Average customer rating:
- perfectly organized for bedtime
- Great content, awful format
- Interesting Read
- As Good as Everyone is Saying...Just Buy It!
- Better than the 7 Harry Potter books together
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Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days
Jessica Livingston
Manufacturer: Apress
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ASIN: 1590597141 |
Book Description
For would-be entrepreneurs, innovation managers or just anyone fascinated by the special chemistry and drive that created some of the best technology companies in the world, this book offers both wisdom and engaging insights—straight from the source.
— Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine, and author of The Long Tail
"All the best things that I did at Apple came from (a) not having money and (b) not having done it before, ever." —Steve Wozniak, Apple
Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days is a collection of interviews with founders of famous technology companies about what happened in the very earliest days. These people are celebrities now. What was it like when they were just a couple friends with an idea? Founders like Steve Wozniak (Apple), Caterina Fake (Flickr), Mitch Kapor (Lotus), Max Levchin (PayPal), and Sabeer Bhatia (Hotmail) tell you in their own words about their surprising and often very funny discoveries as they learned how to build a company.
Where did they get the ideas that made them rich? How did they convince investors to back them? What went wrong, and how did they recover?
Nearly all technical people have thought of one day starting or working for a startup. For them, this book is the closest you can come to being a fly on the wall at a successful startup, to learn how it's done.
But ultimately these interviews are required reading for anyone who wants to understand business, because startups are business reduced to its essence. The reason their founders become rich is that startups do what businessesdo—create value—more intensively than almost any other part of the economy. How? What are the secrets that make successful startups so insanely productive? Read this book, and let the founders themselves tell you.
Customer Reviews:
perfectly organized for bedtime.......2007-10-20
i open it up before bed, and one section is just enough to read by the time I am tired enough to sleep. I am not saying this book puts me to sleep - it's really good, but I like that you can read it in little chunks.
Great content, awful format.......2007-09-20
There's plenty of great information here, as all the other reviews said. But this interview format is really excruciating to read. Casual speech is very hard to transcribe in such a way that it becomes readable. This is why journalists and other writers are trained in how to reduce a long, tangential speech into something meaningful and clear. These interviews tend to run on and on and on, with the subjects jumping around, sometimes contradicting themselves, or misspeaking; all the stuff we do when talking, but which doesn't really matter in conversation, where other cues like body language make up for it. It really takes a lot of work to read this stuff, you're constantly having to hear the subject "out loud" in your head for it to make sense.
This book's easily twice as long as it could be if these interviews were edited down to a few really useful pages each. Or better: rewritten as short essays.
Interesting Read.......2007-09-19
Founders at Work is a fairly interesting read but lacks some depth. I'm the founder of a startup at the moment and am always keen to learn more about other founder's stories. The structure of this book is more like an interview with the interviewer rarely delving into the deeper human emotions, problems, issues, feelings etc of the founders. This really gives a basic "guided story" approach about each of the founders without any "pearls of wisdom" or "lessons learned".
Good for a single read or the average person who has an interest in technology startups from a founder's perspective, not worth being made into a hardcover.
As Good as Everyone is Saying...Just Buy It!.......2007-09-16
Loved this book. The interviewer asked a similar set of questions for all participants yet improvised when needed to follow an interesting train of thought to it's natural conclusion. All of the participants were refreshingly candid. Almost as if they were unloading on a therapist. Each interview is just long enough to feel complete but not so long as to feel redundant. On another note, I'm pretty anal when it comes to the physical presentation of a book and this one passes all my criteria: Decent margins, pleasant type face, good line space and font sizes, flexible spine stays open easily without trying to close itself, and easy to browse logical organization. If you're an entrepreneur working on tech start up this is one of the few "must read" books.
Better than the 7 Harry Potter books together.......2007-08-12
Better than the 7 Harry Potter books together (wich is a bad comparison as I didn't like them that much). The book is a collection of interviews with founders of famous technology companies about what happened in the very earliest days and later. Within each interviews, you'll catch dozen of interesting infos. Believe me , when you start it, you'll finish it within the week.
Book Description
The international bestseller on the extent to which personal freedom has been eroded by government regulations and agencies while personal prosperity has been undermined by government spending and economic controls. New Foreword by the Authors; Index.
Customer Reviews:
The principles of economic freedom are found in this book. A must read!.......2007-10-14
The relationship between freedom and economics is undeniable. Also undeniable is the relationship between government and freedom. Milton Friedman brilliantly makes a clear persuasive case for the perpetuation of free markets and the elimination of big government, as a means of augmenting freedom worldwide and as a result expand prosperity. Although this book is over 27 years old, the economic principles of this book are as timeless as Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations".
