The Alliance Revolution: The New Shape of Business Rivalry

Book Description

More than we ever anticipated, alliances among firms are changing the way business is conducted, particularly in the global, high-technology sector. The reasons are clear: companies must increasingly pool their capabilities to succeed in ever more complex and rapidly changing businesses. But the consequences for managers and for the economy have so far been underestimated. In this new book, Benjamin Gomes-Casseres presents the first in-depth account of the new world of business alliances and shows how collaboration has become part of the very fabric of modern competition.

Alliances, he argues, create new units of competition that do battle with one another and with traditional single firms. The flexible capabilities of these multi-firm constellations give them advantages over single firms in certain contexts, offsetting the advantage of a single firm's unified control. When managed effectively, alliances can strengthen a firm's competitive advantage and narrow the gap between leading firms and second-tier players. This often results in intensified rivalry, and the competition within an industry is transformed. Alliances often spread swiftly through an industry as firms jockey for advantage. Yet the very spread of alliances increases their costs and poses new limits on their use. Gomes-Casseres concludes that firms need to manage their constellations to enhance collaboration within their groups, while raising what he calls "barriers to collaboration" for rivals.

These ideas are developed and illustrated through original case studies of alliances among U.S., Japanese, and European firms in electronics and computers, including Xerox, IBM, and Fujitsu as well as other small and large companies. The book should be of interest to business academics, managers, and general readers concerned with contemporary capitalism.

Customer Reviews:

A Wonderful Book.......2003-03-07

Very new view although it is drawn from some old stories! It shows you a new eye to look at the business world, very inspriring!

An excellent book on alliance networks.......2002-10-03

Alliance Revolution is without doubt the best book out there dealing specifically with alliance networks and constellations. It should be helpful to anyone who has to wrestle with structuring or managing alliance networks, or cope with the impact of such networks on their industry or business. A serious, thoughtful book on a topic few executives can afford to ignore.

Out dated and boring as heck.......2000-10-04

I couln't even finish the book. It was one big boring story of Xerox and what they did and did not do. There were other examples but I could not keep my eyes open.

Book Description

Donna Dees-Thomases was a one-day-a-week publicist and a carpooling suburban mom when news of a deadly shooting at a day care center changed her life. This senseless act of violence inspired her to lead 750,000 mothers (and sympathizers) to Washington, D.C., and 250,000 other marchers around the country in a protest against weak gun laws and preventable deaths. This is the story of a million moms who organized over coffee in small towns, made T-shirts, posted fliers, and maxed out their credit cards. But it's the story of gun victims, too: the stagehand who was fatally shot by a man who was clearly deranged but still had access to guns; the sniper on the Empire State Building; the six-year-old who loaded, concealed, and shot a weapon at school. The book is full of information that will empower any mother to better the world for her children-whether it means improving school lunches or working for better traffic lights. The assault weapons ban expires in September 2004-allowing the sale of Uzis and AK-47s-so gun control will once again be front-page news around Mother's Day. Once again, a million moms will march on Washington, and attendance by both media and participants will be remarkable. Looking for a Few Good Moms will be there, too-leading the national debate.

Customer Reviews:

The commitment it takes to make a societal change..........2004-07-12

is daunting. Reading this book took me through a roller coaster of emotions- from laughing, to crying, to utter amazement as to what it really takes to effect change in making the USA a safer nation.

I volunteered with Donna from the early days of the Million Mom March and I can tell you firsthand that everything in this book is authentic. Not many people have the courage, passion, or capacity to do what Donna has done. Those of you that have taken liberties on this review board to write unhelpful, childish comments that have nothing to do with the quality of the book are absolute cowards. Instead of wasting all of your energy on bashing other people, why don't you spend some time looking inside yourselves- maybe one day you'll realize that hating others for wanting safer communities comes from the lowest state of mind possible.

To the rest of the population out there, Donna and many others took major risks in their lives to accomplish the mission of creating the Million Mom March. Donna and the rest of the volunteers are doers- not talkers- and her book reflects the incredible unfolding of a major event that continues its work today to fight for a safer country.

Thank you Donna.

One woman's passion fills a million hearts.......2004-06-30

It's been said that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. Well, Donna Dees-Thomases wanted something done, and she managed to get others involved in a very controversial topic.

