Supersonic Sounds, Practice Set

Book Description

The contents of this book center around the management of strategic reward systems. In particular, the book focuses in on the following elements of managing a reward system: design, implementation, and evaluation. It is my belief that too much time is spent on the administration of strategic reward systems at the expense of these other activities that add more value than does administration to the organization.

Moreover, it is very important to remember that the management of reward systems takes place in a larger context that must be accommodated when designing, implementing, and evaluating strategic reward systems. This larger context includes the business environment, business strategy, and compensation strategy. Elements of the environment include the internal environment (organizational structure, business processes, HR systems) and external environment (laws and regulations, labor markets, and unions).

The collection of articles presented throughout the book is very concerned with the fit of strategic reward management with the business environment, business strategy, and compensation strategy. Research has clearly documented the importance of this "fit" to organizational effectiveness (Gomez-Mejia & Balkin, 1992). A practical illustration makes the point as well. Taco Bell was found guilty in a class action suit by current and former employees. In order to keep the number of labor hours low in a productivity formula used to grant bonuses to managers, employee time sheets failed to account for overtime hours by employees. Failure to pay attention to the legal context in designing, implementing, and evaluating a strategic reward program cost Taco Bell millions of dollars (Gatewood, 2001).

Although all of the readings in the book focus in on the management of strategic rewards in the larger business context, the readings are organized by topical area. The selection of topics is simply based on my writing interests and do not reflect the entire domain of important topics in strategic reward management.

Book Description

Together, rapid population growth, increased commercialization and exploitation of aquatic resources, deforestation and pollution, and encroachments on communally owned resources by national and transnational private interests are placing the world's coastal regions under enormous pressure. One example is the Pearl Lagoon estuary, the main basin on the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua. This book provides detailed insight into the problems of the Pearl Lagoon and presents alternatives for more effective management of its natural resources. It documents a
new approach to the study and future management of a complex resource system in a politically demanding environment.

The authors argue for earlier and greater involvement of community groups. They emphasize the need for persistence and the importance of interdisciplinary research in
developing sustainable solutions to natural-resource-management problems.

Taking Care of What We Have will interest researchers, scholars, and students in natural resource management and development studies; donors, development organizations, and development practitioners working in the areas of natural resource management and participatory action research; and community leaders and NGOs in developing countries that work on natural-resource-management issues.

Book Description

The morphological scheme devised by Hubble and followers to classify galaxies has, over many decades, proved to be quite effective in directing our quest for the fundamental parameters describing the extragalactic manifold. This statement, however, is far more true for spirals than for ellipticals.
In the last few years efforts have been made to search for a more meaningful classification of ellipticals, at the same time the classical question of whether E galaxies form a physically homogenous family has been brushed up once more.
This book pictures the state of the art of this exciting transition process from the morphological to the physical `era' in the classification of galaxies.

Book Description

Chalmette shows how the United States nearly lost the Louisiana Territory at the end of the War of 1812 and WHY the British were even at New Orleans. See how General Andrew Jackson manuevered thge British Army into a position where a rag tag militia could beat them. (longer description follows) Chalmette is not just another book about the Battle of New Orleans, but maybe for the first time you will understand WHY the British were there. This book shows how the United States nearly lost the Louisiana territory at the end of the War of 1812. In the summer of 1814 England had finaly conquered Napolean and France. After twenty-one years of tremendous struggle against the European continent, England had become a highly efficient war machine, They were left standing, a superpower. They had been carrying out a war in Europe with only an occasional jab at the United States. Now they were turning their full attention on that irritating loose association of states across the Atlantic. The United States had almost no standing army; they had only the militia that each community maintained for protection against indians. Most militia were a social club where men fired their weapons once a month. Therefore during the early part of the War of 1812 their performance was pretty dismal. The exception was in the western states (between the Applachians and the Mississippi River) where the militia was a working military force in frequent combat with Indians. These community militia from Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and a few from southern Ohio answered the call to join General Andrew Jackson to meet the British at New Orleans. Follow Jackson's militia as they manuever a far superior British Army into a position where Jackson's men had a better than even chance of winning. They had to subdue the British allies (the Creek indian Nation). And they had to stop any Spanish help at Pennsacola and Mobile (the best invasion point) and lastly had to get them to land in a spot almost impossible to support. It was the bleakest point in the history of the United States. The whole East Coast had been blockaded, raided and burned at will. British Canada uled the north and noe the English ere going to take New Orleans, control of the Mississippi River and the Louisiana Territory. With the United States almost completely boxed in, see how, with determination and luck, they pulled off a victory that electrified the united Staes and stunned Europe.