The book covers topics, such as socialized medicine, which is even more popular today, due in large part to the propaganda promulgated by the sensationalist media circuits. Of course, Americans do not want socialized medicine so proponents are euphemistically calling it "universal healthcare". Mr. Friedman expressed that "in our opinion there is no use whatsoever for socialized medicine. On the contrary, government already plays too large a role in medical care. Any further expansion of its role would very much against the interest of patients, physicians, and health care personnel." This, of course, was written almost 3 decades ago when the expenditure of healthcare was huge, however, not as appalling as it is now at close to 15% of the country's GDP. There are many factors involved in the rising healthcare costs, not the least of which is the government's inability to operate any activity cheaper and more efficiently than the private sector. There are no exceptions to this. None! Unfortunately, the tendency of government is to increase funding for programs that don't work. If it isn't working, then it must mean it needs more funding, is the philosophy of government. This of course, goes counter to the much more efficient private sector where costs are controlled in order to attain a dirty little concept called profits. It is in the self-interest of people and companies and not their benevolence, that most of the freedom and economic progress is dependent upon, according to Adam Smith and Milton Friedman.
Mr. Friedman was a radical free trade crusader and the evidence espoused in this book is overwhelmingly effective at convincing most open-minded individuals. Friedman goes on to write "Wherever we find any large element of individual freedom, some measure of progress in the material comforts at the disposal of ordinary citizens, and widespread hope of further progress in the future, there we also find that market activity is organized mainly through the free market." He goes on to warn us that "Wherever the state undertakes to control in detail the economic activities of its citizens, wherever, that is, detailed central economic planning reigns, there ordinary citizens are in political fetters, have a low standard of living, and have little power to control their own destiny." He further declares that under such governments impressive monuments may be produced and a certain class may enjoy a full measure of material goods, however, ordinary citizens will become merely "instruments to be used for the state's purpose" and will receive only what is "necessary to keep them docile and reasonably productive."
Friedman also covers topics on education, consumer protection, inflation, unions and what he believed, at that time, was a "turning of the tide" into a more free market based mentality by the general population. This period, however, was when Carter was still in office and Reagan was coming in with his message of small government and as a result reduction in taxes. I'm afraid that we are again seeing a turning of the tide, this time, unfortunately, we are headed into larger government and more social programs, due in large part to the short memory of the American public of what communism used to be and the continual romanticizing of socialist countries that provide its population with cradle to grave social programs, almost always at the expense of freedom and progress. We must be careful!
This book is a must-read to gain a fundamental understanding of economics, and as a reminder of the basic economic principles that have made America great. Enjoy!
Life transforming.......2007-06-23
Friedman was a genius. He was also the most articulate and fearless advovate for freedom. It seems that most are willing to give a little here and there for their pet projects. He was not. This is the best argument for the economic power that comes from freedom as well as the advantages for the individual. Over the long hall it is also the only way to prevent the loss of all freedoms. Read this book and it will positively change your life.
A book for freedom.......2007-06-14
Mr. Friedman, God rest his soul, continues to demonstrate the link between laissez faire economics and personal freedom. This companion to "Capitalism and Freedom" is a must read for those who are interested in individual liberty and the economic system that pertuates such liberty.
Be Free.......2007-05-24
Milton and Rose Friedman, "A society that puts equality - in the sense of equality of outcome - ahead of freedom will end up with neither equality nor freedom.
...
On the other hand, a society that puts freedom first will, as a happy by-product, end up with both greater freedom and greater equality."
Milton Friedman, "Everybody agrees that socialism has been a failure. Everybody agrees that capitalism has been a success... yet everybody is extending socialism."
Lawrence Reed, "Free men are not equal and equal men are not free."
Tusen Takk!
Still a beauty.......2007-04-08
Almost 30 years on, Free to Choose still offers valuable insights to the political economics in western democracies. The books main message is that special interests always prevail over general interests. For that reason, we have tariffs on sugar though the majority of the electorate loses from it and we have restricted entry into several occupations like real estate brokers and furniture designing. The story of the development of the Interstate Commerce Commission is particuylarly readable. The ICC was established to protect the consumer (general interest), but quickly turned to protect the producers (special interest). Because special interests always prevail, the governments role in the economy should be restricted.
The Freidmans finish their book with a faint of hope. The final chapter is called The Tide is Turning, and in the foreword written in 1990, they acknowledge that public opinion is greatly different in 1990 than it was in 1975. And economic policy in the US is improved. Marginal tax rates are reduced sharply. Inflation is low and stable. The former communist countries have gone capitalist in scores.
Many of the key messages of the book are now conventional wisdom. Its still worth reading, though. The book offers a very gook look into the intellectual climate of the late 70s. It is one of the central works of one of history's most prominent economists. But foremost, it describes the logic of economics in a very beautiful way.
