Private Security Trends 1970 to 2000: The Hallcrest Report II

Book Description

This publication represents the results of a descriptive research project performed in 1989 and 1990 by Hallcrest Systems, Incorporated, of McLean, Virginia, under grant (89-IJ-CX-0002) from the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department if Justice. The major purposes of this research project were to

*profile the growth and changes in the private security industry over the past two decades;

*identify emerging and continuing issues and trends in private security and its relationships with public law enforcement;and

*present recommendations and future research goals in the interests of greater cooperation between private security and law enforcement.

Product Description

This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1844 edition by Willam Tait, Edinburgh.

Banking and currency: Deposition made to the French government inquiry into the facts and principles which affect the monetary circulation

Average customer rating:

Banking and currency: Deposition made to the French government inquiry into the facts and principles which affect the monetary circulation
R. H Patterson
Manufacturer: W. Blackwood and Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Money & Monetary Policy | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Banks & Banking | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00087XK9S

Amazon.com

At its core, Amazon.com is a great big database concerned with lots of stuff--books, of course, but also tools, clothing, films on DVD, kitchen equipment, and lots and lots (and lots) of Harry Potter paraphernalia. Want to wear an Anna Kournikova exercise brassiere while juicing celery (presumably with considerable vigor)? Amazon can help. Need a cricket bat, radar gun, dietary fiber supplement, or vibrasonic molechaser? Amazon has what you need. Which is all great, but the real value of Amazon.com isn't that these things are in the database. The real value of this site lies in the information about all that stuff--reviews, sales rankings, recommendations, and the like--and the large number of ways to access it. Amazon Hacks explains how to get the most out of Amazon.com as an ordinary customer with a Web browser and as a software developer interested in the site's considerable collection of Web Services.

In Amazon Hacks, Paul Bausch documents most of the avenues Amazon.com has opened up for exploration of the database. A lot of his coverage borders on the obvious: Sections on how to "Power-Search for Books" and "Put an Item Up for Bid at Amazon Auctions" aren't too different from Amazon's own explanatory articles. Coverage of how to add an Amazon search box to your own site, and add Amazon Associates item links to various kinds of Weblogs (including Blosxom and Moveable Type) are much handier. Bausch really shines when explaining Amazon.com's Web Services (AWS), the remotely accessible software interfaces that enables programs to search the database. He includes AWS-enabled programs in PHP, Python, and Perl. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to use Amazon.com as a Web surfer, Web site publisher, and software developer. Detailed coverage goes to advanced product search techniques, managing the characteristics associated with your Amazon login, selling through Amazon Auctions and zShops, and the Amazon Web Services (AWS) API for Perl, PHP, and Python.

Book Description

Amazon Hacks is a collection of tips and tools for getting the most out of Amazon.com, whether you're an avid Amazon shopper, Amazon Associate developing your online storefront and honing your recommendations for better linking and more referral fees, seller listing your own products for sale on Amazon.com, or a programmer building your own application on the foundation provided by the rich Amazon Web Services API. Shoppers will learn how to make the most of Amazon.com's deep functionality and become part of the Amazon community, maintain wishlists, tune recommendations, "share the love" with friends and family, etc. Amazon Associates will find tips for how best to list their titles, how to promote their offerings by fine tuning search criteria and related titles information, and even how to make their store fronts more attractive. And the real power users will use the Amazon API to build Amazon-enabled applications, create store fronts and populate them with items to be picked, packed and shipped by Amazon. And just about anyone can become a seller on Amazon.com, listing items, deciding on pricing, and fulfilling orders for products new and used.

Customer Reviews:

Surprisingly good and very informative.......2006-09-18

I've been using Amazon for years and am an active poster of reviews. I was astounded to see just how much I didn't know about Amazon's resources and capabilities.

Even if you're not interested in programming hacks or using Amazon's API, this is still an extremely informative book for any Amazon user.

It provides excellent insight into how Amazon works and the wealth of information you can derive from Amazon.