Customer Reviews:

Battle for our nation's history.......2006-02-25

I very much enjoyed this brief history of an often neglected period of American history. In his short piece, Patton not only covers the battle itself, but places the battle in the larger context of the politics and international affairs of the day. That's a lot of material to cover and to accomplish it in a book of this length is commendable. What is sacrificed are discussions and details that would require hundreds of additional pages; what is gained is an appreciation of the topic and a desire (if one is so inclined) to learn more.

While serious students of the period may take offense at some details, I believe this book accomplishes exactly what it set out to do: That is to debunk the common misperception that the battle was meaningless due to a previously signed "treaty" and to stimulate thought and further research into a fascinating topic.

A VERY shallow over view.........2006-01-18

The only redeeming feature of this book is Patton's contention that the British worded the Treaty of Ghent in such away that it allowed them time to try to capture New Orleans before it was actually ratified. Patton contends that they felt that Napoleon's sale of the Louisiana Territory to the United States was illegal. This being the case, New Orleans was not protected by the Treaty of Ghent, and therefore was ripe for the taking.

While most books on the War of 1812 pretty much call the Battle of New Orleans a meaningless slaughter fought after the treaty, Patton contends that the victory saved the U.S. form British domination of the Mississippi.. While I would agree that the battle was far from meaningless, if nothing else, it helped to unite the country, I think Patton is being a bit dramatic. Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion, and Patton does back his up.

The main problem that I have with the book, is that for the most part it is just a rehashing of other books, some of which weren't written more then a year or two earlier then this one. One need only look at the end notes to see what I mean. Not only does Patton use recent books, he almost quotes them verbatim. Patton's description of the victory celebration is almost identical to that of Remini's in his book the Battle Of New Orleans.

As for the Creek War and the Battle at Horseshoe Bend, Patton writes, "at Horseshoe Bend the tremendous struggle for control of North America ended, and ownership changed hands..." Hello? This battle directly lead to the Treaty at Fort Jackson in which the U.S. obtained 20,000,000 acres, and it precluded the Creek from having any major impact on the War of 1812, but to call it a struggle for the control of North Anerica is a little far fetched.

Then in describing the Privateer Jean Lafitte, Patton fails to mention the fact that 1)the British tried to buy his services for $30,000, 2) after he rejected them and reported their offer to Gov Claiborne, he was thanked by having his base camp attacked. Even still, he didn't go over to the British but instead became an instrumental part of Jackson's defense.

This series of events was far more important for the eventual victory at New Orleans then the US victory at Horseshoe Bend. Had Lafitte accepted their offer, he could have supplied the British with manpower, weapons, and ships as well as supplies and his knowledge of the area. Patton never quite grasped this.

I was however quite amazed that Patton actually alluded to the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812 (for more info see: When the Mississippi Ran Backwards). These earthquakes get very little attention in history books.

So while beginners to the War of 1812 and the BAttle of New Orleans may find this book interesting, to anyone with any knowledge of either it will read like a graduate paper or a set of Cliff's Notes.

PS as for the 3 reviewers before me, I didn't quite understand the glowing reviews so I took a second look. "Chalmette" was the only book all three of these reviewers had written about.. Kind of makes me wonder....

