Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Nature and the Marketplace or Total Productivity Management

Nature and the Marketplace: Capturing the Value of Ecosystem Services

Author: Geoffrey Heal

<p>In recent years, scientists have begun to focus on the idea that healthy, functioning ecosystems provide essential services to human populations, ranging from water purification to food and medicine to climate regulation. Lacking a healthy environment, these services would have to be provided through mechanical means, at a tremendous economic and social cost.<p>Nature and the Marketplace examines the controversial proposition that markets should be designed to capture the value of those services. Written by an economist with a background in business, it evaluates the real prospects for various of nature's marketable services to &quot;turn profits&quot; at levels that exceed the profits expected from alternative, ecologically destructive, business activities. The author: <ul> <li>describes the infrastructure that natural systems provide, how we depend on it, and how we are affecting it <li>explains the market mechanism and how it can lead to more efficient resource use <li>looks at key economic activities-such as ecotourism, bioprospecting, and carbon sequestration-where market forces can provide incentives for conservation <li>examines policy options other than the market, such as pollution credits and mitigation banking <li>considers the issue of sustainability and equity between generations </ul>.<p>Nature and the Marketplace presents an accessible introduction to the concept of ecosystem services and the economics of the environment. It offers a clear assessment of how market approaches can be used to protect the environment, and illustrates that with a number of cases in which the value of ecosystems has actually been captured by markets.<p>The book offers a straightforward business economic analysis of conservation issues, eschewing romantic notions about ecosystem preservation in favor of real-world economic solutions. It will be an eye-opening work for professionals, students, and scholars in conservation biology, ecology, environmental economics, environmental policy, and related fields.

What People Are Saying

Kenneth J. Arrow
Kenneth J. Arrow, Stanford University:

Many environmentalists have distrusted economic analysis, feeling that it supported spoliation. Geoffrey Heal explains clearly, non-technically, and with the support of many examples drawn from real life, how economic principles not only maker clearer the environmental case but it can enhance the acceptance of conservation by reducing its adverse impacts. I consider this book essential for the environmental movement's further progress.


Gretchen Daily
Gretchen Daily, Stanford University:

Here, a world-class economist offers inspiring and compelling solutions to the major environmental concerns facing society. . . Engaging and insightful, and rich with examples from around the world, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the human prospect.


Jane Lubchenco
Jane Lubchenco, Oregon State University:

Heal courageously tackles one of the central challenges of our day: How to make economic activities compatibile with protecting the natural environment on which societies depend. His treatment is enlightened, informed, and credible; his ideas are visionary yet practical. This book is the single best treatment of the economic aspects of ecosystem services to date. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in the future of our planet.




New interesting textbook: Timed Readings or Leading Your Team to Excellence

Total Productivity Management: A Systemic and Quantitative Approach to Compete in Quality, Price and Time

Author: David J Sumanth

Poised to influence innovative management thinking into the 21st century, Total Productivity Management (TPmgt), written by one of the pioneers of productivity management, has been a decade in the making. This landmark publication is the most extensive book available on the subject of total productivity management. At a time when downsizing and layoffs are the norm, this innovative and highly organized book shows you how to treat human resource situations with a caring, customer-oriented, yet competitive attitude through integration of technical and human dimensions. This book makes use of a set of proven models and provides a systematic framework and structure to link total productivity to an organization's profitability. Total Productivity Management describes the tasks required of all constituents in an understandable format that they can relate to and by which regards can be realized for performance in all resource categories including direct labor, administrative staff, managers, professional personnel, materials, liquid assets, technologies, energy, and other areas.

Booknews

Shows how to treat human resource situations with a customer-oriented yet competitive attitude through integration of technical and human dimensions, providing a systematic 10-step framework linking total productivity to an organization's profitability. Describes tasks required of those in direct labor, administration, management, personnel, materials, liquid assets, technologies, and energy. Relates 21 detailed case studies, and contrasts total productivity management with ideas of well-known thinkers such as Taylor, Deming, Ishikawa, and Taguchi. Includes chapter questions. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.



Table of Contents:
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author
1Introduction1
2The Need for Total Productivity Management29
3The Basic Concept and Management Philosophy of TPmgt63
4The Systematic 10-Step Process for TPmgt11д
5Case Studies: Selected Applications
6Unique Features of TPmgt251
7Frontiers Beyond TQM and Reengineering299
8Benefits of TPmgt313
9Universality of TPmgt337
10Where to Go from Here?377
App. AHistorical Introduction to Quality385
App. BThe TPM Formulas391
Index395

Foundations of Financial Management or Eight Months in Illinois

Foundations of Financial Management

Author: Stanley B Block

Foundations of Financial Management is a proven and successful text recognized for its excellent writing style and step-by-step explanations to make the content relevant and easy to understand. The text's approach focuses on the "nuts and bolts" of finance with clear and thorough treatment of concepts and applications. There is a strong real-world emphasis presented throughout. This text has definitely stood the test of time due to the authors' time, energy, and commitment to quality revisions. In addition to completing the textbook revisions, the authors also revised ALL end of chapter problems and complete the solutions themselves. Block and Hirt know what works and what doesn't work for students, and they have consistently maintained a high quality textbook that is responsive to the demands of the marketplace.



Book review: Health Care Science Technology or What Every New Manager Needs to Know

Eight Months in Illinois: With Information to Immigrants

Author: William Oliver

The Illinois frontier offered abundant opportunity, noted English traveler William Oliver after his journey to America in 1841–42, but life there was hard. Accordingly, Oliver advised the wealthy and comfortable to remain in England and counseled the unprosperous to seek their fortunes in America. Written for the poor who would migrate and published in 1843, his Eight Months in Illinois: With Information to Immigrants sought only to provide pertinent, valid, and practical information about what people might encounter in the frontier state. What Oliver actually accomplished, however, was much more: he imparted invaluable insights into and analyses of American life during an era of sweeping social, economic, and political change.



In his new foreword to this edition, James E. Davis stresses Oliver’s sincere desire to help British immigrants succeed in America. Oliver, Davis notes, “devoted dozens of pages of advice on numerous matters: various routes to Illinois and their advantages and disadvantages, processes of settling, qualities of western houses, costs of obtaining a new farm.” Oliver discussed other practical matters, such as the importance of having sons. He also assured his intended readership that “in the West, distinction of classes is little known and seldom recognized.”



As a document covering the middle west in the 1840s, Eight Months in Illinois: With Information to Immigrants has few equals. Its portrayal of farming and trade in relatively primitive times is historically accurate. It paints a plain picture, laying out the essential facts and presentingthe typical incidents that enable us to trace the course of a settler’s simple, diligent, laborious day-to-day life. According to Davis, Oliver depicted “accurate and balanced slices of life in Illinois and America, including nasty insects, crude conditions, and the necessity of work.” And he did so without a trace of anti-American bias.



Eight Months in Illinois with Information to Immigrants was reprinted with emendations in 1924 by Walter Hill.



Booknews

This is a reprint of the book originally published in 1843 by William Andrew Mitchell, and reprinted by Walter M Hill in 1924. Author William Oliver, a noted English traveler, was writing to provide as much useful information as possible for the poor who would migrate to America. For the contemporary American reader, his text provides a candid description of life during a time of great social, economic, and political change. This newest edition includes a foreword by James E. Davis (Illinois College). Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



Passionate Organization or Modern Pharmaceutics

Passionate Organization: Igniting the Fire of Employee Commitment

Author: James R Lucas

The Passionate Organization shows leaders and managers how to find and inspire passionate people, with a focus on deeply-held core values, mutual trust, and a common vision. Filled with lively, real-world examples and straightforward strategies, the book reveals the keys to bringing diverse, driven, and feisty people together and bringing out their best.

