Resources Books

I found this book to be an invaluable reference for my research in the area of compensation. It covers all of the main topics in compensation management with articles from the best minds in the field. The trend summary and chapter introductions provide an overview that is interesting and insightful. That kind of analysis is hard to find. The information is surprisingly up to date, since change is slow in this field.

The book is essential for compensation professionals.

Received with thanks the Compensation Handbook in a very good condition. It is exactly the product I was looking for. I believe that it would be a very important reference to my business.

As a compensation consultant, I sought a comprehensive guide for all aspects of the field. The 4th edition of The Compensation Handbook provides simple and direct answers for every compensation problem. It is a virtual "who's who" of compensation professionals providing well-constructed, concise information on their area of expertise. No matter what information I seek -- from base compensation, variable compensation, executive compensation, performance and compensation, compensation and corporate culture, or international compensation -- I can find pertinent, practical guidance in this one book. Compensation issues that are currently challenging every company - regardless of size, age, or industry -- are especially well developed in The Compensation Handbook. The section on Corporate Culture containing chapters on "Culture and Compensation" and "Connecting Compensation, Behaviors, Culture, and Strategy to Win" by William M. Mercer consultants, "Rewarding Scarce Talent" by Patricia Zingheim, "Gaining a Competitive Edge by Improving the Return on Human Capital" by Peter LeBlanc, and "The Role of Work-Life Benefits in the Total Pay Strategy" covers issues that every compensation practitioner or human resources professional will grapple with in the forseeable future. Even the effect of technology and computers on compensation administration are handled in The Compensation Handbook. Information on global compensation strategies is relevant not only to practitioners but to anyone seeking employment on foreign soil or working for a foreign company. The Compensation Handbook is a winner.

As a compensation consultant, I sought a comprehensive guide for all aspects of the field. The 4th edition of The Compensation Handbook provides simple and direct answers for every compensation problem. It is a virtual "who's who" of compensation professionals providing well-constructed, concise information on area of expertise. No matter what information I seek -- from base compensation, variable compensation, executive compensation, performance and compensation, compensation and corporate culture, or international compensation -- I can find pertinent, practical guidance in this one book. Compensation issues that are currently challenging every company - regardless of size, age, industry -- are especially well developed in The Compensation Handbook. The section on Corporate Culture containing chapters on "Culture and Compensation" and "Connecting Compensation, Behaviors, Culture, and Strategy to Win" by William M. Mercer consultants, "Rewarding Scarce Talent" by Patricia Zingheim, "Gaining a Competitive Edge by Improving the Return on Human Capital" by Peter LeBlanc, and "The Role of Work-Life Benefit in the Total Pay Strategy" covers issues that every compensation practitioner or human resources professional will grapple with in the forseeable future. Even the effect of technology and computers on compensation administration are handled in The Compensation Handbook. Information on global compensation strategies is relevant not only to practitioners by to anyone seeking employment on foreign soil or working for a foreign company. The Compensation Handbook is a winner.

An easily understood, quickly assimilated read. I read the entire 200-page book at one sitting, and shared ideas with the co-owners of my company right away. Usually, business management textbooks are full of jargon. Competing for talent is in plain english, and can be applied immediately.

This book offers "heads up" competitive intelligence that will work for any company or organization that wants to attract and retain a high quality workforce. I have seen bits and pieces of this information as we have worked with our own corporate culture. Having "Competing for Talent" in my hands five years ago would have saved us a great deal of research.

Employers are continually concerned about competing with each other to hire and hold the best employees they can find. Sometimes this competition becomes a frenzy, since the best people-qualified, experienced-are in high demand. It's essential, to compete well, to become an Employer of Choice. Ahlrichs, in her preface, observes that employers of choice "know that their 'choice' status is a significant achievement attained through consistent application of comprehensive strategies and tactics, as well as top-bottom organizational responsibility for retention.

This book is divided into three important sections: the big picture, recruiting, and retention. In Part One, How Employers of Choice are Winning the Talent Wars, the three chapters focus on Learning from Employers of Choice, Employer of Choice Foundation Strategies, and Building and Communicating a Top Employer Reputation. These writings present a good overview and insight into how Employers of Choice are operating. The orientation is to understand what these companies are doing, rather than a how-to approach. There is a lot to learn here.

The second part, Creative Strategies for Recruiting Top Talent, offers the readers four chapters, starting with How Employers of Choice are Redesigning Recruitment. The next chapter, Only You Will Do, has a little more instructional tone, but still primarily takes a third person view. This chapter concludes with a helpful Orientation Checklist. Chapter 6, Surfing for Recruiting Results Online does provide a healthy amount of how-to. While this field is changing almost daily, there is a lot of value here for the reader. Plenty of website domains are included. The last chapter in this section, Finding New Hires in Unlikely Places, is filled with good ideas. Here I felt a lot more of the how-to I was looking for.

