Book Description
Who hasn't gone into a shop or workplace at some point and seen the sign `You don't have to be mad to work here, but it helps!'?
This over-used phrase becomes very real in the case of Beth Seager, an Admissions Manager in a busy British NHS hospital. Someone with very little authority but a huge amount of responsibility. She has to find beds for patients in a hospital that is claimed to work at 98% capacity - an impressive achievement that means the maximum time a bed is empty is less than 15 minutes. It's best not to mention the waiting times.
Unfortunately there are far more patients than beds and no money to bring more beds in. Someone has to decide whether a bed is taken by a patient who needs an extensive operation that will allow them to live a few more months, a breast cancer patient, or someone with two broken legs. Added to that, Beth is struggling against her caustic boss `Fearsome Fran' and her meddling assistant `Evil Eddy' who tries to undermine her and take her job.
Everything comes to a head when Fearsome Fran announces a new silver bullet plan to free up more beds. Beth knows that not only will it not work, but that she is effectively being demoted. But what can she do? She has 61 more patients than she has beds and a very short period to time to stamp her authority on Fran's new plan in order to stop it making things much worse.
Her luck changes when eligible bachelor Professor John Summers becomes her unlikely ally after becoming frustrated with the number of his operations that keep being cancelled. She also starts receiving some interesting advice over email from her brother-in-law in the US and slowly starts to believe that she can unravel the mess of the health service system and find the core problem and then the main constraint of her particular hospital.
We All Fall Down. Goldratt's Theory of Constraints for Healthcare Systems is a textbook written in the style of a witty, thriller novel. The reader is involved with Beth's challenges and dilemmas, and through her experiences, discover how Eli Goldratt's theories can be applied to the healthcare and service industries.
You don't have to be mad to work in the health services, you have to be caring, dedicated and resourceful as any errors can have fatal consequences. If you know someone from the health service, buy them this book so they can see the whole picture and what they can do improve the system. However, this book is also essential reading for anyone who has been frustrated by hospital delays or who works in other service industries such as teaching.
We All Fall Down is destined to revolutionise the service industry and not-for-profit sector in the same way that Eli Goldratt's book The Goal did for the manufacturing industry. Don't be left on the waiting list!
Customer Reviews:
Very good story - incredibly insightful.......2007-01-23
This book was a slow start, then I really started to come up to speed on the healthcare system, their challenges and issues and enter Harry, with the ideas on Theory of Constraints which Beth grasps very quickly and starts to put to use. It is very encouraging as she decides to take on this amazingly large task to hand, armed with just her new thinking and analyzing techniques. I really enjoyed the read. I was however very frustrated and disappointed at the endless number of punctuation, grammar, and other similar English language errors that the publishers had made. I will be sure to contact them to make them aware of it. Good read, and I highly recommend it.
We All Fall Down Stands Tall.......2006-11-13
Julie Wright's application of the Theory of Constraints to the healthcare system in the UK is relevant to anyone in the healthcare industry. The techniques used in the novel are so fundamental they transcend the model of financing and management of the system. In fact, you will have a better understanding of the system you are in if you read the book. I have always thought we physicians were a bottleneck in the system. Reading We All Fall Down confirms this. The novel is very entertaining, easy to read and makes some great points. I recommend it highly to anyone in healthcare management or leadership. It's not bad as a general read as well. Ed Millermaier, MD Chief Medical Officer, Ambulatory Care Division, Borgess Health, Kalamazoo, Michigan.
We all may fall, but this book stands tall!.......2006-07-08
Julie's book is very timely and instructive in how TOC can be applied to healthcare in particular, and the services industries in general. The book is engaging and powerful and also breaks new ground (such as expanding on Dr. Goldratt's 6 layers of resistance; and the real-world, relevant examples of use are especially good). In addition to the strong treatment of some of the key TOC Thinking Process tools, the book is a how-to for change management as well. I have read "We All Fall Down" 3 times, and each time have gained new insights into the applications.
Not good enough.......2006-06-16
I was quite disappointed with this book. I've heard that the results in the British Health System after implementing TOC are quite outstanding. If it's true, this book doesn't reflect it.
First of all, written as a novel, the backround story is not good. Two brothers are in a great fight and won't talk to each other because one of them is a TOC follower. Come on! I'm sure the authors's could've found a better backround story.
