courses.

Key Features:

·   Includes numerous applications and practice problems which help students appreciate maths as a tool used to analyse real economic and business problems.

·   Solutions to all problems are included in the book.

·   Topics are divided into one- or two-hour sessions which allow students to work at a realistic pace.

·   Techniques needed to understand more advanced mathematics are carefully developed.

·   Offers an excellent introduction to Excel and Maple.

New to this edition:

·   Brand new companion website containing additional material for both students and lecturers.

·   New appendices on Implicit Differentiation and Hessian matrices for more advanced courses.

Ian Jacques was formerly a senior lecturer in the School of Mathematical and Information Sciences at Coventry University, and has considerable experience of teaching mathematical methods to students studying economics, business and accountancy.



Visual Persuasion or Community Organizing

Visual Persuasion: The Role of Images in Advertising

Author: Paul Messaris

"Paul Messaris is an extremely thoughtful commentator on the world of visuals. He has studied advertising visuals for many years and his insights are always stimulating and sometimes, even controversial. This book makes an important contribution to the literature in two fields: visual communication and advertising. I recommend it for faculty and students as well as professionals in the advertising field."

--Sandra Moriarty, Professor University of Colorado

"With an informal writing style and examples both thoughtful and illustrative, Paul Messaris in his Visual Persuasion leads the reader through the often complex field of visual literacy related to advertising images with high style and intellect. When so much information is conveyed through quickly edited and carefully controlled mass media images, Visual Persuasion is a vital book toward understanding the impact on individuals, cultures, and society of persuasive visual messages."

--Paul Martin Lester, Ph.D, Author of Visual Communication with Messages

"A smartly reasoned and elegantly written treatment of visual argumentation authored by one of America's most respected authorities on visual communication. "

--James Lull

The pictures in TV commercials, magazine ads, and other forms of advertising often convey meanings that cannot be expressed as well, or at all, through words or music. Visual Persuasion is an exploration of these unique aspects of advertising. By virtue of their ability to simulate the appearance of the physical world, pictures can become surrogate objects of desire or other emotions which ads subsequently associate with products. By exploitingviewers' assumptions of a direct, automatic connection between photography and reality, images can serve as proof of advertising claims. Because of the implicit nature of visual argumentation and the relative lack of social accountability that images enjoy in comparison with words, pictures can be used to make advertising claims that would be unacceptable if they were spelled out verbally. Using these characteristics of visual persuasion as a starting point, this important book analyzes a variety of commercial, political, and social-issue advertisements. A separate chapter examines the role of pictures in cross-cultural advertising. Visual Persuasion is recommended for upper-level undergraduate students and graduate students in communication and media studies. It also contains insights that will be valuable to students in courses in cultural studies, sociology, anthropology, and advertising.



Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments
Introduction: A Theory of Images in Advertising
Pt. 1Image as Simulated Reality
1Pictures and Reality3
2Visual Form and Style53
3Can Pictures Bridge Cultures?90
Pt. 2Image as Evidence
4Visual Truth, Visual Lies129
Pt. 3Image as Implied Selling Proposition
5Editing and Montage163
6Showing The Unspoken219
Epilogue: Ethics of Visual Persuasion265
References275
Index289
About the Author297

Look this: The Woman Who Walked Into the Sea or Yoga for Children

Community Organizing: Building Social Capital as a Development Strategy

Author: Ross J Gittell

Community Organizing provides new insight into an important national challenge how to stimulate the formation of genuinely community-based organizations and effective citizen action in neighborhoods that have not spawned these efforts spontaneously. Since Robert Putnam's identification of the role of social capital in regional governance and economic development, there has been a virtual industry of interest and action created around the implications of his findings for the development of low-income communities. Yet, there remains a paucity of detailed empirical effort testing and refining his ideas. This book attempts to fill this gap.

Community Organizing distills lessons from a national demonstration program that employed a novel approach to community organizing consensus organizing. Consensus organizing enhances social capital, building both stronger internal ties and capacity in low-income communities and fostering new relations (bridges) between residents of low-income communities and larger metropolitan area support communities.

Using evaluation research and detailed comparative study of community development activity in three diverse demonstration sites, Ross Gittell and Avis Vidal identify key elements of building social capital, which strongly affect community development: comprehension of community development, credibility of effort and participants, confidence, competence, and constructive critiques of efforts. Other elements are more relevant to program management and implementation and include communication among participants, congruence of program effort, management of inherent contradiction, and adjusting implementation to reflectlocal context.

