Creating the Value-Adding Finance Function

Book Description

Everyone complains about bureaucracy--this book shows what can be done to replace it with more humane and effective systems of organization. The Pinchots describe effective organizations that fully utilize the intelligence of all employees, not just those at the top.

Customer Reviews:

Insightful!.......2001-04-12

How can citizens of a society that exalts freedom consent to spend the majority of their lives laboring within organizations that are hierarchical, slow-moving and dictatorial? Gifford and Elizabeth Pinchot raised that question in their heralded 1993 book and provided the following answer: Not willingly and not for long. The Pinchots were among the first management scholars to predict the demise of the military-style command structure, along with its inherent secrecy and Machiavellian political sniping. Although a slew of books devoted to the same theme have been published since, none have done a better job at explaining the potential of informed and engaged employees who don't fear their bosses too much to take decisive action. We [...] strongly recommend this book, which brims with meticulous case histories showing how teams, employee-owned companies and internal free-market competition have transformed organizations. (In fact, the Pinchots coined the term "intraprenuership" to describe this process.) While you might not be convinced that a company run by consensus can ever compete with one run by The Prince, this book gives you hope that it can.

Manifesto for Good People Trapped in Bad Organizations.......2000-04-09

The seven essentials of organizational intelligence include widespread truth and rights; freedom of enterprise, liberated teams, equality and diversity, voluntary learning networks, democratic self-rule, and limited corporate government. It was this book, and the very strong applause that the author received from all those attending OSS '96, that caused me to realize that the U.S. Intelligence Community is just chock full of very good people that want to change, but are not being allowed to change by the organizational circumstances within which they are trapped-frozen in time and budget.

The End of Bureaucracy & the Rise of the Intelligent Organization

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The End of Bureaucracy & the Rise of the Intelligent Organization

Manufacturer: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Incorporated, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I8WG6K

End of Bureaucracy and the Rise of the Intelligent Organization.

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End of Bureaucracy and the Rise of the Intelligent Organization.

Manufacturer: 0
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ICDOJY

Book Description

Under the Blade: The Conversion of Agricultural Landscapes examines the patterns, causes, and consequences of current land use decisions in the United States, particularly the conversion of farmland to housing, roads, and other development. Changes in land use are the result of complex interactions among law, economics, landscape characteristics, social and political forces, ethics, and aesthetics. By examining farmland loss from each of these perspectives, and then integrating the results into policy recommendations, Under the Blade makes an important contribution to the ongoing debate on the optimal use of a finite resource-land.

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Design and analysis of experiments in the animal and medical sciences, Volume 1
John L Gill
Manufacturer: Iowa State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Zoology | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Natural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 081380020X

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Design and Analysis of Experiments in the Animal and Medical Sciences, Volume 3: Appendices
John L. Gill
Manufacturer: Iowa State Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0813801109

Book Description

The authoritative sourcebooks for parents, players, and coaches

Baseball is a complicated game to learn, particularly for a 9- to 12-year-old's attention span.

Bewildered managers, coaches, and parents of the more than 2.5 million Little League Baseball® players need all the help they can get. Filled with fun and easy-to-follow instructions and advice on teaching the fundamentals of baseball, the bestselling Little League Baseball® series is sure to score with coaches and kids alike.

THE LITTLE LEAGUE® GUIDE TO TEE BALL

This illustrated, easy-to-follow guide covers all the Tee Ball basics, explaining the skills that help rookie players develop coordination and confidence, preparing them for future Little League play.

Download Description

The authoritative sourcebooks for parents, players, and coaches

Customer Reviews:

very basic ..........2006-08-04

This book is extremely basic. I would only recommend it for those who have very little knowledge of baseball. It spends a lot of time covering basic rules of tee ball and does not cover the fundamentals in enough detail to be of any use. If you have ever played baseball then this book is not for you.

Great Teaching Tool for T-Ball Coaches.......2006-07-14

This book provides a good overview of the rules and regulations of t-ball while providing great teaching techniques and tips for new and current coaches.