The description of how the NHS works is poor. The Health System is different from the one in my country, so I found it very hard to try to figure out how the NHS works, the different departments, the interactions, etc.
From the TOC point of view, good for someone just starting with TOC, but too light for someone who has read any other book.
To explain the concept of a system constraint, the book uses the same type of analogy used in Goldratt's "The Goal" (the boy scout trip), but the example and the explanation is not good.
The clouds built to find these problems conclude that the core problem of the NHS is the lack of communication between the different levels. I was expecting a more detailed analysis from the operations point of view.
In the last chapter a year has passed, and there is a summary of everything I would have expected the book to explain throughout the book, all in one chapter, with insufficient detail.
This book is good if you are involved in the NHS, and therefore know its problems, and if you know nothing about TOC.
If you want to learn about TOC Thinking Processes, I recommend Dettmer's "Goldratt's Theory of Constraints" with the main concepts, and "Management Dilemmas" (Shragenheim) with many interesting practical examples. Also "It's not luck".
If you want to learn TOC Operations, "Manufacturing at Warp Speed" (Dettmer & Shragenheim).
Project Management: Project Management in the fast lane (Newbold).
Unique and very highly recommended reading.......2006-05-08
We All Fall Down: Goldratt's Theory Of Constraints For Healthcare Systems, delightfully co-authored by Julie Wright and Russ King is an entertaining and thought-provoking novel in which co-authors Julie Wright and Russ King explore the intricate world of TOC and its effective use when applied to health care and service industries. Engagingly whisking its readers through Beth Segar's every-day digressively tedious life in combat with coworkers and happiness, We All Fall Down depicts the amusing tale of her introduction of Theory of Constraints in the workplace and its immediate effectiveness. We All Fall Down is unique and very highly recommended reading.
Average customer rating:
- The Real World In a Book
- The Real World In a Book
- The Real World In a Book
- His writing sings with the skillful voice of truth.
- We All Fall Down
|
We All Fall Down
Robert Cormier
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
 Fiction
| Marriage & Divorce
| Family Life
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Nonfiction
| Violence
| Social Issues
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Fiction
| Violence
| Social Issues
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Drugs
| Issues
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Divorce
| Issues
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Issues
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Fiction
| Drug Use & Abuse
| Social Issues
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
Violence
| Social Issues
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Teen Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Divorce
| Issues
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Drugs
| Issues
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Issues
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Fiction
| Marriage & Divorce
| Family Life
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Fiction
| Violence
| Social Issues
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Nonfiction
| Violence
| Social Issues
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Drug Use & Abuse
| Social Issues
| Teens
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Violence
| Social Issues
| Teens
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Fade
-
Tenderness
-
The Chocolate War (Readers Circle)
-
After the First Death
-
Beyond the Chocolate War
ASIN: 0440215560
Release Date: 1993-08-01 |
Book Description
They entered the house at 9:02 P.M. and trashed their way through the Cape Cod cottage. At 9:46 P.M. Karen Jerome made the mistake of arriving home early. Thrown down the basement stairs, Karen slips into a coma. The trashers slip away.
But The Avenger has seen it all.
Customer Reviews:
The Real World In a Book.......2007-03-02
Waffles 02/25/07
Title: We All Fall Down Author: Robert Cormier ISBN-0-385-30501-X
The Real World in a Book
This is a scene form We All Fall Down, a realistic fiction. This book has three main characters, Buddy, Jane and The Avenger. This takes place in two towns. The time is the present. All of the characters take part in things that could happen today.
This book has been one of the first books that I have read the really opened my eyes. This is at the top of my list. Number one reason why this is at the top is because. Cormier is a straight shooter, as in he gives it to you have you think it. Cormier also does not "sugar coat" his writing. There for him not sugar coating it, this book as been banned some places. I would definitely recommend this book. This book is one of those books that everyone should read at some point in there life, just because it is a teenager book does not mean that a 50 year old can not read it. The book makes you think about the real world today. Although the book does not have drugs in it to refer today it has a lot of other things in it. Like I said it is an eye opener, but the stuff in this book is happening all over the world today. People in the age range of 13-80 would like this book. An optimistic person would like this book also people with children would enjoy reading and learning what there kid could get involved in.