Jerry

Amazon's improving usability renders this book unnecessary.......2006-08-18

When this book was first published, it might have been somewhat relevant. However, Amazon has continuously upgraded the usability of its site to the point that where the answer to any question you might actually have about its features is now on the website, including forums where you can discuss individual books, and even a forum where users discuss the well guarded formula for ranking Amazon reviewers, which one clever person came up with via experimentation. Also, Amazon's interface and features are constantly being changed and upgraded, so that some of the specific information in this book is no longer correct. I give this book two stars only because it is well written, but I strongly advise against buying it.

Nothing special.......2006-02-28

All of the information in the book could easily be obtained (for free!) from the Amazon Web Services website. In fact, all I learned from this book was that Amazon's online documentation was VERY complete!

Waste of Money.......2005-11-12

I can only assume that the positive reviews were written by relatives and friends of the author. This book is only useful if you are totally unable to search a database by typing in "rolling pin", and if you are interested in doing a lot of programming to accomplish simple and mostly useless tasks. As a seller on Ebay, I found nothing of use in this book, and, as a purchaser, I am capable of finding a "flashlight" without doing a lot of programming. This book is highly oversold. Save your money.

A super guide to Amazon!.......2005-07-26

This book covers a wide range of tips and tricks for using Amazon. These include at the beginning a range of advice for people who want to know more about shopping on Amazon and using the Friends and Family area and Wish Lists, but you will get a lot more out of it if you have an Amazon Associate account and Developer token with web hosting which supports the use of PHP, as many of the scripts provided only work if you're able to upload them and use them online.

I am a little puzzled that nowhere in the book is it stated that you should not direct link to Amazon's images - all the hacks around the use of images involve direct links even though it states clearly in the Associate terms of service that you should upload images to your own server rather than linking directly to images on Amazon.

Many of the tips are aimed at amazon.com but most will work on all the Amazon sites.

It's a great book and well worth keeping to hand even if you're just browsing around adding to your shopping cart and/or Wish List!

Average customer rating:

If you have an interview buy this book

Straight forward and honest

Insulting and Worthless

Nothing really new.

Don't waste your money

Medical and Pharmaceutical Sales: How to Land the Job of Your Dreams
Nikki K. Kerzic
Manufacturer: Executive Connection
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Guides | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Job Hunting | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Sales & Selling | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Pharmacology | Medicine | Subjects | Books
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MSDR: Medical Sales Desk Reference: Increase Your Sales and Commissions then Fast Track your Career as a Modern Medical or Pharmaceutical Sales Executive

Powerful Medical Device Sales Guidebook

3 Days to a Pharmaceutical Sales Job Interview (4th Edition)

Wow! Resumes for Sales and Marketing Careers

Pharmaceutical Landing: How To Land The Pharmaceutical Sales Job You Want And Succeed In It!

ASIN: 0967331536

Book Description

Medical and Pharmaceutical Sales: How to Land the Job of Your Dreams is the only comprehensive manual on how to land a lucrative, challenging and satifying job in medical device, surgical supply, and pharmaceutical sales. This manual provides the insider's secrets on topics such as: *in-depth information on the industry from successful sales representatives *tips on resumes that get noticed by hiring managers *secrets to networking your way to the interview *how to successfully work with a recruiter *inside information on what the hiring manager is really looking for *the best answers to the most common interview questions *information on the packages typically offered, including salaries, bonuses, benefits, and perks *in-depth company research on the hottest companies in the industries including information on how to reach these companies *and so much more!

Any candidate serious about landing a job in medical or pharmaceutical sales must have this manual to avoid making the all too common mistakes that will keep them from the job of their dreams.

Customer Reviews:

If you have an interview buy this book.......2005-07-31

If you have an interview or are looking to get into the industry, buy this book. Great info on the the F2F questions and good information all around. While I do believe there are some things in this book that should be intuitive, many college grads and younger people I talk to that want to get into the industry don't know half of them. Five years ago I purchased this book to assist me and it was some of the best money I ever spent.

Straight forward and honest.......2003-10-22

I found this book very helpful! I am a recent college grad and the creative networking techniques helped me to get several interviews in pharmaceutical sales. And to the reviewer from Colorado - get over yourself! There are several people that do make simple mistakes in the interview process and this book just points them out to help everyone. For someone like me with no experience in the industry, I found this book to be incredibly helpful and covered all of the bases. I have recommended it to several friends looking for jobs.