This book describes the limits and promise of building social capital and will be of interest to community development students and professionals.

Booknews

In this evaluation dedicated to community development corporation volunteers, Gittel (strategic management and public policy, U. of New Hampshire) and Vidal (Metropolitan Housing and Communities Center, Urban Institute; Washington, DC) feature a recent national demonstration CDC program in three sites: the Local Initiatives Support Corporation. In the context of this nationwide movement for inner city social capital-building, they summarize the lessons learned from every organizational and implementation phase of LISC's innovative consensus organizing approach. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.



Friday, December 26, 2008

Cities and Privatization or Nursing Consultation

Cities and Privatization: Prospects for the New Century

Author: Jeffrey D Green

This concise, readable book focuses on privatization at the municipal level, blending theory with practical matters, and containing real-life examples of privatization. It presents the practical arguments and theoretical frameworks for and against using privatization, summarizes the evidence on efficiency between public and private organizations performing similar tasks, and includes numerous examples of privatization taken from the real-world of city management. Chapter topics cover cities and the privatization debate; the evidence on efficiency and the use of privatization by cities; examining various dimensions of municipal privatization; successes, failures and persistent urban issues; and prospects for the new century. For anyone that is interested in privatization at the municipal level.



New interesting textbook: Professional C 2008 or SPSS For Dummies

Nursing Consultation: A Framework for Working with Communities

Author: Susan Leslie Norwood

Essential for today's nurses! Today's nurses are faced with challenging and exciting new opportunities for consultation! While nursing consultation has always been an integral part of the health care environment increasingly apparent and important is the need for a community perspective. Revised and updated to include this new emphasis on consulting within communities, Nursing Consultation continues to provide nurses with both the theoretical background and practical strategies that are needed to successfully respond in today's health care environment.

Features Include:
  • A 5-phase process to resolve actual or potential problems related to the health status of clients or to health care delivery
  • Three New Chapters - Communities, Nurses, and Consultation (Chapter 2), Team Building in Consultation (Chapter 12), and Working with Consultants (Chapter 18)
  • Key search engine terms at the beginning of each chapter allow for easy access to the latest resources
Other Titles of Interest

Ervin, Advanced Community Health Nursing Practice (0-8053-734-0)



Table of Contents:
Preface
Acknowledgments
Reviewers
Sect. 1Introduction to Nursing Consultation1
Ch. 1The Nature of Nursing Consultation3
Ch. 2Communities, Nurses, and Consultation17
Ch. 3Overview of the Nursing Consultation Process27
Ch. 4Interaction Patterns for Nursing Consultation43
Ch. 5Nurse Consultant Roles and Skills59
Sect. 2The Context of Nursing Consultation77
Ch. 6Understanding Communities79
Ch. 7Human Dynamics in Community Groups99
Ch. 8Change in Communities125
Sect. 3The Nursing Consultation Process145
Ch. 9Gaining Entry in Community Consultation147
Ch. 10Problem Identification in Community Consultation169
Ch. 11Action Planning with Communities195
Ch. 12Team Building in Nursing Consultation217
Ch. 13Evaluating Nursing Consultation Efforts229
Ch. 14Disengagement from Consultation Relationships253
Sect. 4Professional Issues in Nursing Consultation267
Ch. 15Legal Aspects of Nursing Consultation269
Ch. 16Ethical Issues in Nursing Consultation285
Ch. 17The Business of Consulting: Marketing, Fees, and Contracts303
Ch. 18Working with Consultants325
Ch. 19The Future and Nursing Consultation339
Index351

Developing and Role Playing Effective Sales Presentations or Communication Systems

Developing and Role Playing Effective Sales Presentations

Author: David Sellars

Developing and Role Playing Effective Sales Presentations is entirely dedicated to the sales process and developing the sales call. Each student builds and role plays an actual presentation using a simple, learn-by-doing process that is consistent with the techniques of leading corporate sales trainers. Students begin the process of developing a sales presentation by choosing actual products or services that they can sell, then they gather information needed for the presentation. Students plan what will then be communicated in the four sections of the sales presentation: The Approach, Securing Desire, Handling Objections, and Closing the Sale. Finally, they role-play the presentation, ensuring that they can combine all parts of the sales process effectively.



