Book Description
Just as organizations have survived other recessions, they will come through this latest one-but they will need help to recover from it. In this book, acclaimed author and consultant Mitchell Marks offers the wisdom drawn from his many years of experience in helping organizations weather and manage the storms of mergers, acquisitions, and downsizing. Marks shows senior executives, team leaders, HR directors, and consultants how to get jaded employees back on track, carry them through the transition, and motivate them to perform at their best. He provides comprehensive guidance on "transition management," explaining how to approach the new and create a context for recovery. And he details how to revitalize the entire organization-the individual spirit, teams and their performance, and organizational systems.
Mitchell Lee Marks (San Francisco, CA) is an independent management consultant specializing in helping firms plan and implement mergers, restructurings, and other transitions. He also consults in areas of CEO coaching, senior team development, HR development, and corporate culture. Previously, he was senior director at Delta Consulting Group and national chair of the HR Management Practice Group at William H. Mercer, Inc.
Customer Reviews:
Well written and incredibly helpful.......2003-01-30
Our company, like many others, has gone through merges, acquisitions, downsizings, and other transition. Marks, who is an independent consultant based in San Francisco with experience in over 100 organizational transitions, has written an outstanding book that tells how to revive employee morale, workteam performance, and organizational effectiveness following difficult transitions. Marks knows his stuff--his approach is well grounded in organizational behavior theory, but he presents it in a straight forward way. And, he offers numerous case studies from companies like Pfizer, Seagrams, Qualcomm, and Kyocera.
Marks presents a model for helping employees let go of the baggage they gathered from mismanaged mergers and difficult downsizings, so they can look forward to "charge up the hill" and achieve desired business results. This book is a must for any senior executives who has led a company through a difficult period--or for one who has taken over a firm after a merger or other tough period. It also is very helpful for middle managers and other employees. Marks shows them how to focus on what they can control over their work situation rather than fret about what they cannot control.
The book is enlightening, helpful, and not jargony. Am I gushing too much? Let me just say that after I read it, I bought ten copies of the book for my team!
Amazon.com
When Terrence E. Deal and Allan A. Kennedy collaborated on Corporate Cultures in 1982, they were examining a facet of organizational life that over time would evolve from unknown to generally misunderstood to widely accepted. In light of the attention that corporate culture has since received--and the continuous pressures exerted upon it by everything from the broadening dependence on outsourcing to the growing recognition of shareholder value--Deal, a professor at the Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, and Kennedy, an international management consultant and writer, decided to revisit and update their thinking in New Corporate Cultures. The two contend that a solid corporate culture is more important today than when they wrote their first book and examine ways that business leaders can "find a balance between the management actions needed to stay competitive and the human needs of workers to belong to meaningful institutions." Deal and Kennedy discuss the reasons that today corporate cultures are "in crisis" and offer suggestions for reversing the decline. --Howard Rothman
Book Description
The authors of the hugely influential Corporate Cultures reunite to assess the effects of the last two decades of management trends and to offer new strategies for achieving corporate renewal.
Customer Reviews:
A classic on corporate culture........2000-11-27
The other reviewers have summed up the best points about this book. Anyone studying organisational behaviour will be well advised to read this book. It brings you up-to-date in developments on the subject of corporate cultures in the 1990s. The book has global application. The notes at the end of the book are a useful reference to locate related articles and content.(My comments refer to the paperback edition.)
Corporate Cultures from 1980s to 2000s........2000-04-10
"In 1982 we published Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life. We were motivated to write the book because of a nagging feeling that something was missing in our ability to understand organizations. This missing link was obviously very subtle-but also extremely powerful. Along with other pioneers (Organizational Culture and Leadership - E.Schein, Corporate Culture and Performance - J. Kotter / J. Heskett, Built to Last - J. Collins / J. Porras), we ventured an idea about what lay underneath the rational-technical veneer of business. We tagged the phantom force 'corporate culture.'... In this, our new book, we plan"Deal and Kennedy write, "to chronicle changes that have occured-where they came from, why they happened, and their effect on business cultures. We also offer suggestions for how corporations can be revitalized in the wake of the grueling assaults since the early 1980s. Our hope is that modern managers can use our book to find a balance between the management actions needed to stay competitive and the human needs of workers to belong to meaningful institutions."
In this context, with their words, Deal and Kennedy basically :
* summarize the evidence that has emerged since they first wrote about the importance of culture to superior performance over the long haul.
