Amazon.com
"Learning the game of power requires a certain way of looking at the world, a shifting of perspective," writes Robert Greene. Mastery of one's emotions and the arts of deception and indirection are, he goes on to assert, essential. The 48 laws outlined in this book "have a simple premise: certain actions always increase one's power ... while others decrease it and even ruin us."
The laws cull their principles from many great schemers--and scheming instructors--throughout history, from Sun-Tzu to Talleyrand, from Casanova to con man Yellow Kid Weil. They are straightforward in their amoral simplicity: "Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit," or "Discover each man's thumbscrew." Each chapter provides examples of the consequences of observance or transgression of the law, along with "keys to power," potential "reversals" (where the converse of the law might also be useful), and a single paragraph cleverly laid out to suggest an image (such as the aforementioned thumbscrew); the margins are filled with illustrative quotations. Practitioners of one-upmanship have been given a new, comprehensive training manual, as up-to-date as it is timeless.
Book Description
Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distills three thousand years of the history of power in to forty-eight well explicated laws. As attention--grabbing in its design as it is in its content, this bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun-tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other great thinkers. Some laws teach the need for prudence ("Law 1: Never Outshine the Master"), the virtue of stealth ("Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions"), and many demand the total absence of mercy ("Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally"), but like it or not, all have applications in real life. Illustrated through the tactics of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, P. T. Barnum, and other famous figures who have wielded--or been victimized by--power, these laws will fascinate any reader interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.
Customer Reviews:
Made up stories.......2007-10-12
The book is interesting but most of the stories sound made up to fit the author's point. He even admits in one of the last chapters that when something has happened in the past, you can reinterpret it and insert your own lines (p.397).
VERY USEFUL IF YOU ARE NEW TO A BIG CITY.......2007-10-08
The world as battle-field. It doesn't get any better than this if success is what you're looking for!
Disgusting! Don't buy this book!.......2007-10-06
If you want a guide on how to be manipulative, amoral and corrupt at everyone else's expense...this is for you. As for me, I was disgusted from page one....it goes completely against everything I believe in. "Never put too much trust in friends" ...must be awfully lonely in such a world where you can trust no one. Perhaps that's because you've stabbed everyone in the back. This "looking out for #1" at all costs is what is wrong with the world today. If any book EVER deserved to be burned...this is it!
Portrays a realistic view of the world while rising up in power........2007-09-16
When I first acquired this book, I delved into the text and was fascinated by what is never taught in school, hardly at work, even with people; as this book states wisely, many people would like to keep to themselves and therefore many who have power hardly share it, unless a deal is behind it. The book itself may be a paradox in parts, and the methods used may be controversial; yet it has the essential basic "training" in order to strive to the top.
Sometimes one wonders if this will work, or does this author fool us into purchasing this book. It may show a pessimistic world of beguile, secrecy, envy and greed; however this portrays a realistic view of the world while rising up in power.
Brilliantly written, with worthy examples of great thinkers, philosophers and military officials of history; this concise edition will keep you on the ground reading, whilst teaching you how to propel in the air and on top of the world.
USMC- Commandant's reading list.......2007-07-25
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm Army - 16yrs. From 2000 thru 2006 I was stationed in Okinawa and the best place for all service members to buy books so deployed (Amazon aside) was from the bookstore on Camp Foster (across from the movie theatre). For at least a good 6 months (in 2002) this book was prominently featured on the shelves with a tag identifying it as having made the USMC Commandant's Reading List (or, a book senior commisioned Marine Corps leadership consider beneficial to Marines (enlisted and commisioned) seeking guidance on professional development). Intrigued, I bought it. I won't go into a lengthy review here: in a nutshell; the book lists a series of TTPs (tactics, techniques and procedures) designed to maximize one's advantage when negotiating interpersonal realationships both professional and personal. Some of these TTPs involve elements of manipulation, subterfuge, and dishonesty that clearly cross the boundaries of unethical behavior. It bothered me not just a little that Marines or Soldiers (young and old) might consider using the advice in this book as means of advancing their careers or solidifying leadership positions within their respective units.
I do know some of the book's reccomendations are in direct conflict with The Army Values, and according to at least two USMC Staff NCOs (both good friends) this is also the case regarding their own code of professional conduct. One of the Marines in question wrote a letter (to whom -I don't know) expressing his concern. A few months later the book assumed a less prominent residence on the shelves. Nonetheless; I never failed to see it lodged in the odd bookshelf in someone's (usually an officer) professional space - from time to time. I consider its presence an indicator for stepping up one's vigilance when dealing with the books's owner.
Average customer rating:
- Has history been tampered with?
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
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History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
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Similar Items:
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History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
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History: Fiction or Science? Astronomical methods as applied to chronology. Ptolemy's Almagest. Chronology III
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They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies
ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Has history been tampered with?.......2007-10-23
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RAZQNMXM4M9CL Has history been tampered with? Yes, it has! Did events and eras such as the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Roman Empire , the Dark Ages, and the Renaissance, actually occur within a very different chronology from what we've been told? Yes, they certainly did!
The history of humankind is both drastically shorter and dramatically different than generally presumed.
Why is it so? On one hand, it was usual custom to justify the claims to title and land by age and ancestry, and on the other the court historians knew only too well how to please their masters. The so called universal classic world history is a pack of intricate lies for all events prior to the 16th century. World history as we learn it today was entirely fabricated in the 16th-18th centuries. It's likely that nobody told you before, but
there is not a single piece of firm written evidence or artefact that is reliably and independently dated prior to the 11th century.
Naturally, after what you've learned in school and university, you will not easily believe that the classical history of ancient Rome, Greece, Asia, Egypt, China, Japan, India, etc., is manifestly false.
You will point accusing finger to the pyramids in Egypt, to the Coliseum in Rome and Great Wall of China etc., and claim, aren't they really ancient, thousands of years ancient? Well, there is no valid scientific proof that they are older than 1000 years!
The oldest original written document that can be reliably dated belongs to the 11th century!
New research asserts that Homo sapiens invented writing (including hieroglyphics) only 1000 years ago. Once invented, writing skills were immediately and irreversibly put to the use of ruling powers and science.