Read also Keeping Financial Records for Business or Managerial Economics

Communication Systems

Author:

* Covers the three major areas: signal and system analysis, analog communication, and digital communication
* Emphasis on HDTV, LANs, WANs, satellite (iridium) telephone systems to address changes in professional arena
* Features examples and exercises within each chapter, helping to master new concepts as they are introduced

Bruce Carlson (Troy, NY) teaches at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.P.B. Crilly (Knoxville, TN) teaches at University of Tennessee.Janet Rutledge (Evanston, IL) teaches at Northwestern University.



Table of Contents:
Ch. 1Introduction1
Ch. 2Signals and Spectra17
Ch. 3Signal Transmission and Filtering75
Ch. 4Linear CW Modulation141
Ch. 5Exponential CW Modulation183
Ch. 6Sampling and Pulse Modulation231
Ch. 7Analog Communication Systems257
Ch. 8Probability and Random Variables311
Ch. 9Random Signals and Noise351
Ch. 10Noise in Analog Modulation Systems397
Ch. 11Baseband Digital Transmission435
Ch. 12Digitization Techniques for Analog Messages and Networks493
Ch. 13Channel Coding and Encryption547
Ch. 14Bandpass Digital Transmission611
Ch. 15Spread Spectrum Systems671
Ch. 16Information and Detection Theory696
AppCircuit and System Noise (9.4)760
Tables780
Solutions to Exercises794
Answers to Selected Problems825
Supplementary Reading832
References835
Index839

Medieval Trade in the Mediterranean World or Automobile Age

Medieval Trade in the Mediterranean World: Illustrative Documents

Author: Robert S Lopez

This collection of merchant documents is essential reading for any student of economic developments in the Middle Ages who wishes to go beyond the level of textbook summaries. Different aspects of economic life in the Mediterranean world are delineated in the light of a rich variety of articles and other contemporary writings, drawn from Muslim and Christian sources. From commercial contracts, promissory notes, and judicial acts to working manuals of practical geography and philology, this volume of documents provides an unparalleled portrait of the world of medieval commerce.



Table of Contents:
Foreword
Introduction3
Note on Coinage, Weights, and Other Technical Terms10
Pt. 1At the Origins of the Commercial Revolution
ICommerce in the Byzantine Empire, the Muslim East, and the Catholic West19
Pt. 2Markets, Merchants, Merchandise, and Means of Exchange During the Commercial Revolution
IIThe Development of Markets51
IIIThe Growth of the Merchant Class87
IVThe Diversification of Merchandise108
VThe Evolution of the Means of Exchange143
Pt. 3Commercial Contracts and Commercial Investments
VILoans and the Problem of Interest157
VIIThe Contract of Exchange and Its Double Function162
VIIIThe Sea Loan and the Sea Exchange168
IXThe Commenda Contract174
XPartnerships and Other Contracts Used in Land Trade185
XIDepositors, Factors, and Commission Agents212
XIISome Other Forms of Agreement221
XIIIInformal Commercial Papers229
Pt. 4The Route and the Thorns Along it
XIVTransportation by Sea239
XVTransportation by Land248
XVIThe Development of Insurance Contracts255
XVIICommercial Litigation and Sharp Business Practices266
XVIIIBusiness Failures and their Settlement290
XIXInternational Disputes over Trade303
XXLegal Restrictions of Trade327
Pt. 5Tools and Ideas
XXIManuals341
XXIIThe Progress of Accounting Methods359
XXIIICommercial Correspondence378
XXIVMoral Standards and Practical Advice408
List of Works Cited427
Bibliography447
Index461

Interesting textbook:

Automobile Age

Author: James J Flink

In this sweeping cultural history, James Flink provides a fascinating account of the creation of the world's first automobile culture. He offers both a critical survey of the development of automotive technology and the automotive industry and an analysis of the social effects of "automobility" on workers and consumers.

James J. Flink is an affiliate of the Institute of Transportation Studies and Professor of Comparative Culture at the University of California, Irvine.



Thursday, December 25, 2008

Economic Issues and Policy or International Business

Economic Issues and Policy (with Economic Applications Online Product, Info

Author: Jacqueline Brux

This book provides students with a grasp of basic economic tools through the analysis of important economic issues and their related policy perspectives. Economic theory is presented in a simple, market-oriented framework at a level of technicality that is deliberately appropriate for a basic first course in economics directed at non-majors. Complex topics more appropriate for a Principles of Economics course are left out or contained in appendices. In analyzing economic situations and the implications of policies, liberal and conservative viewpoints are effectively balanced—the careful presentation of conservative and liberal viewpoints is one of the unique characteristics of this book.