Just What Was Needed.......2000-03-28

This was just the book I needed to take on the task of managing my sons Tee Ball team. Simple, easily read and understood, and most important age appropriate for the little guys and gals.

The Little League Guide to Tee Ball : Helping Beginning Players Develop Coordination and Confidence

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The Little League Guide to Tee Ball : Helping Beginning Players Develop Coordination and Confidence
Rich Cropper Ned McIntosh
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OGEXFS

Customer Reviews:

In the footsteps of real and fictional giants.......2006-06-17

I've never been one for following walking tours precisely how they're laid out in guidebooks, and that's not how I used this volume either. However, "Mystery Reader's Walking Guide: London" was one of just a handful of books I brought with us on our recent trip to the UK, and it more than repaid the slight effort of carrying it around.

The authors have divided London into about a dozen sections and crafted a walking tour of each that takes in sites associated with popular mystery novelists and their characters. You could thus take in, for example, both a building where Dorothy L. Sayers once lived and a block that could reasonably have been the location for Lord Peter Wimsey's spacious flat; the address near the British Museum where Sherlock Holmes first took rooms upon coming down from university, and the place around the corner where Arthur Conan Doyle lived when he first practiced medicine in the capital.

I can't begin to claim familiarity with all the authors and books mentioned here, and in fact there were more than a few I'd never heard of at all. But it was proof that there's more to London-set mysteries than Holmes, Wimsey, and other classics. Later writers, up to and including authors contemporary to this book's original publication date, are also included.

Each walk is about three to five miles long, and covers a good portion of the neighborhood on which it's focused. So if you approach this book the way I did, you can still find plenty of real or supposed locations in a given area even if you choose not to follow the walk verbatim. Walks also include recommendations for places to stop and grab a bite or a pint.

Using this book as a reference produced one unexpected bonus: While stopping for lunch at the Museum Tavern ("Echoes of the Bloomsbury group can be heard among stained glass and velvet draperies." -- p. 67), my wife and I met, entirely by coincidence, a reasonably well-known American mystery-writer and his family, vacationing in London! I can't guarantee your mystery reader's walking tour will have the same serendipitous result, but I for one cannot complain.

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Mystery Reader's Walking Guide: England
Mystery Reader's
Manufacturer: Passport Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LRGNUI

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Mystery Reader's Walking Guide: England

Manufacturer: Passport Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I2TBLY

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Mystery Reader's Walking Guide: England
Alzina Stone Dale , and Barbara Sloan Hendershott
Manufacturer: Passport Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Walking | Hiking & Camping | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0844295531

Book Description

The best way to enjoy this experience is on foot, so the authors have created fourteen intriguing walks that take you through fascinating English cities and town, rich in the places, sights, and sounds that make the mystery genre so special. Here is an extraordinary way to learn about England and its people.

Everything you need to thoroughly enjoy the walks is provided in a style that is engaging, informative, and evcative of the writers, books, and sleuths identified with the area.

The ideal book for&

Mystery Reades, Travelers, Literary Buffs and Stay-at-Home Adventurers

Book Description

Laszlo Emberek is caught between two worlds: the bucolic life of a shepherd, tending his family's small flock of sheep with his beloved dog, Gizi, and the secret life of his parents, who can "change" into wolves at will. 13-yr-old Laszlo knows his change will come soon. But when his family's secret is discovered by a village girl -- a ward of the evil and corrupt priest, no less -- Laszlo must decide how he wants to live. Can he trust himself to remain compassionately human as other, wilder instincts overcome him? And are humans truly less dangerous than the wolves they hate with such passion?

Customer Reviews:

Very good Fantasy.......2006-05-15

I have owned a copy of this book ever since I was 11. (I'm now 13.)

This is a great book for everyone who have a keen interest in the middle ages as well as the fantasy & legend of the Werewolf.