The consensual chronology we live with was essentially crafted in the 16th century by the Jesuits.
The world history was compiled from contradictory mix of innumerable copies of ancient Latin and Greek manuscripts and other irrefutable proofs delivered by late mediaeval astronomers that were cemented by the authority of writings of the Church Fathers.
Early in life, we learn about ancient history. Children love the magical lessons of history - they are like fairy tales. Teachers recite breathtaking stories; very soon We learn by heart the names and deeds of brave warriors, wise philosophers, fabulous pharaohs, cunning high priests and greedy scribes.
We learn of gigantic pyramids and sinister castles, kings and queens, dukes and barons, powerful heroes and beautiful ladies, emaciated saints and low-life traitors.
Ancient history is based documents, manuscripts, printed books, paintings, monuments and artefacts - called primary sources.
The problem is that neither these ancient documents, nor events described therein can be irrefutably dated, moreover they contradict each other for the most part.
When a school textbook tells us that Genghis Khan in year X or Alexander in year Y, have each conquered half of the world, it means only that it is so said in some of the written sources.
There are no answers to simple questions:
When were these primary sources written?
Where and by whom were these sources found?
It is wrongly presumed that ancient and medieval chronicles, written by Genghis Khan's or Alexander the Great contemporaries and eyewitnesses, are readily available. Actually, only sources written hundreds or even thousands of years after the events are there, compiled mostly in the 16th 18th centuries, or even later.
As a rule, these sources suffered considerable multiple manipulations, falsifications and distortions by editing. At the same time,
innumerable originals of ancient documents under various pretexts were destroyed in Europe under various pretexts.
The names of persons and geographical sites often changed meaning and location during the course of the centuries.
Geographical locations became clearly defined on maps only with the advent of printing.
This made possible the circulation of identical copies of the same map for purposes of the military, navigation, education and governance tasks.
Historians from Oxford say: "hey, everybody knows that Julius Caesar lived in the first century B.C.
`Julius Caesar' statement is only a point of view as
there is simply no irrefutable documentary proof that Julius Caesar or any other great name of antiquity ever existed.
Better than that - extremely rare sources that can be reliably dated back to the 10th-14th centuries A D, do not show the polished picture of classical history.
They show a picture both contradictory and confusing.
All methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts are erroneous:
Radio-carbon C14 method produces dating with exactitude of plus minus 1500 years, therefore it is too crude for dating of events in historical timeframe!
The Almagest tractate, which lies as corner stone contemporary chronology, compiled in the 2nd century A D by Ptolemy, the founding father of astronomy, contains astronomical data of 9th to 16th century!
The Bronze Age,that has supposedly began 5000 years ago. Bronze is made of 90% copper and 10% tin, but the technology for tin extraction dates back to 14th century A D!.
All eclipses contained in manuscripts, like Thucydides one, relating 'ancient' events have exclusively medieval dating. All horoscopes cut in stone or painted in Egyptian temples, like Dendera have exclusively early medieval dating solutions.
Not quite what you have learned in school? Open your eyes, and, you will find sufficient proof to reach step by step the inevitable conclusion that the classical chronology is false and therefore, that the history of ancient and medieval world universally accepted today, is also false. Have a fresh outlook on everything said or printed about "ancient" and "enigmatic" Roman, Greek and Egyptian, medieval as well as all other "lost and found" civilizations.
Antiquity and Dark Ages are phantoms invented in the 16th 18th and polished in 19th 20thcenturies. Human civilization is in fact barely 1000 years old!
This book will change your perception of History forever!
What if Ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt were invented during Renaissance?
What if The Old Testament was a rendition of events of the Middle Ages?
What if Jesus Christ was born in 1053 and crucified in 1086 AD?
Sounds Unbelievable?
Not after you've read "History: Fiction or Science?" by Anatoly Fomenko, the genius mathematician.
Armed with astronomy and computers Anatoly Fomenko turns History into a rocket science.
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent book on Microsoft anti-trust trial
- An excellent analysis of the case
- whiny
- Save Your Money
- Wow, What a Thoroughly Great Book
|
Pride Before the Fall: The Trials of Bill Gates and the End of the Microsoft Era
John Heilemann
Manufacturer: Collins
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Binding: Hardcover
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The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture
ASIN: 0066621178
Release Date: 2001-01-09 |
Amazon.com
Like other "totemic firms" of recent years, Microsoft attained astounding power and profitability in stunningly short order--along with a slew of rivals who desperately wanted it broken into less threatening pieces. Few really believed it would happen when the U.S. Department of Justice first began looking into its operations, however, which made the eventual judgment against the company even more significant. "The humbling of Microsoft is the last great business story of the 20th century and the first great riddle of the 21st," writes John Heilemann in Pride Before the Fall, his insightful examination of the epic antitrust battle that began as a Wired magazine cover story. "There are fancier ways of putting it," he adds, "but the riddle is: how did it happen?" In the pages that follow, Heilemann examines the behind-the-scenes machinations that drove United States v. Microsoft, based largely on exclusive interviews he conducted with Bill Gates and his top lieutenants, Justice Department prosecutor Joel Klein, special trial counsel (and lead Democratic Florida recount litigator) David Boies, Intel chief Andy Grove, Sun Microsystems' Scott McNealy, and various "unknown soldiers" who arguably played the biggest role of all. With Microsoft's future still uncertain, Pride helps reset the tone in a case that will shape our high-tech future. --Howard Rothman
Book Description
John Heilemann's Pride Before the Fall uncovers the secret history of the antitrust trial that shook an economy: United States v. Microsoft. Drawing on years of reporting -- including extensive interviews with Gates and other top Microsoft executives, Justice Department trustbuster Joel Klein, superlitigator David Boies, Intel chief Andy Grove, Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy, and scores of lesser-known but pivotal players -- Heilemann lays bare the chaotic confluence of forces that shattered Microsoft's aura of invincibility and the climate of fear that held an industry in thrall.