Library Journal

In the face of nonstop newness and constant changes, Lucas, president of Luman Consultants and faculty member of the American Management Association, instructs readers on how to find and inspire passionate employees who focus on diversity, originality, and feistiness. These workers must also share deeply held core values, mutual trust, and a common vision. Real-world stories and practical strategies illustrate passion from a business perspective as a "hard" skill. Lucas lists ten clues to whether workers are passionate about their company and their desire to make a difference. He tells how to align organizational goals with employee passions, pick and prepare passionate employees, and cut the deadwood or nonbelievers. This unique and thought-provoking book walks a fine line, daring to be spiritual while not treading on employees' religious beliefs. Lucas really believes that "the game is people and the formula for winning it is involvement." Recommended.--Susan C. Awe, Univ. of New Mexico Lib., Albuquerque Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Booknews

Shows leaders and managers how to find and inspire passionate people, with a focus on deeply-held core values, mutual trust, and a common vision. Filled with real-world examples and straightforward strategies, it reveals the keys to bringing diverse, driven, and feisty people together and bringing out their best. Topics include ten clues as to how employees feel about a company and their role in it; how to align organization goals with employees' personal desires; how to cut out the deadwood; and the power of daring to be spiritual. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknew.com)



Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Heart Over Head
Pt. IPassion Over Knowledge1
Ch. 1Defining Passion3
Ch. 2The Limitations of Reason17
Ch. 3The Misleading Comfort of Strategic Planning30
Ch. 4The Siren Song of the Learning Organization42
Ch. 5The Uncontrollable Nature of Fire56
Pt. IIA Passionate People67
Ch. 6Clues to the Presence of Passion69
Ch. 7The Role of the Soul85
Ch. 8Commitment to a Greater Goal96
Ch. 9The Need to Make a Difference106
Ch. 10Balanced People With Multiple Passions118
Pt. IIIThe Passionate Organization131
Ch. 11Pick and Prepare Passionate People133
Ch. 12Encase Passion in Vision and Mutual Trust144
Ch. 13Building Passion for Stakeholders160
Ch. 14Stoke the Fire of Waning Passion171
Ch. 15Deal With Negative and Missing Passion182
Ch. 16Kill the Concept of "Management"191
Ch. 17Know It's Better to Stub Your Toe Than to Lose Your Leg201
Ch. 18Use Crises and Obstacles to Increase Passion210
Ch. 19Spiritual Leadership in Secular Places218
Epilogue: The Triumph of the Passionate Organization224
Bibliography226
Index229
Other Reading236

Read also Programming Collective Intelligence or Objective C Pocket Reference

Modern Pharmaceutics, Vol. 121

Author: Gilbert S Banker

"Completely revised and expanded throughout. Presents a comprehensive integrated, sequenced approach to drug dosage formulation, design, and evaluation. Indentifies the pharmacodynamic and physicochemical factors influencing drug action through various routes of administration."

Pharmaceutical Development and Technology

...continues to be one of the indispensable texts for all practitioners in pharmaceutics, and its contents are required reading for all workers in the field....the third edition has taken into account many new developments in numerous fields.

American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy

...integrates drug delivery with biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics, providing the reader the rationale for the design of a drug delivery system and the specific biopharmaceutic or pharmacokinetic issues of problems being addressed or solved by the drug delivery system.

Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy

...will be useful for pharmacy students as well as pharmacists involved in manufacturing.

La Gazette de l'APGI

...[a] comprehensive, integrated, sequenced approach to drug dosage formulation, design and evaluation....an outstanding reference....an excellent textbook....

Booknews

This text and reference provides an integrated but sequenced approach to drug dosage formulation, design, and evaluation. It identifies the pharmacodynamic and physiological factors influencing drug action through various routes of administration. The 28 chapters concentrate on topics like: drug adsorption, pharmacokinetics, drug availability, route of administration and distribution, drug stability, performulation, cutaneous and transdermal delivery, disperse systems, table dosage forms, capsules, parental products, sustained- and controlled release delivery systems, target-oriented systems, optimization techniques, legal concerns, pediatric and geriatric aspects, biotechnology, dietary supplements, bio-equivalency, managed care, and future prospects. Contributors represent academic, health care, and industry perspectives. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Corporate View or Principles of Microeconomics

Corporate View: Management and Human Resources

Author: Karl Barksdal

Corporate View is a series of text/simulations that use a live corporate Intranet. Students learn to communicate and understand corporate terminology, research and make business decisions, use the Internet and corporate Intranet as office tools, and work in real and virtual teams. The Corporate View titles can be used in any order, independently or jointly. Corporate View: Management and Human Resources is a text/simulation that lets students complete entry-level activities in the human resources department of a large corporation. Students rely on a live corporate Intranet as they perform activities related to recruitment and hiring, employee benefits, training, and legal compliance.



Go to: Human Resource Management or American Independent Cinema

Principles of Microeconomics

Author: Eugene Silberberg

In this text, the author has not relegated the illustrations and examples to 'boxes' or 'sidebars.' The examples are precisely the central concern of economics; they are the whole point of the theory. They are the only reason for developing the laws of demand, or diminishing marginal product, other than to analyze real, observable issues? The 'story problems' are economics, not 'illustrations' of economic theory.



Public Relations or Management Dilemmas

Public Relations: An Introduction

Author: Shirley Harrison

This text is the ideal introduction for anyone who wants to understand how and why public relations works. Not simply a how-to guide, this book describes the key frameworks and developments in public relations theory and practice. Using over thirty examples and case studies from Britain, Europe and the US, Shirley Harrison makes the vital link between theory and practice. Public Relations: An Introduction covers the history, theoretical framework, practice and likely developments in public relations, giving numerous case histories of successful and unsuccessful public relations practice, and providing careers advice for those considering entering the field. The new edition has been thoroughly updated with revised material and a wealth of brand new cases.



Table of Contents:
List of figures
List of tables
Preface
Acknowledgements
1Public relations: what is it and why do we use it?1
2Getting from there to here13
3The theoretical framework29
4Planning for results47
5Corporate public relations67
6Crisis public relations82
7Internal communications102
8Community relations and sponsorship123
9Specialist public relations144
10Where do we go from here?164
Appendix 1: Membership of the Institute of Public Relations173
Appendix 2: Code of Professional Conduct of the Institute of Public Relations175
Appendix 3: Public Relations Education and Training matrix179
Bibliography183
Index185

Books about: Brown Ale or Spirit of Christmas

Management Dilemmas: The Theory of Constraints Approach to Problem Identification and Solutions

Author: Eli Schragenheim

An incredible ability awaits managers who practice Theory of Constraints (TOC) techniques: they can take a problem, look beyond the less important details, and directly identify the source of trouble. They've been known to promptly resolve perplexing matters - while the uninformed remain stuck. So many more managers could gain the benefit of TOC thinking... if they only took the time. Eli Schragenheim now offers an informative and enjoyable self-learning method, proving how TOC can be invaluable at a wide variety of workplaces. Management Dilemmas: The Theory of Constraints Approach to Problem Identification and Solutions conveys TOC methods through "virtual experience"-stories of managers and the situations they need to resolve. Take note of the dilemmas they're facing. Think about how you would respond under those circumstances. Then, compare your reactions with Schragenheim's TOC-influenced analysis. Associated with Dr. Eli Goldratt (the founder of TOC) for seven years, Schragenheim doesn't tell how the stories end. Instead, he encourages the reader to try out TOC techniques-especially the need to arrive at the most precise answer by raising the right questions. The conclusions you reach today could greatly help your on-the-job thinking tomorrow!

