Industrial Books

I have found this book to be extremely comprehensive and detailed, great for anyone who wants to learn both the basic and advanced concepts of lasers. The book is definitely for the more advanced undergraduate students (and grad students, of course) who have a background in quantum mechanics, and higher-level calculus. The translation from Italian is perfect. Highly recommended.

P.S.: In reply to the review written by `A Reader' below, `newby' is spelt `newbie' (or `noob').

Very good. I recommend it for anyone who works with lasers. Very accurate and easy to read.

-KC, NRL

Clearly written, without oversimplifying some of the
more subtle items (which are so often swept under the
carpet in simpler treatments of the field - such as
the QFT treatment of spontaneous emission). First a
clear and detailled discussion of all the aspects
of the working principles of a laser is presented,
and then specific lasertypes are described, all this
in a very readable style. Great book.

"...the student that is led into the laser field by this text is lucky. The text is excellent and filled with appropriate illustrations...Overall, this work will also be useful as a reference for the topics covered. The literature references are copious and appropriate. The text is well supplied with figures and graphs and for those areas considered in detail, the book is and will remain a very good reference volume."

This book is extremely clear and even a completely newby can read it. At the same time, nothing is left halfway and the subject is covered with extreme care and depth. Congratualations to the author !

Being new to the design world I needed a book that was simple and not encumbered with a bunch of mumbo jumbo. This book is easy to understand and perfect it really helped me to understand 2D Design. I really love this book!

did a good job in sending my item I would order another book from them in the future

A definitive classic for any true graphic design student, as it shows the fundamentals of developing a designer's eye in the relationship of objects in space in conveying communication through imagery. A bit abstract in terminology for the armchair reader, but its foundational language still manages to be engaging and thought-provoking for designers, seasoned and newbie alike.

A romp through the construction of visual form and pattern. This book is subtle yet deep. Although the example designs are not exquisitely rendered (but rather student projects), the principles that Wong exposes should be part of any designers knowledge base.

This book is full of information, and is really well laid out. I use it frequently in the 2D class I teach, along with two other 2D design books. I like the clarity and the examples. However, there's no getting away from the fact that although this book is loaded with great stuff, that it is also as ugly and cheesy looking as a bad Xerox. That might be okay for a math book, but ummmmm, 2D design?

This book presents the winning works of those architects who have left their marks in the architecture world & as a consequence, been rewarded with the Pritzer Prize. There are a lot of beautiful & high grade pictures complemented by documents which are rather user-friendly to read. You don't need to be an architects or architecture students to appreciate this book. It deserves a place in your shelf or on your coffee table hinting to your guests what a discerning & sophisticated reader you are.

As a student of architecture who hopes to one day win the Pritzker, this book in invaluable to me. The variety of architecture in this book gives the reader great insight into many different kinds of architecture. It's great even to just flip through the pages and look at the pictures... Of course, the written content is also very insightful and enjoyable to read. This book inspires you to learn more about the 20 architects featured in the book, as well as the future winners of Pritzker Award.

This book was preety much like i expected, a display of the greatest architectural works for the last 20 years of the 20th century. As a Rogers, Piano, Gehry and Calatrava admirer the works of other architects that you wer'nt aware of their existance certainly open your eyes, some possibly inspiring, as i know they were for me.

For those people not practicing or learning architecture but admire the beauty, a display of SOME of the worlds most fabulous buildings open your eyes to look beyond the street you live in.

Although this is a fantastic book there are many other fabulous buildings left out, which you would expect. There arn't a lot of images of each building, but how thick can a book be? if you love the guggenheim in bilboa, 5 images certainly arnt going to show you the whole story, as is the same with the getty, or the creativity of calatrava BUY THEIR BOOKS there is so much more to an architect than just one building. How they can award a single prize to someone out of so many masters must be the hardest job in the world.

I first saw this book at The Getty Museum. My boyfriend, an architect, picked it out as a great architecture book. The pictures are absolutely beautiful. The architecture represented in the book are some of the most famous in the world and a wonder to look at. From the famous Guggenheim in Bilbao to Falling Water, it's my best buy. It's worth more than the money that you'll pay at Amazon!

Pritzker is to Architecture as Martha Thorne is to Ar

This book describes the way to assess a project management improvement initiative following the concept of the balanced scorecard. It uses a change stage approach that leads to a real ROI: from reaction/satisfaction (acceptance), learning, application/implementation, business impact and quantified ROI. It also provides advice on how to measure each of these stages. I have found the project follow-up questionnaire especially insightful.
At first, I found this book a bit confusing about whether it was trying to assess projects themselves or the project management initiative, but after a second look at it, I see it as is really useful if you need to show the benefits of implementing/developing project management in your organization.

