Publishing Economics: Analyses of the Academic Journal Market in Economics

Book Description

This collection tackles the issues confronting the up and coming economist. The authors include some of the subject's finest luminaries who offer friendly and invaluable advice as well as providing a more light-hearted look at the publication process. Some articles have become classics in their own right. They vary from an examination of seminal (and originally rejected) articles by leading economists to an analysis of why referees are not adequately paid. The tools of both economic theory and econometrics are applied to uncover some home truths and, as a result, these papers provide new insights into the nature of economic discourse.

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"To compete effectively, you must innovate: Not just once, but consistently, in all your products, services, and business functions. But, profitable innovation doesn't just ""happen."" It must be managed, measured, executed on¿and few companies do that well. Making Innovation Work offers the first real solution: A start-to-finish process for driving growth from innovation.

The authors draw on unsurpassed innovation, consulting experience, and a thorough review of innovation research. Their techniques have been proven at top companies ranging from Apple and GE to Toyota. In this book, they demonstrate what works, what doesn't, and how to use all your management tools to maximize the value of your innovation investments.

You'll learn how to define effective strategies and organizational structures for innovation, manage innovation more successfully, incent teams to deliver, and infuse metrics throughout every phase of the innovation process. Simply put, Making Innovation Work takes the mystery out of profitable innovation, showing how to lead it, track it, incent it, and get more of it.

Leading innovation

Defining innovation strategy, designing portfolios, and encouraging value creation

Integrating innovation and business strategy

Matching innovation to your overall business strategy

Balancing creativity and value capture

Generating successful new ideas that drive maximum ROI

Weaving innovation into the fabric of business

Making innovation truly integral to your company's business mentality

Neutralizing organizational ""antibodies""

Preventing your company from killing off its best new ideas

Building innovation networks

Leveraging innovation resources both inside and outside the organization

Measuring and rewarding innovation

Implementing the right metrics and the right incentives to drive results"

Customer Reviews:

Innovation: Thrive or Fade Away.......2006-07-20

The term "Innovation" has been used so much in recent years that it's become cliche. Humans have been innovative for over 30,000 years, before the day of the first fire pit. People have always utilized innovation. But now it's is more vocally emphasized in the business realm because of ultra-competitive global market forces, and because we've reached the stage where technology enables change at a more rapid pace. "Innovation" is a Mantra. For lack of better words, creativity, adaptability, and innovation have always been vital. They've always been used by the successful: the winners; the victors. Innovation has always been mandatory. Survival: both literally and figuratively.

Authors Tony Davila, Marc Epstein, and Robert Shelton list 7 rules for innovation. This book uses matrices and tables to detail the different choices and the positives and negatives of choosing these various options. There are three types of innovation: 1) Incremental 2) semi-radical and 3) Radical.

Of the tons of information in this book, some things noted are the case study of the Coca-cola company and it's drop in sales, to Individual employee motivation in the "pay-performance relationship." Why do incentives for employees fail at times? Because they are overused. What can inhibit and actually kill creativity? "Fear, Failure, and Fairness" affect calculated risk taking by individuals, staff-teams, and entire companies. As for Radical Innovation, what is the motivation for radical innovations? That groundbreaking new idea, invention, product, vaccine, or piece of technology? Answer: intrinsic motivation.

One example of the types of innovation is a combination of them, such as in "Ersatz Radical Innovation." Ersatz is when a company (e.g. Apple) combines two forms of semi-radical change to create of successful product that changes an entire industry.

One case study enumerated how a company can focus too much on
innovation and lose site of the goal, such as in the case of Xerox PARC. The creative process must have the crucial ingredient that's equally vital: commercialization. It's a symbiotic relationship. Another very relevant issue discussed is the Outsourcing of Innovation. Which developments should be kept in-house? Which should be shared and outsourced? Innovation is so critical that it can't be outsourced entirely, so partial and selective outsourcing (sharing) is done under the proven concept of "partnering." Innovation is obviously borrowed, and oft-times today, it's outright stolen.

Perhaps a lot of this new focus on "creativity," and "innovation" and "adaptability," and "co-operation" is because of the recent rise of China, India, and other parts of the world. Game Theory's concepts are sprinkled about in this book because Game theory is an underlying and also an explicit element in economics, business, and calculated risk taking. Because of the theoretical and applicable strengths of
Game Theory we see innovation and adaptability + Game Theory.

This book deserves more attention. The writing style is
reader-friendly and keeps your interest. The authors provide
numerous case studies, stats, tables & figures, theory, and
practicality, and specific ways on how to survive and thrive in
today's world. Great book that more people should know about.