The third section is entitled Comprehensive Strategies for Retaining Top Performers. Here the chapters are titled Understanding Why Employees Leave; Managing and Leading for Retention; Retrain, Develop, and Profit; and New Compensation and Benefits Strategies. There is a lot of value in these chapters-lots of ideas and perspectives. An exit interview guide will be helpful to those companies that have not taken advantage of this tool. The author seems to really hit her stride in providing ideas for readers in this section. The same holds for her conclusion, Becoming an Employer of Choice.

The book is well-written, filled with valuable information for the reader. The solid chapters are supplemented with a good resource guide and an index. I'd recommend this book for company owners, senior executives, and human resource professionals. As an ethical reviewer, I must share with you that I am co-author of "How to Become an Employer of Choice," a competing title in the same field. With that perspective, I would be quite comfortable recommending my clients read "Competing for Talent" as a supplement to my book.

Competing for talent should be required reading for anyone interested in learning new approaches for hiring qualified employees in today's very competitive work environment. I work for a state university system that has restrictive limits on what we can pay. Competing for Talent provided me with useful real world solutions to attracting and retaining qualified employees. This book had a positive and immediate impact on our hiring success.

After a good start our small group lost some energy. We got copies of this book and read it--each of us involved in starting a new group. We became a group ourselves as we prepared to do small group ministry. It was an exhilerating experience. This a valuable and useful tool. It is nicely written. A pleasure to read. -W. Edward Harris, Indianapolis, In

This book is a terrific "how to" guide for creating and nurturing small church groups that will in turn nurture their members. If you have questions about why small groups have not worked in your church, or started well, but couldn't maintain their momentum, this is the book for you.

Sometimes called "covenant groups," the small groups of this model have "covenant" as their cornerstone. Each group writes up a covenant for how they will conduct the group and how they will minister to each other, their church, and the larger community in which they live.

By following the basic structure given in this book, your small group can become a little community within your church, rather than just a casual gathering of people who may or may not show up. If your congregation has any fears about growing and losing the intimate feeling of their church, small groups such as the ones described are the answer.

In addition to giving step-by-step instructions for creating the groups, Rev. Hill provides many examples from covenant groups from all sizes of churches. The sample information at the back of the book (pamphlets, forms, training, etc.) are very helpful for getting your program up and running without having to start from scratch.

As someone involved in small group ministry, I have found this book indispensible. It incorporates the experiences of many who have been working in the vineyards and lays out in a clear and concise way how to organize and maintain small group ministry in a religious community. Great book!

If you are thinking about integrating small group ministry into the life of your congregation, this book is a must have. This volume is a wonderful survey of small group ministry in the Unitarian Universalist Association as of its printing. It describes the many ways congregations "do" small groups as well as points out key elements of all groups.

I am the VP of Marketing and Communications at a small company and I cannot begin to express how grateful I am for this book. With the everyday stresses I face in production, goals, co-workers, etc., it is extraordinary to have found someone that can clearly teach the Systems Thinking Approach® to strategic management who also understands the lack of time available to train upper management these days. I recommend this book to any management professional that needs to learn tips on accomplishing his or her goals and who lacks the time for more hands on training.

This book is a great resource on many, many applications of Systems Thinking" using the 50+ years of scientific research by the Society of General Systems Research--which is what makes it stand out from other books on Systems Thinking that have no research base.

These tools make it easy for someone to pick up the book, look at the Tools List and select the one you need right now. Thus, you do not have to read the entire book to find it extremely useful. It is a must to have in the Library of every executive, planner, trainer, OD professional and project management expert.

Considering that systems theory is not one of my favorite subjects, I was hesitant to read this book when my daughter recommended it. However, after briefly skimming through the prologue, I found the author to be very honest and easy to understand in his concepts. I am not much of a reader, especially on "how to" types of books, but I have found that Haines' concept of working backwards is quite useful and simple. The whole "H" or "helicopter" analogy as he likes to call it is very easy for me to understand. Being a visual learner, I finally get what people mean when they say the "whole" picture. I have yet to put his advice into practice, but if anything, I enjoyed his examples and how easy it has been for me to read this huge paperback. The first 100 or so pages are the essence or the key, so you could definitely just read those and still put the concepts to practice.

"Simplicity in Thinking" is the best way to describe this book. The subject of Systems Thinking is explained in a thorough yet simple manner. There are a lot of visuals in the book which give clear examples of the concepts. Overall, the concepts in this book have provided me with numerous ways to dramatically improve my management skills in a minimal amount of time.

This book gives plenty of resourceful information including how to find great discounts and knowing when a site is secure enough to send your credit card information over the internet. Once you've read this book you'll want to keep it close by as a quick reference whenever you shop online.

Great information and hints on how to use the Web for shopping. Specific internet addresses are included for best sites for cooking, electronics, etc. Easy to follow and locate your topic of choice.

I highly recommend that anyone who would like to become an on-line shopper use this book as their first on-line purchase,then read it from cover to cover. The information provided will answer many questions about security, privacy, warranties, etc.

Preston Gralla, no stranger to the Internet scene, has written The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Shopping to educate current and prospective online shoppers about the pros and cons of online shopping. Gralla offers plenty of sound advice people should read up on before spending their time and money shopping online.