Having read and then reviewed three books co-authored by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton (The Balanced Scorecard, The Strategy-Focused Organization, and Strategy Maps) as well as Paul R. Niven's Balanced Scorecard Step-by-Step, all of which I highly regard, I was especially interested in reading this book which the authors explain how to measure the success of project management solutions.

In the Preface, they assert that, currently, "there is no book that offers a comprehensive, practical presentation on a project management scorecard, using a process that meets the demands of [project managers, clients and senior managers who must approve project budgets, and evaluation researchers who develop, explore, and analyze new processes and techniques]. Most models and representations of the scorecard process ignore, or provide very little insight into, the two key elements essential to developing the scorecard: isolating the effects of project management solutions and converting data to monetary values." Others (notably Kaplan, Norton, and Niven) are far better qualified than I am to verify or dispute that claim. Of greater interest to me is how well organized and written this book is, and, how helpful I believe it will be, at least to project managers as well as to those who must approve project budgets. My Five Star rating speaks for itself.

Phillips, Bothell, and Snead present their material within four Parts: Setting the Stage (e.g. "Project Management Issues and Challenges), The Seven Measures (e.g. "How to Capture Business Impact Data"), Key Issues with the Measures (e.g. "How to Convert Business Measures to Monetary Values"), and Challenges (e.g. "Overcoming Resistance and Barriers to the Project Management Scorecard"). They conclude with an Appendix in which they suggest how to establish an effective project management culture. In it, they identify 16 "Best Practices" and include a brief case study example for each.

What I especially appreciate about this volume is the fact that the authors devote the bulk of their attention to explaining how to implement effectively the various concepts, strategies, and tactics they present. They are also to be commended for concluding each of the 16 chapters with a "Final Thoughts" section. This facilitates a convenient review when a reader wishes to review key points. In fact, I strongly recommend to project managers that they complete such a review at least every 90 days but, preferably, every 30 days throughout their project's duration.

As the authors correctly point out, "One of the greatest challenges is deciding which costs should be included in the project solution cost calculation. For some projects, certain costs are hidden and never included in the cost calculation. Our preference is a conservative one: Account for all costs, both direct and indirect."

There are several major cost categories:

Initial analysis and assessment
Development of solutions
Acquisition of solutions
Implementation and application
Maintenance and monitoring
Administrative support and overhead
Evaluation and reporting

For most projects, the authors recommend this sequence by which to convert data to monetary values:

1. First, define a unit of measure
2. Determine the monetary value of each unit
3. Calculate the change in performance data
4. Determine the annual rate (and amount) of change
5. Calculate the annual value of the improvement

"Costs are important and should be fully loaded in the ROI calculation. From a practical standpoint, some costs may be optional based on an organization's guidelines and philosophy. However, because of the scrutiny involved in the ROI calculations, it is recommended that all costs be included, even if this goes beyond the requirements of the policy."

In this volume, Phillips, Bothell, and Snead offer a wealth of information and counsel which can help achieve the ultimate success of almost any project in almost any organization. That success can then inform and guide efforts to create throughout the same organization a "project management culture."

I love this book! Why?
1. It is written in easy to read style, simple and direct; anyone with minimal PM expertise, culture will understand it
2. It is covering a wide range of tools and possibilities
3. Anyone can start design, or adjust her/his own tools immediately
4. A great refference for future, to come and review it from time to time
5. It is obvious the author has experience in practicing what he is preaching

Begginer PM practitioner will find a lot of good points, easy to catch and study for future.
Experienced PM experts will have an useful guide to improve or design their own PM tools and ideas to adjust their appeoaches and processes. Highly recommended!

This book is ROI-focused and integrates the people and process elements of project management with a balanced scorecard approach. One of the authors, Jack J. Phillips, has extensive experience and a large published body of knowledge in the domains of HR, ROI and scorecard development. This book has his touch, and covers the essentials of a mature project organization, what to measure and how to measure it.

The approach is as follows:
1. Measure:
* reaction and satisfaction
* skill and knowledge churn during the project
* implementation and progress metrics throughout the project
2. From the metrics capture:
* business impact data
* ROI
3. Identify both tangible and intangible benefits and apply them to an aggregate 'true cost'.

The book also shows how to translate business metrics to dollar values, build a business case, and communicate status, based on the scorecard, to clients and stakeholders. This is essential for anyone who is setting up or managing a program management office or who wants to improve internal project managment processes. It also provides one of the best methods for communicating status to clients and upper management.