Book Description
This book presents a comprehensive anthology of readings, legal perspectives, and cases in ethics in business. Contrasting business ethics approaches, Regulation of business, Performance Monitoring. Genetic testing and screening. Third world issues. Federal sentencing guidelines. Ideal for business professionals interested in reviewing ethical issues in business.
Customer Reviews:
Biased, but a good primer on business ethics.......2006-02-24
This book is a good primer on business ethics, and it would be even better if the writer / editors hadn't shown their bias with their selections of included material.
Business ethics theories evolve, just like any other social phenomenon; however, just because a theory is new doesn't make it right. Especially in an ethics book! The authors are clearly biased against big business, against small government, and against "shareholder management" theory.
Does this make them right or wrong? No. The only "wrong" committed is the bias itself.
As you read this book, just keep your critical thinking skills sharp and your eyes open.
A Critical Compendium.......2002-07-20
This book is a critical reader, and it's probably the most highly used text in business ethics today. Those who reviewed this book negatively sound like people looking for a fun, non-academic overview of the field. If so, this book isn't it. These are articles published in top academic journals, edited for readability, by scholars who are addressing the fundamental issues in a wide range of topics. It's meant to expose the span of the field and still give students (not light readers) exposure to contemporary literature that touches on the most salient points. It's meant to be a starting point to deeper research in any given topic. As such, the book is a complete success. B & B do a great job (here as in other ethics compendiums) of providing a framework that makes it easy for a professor to expose her students to the field in one swoop. They do a fine editorial job, stripping the articles of padding, and they work hard to keep the offerings up to date (passing on older articles that are superceded by fresh insights that touch on contemporary challenges and technologies; look for something relating to the corporate scandals of this last year in the next edition). If you are a student looking for an overview on business ethics, this book is the correct starting point. If you are someone looking for light reading about corporate corruption, with illustrations and full-color photos, stick to People magazine.
A Good Anthology.......2001-06-23
I really enjoyed this anthology, especially the section on sexual harassment. Some of the subjects were hard going, but, it was a good introduction to business ethics.
In Defense of Beauchamp and Bowie.......2001-06-17
I teach business ethics at the college level, and have found Ethical Theory and Business to be very helpful. Basically, B and B attempt to do three things, or so it seems to me. First, they offer an introductory essay, covering some of the main distinctions in both meta-ethics (e. g. whether morality is objective or subjective) and normative ethics. This essay is the weakest part of the book, I think, because they seem to offer caracatures of most relativist leaning views (e. g. egoism), and do not adequately criticize Kantian moral philosophy. But even so, the essay does explain many useful distinctions in philosophical ethical thought. Second, B and B offer both classic readings in Business Ethics (e. g. Milton Friedman), as well as really up to date readings, by many of the leaders in the field (e. g. R. Edward Freeman). This is quite a good selection of readings, although they have omitted a few classic essays (like Galbraith's 'The Dependence Effect'), and a few subjects which might have been useful, such as the question of whether one can attribute moral agency to corporations at all. Even so, B and B include more than any course in Business Ethics could cover. Third, B and B provide a Web site with excersizes and instructor aids. Depending on how much one uses the Web, this may be helpful too. So generally speaking, although no anthology is perfect, Beauchamp and Bowie have put together an admirable collection. There is a seventh edition coming out soon. Perhaps that one will be as good as this one.
This Book is Whack!!!.......2001-05-11
Ethical Theory and Business by Beauchamp & Bowie is the worst academic book I have ever been required to read. I agree with the reader from Minnesota that this book is very dry and boring and if I could give this book zero stars I would. All of the chapters in the book do not flow together very well since this book is very unorganized and is nothing more than a collection of narrative articles. The book does not have an index or any illustrations in it and the companion website to the book [stinks]. I do not think I learned anything about business ethics from reading this book nor did I find the information in it helpful for me in my life. After I finished reading this book, I felt like throwing it away, but instead I sold mine back to the bookstore. So if you want to learn about business ethics and are not required to purchase this book for a class, do not purchase this book.
Customer Reviews:
Great condish but no quick ship.......2005-09-30
See above. Took longer to arrive than I would have liked. Maybe 2 weeks.
Great book : Easy to follow and practical.......2005-01-27
I have the 2000 edition, I like it very much. Practical, easy to follow, great use of Theory of Games exemples.
Douglas Gilson, Management professor.Rio de janeiro, Brasil
Its in my top 2 textbooks for Economics Undergraduate.......2004-12-22
I've only used 9 textbooks in my undergraduate carrer in Economics, however, this book would probably fit either as the best or 2nd best... I can't really determine which deserves the "coveted" "best" slot.
To say firstly, this book passes the "I havn't attended class for the last 4 weeks and only have read the book, but still recieved an A- for the midterm" test. I think I can say in full confidence that IO is pretty much a standard course and this pretty much covers all the standard topics that any IO course would cover in one semester.