I enjoyed the genre, the genre is realistic fiction. The book made the genre by being so real to what the genre name is. Also the scenes in the book were so real to the real world it was scary. Also that it is an average town just like places all around the world. Also the book felt like I was reading a newspaper.
I enjoyed the writing style of this writer. His writing flows very well and is very decrypted. There is a point in the book were I wanted to stop reading. But then I read on and the story put me back on the track to read more. Which I am glad I kept reading.
There were loads of surprises in this book. This also intended me to keep going in the book, because it kept me interested. The first page is one of the first surprises that kept me reading. It is in when the boys are in the girl's house and they are trashing and also doing some important this to the house and a girl. This is one of the major scenes that I thought was a surprise, which kept me interested.
The Real World In a Book.......2007-03-02
Waffles 02/25/07
Title: We All Fall Down Author: Robert Cormier ISBN-0-385-30501-X
The Real World in a Book
This is a scene form We All Fall Down, a realistic fiction. This book has three main characters, Buddy, Jane and The Avenger. This takes place in two towns. The time is the present. All of the characters take part in things that could happen today.
This book has been one of the first books that I have read the really opened my eyes. This is at the top of my list. Number one reason why this is at the top is because. Cormier is a straight shooter, as in he gives it to you have you think it. Cormier also does not "sugar coat" his writing. There for him not sugar coating it, this book as been banned some places. I would definitely recommend this book. This book is one of those books that everyone should read at some point in there life, just because it is a teenager book does not mean that a 50 year old can not read it. The book makes you think about the real world today. Although the book does not have drugs in it to refer today it has a lot of other things in it. Like I said it is an eye opener, but the stuff in this book is happening all over the world today. People in the age range of 13-80 would like this book. An optimistic person would like this book also people with children would enjoy reading and learning what there kid could get involved in.
I enjoyed the genre, the genre is realistic fiction. The book made the genre by being so real to what the genre name is. Also the scenes in the book were so real to the real world it was scary. Also that it is an average town just like places all around the world. Also the book felt like I was reading a newspaper.
I enjoyed the writing style of this writer. His writing flows very well and is very decrypted. There is a point in the book were I wanted to stop reading. But then I read on and the story put me back on the track to read more. Which I am glad I kept reading.
There were loads of surprises in this book. This also intended me to keep going in the book, because it kept me interested. The first page is one of the first surprises that kept me reading. It is in when the boys are in the girl's house and they are trashing and also doing some important this to the house and a girl. This is one of the major scenes that I thought was a surprise, which kept me interested.
The Real World In a Book.......2007-03-01
Waflles 02/25/07
Title: We All Fall Down Author: Robert Cormier ISBN-0-385-30501-X
The Real World in a Book
This is a scene form We All Fall Down, a realistic fiction. This book has three main characters, Buddy, Jane and The Avenger. This takes place in two towns. The time is the present. All of the characters take part in things that could happen today.
This book has been one of the first books that I have read the really opened my eyes. This is at the top of my list. Number one reason why this is at the top is because. Cormier is a straight shooter, as in he gives it to you have you think it. Cormier also does not "sugar coat" his writing. There for him not sugar coating it, this book as been banned some places. I would definitely recommend this book. This book is one of those books that everyone should read at some point in there life, just because it is a teenager book does not mean that a 50 year old can not read it. The book makes you think about the real world today. Although the book does not have drugs in it to refer today it has a lot of other things in it. Like I said it is an eye opener, but the stuff in this book is happening all over the world today. People in the age range of 13-80 would like this book. An optimistic person would like this book also people with children would enjoy reading and learning what there kid could get involved in.
I enjoyed the genre, the genre is realistic fiction. The book made the genre by being so real to what the genre name is. Also the scenes in the book were so real to the real world it was scary. Also that it is an average town just like places all around the world. Also the book felt like I was reading a newspaper.
I enjoyed the writing style of this writer. His writing flows very well and is very decrypted. There is a point in the book were I wanted to stop reading. But then I read on and the story put me back on the track to read more. Which I am glad I kept reading.
There were loads of surprises in this book. This also intended me to keep going in the book, because it kept me interested. The first page is one of the first surprises that kept me reading. It is in when the boys are in the girl's house and they are trashing and also doing some important this to the house and a girl. This is one of the major scenes that I thought was a surprise, which kept me interested.