Booknews

Presents a series of stories, case studies, and computer simulations that describe problematic situations in a variety of organizations, and shows how the application of Theory of Constraints (TOC) principles and tools can lead to simple yet powerful solutions. Emphasis is on raising the right questions rather than finding one right answer. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknew.com)



Cultures In Organizations or The Heros Farewell

Cultures In Organizations

Author: Joanne Martin

Despite the surge of interest over the last decade in cultural phenomena in organizations, researchers of widely differing disciplinary backgrounds, epistemologies, methodological preferences, and political ideologies continue to disagree about fundamental issues - with good reason. Consolidating a diverse array of theoretical and empirical studies into an analytical framework that clarifies and challenges the assumptions that have guided organizational culture research, this pathbreaking book delineates three competing perspectives and offers a way out of the conceptual chaos caused by conflicts among these viewpoints. This analysis acknowledges incommensurabilities without creating pressures toward assimilation, while offering insights unavailable to any single perspective. Exploring links to major intellectual developments (postmodernism, feminist theory, environmental dependence) within and outside of organizational theory, Cultures in Organizations brings a critical, interdisciplinary perspective to the field. This theoretical approach has an extensive empirical base, drawing on studies of a wide variety of organizations, including a large multi-national electronics corporation, the Peace Corps, universities, small non-profit organizations, and several large and small private-sector companies. By alternating between theoretical abstractions and studies of particular organizations, Joanne Martin delineates and bridges divergent approaches to the study of cultures in organizations, offering a breadth and an openness to multiple viewpoints not available elsewhere.



Interesting book: Unraveling The Mystery Of Autism And Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Fit and Fabulous after 40

The Hero's Farewell: What Happens when CEOs Retire

Author: Jeffrey A Sonnenfeld

How a business replaces its chief executive often determines that firm's future. If a business does not effectively manage the transfer of power, utter turmoil can result, with profound implications not only for the CEO, but also for the other employees, the shareholders, and the community at large.
Filled with inside stories from corporate boardrooms and fresh conceptual perspectives, The Hero's Farewell describes in rich detail the factors that affect executive succession. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld offers the first close examination of the critical role a CEO's departure style plays in helping, or hindering, the transfer of power. Through candid interviews with fifty prominent retired chief executives from corporations such as AT&T, Ford, Dupont, United Technologies, and Raytheon (David Rockefeller of Chase Manhattan and Thomas J. Watson, Jr. of IBM among them) and a survey of an additional three hundred top managers, Sonnenfeld identifies the four major types of leadership departure styles. These types include Monarchs, who choose not to leave voluntarily but either die in office or are overthrown; Generals, who leave reluctantly and spend their retirement planning a comeback; Ambassadors, who retain close ties with their former firms; and Governors, who willingly serve a limited time and leave to pursue new interests.
Capturing the human drama of these departures and succession battles, The Hero's Farewell will fascinate anyone intrigued by power struggles in large corporations. Outlining ways to smooth out the inevitable transfers of power that corporations must face, Sonnenfeld presents essential information for all top executives and especially for CEOs.



Table of Contents:
Chief Executives Interviewedxi
1.Heroes in Late Career3
2.Aging Leaders and Other Aging Workers10
3.Executive Retirement and the Parade of Future Leaders30
4.Corporate Folk Heroes: Living Legends or Business Cheerleaders?39
5.The Hero's Reluctant Farewell58
6.The Monarch's Departure80
7.The General's Departure129
8.The Ambassador's Departure151
9.The Governor's Departure183
10.The Small Business Leader Faces Departure217
11.Parting Patriarchs of the Family Firms237
12.Riding into the Sunset and Through to Dawn267
AppendixChief Executive Succession Survey291
Notes295
Index313

Monday, December 29, 2008

Business Archetype Patterns for MDA or Actuarial Models

Business Archetype Patterns for MDA: Literate Model

Author: Jim Arlow

Praise for Enterprise Patterns and MDA

“I’ve never seen a system of business patterns as detailed as this one. The completeness that Arlow and Neustadt provide in these patterns is impressive. The explanations for why the patterns are formed the way they are and how they’re interconnected are incredibly thorough. The patterns presented here have the potential to impact business applications in the same way the ‘Gang of Four’ patterns have impacted general software development.”

Steve Vinoski
Chief Engineer of Product Innovation
IONA Technologies

Enterprise Patterns and MDA is a detailed, yet very readable, guide to designing business applications using reusable model components and Model Driven Architecture. It deserves a place on every application designer’s desk.”

Andrew Watson
Vice President and Technical Director
Object Management Group, Inc.

“Design patterns are generally acknowledged as an effective approach to developing robust and highly reusable software. Now that Model Driven Architecture is raising software design to ever-higher levels of abstraction, it is only natural that pattern concepts should find application in advanced modeling techniques. With this book, Arlow and Neustadt have greatly advanced the state of the art of MDA by defining both a theory and a methodology for applying the concept of Archetype Patterns to business software modeling.”

John Poole
Distinguished Software Engineer
Hyperion Solutions Corporation

“The burgeoning field of Model Driven Architecture tools and worldwide support for the Unified Modeling Language are finally being met with high-quality books that explain standard modeling techniques in a way any developer can follow. This book meets an urgent need squarely and clearly, and explains with copious examples a powerful approach to building usable (and reusable!) assets and applications. Every enterprise developer needs this book.”

Richard Mark Soley, Ph.D.
Chairman and CEO
Object Management Group

This book is a practical guide to applying Model Driven Architecture (MDA) and patterns in order to create business applications more easily. It provides you with a proven catalog of archetype patterns: high-value model components that can be easily incorporated into Unified Modeling Language (UML) models. Each archetype pattern allows you to understand and model a specific part of an enterprise system.

Enterprise Patterns and MDA teaches you how to customize any archetype pattern—such as Customer, Product, and Order—to reflect the idiosyncrasies of your own business environment. Because all the patterns work harmoniously together and have clearly documented relationships to each other, you’ll come away with a host of reusable solutions to common problems in business-software design.

This book shows you how using a pattern or a fragment of a pattern can save you months of work and help you avoid costly errors. You’ll also discover how—when used in literate modeling—patterns can solve the difficult challenge of communicating UML models to broad audiences.

The configurable patterns can be used manually to create executable code. However, the authors draw on their extensive experience to show you how to tap the significant power of MDA and UML for maximum automation. Not surprisingly, the patterns included in this book are highly valuable; a blue-chip company recently valued a similar, but less mature, set of patterns at hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Use this practical guide to increase the efficiency of your designs and to create robust business applications that can be applied immediately in a business setting.