Chalmette.......2001-05-29

"Chalmette" takes its name from the Louisiana plantation where General Andrew Jackson led a collection of American militia, frontiersmen, Indians, Creoles, pirates, and Blacks in a stunning defeat of a larger, better trained and equipped British army in the Battle of New Orleans, January 1815. The details of the units and their commanders, the tactics, the phases of the conflict are clearly told, the various movements and maneuvers leading up to the battle, as well as the aftermath--jubilation in New Orleans and the United States, homeward sail for the stunned British, astonishment in Europe. The real significance of this victory, however, lies in the blocking of the British intent to wrest the Louisiana Purchase territory from the US and to control the Mississippi River, linking New Orleans and Canada in British hands. This dimension of the War of 1812 is told more clearly in Charles Patton's "Chalmette" than in most accounts of the Battle of New Orleans. Well researched and clearly presented in brief compass.

A Great History Lesson.......2001-05-25

Chalmette is a compelling look into America's "almost" forgotten past. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Mr Patton takes the reader on a journey into the Deep South during the war of 1812. He explains how America could easily have lost its freedom and gone back to England's rule. Although the book is a narrow 143 pages (I read it in a night), the book covers the events leading up to the battle and the personalities of its combatants in detail. The description of the battle is edge of the seat reading. However, the most compelling part of this book for me was the way the author writes of the life and struggles of Andrew Jackson, a real American hero. If you love American History, you must read this book!

American victory at the most crucial time........2001-05-24

What a reading delight this book is as the intriguing story virtually leaps from the pages. Some may remember the gravity for our young nation of the events leading up to the battle at New Orleans in early 1815. But for many it has been lost.

Yet what a critical time it was for the American experiment in freedom and democracy. This book details in a fasinating way the background years and the intrigue surrounding negotiations to end the nation's war with England. The action then builds from late 1814 right up through the climax of the final battle. The reader will find himself unable to put this book down until the reading is finished. It's a great read, not only for the history buff but also for every patriotic American.

Book Description

The toughest year in a young doctor's life

Witness the raw reflections of three very different medical interns as they grapple with devastating tragedy, bureaucratic irrationally, and the inevitable decay of their personal lives. Thrill to the heart-racing heroics, touching moments if insight, inspiring tales if communion with patients, and the incomparable joy of saving a human life.

Set in today's confusing medical landscape amid the awesome changes in medical technology as well as skyrocketing costs, Rotations is a probing, often shocking, account of initiation into the most venerated of professions. It is a timely, dramatic account of medicine, capturing the sharp, sometimes painful leaning curve of the raw recruits softened by the physician. It will forever alter your perceptions of intern life as it reveals the little-known world of doctors-in-training and dares to raise serious questions about the future of medicine.

Customer Reviews:

Twelve Months as an Intern.......2006-02-23

Rotations: The 12 Months of Intern Life

The 'Prologue' says since "managed care" came, life for medical specialists and their patients has become increasingly complicated. Specialists can't schedule tests for patients without first calling the patient's primary care provider to explain why the tests are medically necessary. Then the specialist has to explain to those doing the tests just what the concern in. The primary care provider must authorize a second visit to discuss the results. All the time spent in making phone calls, discussing or arguing about the need for the tests, reduces the number of patients seen during a week or the time spent in evaluation. Does this system benefit the patient of the HMO's stockholders? It makes providing excellent care to patients more difficult.

This change in American medical education is to focus on the training of family practitioners, generalists, internists, and pediatricians; subspecialty care is less of a priority. Along with this, in New York City there were mergers between medical schools and teaching hospitals to create monopolies in the delivery of care, and the ruin of many smaller facilities. The Federal government pressured a decrease on residency training programs and the number of doctors by as much as a third in one example. Each of the twelve chapters tell of events for interns during the July to June year.

After a year, the interns are now residents. The 'Epilogue' sums up the effects of this stressful year. Dr. Marion gives his analysis of the Bell Commission and the effects of this law in practice. He has some recommendations for reform. Chapter 6 tells how and why "internship" was invented at Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1890s to meet a financial crisis. Later it was called an "educational necessity. [There is no mention of how this is done in Scotland, England, or on the Continent. What are the comparative results?]