The first word on innovation.......2006-05-01

We recommend this book to everyone involved in innovation. Whether you're involved as a creative thinker, a promoter of new products, a manager guiding the innovation process or an investor evaluating an innovative company, there's gold here for you. Authors Tony Davila, Marc J. Epstein and Robert Shelton compress a mass of research and experience in innovation practices into a set of rules and guiding principles. Then, they use stories, lucid explanations, charts and careful definitions to illustrate how these principles work. A few of these concepts could have been expanded profitably - for example, how to tell in practice when radical innovation is needed, how to determine if you're innovating too much or too fast, and how to sort out the best ideas without discouraging the creators of the rejected concepts. That's the only caveat; everything else is fascinating and immediately applicable.

An Important Guide to Establishing Innovation Processes.......2006-03-01

Many executives decide they want more innovation from their organizations . . . but aren't quite sure how to encourage that result. Relax. You can read and apply Making Innovation Work, and you'll do a lot better.

The authors clearly understand today's best practices in innovation both for breakthroughs and for on-going incremental improvements. They take what seems amorphous to many and make it as concrete as is desirable to do.

The basic approach entails helping readers to understand that the processes you use to innovate determine what kind and how much innovation you will accomplish. From there, the book focuses on how to use a process that permits all of the kinds of innovation to prosper that the company's strategy pursues.

While many such books exhort everyone to go for breakthroughs, Making Innovation Works also explains when it's appropriate to have a more defensive innovation strategy . . . but to stay in the game . . . rather than to fall behind by being too defensive.

For me, though, the book really hit its stride in chapter six where the appropriate measurements are described to identify how your innovation process is doing. The book became even more impressive in chapter seven where incentives for innovation are explained. Chapter eight on how to learn innovation is perhaps the most pivotal section in the book. Chapter nine on creating a supportive culture for innovation was also solid.

I was pleased to see that Making Innovation Work looks beyond just innovating products and processes. The book also addresses business model innovation, perhaps the most important subject for innovation.

The only weakness I found in the book came in describing business model innovation and how to pursue it. The authors have too narrow a view of what's involved in business model innovation. They need to become more familiar with the less frequently cited best practices in business model innovation. Although their bibliography on innovation is a marvelous one, I was surprised to see how thin it is on the subject of business model innovation.

Until a better overview of how to manage innovation comes along, Making Innovation Work will be the standard reference.

My review is addressed to undergraduates.......2006-02-25

It is a good book that clearly shows models to map the different types of innovation and the problems involved to manage it.

A Fresh Look at Nothing New.......2006-01-21

There is a dire need for a fresh look at innovation.

Contrary to popular belief, the authors assert, much of what is held as common wisdom regarding how innovation is managed is wrong. Tony Davila, a faculty member of Stanford's Graduate School of Business, Marc Epstein, a research professor at Rice University's School of Management, and Robert Shelton, managing director of Navigant Consulting's Innovation practice write that contrary to popular belief, innovation:

* Does not require a revolution.
* Is not alchemy
* Does not require a "creative" culture.
* Is not solely about processes and stage-gate tools.
* Does not focus exclusively on new technology.
* Is not needed in copious quantities.

The authors write that innovation, like many business functions, is a management process that requires tools, rules and discipline. It needs to be measured and promoted if sustained, high yields are going to be delivered. It is a necessary ingredient to safeguard an organization's tangible and intangible assets. In short, it is a vital and must be managed.

To do so, the book identifies seven rules:

1. Strong leadership encourages value creation.
2. Innovation is a vital part of an organization's mentality.
3. Innovation matches the organization's business strategy.
4. Creativity and value creation are balanced.
5. Seek to neutralize forces that discourage good ideas.
6. Networks, not individuals, are the building blocks of innovation.
7. Metrics and rewards make innovation manageable.

Execution of innovation is not difficult, the authors conclude. It is similar to other management activities, such as manufacturing or financial control. There are no secret formulas. This book replaces the myths and half-truths with clear and concise thinking on how to manage and execute innovation.