Supernatural Thriller, Coming of Age Story.......2004-06-17

Preteen Laszlo and his parents are outsiders living on the fringes of a French village in the Middle Ages.They also exist on the borders between the animal world and the human world -- they are a family of werewolves.
In "The Wolving Time," Laszlo discovers first love, fights a corrupt system, and discovers the powers that lie inside himself. This touching story highlights the bonds that keep a family surviving in hard times, with elements of the supernatural and a plot full of suspense.

This book is ideal for fans of historical fiction, fantasy, and vampire/werewolf stories.

The Wolving Time.......2004-03-19

This book is about Laszlo Emberek, a boy who is in two worlds: one in the world as a human, another one is as a wolf; yes, a wolf. His parents, Kalman and Rita, both husband and wife, are already wolves; so far his parents say that he isn't ready to become a wolf yet. Unfortunately, one day a girl named Muno sees his parents change forms while she plans to run away from the priest, Pre Raoul, for she was his servant after he killed her parents and everythings she had. One day she is kept in jail, forced to say that Laszlo were werewolves, thanks to the priest; but luckily she doesn't. However, the priest and the villagers still find them and traps them. As they escape, Kalman and Rita tell him that he is ready - ready to become a wolf. He accepts, and in the end they were able to free Muno and move to a different, friendlier, place.

I liked this book because it was so intense. One minute you are all safe and happy, the next minute you are under pressure. The author is very descriptive, when he describes Laszlo when he becomes a wolf. As it says it the book, " He ducked his head between his forelegs and saw a furry brisket and silvery hind legs and, swishing back and forth behind them, a bushy tail!" In my opinion, it feels as if you are a wolf yourself, and usually things like that, that you can truly feel, are rare.

The book also talks about some very sad yet wise things. When Muno tells Laszlo that she is kept alive while everyone else she had was dead, it was because the priest knew that he couldn't take anything more from her. The only way was to keep her in torture, but alive. For what she wanted was to escape him, and the priest knew that. It is very descriptive, as I had said before.

Another quote from the book was when the village boys first discovered that he was a werewolf, " His ferocity surprised them - and him - and he worried again that he might change." It shows that he is afraid, which is another why I like this book. Despite all things, even if you became something else or someone else is the fact that you will always have fear follow you. In a way I also disliked the book because the plot was too slow. They didn't tell the part of the boy changing till practically the end of the book. Till then, the person seemed to add things to keep the audience waiting.

My least favorite part of the book was when Muno came to become trapped in the dungeon. It irritates me, not knowing what is going on. All of the excitement seems to be holding in you, yet it won't let go. Plus, the author kept her in the dungeon too long. Till she was freed all they ever talked about was where she was, and suspicious eyes lurking around.

Teen werewolf.......2004-01-23

Lazlo Emberek appears to be nothing more than a simple shepherd on the verge of puberty who spins and guards his family's small flock; it turns out he comes from a family of shapeshifters who can turn into werewolves, and he can't wait until he acquires the same skill. When he becomes friends with a young girl entrapped as a servant and scapegoat by the corrupt village priest, his family's secrets come under suspicion of witchery. Drama mounts as the fear of the villagers, incited by the priest, increases. Ultimately, this conflict plays into Lazlo's decision to take advantage of his canine heritage or turn from it.
Jennings's story is replete with earthy details of life in sixteenth century France, including how they got their food, what they wore, an account of going to market day, and a fair amount of nakedness and violence. The writing is very good, with all five senses attended to - a comparison of the sense of smell of a human boy and a wolf is remarkable. Jennings's use of historical setting and likening werewolves to witch hunts is both clever and plausible. However, the werewolf as a metaphor for teen adolescent has been done before; the character of Lazlo doesn't contain the soul searching or angst of Annette Curtis Klause's Vivian from Blood and Chocolate (Bantam, 1997) and is not as engaging. Still, the theme of persecution of those different from us and what it means to act monstrously could augment classroom or book group discussion nicely.

I wanted this to be a 5-star book, but ..........2004-01-20

why is it always the church that puts the "evil" in "medieval"? Why must the villain always be a corrupt priest?