This book has a mundane title but could be titled "Everything you ever wanted to know about project success and then some". The Project Management Scorecard focuses on how to evaluate and measure the success of project management solutions. Given that failed projects are far more common than successful projects, executives are investing more time and money in developing project managers. This book recognizes the challenges in measuring the return on project management investment and provides clarity and techniques on how to overcome this obstacle.

The book is very thorough in its examination of the problems, process, and solutions to measuring project management success. First the authors break down the problem into its component parts, then they take a look at the project management process steps, and finally they present multiple approaches on how to create an effective scorecard and to use it to achieve desired results. The book includes not only straight-forward steps to follow, but also questionnaires and forms that can be easily used. Success stories and case studies are also included to illustrate major points.

Some of the topics include the following:
o Project management issues and challenges
o Changing corporate cultures
o Measuring reaction and satisfaction
o How to calculate and interpret and ROI
o Capturing business impact data
o Measuring skill and knowledge changes during the project
o Monitoring the true costs of the project
o Converting business measure to monetary values
o Forecasting ROI

This book provides a straight-forward approach to setting up and measuring project success. The authors have taken an onerous topic and provided clarity through simple techniques that can be easily adopted. If implemented, the solutions presented should siginificantly contribute to overall organizational success.

One of the most comprehensive books in the area I have ever seen. I like its approach with guidelines of how to use it depending on the type of user.
It combines advices on mechanical, civil and electrical aspects obtained on years of experience of the authors (more than 100 specialist from the academy and industry).
A huge effort fron the editors. If you like the subject and want one bible-like book, this is it!

A great reference book that deals with all design aspects related to pumping stations. Furthermore, there is extensive information concerning procurement and commercial issues. The book is clear even when it goes into detailed information and should be considered as a must have for every engineer working in this field.

The book is informational and a great asset in our business. It has become an essential tool used daily to help us in our day to day functions in the office.

This was a difficult book to find and we were glad Amazon.com could fullfill our needs.

The Sanks' Pumping Station design is a mile stone in its field.
Having every aspect covered, Sanks has not only designed his book in a way that is easily readable for the field related people but also made it a basic reference for the people on the management side of it.
Owning such a book is a knowldge in itself !!!!

One of the very best engineering texts that I have run across in my career. Exceptionally clear, comprehensive, and practical.

This is a good introduction to both casting and pate de verre, well-researched and the authors obviously have a lot of hands-on experience. Don't be put off by the fact that it's a decade old; although some of the latest equipment and glasses won't be referenced the techniques don't change.

This is one of my favorite glass technique books. It combines intense technical detail with profound humor, and was my main source of information for my first forays into mold making, casting and pate de verre. Many "how-to" books will tell you what to do, but they don't tell you why. They don't provide the science, the reason. This book is excellent because it not only provides all the science you could want, but it does so with humor so you can read the technical bits without your eyes glazing over.

This book was awesome. It had everyhing I needed to know to get started with pate de vere. It was the only book I could find which talked about safety in my workshop. I liked it because it was not the visual fluff found in all the other books.

This is the best book I have seen for anyone who wants to learn the basics of glass casting and pate de verre using a kiln. It's more focused than Lundstrom's 3rd book, better written, with more coherent step-by-step instructions and lots of suggestions that will be useful to both the novice and the more experienced kiln caster. Highly recommended.

Note: This book is NOT, despite a previous reviewer's statements, about making beads. It has no information about beadmaking -- the earlier reviewer was probably confusing this book with Dan Fenton's "More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Glass Beadmaking" (which is, as the title suggests, about beadmaking).

This book is everything you wanted to know about glass beadmaking. For only fourty daollars this book gives you a step by step account of what you should do to create beautiful glass creations. It starts out by telling you the tools needed to get started in one of the fastest growing arts in the country. The step by step instructions on how to create special types of glass beads is also exceptional. This book is a must buy book if you are interested in the art of Glass Bead Making!! -Nicholas J Johnson -Milwaukee Art Examiner

"Race to the Swift" is a sweeping review of military strategy, organization and logistics that has suffered little for being 15 years old. Yes, the NATO references are dated, but they in no way impact a core thesis that is even today ahead of its time. That said, this not an easy book to read; in spite of Simpkin's rather engaging, almost conversational writing style, the material is technical and dense. Moreover, given the comprehensiveness of the work, the reader will sometimes find himself or herself losing focus. However, if you are a student of military theory, and comfortable with the field, this is a book well worth the time it takes to read.