I used this book for a more "advanced" IO course (there are 2 in my university) and I used the book almost exclusively in preperation for my exams. I can say that the books appendices are excellent, despite th previous comment. It displays the material very concisely and in a very formal manner. The presentation in the appendices is not laconic and is very understandable.... I would have to say it achieves almost maximum effeciency with relevent material per page.
Actaully, for my case, the appendices were very much more useful then the actaul text itself. The level of mathematics does not exceed a standard non-formal multi-variable calculus level and is thus very accesible. With regards to applicability of the material, I found no problems in figuring out how the forumale applied with respect to the theory for the most part... However, I suspect if it is obtuse (for the level of maturity in the class) then the instructor would augment the text with problem sets and excercises.
The book starts off with a brief recap of the relevnt micro concepts and tools in the first chapter or so, then goes on to cover topics such as monopoly, oligopoly, monopolistic competition, games in oligopolies (Bertrand, Stakelberg Cournout-Nash etc.). Then it goes on to less "theoretical" (at least in my opinion) topics such as advertising and its effects, price discrimination (1st degree, 3rd degree, bundling strategies etc.).
Overall there is a good mix of "real world" applications and core theory. I never read the numerous examples and unless the class specifically tests on these, I would think they are not needed for understanding of the material. The exposition found in the chapters (less the examples) are usually superb, although a bit wordy for my taste.
There are some problems asked after the end of each chapter, although very few of these employ much mathematics and hence, does not, in my opinion, work well as a gauge of understanding. It seems because of the length of the book, it lends itself off to the instructor to decide how to taylor his curriculum, I don't believe that any chapters are redundent, but I believe all chapters are essentially self contained (given that the reader had read or is competent in the material up to the 6th chapter).
All in all, I was happy with this book and believe it to be of superior stock, although this is pure conjecture on my part since I've only used this book and have only taken one IO course. With respect to flexibility the book deserves good marks and this is likewise true with respect to the exposition in the text.
Modern Industrial Organization.......2003-05-01
I was hoping to get a more indept explaination with example problems. Formulas were shown, but the author never really showed how to utilize the formulas. I have had to reference other books to try to understand this book.
easy book and good guide to understand the industry.......2000-08-24
For me this book is a very good guide to the people that like to learn more about the way that the industry and the market works and the link to many things that you can see all the time around you and could explain by the economic theory, things that happend not only in United States also in different countries like Chile. Only bad thing about the book is the colors in the graphs, maybe the next time could include more colors. And if is possible try to translate the book to another language like spanish, because about this topic in spanish is very poor the number of books, and the translation could bring the opportunity to more people to read about this.
Book Description
This textbook brings modern I/O analysis to the undergraduate level. Consistent with modern analysis, the authors focus explicitly on the nature of strategic interaction and make extensive use of game theoretic tools. At the same time, they never lose sight of the policy motivation behind much IO analysis. Formal analysis is combined with many practical applications, and the presentation does not assume familiarity with calculus, rather it relies on the ability to work through algebraic equations.
Customer Reviews:
Not very clear.......2007-08-10
I had a very hard time following what's going on because the language is not very clear and too verbose. The book focuses on the beauty of language rather than how to express the ideas in a clear and understandable manner. Makes simple stuff a lot harder than it should. Translating equations into words is sometimes confusing, and the concepts are too ideal that they can hardly apply to the real world situations.
do not touch.......2006-12-26
the book is filled with typo. Given that this is third edition, the author doesn't seem to pay much attention to the hw. I was a TA for this class, and it took me some times to figure out what i did wrong because the hw questions are wrong. The theories in this book can only be applied in the context of the book's examples; some of these theories are not general and can't be applied in a broad sense.
Induvitably excellent book!.......2003-11-04
Above all, it enraptured me with its practical orientation,
which really builds the economic sense at the reader. Numerous, straight superior and often also heartbreaking examples make theory well comprehensible. There doesn't lack nor more complex mathematical assecession for more serious study. 1A
Induvitably excellent book!.......2003-11-04
Above all, it enraptured me with its practical orientation,
which really builds the economic sense at the reader. Numerous, straight superior and often also heartbreaking examples make theory well comprehensible. There doesn't lack nor more complex mathematical assecession for more serious study. 1A
Amazon.com
How is the human brain like the AIDS epidemic? Ask physicist Albert-László Barabási and he'll explain them both in terms of networks of individual nodes connected via complex but understandable relationships. Linked: The New Science of Networks is his bright, accessible guide to the fundamentals underlying neurology, epidemiology, Internet traffic, and many other fields united by complexity.