Insulting and Worthless.......2003-09-08

A pharmaceutical representative recommended this book to me as I'm pursuing a job in this industry. The author indicates that she worked first as a representative and later as a recruiter. Her writing maintains the condescending attitude so prevalant among the people that work for these companies. Ms. Kerzic actually suggests that I should buy a good pair of shoes and a nice suit to interview in. Is she kidding? In my industry you either wear the best suit and shoes that you can afford or you'll quickly be out of a job. Does she honestly believe a reader would show up wearing shorts and a tanktop? Other useful tidbits include phrases like, "don't waste my time". Sorry Ms. Kerzic, but if I decide to show up for an interview, apply for a job, or send you a resume', it is OUR time. Mine is just as important as yours. She throws in a few hints on resume' building, but I've found much better formats that have resulted in interviews by consulting my local library. On the other hand, I will utilize some of her advice in writing my review of her book. If you're considering buying this book, don't waste your time OR your money!

Nothing really new........2003-06-29

I bought this book in hopes to getting real inside information. All of this information could easily be obtained at any library. Also, there was really not a lot of actual information in the book. The font was so large, that it could have been written in about 35 pages. The rest of the book had addresses to pharmaceutical companies. What a rip off.

To top it all off she tries to sell you more literature and services she should have included in this book.

Don't waste your money.......2003-04-24

The information contained in this book can be found in any job search book- her claim to "insiders knowledge" is basic and could be devined from anyone in the industry.

Average customer rating:

Ownership is THE Key!

Very timely in an election year.

excellent!!

Review of Capital Homesteading for every citizen

Capital Homesteading for Every Citizen: A Just Free Market Solution for Saving Social Security
Norman G. Kurland , Dawn K. Brohawn , and Michael D. Greaney
Manufacturer: Center for Economic and Social Justice
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0944997007

Customer Reviews:

Ownership is THE Key!.......2004-10-20

I am not an economist but that has not prevented me from seeing the solid and compelling arguments laid out in this book to truly turn the United States into an "ownership" society. Many may feel we already have that. I would agree that we have it to a point. But, there are too many structural impediments to real democracy in the capital markets resulting in greater and greater polarization of wealth in our society. If unchecked, I fear that this trend will lead to more and more disengagement on the part of my fellow citizens.

The United States has always been a beacon to the entire world as a result of our economic and political freedom. This book offers a new economic paradigm that will not only continue that but, more over, significantly elevate the US even more as a source of new and exciting ideas that help EVERYONE build a better life.

The proposals in this book are bold. But they are so compelling and, at least in my view, so intuitively correct that they must be heard."

Very timely in an election year........2004-08-24

Our political leaders need to take a long, hard look at Capital Homesteading if they're truly serious about the future of our democracy. As it is currently structured, Social Security reminds me of a federally guaranteed Ponzi scheme. At what point are future generations going demand that they be allowed to opt out of a system that is becoming increasingly unfair?

Capital Homesteading offers a comprensive solution for restructuring Social Security around a new frontier, not one based on land, but based on a different kind of property. In the tradition of George Mason, Capital Homesteading offers a mechanism for ensuring that every individual would have the means of aquiring and possessing property in America's new frontier. Today, America's new frontier is limited only by the creative capacity of Americans to come up with better ideas, inventions, technology, and thrive in the global marketplace. Our political leaders need to adopt a national strategy for rebuilding our country as a nation of owners, because we are quickly becoming a nation of wage serfs. Such a strategy is sitting on the shelf, available at Amazon.com, waiting for a leader to adopt it as his own, and win the undecided voter.

excellent!!.......2004-06-29

This is a great book. The book offers solutions on how to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor, encouraging employees to become owners of their company, overhauling the current taxation system, and reforming the Federal Reserve's monetary policy.

I would recommend this book to everyone. You don't need whole lot of background in economic to read this book.