To Mr. Jennings' credit, Laszlo and his parents are nominally Christian, and the next parish over has a sympathetic priest. In general, though, one gets the impression that all would be right in France if only the church and the nobles were out of the way.

They tried that a few centuries after _The Wolving Time_. It was called the Reign of Terror.

The best parts of this book are the portrayals of Laszlo and his parents Kalman and Rita, as individual characters and as a family. These scenes are filled with love, gentle laughter, and compassion. I only wish Mr. Jennings had made Pere Raoul (the evil priest) as human as the Emberek family. As it is, he is a caricature, easily dismissed as a "them" by enlightened people like us.

"If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?" -- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

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Plenty of Breadth; No Depth

Secrets of the Savvy Consumer: Save Big Money on Everything You Buy
Corey Sandler
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Consumer Behavior | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Research | Marketing | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Consumer Guides | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Subjects | Books
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The Mathematics of Personal Finance: Using Calculators and Computers

The Economic Organization of the Household

The Fragile Middle Class: Americans in Debt

The Ultimate Credit Handbook: How to Cut Your Debt and Have a Lifetime of Great Credit, Third Edition

The Secrets of Economic Indicators: Hidden Clues to Future Economic Trends and Investment Opportunities (2nd Edition) (Wharton School Publishing Paperbacks)

ASIN: 0735200319

Book Description

Money saving tips to negotiate any purchase - from food, entertainment, household items, and office equipment, to buying a car, insurance, real estate, airplane tickets.

Whether consumers realize it or not, anything can be negotiated, from car insurance to a doctor's fee. This step-by-step guide by savvy consumer Corey Sandler shows precisely how.

Sharing the hard-won knowledge of the best in business, with inside stories from the people who sell everything from insurance, cars and houses to telephone service and office equipment, Sandler reveals:
How to put a car purchase out to competitive bid
How to get the best deal and best coverage on home and auto insurance
How to travel first class on an economy budget
How to negotiate the commission when hiring a realtor
How to select the best mortgage and keep it up-to-date with changing rates and conditions
How to get the most financial aid for college-bound children

Jam packed with money-saving strategies and tactics for both consumers and business people, this is a complete game plan for maximizing one's income, whether it's $20,000 or $200,000.

Customer Reviews:

Plenty of Breadth; No Depth.......2002-12-05

This author of this book is the perfect example of someone who is a "jack of all trades...master of none." What do I mean? One only has to look at the table of contents to begin to understand how any individual could possibly offer much authoritative info on everything from "Saving on Clothes Purchases" (men, you're out of luck, this chapeter primarily references women's clothing) to "Savvy Personal Investments" (all 4 pages). At best, this book offers a combination of basic common sense advice that the average adult probably already knows, and a large breadth of categories that may--or in may case may not--hit home. Apparently Prentis Hall published this manuscript on the merits of the author's credentials alone, rather than on it's quality.

Book Description

An initial public offering is a fruitful setting for analyzing firm value. This study compares two ways of valuing a firm: one based on accounting and one on market information. Both approaches are used throughout the book. They clarify the extent to which accounting information can be used for explaining firm value. In addition to valuing new issues with the help of accounting information, the book examines the relationship between firm value and a number of signals such as inside shareholdings and the quality of the intermediaries hired. The issuing firm's managers use these signals for disclosing private information. Extensive data on the new issues market in the Netherlands make the study unique. Furthermore, the empirical results reveal relationships that have not been investigated before. Several findings in the book have attracted the attention of the media. A number of Dutch newspapers including the leading financial daily, 'Het Financieele Dagblad', have reported on two of the studies from the book, one on takeover defenses, the other on employee stock options, when they were published in academic journals.

Book Description

This book contains papers addressing the major problems and possible reforms in the international monetary and financial system from the perspective of developing countries. Among the issues addressed are global macroeconomic management, international liquidity, volatile private capital flows, structural adjustment, governance in the IMF and World Bank, the role of the regional development banks, and the potential for developing country cooperation.