The book, "Looking for a Few Good Moms: How One Mother Rallied a Million Others Against the Gun Lobby," is the story of how one woman, a mother of two, created a movement and organized the Million Mom March (MMM) in Washington, D.C. on Mother's Day in 2000...and woke up everyone to the tremendous gun problem and the need for enacting better, more sensible gun-safety laws.

MyParenTime.com highly recommends this book -- it's detailed with daily struggles, obstacles, successes, and most of all...passion. It's proof that there is power in people. There are still hurdles to come, including an upcoming battle to renew a ban against assault weapons such as AK-47s and Uzis. The book also gives a checklist of how the MMM was organized, and explains their solutions to keeping not only our children safe from gun violence, but their families as well.

An important and thought-provoking book.......2004-06-16

This thoughtful and well-written exploration of what one concerned mom can do was inspiring. Dees-Thomases' stand against the monumental gun lobbies is a testament to taking action, one person at a time. Both balanced and a great read, I would recommend this terrific book to anyone concerned about guns and our children.

I hate Guns... Dont care much for this book either........2004-05-13

President Bush said he'd sign an extension of the ban on assault weapons. Halt the Assalt? Halt the disingenuous attacks on the President. The authors have succeded in sullying a meritorious issue.

I'm all for the ban on assault weapons. Instead of reading this book just send a letter to your congressman asking to extend the ban on assault weapons. We'll all be better off.

Propagandist hype by a gun-grabber..........2004-05-12

Want to support those who would take away your rights (and not just the 2nd Amendment guaranteed rights - these people are engaged in an effort to stifle the voices of the nearly 5 million people in the NRA, not to mention the countless others in all of the other pro-2nd Amendement organizations)?? Then buy this book.

Or don't, and help to put a socialist out of work.

Looks like a million is a lot less than it used to be.

Billing itself as the "Second Million Mom March", the event in DC this past week drew about 2000 people.

Hell, by that logic, there's about 500 people people here in my office, and I'm all alone.

And hey - folks - when you have Jesse Jackson as your keynote speaker, that tells you quite a bit about the target audience.

Book Description

To understand the structure and dynamics of DNA and its interactions with ligands, a complete analysis of its confirmational flexibility is required. This volume and its companion, Volume 211 of Methods of Enzymology, collate in one source all the methods and approaches needed to achieve this goal.

Book Description

The studies of sixteenth and seventeenth-century alchemy published in this volume were first presented as papers at a colloquium on `Alchemy and Chemistry' held at the Warburg Institute in 1989. The aim of the colloquium was to examine alchemy not as a self-contained tradition, but as an activity intimately connected with chemistry, medicine, philosophy and religion. The wide range of topics discussed by the different contributors shows clearly that a true understanding of alchemical texts demands that they be considered not only as a component of the pre-history of experimental science, but as manifestations of the very different forms of religious belief and philosophical views of nature held by the alchemists. Though alchemy has been widely regarded as the mere precursor of early chemistry, it is evident that the two disciplines in fact coexisted and were in certain cases practised independently. The chemical interpretation of nature is thus seen to occupy a central position in the philosophical and religious, as well as the scientific culture of the early-modern period. It is also essential to an understanding of human physiology and medicine and the early development of the corpuscular philosophy. Such a wide-ranging approach to chemical and alchemical studies aims to place them in their widest possible historical and philosophical context. The chronological and geographical limits of the present investigations were therefore designed to allow an in-depth study of a coherent body of works located within a short time span. The volume will therefore command the interest of both historians of science, as well as of students of intellectual and social history.

Book Description

How can science, when it is based on a narrow perspective of life, ever understand the essence of natural problems since they occur in a much wider context? In Science, Order & Creativity, David Bohm and F. David Peat present a compelling argument that science, in fact, cannot hope to provide answers when its approach is narrow and fragmented from other disciplines such as philosophy, art, and religion. A revolutionary approach to scientific inquiry, Science, Order & Creativity is an accessible entry into the extraordinary work of one of the century's greatest thinkers, David Bohm.