Based on an acclaimed Wired magazine cover story, Pride Before the Fall is packed with rich personalities, dramatic scenes, and explosive revelations. It tells the stories of the largely unknown men and women who turned their opposition to Gates's company into a crusade, laboring for years to persuade the government to indict Microsoft for its monopolistic practices. Pride Before the Fall explains in compelling detail how the high-tech kingpins whose businesses Gates had tried to destroy or strong-arm (Netscape, Apple, Sun, and even Intel) worked in secret to help the Justice Department bring down Microsoft. It explores the lasting damage the trial has inflicted on the first great empire of the Information Age. And Heilemann offers a vivid and sometimes shocking portrait of Gates himself -- describing a man who in 1993 told his friends, "I have as much power as the president," only to be thrown into rage and depression a few years later, when he discovered just how wrong he'd been.
Like a figure from Greek tragedy, Heilemann writes, Gates sowed the seeds of his own undoing. From lengthy visits to Redmond before, during, and after the trial, Heilemarnn paints a picture of a culture that can only be described as the Cult of Bill, a culture that had few limits when it came to eviscerating the competition, a culture that grew out of Gates's fiercely single-minded determination to keep Microsoft from meeting the fate of a company that he had studied, admired, rivaled, and then surpassed: IBM. But when that culture came under scrutiny on Capitol Hill, in the halls of the Justice Department, and in the courtroom of Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, it provoked a verdict far harsher than anyone could have predicted -- and guaranteed for Microsoft the very fate that Gates had struggled so desperately to avoid.
With Pride Before the Fall, John Heilemann confirms his reputation as one of Silicon Valley's most talented and respected journalists. Years of inside access to the Valley's boardrooms have given him a unique understanding of the technology industry, just as his years as a reporter in Washington have informed his grasp of the political currents that swept the U.S. government into a battle it never wanted to fight. But what sets Pride Before the Fall apart isn't simply Heilemann's mastery of the dynamics of business, public policy, and the law. This superbly gifted writer has also given us a revelatory tale of human ambition and human frailty -- a timely saga of arrogance, ruthlessness, and revenge.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book on Microsoft anti-trust trial.......2007-05-21
This book puts out a lot of factual information while keeping the read interesting. I've used this in a college ethics class, and most students liked it. I know of an attorney's office that used it to familiarize their staff with the case.
The book is biased against Microsoft, but shows enough of their side that it doesn't come across as a shallow review. Lot's of interviews keep the book interesting.
An excellent analysis of the case.......2001-08-26
Heilemann has done a fabulous job with this book. The Wired article was really gripping and the full length book is just as difficult to put down! It really makes you wonder what they're thinking in Redmond - at the end of the book I couldn't help feeling that Gates (as Heilemann presents him) seems a lot like Mr. Burns in the Simpsons episode where Lisa teaches him about recycling and he ends 'recycling' all the fish in the sea for livestock feed. He couldn't figure out why he was wrong and Gates seems to have the same difficulty.
whiny.......2001-06-09
This book is more of a whine session than an informative look into the microsoft case. Poor writing and questionable facts make this book impossible to read. Save your money!
Save Your Money.......2001-05-15
This book was more than "based on" the Wired article, it was the Wired article. I read both the article and the book, and in my opinion there was very little added to the book. I would suggest buying the Wired Magazine that had this article, ... .
Excluding that, the book was well written and entertaining, but somewhat disappointing. The amount of access the author had provided great visibility into the trial, but I felt the author squandered that information. There was very little analysis, and often the author missed humorous/interesting snippets that other books/articles had picked up (e.g. in "The New New Thing" and Upside's news coverage of the trial).
This book felt more like a synapse or a chronology, and it left me wanting more...
Wow, What a Thoroughly Great Book.......2001-05-11
No superlative is adequate to describe the high quality of this incisive reporting. How did this author ever stitch all of this story together? Incredible sources, great insights, and to think Gates almost pulled off the monopolistic crime of the century! Thank you U.S. government for protecting us from this abuse. Thank you John for taking time out of your busy schedule to clue the rest of us in to how this proud giant was humbled, for his own good.
Average customer rating:
- I thought it was a good book when I first read it, but it appears some facts were left out
- The facts speak volumes
- How true is this story?
- A Fantastic book to inspire you to catch your dreams
- The Pre-Paid Legal Story: The Story of One Man, His Company,
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The Pre-Paid Legal Story: The Story of One Man, His Company, and Its Mission to Provide Affordable Legal Protection for Everyone
Harland C. Stonecipher , and
James W. Robinson
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Book Description
It began by accident. In 1969
Harland Stonecipher came face-to-face with the high price of justice when a car accident he was involved in found its way into the courts. Even though the accident was not his fault, the staggering costs of legal protection nearly destroyed him financially. This traumatic experience planted the seeds of a vision that would eventually become Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc., the company that is revolutionizing justice in America by giving average citizens access to top lawyers for as little as $15 a month. Inside, discover the dramatic story of Pre-Paid Legal and its army of enthusiastic associates who together make legal protection not just a privilege for the few, but a right for all.
About the Authors
Harland C. Stonecipher is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc. He lives in Ada, Oklahoma.
James W. Robinson, the author of the bestselling The Excel Phenomenon and Empire of Freedom, is senior adviser to the United States Chamber of Commerce. He lives in Los Angeles.
Customer Reviews:
I thought it was a good book when I first read it, but it appears some facts were left out.......2007-04-08
Here is the real story behind Mr. Stonecipher's lawsuit:
[...]
The story is company legend. In 1969, Harland C. Stonecipher, founder of Pre-Paid Legal Services, was involved in a car accident. The driver of the other car survived the crash. But, as Stonecipher later wrote in a corporate memoir, "I faced thousands of dollars in legal costs stemming from an accident in which I was blameless."
The experience gave him the idea to start a business charging customers a monthly fee to cover future legal expenses. Today, Pre-Paid (PPD ) has more than 1.2 million customers paying an average of $21 a month to access its network of lawyers. Revenues of the New York Stock Exchange-traded company topped $300 million last year, and at a recent price of $29, its stock is trading at a healthy 19 times the last 12 months' earnings.
Stonecipher's account of his accident leaves out a few details, however. According to his attorney at the time and copies of the suits obtained by BusinessWeek Online, he was the first to sue in court for injuries. He later settled. Meanwhile, the driver of the other car sued Stonecipher the following year for just a fraction of what Stonecipher had sought for injuries incurred in the accident. A spokesperson for Pre-Paid says only that Stonecipher's recollection of the events are 33 years old.
