Book Description
As U.S. organizations continue to explore overseas business opportunities, they will be challenged to adapt to the new market's local characteristics, legislation, fiscal regime, sociopolitical environment and cultural system. Riding the Waves of Culture shows international managers how to build the skills, sensitivity, and cultural awareness needed to establish and sustain management effectiveness across cultural borders. This revised edition is updated with new research and statistics.
More than an encyclopedia of cultures and customs, this essential guide:
- Describes successful and failed cross-cultural business transactions of multinational organizations such as AT&T, Heineken, Motorola and Volvo
- Offers techniques managers can use to anticipate and mediate some of the difficult dilemmas of international management
- Uses country-by-country graphs, examples, and other comparisons to illustrate how different cultures regard and respond to various management approaches
- Includes a CD-ROM of graphs, charts, and exercises to help readers evaluate their effectiveness as a global manager
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding research results in clear & useful guide.......2007-09-19
I was surprised to have my horizons expanded greatly though I had initially expressed skepticism at another book on diversity. On the contrary, this one contains real, practical, appropriate cultural nuances and advice on particulars for many national and cultural traditions. I heartily suggest it as a cornerstone of a modern cultural analysis of the factors that can contribute to enhancing diversity. Even though a bit dated, their research still is valuable. I cannot wait for the next edition!
Essential reading for executives - and politicians.......2006-02-26
This book is deservedly already an international management classic, and should be required reading for anybody who needs to interact with other nationalities and cultures. Hofstede got there first with his classifications of cultural dimensions, but Hampden-Turner & Trompenaars' are arguably more compelling, and - more importantly - the book is both highly readable and replete with case studies. It gives American and Northern European business people insights into why their assumptions about what motivates people from other parts of the world are wrong, and why so many US-centered initiatives founder on the rocks of unrecognized cultural differences. Send a copy to the White House!
For Business Poeple and Managers.......2005-06-30
This is a shorter, and more condensed version of the authors' earlier book 'Building Cross Cultural Competence'. In this book, the authors' target managers and business people who are looking to understand cultural differences and how to deal with them in a variety of circumstances and situations. Each chapter begins with am introduction to one of the dimensions, a discussion of how the differences manifest themselves and concludes with 'tips' on how to deal, and how to do business, with the different culture explored in that chapter.
The authors use the same six dimensions of culture introduced in their earlier work (universalism vs. particularism; individualism vs communitarism; specificity vs. diffusion; achieved status vs. ascribed status; inner direction vs. outer direction; and sequential time vs. synchronous time), but they present these dimensions in a much more accessible and simple manner with more emphasis on what each dimension actually means for business people and how it affects business-related situations.
This book has become the reference for business people and managers in the area of culture. Simple and very well written without losing credibility; this is a book that will enlighten and guide any manager in dealing with people from other cultures. While in some ways it is a 'western-centric' book (targeted to Western - especially US - managers), it remains very useful for managers from other cultures since the authors have attempted to keep the examples and discussion culturally neutral.
A Great Introduction to Intercultural Understanding.......2004-05-03
At last from Europe, a clear, concise, readable explanation of the critical dimensions of international management. It places culture in a perspective that allows for applications internationally and within the diversity of single nations.
David C. Wigglesworth, Ph.D. is an international/intercultural human resource, management, and organization consultant and president of D.C.W Research Associates International in Kingwood, Texas, USA. He can be reached at dcwigg@earthlink.net
Riding the Waves of Culture.......2003-10-02
An excellent overview of culture and cultural differences. For a more specific look at Americans, read Working with Americans (Stewart-Allen/Denslow)
Book Description
Technical Communication represents the works of five highly respected authors, all writing in their areas of expertise. Scientific examples and assignments within a social context are used for a realistic view of communication issues. This is the only text to extensively address argument, including reasoning, credibility, persuasion, decision making, problem solving, and critical thinking. The topic of audience is also addressed more thoroughly than in any other text. The book covers the traditional parts of the technical communication course but has been updated greatly to respond to the demands that the computer places on communicating.