Customer Reviews:

Bohm With His Usual Brilliance.......2006-05-16

Up front, I believe David Bohm was one of the most outstanding thinkers of the 20th century, if not the whole of human existence. Like removing the layers of an onion, he peels away the often faulty assumptions we all live with and quickly gets to the heart of the matter. WHY and HOW we think the way we do are indeed more vital to understand than WHAT we think. Rational thought and creativity are two of mankind's most valuable traits, and these are explored in detail between the pages of this book. For any student of Postmodernist thinking Bohm is a "must read", and in fact his writings are the centerpoint of Postmodernist Philosophy in my opinion. If everyone took the time to read Bohm they would understand themselves and our world much better.

A book that could lead to new sciences.......2000-07-27

David Bohm ignores the "usual" approaches to the investigation of fundamental questions in science, in fact in human life in general, and always provides a fresh and creative perspective. In this book he looks at the idea of order in the universe and the mind as well as the basis of creativity in human thought. Instead of assuming that order has already been understood as it is often portrayed in the popular science press he unveils the ideas of degree and levels of order and sidesteps the seemingly antagonistic concepts of order and disorder (the approach used by a mind whose thinking is habitualised by anaytical thinking of the world into separate and distinct pieces). He avoids this routine type of thinking and draws forth fascinating concepts giving a basis for a new science of order and a whole new way of "seeing" the creative mind. It is unfortunate that Bohm's thinking is generally ignored by mainstream scientists who could gain astonishing insight from such new ideas about creativity, the mind and order. As the new science of chaos has shown it is possible to engender a whole new science using a fresh approach, Bohm once again demonstrates this ability whole heartedly.

Book Description

“One of the most promising of the younger graphic novelists.” —Charles McGrath, The New York Times Magazine

Considered by many to be the most influential female cartoonist ever, Julie Doucet created an iconic body of work in the ten short years she solely devoted herself to her trailblazing comic-book series Dirty Plotte. Her comics are densely inked and detailed with a pulsating neurosis from a decidedly female point of view that set the comic-book world on its head when the series debuted. Doucet returns to comics after a five-year hiatus with a reworked edition of her dream journal My Most Secret Desire, complete with never-before-published material.

My Most Secret Desire is considered to be Doucet ’s most innovative work, exploring the longings, pressures, and exploits of the feminine subconscious. Nightmarish tales of pregnancy, menstruation, sex changes, and boyfriends haunt Doucet’s nocturnal psyche with a feverish and surreal pitch.

Customer Reviews:

Not my fave.......2007-09-23

I wasn't crazy about this book. I had a hard time following the comics and found her style a little too frenetic for my taste. I know she's a very well respected comics artist but I think it's just not my style.

Detached........2006-08-15

Julie Doucet, My Most Secret Desire (Drawn and Quarterly, 2004)

I might have appreciated this book more had I known its contents beforehand. Not the explicit, disturbing nature of them (come on, my movie collection includes most of the Guinea Pig films AND the first two Men Behind the Sun films), but the disconnectedness (this is a dream journal, not a graphic novel) and fragmented language. The disconnectedness is an easy enough thing to which to adapt, though the pieces here are, well, dreams, and therefore often have no traditional structure whatsoever. The consistent misuse of English, however, is absolutely maddening. If your English isn't all that great, not a problem: work with a translator. There are a lot of wonderful translators out there.

Amusing at times, but be warned. ** ½

My Most Secret Desire: Lush Dreams Rendered in Art.......2001-07-01

If you were to buy only one comic novella (but who could stop at one?), it should be Julie Doucet's My Most Secret Desire.

Culled from both her memories of annihilating dreams and her fabulous comic series, Dirty Plotte, My Most Secret Desire brazenly introduces the reader into Doucet's world of oddball lovers and eccentric friends. Most importantly she unflinchingly bares all (literally and figuratively) as she recounts dreams which careen among the funny (masturbating with baked goods in outer space); the eerie (vomiting until her teeth fall out, being coerced into performing, um, services on a skeletal man's croissant); and the cute (giving birth to kitten after kitten).

Awakening to the reality of her apartment offers no solace as mundane household objects such as menacingly sharp pencils, butter knives, push pins, fish hooks, and scissors conspire to bring about the waifish heroine's demise.

Rendered predominantly in detailed black and white with the occasional jolt of full color on black (appropriate for a nightmare about returning to art school)!

Treat yourself to this superfun book!