As one might imagine, "Race to the Swift" is a call for speed and stealth in military action. It's not just about technology, however; Simpkin goes to great lengths to examine political/home-front issues, logistics, and military hierarchy. Ultimately, though, these all serve as supporting evidence for his core argument: that the current heavy mechanized divisions of today are too slow in light of the incredible increase in available firepower on the modern battlefield. As an alternative, he calls for armored, stealthy, heliborne cavalry. Traveling in something akin to airborne tanks, capable of deploying on conventional tracks when necessary, these new formations would deploy off of submersible helicopter carriers. Obviously, this thinking is more revolutionary than evolutionary, some of it even smacks of science fiction, but the core validity of his argument, that an exponential increase in speed is called for, is undeniable.

Of particular note for the times we live in are the final few chapters, especially the last one. In them he examines what it means to "wage war" in the age of non-state actors. His arguments on the use of Special Forces backed by the appropriate application of conventional forces seems to have been borrowed wholesale by the planners of our operations in Afghanistan. Also very interesting is Simpkin's exploration of the legal language necessary to maintain the integrity of our western values in our post September 11th world.

In the end this is a work of immense value. As I said earlier, though, the reader has to be committed to taking something out of it. When you are, when you look past the Central European staging for the writing, you will find a work that is rich in both theory and practical application. The way in which it relates to our current situation is almost uncanny, and the guideposts it offers for the future are immensely valuable. I suspect that in the years to come we will hear many of Simpkin's ideas being revisited. The nation in general, and our leaders in particular would do well to pay them heed sooner rather than later.

Brigadier Simpkin in this work takes us to the cutting edge of battle asking for 3-D maneuver-capable "airmechanized" forces. These are forces that would have a combination flying aircraft and armored tank. This is still way ahead of its time as we are still struggling to get fixed and rotary-wing aircraft together with light tracked Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) as the new book Air-Mech-Strike:3-Dimensional Phalanx by Dave Grange's group quotes Simpkin heavily. Simpkin is right though, we could create a LIGHT armored personnel carrier with rubber "band tracks" that could fold its rotors after flight if the same turbine engine that powered flight was geared to charge electric batteries/motors for silent stealthy operation--it would be a superb scout/recon machine that wouldn't have to burn fuel constantly to remain in a hover like today's scout helicopters, but could set down on the ground and revert to a less energing demanding ground vehicle operation. The entire Air/Land Fighting Vehicle would be made out of non-metallics and be radar-invisible. We could do this if we had the WILL in America to do great things, we certainly have the know-how (TECHNOLOGY) ; we only have to look at nature to see many types of flying insects that are dual ground/air movement capable. If we were to read Simpkin's book and allow ourselves to be re-inspired perhaps we could once again lead the way with conceptual greatness again in America.

THE RACE BELONGS TO THE SWIFT, BRIGADIER SIMPKIN!

This is one of the essential "middle ground" books in my lecture of core readings about strategy and force structure (see my list).

Brigadier Simpkin was one of the first, and is still among the best, to focus on the role that both C4I (command, control, communications, and intelligence) as well as rotary wing capabilities (including vertical short take off and landing) would play in placing eyes on target, boots on the ground, and in strategic, operational, and tactical mobility.

He notes that secret C4I is largely counterproductive.

He also focuses on the dramatic implications for force structure as well as intelligence of "out of area" (OoA) operations becoming the norm. The United States and the rest of the world are, for example, completely unprepared for no-notice asymmetric and tribal warfare in Africa, where the United Nations is trying to deal with five complex emergencies as this is written (Burundi, Congo, Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Sudan).

If you can get a copy used, go for it. Worth republishing.

First published in 1985, Brigadier Simpkin's book has a forward from General Donn Starry and another from MajGen Perry Smith, USAF (Ret.) and one of our best strategic thinkers. It is the best book I have found to date with which to begin any discussion about the future of warfare. This was the book that inspired my conceptualization of the four warrior classes and also deepened my understanding of the relationships between mobility, accuracy, intelligence, tempo, mass, politics, and cost.

Not for your average Joe, but Simpkin's thesis should not be lost on anyone: swiftness. Since first published, the world has witnessed numerous conflicts which either could have been avoided, concluded earlier, or fought more decisively if effective forces could have been deployed much faster. It is incredibly pertinent in the emerging era of the asymetrical approach, where threats emerging faster and in a wide variety of terrain. (We can't expect future adversaries to give us months to build up massive mechanized forces in ideal terrain like Hussien did!) Simpkin points out very practical limitations to our current heavy forces -- like getting a 70 tonne tank over a third-world bridge or down a narrow twisting road. As the US Army begins retooling for the 21st century, Simpkin's work is incredibly relevant. Not the easiest book to follow, but worth the effort.