* chronicle, one by one, the forces that have chipped away at the culture of companies since the early 1980s.
* discuss the shareholder value movement and the impact it has had on corporate decisionmaking.
* focus on downsizing, which has cut the soul out of many corporations.
* show how outsourcing has emerged as the new tool of cost cutters just when conventional cost-reduction approaches have begun to run out of steam.
* explore how merger mania has forced the most unlikely of combinations on workforces still reeling from the waves of cost cutting that decimated them in the early 1990s.
* look at how computerization, potentially a tool for liberating workers from drudgery, has instead isolated workers from one another and made them servants to machines.
* discuss how the combination of these factors has decimated traditional corporate cultures, replacing joy, commitment, and loyalty with fear, alienation, and self-interest.
I highly recommend this study to all executives.
Look Back in Anger.......2000-01-27
The last twenty years have seen two major trends: increasing study of corporate cultures, and increasing reason to rue the cultures' progress. Since 1982, when Terrence Deal and Allan Kennedy published Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life, the havoc wrought by corporate upheaval has been measured as much by the spillage of ink as by the ruin of employee life. Short-term management, outsourcing, downsizing, reengineering, mergers, and the ever-popular leveraged buy-outs have taken their toll on once-strong corporate cultures. Today, when authors and analysts detect fear, cynicism, and anomie among corporations' employees, their blame is laid unhesitatingly at the door of senior executives. Look on thy works, ye mighty, and despair.
Now Deal and Kennedy are back with a sequel, The New Corporate Cultures, and they shall not fail or falter in condemning what they find. They devote the first half of the volume to a trenchant economic history of the last two decades, exposing the roots of these negative cultures with remarkable clarity and precision. Drawing largely from key books and articles in the field, Deal and Kennedy describe a Bizarro, anti-Rockwell world - culture of want, culture of fear, culture of denial - that makes you want to weep into your beer. Gone are the corporate cultures of yesteryear, supplanted by "negative influences that threaten the ability of businesses to thrive and compete."
This is a distinctly diffident claim, and rightly so. While few would argue that weak cultures are a good thing, even fewer have come close to proving that they impact the bottom line. John Kotter and James Heskett gave it a shot in their Corporate Culture and Performance (1992); as Deal and Kennedy admit, "in [Kotter and Heskett's] analyses, cultural strength itself did not seem to correlate significantly with financial performance." (Not that this stops Deal and Kennedy from deliberately skewing those data and presenting the results as revelatory proof, accompanied by a jab at Harvard academics.) Even if we presume that the strength of a corporate culture can be measured - for which Deal and Kennedy give neither formula nor method - we still don't know that a culture affects performance or ROI, rather than the other way around. Emboldened by proselytizing zeal, the authors have fallen victim to logical fallacy. True, Southwest Airlines is profitable, therefore it does not downsize. But it's bad logic to conclude that Southwest does not downsize, therefore it is profitable.
Deal and Kennedy are offering antagonism over answers, and their petulance is ultimately as dispiriting as their findings. Although their attacks on reengineering and overpaid CEOs may be trite, at least they're supported by facts. But they reserve a particular vitriol for the young ("young money managers", "consultants, most of them young", "newly trained MBAs not eager to spend their time on factory floors", etc.) that is unseemly in a professor and a management consultant. And when it comes time for solutions, Deal and Kennedy submit five chapters of vague recommendations unsupported by suggestions for implementation. They propose, for example, that companies should create and publish fair criteria for deciding which jobs and people are retained. That's all very well - no one wants to feel his company's retention decisions are made by the Giant Claw from Toy Story, which chooses who will go and who will stay - but who decides what is fair, whether the criteria are met, and how ever-present performance metrics can be prevented from sapping workers' souls?
Unable to prove or retaliate, The New Corporate Cultures falls back on finger-pointing and name-calling. It's a pity, really, because the authors have much to offer. Their combination of cultural anthropology, secondary research, and intelligent prose is rare and welcome among the shelves of business literature, and their book is worth reading simply for its chronicle of the American corporation in the 1980s and 1990s. As diagnosis and prescription, however, The New Corporate Cultures needs a taste of its own medicine. If you're going to pour your readers a bitter cup, be certain that the suffering is justified by the cure.