Amazon.com
Psychology rules the stock market, according to Hersh Shefrin. In Beyond Greed and Fear, Shefrin shows how bias, perception, and other aspects of psychology often rattle investors and move stocks. From the individual who keeps losers too long to overconfident money managers who mistakenly think they can predict financial trends, human nature foils investment returns. "Behavioral finance is everywhere that people make financial decisions. Psychology is hard to escape; it touches every corner of the financial landscape, and it's important. Financial practitioners need to understand the impact that psychology has on them and those around them. Practitioners ignore psychology at their peril," writes Shefrin, a finance professor at Santa Clara University. An academic volume geared toward financial professionals, the book details an emerging field known as behavioral finance, in which psychology is believed to be at least as important as market fundamentals, such as earnings and balance sheets. Shefrin describes how investors are motivated by fear, hope, overconfidence, and the need for short-term gratification. The book gives plenty of examples of investment mistakes, and analyzes them from a behavioral-finance perspective. While Beyond Greed and Fear targets professionals, individual investors will benefit from this look at an important mover of markets. --Dan Ring
Book Description
Even the best Wall Street investors make mistakes. No matter how savvy or experienced, all financial practitioners eventually let bias, overconfidence, and emotion cloud their judgement and misguide their actions. Yet most financial decision-making models fail to factor in these fundamentals of human nature. In Beyond Greed and Fear, the most authoritative guide to what really influences the decision-making process, Hersh Shefrin uses the latest psychological research to help us understand the human behavior that guides stock selection, financial services, and corporate financial strategy. Shefrin argues that financial practitioners must acknowledge and understand behavioral finance--the application of psychology to financial behavior--in order to avoid many of the investment pitfalls caused by human error. Through colorful, often humorous real-world examples, Shefrin points out the common but costly mistakes that money managers, security analysts, financial planners, investment bankers, and corporate leaders make, so that readers gain valuable insights into their own financial decisions and those of their employees, asset managers, and advisors. According to Shefrin, the financial community ignores the psychology of investing at its own peril. Beyond Greed and Fear illuminates behavioral finance for today's investor. It will help practitioners to recognize--and avoid--bias and errors in their decisions, and to modify and improve their overall investment strategies.
Customer Reviews:
Look to market experts for success.......2005-12-21
So long as market investors are human beings rather than machines, market participants will be governed by emotion. The efficient market theory, as Warren Buffett states, works most of the time. But when unusual or exceptional news comes into play, a stock (and/or markets) nearly always overreacts.
The best book I have found on investing is "The Intelligent Investor". There is a clear picture of what works and does not work in investing, and why. There is a fair amount of analysis of the behavior of market participants.
Warren Buffett asserts that he doesn't have much use for what is taught in a typical college business class. As he points out, if professors understand stocks and markets so well, why are so few of them wealthy? People like Ben Graham, Buffett and Peter Lynch are not 'lucky'. They read a great deal, they have keen insight into what makes a stock go up and they are unafraid to buy when prices are low if prospects look good. I would prefer to emulate those who are truly successful rather than those who postulate about what may work.
Selective Presentation of the Evidence.......2005-06-26
I am a behavioral economist with a deep belief in the notion that human decision-makers deviate in important ways from the scientific principles laid down in modern rational choice theory. There is no doubt but that very many investors hold erroneous notions of the dynamics of price movements, and having a correct understanding will, on average lead to better returns on one's portfolio. Sheffrin presents the evidence for this position in an interesting and accessible manner.
Shefrin's main advice for investors is absolutely correct, and would improve the asset positions of many poor souls with idiotic notions of stock dynamics. His advice is that if you are not a gifted and dedicated stock expert, you should invest in a low-maintenance cost array of mutual funds, and above all, do not churn your stocks. It doesn't help to be smart, lucky, a stud with the girls, or blessed by God. Moreover, if you think you have one of the "gifted analysts" for a broker, you are to be counted as among the suckers who are never given an even break.