Booknews

A text for a nontechnical, issues-oriented economics course with no prerequisites taught at two- and four-years colleges. Apart from the first chapter, chapters can be taught in any order. Discussion incorporates issues of race, gender, and ethnicity, as well as the international economy. Discussion is presented in a market-oriented framework with a liberal outlook, with boxes on conservative versus liberal perspectives. Necessary technical material is placed in appendices. This second edition gives information on recent events and policies, plus Internet exercises. The authors teach economics at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



New interesting textbook:

International Business

Author: Michael R Czinkota

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS, 7th Edition presents an up-to-date and complete exploration of international business issues and practice. The author's experience as both practitioners and academics brings a balanced and seasoned voice to the text. The text is built upon a strong foundation of theory and includes current examples, cases and insights showing how global businesses apply these concepts. The text examines the role and impact of culture and also includes numerous current world maps, helping learners develop and refine a global perspective.



Raise More Money or Plumbing 301

Raise More Money: The Best of the Grassroots Fundraising Journal

Author: Kim Klein

A collection of the best articles from past 20 years of the Grassroots Fundraising Journal offering nonprofit organizations a wealth of tips, strategies, and guidance on how to raise money.
Part of the new Kim Klein's Chardon Press Series from Jossey-Bass which focuses on providing fundraising and organizational development tools for community-based and social change organizations.



Interesting textbook:

Plumbing 301

Author: PHCC Educational Foundation Plumbing Apprentice Journeyman Training Committe

Designed for the third-year plumbing apprentice, Plumbing 301 uses a straightforward, clear writing style and the most current plumbing and gas code references to deliver the "need-to-know" information for both commercial and residential plumbers. Coverage begins with basic installation practices, and progresses to include blueprint reading, the National Fuel Gas Code, surveying instruments, and special chapters devoted to connections to the math and science of plumbing. Discussions of water heaters, water treatment, trench safety, and electrical controls and wiring have been added to round out the thorough coverage. With two chapters on preplanning and electrical controls, this book will give readers the tools they need to be successful as they continue their journey into the plumbing industry.



Table of Contents:
Unit 1 Installation Practices Chapter 1
Pre-planning, Productivity and Profitability* Chapter 2
Residential Fixtures and Appliances Chapter 3
Commercial, Industrial and Institutional Fixtures and Appliances Chapter 4
Installation Methods Chapter 5
Fixture Fittings and Trim Chapter 6
Trim Installation Unit 2 Blueprint Reading Chapter 7
Blueprints and Specifications Chapter 8
Drawing Types, Floor Plans and Site Plans Chapter 9
Structural, Plumbing, Electrical, HVAC and Detail Plans Unit 3 National Fuel Gas Code Chapter 10 National Fuel Gas Code, Materials and Types of Fuel Gases Chapter 11 Fuel Gas Pipe Sizing Chapter 12 Fuel Gas Piping, Fittings and Connections Chapter 13 Gas Appliances, Regulators, Meters and Appliance Controls Chapter 14 Fuel Gas Piping Corrosion and Corrosion Protections Chapter 15 Vents for Category I Appliances Chapter 16 Gas Combustion and Controls Chapter 17 Study of Local Fuel Gas Code Unit 4 Surveying Instruments Chapter 18 Level and Transit, Elevations and Grades Chapter 19 Builders Level Chapter 20 Builders Transit Unit 5 Mathematics Chapter 21 Offsets Chapter 22 Tank Capacities, Volume and Weight of Water Chapter 23 Ratios and Proportions Chapter 24 Storm Drainage and Sizing Storm Drains Unit 6 Related Science Chapter 25 Energy and Temperature, Piping Expansion, Heat Transfer, Insulation, Humidity and Condensation Chapter 26 Water Treatment Chapter 27 Heat Transfer in Water Heaters Solar, Stratification, Multiple Heaters and Recirculation Unit 7 Basic Science Chapter 28 Basic Electricity, Electric Current and Electric Motors Chapter 29 Electric Circuits, Circuit Protection and Electrical Safety Chapter 30 Electric CircuitTroubleshooting Chapter 31 Control Wiring

Paralegal Internships or Strategic Human Resource Management

Paralegal Internships: FInding, Managing and Transitioning Your Career

Author: Ruth Ellen Post

Paralegal Internships is a practical guide for pursuing a paralegal internship in a law office, government agency, corporate, legal department, courthouse, or other law-related setting. It covers all stages of the internship experience, including identifying learning objectives, finding the "right office," managing "office politics," self-monitoring, documentation and, finally, how to use the internship to land a permanent job. There are questionnaires, checklists, practice exercises, worksheets, report forms, and anecdotal examples throughout the book.