New Corporate Cultures.......1999-12-09
Corporate leaders need to re-visit corporate values to keep on track. Allan Kennedy and Terence Deal have put a message for corporations in their book. Corporations depend on their people - and people need to feel positive about their work and work situation to make the company fly. The book gets into outsourcing, downsizing, mergers, globalization, shareholder value, and cultural leadership. A wake-up book, written in clear, simple terms, a worthwhile read.
Average customer rating:
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Ethics in Agriculture - An African Perspective
Manufacturer: Springer
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1402029888 |
Book Description
Agriculture is the lifeblood of the majority of people in Africa. It is not just a provider of food, it is a way of life for rural people. Whilst subsistence farming is the most practiced form of agriculture, there are many parts of Africa where agriculture is highly developed and progressive. In many instances it is the very diversity of agricultural practices that raises complex problems and issues. These issues often manifest themselves in ways that create ethical dilemmas for farmers, policy-makers, academics, politicians and the general lay-person. In particular, the role of biotechnology in African agriculture has become a contentious issue. Some people hold the view that biotechnology will solve the food shortages experienced in many parts of Africa, however, there is an opposing viewpoint that Africa may become a dumping ground for technology that has not been acceptable in other parts of the world. The ethical issues in agriculture in Africa do not focus only on biotechnology. The role of nutrition in the persistence of HIV/AIDS is highly debated and sometimes controversial. Land-related issues also generate heated debates in communities and amongst policy-makers. The single core that runs through all of these and many other related issues is, what are ethically acceptable solutions to these problems? This book attempts, in simple, unambiguous terms, to discuss the most important issues in African agriculture that have an ethical thread.
Book Description
David E. Alexander's fascination with the many animals and plants that have harnessed the air is evident in Nature's Flyers: Birds, Insects, and the Biomechanics of Flight, a detailed account of our current scientific understanding of the primary aspects of flight in nature.
Instead of relying on elaborate mathematical equations, Alexander explains the physical basis of flight with sharp prose and clear diagrams. Drawing upon bats, birds, insects, pterosaurs, and even winged seeds, he details the basic operating principles of wings and then moves progressively through more complex modes of animal flight, including gliding, flapping, and maneuvering. In addition to summarizing the latest thinking about flight's energy costs, Alexander presents a holistic view of flight and its ramifications as he explores the ecology and evolution of flying animals, addressing behaviorally important topics such as migration and navigation. With somewhat surprising answers, the author then concludes his study by examining the extent to which natural flight has been inspiring or instructive for the architects of human flight -- airplane designers and engineers.
Book Description
With over 1,500 color photographs, this is the indispensable field guide for every hiker and naturalist exploring the vast wildlife of North America. A handy volume that covers woodland, meadow, mountain, and shoreline encounters with all common and not so common flora and fauna, HarperCollins Complete North American Wildlife is organized taxonomically with each species grouped by natural relationships and similarities. Birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, spiders, mollusks, wildflowers, trees, and shrubs are all easily identifiable here with stunning photography and clear descriptions.
Customer Reviews:
Field Guide for everybody.......2006-05-16
This field guide is a non-fiction guide.Which is a resource that you can learn from.This guide teaches you all the different types of animals and plants.For example mammals,birds,reptiles,amphbians,insects,and marine mollusks.
The book explains their habitats,where the animals and plants live.This book also gives fascinating facts about plants,animals,and even fungi.For example did tou know that the only animal that can turn its stomach inside out is the starfish!
The book has over 15,000 color photographs with explantions.I recommened it to people who love to learn about nature.I really love this book because I learned many new things.This book would be useful for people who love nature and learning about all the different kinds of animals and plants we share the world with.The vocabulary is challenging for kids.I recommend you have a dictionary handy when you're reading it at home.
Larry Cruz age:11
Beautiful color photography and useful identification tool.......2004-10-10
This book is lavishly illustrated with full color photographs of several species on the right of each page spread. The facing page gives a brief description of each species including its size, habits, habitat and geographic area of the US in which it is found. I was surprised to find that, in addition to birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles, the book also covers fish, plants, and insects. It is great for the amateur naturalist who just wants to find out what kind of lizard or owl he/she saw on a hike. There is not a lot of information on each animal because that would make the book too heavy to lift (it is a field guide after all)! And of course some varieties had to be left out, for instance, with hundreds of kinds of spiders in the US they could not show all of them and kept it down to one page. I was a wee bit disappointed not to find a large caterpillar that I had hoped to identify. Someone who was particularly interested in one type of wildlife might want a second guide to expand on, for instance, butterflies or wildflowers. Overall, it is an attractive and helpful book to have on hand to identify wildlife.
