Semantics, Culture, and Cognition: Universal Human Concepts in Culture-Specific Configurations

Book Description

Not everything that can be said in one language can be said in another. The lexicons of different languages seem to suggest different conceptual universes. Investigating cultures from a universal, language-independent perspective, this book rejects analytical tools derived from the English language and Anglo culture and proposes instead a "natural semantic metalanguage" formulated in English words but based on lexical universals. The outcome of two and a half decades of research, the metalanguage is made up of universal semantic primitives in terms of which all meanings--including the most culture-specific ones--can be described and compared in a precise and illuminating way. Integrating insights from linguistics, cultural anthropology, and cognitive psychology, and written in simple, non-technical language, Semantics, Culture, and Cognition is accessible not only to scholars and students, but also to the general reader interested in semantics and the relationship between language and culture.

Customer Reviews:

Vicarious culture shock.......2000-06-13

This book amazed me.

Some words don't translate well across cultures. Anna Wierzbicka can tell you why. Using a "natural semantic metalanguage" of concepts basic enough to appear in every language, she explains, point by point, what English-speaking people think of when they use the word "soul".

Then she does the same thing with the Russian word "dusha"--which means roughly the same thing--but makes us see how the differences are enough to make the "dusha" a more common concept in Russian than the "soul" is in English.

The rest of the book carries on in this vein. Dissecting various European notions of fate, destiny, honor, and bravery, she makes us see that a lot of what we take for granted as 'basic' ideas really are culturally defined.

The exotic emotional terms she presents force us to to think twice about assuming the universality of the emotions in English words like "anger" and "sadness"--more so since the metalanguage explanations don't give any more firm foundation to our words than to any others'.

I'm very glad I read this book--I think the concepts in it were very useful to me as a hobbyist language maker, and the image of the mind as an "Anglo folk concept" will likely stick with me forever.

The chapter on diminutives and such on proper names failed to grab my interest, so I can't give this book the five stars the rest of it deserves.

Book Description

Organizational change may well be the most oft-repeated and widely embraced term in all of corporate America-but it is also the least understood. The proof is in the numbers: Nearly two-thirds of all change efforts fail, and they carry with them huge human and economic tolls. Lacking any overarching paradigm for change, executives of large, underperforming organizations have been left with little guidance in how to choose the strategies that will lead them to sustained success.

In Breaking the Code of Change, editors Michael Beer and Nitin Nohria provide a crucial starting point on the journey toward unlocking our understanding of organizational change. The book is based on a dynamic debate attended by the leading lights in the field-including scholars, consultants, and CEOs who have led successful transformations-and presents a series of articles, written by these experts, that collectively address the question: How can change be managed effectively?
Beer and Nohria organize the book around two dominant, yet opposing, theories of change-one based on the creation of economic value (Theory E), and the other on building organizational capabilities for the long haul (Theory O). Structured in an unusual and engaging point-counterpoint style, the book enlists the reader directly in the debate, providing a comprehensive overview of the strengths and weaknesses of each theory along every dimension of the change process-from motivation to leadership to compensation issues.

The editors argue that the key to solving the paradox of change lies not in choosing between the two processes, but in integrating them. They identify the crucial considerations leaders must make in selecting strategies that satisfy shareholders and develop lasting organizational capabilities. With a groundbreaking conceptual framework applicable to established corporations and small organizations alike, Breaking the Code of Change is a unique and authoritative contribution to academic research and management practice on the process of organizational change.

Michael Beer is the Cahners-Rabb Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Nitin Nohria is the Richard P. Chapman Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.

Customer Reviews:

Human factor and business.......2003-07-15

Human factor and business
Michael Beer and Nitin Nohria's have present a framework toward as an integrative theory of change. Theory E has as its purpose the creation of economic value, often expressed as shareholder value. Its focus is on formal strong hierarchy structure and systems. It is driven from the top down with extensive help from consultants and financial incentives. There's know room the creative managers. You must agreed to the objects (make and keep the shareholders happiest man in town no matter what) that the top commands and demands.

Theory O has as its purpose the development of the organization's human capability to implement strategy and to learn from actions taken about the effectiveness of changes made. Its focus is on the development of a high-commitment culture. Its means consist of high involvement, and consultants and incentives are relied on far less to drive change. Change is emergent, less planned and programmatic. Here there's know place for silos but teamwork and personal development.