Table of Contents:
Foreword
Introduction
Acknowledgments
Pt. 1Archetype theory, practice, and Model Driven Architecture1
1Archetypes and archetype patterns3
2Model Driven Architecture with archetype patterns49
Pt. 2Literate modeling85
3Literate modeling87
Pt. 3Archetype pattern catalog117
4Party archetype pattern119
5PartyRelationship archetype pattern157
6Customer relationship management archetype pattern187
7Product archetype pattern203
8Inventory archetype pattern267
9Order archetype pattern303
10Quantity archetype pattern391
11Money archetype pattern411
12Rule archetype pattern433
Summary461
Archetype glossary463
Bibliography477
Index481

See also: Top Tips for Girls or Food Your Miracle Medicine

Actuarial Models: The Mathematics of Insurance

Author: Vladimir I Rotar

Ideal for students preparing for level 300 actuarial exams in the US, Actuarial Models: The Mathematics of Insurance provides a comprehensive exposition of insurance process models and presents mathematical setups and methods used in Actuarial Modeling. Divided into three self-contained and explicitly designated parts of different levels of difficulty, this book examines standard as well as advanced topics such as modern utility theory, martingale technique, models with payments of dividends, reinsurance models, and classification of distributions. It provides practical skills in analysis of insurance processes. This text discusses a number of topics not commonly found in existing Actuarial Mathematics textbooks, including achievements of the modern Risk Evaluation theory, premium principles, accuracy of normal and Poisson approximation, and a reinsurance market model. The main text is preceded by introductory chapters containing basic facts from Probability Theory, Calculus, and the Theory of Interest. The reader will not have to refer to outside sources; everything is under one cover and in the same unified notation and style. The book includes many examples, practice problems, and exercises on numerical calculations using Excel®. It includes preliminary examination material for the Society of Actuaries and the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS), providing, in particular, real problems from past CAS exams.



Real Estate Law or Concepts in Federal Taxation 2006

Real Estate Law

Author: Marianne M Jennings

REAL ESTATE LAW charts new territory with its clear and cutting-edge coverage of the basics and trends in the laws that affect real property. The text will help you really understand and grasp the material while helping you develop your problem-solving skills in your professional and personal real estate transactions. Each chapter reveals how you will use the material.

Booknews

This textbook on real estate law covers the nature of real estate, ownership and interests, transferring titles, and development. Specific chapters address issues like liens, leases, the purchase contract, wills, zoning, environmental law, and taxes. Narrative explanations describe the law, and reported cases illustrate key concepts. Ethical issues are highlighted. Appendixes include sections of the U.S. Constitution, the Uniform Commercial Code, the Sherman Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act, the Truth-in-Lending Act, and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



Book review: War on Waste or Globalization and Education

Concepts in Federal Taxation 2006

Author: Kevin E Murphy

Concepts in Federal Taxation is designed for a more conceptual, less detailed approach to federal taxation of individuals and corporations in an introductory taxation course. This conceptual approach presents taxation as a small number of unifying concepts, stressing the overriding principles that apply to all specific tax rules and regulations. Concepts in Federal Taxation offers an excellent balance between tax concepts and the Internal Revenue Code and regulations, preparing users for a future in the business environment.



Staffing Organizations Contemporary Practice and Theory Third Edition or Taking the Next Step

Staffing Organizations Contemporary Practice and Theory, Third Edition

Author: Robert E Ployhart

Staffing Organizations: Contemporary Practice and Theory, the new third edition of a classic in the field, shows how organizations of all sizes can use effective staffing procedures as a source of sustained competitive advantage. Practically, the book shows how to choose, develop, and administer effective staffing procedures, including conducting job analyses, defining and measuring job performance, identifying predictors of performance that are both valid and legally defensible, and using this information to make sound hiring decisions. All three authors are active practitioners and recommendations based on their experiences are interwoven throughout the chapters. The authors are also grounded in a scientific, conceptual perspective that informs what they say and do in the staffing area. They review cutting-edge theory and research in diverse areas of importance to the practice of staffing, and identify scientific advances as well as areas that should be informed by additional research.

Examples of such cutting-edge issues include:
*multilevel staffing models linking individual, group, and organizational levels;
*comprehensive consideration of diversity and cross-cultural challenges;
*the opportunities and challenges of the use of information technology in staffing;
*the legal, professional, and ethical challenges facing staffing practitioners;
*modern statistical approaches (e.g., structural equation modeling, item response theory, hierarchical linear modeling); and
*integrated models of staffing predictors and frameworks for understanding predictor and criterion spaces.

Each chapter contains real-world examples and illustrations, adiscussion of best practices, practical recommendations, and directions for future research. In doing so, Staffing Organizations: Contemporary Practice and Theory is a modern version of a genuine classic.



Table of Contents:
Ch. 1Introduction1
Ch. 2Measurement concepts and data analytic tools33
Ch. 3Job analysis100
Ch. 4Performance and criterion development151
Ch. 5Recruitment : retention and attraction237
Ch. 6Validation strategies and utility300
Ch. 7Hiring procedures : an overview365
Ch. 8Hiring procedures I : cognitive ability and certification exams402
Ch. 9Hiring procedures II : personality tests, affective measures, interests, and biodata434
Ch. 10Hiring procedures III : interviews, performance-based tests, simulations, and physical ability491
Ch. 11The practice of staffing : legal, professional, and ethical concerns559
Ch. 12Staffing organizations : review and implications592

Book review: The Rules for Online Dating or Mac Basics

Taking the Next Step: Guide to Creating High School Resumes & Portfolios

Author: The Editors at JIST

This workbook shows students how to turn high school classes, activities, and accomplishments into both resumes and portfolios that get results. Students learn how to organize important information about themselves- their objectives, skills, education, and work and volunteer experience. In the process, students become aware of their values, their responsibilities, and areas where they need more experience. They also clarify their career and education goals, explore available resources, and determine their life direction. This unique resource provides inspiring examples based on the resumes of real students and presents invaluable information on developing networking skills, contacting potential employers, completing applications for employment, and understanding the skills required for retaining jobs. Students will gain experience in answering interview questions and writing the business communication pieces of cover letters and thank-you notes.



Sunday, December 28, 2008

Economics or Macroeconomics

Economics: Private and Public Choice

Author: James D Gwartney

ECONOMICS: PRIVATE AND PUBLIC CHOICE includes many more engaging elements-such as scenes from popular movies and applications of economic theory to real-world issues-to help you see how these theories apply to the world around you. Each chapter has been updated to reflect today's market, including analysis and explanation of measures of current economic activity. You'll also find highlights of the lives of notable economists and how they contributed to the thinking that shapes our markets today. Common economic myths are dispelled, and the "invisible hand" metaphor is applied to economic theory, demonstrating how it's working even today to stimulate the economy. This 12th edition includes new technology features such as a robust set of online multimedia learning tools, including video clips and free quizzes designed to support your classroom work; a completely updated Aplia interactive learning system with practice problems, interactive tutorials, online experiences, and more.

Booknews

This book/CD-ROM text seeks to make economics understandable to freshman and sophomore undergraduates and to illustrate the relevance of economics in daily life. Core chapters cover material usually taught in economics principles courses, and include short units (designed for one class period) on topics such as the future of social security, and readings which highlight the organizational and institutional factors that underlie economic prosperity. The CD-ROM contains a graphing workshop and animated tutorials, interactive graphing exercises, video lectures on difficult topics, and video news segments. Gwartney teaches economics at Florida State University. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



New interesting book: Processing or Windows Group Policy Resource Kit

Macroeconomics: A Contemporary Introduction

Author: William A McEachern

Taking a "just-in-time" approach by introducing material just as it is needed to develop an argument, MACROECONOMICS: A CONTEMPORARY APPROACH, Eighth Edition, truly leads by example. In a decidedly non-condescending tone, McEachern assumes that students are already intuitively familiar with many economic concepts through their own life experiences. These life experiences are then explained to students as economic concepts with clear and interesting exposition, relevant case studies, and a clean focused design. The text's major applications take the form of case studies that are meant to be read and therefore are integrated into the flow of each chapter. With this eighth edition, the book's well-crafted approach is enhanced with resources--such as Aplia and CengageNOW--that will help your students improve their understanding and will help you streamline tasks and save valuable time.