Book Description
Veteran defensive coach Ted Amorosi helps coaches, especially at the high school level, to tap the vast potential of the double eagle flex defense. Includes a complete playbook with 44 variations of the defense, 14 variations of both man and zone coverage, and six stunts to complement and enhance each pass coverage. More than 170 charts and diagrams illustrate the many facets of the double eagle flex.
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101 Double Eagle Flex Stunts
Leo Hand
Manufacturer: Coaches Choice Books
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Binding: Paperback
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Coaching Football's Double Eagle Flex Defense
ASIN: 158518943X |
Book Description
Provides an overview of the double eagle flex, including personnel requirements, basic techniques, keys, and responsibilities. Includes a dozen stunt tactics that win games, basic principles of stunting, cover 1 adjustments and techniques, cover 1 variations and stunts, zero coverage stunts and adjustments, strong and weak S and R coverages, cover 3 stunts, and covers adapting stunt strategies to aceback formations as well as defending empty sets and more. Contains over 200 easy-to-read diagrams and illustrations.
Book Description
Deux mondes is widely regarded as the most communicative text available for beginning French courses. Based on the Natural Approach developed by Tracy Terrell and Stephen Krashen, this text offers beginning language students a way to develop language proficiency (especially in listening and speaking) that allows them to participate in real conversations at a very early stage. The Natural Approach in general, and Deux mondes, Fifth Edition in particular, present material inductively (so that the activities drive the grammar), students quickly become excited about their rapid growth in comprehension and vocabulary acquisition and enjoy speaking in the non-threatening environment made possible by the activity formats.
Customer Reviews:
First Exposure to Japanese Prints.......2006-03-09
Being aware of the influence that Japanese print making had on European artists in the 19th century, but not having had much exposure to Japanese prints, I found this book to be a wonderful introduction. The essays that opened the book and the explicatory text that accompanied each print helped to establish a dialogue between the ideas that were exchanged between Oriental art and European art. I found this to be an excellent addition to my personal collection, and would highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in this area.
a beautiful companion.......2002-01-27
I have not "finished" this book, nor do I intend to for a long time. I take it out to admire, print by print, sometimes reading the informative text, sometimes not. This is not a comic book to rush through. Linger, enjoy.
a beautiful companion.......2002-01-27
I have not "finished" this book, nor do I intend to for a long time. I take it out to admire, print by print, sometimes reading the informative text, sometimes not. This is not a comic book to rush through. Linger, enjoy.
a beautifully designed and well-written book.......2001-08-05
In the second half of the nineteenth century, Europeans and Americans discovered the world of Japanese woodblock prints and thus began an enduring love affair. One result has been the publication over the last century of literally hundreds of books and thousands of articles about the prints known as "ukiyoe," with a particular emphasis on such giants of the genre as Hokusai and Hiroshige. How then, in this crowded field, does one manage to create a must-have publication for readers who may already have well-stocked libraries on Japanese art?
One answer is to be found in "Hokusai and Hiroshige: Great Japanese Prints from the James A. Michener Collection, Honolulu Academy of Arts." Issued by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco in conjunction with an exhibition, "Hokusai and Hiroshige" is typical of a new wave of "ukiyoe" books that combine excellent design (of layout and typography) with clear and interesting text. Every page displaying a print has a near equal amount of space devoted to text, and the book benefits as well from introductory essays by three established experts. The text in particular appeals to me, providing not only insights about the compositional nature of each print but also detail on the locales depicted by these two great landscape artists and appropriate historical information. There is room for improvement in "Hokusai and Hiroshige"--I would have preferred more standard romanizations for some Japanese words and the inclusion of an index covering well more than just print titles--but overall this is an excellent and valuable volume.
The perfect description.......2000-08-07
This volume was the companion for the exhibits at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. It covers all the lerge number of works shown there, each with descriptions of what is depicted and some in the points of interest that highlight each artist's rendering of the scene. There are sections on the lives of each artist and the fairly primitive tools used to create these intricate multi-colored (and thus multi-pressed) prints. The full collection of sets, such as the Hokusai views of Mount Fuji, are very well done and would in themselves make this book worthwhile. The sum total of both these woodblock masters is awe inspiring and sumptuous.
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