Table of Contents:
Introduction. PART I Finding the Right Setting: What are Your Learning Objectives? Choose Your Destination. Paid or Unpaid: Resolving Compensation Issues. Lining Up the "Right" Office. PART II Beginning the Job: Ensuring a Smooth Start. The Meaning of "Professional". Buidling Alliances. Basic Office Systems. PART III Mastering the Job: Managing Assignments. Managing Your Time. "Managing" Your Boss. Managing Client Relationships. PART IV Staging the Transition: Why Document Your Learning: An Introduction. What to Document: Identifying New Skills. How to Document: Instructions and Samples. Using Documented Skills in Your Job Search. APPENDIX

Read also

Strategic Human Resource Management: A Guide to Action

Author: Michael Armstrong

There is often a gap between the rhetoric of Strategic Human Resource Management and the reality of strategy in action. This highly regarded, fully updated book provides practical guidance on implementing the complex HR strategies formulated by many practitioners, academics and consultants in recent years.



Wednesday, December 24, 2008

How Russia Really Works or Public Information Officer

How Russia Really Works: The Informal Practices That Shaped Post-Soviet Politics and Business

Author: Alena V Ledeneva

During the Soviet era, blat-the use of personal networks for obtaining goods and services in short supply and for circumventing formal procedures-was necessary to compensate for the inefficiencies of socialism. The collapse of the Soviet Union produced a new generation of informal practices. In How Russia Really Works, Alena V. Ledeneva explores practices in politics, business, media, and the legal sphere in Russia in the 1990s-from the hiring of firms to create negative publicity about one's competitors, to inventing novel schemes of tax evasion and engaging in "alternative" techniques of contract and law enforcement. She discovers ingenuity, wit, and vigor in these activities and argues that they simultaneously support and subvert formal institutions. They enable corporations, the media, politicians, and businessmen to operate in the post-Soviet labyrinth of legal and practical constraints but consistently undermine the spirit, if not the letter, of the law. The "know-how" Ledeneva describes in this book continues to operate today and is crucial to understanding contemporary Russia.

Foreign Affairs

Any society applies grease, some of it less than pure, to make its institutional gears mesh efficiently. But when the gears do not match up -- when institutions, including laws, are discrepant, dysfunctional, or fragile, and superabundant grease serves to compensate -- efficiency comes at a cost. "Informal practices" are the grease that interests Ledeneva, and in Russia they are the material that fills the gap between formal legal institutions and informal extralegal norms. They operate in politics (through illicit electoral manipulation), where business and politics meet (in insider mutual-protection societies), and in the economy at large (through barter, double bookkeeping, and "privatized" government agencies and services). Each has roots in Russian and Soviet history but with the important difference, as Ledeneva notes in her thoughtful exploration of both their nature and their effect, that informal practices in today's Russia are of, by, and for the few, not something accessible to the uninitiated.



Interesting textbook: Abs Diet for Women or You on a Diet

Public Information Officer

Author: Philip Politano

Offering practical, proven ideas and techniques that are applicable in today's rapidly changing media environment, Public Information Officer 1e serves as a reference guide for students and professionals alike.  The material in this text covers the development and implementation of effective media relations and positive community strategies, the roles and responsibilities of a PIO and the legal aspects of the job.  Being the only member to twice receive the the prestigious "Best News Source" award from the Syracuse Press Club, the author brings more than a decade of experience in the field of public information to present a logical and comprehensive text that can be used in a formal education setting, as in-service training for public safety professionals and as career classes for executives and administrators of government and non-government entities.



Table of Contents:

Introduction

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1: Introduction to the Public Information Officer

Chapter 2: The Needs of the Media

Chapter 3: The Interview

Chapter 4: Writing Skills for the Public Information Officer

Chapter 5: Critical Incident Stress and the Public Information Officer

Chapter 6: Crisis Communication and the Emergency Public Information

Chapter 7: Speaking to Groups

Chapter 8: Marketing Your Agency

Chapter 9: Case Studies in Public Information

Chapter 10: Legal Issues Facing a Public Information Officer

References

Glossary

Index