Booknews

A text/CD-ROM package for a first course in macroeconomics. Early chapters cover macro- and microeconomics foundations, and later material uses the aggregate demand and aggregate supply models to underscore the difference between active and passive approaches to the economy. Pages are designed to be reader friendly, with color photos and graphics, plus margin terms and case studies. Pedagogical features include chapter summaries, review questions, problems, experiential exercises, and mathematical appendices with exercises, as well as notes on web sites, and a 12-page guide to reading the . Many exercises require students to consult the and the Internet. The CD-ROM contains study tools and graphing tutorials. This fifth edition contains expanded international material. Economic jargon has been reduced. The author is a professor of economics at the University of Connecticut. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



Table of Contents:
Introduction to Economics
The Art and Science of Economic Analysis     1
The Economic Problem: Scarce Resources, Unlimited Wants     2
Resources     2
Goods and Services     3
Economic Decision Makers     4
A Simple Circular-Flow Model     4
The Art of Economic Analysis     6
Rational Self-Interest     6
Choice Requires Time and Information     6
Economic Analysis Is Marginal Analysis     7
Microeconomics and Macroeconomics     7
The Science of Economic Analysis     8
The Role of Theory     8
The Scientific Method     8
Normative Versus Positive     10
Economists Tell Stories     10
Case Study: A Yen for Vending Machines     11
Predicting Average Behavior     12
Some Pitfalls of Faulty Economic Analysis     12
If Economists Are So Smart, Why Aren't They Rich?     13
Case Study: College Major and Career Earnings     13
Understanding Graphs     18
Drawing Graphs     19
The Slopes of Straight Lines     20
The Slope, Units of Measurement, and Marginal Analysis     20
The Slopes of Curved Lines     22
Line Shifts     23
Some Tools of Economic Analysis     24
Choice and Opportunity Cost     25
Opportunity Cost     25
Case Study: The Opportunity Cost of College     25
Opportunity Cost Is Subjective     26
Sunk Cost and Choice     27
Comparative Advantage, Specialization, and Exchange     28
The Law of Comparative Advantage     28
Absolute Advantage Versus Comparative Advantage     28
Specialization and Exchange     29
Division of Labor and Gains from Specialization     30
Case Study: Specialization Abound     30
The Economy's Production Possibilities     31
Efficiency and the Production Possibilities Frontier     31
Inefficient and Unattainable Production     32
The Shape of the Production Possibilities Frontier     32
What Can Shift the Production Possibilities Frontier?     33
What Can We Learn from the PPF?     34
Three Questions Every Economic System Must Answer     35
Economic Systems     36
Pure Capitalism     36
Pure Command System     37
Mixed and Transitional Economies     38
Economies Based on Custom or Religion     38
Economic Decision Makers     40
The Household     41
The Evolution of the Household     41
Households Maximize Utility     41
Households as Resource Suppliers     42
Households as Demanders of Goods and Services     43
The Firm     43
The Evolution of the Firm     43
Types of Firms     44
Nonprofit Institutions     46
Why Does Household Production Still Exist?     46
Case Study: The Electronic Cottage     41
The Government     47
The Role of Government     48
Government's Structure and Objectives     49
The Size and Growth of Government     50
Sources of Government Revenue     51
Tax Principles and Tax Incidence     51
The Rest of the World     52
International Trade     52
Exchange Rates     54
Trade Restrictions     54
Case Study: Wheels of Fortune     54
Demand and Supply Analysis     57
Demand     58
The Law of Demand     58
The Demand Schedule and Demand Curve     59
Shifts of the Demand Curve      61
Changes in Consumer Income     61
Changes in the Prices of Related Goods     61
Changes in Consumer Expectations     62
Changes in the Number or Composition of Consumers     63
Changes in Consumer Tastes     63
Supply     63
The Supply Schedule and Supply Curve     64
Shifts of the Supply Curve     65
Changes in Technology     65
Changes in the Prices of Relevant Resources     65
Changes in the Prices of Alternative Goods     65
Changes in Producer Expectations     66
Changes in the Number of Producers     66
Demand and Supply Create A Market     67
Markets     67
Market Equilibrium     67
Changes lin Equilibrium Price and Quantity     69
Shifts of the Demand Curve     69
Shifts of the Supply Curve     70
Simultaneous Shifts of Demand and Supply Curves     72
Case Study: The Market for Professional Basketball     73
Disequilibrium     74
Price Floors     74
Price Ceilings     74
Case Study: The Toy Business Is Not Child's Play     76
Fundamentals of Macroeconomics
Introduction to Macroeconornies     78
The National Economy     79
What's Special About the National Economy?     79
The Human Body and the U.S. Economy     80
Knowledge and Performance     80
Economic Fluctuations and Growth     81
U.S. Economic Fluctuations     81
Case Study: The Global Economy     83
Leading Economic Indicators     85
Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply     85
Aggregate Output and the Price Level     85
The Aggregate Demand Curve     86
The Aggregate Supply Curve     87
Equilibrium     87
A Short History of the U.S. Economy     88
The Great Depression and Before     88
The Age of Keynes: After the Great Depression to the Early 1970s     89
The Great Stagflation: 1973 to 1980     91
Experience Since 1980     92
Case Study: Over Seven Decades of Real GDP and Price Levels     93
Productivity and Growth     96
Theory of Productivity and Growth     97
Growth and the Production Possibilities Frontier     97
What Is Productivity?     99
Labor Productivity     99
The Per-Worker Production Function      100
Technological Change     101
Rules of the Game     102
Productivity and Growth in Practice     102
Education and Economic Development     103
U.S. Labor Productivity     104
Slowdown and Rebound in Productivity Growth     105
Case Study: Computers and Productivity Growth     106
Output per Capita     107
International Comparisons     107
Other Issues of Technology and Growth     109
Does Technological Change Lead to Unemployment?     110
Research and Development     110
Do Economies Converge     112
Industrial Policy     113
Case Study: Picking Technological Winners     113
Measuring the Economy and the Circular Flow     116
The Product of a Nation     117
National Income Accounts     117
GDP Based on the Expenditure Approach     118
GDP Based on the Income Approach     119
The Circular Flow of Income and Expenditure     120
The Income Half of the Circular Flow     120
The Expenditure Half of the Circular Flow     122
Leakages Equal Injections     123
Limitations of National Income Accounting      123
Some Production Is Not Included in GDP     123
Leisure, Quality, and Variety     124
Case Study Tracking a {dollar}12 Trillion Economy     124
What's Gross about Gross Domestic Product?     125
GDP Does Not Reflect All Costs     125
GDP and Economic Welfare     126
Accounting for Price Changes     126
Price Indexes     126
Consumer Price Index     126
Problems with the CPI     128
The GDP Price Index     129
Moving from Fixed Weights to Chain Weights     129
Case Study: Computer Prices and GDP Estimation     130
National Income Accounts     133
National Income     133
Personal and Disposable Income     133
Summary of National Income Accounts     133
Summary Income Statement of the Economy     134
Unemployment and Inflation     136
Unemployment     137
Measuring Unemployment     137
Labor Force Participation Rate     139
Unemployment over Time     139
Unemployment in Various Groups     139
Unemployment Varies Across Regions     140
Case Study: Poor King Coal     142
Sources of Unemployment     143
The Meaning of Full Employment     144
Unemployment Compensation     145
International Comparisons of Unemployment     145
Problems with Official Unemployment Figures     146
Inflation     146
Case Study: Hyperinflation in Brazil     147
Two Sources of Inflation     148
A Historical Look at Inflation and the Price Level     149
Anticipated Versus Unanticipated Inflation     150
The Transaction Costs of Variable Inflation     150
Inflation Obscures Relative Price Changes     151
Inflation Across Metropolitan Areas     151
Inflation Across Countries     151
Inflation and Interest Rates     152
Why Is Inflation Unpopular?     154
Aggregate Expenditure Components     157
Consumption     158
A First Look at Consumption and Income     158
The Consumption Function     160
Marginal Propensities to Consume and to Save     160