His writing sings with the skillful voice of truth........2007-01-18
The Avenger sees it all. He watches closely as four guys trash Jane Jerome's house, shoving her sister Karen into the basement to do whatever it is they're doing. He isn't going to let it go unavenged.
The Jerome family is fairly new in the neighborhood, having just moved from Monument (where THE CHOCOLATE WAR took place) a short while ago. Being the new kid is bad, but being Judy Jerome, the new kid who people stop talking to because they don't know what to say to a girl whose house gets ransacked and whose sister ends up in the hospital, is worse. Rumors fly. Reputations dive. Revenge ensues.
Suicide, rape, murder, vandalism, and love. All in a young adult book. While Robert Cormier may not be for the faint of heart, his writing sings with the skillful voice of truth. He's never afraid to show darkness and light for what they are, and for that, I commend and recommend him.
-- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens
We All Fall Down.......2006-12-05
Cormier's intense, suspenseful, and ironic plot makes this novel a great page-turner. The different characters and different point's of view make the book more exciting. How at the end all of the characters come together for a very strange ironic ending of the book. This is a great book but I would not recommend it for anyone under 14. This book was disturbing and included a lot of mature context.
There are 3 different sides to this story one from Jane Jerome a teenage girl whose house gets trashed and everything was ruined. Her sister Karen was admitted into the hospital and was in a Coma. Jane Jerome was never realized how much she loved her sister and her regular life routine. Now Jane struggles to live a normal life and forget about the past. Jane Jerome later falls deeply in love with a boy named Buddy Walker and she has never felt so much love in her life. She starts to feel like everything is going to be okay because now she has Buddy by her side.
The second main character in the book is Buddy Walker. Buddy Walker and his friends decide to trash a house for "Funtime". Later Buddy found out that the house he trashed was Jane Jermoe's. Buddy soon feel in love with Jane, and Buddy never admitting the truth to Jane and what he had done to her house.
The third main character in the book was the "Avenger". The Avenger is an eleven year old boy who seeks revenge from "Bad people". The Avenger was an extreme character in this novel and carried out many disturbing and engrossing acts through out the book. The Avenger is tied into the story at the end and his true identity was revealed at the end for a surprising twist.
Average customer rating:
- Must read for History lovers.
- A Note From the Author
|
We All Fall Down
Jeani Rector
Manufacturer: PublishAmerica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Historical
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1588518728 |
Book Description
A gripping novel, set in 1348 England, which follows a young woman as she goes from a structured, sheltered life into one where normalcy falls by the wayside as a deadly bacterial infection invades the land, better known as the bubonic plague.
Customer Reviews:
Must read for History lovers........2006-09-05
I was cautiously optimistic about this novel when I bought it. However, I am thoroughly amazed in the clever and genuinely fresh look at history and the potential causes for the many difficult to believe events that cause the moral indiscretions that occurred in medieval times. Being a history buff, I find the level of historical detail very convincing in the tale that Miss Rector sets out in this novel. All I can say is this is a great book that you cannot be without.
A Note From the Author.......2005-04-27
Those of you who are familiar with my latest novel, "After Dark, A Collection of Horror," will recognize Elissa from the short story, THE BLACK DEATH, which is one of the thirteen stories contained within "After Dark, A Collection of Horror."
"We All Fall Down" was written in 2001, well before "After Dark, A Collection of Horror" was published. "We All Fall Down" is my first novel, and although not as strong as my second book, still, it does have some merit.
"We All Fall Down" is the original, unabridged version of Elissa's troubles as she endures the bubonic plague's devastating journey through Europe in 1348.
Historically accurate, "We All Fall Down" is a first-person's account of what it would be like to actually live in that timeperiod of such immense human destruction. Although Elissa is a fictional character, the events of the Black Death were very real, and captured in this unabridged, long version of the story.
The character Elissa Hastings starts as a naïve, innocent young girl, who is strengthened and matured by events beyond her control, or even beyond her comprehension. She grows up quickly in order to survive in a world of destruction and chaos.
So, if you have read the short story THE BLACK DEATH contained within "After Dark, A Collection of Horror" and would like to find out what happened to the character Elissa Hastings, why not pick up a copy of "We All Fall Down" and find out.