Shefrin has another thesis which he presents with great verve, but which is on very shakey grounds. This is that "gifted stock analysts" can on average, significantly out-perform the market. He believes this MUST be the case if a significant fraction of investors are behaving irrationality. However, there is another possibility, which is that stock brokers as a group gain from the excessive churning that irrational investors permit or ask them to do, but that it is impossible to "beat the market" except by pure luck or by personally studying firm fundamentals and future prospects.
Shefrin's data in favor of the "gifted analyst" is episodic and anecdotal, and there is plenty of data on the other side. For instance, in Malkiel's classic "Random Walk Down Wall Street", he relates the evidence that chimps throwing darts do as well as major brokerage houses. Sheffrin presents contrary evidence for a more recent period in which "gifted experts" outperform the random darts. New evidence, collected by Money magazine, shows that a group of experts did far worse than the darts in 2003. All of this evidence is spotty and anecdotal. The plural of anecdote is not data.
I am not convinced by this book that the efficient markets hypothesis, applied to final returns to investors (after payments to stock brokers and other transactions costs), is not correct. I think the author makes a mistake taking so strong a position when the evidence is so weak on this account. I am certainly not convinced that Malkiel's analysis is in any way overturned by new evidence.
However, if Shefrin convinces a few investors to act more sanely, he will have fulfilled an important social function.
Packed with Knowledge ! .......2005-02-23
If only you could bring yourself to ditch those losers from your portfolio, and hang onto your winners. If you can, you are unusual. Unprofitable habits afflict nearly all investors, beginners and pros alike, writes Hersh Shefrin in this intriguing study of the role of emotions in investing. Shefrin balances the jargon with plenty of real-world examples and wisely cautions you not to delude yourself into thinking that his tips will make you rich. Viewing investing through the prism of behavior finance, he analyzes emotionally-laden decisions made by private investors, money managers, bankers and other professionals handling stocks and various other forms of investments including options, foreign currency and futures. Shefrin offers juicy case histories, so his tour of behavioral finance is mostly enjoyable and useful. At times, though, the book bogs down in the author's attempts to legitimize behavior finance, a relatively new school of thought. For instance, he charges failed investors with committing "heuristic bias" or falling prey to "representativeness." That quibble aside, we recommend this intriguing tome to investment decision makers on any level. Whether you are running billions or managing a retirement account (which, as Shefrin notes, most people do badly), maybe this book will buffer you against emotional investing and pocketbook pain.
Comprehensive, Entertaining Overview of Fascinating Field .......2004-12-25
Wondering what Brealy & Myers or Sharpe left out? Don't expect your broker (or fund manager, excepting Richard Thaler) to fill you in. This book is a must read for any active (or passive) participant in the markets, or any other citizen who is affected by said markets. Meaning all of us.
Shefrin provides a masterful exposition of the application of cutting-edge cognitive psychology to the behavior of retail and institutional investors, analysts, mutual fund managers, CEO's and even heavily-advised university investment committees. The result is the theoretical demolition of the efficient markets hypothesis in even its weakest form, and the related CAPM(s), catching up to their long-noted empirical failings. As it turns out the market does have a memory, and that's not just an anomaly any more. Not every trade is zero-NPV: trust the market price at your own peril. Think dividends are irrelevant? Think again.
What we're left with is a fascinating account of how market participants actually behave: holding on to losers too long, trading too much and trading on "noise," and most alarmingly, undersaving for retirement. What is significant is that these phenomena are so prevalent that they can no longer be dismissed as irrational with the hope that "more sophisticated" money will magically correct the market. To the contrary, what Shefrin describes is proved to be the psychological norm; if you believe you're different, you're either very lucky or overconfident about your lack of overconfidence.
One quibble, in an area that I have looked at before, is in Shefrin's discussion of takeovers. First, I found a bit of confusion between the question of whether the takeover premium should be tested by reference to the post-announcement combined value of both firms, or just the buyer. Since the buyer's CEO is initially fiduciary for just his shareholders, I see only the latter as relevant.