MPC, MPS, and the Slope of the Consumption and Saving Functions     161
Nonincome Determinants of Consumption     162
Case Study: The Life-Cycle Hypothesis     164
Investment      165
The Demand for Investment     165
From Micro to Macro     167
Planned Investment and the Economy's Income     168
Nonincome Determinants of Planned Investment     168
Case Study: Investment Varies Much More than Consumption     169
Government     170
Government Purchase Function     171
Net Taxes     171
Net Exports     171
Net Exports and Income     171
Nonincome Determinants of Net Exports     172
Composition of Aggregate Expenditure     172
Variable Net Exports     175
Net Exports and Income     175
Shifts of Net Exports     175
Aggregate Expenditure and Aggregate Demand     177
Aggregate Expenditure and Income     178
The Components of Aggregate Expenditure     178
Real GDP Demanded     180
What If Planned Spending Exceeds Real GDP?     181
What If Real GDP Exceeds Planned Spending?     181
The Simple Spending Multiplier     182
An Increase in Planned Spending     182
Using the Simple Spending Multiplier     184
Case Study: Fear of Flying     185
The Aggregate Demand Curve      186
A Higher Price Level     186
A Lower Price Level     188
The Multiplier and Shifts in Aggregate Demand     188
Case Study: Falling Consumption Triggers Japan's Recession     190
Variable Net Exports Revisited     192
Net Exports and the Spending Multiplier     193
A Change in Autonomous Spending     193
The Algebra of Income and Expenditure     195
The Aggregate Expenditure Line     195
A More General Form of Income and Expenditure     195
Varying Net Exports     196
Aggregate Supply     197
Aggregate Supply in the Short Run     198
Labor and Aggregate Supply     198
Potential Output and the Natural Rate of Unemployment     199
Actual Price Level Higher than Expected     199
Why Costs Rise When Output Exceeds Potential     200
An Actual Price Level Lower than Expected     201
The Short-Run Aggregate Supply Curve     201
From the Short Run to the Long Run     202
Closing an Expansionary Gap     202
Closing a Contractionary Gap     204
Tracing Potential Output     206
Wage Flexibility and Employment     206
Case Study: U.S. Output Gaps and Wage Flexibility     208
Changes in Aggregate Supply     209
Increases in Aggregate Supply     209
Decreases in Aggregate Supply     211
Case Study: Why Is Unemployment So High in Europe?     212
Fiscal and Monetary Policy
Fiscal Policy     215
Theory of Fiscal Policy     216
Fiscal Policy Tools     216
Changes in Government Purchases     216
Changes in Net Taxes     217
Including Aggregate Supply     219
Discretionary Fiscal Policy to Close a Contractionary Gap     219
Discretionary Fiscal Policy to Close an Expansionary Gap     221
The Multiplier and the Time Horizon     222
The Evolution of Fiscal Policy     222
The Great Depression and World War II     222
Automatic Stabilizers     223
From the Golden Age to Stagflation     224
Fiscal Policy and the Natural Rate of Unemployment     225
Lags in Fiscal Policy     225
Discretionary Fiscal Policy and Permanent Income     226
The Feedback Effects of Fiscal Policy on Aggregate Supply     226
U.S. Budget Deficits of the 1980s and 1990s     227
Case Study: The Supply-Side Experiment      227
Case Study: Discretionary Fiscal Policy and Presidential Elections     228
Balancing the Federal Budget-Temporarily     229
The Algebra of Demand-Side Equilibrium     231
Net Tax Multiplier     231
The Multiplier When Both G and NT Change     231
The Multiplier with a Proportional Income Tax     231
Including Variable Net Exports     232
Money and the Financial System     233
The Evolution of Money     234
Barter and the Double Coincidence of Wants     234
The Earliest Money and Its Functions     234
Desirable Qualities of Money     236
Coins     236
Money and Banking     237
Paper Money     238
The Value of Money     239
When Money Performs Poorly     239
Case Study: When Monetary Systems Break Down     240
Financial Institutions in the United States     241
Commercial Banks and Thrifts     241
The Birth of the Fed     241
Powers of the Federal Reserve System     242
Banking During the Great Depression     243
Roosevelt's Reforms     244
Banks Lost Deposits When Inflation Increased     246
Bank Deregulation     246
Savings Banks on the Ropes     247
Commercial Banks Were Also Failing     248
U.S. Banking Structure     249
Case Study: Banking Troubles in Japan     252
Banking and the Money Supply     255
Money Aggregates     256
The Narrow Definition of Money: M1     256
Case Study: Faking It     257
Broader Money Aggregates     258
Credit Cards and Debit Cards: What's the Difference?     259
How Banks Work     260
Banks Are Financial Intermediaries     260
Starting a Bank     261
Reserve Accounts     262
Liquidity Versus Profitability     262
How Banks Create Money     263
Creating Money Through Excess Reserves     263
A Summary of the Rounds     266
Reserve Requirements and Money Expansion     266
Limitations on Money Expansion     267
Multiple Contraction of the Money Supply     267
Case Study: Banking on the Net     268
The Fed's Tools of Monetary Control     269
Open-Market Operations and the Federal Funds Rate     270
The Discount Rate     270
Reserve Requirements      271
The Fed Is a Money Machine     271
Monetary Theory and Policy     273
The Demand and Supply of Money     274
The Demand for Money     274
Money Demand and Interest Rates     275
The Supply of Money and the Equilibrium Interest Rate     276
Money and Aggregate Demand in the Short Run     277
Interest Rates and Planned Investment     277
Adding Short-Run Aggregate Supply     278
Case Study: Targeting the Federal Funds Rate     280
Money and Aggregate Demand in the Long Run     282
The Equation of Exchange     282
The Quantity Theory of Money     283
What Determines the Velocity of Money?     284
How Stable Is Velocity?     284
Case Study: The Money Supply and Inflation Around the World     286
Targets for Monetary Policy     287
Contrasting Policies     287
Targets Before 1982     289
Targets After 1982     289
The Policy Debate: Active or Passive?     291
Active Policy Versus Passive Policy     292
Closing a Contractionary Gap     292
Closing an Expansionary Gap     294
Problems with Active Policy      294
The Problem of Lags     295
A Review of Policy Perspectives     297
Case Study: Active Versus Passive Presidential Candidates     297
The Role of Expectations     298
Monetary Policy and Expectations     299
Anticipating Monetary Policy     300
Policy Credibility     301
Case Study: Central Bank Independence and Price Stability     302
Policy Rules Versus Discretion     303
Limitations on Discretion     304
Rules and Rational Expectations     304
The Phillips Curve     305
The Short-Run Phillips Curve     307
The Long-Run Phillips Curve     307
The Natural Rate Hypothesis     309
Evidence of the Phillips Curve     309
Federal Budgets and Public Policy     312
The Federal Budget Process     313
The Presidential and Congressional Roles     314
Problems with the Federal Budget Process     314
Possible Budget Reforms     315
The Fiscal Impact of the Federal Budget     315
The Rationale for Deficits     316
Budget Philosophies and Deficits     316
Federal Deficits Since the Birth of the Nation      317
Why Have Deficits Persisted?     318
Deficits, Surpluses, Crowding Out, and Crowding In     318
The Twin Deficits     319
The Short-Lived Budget Surplus     319
Case Study: Reforming Social Security and Medicare     321
The Relative Size of the Public Sector in the United States     322
The National Debt     322
International Perspective on Public Debt     323
Interest on the National Debt     324
Who Bears the Burden of the Debt?     325
Crowding Out and Capital Formation     326
Case Study: An Intergenerational View of Deficits and Debt     327
International Macroeconomics
International Finance     329
Balance of Payments     330
International Economic Transactions     330
The Merchandise Trade Balance     330
The Balance on Goods and Services     332
Unilateral Transfers     332
The Capital Account     333
Deficits and Surpluses     333
Foreign Exchange Rates and Markets     335
Foreign Exchange     335
The Demand for Foreign Exchange     336
The Supply of Foreign Exchange     336
Determining the Exchange Rate      337
Arbitrageurs and Speculators     337
Purchasing Power Parity     339
Case Study:The Big Mac Price Index     339
Flexible Exchange Rates     341
Fixed Exchange Rates     341
Development of the International Monetary System     341
The Bretton Woods Agreement     342
The Demise of the Bretton Woods System     342
The Current System: Managed Float     343
Case Study: The Asian Contagion     343
Glossary     347
Index     355