Oh, how little internship has changed..........2000-03-25

Having read Learning to Play God (excellent) and Intern Blues (very elightening), both by Dr. Marion, I was thrilled to find Rotations on the shelf of my local bookstore. His desire to convey how much and how little has changed since the mid 80s when Intern Blues took place is commendable. However, his effort was fair to middling at best (if you have read the previous two books). Women are more accepted (thank goodness) and family leave time for pregancy is no longer much of an issue. But, late nights, incompetent techs, and 9-5 nurses (and doctors!) still exist basically unchanged. The main problem that I had with this book was the paucity of NEW information. Refering to previous works (Intern by Doctor X is very educational) can add to a work, but I felt that Rotations relied to heavily upon them. Dr. Marion is an excellent and honest writer, but Rotations is not the first of his works that I would recommend to my friends.

Good insight on medical internship life.......1999-12-17

This book documents the lives of young doctors in a pediatric internship. By following their lives I got a better understanding of what it's like to be in their shoes. This book has so many characters that it's hard to follow. Likewise, the many characters are given no background or discriptions so it's hard to have concern for them even though they are going threw so much frustration and hardship from their intership. This book reads like a documentary which is not such a bad thing, just different. This book would be interesting to someone that is interested in medical training.

Confusing "pastiche" outline; sarcastic & angry viewpoint.......1999-10-28

What's wrong with the system of training M.D.s endure for three years? According to Robert Marion, everything. Patching together the diaries of '90s interns with excerpts from books and his own memories, Marion leads us month by month throuhg a year of medical internship. Much about how interns suffer, how hateful and intractable the medical system is, rife with sarcasm. Apparently interns have enough energy to write diaries of their experience with stupid nurses, vengeful lab techs and God-complex MD-CEOs but not enough to appreciate the wonder of human biology and the extreme privilege of being allowed to get paid to practice for three years on onwitting patients before going on to the highest paid, most prestigious job you can have in the USA by just being good at a science and jumping through the hoops--one of which is internship.

"Two for the price of one".......1999-05-08

I like Marion's idea of using actual intern diaries to describe residency life -- is there a better way to hear it than "directly from the horse's mouth?" However, Marion chooses to use not only the three diaries from his most recent interns (the 1994 class), but also includes many diary enteries from his "Internal Blues" residents. His constant switching from current to past diaries made reading the novel confusing -- I often found myself paging back to the prologue to try and determine who was who. And to add to this already perplexing situation, Marion frequently chooses to add tidbits from his own intern experience.

In addition to the fact that the large cast of characters made the novel confusing, the book was also lacking a "big picture." A collection of little stories pieced together, the author allows us brief glimpses at moments of the intern's lives, but there is definitely a lack of continuum and focus. Taking the juiciest, most interesting enteries from the intern diaries keeps the reader awake, but the lack of continuity often caused my mind to drift elsewhere. And by the time I was back to being focused on the story, I had to read the prologue again to figure out who the character was.

One "benefit" of this book: Marion includes much of what was in his "Internal Blues" book in this novel. So if you are into making bargain buys, this is a "two-for-one" deal.

Amazon.com

Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles was one of the rising stars of FDR's administration. The president viewed Welles as indispensable, referring to him as "the only man in the State Department who really knew what was going on." And yet, at the height of World War II, he was forced to resign, as scheming colleagues (including Secretary Cordell Hull) spread rumors about Welles's alleged sexual solicitation of a male train porter in 1940.

Something happened on that train; Roosevelt believed that the rumors were true, but, valuing Welles's expertise, he refused to cut his lifelong friend loose until the situation became politically impossible to ignore. This biography, written by Welles's eldest son, is understandably circumspect, concluding that a combination of exhaustion, wartime stress, and heavy drinking "let the bisexual nature latent in his nature burst their bonds." After his retreat into private life, Welles fell into the clutches of his valet, "a psychopathic bisexual ... whose hard drinking and turbulent influence hastened Welles's rush to self-destruction." (Shades of Harold Pinter!) Drawing extensively upon his father's papers, the author does an admirable job of rehabilitating Welles's reputation as a brilliant executor of American foreign policy, and skillfully portrays the cutthroat competition among members of the Roosevelt team, a competition in which he finally could not bring himself to take part.