NUMEROUS CHARGES. A growing number of Pre-Paid's customers and salespeople say they think its sale's pitch is also missing a few details. Pre-Paid laid out $1.5 million in 2001 to settle a series of suits from customers in Alabama who claimed that it overstated the amount of legal coverage it offered. Since then, at least 20 new cases involving 113 former customers and salespeople have been filed in that state.
In March, four former salespeople filed a fraud and breach-of-contract suit in Oklahoma, this time accusing Pre-Paid of operating an "illegal pyramid scheme." On Apr. 19, two other former customers filed suit in Pre-Paid's home state of Oklahoma, alleging breach of contract, negligent hiring, training, and supervision, and other violations of the state's consumer protection act.
Pre-Paid says the suits are without merit and were initiated by attorneys who advertised for plaintiffs. The suits are proof, says one company executive, of the "need for a legal service like ours in this litigious society."
JUST ONE WORD. But the escalating number of cases could become a burden for Pre-Paid, whose stock has more than doubled in the last year. "Members are not given sufficient information to know what they are buying," says Edward E. Angwin, a Birmingham (Ala.) attorney behind many of the suits. "We want them to stop selling the product as it is."
The recurring theme in the litigation is that Pre-Paid's salespeople overstate what its membership contracts cover. In the suits, former salespeople and customers claim that they're told Pre-Paid will cover all of a person's legal needs. Indeed, in a copy of its in-house magazine distributed to salespeople last year, Pre-Paid board member David A. Savula wrote: "All you have to know is the word: Yes. Does our product cover everything? Yes. So if somebody asks does it cover this or does it cover that, we're going to say, 'Yes.'"
However, Savula's article goes on to recommend that salespeople walk prospective customers through the company's brochures, which detail benefits more specifically.
NOT COVERED. A review of sample Pre-Paid contracts shows many limitations. Cases involving bankruptcy, alcohol, drugs, pre-existing conditions, wage garnishment, divorce, annulment, child custody, class actions, hit and runs, driving without a license, civil or criminal charges associated with a business, and commercial vehicles over two axles aren't covered. Nor are any "claim, defense, or legal position which, in the opinion of the Provider Attorney, will not prevail in court." Pre-Paid provides for 60 hours of trial time per year, but pretrial work -- the bulk of most cases -- is limited to 2.5 hours per year in a basic policy.
Pre-Paid provides its service through a network of designated law firms, typically one per state. Customers whose legal work falls in uncovered areas are offered the ability to contract with Pre-Paid's attorneys at a discount of 25% off the hourly rates. Those fees can be high, says Robert Schweikert, a 61-year-old food vendor in Charlotte, N.C. He became a Pre-Paid salesman and customer in March, 2000.
Schweikert says he twice tried to use Pre-Paid's attorneys for services he thought were covered under his membership, once to add a new beneficiary to his will and a second time to incorporate a new business. In each case, Schweikert says, Pre-Paid's representative wanted additional compensation to do the work. In the case of the business document, the fee was twice what Schweikert's regular attorney charged.
RESTATED FINANCIALS. "Everything you do with them costs money," says Schweikert, who is one of the plaintiffs in the first suit seeking class action status in Oklahoma. "The services were not what they were advertised." Pre-Paid says it won't comment on the specifics of any ongoing cases, but it asserts that it more than adequately discloses what it covers and that Schweikert has never complained directly to Pre-Paid about his coverage.
Pre-Paid is no stranger to controversy. It has publicly battled short-sellers -- investors who bet that the stock will fall -- for years. In 1987, Pre-Paid asked the American Stock Exchange to investigate possible manipulation of the stock by short-sellers. In 2001, it changed its accounting methods and restated its financials at the request of the Securities & Exchange Commission. Pre-Paid had been booking commissions advanced to salespeople as an asset rather than expensing them in its earnings.
Pre-Paid ultimately restated three years worth of results, cutting earnings in half and reducing assets by two-thirds for that period. In a letter to shareholders announcing the change, PrePaid's chairman wrote: "We are now required to expense commission advances when paid. Doing so does not change our ultimate profitability; it only changes the timing of reported profits. Even after restating reported results, we were quite profitable in 2001, and we grew."
NO PAIN? Pre-Paid has had some good news in the courtroom. In March, a suit from shareholders regarding the accounting changes was dismissed, in part, because the judge found that "reasonably diligent investors" could have investigated the allegations using public SEC filings.
On Apr. 22, Pre-Paid announced that a record 200,000 new members had signed up for its services in its most recent quarter. Revenues increased 17%, to $82 million, and earnings were up an equal percentage, to $8.8 million. Allen H. Lee, an analyst at Allen Financial Advisors doesn't think the lawsuits will hurt Pre-Paid's finances. "So far, there hasn't been any impact," Lee says. "It has had them before. It's a 30-year-old company."
Pre-Paid may yet triumph over its latest suits, but for a company that aims to solve people's legal troubles, it certainly has attracted a large share of its own.
The facts speak volumes.......2003-09-15
I love the kind of comments from someone like Jason in the January 2003 review! And am grateful for the sites he listed so I could check out the lawsuit he spoke of and get the current information! Once again, blessings and beauty come out of negative situations! How powerful that lawsuit is in dispelling the myths; the false perceptions, and misunderstanding of what PPL is all about!
Prepaid Legal Services, Inc. (inc. in 1976) is one of the top 50 companies traded on the NYSE and is an 'open book' to all. (See their stock: PPD)
Being a PPL associate is everything I have ever hoped and dreamed for in my life: to help and greatly impact the lives of people across America and Canada, and make a nice living doing it - does it get any better than that!?
I urge you to protect your family in what the American Bar Association itself has deemed the 'the BEST way for the majority of Americans to assure themselves of legal assistance when they need it is through a prepaid legal plan...'.
We wouldn't be without our car insurance, or health insurance (yet how often are we in the hospital, or have a car accident, God forbid) yet we have legal/financial situations continually!