Barabási's gift for concrete, nonmathematical explanations and penchant for eccentric humor would make the book thoroughly enjoyable even if the content weren't engaging. But the results of Barabási's research into the behavior of networks are deeply compelling. Not all networks are created equal, he says, and he shows how even fairly robust systems like the Internet could be crippled by taking out a few super-connected nodes, or hubs. His mathematical descriptions of this behavior are helping doctors, programmers, and security professionals design systems better suited to their needs. Linked presents the next step in complexity theory--from understanding chaos to practical applications. --Rob Lightner
Book Description
A cocktail party. A terrorist cell. Ancient bacteria. An international conglomerate.
All are networks, and all are a part of a surprising scientific revolution. Albert-László Barabási, the nation's foremost expert in the new science of networks, takes us on an intellectual adventure to prove that social networks, corporations, and living organisms are more similar than previously thought. Grasping a full understanding of network science will someday allow us to design blue-chip businesses, stop the outbreak of deadly diseases, and influence the exchange of ideas and information. Just as James Gleick brought the discovery of chaos theory to the general public, Linked tells the story of the true science of the future.
Customer Reviews:
Not deep enough (?).......2007-06-23
For some reasons both this one and 'The Tipping point' didn't really appeal to me. As an example in this book there is this attempt to superimpose the 'Bose Einstein condensation' to network properties. I personally didn't see any beef there
Network theory and its applications.......2007-06-07
After reading Mitchel Resnick's Turtles, Termites, and Traffic Jams: Explorations in Massively Parallel Microworlds (Complex Adaptive Systems), my exploration of decentralized networks went down a very viral path. This book, in particular, discusses the application of network theory in the context of its historical significance. The author explores how it can be used as a tool and device to understand cities, computer networks social networks, human-human interactions (speech), human-computer interactions (HCI), computer-computer interactions (protocol), diseases, computer viruses, nature. Based on this book and its related siblings, it inspires tremendous amounts of ideas for the next big thing in marketing strategy.
Superb popular science: the laws of networks........2007-04-14
Networks all have a meaningful similarity. Whether the network at hand is a party, a cell's molecular reaction, or the puzzling old bridges of Königsberg, Prussia, you could describe each one by using a branch of mathematics called "graph theory," invented by Leonhard Euler in 1736. His long-dormant concept bloomed in the 1990s with the advent of the Internet and continues to yield insights into many important problems. Sounds a bit dry? Don't worry. Albert-László Barabási writes in a lively style (there's nary an equation in sight) with fun, informative anecdotes. The tale of how he and other scientists discovered "the laws of networks" unfolds like a detective story. After reading this book, you'll see networks everywhere and gain deeper insight into disparate phenomena, from biological systems to business organizations to the economics of "increasing returns." We recommend this clear, accessible book to anyone who has ever wondered about the ubiquitous webs that encompass all things. This is popular science at its best.
Great for the layman.......2007-04-11
One of the best books I've read about the subject, especially good for those being introduced to the subject of graph theory and network thinking. One of the few technical page-turners I've had the pleasure to enjoy! Really, could not put it down!
If you liked Freakonomics..........2007-01-12
...then you'll love the connections drawn in this text. It more than touches on the realities of "Six Degrees of Separation" (as well as Kevin Bacon!)in an interesting, readable format. You don't need to be a scientist or a mathematition to understand the links, networks, and nodes assessed in this book.
I must admit that it started out a bit slow, but I recommend you stick it out for an enlightening outlook on the interconnectivity of everything.
Book Description
An explosive examination of the coalition of forces that threatens the nation, from the bestselling author of American Dynasty
In his two most recent bestselling books, American Dynasty and Wealth and Democracy, Kevin Phillips established himself as a powerful critic of the political and economic forces that rule—and imperil—the United States, tracing the ever more alarming path of the emerging Republican majority's rise to power. Now Phillips takes an uncompromising view of the current age of global overreach, fundamentalist religion, diminishing resources, and ballooning debt under the GOP majority. With an eye to the past and a searing vision of the future, Phillips confirms what too many Americans are still unwilling to admit about the depth of our misgovernment.
Customer Reviews:
two out of three.......2007-10-14
He does an excellent account of the history and current predicament we have regarding our national addiction to oil and lack of a true energy policy because of political weakness, and the incredible national debt to China and Saudi Arabia. But the book stumbles on the concept that "perhaps" one third of the republican voters truly believe the "end times" are near and that the Bush administration heeds this call, such that our nation will be led willingly into more wars to hasten the Second Coming of Christ. Greed for oil, a gamble to create a client state, etc all the real reasons for the Iraq war are cited by Mr Phillips but he seems to not understand the fundamental role of religion in American society - it's never as weak - or as strong - as you may assume.
A must read... specially for people that love this country.......2007-10-08
This book is no hoopla... no gimmicks... no hype.
This book is SUPERBLY well researched... a non-biased objective and insightful look and exposition of the 3 MAJOR historic aspects that shape US goverment policy and that have shaped life in the USA as we know it.