Resolving the Tension between Theory E and O
It is vary tempting if you find a business model that can boots the business finance, there's a big chance that you will follow that lead. But this can turn out on the short run well for the business and especially for the shareholders. But on the long run this have a great deal of stress on the employers by taken the human factor out of the workspace, and make the workplace a money machine. The authors argue strategies that works only on behave of the shareholders will not survive in the long run. To solve this problem one must look further than the shareholders and deeper than the business objectives (theory O). There must be a cultural transformation. Everyone must work for the same goal and not draining the gaol for the sake of the CEO. To make the cultural transformation, there will be more benefits to the organization in the long run. Finally this will create a win-win situation for the organization employees and the shareholders.

Even in the change literature are changing. In breaking the code of change the authors have may very well suggest that the old change agents like Weick, Pettigrew, Bennis, Argyris have lost contact whit the reality, they don't have the vision, the energy.
They are not change agents but organization development that help curtain organization to function within the circumstances under the economic situation of that particular moment. At the end of the book Beer and Nohria conclude that these agents didn't succeed to break the code of change.

The interesting thing is when you look at the company's the authors consider that make the loop from good to great, you will be surprise if you think that the good to great company's are IBM, Microsoft, Enron, Shell, well not anymore if you're, if you're looking for the company's that embodied the leadership that make the loop from good to great. Don't look for the company's that appear on the front page, or the company's that make the news. But look around the corner. My advise study this book, search for the human factor, and make your notes and act according to your vision. You may be surprise how in the smallest things you can be the one that turns things around from good to great. Good study material for organization consultants, HRM and MBA's.

Finally--clear reasons about what works and what doesn't.......2003-04-16

When I read this book, I felt that I had been missing the obvious for a long time. The authors provide an explanation about why most of the changes in organizations don't work, whether they are Theory E or Theory O, and how you can combine the two for meaningful and effective results. Their work is based on lots of experience and for me they finally explained what the problem is--and what to do about it. As a change agent, this book gave me great new thinking with which to practice my craft.

A thoughtful, no hype, solid content book.......2002-06-05

I have just finished reading this book and have been rewarded, as a "change" practitioner, this book adds real value in bringing the streams of change together. It is rare when I read a book on the subject and find it rewarding, enhancing what I do at the coal face. No, quick fix recipes but a thoughtful, well constructed set of ideas that do justice to this complex subject. I would reccomend this book to those who want to get beyond "listmania" and into some real thinking of what is involved in the dynamics of change.

A Must, If You Do Not Wish To Get Lost Between HH.RR & OD.......2001-05-05

Mike Beer has been for some time now clarifying the issues involved in Corporate Cultures, Human Capital, and Organizational Change. In this recent book Dr. Beer has done what SHOULD have been done decades ago: Linking several fields by providing useful Framework. This book synthesizes fields "apparently" diverse such as: Organizational Design with People & Team Profiling with Organizational Profiling and Human Dynamics. It is a precise, concise, extremely effective, and much needed book.

English Seigniorial Agriculture, 1250-1450
Average customer rating:
English Seigniorial Agriculture, 1250-1450
Bruce M.S. Campbell
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7GE8C

Book Description

The Nature of Concepts examines a central issue for all the main disciplines in cognitive science: how the human mind creates and passes on to other human minds a concept. An excellent cross-disciplinary collection with contributors including Steven Pinker, Andy Clarke and Henry Plotkin.

Customer Reviews:

Mixed bag.......2003-03-18

Unfortunately this is a mixed bag.

As usual, most anthologies or collection of essays from a range of authors tend to have the `good', the `bad' and the `ugly'. It is no different with this collection.

Ultimately, determining the good and the bad is dependent on personal choice. I found the majority of the essays to be rather dull, and uninspiring. Hornby's piece was probably typical.

However there were three essays that made the experience pleasurable, as they described the highs and lows of the season, the love and hate of following a club and being a ardent club supporter, and the drama that overlays it all.

The central premise of putting together a collection of authors to write about a season in the history of their club, and from the fans perspective, is to be applauded. But somehow, the expectation and the output never quite meet.