Mike Olszewski blows the Buzzard myth wide open, then ties the
shrapnel back up into one tidy little package. Fun, informative, a great read!

"Radio Daze" is like looking back into a time portal of recent history packed with behind the scene info and details of the legendary radio station.
Olszewski paints an easy to read and interesting portrait of WMMS, its owners, management and DJ's. His non-stop tapestry of employee's mixed with stories of some of the original rockers are both interesting and entertaining.
WMMS was the dominant radio station of its time in the Cleveland, Ohio area and was co-existing in a parallel complimentary world of rock music. Riding the airwaves of some of the greatest rock bands ever to emerge out of the musical creative times of the 60's and early 70's.
Ambitious undertakings seemed to be prevalent with the youthful WMMS management, and from my observations they weren't following any recommended guidelines on building a brand name. In a parallel universe the early WMMS management team would have been likened to a band of swashbucklers under the Jolly Roger. Marconi would turn over in his grave if he new of the amount of time this troop spent irritating the other radio stations with Gestapo like tactics to bring in ratings. After reading some of the excerpts in "Radio Daze" I was a little afraid to turn the radio on fearing retaliation.
Some of the highlights: How the radio stations personal helped promote some of the new breed of rockers with radio airplay and marketing promotions. How the WMMS management were very influential in orchestrating a campaign to acquire votes to bring the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" to Cleveland. The seemingly constant shifting of DJ personal [including nicknames] various antics, egos and a mind set where even sabotage was not out of the question.
This book is not filled with off the shelf information, but valid details from someone who was there. Olszewski does a great job of blending 1st person knowledge and then writes from the 3rd person. With his writing abilities and his descriptive style he makes you feel like he's talking to you over a hamburger, fries and a beer. The author definitely has the "worn out shoes" when it comes to his credentials and knowledge base for acquiring information for this multifaceted book.
He has the exclusive rights to exclaim "The World Premier" of books about the birth of FM radio in Cleveland Ohio.

I remember walking into the penthouse of the Statler Hilton hotel on a chilly night in October 1971. I was a young antiwar protestor delivering leaflets to fledgling prog rocker WNCR. As I walked into the control room, I was intrigued by the ambience. Loud music blared from the large Electro Voice speakers mounted above the Gates Stereo Statesman console. Behind the mic was a bearded cat by the name of Jeff Gelb. He was really cool and allowed me to hang out with him. I ended up becoming an intern and fetched coffee and answered phones for Lyn Doyle's "People's Night on the Radio" show. A week or two after I started, my first cousin, Carolyn Thomas walked in. I asked her what she was doing there and she asked me the same question! It turned out that she was working overnights!! (I also found out that Doyle was my cousin by marriage). After WNCR moved to the Stouffer Building around December 1971, interns were exiled and I moved to WMMS working with Billy Bass and David Spero for a few months. It was amazing to watch them work. I ended up back at WNCR in February of 1972 and had a chance to run the board and "ride gain" for Carolyn and Lee Andrews on occasion. Those days were magical and I ended up in radio myself for over 20 years, working at stations in LA and Cleveland. If you want to relive those times, this is the book to read...

This book is an easy read and has some great stories in it. I was lucky enough to have been around radio in those days, in particular WMMS(though I never worked there, but my uncle was the PD) and this book brought back some great memories. It really shows the passion Cleveland had for it's Rock and Roll and it's radio. It is a great commentary on the greatness that TRUE competition can harbor. Nice job Mike.

If you ever listened to FM radio during the 70's and 80's this is a book for you. I expected a textbook but instead got a wonderful ride through the FM radio ages. It doesn't matter what city you were in, this story is for everyone. Remember when radio had a personality? This will refresh your memory. Top 40 died and a new age was created, one that has flourished, made superstars out of bar bands, legends out of local stars. All the stories are here...you will ENJOY!!

In this engaging book, George Pyle avoids clichéd hand-wringing about the "Crisis of the American Farmer." Instead, he delivers an informative, fascinating farmers'-eye-view account of US agricultural policy within the larger context of economic globalization, the energy crisis, global warming, water pollution, the US obesity epidemic, genetically modified foods and terrorism. Pyle enriches his account with links to slavery, communism, the Dust Bowl, Star Trek and Nobel economist Amartya Sen. Sprightly, direct writing, clear information and convincing analysis, all in 200 pages. Read this book, and you'll to understand where your dinner fits into the Big Picture.

Since the 1930's when subsidies were provided to farmers that grew program crops (corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, tobacco...), we were told by pretty much every politician running for office that such subsidies were necessary to save the family farm. Finally, somebody has taken the effort to point out that telling this lie for over seventy years hasn't made it true. In fact, if there is any one factor which is working to limit the viability of mid-sized family operations, it is the grain subsidies which encourage overproduction and mismanagement of the land and water resources and has created a producer base whose primary skill is "farming the government" rather than being true stewards of the land.