Information about "After Dark, A Collection of Horror" can be found on Amazon or at www.afterdarknovel.com
Average customer rating:
|
We All Fall Down (Pelican)
Robin Clarke
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Military Science
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Terrorism
| Current Events
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0140211217 |
Product Description
The Bible is true, the prophets were right, and Armageddon is now: Brian Caldwell explores the nature of hatred and forgiveness, divinity and damnation through the story of one person's confrontation with the end of the world, God, and, most harrowingly, himself.
Customer Reviews:
Vile,disgusting and totally a waste of time and money.......2007-07-06
If I could give this 0 stars, I would. I bought this book,tried to read it and was so repulsed that I tore it up and threw it away. I felt like I needed a spiritual bath. I had never destroyed a book before and have not done since. I own hundreds of books of all different genres. I would never recommend anyone reading this. I was disappointed since there were so many positive reviews. Buyer beware. I am not a fan of the "Left Behind" series and was hoping for a decently written end times novel.
What Do YOU Expect The End Times To Be Like?.......2006-09-23
This is a rare novel in that most of the reviewers either absolutely loved it or absolutely hated it. It is much like being a Christian itself: People either believe in their salvation through Jesus Christ's Grace or not. There's not a lot of middle ground, though many live as though there is.
That said, I have read most of the endtimes books out there and this is the one novel that captures the social and political unraveling of society. There's no other way to put it. Left Behind was downright sanitary, and The Christ Clone Trilogy, while EXCELLENT as well, probably did not go far enough to depict what life will be like in the absence of ANY type of law.
Think about this: New Orleans fell into complete lawlessness less than two days after Katrina, with the Superdome being the epicenter of the depravity. That was after only two days...Try to imagine several years where there exists a vacuum of order.
This is DEFINITELY not a book for the squeamish, or for ANYONE under eighteen. If you became a Christian after the age of twenty-five or thereabouts, I think you will find something to relate to. Life itself is hard, and it all the harder while trying to go it alone, as this book's protagonist does. I think what troubles some of these reviewers is the book's similarity to life, where some make it out safely, and some, well...fall down.
What Does Mr. Caldwell Want?.......2006-07-26
A book on the Rapture time of Revelations. A Book about the Tribulation. That is what We All Fall Down tries to be? Or is it? Other than the people who are obviously the author's friends and colleagues, one has to back up from all of the reviews, and ask -- What is the author trying to convey?
That is the question here? In this book, some people have mistaken snappy or crass dialog, along with shocking sex and violence, as a good book.
In this book, since a Devil-controlled man rules the world, mankind has reached new lows of debauchery. And just because the author is able to really show how degrading some aspects of society are in the absence of the rule of natural or God's law, does not mean that this book is a success?
As a case in point: There is a chapter in the book that occurs near the beginning of the book, in which the protagonist of the book, Jimmy, witnesses the rape and murder of a male Christian youth while travelling on a prison ship from Eurasia to North America.
Is this shocking -- you bet it is.
But what is the author trying to convey? That the average person of the book will stoop to this level as the book progresses? No, because the protagonist Jimmy never even comes close to sinking to that low level. That the average man or woman will sink to that level. No, because none of Jimmy's friends remotely do the same.
So the reader comes away with the feeling that one has about rapists and murderers who are in prison -- that that is just how rapists and murderers are-- brute beasts.
The protagonist never changes, at all, over the course of the entire 6 1/2 years of the book. He is a selfish twit in the beginning of the book, and he is a selfish twit and the end.
I shall not give away the last "chapter", actually expanded paragraph of the book, but it is really not explained very well at all. That is a shame, consdiering all of the feelings and emotions that could have been explained by the protagonist Jimmy.
Maybe a warning about his new eternal state. Maybe a line of evangelism during this moment. A terrible wasted opportunity. Hundreds of teenage readers are reading your book, Mr Caldwell, but for some reason you did not close the deal.
Which leaves the reader wondering, once again, what is this book trying to accomplish? Christian evangelism? Christian apologetics? A skimmed over porno novel? We do not know.
Do not put down and trod over the Left Behind series. It knows where it is going, and it knows what it wants. A Christian evangelistic novel designed to present the end of this age, and to convert the reader to a belief system in Jesus Christ.
Who knows what Mr Caldwell wants? That is why, as neither a friend, acquaintaince, or foe; from the other side of America, I must say -- even Mr. Caldwell does not know what he wants out of this book.