Great for soccer fans, but still okay for the less obsessed.......2002-01-06

The greatest strength of this collection of essays/reminiscences is its diversity. In wonderfully varied pieces, "My Favourite Year" captures a broad band of moods and shows just how multi-faceted our reactions to soccer--and, at a deeper level, our approaches to remembering--are.

For someone not acquainted with the world of (mostly) English football (there are inclusions here as well of Scottish, Welsh, and Irish teams), some of these essays may be a tough go. I'd be tempted to say that the best pieces here are the most widely accessible ones--that is, the ones that cater to a more general public--but that wouldn't be true. The elation of Roddy Doyle's opening salvo could capture anyone's attention, since it seems less about soccer than about infectiously good memories. But some of the most interesting and powerful glimpses here will be impenetrable to those with little knowledge of the inner workings of club politics in England; Ed Horton's amazing probing of the woeful and criminal mismanagement of Oxford United is both engaging and important, but I confess that some of its finer points were lost on this American reader, despite the fact that I know a fair amount about the background.

So, unlike Hornby's "Fever Pitch," which manages to make itself about life-in-general masquerading as life-in-soccer, this collection might be a little harder to penetrate for the casual observer of the beautiful game. If you're a bigger fan of the sport, I highly recommend it, especially during the upcoming World Cup year 2002. "My Favourite Year" is a great hors-d'oeuvre for a month-long World Cup meal of soccer at its best.

The passion of passions.......2000-04-22

Books about sports tend to be "subliterature". "My favourite year" would definitely be an exception to this rule - if it was a book about sports, or, more specifically, about football. But this collection of short stories is much more than that, utilizing events and facts related to football to describe human passion in its rawest and most exacerbated form. No matter the country, team or period, the stories reflect the kind of love (passionate, unilateral, unjustifiable, absurd, unconditional, etc.) that football fans all around the world know very well. Even with two or three less inspired stories, it is a highly enjoyable read throughout.Among many smiles and memories, it can even at moments bring tears to the eyes of the more emotional fans like myself.

There's Only....4.......2000-01-28

The subtitle (A Collection of New Football Writing) might lead some to thing this is a book of short stories like" A Book of Two Halves", but it isn't. What Hornby has assembled is a collection of 13 essays by writers (including himself) about their favorite season following a soccer team. Unfortunately, many of the essays are boring as hell to this American reader, with names of unknown players streaming by meaninglessly by and all manner of pop culture-specific references drifting past. Roddy Doyle's (The Woman Who Walked Into Doors) essay on Ireland's 1990 World Cup run is nice, as are Don Watson's piece on Leeds United '74/'75 and Giles Smith's piece on Chelsea '73/'74, both of which feature the authors as children. And of course Horbny's own piece on the futility of following Cambridge United in '83/'84 is entertaining as one might expect.

Exellent view of a traditional football supporter!.......1999-01-25

Being a football supporter myself I understand the stories put into this book. If you are a football fan read it because it is about us. There is alot of emotional, joyfull and sad scenes in this book and somehow they all revolve around football. Cracking book alex ross

Book Description

Writing instruction stands at a crossroads. Efforts to define and then assess the key qualities of writing have helped pinpoint what outcomes matter most and how to measure them, yet they threaten to become an end in themselves. Meanwhile, high-quality instruction seeks to create a safe environment that applauds risk taking by supporting students through strategies that are not readily measured. In this landmark book, Vicki Spandel takes on the immeasurable, opening an exciting discussion about the conditions writers need to achieve their full potential and offering practical applications for any writing classroom.

In The 9 Rights of Every Writer Spandel invites nine published authors into a discussion of what makes writing work. Well-known novelists, researchers, science writers, and teacherwriters join this dynamic conversation, and together they draw vital conclusions about teaching strategies that both lead to growth in craft and allow good teaching to flourish. Join Spandel and friends in discovering the personal and instructional importance of:

reflecting
finding personally important topics
going off topic
personalizing the writing process
writing badly to unearth and clarify meaning
observing other writers at work
assessing constructively - and well
experiencing structural freedom
unearthing the power of each writer's voice.