Book Description

In 1915, Sumner Welles, the son of an aristocratic family, began to work for the US State Department. Welles quickly showed an aptitude for the delicate job of international negotiation. His early successes in Japan later brought him to the attention of FDR who brought him into his administration as Under-Secretary of State. While Welles provided FDR with invaluable information about Europe and Japan, his main achievement was the development of US relations with Latin America. His bright career, however, was not to last. In 1940, FDR and his cabinet traveled to the funeral of William Bankhead, Speaker of the House. Welles traveled with them and, on the return journey, he propositioned a black Pullman car porter, allowing an aspect of his life that was heretofore hidden, to emerge. The scandal was made public and Welles resigned in 1943, thereby ending his career. This life of Sumner Welles is candidly written, for the first time, by his son, Benjamin Welles. Anyone interested in the accomplishments of this great man, the history of his time and the presidency of FDR, will want to read this beautifully written book.

Customer Reviews:

History through the eyes of family ties........2000-04-06

When I picked up this book, I didn't even kow who Sumner Welles was (don't ask how I ended up reading this one). I found that this book provided an excellent description of Welles contribution to foreign policy in the US during the Rooselvelt administration. All of Welles' official accomplishments were clearly described and outlined. Where I found difficulty with this book was when it went into detail about Welles' personal life. It was clear that the author (Welles' son) was trying to be very objective about his father's life. However the book fluctuates between being very objective about Welles -- mostly on the more controversial aspects -- and revealing too much detail about small seemingly inconsequential events about which the author seems to have included simply because he was there. This book also has a tendency to apply villain or saint status to everyone but Welles. Roosevelt could do no wrong, and Hull, Bullitt, and van Hamme were all selfish evil men who would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. I doubt that in reality, things were that black and white. However, coming in knowing very little about these people, I was very interested in learning about the influence Welles had in World affairs during WWII and the discord that seems to have existed in the US government during this time.

Average customer rating:
Oysterville Roads to Grandpa's Village
Espy Willard R
Manufacturer: Clarkson Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LBCXWQ

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Oysterville - Roads to Grandpa's Village

Manufacturer: Clarkson N. Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I3ZYDC

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OYSTERVILLE ROADS TO GRANDPA'S VILLAGE

Manufacturer: Clarkson N. Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H2OW46

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Remembering What's Been Lost

History of the founding of Oysterville, Washington

Oysterville: Roads to Grandpa's Village
Willard R. Espy
Manufacturer: University of Washington Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
West | Regional U.S. | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | Genealogy | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0295972254

Customer Reviews:

Remembering What's Been Lost.......2007-03-12

Oysterville is now a tiny village on the Long Beach peninsula in Washington state, but at one time it was a classic boomtown. Mr. Espy is a superb writer, and this book is a tribute to his family and indeed all pioneers.

History of the founding of Oysterville, Washington.......1998-01-24

Terrific book by Washington-born Willard Espy of the Espy family who founded Oysterville. A wonderful, moving account of the Espy ancestors homesteading in the Columbia River Valley. Lush with detail. Not to be missed!

Average customer rating:

OYSTERVILLE; ROADS TO GRANDPA'S VILLAGE
WILLARD ESPY
Manufacturer: University of Washington Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORVCEM

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Oysterville Roads To Grandpas Village
Willard Espy
Manufacturer: CLARKSON N POTTER INC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SHKSTS

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Oysterville Roads To Grandpas Village
Willard R Espy
Manufacturer: POTTER, CLARKSON N INC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N7B3XI

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Oysterville Roads To Grandpas Village
Willard Espy
Manufacturer: CLARKSON N POTTER INC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000TXKI0U

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OYSTERVILLE: ROADS TO GRANDPA'S VILLAGE
Willard R. Espy
Manufacturer: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NUO47W

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