While I agree with the author's main point, that grain subsidies are putting family operations at a disadvantage relative to the larger "mega-farms", I respectfully disagree with the point that the subsidies are being maintained for the benefit of all agribusiness entities. While major players in the grain market (Cargill, ADM, Continental Grain) have a vested in interest in having a lot of bushels of program crops around which they can handle and thereby tack a fraction of a cent/bushel margin on, I don't think this conspiracy includes the beef packing industry. Rather, this industry just evolved to its present state to operate in the environment which the subsidies created. If such obscene profits were being realized by all agribusiness entities, IBP (Iowa Beef Processors) would not have been boughten up by the poultry industry juggernaut, Tyson Farms and Swift Packing Co. would not be on Smithfield Farms acquisition list. In fact, I think these events provide a certain degree of circumstantial evidence that the grain subsidies provide a comparative advantage to the pork and poultry industries over the beef cattle industry. However, this one slip can easily be dismissed on the basis that the author is an aging baby boomer and raging against the establshment is what boomers do and shouldn't detract from the point that the grain subsidies are causing more problems than they solve.

I 'm a city girl and though I was raised in Kansas, I know little about the argricultural market. This book was an eye opener. The author's premise is sound and believe me, it took a lot of convincing on his part to bring me to this point.

Let's stop feeding the poorer nations with our "surpluses."

I've known farmers and always wished them well. However, I never really had a burning passion for their survival. Growing up in Houston didn't exactly make me a "man of the soil".

Yet, after reading George's book, I understand and finally do care about their success. This is a great book for folks who, like myself, don't understand. A side bonus - unlike a textbook, it's fun to read. George brings the issue down to the level of the consumer, then elevates that level to greater understanding. You learn about the health, security, and economic reasons that you care...even if you didn't know you cared.

I had the honor of working with George in Salina. Anyone who knows his body of work has to feel that, whether you agree with him or not, he's an excellent and entertaining writer. He's also a great guy.

Bryant

RAISING LESS CORN, MORE HELL: THE CASE FOR THE INDEPENDENT FARM AND AGAINST INDUSTRIAL FOOD by George Pyle is an eye-opening treatise on the damage that overproduction and overdevelopment of food does to our economy, our health and our ways of life. These wrongs are committed through the industrialization of food that has occured in the United States in the twentieth century, and Pyle makes a convincing case in easy-to-read reportage that outcomes of this process are not good.

Pyle, who is currently an editorial writer for the Salt Lake Tribune, was raised in Kansas and spent several years as editorial page editor at a newspaper in Salina, Kan. He was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1998, and this book shows his valuable journalistic sensibilities in an issue of great public interest. He is able to clearly (and colloquially) make his case in all the areas he focuses on through thorough citation and primary reporting.

The book (after an interesting prologue titled "Searching for Roots: Or, How I Learned to Start Worrying and Love the Small Farm") is divided into sections with chapters that explore the aspects of "Wealth," "Health" and "Security." "Wealth" deals primarily with the faulty economic assumptions that spur American growers to grow not just crops but their own operations, borrow money for bigger and better machinery, and commoditize themselves right out of a profit. He also deals with the corporate farms and giant cattle and hog farms that are springing up all over the nation. (The farmers make all the investments in facilities and the corporations take none of the risks, but control all the prices. The corporations can also decide not to use a farmer for whatever reason after he or she has made the investments in all the facilities...) This sections lays the groundwork for the fundamental pricing issue of Pyle's thesis: Overproduction drives down prices for American farmers, causes worldwide commodity "dumping" and discourages developing nations from growing their own foods. It's really a "death cycle" of farm economics, but individual farmers feel compelled (and are supported by short-sighted governmental policies) to get as much as possible out of their lands to get bigger profits (or smaller losses) each season, even while this action contributes to driving down real farm wages over time.

The second section, "Health," deals with the consequences of genetic modification of crops and the issues associated with feeding livestock corn and chopped up animal bits, contrary to nature. And there ARE consequences. Some of the consequences are trade related (the EU and other nations won't allow GM crops to be imported, resulting in trade embargoes, political conflict and accusations and aspersions cast on U.S. crop exports) and some are health related (cows should not be fed corn, as when they are, e. coli develop in their intestines... this would be fine if slaughterhouses were clean or careful enough to keep the organs away from the saleable meat, but they aren't... also, mad cow comes from feeding cattle, which are herbivores, bits of other animals, including brains, to fatten them up). Pyle makes such a convinincing case against both these practices, that it has caused me to be more careful in what I purchase and what I eat.