As you will discover, The 9 Rights of Every Writer weaves the philosophical into the practical, offering powerful, ready-to-use lessons that jumpstart the progress of the writers in your classroom and help them reach writing standards.

Harness your passion for writing instruction, let go of rigid practices, and balance the needs of maturing writers with today's classroom realities. Read The 9 Rights of Every Writer, learn to trust your teaching instincts, and concentrate on what matters most: creating an instructional setting where writers can achieve success that soars beyond what can be measured.

Customer Reviews:

A must-read for all teachers of writing.......2006-02-01

Vicki Spandel's infectious faith in writing as thinking will leap into your classroom as you nod your way through this excellent text. In fact, there were parts where I wasn't merely nodding in agreement, I was shouting, "YES!" I love Spandel's encouragement and insights. I love following her advice and feeling her warm support as I work with my third grade writers. This is a wonderful text for new and veteran teachers of writing.

9 Answers for Every Writing Teacher.......2005-08-30

Often books come out that we ought to read. Less often books come out that we want to read. 9 Rights for Every Writer is one you HAVE to read. In this test-crazed world, Vicki Spandel brings us back to our writing-workshop center--to the joy that only comes from teaching writing well. Vicki takes us on a journey, reminding us how effective writing instruction teaches deep thinking and much more. It's essential that our writers have what they deserve. In a reader-friendly style, Vicki eloquently and gently reminds us why we became writing teachers for in the first place, giving us 9 principles to teach by. Did I say you HAD to read this book? You NEED to read this book.

9 Rights of Every Writer, The: A Guide for Teachers

Average customer rating:

9 Rights of Every Writer, The: A Guide for Teachers
Vicki Spandel
Manufacturer: Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUB578

Scarred for Life: Eleven Stories About Skateboarders
Average customer rating:

excellent look at the culture

Scarred for Life

Scarred for Life: Eleven Stories About Skateboarders
Keith David Hamm
Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

The Answer Is Never: A Skateboarder's History of the World

Skateboarding is Not a Crime: 50 Years of Street Culture

Life and Limb: Skateboarders Write from the Deep End

The Concrete Wave: The History of Skateboarding

Thrasher: Insane Terrain (Thrasher Magazine)

ASIN: B000ENBPUC

Book Description

Skateboarding is a means of transport, a pastime, a lifestyle, an artful expression, and an ethos. Some even call it a sport. But until now, the scene has lacked an appropriate -- and accessible -- tribute. Scarred for Life is an intimate, you-are-there look into the culture and history of skateboarding, as told through the voices and experiences of those who have dedicated their lives to riding a wooden plank with wheels. Eleven chapters take readers on a wild ride through the evolution (and revolution) of skateboarding -- reaching as far back as the 1950s -- and includes oral histories and terrain reports of the major styles and techniques as they emerged. One hundred dynamic photographs capture skaters doing what they do best in pools and pipes, on hills, ramps, streets, and skateparks. From the early proving grounds of California hills and pools to the chaotic streets of modern New York City, Scarred for Life offers street-level talk and eye-to-eye truth-telling about skateboarders, scars and all.

Customer Reviews:

excellent look at the culture.......2006-06-25

This book is obviously written by someone who not only knows how to tell a good story, do a good interview, and find interesting people, it's really written by someone who KNOWS what he's talking about and knows how to translate it to others, this is a great book on skateboarding culture. The Jay Adams story alone is worth the price.

Scarred for Life.......2004-11-22

Finally a skateboard book that did it's research. Amazing photo's and a good read. This is definetly a must have book. It's nice to see skateboarders that have been true to the sport finally get some photo's in print. Skateboarding is a lifestyle to most not just a thing to do because everyones doing it. Keith really did his homework. Good job!

Customer Service: Skills and Concepts for Success, Student Edition
Average customer rating:

Can be used for more than just serving customers!

Learn the art of Customer Service and find contentment

Customer Service: Skills and Concepts for Success, Student Edition
Robert W Lucas
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Customer Service | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Marketing | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Work Book: Getting the Job You Want

Contemporary Business Math for Colleges

Learning Microsoft Windows XP

Customer Service: Building Successful Skills for the Twenty-First Century

Great Customer Service on the Telephone (Worksmart Series)

ASIN: 0078226333

Book Description

This revision of Customer Service: Skills & Concepts for Success features how-to topics for the customer service professional. It covers the concepts and skills needed for success in business careers, including listening techniques, verbal and nonverbal communication, and use of technology. Emphasis is given to dealing with customer service problems and how to handle conflicts and stress.