The International Monetary and Financial System : Developing-Country Perspectives

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The International Monetary and Financial System : Developing-Country Perspectives
Gerald K. Helleiner
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTCMLW

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Interesting Collection of Essays- A must for natural science lovers!

good

What is YOUR view of nature?

Great Book

QUAMMEN IN KING-

The Flight of the Iguana: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature
David Quammen
Manufacturer: Delacorte Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
Natural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
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Wild Thoughts from Wild Places

The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction

The Boilerplate Rhino: Nature in the Eye of the Beholder

Monster of God: The Man-Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the Mind

The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution (Great Discoveries)

ASIN: 0385295928
Release Date: 1988-05-01

Customer Reviews:

Interesting Collection of Essays- A must for natural science lovers!.......2007-05-16

I was introduced to David Quammen by a student of mine and this is so far my favorite of his unique perspectives on the natural world. This is a good read even if science is not your life (as it is mine, for I am a high school science teacher)and it is a REALLY good read for those of you who live and breath the subject. The essays are short enough to be a light break when necessary and engaging enough to keep you occupied for an afternoon when the opportunity presents itself.

good.......2002-04-10

i had to read this book for my ecology class in college. it was probably the first text outside of literature class that i actually enjoyed reading; it didn't seem like homework. it made me laugh too. i don't even like science that much, but i really enjoyed reading this.

What is YOUR view of nature?.......2001-02-12

David Quammen's Song of the Dodo led me in search of his other writings. The first reward of that quest was this book. A collection of essays from an illustrious writer with keen perception, Quammen casts his perceptive eye on a range of topics from arachnids to zoology. While an anthology lacks Song's comprehensive view, these articles are timeless. Quammen's writing evokes many levels of emotional and intellectual response.

The Introduction sets the tone: "A Mouse Is Miracle Enough". From this opening we tour the wonders of nature, with a couple of side trips to observe that strangest of animals, Homo sapiens. Quammen's gaze never ceases surveying the landscape in presenting us with things we didn't know or aspects of viewing we've not considered. While the very squeamish may balk at close examination of black widow spiders, spoon worms or scorpions, Quammen is adept at taking us gently to these confrontations. As he does, he asks us to reconsider our viewpoint of these and other creatures. We must learn to deal with "faces unlike ours" and shed prejudices even if shedding the fears is more difficult. Changing fear into respect is the first step in acknowledging our sharing this planet with other creatures and stepping back from the destructive role we've adopted.

Respect for life is the underlying theme of all Quammen's nature writings. His "sidelong view of nature" takes us along remote jungle and desert paths to watch and record life's activities. While we like to set ourselves apart from the rest of life, Quammen, with facile pressure, pulls us along with him to observe our cousins. And ourselves. Deserts, it seems, are a haven for more than scorpions and Beaded Lizards. Among the many nocturnal animals hiding from the desert sun is a bipedal hominid. In this instance, the animals are groups of refugees seeking sanctuary in a hostile environment. Quammen's account of Guatemalan refugees and their mentors, also intelligent chimpanzees risk much to support and succor them. It's not a pleasant story, nor one any American can read without remorse. Quammen has made a sharp turn here from his usual investigations of nature's secrets. Refugee running is every bit as much a secret as nature offers, but with what humans are pleased to call a "moral issue". Quammen relates how well we've addressed that issue.

Great Book.......2000-08-20

These personal essays are a delight to read. Quammen takes some serious scientific information and then filters it through his humorous perspective and draws some interesting conclusions. All the essays are short but they are provocative and well written. Gee, how come I never had a biology teacher like this!

QUAMMEN IN KING-.......2000-03-24

Technical, yet understandable to anyone; Informative, yet wild and entertaining. That is how I would describe Flight of The Igauna. A friend gave this book to me in Glacier National Park last summer and I never got the chance to thank her for it. Dave Quammen takes takes the reader to his journey through the Okefenokee Swamp to a description of the interesting mating rituals by African bedbugs. He has a cynical voice but a compassionate heart. Nature is so fragile, complex, beautiful. We humans must realize this. A great book. You'll love it, a I did! Promise!

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