Review of Capital Homesteading for every citizen.......2004-02-07

My sincerest congratulations to Norman Kurland, Dawn Brohawn and Michael Greaney for authoring such an impressive book on Capital Homesteading and how it can avoid bankrupting the Social Security and radically improve the competitiveness of basic industries in America. I am very impressed at the comprehensivenes of this book in addressing through a more just free market system a whole host of economic problems that up to now, seemed to be hopeless. The book is also very timely in that I and other seaman of Oglebay Norton Marine Services recently formed an association called the Oglebay Norton Employee Economic Empowerment Association (ONEEEA) to initiate an employee buyout of the Great Lakes vessels owned by our financially ailing company. The Capital Homesteading book helped me tremendously to understand why many corporations are experiencing financial difficulties and why our economy is so unstable. It gives very clear reasons, scenarios and end results of why these problems exist, offers solutions to these problems and describes in great detail, the benefits of implementing the suggested solutions. I could not recommend a book more highly for educating all American workers and our leaders to the mess we are in. It really brought on a whole new understanding for me, why our present economic systems and corporations are failing and what kind of reforms are needed before it's too late. All of the suggested reforms for simplifying and restructuring the tax systems, governments, social security, credit availability, corporations, etc., seem to have a logic that makes it easy to understand. Many of the problems and failures in our economy that are described in this book in graphic detail, have come to roost in the corporation that I work for. The book makes it easy to see why we, as a group of employees, are so drammatically affected by flaws in our current economic policies. I believe that reading this book very carefully would help everyone to gain a better understanding of our economic problems of today. It is well worth the purchase price.

Average customer rating:

exercise in fuzzy thinking

For anyone seeking to build a successful stock portfolio

Interesting study of corporate evolution

thoughtful assessement of state of shareholder value

A "must" for anyone building a successful stock portfolio.

The End of Shareholder Value: Corporations at the Crossroads
Allan A. Kennedy
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Company Profiles | Biography & History | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0738204846

Amazon.com

After two decades of taking the money and running, it's time for corporate managers to seek to make a difference as well as a buck. That's the thesis of Allan Kennedy's analysis of the state and likely fate of corporate America at the turn of the new century. It was Kennedy who, in 1982, cowrote the bestselling Corporate Cultures, which gave us the notion of the heroes, rites, and rituals involved in modern business. Here, Kennedy argues that shareholder value--using discounted future cash-flow streams rather than traditional accounting measures such as earnings per share--has become the final gauge of a company's worth. This emphasis will have potentially dangerous unintended consequences for everyone, he says. Management's shortsighted focus on squeezing the last penny out of every part of the business has exploited its key stakeholders. Faced with downsizing, outsourcing, and hard (sometimes deceptive) bargaining, employees, suppliers, governments, communities, and customers are each beginning to turn on companies in ways that now threaten the future success of the companies themselves. The result today, he writes, is an overvaluation of stock prices that's "simply a symptom of the failure of the shareholder value ethic to produce anything of lasting value."

The book outlines three eras of business evolution, from the family enterprises of the 19th century, through the engineers and inventors of the immediate post-World War II period, to the financial entrepreneurs of high technology. As it briefly chronicles the growth of some of the corporate icons of each era, the portrayal is not always favorable, particularly when it reaches the present. One is tempted to think of investment bankers and venture capitalists as the Svengalis (or Rasputins) of the high-tech economy, whose machinations have led to "insupportable levels in the stock market [that] should be known as the shareholder value bubble." Finally, Kennedy proposes remedies to create real, sustainable wealth for all of a company's stakeholder groups, not just the stockholders. While there's little to dispute in these rather general proposals, his recommendations for overhauling the way boards of directors are chosen and operate are thorough and well argued, radical even.

Kennedy is a bit of a Cassandra in places. He's very skeptical of even the small nuggets of promising Internet trends and statistics he himself quotes. Nevertheless, the book is provocative and timely. Perhaps the most important point is its resuscitation of the old discussion about the wider, social purpose of business--a debate that's been forgotten in the flush of the "new economy." --Alan J. White

Book Description

From the co-author of The New Corporate Cultures, a radical suggestion: that there are other indexes to corporate health than quarter-to-quarter shareholder happiness.