Selected Works of Merton H Miller or The Organization of Industry

Selected Works of Merton H. Miller: Finance, Vol. 1

Author: Merton H Miller

Widely regarded as one of the founders of modern corporate finance, Merton H. Miller was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1990 for his work in the theory of finance and financial economics. Selected Works of Merton H. Miller gathers together in two volumes a selection of Miller's most influential contributions over more than fifty years of active research. A common theme running throughout both volumes is Miller's conviction about the utility of market-based approaches to topics as diverse as dividend policy, bank regulation, the structure of securities markets, and competition between research universities and teaching colleges.
Miller was perhaps best known for a series of highly influential papers he cowrote in the 1950s and 1960s with fellow Nobel laureate Franco Modigliani that advanced a set of capital structure theorems later dubbed the "M and M propositions." In brief, the M and M propositions state that the actions of investors, firms, and capital markets will cause the market value of a firm to be independent of its capital structure. In other words, a corporation's value depends on its investments in people, ideas, and physical capital goods and not on the mix of bonds, stocks, and other securities used to finance the investments. Four of these papers are reprinted here, together with important later work by Miller in macroeconomics, corporate capital structure, management science, asset pricing, and the economic and regulatory problems of the financial services industry.
Diverse and innovative, the papers in Selected Works of Merton H. Miller will interest students and practitioners of economics, finance, and business, as well as policymakers responsible formarket regulation.



Table of Contents:
Volume 1Finance
Forewordix
Forewordxiii
Prefacexv
Part IThe Classics
1The Cost of Capital, Corporation Finance and the Theory of Investment3
2Dividend Policy, Growth and the Valuation of Shares42
3Corporate Income Taxes and the Cost of Capital: A Correction73
4Reply to Heins and Sprenkle85
5Debt and Taxes91
6Leverage: Nobel Lecture, December 7, 1990109
Part IICorporate Decision Making: Financing, Investment and Incentives
7Extension of the Model to Durable Commodities, Production, and Corporations, Chapter 2 of The Theory of Finance123
8Financing Decisions, Investment Decisions, and the Cost of Capital, Chapter 4 of The Theory of Finance172
9Application of Linear Programming to Financial Budgeting and the Costing of Funds216
10Executive Compensation, Taxes, and Incentives254
11Is American Corporate Governance Fatally Flawed?279
Part IIIDistribution Policy in Competitive Markets
12The Informational Content of Dividends295
13Dividends and Taxes316
14Dividends and Taxes: Some Empirical Evidence350
15Dividend Policy under Asymmetric Information374
16Behavioral Rationality in Finance: The Case of Dividends399
Author Indexxxiv
Subject Indexxxxv
Volume 2Economics
Part IVFurther Insights and Applications of the M and M Propositions
17The Modigliani-Miller Propositions after Thirty Years421
18The Economics of the Winstar Cases448
Part VAsset Pricing
19Decreasing Average Cost and the Theory of Railroad Rates481
20Rates of Return in Relation to Risk: A Re-examination of Some Recent Findings499
21Prices for State-Contingent Claims: Some Estimates and Applications527
22A Test of the Hotelling Valuation Principle548
Part VICapital Market Structure and Regulation
23Strategies for Capital Market Structure and Regulation575
24An Approach to the Regulation of Bank Holding Companies610
25Liquidity and Market Structure646
26Margin Regulation and Stock Market Volatility667
27Clustering and Competition in Asset Markets698
Part VIIThe Macro Contribution
28The Burden of the Debt, Chapter 8 of Macroeconomics: A Neoclassical Introduction739
29Built-in Flexibility758
30A Model of the Demand for Money by Firms766
Part VIIIThe Market for Ideas
31How Much University Research Is Enough? Convocation Speech, University of Chicago, August 28, 1992791
Publications of Merton H. Miller795
Author Indexix
Subject Indexxv

Book review: The Revolution or Blackwater

The Organization of Industry

Author: George J Joseph Stigler

The Organization of Industry collects essays written over two decades-pieces prepared especially for this volume, previously unpublished material, and reprinted articled drawn from numerous sources, many of which include additional commentary by the author. The essays are unified by George J. Stigler's careful analysis and by clear and witty style.



Financial Management and Recordkeeping Student Edition or Understanding Econometrics with Economic Applications

Financial Management and Recordkeeping, Student Edition

Author: McGraw Hill

This completely updated program contains the information students need to master business and personal recordkeeping, as well as basic accounting records.



Table of Contents:

1  Working With Records

2  Personal Banking

3  Personal Budgeting

4  Credit Records

5  Receiving Cash

6  Cashier's Activities

7  Records for Small Businesses

8  Petty Cash and Travel Records

9  Business Banking Records

10 Sales, Records, and Reports

11 Inventory Records

12  Accounts Payable Procedures

13 Payroll Records

14 Tax Records and Payroll Reports

15 Introduction to Accounting

16 The General Journal and Ledger Accounts

17 Special Journal: Purchases and Cash Payments

18 Special Journals: Sales and Cash Receipts

19 The Trial Balance and Financial Statements

20 Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable

Look this: Knife Skills in the Kitchen or More Bread Machine Magic

Understanding Econometrics with Economic Applications

Author: Dennis Halcoussis

Covering all of the main topics, including panel data, that are expected in the first econometrics course, Understanding Econometrics uses a new, understandable approach that explains theory intuitively in English, not through a series of mathematical derivations. Recognizing that most students will not be doing economics graduate work, but that they may well need to understand econometrics and how to apply it, this new text focuses on the connection between theory and practice. The text uses a simplified notation system and examples that are integrated with the explanations of the material, fostering comprehension so that the instructor can focus more readily on theory and applications.