Divila, Tony, Marc J. Epstein, and Robert Shelton. Making Innovation Work: How to Manage It, Measure It, and Profit from It.(Book review): An article from: Naval War College Review

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Divila, Tony, Marc J. Epstein, and Robert Shelton. Making Innovation Work: How to Manage It, Measure It, and Profit from It.(Book review): An article from: Naval War College Review
Hank Kniskern
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Science & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Naval War College Review, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2007. The length of the article is 620 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Divila, Tony, Marc J. Epstein, and Robert Shelton. Making Innovation Work: How to Manage It, Measure It, and Profit from It.(Book review)
Author: Hank Kniskern
Publication: Naval War College Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 60 Issue: 1 Page: 149(2)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Making Innovation Work: How to Manage It, Measure It, and Profit from It [A book review from: Journal of Engineering and Technology Management]

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Making Innovation Work: How to Manage It, Measure It, and Profit from It [A book review from: Journal of Engineering and Technology Management]
A.M. Badawy
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000PC0CRY

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, published by Elsevier in 2006. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:

Book Description

Katrina Firlik is a neurosurgeon, one of only two hundred or so women among the alpha males who dominate this high-pressure, high-prestige medical specialty. She is also a superbly gifted writer–witty, insightful, at once deeply humane and refreshingly wry. In Another Day in the Frontal Lobe, Dr. Firlik draws on this rare combination to create a neurosurgeon’s Kitchen Confidential–a unique insider’s memoir of a fascinating profession.

Neurosurgeons are renowned for their big egos and aggressive self-confidence, and Dr. Firlik confirms that timidity is indeed rare in the field. “They’re the kids who never lost at musical chairs,” she writes. A brain surgeon is not only a highly trained scientist and clinician but also a mechanic who of necessity develops an intimate, hands-on familiarity with the gray matter inside our skulls. It’s the balance between cutting-edge medical technology and manual dexterity, between instinct and expertise, that Firlik finds so appealing–and so difficult to master.

Firlik recounts how her background as a surgeon’s daughter with a strong stomach and a keen interest in the brain led her to this rarefied specialty, and she describes her challenging, atypical trek from medical student to fully qualified surgeon. Among Firlik’s more memorable cases: a young roofer who walked into the hospital with a three-inch-long barbed nail driven into his forehead, the result of an accident with his partner’s nail gun, and a sweet little seven-year-old boy whose untreated earache had become a raging, potentially fatal infection of the brain lining.

From OR theatrics to thorny ethical questions, from the surprisingly primitive tools in a neurosurgeon’s kit to glimpses of future techniques like the “brain lift,” Firlik cracks open medicine’s most prestigious and secretive specialty. Candid, smart, clear-eyed, and unfailingly engaging, Another Day in the Frontal Lobe is a mesmerizing behind-the-scenes glimpse into a world of incredible competition and incalculable rewards.

Customer Reviews:

dog ears.......2007-10-06

I usually turn down a page not to keep my place but to remember passages/pages that i want to read again later because they were unusually interesting or funny.With this particular book i found myself turning down so many pages that i realized i would just have to read the entire book again.It was funny,it was interesting and the author seemed so likable and normal that i just felt like i was right there with her thru the good,the bad and the weird.

Recommended for all, especially early undergrads.......2007-10-01

I'm not a neurosurgeon nor an M.D., but this field intrigues me. This book has further enhanced my curiousity of the field and that is a good thing.

Katrina Firlik did a superb job at maintaining my interest throughout the book and provided me with other avenues of interest. For me, this is a huge plus. This can be explained by the fact that every chapter has an interesting story and her discussions are not phony. For example, Firlik explains that she wanted to become a neurosurgeon b/c it most greatly interested her and not b/c of some phony answer like "I wanted to save people." I would have felt betrayed had she not been blunt and truthful.

At times, she had me question my career choice while at other times made me happy that I didn't choose hers. When I get interviewed, I'm commonly asked, "If you weren't doing _______ as a career, what would you be doing?" Before this book, I never had a response.

Had I read this during my early undergrad years, I'm not sure what path I would have choosen.

Accessible and Interesting.......2007-09-14

Typically I stick to fiction, but as a premed dropout and Grey's Anatomy fan I saw this and thought it might be interesting. It turned out to be much better than I thought; Katrina Firlik does a wonderful job making sure her book is accessible and interesting to those with little medical background, but without making the reader feel uneducated. The stories she recounts from her years of training are interesting and serve to illustrate the larger points she is trying to make about her profession. It was also very refreshing to see a surgeon with personality- I worked with a group of vascular surgeons for several years and they were all work and no fun. In Another Day in the Frontal Lobe Firlik proves that even brain surgeons can be both.

I definitely recommend this book- entertaining, interesting and even educational!

Balancing a Brain with a Knife.......2007-08-16

Dr. Firlik's description of the womb-to-tomb process of becomming a neurosurgeon was a delight to explore. Just like with the three bears, it wasn't too hard and wasn't too soft --- it is a just-right-read for anybody wanting to know the behind-the-scenes requirements on what it takes to become a brain surgeon. Dr. Firlik shows that, "...recalibrating patients' thinking ..." is as much an art as it is a technical science. Well done.