"Allan Kennedy provocatively proposes that running corporations to benefit shareholders damages companies and the societies they operate in. [He] has raised questions about managing for shareholder value that someone will have to answer." -Mark Henricks, American Way

"Allan Kennedy has always seen the corporation in its full cultural context. Now he demonstrates that corporate managers have mistaken the shareholder value formula for the building of true wealth. His fascinating stories of companies make both great reading and a compelling case for the broadening of corporate objectives." -Stan Davis, co-author of Future Wealth and Blur

In The End of Shareholder Value, Allan Kennedy calls for a revolution in business-for customers, employees, political and social leaders, and governing boards to challenge the cozy relationship between executives and investors that has crippled companies in the name of maximizing shareholder value. From GE to the hottest new Web-based start-up, those companies that subscribe to the shareholder value ethic cannot be sustained and will, inevitably, be replaced by those who figure out how to create and share wealth among all stakeholders. Provocative and wide-ranging, The End of Shareholder Value challenges everyone to rethink the purpose of business in the new millennium.

Download Description

Execubooks are eSummaries of books for mobile professionals, available in single-copy or by subscription, and optimally formatted for onscreen reading on laptops or handhelds - so you can stay abreast of leading business wisdom, wherever you have a moment! In recent years, maximizing shareholder value has been seen as the overriding objective of corporate management. Companies need to change this view and focus instead on building and sharing lasting wealth.

Customer Reviews:

exercise in fuzzy thinking.......2004-05-17

This book is an exercise in fuzzy thinking. Kennedy is totally confused about what shareholder value is. He is confusing shareholders' legitimate desire to get a meaningful return on their capital (enough to compensate for the risk they assumed) with management's unscrupulous attempts to increase reported EPS over the short term. Whatever contributes to the former creates shareholder value. Whatever contributes to the later, doesn't necessary do so. The puruit of shareholder value has nothing to do with unscrupulous management. But that's not all.
He doesn't understand the mechanics of a modern capitalist economy nor does he understand the interactions among different groups in society and the fundamental principals of business valuation and corporate finance.
I should also mention his constant misinterpretation of facts: Kennedy is idealizing the 19th century entrepreneurs as men who started their businesses only for the sake of the common good. Wealth, according to him, was only a byproduct of their charitable attempts to improve society. I doubt if that was true. Being open about one's own greed was not an acceptable social behavior in 19th century. Subsequently, men of wealth tried to come up with noble excuses for their profit seeking.
Kennedy argues that maximizing shareholder value ignores employees, customers, suppliers, communities and the government. If that was true then everything we know about modern Economics must be wrong!
Let's start with employees. Do they really suffer from shareholders' attempts to maximize their own profit? If shareholders didn't care about profit, they wouldn't start the business to begin with and without the business, employees would have nowhere to work. Conclusion: profit seeking (maximizing shareholder value) creates value for workers. The alternative would be a centralized communist economy where government runs all businesses. Business ventures are not evaluated by the profits they could generate but by the amount of people they would employ (more is better).
What about governments? The purpose of government is to serve the people. Government has no other purpose. Therefore we can not say that corporate behavior harms government unless that behavior harms Society. Harm done to a government by a corporation that doesn't harm Society is no harm at all. An example would be any legal attempt to minimize taxes. It harms government because it decreases the amount of funds available to expand bureaucracy but it benefits Society because businesses can allocate capital more efficiently than governments.
What about suppliers? Are they being harmed by the "shareholder value menace"? Suppliers are also businesses with shareholders of their own. Each and every company is both a buyer and a supplier. If a company is being squeezed by its customers, it can always attempt to do the same to its suppliers.
It is true that many communities, many local and national governments, and many workers end up abused by businesses (big and small). It is also true that many businesses are being endlessly abused by militant labor unions and governments. It doesn't follow that business owners should be prevented from seeking lawful ways to increase their wealth.
Kennedy even goes as far as to argue that increasing shareholder value harms shareholders. Here logic fails him completely. The discussion of GE is an illustrative example. Although Kennedy admits that GE's cost cutting initiatives increased value for current shareholders, he claims that the inflated stock price at the end of 1999 will prevent those who buy today (1999) to realize similar gains. True. So what? No one is being forced to buy overpriced common stock. People suffer their own ignorance about corporate valuations. Do we need to hold CEOs responsible for holding their stock prices low so that anyone, who buys a share of common stock at any time, can have a decent return?
Wall Street does not hold CEOs responsible for the stock price of their companies (low or high). It does hold them responsible for the operating results. Stock prices take care of themselves.
His recommendations for change are even sillier then his criticisms. He suggests to replace the pursuit for shareholder value with...building shareholder wealth!!! If I were a Boston snob I could probably see the difference but I am not. It sounds all the same to me. Arguing about the usage of words and terms (among vs. between; many vs. a lot; shareholder value vs. shareholder wealth; etc.) is intellectual no more challenging then collecting stamps or baseball cards. If the Boston snobs think otherwise then I would let them have it their way.