To see where the country is headed... how things are shaping up... and give lights to what needs to be done... one draws our own conclusions, but the facts are there... this book is powerful... this is knowledge that EMPOWERS people... if you care about the USA and it's future, do yourself a favor... and just read this one... republican or democrat, makes no difference... this is just how it is.
Well researched and balanced.......2007-09-16
There is (I think) a growing group of people who call themselves Republicans but are increasingly disgusted with the people who lead the Republican party, and the direction that they take both the party and the nation. I am one of those who has been increasingly disaffected for years, and Kevin Phillips appears to be as well based on his recent writing. I am a long-time fan of Mr. Phillips, as someone who has the courage to see something that he has in the past and still wants to identify with unravel and decline in front of him, and give voice to the frustration, as well as the fear for where this alarming trend might take us.
The book takes the reader through a well-detailed account of how we have reached this point, and where this likely leads. The "here" that Mr. Phillips outlines is a country where the dominant political party in the country has entered into a "great alliance" with the dominant religious organizations in the country in order to maintain joint dominance. The religious organizations benefit by continuing to assure that their agenda's are met by the politicians, while the political party benefits by keeping the eye of the governed off of the rape and pillage that is going on within the political apparatus. The focus weaves this involvement of the extreme right-wing fundamentalist clerics through all aspects of government, focusing in particular on the debt that has resulted and the foreign oil dependence that continues to drive most decisions, plunging the nation further into debt, resulting in increasing profits from those few who "own" that industry.
The historical aspects of the book were excellent, helping the reader to understand how we got where we are, as well as making it clear where history would advise that all nations end up when they get on the path that we have put ourselves on. It is not a comforting picture. I have given the book 4 stars because while the message and content are excellent and timely, I do think that the writing became just a little disjointed and rambled down some alleys at times. I would still highly recommend this book.
Sharp, Not Balanced, But An Important Read .......2007-09-15
Former Republican strategist, Kevin Phillips, believes he knows what is wrong with our nation. Chances are, by very virtue of your reading a book review on a Christian e-zine, you contribute to the erosion of our national health. American Theocracy: The Politics and Peril of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century is at times scathing and at times coolly analytical in its survey of dangers Phillips sees threatening our superpower status.
Part I examines the effects of America's dependency on oil. Our industry, automobiles, and military have an insatiable appetite for oil. Phillips argues that this energy dependency gives Big Oil too much sway over our domestic and foreign policies. At home we lax our environmental laws to accommodate oil drilling. And abroad we resort to international thuggery to secure control of Iraq's mostly untapped oil fields. "The war on terror?", "Importing democracy to the Middle East?" Phillips sees these as slogans to sell an imperialistic war.
In Part II: "Too Many Preachers", Phillips takes aim at Christian Fundamentalism, a movement the he sees embodied by the Southern Baptist Convention, Pentecostals, and the charismatic movements. Phillips chronicles these denominations rise to prominence and how they shape national politics. The culture wars are provoked by radical Christians attempting to establish a theocracy--a Christian America governed by God's rules. "Disenlightenment" is Phillip's descriptor for the effect that these empowered believers have on our country: They value faith over science and a literal Armageddon over peace.
Phillips closes his diatribe with Part III on our national and individual debt. Again, Phillips provides a valuable historic context at how debt played a role in the decline of England, Spain, and the Netherlands as superpowers. Phillips offers an undeniable outline of the depths of our national debt as well as personal credit lodes. He argues that our increasing debt and decreasing hard industry has created a thin ice that will eventual give in under our largesse.
American Theocracy finds its value when Phillips is able to sustain his analytical voice, and he's able to do so for extended periods of time. His historical perspective on our oil dependency, the changing face of American religion, and our national debt demand your attention. I'll confess, as an evangelical with political tendencies a few notches right of centrist, this was uncomfortable stuff to read. Even so, Phillips places important issues on the table.
However when Phillips slips into his polemic voice the book becomes tedious. Phillips has open contempt for people superstitious enough to buy into the Biblical creation account, Noah Arc, or a literal interpretation of Revelation, such as the one popularized by the Left Behind franchise. Phillips also makes too many gaps in his evidence with clauses like, "Although the evidence is weak." He's on a mission to connect the dots and is willing to supply any missing points along the way.
Make no mistake; Kevin Phillips wields too much anger and bias to be objective. But are there any takeaways for the evangelical and fundamentalist Christian communities?
I think so. American Theocracy provokes us to ask several poignant questions:
-- Have we developed what Phillip's calls "American Exceptionalism"; a belief that America has an exclusive blessing from God? How does this belief influence our foreign policy?
-- Does our theology concerning the end times make us overly tolerant of military interventions in the Middle East? ("The faster we get to Armageddon the faster we get to heaven.")