More significantly, Shefrin does not provide any means to rigorously discriminate among his hubris hypothesis and other, more rationalistic theories, such as agency costs and private benefits. And his brief treatment omits many puzzling follow-up questions: if CEO psychology has the potential to systematically destroy shareholder wealth, what should we then conclude about the investors and analysts who allow them to get away with it? Just a governance problem, or is there yet another psychological story to be told?
But the desire to delve further into the subject is just indicative of Shefrin's compelling and readable narrative. For bottom line types, I'm afraid the answer to your question is no, he doesn't explain how to get rich. But you'll surely do alot better with a single yellowing copy of Graham & Dodd than all the reams of abstruse, dogmatic journal articles ever spewed by the Chicago School.
A very good book, but quite academic.......2003-04-29
I had mixed feeling about this book. Content wise, it's incredible. It's full of real life stories, data, analyses, propositions of many so called market anomalies. However, I really find some of the chapters too long, especially those after chapter 5. The author had copied his style of thesis writing and actually many of his own theses (he's a renowed professor after all) into a book which has a big audience group of investors or traders who want quick fix or certain level of entertainment and personal improvement. In these respects, the "Psychology of Finance by Lars Tvede" and the "Devil take the hindmost by Edward Chancellor" are "easier" but not definitely better alternatives.
Anway, this is one of the very few "serious" books about behavioural finance that is relatively practical. If you are abound of time, go for it. Otherwise, you may try the two books I mentioned above.
p.s. I like the following the most: In April 1997 Financial Times ran a contest suggested by economist Richard Thaler. Readers were told to choose a whole number between 0 and 100. The winning entry would be the one closest to two thirds of the average entry. The winning choice is 13. The real point of this game is that playing sensibly requires you to have a sense of the magnitude of the other players' errors. Hope you got it right.
Product Description
Based upon 17 years of ongoing research involving more than 40,000 people from over 25 cultures, extensively field-tested, and adopted internationally by Fortune 500 companies, Human Dynamics? is a developmental system that demystifies the complexities of how people function and interact with one another. Human Dynamics presents a powerful framework for understanding the distinct ways in which we process information, learn, communicate, relate with one another, manifest stress, maintain well-being, and develop as human beings. At the heart of Human Dynamics are the three universal principles we all share in different capacities--mental, emotional, and physical--fundamental threads that cross culture, age, race, and gender to unify us all. As we learn to appreciate our commonalities and differences, we can use our unique gifts and apply new understanding to enrich our relationships, heighten "collective intelligence", communicate more effectively, work together more productively, enhance creativity, optimize team learning, and strengthen organizational performance. Actual accounts from major companies including Intel Corporation, Intermountain Healthcare System, and London Life Insurance Company document how Human Dynamics can optimize business relationships, organizational learning, teamwork, and communication.
Customer Reviews:
A Proper Examination and Explanation of Human Action.......2001-01-24
If you have found most personality tests insignificant, unhelpful, or unrevealing, then perhaps this book is for you. Human Dynamics goes into much more depth and provides a greater understanding of human communication and actions than any simple personality test. While people can be placed into certain "dynamics," these dynamics are not nearly as restraining or stereotypical as personality tests tend to be. Rather than explaining one's personality, dynamics explain how groups of people tend to process information, not necessarily how aggressive, passive, or "likeable" they are. This book helped me in terms of personal discovery, and has also helped me understand why it always seemed that so many people "just never seemed to think like me."
Great book.......2000-07-09
Models to describe human personality are presented. Each model has it unique characteristics, its strengths and weaknesses. Each model will respond most effectively to certain modes of communications. This understanding of the different models presented will help a manager, a teacher, a student or just about anybody to understand themselves and people around them better. This will enable better communication of ideas and thoughts. Students will learn better and managers will be able to communicate more effectively with individuals. The models can be taken up to an organizational level. The applications of this book are far and wide. It is also simply and clearly written.
improving teamwork in your organisation,family & community.......1998-11-06
the first time that I have found an approach which looks at humans holistically and systemically. It is not a group of personality characteristics describing superficial behaviours, but a way of understanding and recognising internal processes particular to various human dynamics. It therefore goes much deeper than any other personality assessment technique I have seen and because of this can not be reduced to a paper and pencil test. However, the gift this approach brings is that it can be taught to everyday people and can provide access to better relationships and a greater understanding of how to release our judgement of others. A truly life changing book.