God Bless Harland Stonecipher for bringing affordable, accessible legal assistance to everyone - 'with liberty and justice for all'!
www.prepaidlegal.com/info/gailjensen
How true is this story?.......2003-01-17
Buisness Week:
Stonecipher's account of his accident leaves out a few details, however. According to his attorney at the time and copies of the suits obtained by BusinessWeek Online, he was the first to sue in court for injuries. He later settled. Meanwhile, the driver of the other car sued Stonecipher the following year for just a fraction of what Stonecipher had sought for injuries incurred in the accident. A spokesperson for Pre-Paid says only that Stonecipher's recollection of the events are 33 years old.
TheStreet.com:
In his latest IRS battle, Stonecipher is also fighting allegations that he continues to improperly deduct losses for a personal ranch that has already been denied for-profit classification by the IRS. When ruling against Stonecipher two years ago, the IRS said the ranch was never operated like a true business destined for profitability. Specifically, the agency said, Stonecipher failed to keep any formal books or records about the operation...Stonecipher recently settled the prior case related to his cattle ranch deductions. He also stopped claiming losses from coonhound breeding years ago, when his IRS troubles began.
LieffCabraser.com:
Plaintiffs further allege that Pre-Paid Legal Services operates an unlawful pyramid sales scheme. The marketing scheme allegedly depends upon commissions paid for sales of plans and upon the recruitment of other sales associates. For every sale of a plan, the associates are paid an advance commission, a percentage of which goes to those who recruited them. Bonuses are paid based upon recruitment of associates. Plaintiffs allege that defendants generate millions of dollars each year from marketing the "Opportunity," together with the sale of marketing materials, worthless lead lists, and valueless training programs sold as part of the Opportunity.
A Fantastic book to inspire you to catch your dreams.......2002-09-01
This book is a must read for everyone. This is not only the rags to riches story of Mr. Stoneceipher, but the story of those who have joined him in his quest to truly make justice equal to all. This book has been an inspiration to me and my organization. Thank you sir for writing this wonderful book...
The Pre-Paid Legal Story: The Story of One Man, His Company,.......2002-07-30
I enjoyed the book. It is a good thing to see someone follow their vision with a passion and a unique business model.
Customer Reviews:
The Unvarnished Truth.......2007-04-26
About 6 years ago I visited the White Eagle Conference Center in beautiful central New York. This is a quaint place that must have been a real marquee in its time. On one of their obviously long under used book shelves (seemed like nothing had been touched for at least 2 decades) I noticed this book, an original copyrighted 1932 version. I couldn't put it down. It presented a thoroughly well written, seminal treatment of the conflicts that senior leaders exhibit even today, a full 75 years later. It explained in vivid detail the deeply entrenched, inextricible human behavior that is observed consistently by senior leaders from organization to organization today. The plain and simple bottom line is that unless you're an insider, you're nothing more than overhead to be tolerated. The SEC was created by sheer necessity to protect the public. Businesmen 'talk' about how they care about other people but the unvarnished truth is that their friends and family are the only ones who matter. This book is great foundational work providing insight to the reasons why we need a strong SEC. The only thing that has changed in the human conditon is technology. The DNA that drives human behavior hasn't changed for thousands of years.
Dated Classic .......2004-12-07
"The Modern Corporation and Private Property" was hailed as an instant classic when it appeared in 1932. To my knowledge, it was the first book to spell out how modern corporate capitalism is characterized by pervasive oligopoly and the separation of management from ownership. These points are still valid today, and remind us that modern capitalism has little in common with the social system analyzed by Adam Smith and other Classical economists. However, most of "The Modern Corporation and Private Property" is taken up with an out-of-date, pre-SEC review of corporate finance law as it existed in 1930. As a result, the book will be of little interest to most modern readers, even though it is a "must" purchase for any serious library of books on economics or corporate governance.
Book Description
Corporations rule the world, claims Thom Hartmann, and they are despoiling it for profit. He traces the historical friction between individual rights and the corporation, culminating in a landmark 1886 court case that altered the course of constitutional protection forever. Since then, corporations have steadily acquired power, enrolled the average citizen in a new kind of servitude, shifted an unfair share of the tax burden, taken control of the media, and co-opted the regulatory process for their own purposes. Hartmann cites examples of the absurd and frightening power: sterile streams and undrinkable water, poisonous neighborhoods, a government's willingness to drill for oil in untouched Alaskan wilderness when saving 2 miles per gallon per car would produce more oil in 2 years than in all of Alaska. To end the abuses, Hartmann calls for a grassroots revolution. He says it's time to understand the true costs of our consumerist society, take back the government, and shift to a values-based economy.
Customer Reviews:
Corporate Power, where did it come from? .......2007-07-13
I was actually in the process of writing a book about the same subject matter when I became aware of Mr. Hartmann's book. After reading this book I conclude that Mr. Hartmann beat me to it and has done a more thorough job than would have satisfied me. It is a very important matter and threatens to change our nation in fundamental ways. A shortcoming in Mr. Hartmann's book is the weakness of his proposed solutions. I have proposed to Mr. Hartmann actions which I think would be more effective in the long haul. I am searching for an existing organization having the sole goal of putting back in their place those corporations which are usurping the power given We the People by the Constitution. I'm too old to form a new orgnization and those I have learned of are not sufficiently focused.
This book changed my life.......2007-05-10
I read this book and have been a Thom Hartman fan ever since.
He is brilliant and packed with knowledge.
Everyone needs to read this book!
Check out his radio show.
Gives the insde on the need to rationalize corporations.......2007-04-08
Going into the Freedom Portal (Free State) I had doubts about the morality, perhaps even the constitutionality, of corporations.
What, after all, is a corporation?
American Heritage says: "a) A body of persons granted a
charter legally recognizing them as a separate entity having
its own rights, privileges, and liabilities distinct from those
of its members. b) Such a body created for purposes of
government."
Now isn't the b) part of that definition interesting? At the very least we know corporations are creatures of the government and do not exist at common law.
Thomas Hartmann, a true modern lower-case democrat, writes that Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, and several other Founders warned strenuously against monopoly corporations:
"I hope we shall... crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country." --Thomas Jefferson to George Logan, 1816
And from Andrew Jackson:
"Corporations have neither bodies to kick nor souls to damn."