Average customer rating:
My Most Secret Desire
Julie Doucet
Manufacturer: Drawn & Quarterly Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1896597033

Average customer rating:
My Most Secret Desire Signed Numbered Edition
Julie Doucet
Manufacturer: DRAWN & QUARTERLY @ PUBLICATIO
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SO5KZI

Book Description

From rodeos to quilting bees, stickball to stock car racing, American pastimes comprise a broad range of activities. The two-volume Encyclopedia of Recreation and Leisure in America provides a comprehensive survey of these activities from the Colonial era to the present. This title examines how the pursuit of leisure has changed over time, reflecting shifting social, cultural, political and economic trends in the United States. Particular attention is paid to how leisure activities have varied by region, class, ethnicity, gender and age. Such information fuels history class discussions and assignments as the curriculum increasingly requires students to understand not only the milestones of political and military history, but also how people lived day to day. From entries on specific types of leisure activities to discussions of important themes in the history of leisure, the Encyclopedia provides a unique window into this key component of American social history.

Book Description

First published in 1983, this book remains the only full-length study documenting the historical development of the Puerto Rican community in the United States. Expanded to bring it up to the present, Virginia Sánchez Korrol's work traces the growth of the early Puerto Rican settlements--"colonias"--into the unique, vibrant, and well-defined community of today.

Customer Reviews:

very informative and positive history of a New York City community.......2007-07-04

I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to dispel the negative stereotypes of Puerto Ricans created by such fictional works as West Side Story, etc.

From Colonia to Community:The History of Puerto Ricans in New York City-

Average customer rating:

From Colonia to Community:The History of Puerto Ricans in New York City-
Virginia E. Sanchez Korrol-
Manufacturer: University of California Press-
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O6HVUW

From Colonia to Community: The History of Puerto Ricans in New York City, 1917-1948

Average customer rating:

From Colonia to Community: The History of Puerto Ricans in New York City, 1917-1948
Virginia Sanchez Korrol
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTU61K

Average customer rating:

journey to the atom

The Testament of a Passionate Muslim Mystic

Atom from the Sun of Knowledge
Lex Hixon
Manufacturer: Pir Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Science | Subjects | Books
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Irshad: Wisdom of a Sufi Master (Ashki Book)

Great Swan: Meetings with Ramakrishna

ASIN: 1879708051

Book Description

This comprehensive volume is an initiation into Sufism by a Western teacher of Islamic mysticism who saw in this ancient tradition a universal path to enlightenment. Atom from the Sun of Knowledge explores the spiritual secrets of the practices of Islam and interprets the spiritual wealth of its sacred book, the Quran, and the sayings (hadith) of the Prophet Muhammad. The volume also contains modern ecstatic Sufi poetry and spiritual discourses that illuminate the essential unity of all existence and the immense love at its heart.

Customer Reviews:

journey to the atom.......2004-12-04

this book was my first real initiation into the sufi tradition and it was a fortunate one.

what distinguishes this book from any other book on sufism that i have ever encountered, is that it has what the arabic-speakers call "baraka". that is, "blessing", a kind of spiritual energy that can permeate a person or a place.

this book, then, delivers not only infromation about the path, but a kind of energetic pull into the world of universal Islam and sufism.

medicine for what ails us in this era. Nur/Hixon must have known we would need it.

The Testament of a Passionate Muslim Mystic.......2003-07-25

It's unfathomable to me that this book has not yet been reviewed! Lex Hixon was a well-known spiritual seeker who was open to every authentic tradition, yet who came to embrace Islam as the deepest expression of his faith and life. He did this in an amazing, open way. He encouraged his disciples to be, as he was, holders of "multiple spiritual citizenship" -- I knew a dervish of his who was also a practicing Orthodox Christian, for example. When I myself after having taken hand with him, had powerful dreams drawing me to Christianity, he told me: "Then go and be a Christian dervish!" This is to let you know what kind of Muslim he was: to my mind, a true Muslim, utterly intoxicated with the love of God, seeing God everywhere and in everyone. And this book is a manifestation of that love and joy. Yes, sometimes it's just over the top: too much, too inebriated, yet "atom" that it is, it is a powerful testament to the reality and power of the spirit and to the grace that filled this Sheikh. When he died, with "Allah" on his lips, tribute was paid to him by Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Muslims... If there is any antidote to the ills of Islamic extremism, perhaps it can be found in the pages of this book. Muslims, and all seekers, open your hearts to it.

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