The third part, "Security" focuses on how easily U.S. food production could be terrorized, either by a malicious party or by nature because of its uniformity and its determined ignorance of natural threats and defense. The previous two sections figure in this argument given all that the author has laid out for readers leading up to this penultimate part.

The afterword is particularly instructive. Pyle ties together the themes of his work and focuses the reader on going forward toward something positive. We must find local growers of food, we must allow our food to be a local product, we must be receptive to nature's lessons, and we must seek change in the economic and political climate that encourages our own farmers to drive themselves out of business and our food out of natural confines.

The book is serious, but fun to read, as Pyle's voice is colloquial, strident, but personable. One of my favorite passages, in which he makes an analogy that instructs us on crop rotation, and intermixed crops: "Imagine that you are a discerning, well-cultured, and intelligent person. Imagine that you really like chocolate. But I repeat myself" (p. 187). His headnotes for chapters are diverse, interesting and eclectic, as he quotes communicators from William Shakespeare to William Shatner.

I strongly, strongly recommend this book. It's something we should all be concerned about, and Pyle's treatment of the issue is comprehensive and accessible. It changed my thinking about food, made me more informed as a consumer and a citizen, and I think it will do the same for you!

Recreating the Corporation is Ackoff's best work on utilizing the use of systems thinking to understand how to make not only pieces of companies better, but how optimizing the entire company can lead to dramatic improvements. Those who know Ackoff's work will appreciate his freshening of material contained elsewhere and the addition of new concepts to make the framework wholistic.

I enjoyed this book very much, particulary the introduction with its synopsis of systems theories and management applications. Recommended for managers in organization redesign roles in business and government

Since Peter Senge eloquently introduced business readers to the importance of systems thinking in The Fifth Discipline, companies have been grappling with how to apply that aspect of the learning organization. In Re-Creating the Corporation, Russell Ackoff has written the most complete description of how such an organization can be created.

A system is any grouping of parts that is influenced by its parts and requires their coordination to create the best result. A car is an example. You can take the best transmission from one type of car, the best engine from another, and the best brakes from a third, and they will not work together. This is a typical quality of systems: If you optimize any part of the system, you reduce the effectiveness of the whole. But most organizations are set up to seek optimization of the part rather than the system, creating disasters like the car example I just used.

Although he makes only limited reference to it, Professor Ackoff is clearly influenced by complexity science. He has created fractals (small versions of the whole that scale up and down) in his organization, and is trying to expose the widest number of people to the widest possible perspectives on the systems issues of an organization.

The book is designed as a series of essays to explain what systems are and how they operate; processes for planning, design, implementation and learning; organizational designs that apply the concepts of democracy, economy and flexibility; and an overview of the weaknesses of management fads and panaceas, and the benefits of working on organizational and transformational leadership instead. His goal is to create an organization that is as stable as possible in order to create an organization that is as flexible as possible. Let me explain. He wants to avoid reorganizations of roles and jobs, but he wants the organization as a system to evolve rapidly and easily in serving stakeholders.

I found the concepts to be quite consistent with the realities of a wired world, by putting a structure and a thought process together that will provide a context for gaining benefits from enhanced communication. Basically, the structure relies on creating a three dimensional organization -- one that relies on input (functional) units like purchasing, finance, and legal that are primarily used internally, output (product or service creating) units such as the manufacturing activities, and market or user defined (customer or geography) units. Most organizations emphasize one of these three dimensions or the other. By keeping them in place in a balanced way, the idea is to avoid needing to make adjustments to create or abolish any of these types of units.

A second major innovation to aid this organizational structure is the idea of using interacting boards to supervise each unit. This creates more participation, more democracy, and more interconnection across the organization.

To this, Ackoff combines a common process for systems solution creation and implementation that all would learn in the organization.

With organization, thinking, and doing processes in place, he then proposes that organizations go for transformational change rather than incremental change.

I found the book to be full of fresh thinking and interesting examples of how this can be applied based on Mr. Ackoff's consulting experiences with his well-known, long-term clients like DuPont and Anheuser-Busch.

For those who want to learn more about systems thinking at the micro level, I suggest reading the sections on that in The Fifth Discipline Field Guide. That will help you understand the concepts much better than the material in this book.

While I agree with the concept of keeping the organization as stable as possible, I found the proposals here to be a pretty ponderous way to accomplish that end. I suspect that simpler versions of this concept could work almost as well in coordinating systems thinking, and might work much more rapidly. For a newer, smaller organization, the structure would be overly complicated.