Saturday, December 27, 2008

CIA Inc or ArcView GIS Means Business

CIA, Inc.: Espionage and the Craft of Business Intelligence

Author: F W W Rustmann

Every major government on earth recognizes the value of intelligence and employs an intelligence service to collect it for them. Businesses should be no different. Knowing how to gather information about the strength of your competitors, being able to anticipate their next move, and preventing them from stealing your secrets are critical keys to success in the new economy. Executives, entrepreneurs, and business school students must realize that the success of their companies partially depends on their effectiveness in the realm of business intelligence. This book teaches the principles of intelligence and counterintelligence, using the CIA's methods as a model for the business world.

CIA, Inc., explores the major aspects of business intelligence, including competitor intelligence, risk analysis, business and market analysis, counterintelligence, background investigations, due diligence, and security surveys. F. W. Rustmann draws on his experience as a CIA operations officer and a pioneer in the field of corporate intelligence to describe the collection, analysis, authentication, and reporting of intelligence.

Library Journal

Rustmann's title is a good summing up of this book. A former CIA officer and founder of the business intelligence company CTC International Group, Rustmann recounts many of his CIA activities as examples for business. His story of how he infiltrated an apartment building next to a foreign embassy and drilled through the common walls to plant microphones is riveting. He warns that foreign nations use such methods to steal proprietary information from American businesses at an estimated value of $100-$435 billion in 1997 alone. After explaining many of the techniques of the intelligence trade, Rustmann tells how businesses can fight back using such simple measures as thoroughly screening new employees and business partners. Unfortunately, covering the gamut of business intelligence and security, including the September 11 attacks, leaves little room for depth. Still, the book serves as a good introduction, and the many CIA anecdotes along with its clear writing style would keep even a general reader happy. Recommended for business collections in all libraries and for anyone interested in spying and the CIA. Lawrence R. Maxted, Gannon Univ., Erie, PA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.



New interesting textbook: Re Creating Teams during Transition or Planning and Implementing Your Major Gifts Campaign

ArcView GIS Means Business

Author: Christian Harder

Written for both business managers and GIS professionals, this guide reveals the ways that GIS can revolutionize the effectiveness of the 21st-century business enterprise. Demonstrating how a wide variety of businesses and business-related organizations such as chambers of commerce and commerce-friendly cities are using GIS to bolster the bottom line, detailed case studies analyze companies that overcame obstacles to profitability and efficiency by using the geographic and spatial analysis provided by GIS technology. As the technology has expanded, so have the number and diversity of companies that demand GIS capabilities. Such industries include real estate firms, insurance companies, food distributors, and casinos -- all applying GIS solutions to logistics, marketing programs, and supply chain issues.



Table of Contents:
Preface
Chapter 1 - GIS in Business
Chapter 2 - Researching Retail Markets
Chapter 3 - Evaluationg Site Suitability
Chapter 4 - Increasing Newspaper Readership
Chapter 5 - Finding New Banking opportunities
Chapter 6 - Realigning Sales Territories
Chapter 7 - Evaluating Health Care Resources
Chapter 8 - Making Maps for Marketing Communication
Chapter 9 - Managing Commercial Real Estate
Chapter 10 - Tracking Vehicles Automatically
Chapter 11 - Delivering Interactive Maps on the Web
Chapter 12 - Finding GIS Data for Business Applications

Industrial Organization or Campaign Planner for Integrated Brand Communications

Industrial Organization: Contemporary Theory and Practice with Economic Applications

Author: George Norman

This textbook brings modern I/O analysis to the undergraduate level. Consistent with modern analysis, the authors focus explicitly on the nature of strategic interaction and make extensive use of game theoretic tools. At the same time, they never lose sight of the policy motivation behind much IO analysis. Formal analysis is combined with many practical applications, and the presentation does not assume familiarity with calculus, rather it relies on the ability to work through algebraic equations.



Go to: Living Well with Menopause or Clinical Oncology

Campaign Planner for Integrated Brand Communications

Author: Sayr

Campaign Planner for Integrated Brand Communications is designed to help students prepare and present a professional campaign in conjunction with their advertising, promotion, or IMC text. Using a 10-step guide, this workbook clearly explains the process of planning and executing a successful campaign. Students have the option of working alone or in teams to complete the workbook activities. Students working in teams will be exposed to and learn about specific agency roles as they create their campaign.



Table of Contents:
Section IWhat We're Doing
AWhy We Use the Campaign Planner2
BHow We Use This Planner3
CWhat Is a Campaign?4
Section IIChoose Your Client and Staff Your Agency
APick a Brand, Any Brand8
1Monster Energy Drink9
2Calloway Golf Equipment11
3Public Broadcast System12
4Napster Online Music15
5Your Local Business or Service17
BWhat Job Do You Want?18
1Agency Roles18
2Agency Rules19
3Your Profile and Agency Preference21
CDeveloping Agency Relationships: Team-Building Activities22
Section IIIKeeping Track: Agency Meeting Rosters
AAgency Meeting Rosters24
1Meeting 1: Organize your agency25
2Meeting 2: Prepare the26
3Meeting 3: Complete the situation analysis27
4Meeting 4: Identify audience segment and competition28
5Meeting 5: Allocate the budget and position the brand29
6Meeting 6: Set communication objectives and brand message30
7Meeting 7: Determine creative strategies31
8Meeting 8: Set media objectives32
9Meeting 9: Create promotional activities33
10Meeting 10: Establish evaluation criteria and choose presenters35
11Meeting 11: Assemble plans book and rehearse presentation36
12Meeting 12: Rehearse the presentation and evaluate your efforts37
BAgency Evaluation and Final Report38
Section IVTen Steps to Building a Great Campaign Plan
AIt's the Planning, Stupid!40
1Step 1: Conduct the Situation Analysis41
2Step 2: Profile the Consumer Segment47
3Step 3. Analyze the Competition51
4Step 4: Allocate the Budget53
5Step 5: Establish a Brand Positioning Strategy54
6Step 6: Determine the Communication Objectives and Advertising Message56
7Step 7: Develop the Creative Strategy58
8Step 8: Set Media Objectives and Strategies61
9Step 9: Create Rewarding Promotions63
10Step 10: Set Evaluation Criteria66
Section VCampaign Aids and Activities
AResearch Aids68
1Web sites68
2Survey instruments70
3Survey tally sheet76
BHelpful Hints77
1Tips for Planning an Event77
2Tips for Selecting Sponsorships and Partnerships78
3Tips for Writing a News Release79
CHow to Ask for the Order: The Art of Presenting80
1Why we present and who we present to80
2Use your memory or PowerPoint80
3Use an easy-to-follow format81
4Some of the best ways to open81
5Overall82
6To avoid surprises, always rehearse82
7Must-do rules for success82
DXtracredit Assignment83
1Information Interview83
2Books to Read86
Section VIPreparing the Plans Book
APutting It All Together: Preparing the Plans Books90
BStudent Example: Toni&Guy Plans Book91
ISituation Analysis
APersonal Care Industry93
BCompany & Brand History93
CProduct Evaluation100
DCompetitive Analysis100
EConsumer Evaluation104
IISwot Analysis107
IIIGoals & Objectives
AMarketing Objectives111
BCommunications Objectives111
IVBudget112
VCreative Brief115
VIMedia Plan
AMedia Objectives121
BMedia Strategy122
VIISales Promotion Recommendations124
VIIIPublic Relations Recommendations126
IXDatabase Marketing Recommendations126
XCampaign Evaluation127
XIReferences128