BRIAN CALDWELL IS ASTOUNDINGLY BRILLIANT.......2006-06-28
Mr Caldwell has captured the progress of man toward self realization with the genius of a prophet; and he writes in a poetic street language with page-turning style.
Extraordinary Description of End Times, But Lacks Christian Insight.......2006-06-20
Brian Caldwell is an exceptional writer who provides a compelling description of the Tribulation in such a way that his book is hard to put down. The main character, "Jimmy" is consumed with saving others while attempting to find his own salvation during a time of hardship and loss. He believes in God, but relies on his personal experiences to make the final decision between going to Heaven or Hell. The author did a phenomenal job by depicting a common individual who has some knowledge of end time events, but is struggling emotionally to find his place in the earthly and spritual world.
After reading the book, I had mixed feelings about it. I liked the author's writing style, creative depection of characters and end time events, and solid plot. However, I was disappointed that he did not develop his Christian characters more thoroughly to help the reader understand why they chose Christ over the Anti-Christ. Caldwell presented them as "passive individuals" who accepted their martyrdom without a single struggle. That's not necessarily true. I'd be willing to bet that most true Christians will resist capture during the end times in order to evangelize others who haven't accepted the mark of the beast. In addition, he continues to spell "Revelation" with an "s" on the end. For these reasons, I questioned Caldwell's views on Christianity and his motive for writing the book (e.g. money, fame, evangelism, what?).
Average customer rating:
|
We All Fall Down
Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 0788700685 |
Book Description
For over 700 years foreign businessmen have been risking their money to unlock the China market without success. The 1990's alone saw an eye popping US$300 billion in direct foreign investment. The Chinese have now become masters at perpetuating the illusion of a newly emerging middle class of consumers - as long as you are willing to believe that they will arrive just in time for the next five year plan. Foreign investors have not learned the lessons of the past. Taking the bait yet again they have committed huge investments in plant and equipment - especially in the automotive sector - turning China into the manufacturing "factory floor" of the world. Imports from China alone have displaced 1.659 million US jobs in five years while creating only 199,000. Our trade deficit with China is fast approaching US$15 billion - per month. Recent technology accelerators have the potential to turn the current downturn in US manufacturing into a rout. This is not how the concept of globalization was supposed to play out for the American middle class.Our government and our business leaders seem unwilling or unable to level the playing field. The trade war's battle lines are now at the consumer level.Frank urges American consumers to take the "China Challenge" and to turn away Chinese auto imports when they arrive, otherwise our economic dreams for China will slowly turn into a nightmare.
Customer Reviews:
Asian Nightmare within Dream of a Book: An impartial critique from the author's son... .......2006-02-08
"Bah! An impartial critique from the author's son?" you quip. Won't I just unabashedly sing the praises of China: We All Fall Down? Well, for starters, life has moved on considerably since my adolescent baseball tournament days of Sapporo, Japan of which Dad fondly mentions in his exciting memoir, China: We All Fall Down. Majoring in religious studies and family therapy, I currently teach and administrate at a private, Catholic school. Needless to say, the mutually exclusive worlds of parochial education and international business couldn't be more dissimilar. So, what can I possibly say that would be worthwhile or helpful to a prospective business book buyer? Quite a lot actually.
Although an international business-oriented book with a few jargon-dense sections, it really delivers as an impassioned, fast-paced, and highly readable account of one man's business ordeals in the disingenuous and adversarial "Middle Kingdom" of China. Moreover, Frank's insistent call to all Americans to reconsider the true value of their purchasing power in an attempt to maintain their cherished American standard of living is as compelling as it is timely. Consider the emergence and subsequent domination of WalMart, a service sector behemoth that exploits the import market as well as their own American employees' inability to find better-paying jobs; all in the name of offering "the lowest prices possible."
You almost won't believe his autobiographical accounts of the closed-door dealings, the interminable posturing, China's de facto culture of corruption, the inevitable betrayals, the leveling of criminal allegations, and the paralyzing sense of fear and loathing born of senior management's unwillingness to acknowledge the realities of doing business in Asia. It's fascinating stuff!