-- Should the political arena our primary method of advancing God's kingdom on Earth? Does Jesus truly expect that we establish an "American Theocracy?"
I won't pretend to offer the final word on these questions. Instead, I just note that in spite of all the book's weaknesses, American Theocracy provides the agenda for an important conversation that's long overdue
One of the Best Books I Have Ever Read.......2007-08-19
I read this book 3 times and have encouraged others to read it. I rarely read any book more than once but this one was so thought provoking. Some reviews stress the chapters about religion but the book is so much more than that. Religion has NOTHING to do with the debt which is dragging this country down which is a chapter all its own. There is also a chapter on consumer debt which is dragging us as individuals and families down. Anyone who is worried about the financial state of this country should read this book.
Average customer rating:
- Great book, (0 stars to Amazon.co.uk)
- Good Starter of I.O, comprehensive, self-satisfactory
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Advanced Industrial Economics
Stephen Martin
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
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Industrial Organization: Theory and Applications
ASIN: 0631217568 |
Book Description
This updated and substantially revised second edition, like its predecessor, integrates a discussion of the latest theoretical developments with a comprehensive review of empirical work. Designed for upper-level undergraduates and graduates in industrial economics, there are complete treatments of the basic oligopoly models that are the bread and butter of theoretical industrial economics (Cournot, Bertrand, and extensions; horizontal and vertical product differentiation), of models of strategic behavior as well as of the determination of market and firm structure, and of the literatures on collusion, advertising, and the economics of innovation. Stephen Martin also provides a complete review of empirical tests of market performance, from Bain to the 'empirical renaissance' and beyond.
contains expanded treatments of: hotelling's spatial model oligopoly with quality differentiation empirical evidence on entry and exit the analysis of firm structure presents new discussions of: the classical view of the Cournot model strategic substitutability and complementarity representative consumer models of product differentiation the Kreps and Scheinkman model with product differentiation the New Empirical Industrial Organization, Solow residual, and event study approaches to the analysis of market power deterministic and stochastic models of research and development With a more cohesive writing style, reduced size, additional invaluable information, and new problems to solve, the second edition of Advanced Industrial Economics is a key text in industrial economics.
The paperback edition of this book is not available from Blackwell in the US or Canda
Customer Reviews:
Great book, (0 stars to Amazon.co.uk).......2005-02-18
I bought this book 4 weeks ago and I am still waiting. I just keep receiving emails saying that they are having some delay so in 1-2 week they will dispatche the book.
If you really need this book go and buy it someplace else.
Good Starter of I.O, comprehensive, self-satisfactory.......2000-02-16
No doubt, one of the best for those interested in graduate level of industrial organization. Readers can learn about major business strategies in industrial markets and its welfare implications. Leading theories, major empirical analyses, and added author's view against too influential Chicago ideas will giveĀ@excellent perspective of the progress in the field. The appendix of game theory is written to make the book self-satisfactory.
Book Description
This supplement outlines the key sections of each chapter, and it provides students with a set of questions and problems similar to those in the text and in the Test Bank, along with worked-out solutions.
Customer Reviews:
Bad Editing & TONS of MISTAKES!.......2007-10-16
Practice problems are the best way to learn Financial Managment, and this book is useful because it not only gives the answers, but provides step-by-step solutions that walk you through the problem.
HOWEVER, the sample problems are littered with editing mistakes which will waste you valuable time when studying. For example, in the Self-Test Problems, questions will often refer to a previous problem, as in Chapter 6: "Refer to Self-test Problem 2. What would rx be if investors expected the inflation rate to increase by 2 percentage points and their risk aversion increased by 3 percentage points?"
Did the problem once. Got the wrong answer, Tried it again, still got the wrong answer. Reviewed the step-by-step solution provided. Realized that it SHOULD have read, "Refer to Self-test Problem 3" NOT 2. The result? A complete waste of time. This has happened to me more than a dozen times, and I'm not even 1/4 the way through the chapters.
Don't buy this study guide; it was clearly thrown together quickly and sloppily and they did an awful job of quality control and editing.
The difference between an A and a B.......2007-01-29
Halfway through my first semester of finance I was trying to understand why so many of my classmates were no longer struggling - turns out they had ordered this study guide. Generally I am not a fan of study guides, but this one is very comprehensive and gives wonderfully detailed explanations to all of its self-test problems - not just the answers. I ended up using this more than my actual text book and I highly recommend it to every student taking Finance.
Book is Okay.......2006-03-03
I thought that this study guide would follow the actual text book to the tee, but it does not. I was hoping it would follow the problems at the end of the chapters and explain in detail the problems.
Best Study Guide.......2004-10-09
This study guide was extremely helpful to me. It gives you all the main points and helps you understand the text better. I wish all study guides were this good!