A most complete study of human diversity........1998-08-24
It is obvious that Dr. Seagal has worked extremely hard to confirm her research since 1979. Her style of writing is clear, concise and void of jargon. I found the content easy to absorb, understand and apply. Just the heightend awarness of how diverse we are has made a significant difference in how I work and related to people. I can see some real possibilities for applying in a business context.
A most complete study of human diversity........1998-08-14
It is obvious that Dr. Seagal has worked extremely hard to confirm her research since 1979. Her style of writing is clear, concise and void of jargon. I found the content easy to absorb, understand and apply. Just the heightened awarness of how diverse we are has made a significant difference in how I work and relate to people. I can understand why this work is being applied internationally, especially in business and education.
Book Description
Click 'Additional Materials' for downloadable sample chapters
“In summary, this is a significant book . . . for a multitude of audiences, including scholars, practitioners, students, expatriates, travelers, and those who are simply interested in culture. . . . This book is also an ideal reference tool, since the metaphors are easy to remember yet rich in contextual value, and are presented in a logical structure for quick consultation. Overall, this book is enormously appealing, genuinely useful, and a worthy addition to any collection.”
—THUNDERBIRD INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS REVIEW, 2002
In
Understanding Global Cultures, Third Edition, the author presents the cultural metaphor as a method for understanding the cultural mindsets of a nation, a cluster of nations, and even a continent. This title emphasizes that metaphors are guidelines that helps such outsiders to quickly understand what members of a culture consider important.
New Features of the Third Edition:
- Develops a cultural metaphor for the base culture of China (the Great Wall), showing how it influenced both a unifying cultural metaphor among the large Chinese Expatriate communities living in various nations (the Chinese family altar) and the cultural metaphor for Singapore (the Hawker Centers).
- Provides a description of cultural metaphors for two continents, Africa and Australia
- Groups cultural metaphors by book parts into overriding themes or general types of cultures such as Authority Ranking, Equality matching, Market Pricing, Cleft, and Torn.
Instructor’s Resources on the Web:
There is now a Web site where instructors can obtain over 100 concepts, applications, and exercises to enrich the learning experiences associated with the
Third Edition. Visit the authors website at www.csusm.edu/mgannon, or click here.
Customer Reviews:
A practical approach to other cultures.......2007-05-15
This book uses metaphors as tools to engage with other cultures. And very useful tools they are, indeed. I have been using this book with students for several years now, and the biggest initial obstacle is that people mistake the metaphors for stereotypes. Once this obstacle is overcome, a very creative and productive examination of the reality of another culture can occur.
Antropology is a must.......2006-01-30
Very exciting journey using the strenght of metaphores. Just be careful that metaphores are a representation of reality, not exactly that!
Book Description
Developing a basic understanding of constitutional law is valuable knowledge to have as professionals and as public citizens. This publication assists the reader in developing that knowledge through a host of techniques that explain the complexities of this area of law. Visual aides make concepts easy to grasp, a constitutional time line provides an historical perspective and a constitutional summary helps readers see the overall picture as they study individual chapters. Lists of key terms, related Web sites, additional readings, chapter objectives, and practice questions are aimed at making the material more interesting to the reader and easier to retain.
Customer Reviews:
A gripping tale of constitutional theory and law.......2006-01-05
This book is great! Truly, Mr. DeLeo is a master on the subject. I picked this up on a reccomendation from a friend and couldnt put it down! I especially loved the briefing on the "circle-square effect". Never before have I been so titilated by a the law in all its glory. Mr. DeLeo takes what would otherwise be a bland subject and breathes life into it in a manner that is like unto a gripping thriller similar to any good John Grisham novel! Be sure to pick this today! I bought 3 more copies for my friends and we are all now excitedly awaiting the sequel! Congrats on a job well done!