Paul J. Friday, PhD
Chief, Clinical Psychology
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center - Shadyside
Author: Friday's Laws: How to Become Normal When You're Not and How to Stay Normal When you Are

Easy, Fun Reading.......2007-08-08

Read this book on a long airplane flight. Perfect for that or beach or poolside reading as it is easy and fun. I enjoyed it in the same way that I enjoy the TV shows that show surgeries and medical procedures.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating!.......2006-04-07

I admit to a squeamish fascination with big city rats -- probably my only real "fear". This book will make your skin crawl, but is superbly written. I remember a NY Times review comparing it to "Walden Pond". I was skeptical. While I never read Thoureau's masterpiece I can appreciate the comparison.

Mr. Sullivan, (a brilliant writer for someone who looks so young), spent a year camped out in a squalid alley off of Fulton St. I was so taken with the book I actually had to search for the spot on a trip to NYC. The alley itself was scary...rat heaven. I made myself walk from one end to the other. (Made it through unscathed but remembered so many of the details he describes. Nothing went unnoticed by his uncanny eye).

Sullivan weaves our fascination with this depised creature and it's place in the history of New York. I love the accounts of the early Irish and the raucous bars and "rat fights" that provided wagering as sport. I found the book spell-binding. He meets up with all sorts of characters...the lower strata of society. Rat dwellers themselves. The book is imbued with social commentary.

Even if you can't bear the thought of reading an entire book about rats, Sullivan is a world-class writer and this is a great read. He really put himself out there and did what few of us would have been brave enough or persistent enough to do.

This guy is going to go far in the literary world -- a place far removed from the Rats of New York City. First rate!

Peter Bosco
New Britain, CT

Rats: A Year with New York's Most Unwanted Inhabitants

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Rats: A Year with New York's Most Unwanted Inhabitants
Robert Sullivan
Manufacturer: GRANTA BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OJLNVW

Amazon.com

When one thinks of Pebble Beach, two images immediately pop into view: the daunting dogleg 18th with the Pacific Ocean roaring on the left, and a gaggleful of celebrity hackers tearing up the place in the annual Pro-Am that first teed off as the Crosby Clambake. Both are important pieces of the Pebble Beach story, but they're just that--pieces. In celebrating the site of the 2000 U.S. Open, The Official History uncovers much more. The result is part chronicle and part large-format photo album that beautifully traces the saga of this spectacular venue from its pre-golf beginnings to its evolution into the mecca that Jack Nicklaus insists is the one course he'd opt to play if he could play only one course for the rest of his life. --Jeff Silverman

Book Description

A celebration of one of the most beautiful places on earth, Pebble Beach Golf Links chronicles over 80 years of spectacular golf at the greatest meeting of land and water.

Customer Reviews:

Misleading Title for Golfers.......2000-06-25

This is not the book for you if you want a history of golf tournaments at Pebble Beach. Who won the Pro-Am in 1991? Who finished in the Top 10 at the 1992 Open? When did Juli Inkster beat all the men Pros at the Spauling Invitation at Pebble Beach? If you want any Almanac info forget this book. If you want a book about Golf at Pebble Beach this is not your book. Also, there are far too pictures of Pebble Beach for the price of this book.

I have played Pebble Beach and wanted a little more information on the Players that have played there not just the biography of the dirt.

If I could return the book I would.

Beautiful photos, Fascinating Facts.......1999-11-26

Here is the story of one of America's most beautiful, historic & legendary golf courses. Backed by long hidden files and photos from The Pebble Beach Co. archives, this book is the definitive history of the course.

The origin, development and fascination business aspects of the course are covered in detail. Among the multitude of historical photos are brilliant color shots showing the beauty of the course today.

All the variety and glamour of Pebble Beach are here. Professional and amateur championships, women's golf and the Bing Crosby years with celebrities galore are documented with more wonderful photos.

Pebble Beach is more than golf, it is a rich piece of Americana. This book makes that apparent and is fascinating reading for anyone interested in the sport or the personalities that make up Pebble Beach lore.

You can't judge a book by its cover..........1999-11-21

Except here....this books cover is the most stunning photograph, The Lone Cypress with the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop, but the insides are as good as the cover...maybe better. Great stories, rare photographs, Hollywood celebrities, championships with Nicklaus, Palmer, Bobby Jones....maybe the best coffe table book I've seen, and I have most of them.