Customer Reviews:

Can be used for more than just serving customers!.......2002-12-22

Although this book is intended to show how to better service the customer and how that will help businesses, its techniques and theories can be applied to dealing with all people.

It is a very engaging book and will help identify unique traits among people (customers or not) along with unique traits about yourself. Next it shows how to use your uniqueness and tailor it to each situation to effectively deal with people, even with people you would normally avoid. Each chapter is preceded by business people in a variety of fields who emphasize the importance of customer service. Each chapter is ended with questions covering the topics discussed and problem scenarios to apply your new knowledge in dealing with the scenarios.

Learn the art of Customer Service and find contentment.......2002-03-17

Customer service or customer care is defined as anything that we perform for the customer which enhances his experience of doing business with us. It is his overall feeling of contentment with the complete interaction he has had with the product / service package purchased by him.

The book "Customer Service, Skills and Concepts for Success" by Bob Lucas is truly a feeling of contentment. To be able to understand customer service from the heart and thereafter translate the learning onto action is what this book has done for me. There are several good books on the subject of customer service however they mostly talk about empirical situations in the world of the service provider. However this book by Bob Lucas is unparalleled as it is perhaps the only book which talks about the profession, the skills that are needed to be an ace customer service provider etc.

Real customer service does not happen by accident but will only happen through planning and by practising. This book is practical and action oriented. It has shown me how to keep my customers satisfied and become more profitable while having fun without much stress.

The book should become a basic reading in all colleges and for all frontline sales personnel as well as all frontline customer service representatives so that their induction into the world of customer care is charted out correctly.

Book Description

Globalization is at the heart of debates about the present phase of development of the world economy. In Globalization and the Postcolonial World, Ankie Hoogvelt joins these debates to examine the ways in which globalization is affecting the countries of the developing world. Taking a new look at historical trends and theories in development studies, Hoogvelt describes the diverse impacts of globalization in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, East Asia, and Latin America, identifying different postcolonial responses in each of these regions.

New to this edition are sections on the new "digital" economy; the resurgence of the United States after decades of putative relative decline and the question of renewed U.S. dominance in the global system; and the volatility of the global financial markets culminating in the East Asia crisis of 1997. Part II has been thoroughly reconfigured and expanded, as have the chapters on East Asia and on Africa. Finally, the conclusions have been rethought in the light of the mushrooming cloud of antiglobalist protests.

Customer Reviews:

Clearcut and systematic.......2001-09-25

this is the second best argument I've read on globalization. the best one is Giddens's theorizing. the edge point of Giddens's theory on globalization, for example The Consequences of Modernity, is overarching reach of conception. but he ignored the economic dimension of globalization. upto recent work, Runaway World, he has focused on social and political dimension of globalization. yep. it's the legimate territory of sociology. when his theory is coupled with global village(McLuhan) or global consciousness (Roland Robertson) I think it can be powerful tool to capture the global integration of lifestyle or culture. but isn't the economic impetus the dominant feature of globalization?
on this point, I've relied on world system theory to get the overall picture. but the author pinpoints that theory blurs off the uniqueness of recent phenomenon. the distinction the author makes, of globalization and internationalization, transnationalization is insightful and provocative to me. for it can serve to depict somewhat new phenomenon. he points out the new chracteristics of global economic system like this.
A Global Market Discpline & Principle: Unlike previous international econmic situation, it must be argued that there was global market-place where Licardian international division of labor and international product-service exchange dominated the time. but now since mid 70s, there has been a global market discipline i.e., system. the its concrete content is somewhat standard: Intra-firm trade or integrated international production system, Inter-product trade, intra-product trade. but he systemizes those facts under new conception. for exaple, he use the term ?iscpline to indicate the internalization of cut-throat competition in global market into market participant? code of conduct. this could be the intersection between economic, political and social theory.

Book Description

The directory provides information on newspapers, TV & Radio stations, professional and scientific journals and magazines in Russia. Updated annually.

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