Book Description
Richard Daft's best-selling text, ORGANIZATION THEORY AND DESIGN, integrates the most recent thinking about organizations, classic ideas and theories, and real world practice, in a way that is interesting and enjoyable for students. Throughout the text, detailed examples illustrate how companies are coping in the rapidly changing, highly competitive, international environment. It is one of the most systematic and well- organized texts in the market. It helps students and managers prepare for the challenges they will face in the real world. This edition provides a thorough revision to showcase current examples and research alongside time-tested information. While organization studies and real world examples are insightful for understanding organizations and solve real-world problems, Daft also integrates numerous features that give students opportunity to apply concepts and develop skills and insights.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book with excellen deal.......2007-09-27
I bought this book with the apprehension that it might not be the same one I'm looking for.But Amazon made me feel so satisfied.I got the exact book and that too new and in much lower price than the market.
The learning book.......2005-07-23
"Organization Theory and Design" is a book every corporate member that has aspirations to better understand and contribute to his organization should own.
I used this book studying a basic course of organizational behavior after the professor had referred to it as "the best text on the market". I found out he was right - the book is extremely well-written and its contribution to my understanding of the subject is invaluable.
As it happened, I partly read older versions of the book to find out how every few years Mr. Daft updates his analysis, insights and examples of the ever changing and evolving world of organizations; for instance, the past example of IBM that served as the major opening example of an organization that has gone from the top of the world to the brink of disintegration in the beginning of the 90's (and since then regained leading position in its areas of expertise), is replaced in this 8th edition with Xerox. Mr. Daft continues and presents the most recent developments in organizations' design - structures and management methods that have only emerged lately in response to the turbulences in the environments and competition worldwide.
By making the changes and improvements in every edition "Organization theory and design" wins the title of this review - "the learning book" - that mirror images the main theme of this work - "the learning organization". Almost no organization can stand still in today's reality - managers and workers have to constantly think of better ways of doing things and learn from every source that bears knowledge and can give the organization a better competitive advantage. Things have never moved so fast and threats and opportunities have never been so immense. Competitors have to be efficient and different to survive and stay on the top.
The structure of the book is designed to convey its ideas in the best possible manner: Each and every chapter opens with an example illustrating its content, then an introduction to the subject. Theory and examples from today's organizational world followa and are interwoven throughout the text in the "in practice" section. A fascinating section is "leading by design" in which Mr. Daft highlights top-of-the-line companies that have managed to materialize the theory and consequently lead their industries. Yet another remarkable feature is "bookmark" in which the autohor recommends and actually reviews the content of other books that further develop the subject the chapter dealt with. For me, the magnitude of this behavior is unprecedented; I haven't read a book that is so much interested in advancing and advertising works of fellow authors. This is a code of conduct every author can learn from in pursuing the ultimate goal - to better inform and educate his/her readers.
Some of the material the book covers include the organizational environment, organizational structures, organizational decision making processes, ethics, organization-decline and organizational politics.
As is the norm in many books, Mr. Daft integrates case studies directly connected to the content of each chapter in its end. They add all the more to the reality dimension that is so strong throughout the book.
Lastly, the price of this book is somewhat expensive but well worth the money and will certainly prove to be a wise investment. Years after its reaing and studying it may serve as a reference source when the reader will stumble across situations covered in the book and learn to appreciate even more the lessons insights Mr. daft offers.
A Strong Guide in Organization Theory.......2001-05-18
This is a well-designed and comprehensive book in the area of organization theory. From introduction to the end, this book aims to teach the foundations of organization theory to readers.
There is a great awareness of new developments in the area of organization theory. The new developments such as team-based management models are integrated into the conventional wisdom wonderfully in the book. We are living in a world in which globalization and stiff competition dominates. We name this age as Information Age and corporations need new mentality and practices to adapt to challenging conditions this era brings about. This book presents some new approaches in global competition perspective to readers.
A Look Inside, Bookmark, In Practice, The New Paradigm and Case for Analysis are excellent peculiarities of the book.
Diagrams and other visual characterizations involved in the book give readers a big opportunity to digest topics recounted. Since this book is a detailed investigation of organization theory, you may miss some parts and feel confused. I can recommend another book, that is, Designing Organizations (Robey, D. and Sales, Carol A.), which is a summarized organization theory book with excellent cases.
If you want to understand organization theory with its basic foundations and details, this book is a must. You must exploit the rich knowledge of Professor Daft.
Strongly recommended.
Readable and great information.......2000-11-20
Daft out did himself in this edition of his text. He includes book reviews and company profiles throughout each chapter to illustrate the theories he's describing. I read this for an MA course and found it easy to learn from. I'm even putting the information into practice at work! Not all textbooks are that helpful. *grin*
team-based structure.......1999-06-28
Application of organization design about Team-Based Structures and The boundaryless Organization.
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