These conscientious men were worried about abuse of power. Early chartering of corporations in America reflects this concern, often imposing severe limitations--such as prohibiting corporations from owning other corporations and requiring annual renewal of the charters.
Many people do not realize the Boston Tea Party was a revolt against corporate privilege. Queen Elizabeth charted the East India Company (EIC) in 1600; into the 1700s it dominated trade by Britain with America. Tea became a huge import to America by the mid-1700s and EIC wanted all the business.
Several acts prohibited Americans from acquiring tea from other sources. In 1773, the Tea Act exempted EIC (of which the king was a stockholder), but not colonial merchants, from taxes to the crown. The tea partiers were telling the Crown and the EIC stick their cheap tea where the sun don't shine.
...
For my complete review of this book and for other book and movie
reviews, please visit my site [...]
Brian Wright
Copyright 2007
Unequal Protection:the rise of corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights.......2006-11-10
A call to all fair minded Americans, as well as citizens around the globe.
One of Thom Hartmann's BEST. A history lesson and a call to reclaim our humanity.
'The' book to read on the issue of the role of corporate power in the US.......2006-04-30
Disclaimer: I'm a bit more than half through the book - and ready to comment on it.
I read quite a few books on liberal politics. This one is on a very short 'best' list of them.
It hits its mark right on - just the right amounts of history, the scope of its message, the gritty details when needed, the pacing.
I began to learn new details on well-trodden ground early in the book - for example, who knew that the pilgrims arriving on the Mayflower in 1620 were hardly England beginning its presence in North America - that it was the Mayflower's third or fourth trip carrying over staff of the East India company since 1601 - it was a company presence, the religious visitors were an afterthought.
He does an outstanding job of explaining the dominant role of colonists' opposition to the East India company in our own resolution. It's important to understand these things when we look at how to respond to powerful corporations today.
He does an excellent, balanced expose of the history of the legal doctrine that corporations are entitled to equality with humans.
The ramifications are huge, as today we face a political system in which the influence of our citizens is dwarfed by that of the inhuman organizations - where the citizens are turned into consumers to be sold to and manipulated with well-funded marketing, rather than acting as the sovereigns necessary for a democracy to work well.
If we don't begin to do something now, the chances may begin to disappear to be able to. Even now, we have democracy's power to represent its people castrated by clauses in the so-called 'free trade' agreements which allow the corporations to get all kinds of laws nullified.
I highly recommend the book.
Book Description
"This is the book I wish I had written. Andy Law has redefined the agency for the twenty-first century. It will be interesting to see how many agencies follow his lead." - Jay Chiat, Founder, Chiat/Day
"Passion. Rebellion. Guts. Glory. This book has the breathy pace of a thriller. The story of how St. Lukes takes on the advertising establishment is a merger of the ballad of Robin Hoods merry band and the story of David and Goliath. In fact, its a parable not just for the advertising business, but for all business today and tomorrow. St. Lukes is definitely on to something." - Marty Cooke, Executive Creative Director, M&C Saatchi
"Andy Law is one of the few creative executives who has learned by doing, not just telling. So its exciting to have him chronicle all that learning for us. Having watched him build St. Lukes from the start, it feels like watching Neil Armstrong take his first step on the moons surface. He is truly pioneering how companies will have to be run in the twenty-first century." - Geraldine B. Laybourne, Chairman and CEO Oxygen Media
"Creative Company is an intriguing story that captures the soul of the new economy. It is a must-read for managers who want to bring out exceptional performance in their team-or for anyone who wants insight into the future of business." - Deborah Kenny, Group Publisher, Sesame Street magazines
"Its a big book. It needs to be." - Dan Wieden Founder, Wieden and Kennedy
Why does Fast Company magazine call St. Lukes "the ad agency to end all ad agencies"? How can a company function, let alone thrive, when it has "eschewed conventional hierarchy in favor of the flattest possible organizational layout and the craziest ever decision-making process"? And why on earth would some of the most talented and sought-after minds in the advertising world forsake the fabulous perks available to senior managers and risk everything for a company where no one has even a desk to call his or her own?
In Creative Company, the chairman and cofounder of St. Lukes answers these questions and many more. Andy Law writes candidly and enthusiastically about breaking the agency mold and organizing a company in a completely different way.
St. Lukes is nothing if not different-to many, the agency described in this remarkable and challenging book may hardly sound like a business at all. In 1995, a small band of highly creative people who loved the work but hated the workplace established a company designed not only to get the most out of them, but to give the most back-a company in which creativity, curiosity, versatility, and a sense of fun are assets to be celebrated, not encumbrances to be left outside the door. Law recounts how many St. Lukes employee/owners discovered new sources of satisfaction, hidden talents, and even entirely new careers as they encouraged each other to experiment, learn, and grow. Meanwhile, the agencys annual billings soared to more than $90 million in three memorable years.
Complete with revealing tales of advertising legends such as Jay Chiat, Bill Tragos, Frank Lowe, and the Omnicom chieftains, Creative Company offers a fascinating, warts-and-all tour of the advertising industry. It also fires the opening volley of a revolution that aims to do nothing less than alter the "DNA" of business itself and, in Laws words, "furiously seeks a new, better, more fulfilling, and fairer role for business in the lives of its employees."
The St. Lukes story will challenge your preconceptions, stimulate your imagination, and may even change your mind.
Customer Reviews:
At least a new practice based on a true story.......2006-07-31
This book will delight all those with an interest in the redefinition of the advertising trade in general. If you have already experienced the dinosaurs labelling themselves with new fancy names and changing nothing to their operations, this one is for you.
It might not be a model for all but it shows that the account / creative split invented by Bill Bernbach has at least one sustainable alternative.
It is not a collection of principles but rather a series of attempts at cracking the challenge. Sometimes they fail, most of the times, they succeed (hey, this is still a marketing tool...) but there is always something to learn and there are great inspirational chapters.
To top it all, it is written in a language that even the most illiterate French marketer can understand (and holistic and world changing ideas are NOT the most used words).