Dad's riveting account is even more credible through his insistence that we, as Amercians, have the power to right the listless, sinking ship of our national economy. Especially within the manufacturing sector that has been, to our collective loss, hemorrhaging jobs at a dizzying rate, we owe it to ourselves to give China: We All Fall Down a serious look. Regardless if you agree with the international trade policies of the Bush adminstration or not, regardless if you believe in the lofty ideal of economic globalization, and regardless if you yourself have a manufacturing job or not, you owe it to yourself and to your children (to whom you will entrust the American Dream to!) to READ THIS BOOK.
Can you wrap your mind around the startling claim that "the entire fate of America's middle class way of life hangs in the balance"(7)? Either way, get in on a great read and wrestle with the persuasive international trade argument as presented by Frank Kiska, my father, in his popular work, China: We All Fall Down. You won't be sorry that you did.
A Must Read That Tells the Real Story.......2005-12-21
A "Make You Think" book that outlines the real economic story regarding the USA and the rest of the world, particulary China. We as Americans need to wake up and realize where our economy is headed in the long run; not just today. Our trade deficits are completely out of control and we "Must" get them back to a more manageable scenario. If we do not want to see our middle class completly erode, we have to make a stand. We need to start now so our children and grandchildren will have the same opportunities we had. After reading Frank's book it will make you think twice about what you buy and where it came from. Take the Walmart challenge and then think really hard before you buy the Chinese automobile when it lands in the USA. I urge corporate America to reconsider their motives and think about America for the long haul; CHINA IS! Thanks Frank for an eye-opening analysis and a passionate challenge to corporate America and all Americans.
Interesting view point.......2005-08-02
This book is a very accurate study of doing business in Asia, the threat of China and raises important questions that the USA faces today.
It also points to failures of corporate US and the non-understanding of the "way" business is done in Asia.
A really important book for any executive doing business or planing to do business in Asia, beware, be afraid, be very afraid
Interesting and Easy to Read.......2005-08-02
Frank Kiska has written an excellent, easy to read book detailing his experiences in doing business in Asia. I could easily belive the circumstances that Frank described that caused him to get dragged into the world of "under the table" business dealings and found his discussions of the negotiations he entered into with his agents and others in Asia very familiar. His experience in this area is deep and broad and it shows through in his writing.
Frank makes a good case that doing business with China should be predicated on "fair" trade, not just "free" trade. Before reading this book, I would just buy the lowest price items in the store, usually from China. Now, I take a close look and try to find American alternatives. Unfortunately, as Frank points out in his book, the list of alternatives grows smaller every day.
I highly recommend "China: We all fall down." as a great business book with a highly engaging story line and easy writing style that makes it a pleasure to read.
Average customer rating:
|
We All Fall Down
Rosemary Friedman
Manufacturer: House of Stratus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0755101138 |
Book Description
Fifty-one-year old Arthur Dexter, a city businessman, is deeply shocked by the sudden death of his friend, Willie Boothroyd. The tragedy forces him to reassess his life and he realises he is dominated by the tedium of everyday concerns. To his wife's horror, he buys a block of flats and a small beach café at Whitecliffs-by-the-Sea. He then invites a group of people he They all have their own reasons for escaping from London, but the exhilarating sea air and change of scene gives the group renewed vigour and enthusiasm, until, by the end of the summer, each one of them has found an unexpected solution to their problems.
Books:
- Wolves Eat Dogs
- Women Who Love Too Much
- Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation
- Wreckers' Key: A Novel of Suspense
- 101 Longeing and Longlining Exercises
- A Piece of Cake: Recipes for Female Sexual Pleasure
- Acceptance: A Novel
- Angel Diary Volume 4 (Angel Diary)
- Answered Prayer: Guaranteed!
- Applications = Code + Markup: A Guide to the Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation (Pro - Developer)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Tools & Techniques of Financial Planning
- Lincoln's Dreams
- Chemical Synthesis Using Supercritical Fluids
- Daido Moriyama: Remix
- John Singer Sargent
- Lone Star Field Guide to Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of Texas, Revised Edition
- Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith
- Changing Images of Pictorial Space: A History of Spatial Illusion in Painting
- Bodybuilding: Reforming Masculinities in British Art 1750-1810
- Tales of a Tankman: Between the Battles
Projects in Less Time:: A Synopsis of Critical Chain
Focused Operations Management for Health Services Organizations
Beyond the Goal: Eliyahu Goldratt Speaks on the Theory of Constraints (Your Coach in a Box)
The Goal
Cash Machine Using Theory of Constraints for Sales Management