For anyone seeking to build a successful stock portfolio.......2001-02-21

In The End Of Shareholder Value: Corporations At The Crossroads, Allan Kennedy persuasively maintains that managing businesses solely to get the stock price higher is bad for workers, customers, suppliers, and ultimately bad business for the stock holders as well. While for the few who hold the stock, and the fewer still who manage the company and then cash out when the stock price is high, the style of managing for stock price benefits, will invariably result in an erosion of company value with employees and shareholder being adversely affected under a short-term management practice and perspective. The End Of Shareholder Value is "must" reading for anyone seeking to build a successful stock portfolio through buying shares in any corporation regardless of size, past performance, or managerial reputation.

Interesting study of corporate evolution.......2001-01-03

I'm not an economist and I don't have an MBA, but for the most part, I found this book to be easily understood and informative. I especially enjoyed the study of the three phases of the evolution of large companies, from family-derived to the greed merchants of the 1990's. Because I "cheated" and read the last couple of chapters first, I was concerned that Mr. Kennedy appeared to have a somewhat anti-business view of how to correct things (power to the people and all that). But I have to admit that his remedies do make a great deal of sense, and that it will take some real revolutionary changes to get us out of this mess we're in.

I must say that, for the most part, big corporations (and I've worked with quite a few, as a customer, employee and supplier) do take advantage of the "other" stakeholders (employees, suppliers and customers!) and that, often, senior management is much more concerned with feathering their own personal nest than in doing the job that they're paid a lot of money to do. That's pretty frightening, because it's in the hands of these managers that the future of corporate America rests. I just hope that somehow we can get them to listen.

I'd sure like to buy about fifty copies of this book and send it to some senior managers I know (anonomously, of course!)

thoughtful assessement of state of shareholder value.......2000-12-29

Kennedy bases his assumptions on Benjamin Graham's and David Dodd's classic, SECURITY ANALYSIS, and argues that as he was writing his book, the stock indexes were as crazed as the tulip craze of the 1630s when tulip bulb values were run to more than $20,000. (See Mackay's EXTRAORDINARY DELUSIONS for an excellent early recounting of the tulip and other crazes.) Kennedy's book looks not just at the Internet stock run-up but also the P/E values of other companies, such as GE, which he argues are also over-valued based on their earnings. His picture painted is a bleak one and his question of whether the leaders of the dot-com movement such as amazon.com will ever have enough margins to boast any profits are especially prescient given the dot-com downturn that followed the publication of his book. (See Geoffrey Moore's LIVING ON THE FAULT LINE for an opposing view of shareholder value.)

A "must" for anyone building a successful stock portfolio........2000-09-08

In The End Of Shareholder Value, Allan Kennedy persuasively maintains that managing businesses solely to get the stock price higher is bad for workers, customers, suppliers, and ultimately bad business for the stock holders as well. While for the few who hold the stock, and the fewer still who manage the company and then cash out when the stock price is high, the style of managing for stock price benefits, will invariably result in an erosion of company value with employees and shareholder being adversely affected under a short-term management practice and perspective. The End Of Shareholder Value is "must" reading for anyone seeking to build a successful stock portfolio through buying shares in any corporation regardless of size, past performance, or managerial reputation.

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