Establishing and Then Nourishing a Landscape of Creativity.......2004-02-19
According to Law, business "can treat you as well or as badly as it chooses, yet we devote our lives unthinkingly to it and donate almost all of our knowledge and learning and creativity and sweat without any regard to its true value." On first blush, this comment seems cynical (or so it did to me when I first read it) and yet I agree with the implication that the unspoken but primary objective of most organizations is to protect their own status quo. As a result, "we have achieved only a small percentage of the innovation we could achieve." In this book, Law discusses St. Luke's, "the ad agency to end all ad agencies," in which he and his associates keep on developing new ideas. Their perpetual vision is to open minds. "And because [St. Luke's] has opened its own and the minds of those who have come to know it, I hope this book contributes to the pursuit of that vision and that you, the reader, husband, wife, employer, human are changed by it in some way."
At this point, I hasten to add that Law does not then provide a series of checklists of key points, what to do and not do, etc. His is what I guess could be called a personal memoir whose focus is on a truly unique workplace, the St. Luke's advertising agency in London. It would be foolish -- however -- for any of his readers to use St. Luke's as a model. Worse yet, to attempt to transform their own organizations into clones of St. Luke's. Rather, if I understand Law's objectives in this book (which I may not), he challenges and encourages his readers to think differently about what they do and how they do it, to think differently about the organization in which they do it, and -- in ways and to the extent appropriate -- to redevelop the "landscape" of their working lives.
There are several reasons why I have such a high regard for this book. Here are three. First, Law shares a number of profound insights concerning quality of life in the workplace. To summarize them in this brief commentary (out of context) would, however, trivialize them. Suffice to say that believing in the value of what you do to earn a living and feeling appreciated by others with whom you do it are two of the most important values within a workplace. Second, much can be done to create a physical environment within which to nourish creative thinking. With meticulous care, Law explains how he and his associates at St. Luke's did so. Finally, Law makes an eloquent as well as convincing argument to support his belief that creative ideas about the process of creative thinking are at least as important (if not more so) as the results of that process. Stated another way, creative thinking requires both new "wine" AND new "bottles."
Law insists that this is not just a business book. "It's also a kind of fairytale I guess because at times I still can't believe it all happened the way it did." In addition to being an entertaining raconteur, Law also offers a number of excellent insights as to how almost any human community can become a "creative company." It remains for each reader to answer various "soul-searching questions" which Law poses. Efforts to formulate those responses as well as the responses themselves will largely determine the value of this book.
A human being first, a businessman second........2002-10-19
Don't let the blurb fool you. Andy Law has not written a how-to book about manging creative businesses. If you pick up some tips about how to do so, that's bonus.
Rather, the author poses some fundamental questions about the role of work, and the interplay of one's economic, intellectual and emotional lives. A subject which ought to exercise us more than it does.
I personally wouldn't like to work in the St. Luke's style. But that a company looks first at its role in the community of its stakeholders, and second at how it might make money, makes it an example for companies far beyond the creative sphere.
Unfortunately, I have heard rumours that St. Lukes has actually had to, er, let people go. Not easy in a co-operative. Does some better-informed reader know if it's true? Sad, if it is. And it doesn't discredit Law's philosophical arguments, nor diminish their importance.
BTW, Andy Law writes beautifully.
They did it and it works !.......2001-07-23
This is a great book for at least 2 key reasons :
1) they did it and it works ! They created a SUCCESFUL agency with an 100% ownership equally allocated between every employees ! Whatever are the next step of the story (we enter in recession, and their model will be tested) they had the courage to do it and it worked both one "our" terms (money, growth, ...) and theirs (fun, creativity, ...). I seriously doubt you can export the model beyond the "professional services" sector given the "agency cost" (not ad agency, but "Jensen annd meckling" agency problem) and even but forget theories : this book is about practice and St luke will remain in the history of "organisation design" beyond the agency. Anyway, they did it and it score 1 - 0 for them versus the rest of us.
2) The other point is that the book is very well written and that is not so common to find corporate history with such good writing skills combines
All done, a very good book where you learn as much about business that about "how ready you are to do it" (being myself an entrepreuneur)
Excellent.......2001-06-17
I just completed this book last week, and it really made me think about my business, where I wanted to go (I don't want my employees to be employees... so this opened up new ideas on how to work on projects, with clients, and run an business).
This book does give information about how salary's were done, vacation time, benefits, and even how shares are allotted, etc. It is a very personal testimony of a life ambition.
What this book is not: it is not a book about how a one person business became like St. Lukes. It is about how a merger happened, and a group of people joined together to keep the big-name clients they already had and make a new company. You won't find tips on how to take a 1 person shop to a 5 person shop, but the book will certainly make you think about how to organize your business, how you will work with clients, and give you a glimpse of a company that runs very well.
Book Description
Already the acclaimed choice of thousands of successful organizations including the American Library Association, the Fourth Edition features an all-new chapter that considers the ways the Internet and other state-of-the-art technologies have rewritten the rules of today’s meetings and conventions. This easy-to-use, paperback volume—the popular alternative to Robert’s Rules—is the most comprehensive, understandable, and logical guide to smooth-running, professional meetings. Alice Sturgis was a practicing parliamentarian and consultant to national and international professional and business organizations. She taught at Stanford University and the University of California.
Download Description
Already the acclaimed choice of thousands of successful organizations including the American Library Association, the Fourth Edition features an all-new chapter that considers the ways the Internet and other state-of-the-art technologies have rewritten the rules of today's meetings and conventions. This easy-to-use, paperback volume-the popular alternative to Robert's Rules-is the most comprehensive, understandable, and logical guide to smooth-running, professional meetings. Alice Sturgis was a practicing parliamentarian and consultant to national and international professional and business organizations. She taught at Stanford University and the University of California.
Customer Reviews:
Preferred to Robert's.......2007-03-27
If you can convince your orgaization to use this manual instead of Robert's, I say go for it! I find this manual much easier to use and more in line with what people expect to be the procedures for having meetings. The book updates old-fashioned language like, "I move the previous question" with the more understandable "I move to close debate". The book includes model Bylaws (useful for our Homeowner's Association which is in the process of revision), and a section that explains the differences between this book and Robert's, as well as tips for those whose organizations still use Robert's.