Book Description
In The Japanese Mind, Roger Davies offers Westerners an invaluable key to the unique aspects of Japanese culture. Readers of this book will gain a clear understanding of what really makes the Japanese, and their society, tick.
Among the topics explored: aimai (ambiguity), amae (dependence upon others' benevolence), amakudari (the nation's descent from heaven), chinmoku (silence in communication), gambari (perseverence), giri (social obligation), haragei (literally, "belly art"; implicit, unspoken communication), kenkyo (the appearance of modesty), sempai-kohai (seniority), wabi-sabi (simplicity and elegance), and zoto (gift giving), as well as discussions of childrearing, personal space, and the roles of women in Japanese society. Includes discussion topics and questions after each chapter.
Customer Reviews:
Only an introduction, but a pretty good one.......2007-08-27
Both editors are professors at Ehime University in Matsuyama, both working in fields relating to England language education, and they have put together a collection of twenty-eight relatively brief essays -- all written by fourth-year students and then polished with the help of the faculty -- on such key attitudes, patterns of behavior, traditions, and social underpinnings. These include group consciousness, the Japanese and ambiguity, personal space, childrearing, the Japanese sense of beauty, male/female relationships, seniority, and other topics that often are puzzling to Westerners. The writing is uniformly clear, even when explaining complex concepts, and there's a detailed bibliography (much of it to works in Japanese, however). A very informative resource for any American trying to figure out the Japanese.
academic in nature.......2006-06-30
This book is well written. It was written to be used in a class room setting (the book states this) If I would have know I wouldn't have purchased it. I was looking for a more personal,engaging insight on the way of life in Japan. The book is laid out nicely and still a good read, just a bit too text like.
Well-written, literate, useful..........2005-10-07
My wife and I found this book very helpful, prior to our first trip to Japan. We have been somewhat fearful of this trip, because of langugage and obvious cultural differences. Nevertheless, this book added to our understanding of current cultural traits, ideas, and ideals in Japan; their historical origins; their meaning to both Japanese and first-visit foreigners; and the countervailing Western forces eroding at the "pure strain" traits or ideals. All in all, this book is a fascinating synopsis of Japanese thinking about unique Japanese traits.
We also liked the fact that at the end of each brief chapter, the editors have written a number of thought-provoking questions. These questions ask the reader to expand one's thinking and make clear cross-cultural distinctions. Besides making the book even more useful to persons like us, these questions also make this book a sure winner in any advanced high school or college class on Japan.
Exploring tolerance and understanding.......2004-05-06
I stumbled upon this thoroughly enlightening book at the end of my third year of living in a small bucolic town in the mountains of rural Japan. While it is intended as an overview and introduction to various things that can make the Japanese seem different and enigmatic to outsiders, many of the topics are discussed from their historical evolution, which helps to construct them in a much fuller and as a more complete figure. Moreover, the subjects covered are often unobservable to the casual visitor and neophytic foreign transplant, yet are central to understanding the Japanese character. Where I had just simply witnessed and pondered over many baffling and seemingly contradictory actions of the people whom I was residing amongst at first, after reading this book I came to understand them in a much clearer and tolerant way. Another result, incidentally, was it also helped ease me through an extremely delayed case of culture shock. We should note that problems arise not through stereotyping (which, despite our fanatical political correctness at times does tend to be accurate more often than not), but when we use these generalizations to assert a cultural superiority, or inferiority as the case may be, and to define differences as being anything other than such.