Pebble Beach Golf Links the Official History

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Pebble Beach Golf Links the Official History

Manufacturer: Sleeping Bear Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Product Description

Softcover with the same cover as the hardback. pages are the same

Product Description

Visualization methods in science and
technology. Many new ideas and methods;
many not widely known before. Excellent
methodological resource for research
workers.

Customer Reviews:

Stuff U Hadn't ThoughtOf, StartHere:BecomeMasterDataVisualzr.......2004-04-21

Even if you've been graphing for decades or are a scientific or statistical sophisticate, this book is more valuable than you'd guess. You may know some stuff to help make your graphing better, but I bet there are many more principles, features, and techniques you simply never thought of. This book has these. But for even more incisive visualizations, you should get also Cleveland's "Visualizing Data". You'll need both books really. (There's not much overlap.) Even though making use of graphical perception principles increases the power of your graphs (the main topic of "Elements of Graphing Data"), there are even more incisive graph types you need to learn about; only a couple of these are in "Elements"; the others are in "Visualizing Data". After digesting Cleveland's two books, you will be a master data-behaviour elucidator. Once in a great while you may need the old statistical inference paradigm (test-statistics & p-values), but much more often you will be so glad you have the power of Cleveland's visualization paradigm to use instead. But again, you will need both "Elements of Graphing Data" and "Visualizing Data". Start with "Elements" though. The book reads easily, is interesting and has a bonus for those into perceptual psychology. A neato tidbit: the author's research results on graphical perception were given in part as graphs -- leading to the nifty "the medium is the message" thing. No matter what aspect of "Elements" you look at, it is simply marvelous -- all substance, and several points (not just a single point for a whole book like Tufte did in his book).

A necessary addition to the scientists library.......2001-05-17

William Cleveland clearly describes how data can be presented to great effect. His description of visual perception spell out the "how to's" of graphing data. While many graphing programs are available in today's high technology environment, Cleveland's descriptions of how data can be presented into graphical format is enlightening. The book provides great examples of both superior and poor graphing presentation, focusing on how to encode graphs to allow for straightforward data analysis.

"The Elements of Graphiing Data" is a must for those who graph scientific data.

Must-have for anyone designing any kind of graph........1999-07-30

Tufte shows you why it's important to do graphs well. Cleveland shows you _how_.

The last quarter of the book details experiments in human visual perception that rank how well we detect certain things: relative angles not on a common baseline (i.e. pie charts) justly come out at the bottom of the list.

One of a only handful of books I've labelled "JXH ONLY". If I loan you my copy, know that you are special.

Average customer rating:
The Elements of Graphing Data
William S. Cleveland
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Advanced Books and Software
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JHX9TI

Book Description

This third volume in the More How to Draw Manga series takes a focused look at means of enhancing a character's sense of presence as well as explains in detail techniques for imbuing a character with presence by suggesting movement.

Customer Reviews:

Totally not what I thought it would be..........2005-09-26

If you, like me, think this book is going to teach you about expressions, emotions maybe.... things that would actually help make the characters appear more alive... buy something else. This (graphically illustrated, I might add) drawing guide was hardly better than the first volume of basics. Waste of my money. Extremely disappointed.

Some Basics are helpful.......2005-08-26

I bought this book because the demonstrations are more clear and up to date in the "More" HTDM series than the older ones.

The first section goes into screentone and shading techniques. Some of this is rather useful even if you don't intend on making illustrations using screentones. They help out due to the fact you should learn regular values of shading.

The book also demonstrates values of tones on the face. There is a section talking about shadows on the feet. This section may prove more useful to artists since many do not draw the full figure, or they may draw figures that seem to float due to incorrect shadow placement.

The key reason I bought this book was their demonstration of how to draw shoulders, and clavicles. Symmetrical shoulders and their placement is a key learning point for many illustrators.This book shows various examples of how to draw the shoulders and clavicles to create more dynamic characters.

Other sections of this book include how to correctly convey emotions through the hands. How the torso bends and flexes during various positions, various action poses and key elements to manga scenes. I found the manga scenes selection rather weak however, although people should probably read it to gain knowledge in making panels.

There was another section on perspective and proportions with the figure and a car.

Overall the book is one of my favorites in the series due to the middle section. Had the book been better towards the end, I would have given it a higer rating.

Drawing Dynamics.......2004-11-27

For what this book is for it is great!! It shows how to give it more presence like it says in the tittle. If you alwready now how to draw the manga way and want to know how to make your people more stronger visually this is great.

But if you can't do proportions and figures well get the anatomy book before you get this.
It's a good book to add to your drawing book collection.

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