The book is much more readable than Robert's and tends to explain the basic principles a little better. There's a handy table inside each cover to help a member attending a meeting or a presider with proposing and handling motions.
Best Parliamentary Authority.......2003-05-10
The Standard Code is a better parliamentary authority then Robert's. It simplifies and modernizes parliamentary authority, making it more accessible to more people. Dump your RONR and get this work.
We don't wear wigs and robes! We're a casual, social club........2001-08-10
If you've always feared having to pull out the ol' Robert's Rules of Order because it was too detailed and complex for the casual social organizations in which you participated, help is here. Someone has realized that, because a group might need parliamentary procedures, it does not need the granularity required by The Parliament of England.
The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure is understandable, comprehensive, logical, refined, and efficient. As it should, it covers all the formal business of holding a productive and respectful meeting. But it also includes procedures that facilitate business for the less formal organization or club.
Necessary jargon is defined in a glossary. The "Often-Asked Questions" section covers many common situations and eliminates the need to look through the chapters for most answers. The book is up-to-date, addressing contemporary and often-encountered situations such as holding meetings and elections via the telephone or Internet.
As a bonus, it serves as a resource to those trying to form an organization. There are chapters to help you prepare documents (like bylaws and financial records) that won't be in conflict with legal and parliamentary procedures down the line. It explains the hierarchy of documents that govern an organization. There's even a section that helps explain some of the arcane procedures in Robert's Rules!
I'm grateful to have found this gem. It deals with all the situations that my clubs have encountered.
An alternative to Robert's Rules of Order.......1999-12-22
One of the best modernised book on the parliamentary procedures.
1st published in 1950, this 3rd edition is revised by the American Institute of Parliamentarians in 1988.Since this publication, many organisations have changed their bylaws to designate it as their parliamentary authority, among them are: American Medical Association and the American Dental Association.
It is the second most popular parliamentary authority after Robert's Rules of Order.
WHAT GROUPS MUST FOLLOW PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE? 'All organizations, such as business, cultural, religious, social, fraternal, professional, educational, labor, civil, scientific, medical, and governmental, are subject to the principles and rules of common parliamentary law. All profit and non-profit corporations and associations and the boards, counsels, commissions, and committees of government, must observe its rules.' Sturgis, p. 3.
This book is undoubtedly one of the best and comprehensive works. There is also a chapter which intended especially to aid persons unfamiliar with parliamentary procedure.
To quote Dr. Floyd M. Riddick, Parliamentarian Emeritius US Senate: 'It is understandable vocabulary makes it usable by anyone, not just experts in the field. All students of parliamentary procedure should have a copy in their library.'
THE Code of Parliamentary Procedure.......1999-11-28
Contains the complete standard code of parliamentary procedure, with each aspect thoroughly explained. This is the widely accepted procedure for meetings (ie United Nations). Very useful for keeping large meetings organized.
Book Description
Cases in Collective Bargaining and Industrial Relations contains 81 cases that vary in length, complexity and numbers of issues. A major objective of the book is to provide a means by which students can apply principles, concepts, and legal considerations to actual decision situations and confrontations between labor and management. These cases have been tested in seminars and classes, and are challenging, fascinating learning instruments. As in previous editions, the cases are divided into two parts. Part One presents National Labor Relations Board cases as restructured from published reports of the NLRB and court decisions. Part Two consists of cases adapted from grievance-arbitration decisions.
Product Description
In the highly praised The Market for Virtue, David Vogel presents a clear, balanced analysis of the contemporary corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement in the United States and Europe. In this updated paperback edition, Vogel discusses recent CSR initiatives and responds to new developments in the CSR debate. He asserts that while the movement has achieved success in improving some labor, human rights, and environmental practices in developing countries, there are limits to improving corporate conduct without more extensive and effective government regulation. Put simply, Vogel believes that there is a market for virtue, but it is limited by the substantial costs of socially responsible business behavior.
Customer Reviews:
An invaluable resource offering a serious-minded, in-depth discussion of a complex issue.......2007-01-06
Written by Professor of Business Ethics (Haas School of Business) David Vogel, The Market for Virtue: The Potential and Limits of Corporate Social Responsibility is a scholarly examination of a politically charged and highly polarized debate concerning what corporate social responsibility can, cannot, and must accomplish in a modern capitalist economy. Chapters explore answers to and differing perspectives on the questions "Is there a business case for virtue?" and "What is the demand for virtue?" as well as examining corporate responsibility with regard to both the environment and human rights. Extensively researched, The Market for Virtue is an invaluable resource offering a serious-minded, in-depth discussion of a complex issue. Enthusiastically recommended especially for college library shelves, and invaluable reading for activists, businessmen, and legal personnel grappling with all dimensions of the interests and responsibilities of corporations.
Excellent: Balanced, Readable and Practical.......2006-02-22
Vogel has provided us with a much needed skeptics eye view of Corporate Social Resposibility. This book is a very accesible and practical guide for the manager who is beset with open ended questions and needs realistic answers to a difficult subject. The "needs to have" are separated from the "nices to have", the realistic from the theoretical.
At less than 200 pages, this is the one book the operating manager needs to read on the subject.
The Seminal Work in CSR.......2005-11-18
Vogel's THE MARKET FOR VIRTUE is the seminal work in CSR. His lively text offers the right mix of theory, analysis, and example. His conclusions are profound and will make a difference for the better. Required reading for corporate executives, business and management students, and those of us who simply wish to be informed participants in 21st century society.
Excellent analysis on CSR today by Silvia Barceló Lhéritier.......2005-10-25
Excellent and neutral analysis with accuracy and clarity. Helps thinking about future of CSR professionnals.
Best Book on the Subject.......2005-10-07
Vogel's THE MARKET FOR VIRTUE is a balanced and objective review of the many activites that fall under the rubric of "corporate social responsibility." He convincingly shows that these are over-ballyhooed by their enthusiasts, and over-disparaged by their critics. In fact, they make useful, albeit marginal, contributions to the welfare of communities and society. He draws useful distinctions between the many different manifestations of CSR, and offers thoughtful metrics for evaluating them. He cites literally hundreds of examples, and helps the reader to think about them in a rigorous and disciplined way. This is a must-read for corporate executives and business students.
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