This wonderful little book is clearly written by Japanese college students, and edited by the professors who guided them, in a style that makes even opaque concepts accessible. Ritualistic behavior is deconstructed in plain and precise language, in a conciseness that is also equally typical of the Japanese. It is organized into twenty-eight mostly interconnected chapters, though you can read them in any order you prefer. Some are perhaps too brief and would require explorations elsewhere for those serious inquisitors, still, like pieces to a puzzle, if you accurately connect them, they do render a thorough image in their totality. The editors, however, are careful to remind us that many of these topics continue to be debated and controversial even within Japanese society today. Nevertheless, the keen observer should, for example, be able to meld chapters like Uchi to Soto (literally translated as inside and outside), Honne to Tatemae (actual intentions and superficial words/actions, in a chapter I wished was more developed), Haragei (the implicit way of communication), Aimai (ambiguity), and Nemawashi (laying the groundwork) to better understand the Japanese "ways" in intercultural dealings and discern why they have often been regarded as remaining isolated inside their own country and outside of the responsibilities in world affairs that many would like to attribute to one of the world's strongest economic powers.
This book is filled with informative and insightful essays and should be mandatory reading for anyone interested in the Japanese mentality, for those who study the language, and for even those Japanese who have a good enough command of English and wish to understand and communicate more about their culture than the trite aspects that are so often regurgitated in films and popular pulp. At the end of each chapter there are discussion activities that not only probe further into the respective topic and often attempt to relate it to contemporary Japan, but should also help facilitate one of the main purposes of this project, intercultural dialogue leading to mutual understanding. Even if you are lucky enough to engage in these conversations with some Japanese be forewarned, like the many Americans who have a hard time explaining our traditions of Halloween or saying "(God) bless you" after a sneeze for instance, much in this book is so entrenched in and forms the undercurrent of normal everyday life in Japan that many Japanese have trouble recognizing and explaining it themselves. Kudos to both the Ehime University students and teachers for producing such a well-written, thought provoking, and helpful analysis--its value far exceeds its cost.
Highly enlightening..........2003-12-16
First of all let me correct one somewhat negative reviewer who states that `The Japanese Mind' is `how one British professor interpreted Japanese culture'. This comment I assume refers to Roger J. Davies who I believe is indeed British by birth (more precisely Welsh) but was actually brought up and educated in Canada and has only recently continued his studies back in Wales. He is Professor of Applied Linguistics at Ehime University in Matsuyama, Japan, and also Academic Director of that University's English Education Centre. This book is also edited by Osamu Ikeno, who is Associate Professor of English Education in the Faculty of Education at Ehime University. So this is far from just one British Professor's interpretation. This is a book of some authority.
Also, if another reviewer's assertion that the book has a `lack of depth in the analysis, frequent non-sequiturs' (and who even goes so far as to recommend that you `use at your peril') is a truly fair assessment of the standard of work produced by Roger Davies and Osamu Ikeno, then I doubt if those two gentlemen would occupy the prestigious positions they do.
As a European and `general reader' I found the book gave a fascinating insight into what can at first appear to the layman to be a baffling and unfathomable culture, given extra credence by the fact that, as the introduction states, the information presented is from the perspective of the Japanese people themselves. The format allows for casual study as the chapters can be read in any order you wish.
I would consider this an invaluable guide for anyone visiting Japan and/or who wishes to better understand the complexities of Japanese customs and behaviour. No book could possibly explain all the intricate facets of Japanese society, and certainly not to everyone's satisfaction, but `The Japanese Mind' goes a long way toward doing so.
Book Description
Are current concepts of leadership appropriate for today's organizations? What will tomorrow's leadership need to be like? Is there a best approach to leadership?
With a huge range of definitions and theories of leadership available, the field has become confusing for both students and practitioners alike. This text provides a framework for making sense of the field. In Part One, Gayle C Avery integrates a fragmented field into four broad paradigms or forms of leadership, helping to simplify and clarify the ill-defined field of leadership. The second part provides 10 case studies from leading organizations across Europe, Australia and the United States to illustrate how diverse leadership can be in successful organizations. At the end of each case, specific questions guide the reader in interpreting and analyzing the cases, connecting them to the leadership frameworks and theories in Part One.
Written in simple language,
Understanding Leadership can be used by readers with no prior knowledge of leadership. With its overview of major theories in the field and presentation of a simple and effective framework for analyzing these theories, the book will be essential reading for advanced undergraduate and MBA students.