My own idea is that companies should move beyond organizational design and problem-solving structures as their focus to concentrate instead on creating an overriding mission, vision, strategy, tactics, and means of implementation (with employees and stakeholders who are energized by this diretion) that are all-encompassing in perspective and in providing direction, and perpetual in appropriateness. Then, by focusing on the key points of potential progress, the organization should constantly make large improvements in its business model that are more adaptable to the changing business environment. I think this concept of the organization that I have just described is easier to understand and apply once it is formulated in an organization than the ideas described here from Re-Creating the Corporation.

Even though I disagree with the proposed solutions in this very interesting book, I gave the book five stars for raising most of the right questions. We learn more from good questions than from the first sets of proposed solutions, and I hope that others will take these questions seriously and pursue them as well.

After you have read this book, ask yourself where in your organization you are pursuing optimization of an area or a part of the organization's activities. When will that optimization be harmful? How can you prevent that harm? What means of coordination could create a better combined result for your organization?

I enjoyed this book very much, particulary the introduction with its synopsis of systems theories and management applications. Recommended for managers in organization redesign roles in business and government

"This book is a product of applying systems thinking to the management and organization of enterprises". Russel L. Ackoff writes, "therefore, an understanding of the nature of systems and systems thinking is essential for understanding what this book is about. Although most people can identify many different systems, few know precisely what a system is. Without such knowledge, one cannot understand them, and without such an understanding, one cannot be aware of their implications for their management and organization and for treatment of the most important problems that currently face them" (p.5).

Thus, he firstly argues that a system is a whole consisting of two or more parts that satisfies the following five conditions:

(1). The whole has one or more defining properties or functions.

(2). Each part in the set can affect the behavior or properties of the whole.

(3). There is a subset of parts that is sufficient in one or more environments for carrying out the defining function of the whole; each of these parts is necessary but insufficient for carrying out this defining function.

(4). The way that each essential part of a system affects its behavior or properties depends on (the behavior or properties of) at least one other essential part of the system.

(5). The effect of any subset of essential parts on the system as a whole depends on the behavior of at least one other such subset.

Hence, Ackoff summarizes his argument that a system is a whole that cannot be divided into independent parts without loss of its essential properties or functions, and additionally argues that when the performances of the parts of a system, considered separately, are improved, the performance of the whole may not be (and usually is not) improved.

Within this general framework, he:

* defines four different types of systems, and shows their effects on organizations and the way they are managed (more detailed discussion see Chapter 2):

(1). 'Deterministic', systems and models in which neither the parts nor the whole are purposeful.

(2). 'Animated', systems and models in which the whole is purposeful but the parts are not.

(3). 'Social', systems and models in which both the parts and the whole are purposeful.

(4). 'Ecological', systems and models in which some parts are purposeful but as a whole have no purposes of their own.

* by considering three primary forms of traditional management and planning (reactive, inactive, and preactive) and their deficiencies, discusses systems-oriented/interactive form of management and planning.

* discusses five aspects of interactive planning in separate chapters as follows:

- preparing the state of the organization or a situational analysis (more detailed discussion see Chapter 4).

- determining ideals, objectives, and goals or ends planning of the organization (more detailed discussion see Chapter 5).

- identifying the gaps between what the organization is and is now doing and where it wants to be and to be doing (more detailed discussion see Chapter 6).

- considering resources such as money, plant and equipment (capital goods), people, consumables (materials, supplies, energy, and services), data, information, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, and asking and answering following questions:

i. How much will be required, where, and when?

ii. How much will be available at the required time and place?

iii. How should each shortage or excess be treated? (more detailed discussion see Chapter 7).

- implementing and controlling with learning and adaptation (more detailed discussion see Chapter 8).

* describes and explaines circular type of organization as a democratic hierarchy.

* discusses internal market economies as substitution of the centrally planned and controlled economies within the organizations.

* discusses the multidimensional design and organization that eliminates the need to restructure when internal or external changes require adaptation, and argues that "the circular organization, the internal market economy, and multidimensional design can all be combined in one organization. The power of each is significantly enhanced by its interactions with the others".

* examines currently popular panaceas such as downsizing, TQM, continuous improvement, benchmarking, and process reengineering and the reasons they fail, and argues that "there are no simple solutions to complex problems. Furthermore, since problems are interdependent, their solutions should be. Interdependent problems constitute messes, systems of problems. Therefore, their solutions must also form a system. A system of solutions is a plan, and plans are complicated, not simple. It is not possible in a few minutes to find behavior that will resolve, solve, or dissolve a set of problems that took years to cultivate".

Strongly recommended.