Avery has devised a set of
powerpoint slides to accompany the book and support lecturers. They are available to view under
Additional Materials
Customer Reviews:
Extreme Personal Leadership.......2007-01-29
If you really enjoyed this book, you will appreciate "Corporate Rise: The X Principles of Extreme Personal Leadership" by Curtis J. Crawford. Ph.D. It was written for people with very high aspirations, but is also being used as a university textbook at several business schools.
An interesting read and great text book.......2004-12-17
I've just finished my first semester teaching leadership with this book. The book surpassed my wildest expectations. It is the best text book I've used for any class. My students even liked it! It has just enough detail and theoretic background, but more importantly it allows one to adopt a more subjective and personal approach to the topic. This is just what is needed for beginning to learn leadership and just where most textbooks on this topic fail. The paradigms approach used in the book really stuck with the students and allowed them to think much more deeply about all the other readings that I used for class. (I'd suggest the Harvard Business Review book that collects several of the best HBR articles on leadership as a great companion piece.) This book provided a rich framework that made for excellent class discussions. I didn't use the cases extensively this semester, but the very positive reactions to the three that I did use will encourage me to use more of them when I teach the class next year.
Book Description
How are you affected by the media that surrounds you every day? Do you understand how technology works, develops and changes over time? What can you do to use the media more effectively? How can you make the media responsive to you? MEDIA NOW is the first mass communication text to encourage critical thinking about the media and its effects on culture while providing a thorough understanding of how the media technologies develop, operate, converge, and affect our greater society. Unlike other introductory mass communication books, MEDIA NOW prepares you for a career in the expanded field of telecommunications, interactive media, and traditional media industries. MEDIA NOW provides you with a book that will teach you the foundational theories, concepts, and technical knowledge to help you thrive in your chosen career. It has "news you can use" that will guide you to impact the media as much as they impact you.
Customer Reviews:
media now.......2007-01-17
The guy who sent this book sent me a couple of emails. The book is in excellent condition.
great book.......2006-08-10
* Easy to understand
* Easy to read
* Website filled with quizes, links, glossary for each chapter, etc.
* Awesome extras if you buy the book new (ex: online tutors and other links)
Customer Reviews:
Book makes understanding research simple........2007-09-12
This is a good book for breaking down and analyzing research papers. It goes step by step and provides plenty of easy to read analytical tools.
Books:
- Schaum's Outline of Statistics and Econometrics
- Smart Talk for Achieving Your Potential: 5 Steps to Get You from Here to There
- Solution-Focused Counseling in Middle and High Schools (ACA)
- South American Handbook 2007: 83rd Edition (Footprint South American Handbook)
- Starting an Online Business All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
- Strategic Management of Health Care Organizations (5th Edition)
- Successful Manager's Handbook: Develop Yourself, Coach Others
- Supply Chain Excellence: A Handbook for Dramatic Improvement Using the SCOR Model
- Tanzania (Lonely Planet Tanzania)
- Tao Te Ching, 25th-Anniversary Edition
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- CCDA/CCDP Flash Cards and Exam Practice Pack
- Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America
- Estadistica Para Administracion y Economia
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
- Mike Meyers' A+ Guide to Operating Systems
- The Belgariad, Vol. 2
- Practical Spanish Grammar: A Self-Teaching Guide
- Business Law May 2001 Questions & Answers
- Life Stories: The Creation of Coherence
- Exmoor's Wild Red Deer
Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
| Baby-3
| Ages 4-8
| Ages 9-12
| Audiobooks
| Animals
| Arts & Music
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Computers
| Educational
| History & Historical Fiction
| Issues
| Literature
| Obsessions
| People & Places
| Popular Characters
| Reference & Nonfiction
| Religions
| Science, Nature & How It Works
| Series
| Sports & Activities
Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind
When Cultures Collide: Leading Across Cultures
Guide to Managerial Communication (7th Edition) (Guide to Series in Business Communication)
The Business Writer's Companion
Creating the Multicultural Organization: A Strategy for Capturing the Power of Diversity