The book features an incredible wealth of information including some of the better Websites to buy certain items from, where to find important decision-making information before making online purchases, how to avoid being taken in by online scam artists, sales tax information, using credit cards to make online purchases, user warrantees, return policies, and other important purchasing considerations!

Readers will receive a solid lesson on nearly every aspect of online buying. They can compare cars, homes, computers, cameras, and other items before parting with their money. They have access to a number of consumer organizations that can alert them about problem companies, dealers, and products. They also have access to one another!

One topic that has caught the attention of many online shoppers in recent times is the online auctioning of merchandise. Just about anyone can join in and submit online bids for just about anything imaginable under the sun. Beware though! As of this writing there has already been cases of online fraud and child involvement. This fascinating aspect of online shopping requires close scrutiny. Gralla devotes a lot of attention to this matter and so should we!

For those considering going into business for themselves, there is still plenty of time for them to join in the fun and thrill of going into business online. Web developers will gain important online marketing strategies from this book that can be used to create effective business Websites for themselves and for others!

Risks, fears, and concerns aside, online shopping has taken off and will no doubt achieve further popularity in the years to come. This book will help shape the lives of those involved with the various aspects of this fast growing industry, whether as consumers or as marketers. Prepare yourself to shop more intelligently. Make informed purchases. This outstanding book will guide you all the way. It will make a difference!

What it comes to Christian mothering help (with the right touch of humor) Jean Stockdale is by far the BEST! Biblical principals, much needed empathy, and large doses of humor make her entire teachning series a hit with me. I'm on my 2nd teaching book and I actually enjoy & look forward to doing my homework. I have learned so much.

I did this Bible study with a group of women from my church. Every one of our lives were transformed by it! Jean Stockdale is an incredible Bible teacher, but it was her message that was so dynamic - become a student of God's Word. This study was challenging as well as encouraging!

Jean Stockdale has truly changed my life and the way that I mother my two girls. She has so much wisdom and provides so much insight on how to raise Godly children. She is also very practical on how to handle such things as sibling rivalry, discipline, and releasing your children one day to go into the real world. I have learned so much from her. I recommend this book VERY much. You will be blessed.

WOW! This is really an insightful Bible study taught by a very gifted Bible teacher. I have studied under Jean for a couple of years now and can see how God has used the Biblical insight taught through her studies to cultivate a love for God's word in my life.
This study was one of my favorites because the weekly lessons teach on wisdom, friendship, importance of our words, anger, discipline, and integrity through an indepth study of Proverbs. This is an excellent resource to do as a group or individually. You will find the biblical teaching to be doctrinally sound and from the heart of a mom who has trully cherished the gift of mothering!

I have had the pleasure of being a part of the Moms Ministry at Bellevue Baptist Church, where Jean teaches, for a couple of years now. We actually completed this Bible Study last semester and it is excellent. Jean's lessons are full of wit, maternal wisdom, and most importantly- the word of God.

I am very selective and find most Bible Studies to simply skim the surface, but I have been very encouraged and challenged by each of Jean's studies. They are appropriate for both the new beleiver as well as the more mature Christian and will be beneficial to moms of children of all ages.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to learn good Biblical principles and be a better mom (and wife if applicable). I should also mention that the study is not geared toward any denominational slant, so whether you are Lutheran, Baptist or Catholic you will learn valuable lessons from God's word told through a Mother's Heart.

In this masterful and original account the author takes the reader on a virtual tour de force examination of the way in which nature was changed, conquered, preserved, destroyed and manipulated in Germany between the time of Fredrick the Great and the present. The author notes that to "write about the shaping of the modern German landscape is to write about how modern Germany itself was shaped." It begins with the tale of the draining of the Oderburch, a great swamp on the river Oder from Oderberg to Lebus. This swamp along with others was progressively drained and settled in the 18th century. Colonists were brought in and the wolves were hunted to extinction. This was a frontier like any other and the author compares it to other conquests of nature in the New World and South Africa. It was a "conquest from barbarism". This use of science and technology to tame the wild beast of nature is as old as man itself but found a special expression in Germany.

The next section of the book examines the taming of the Rhine river and the harnessing of it to agriculture and the state. The book takes the reader on a wonderful journey alongside the German engineers and statesmen and visionaries who tried the utmost to control flooding and build ports and canals such as Wilhelmshaven. Land reclamation followed. Once again people had to settle and colonize the new areas. The same was being done across Europe, for instance South of Rome where in the 1920s and 1930s colonists would be set to colonizing the Malarial swamps.

But where once colonizing and reclamation were peaceful pursuits they eventually turned sinister with the advent of Nazism and the decision to reclaim the East for German settlers. The idea was that the `barbaric' Slavic peoples could be harnessed as well or removed from the swamps they were `indigenous' to. Propaganda saw them as growing out of the swamps themselves. The `dead space' of the Pripet marshes. Everywhere German `model villages' were designed to replace the `natural' villages that seethed with disease and closed spaces in the `east'.

A brilliant book that weaves together so many topics and is hard to put down, the subject seems staid, but is fascinating.

Seth J. Frantzman

THE CONQUEST OF NATURE: WATER, LANDSCAPE, AND THE MAKING OF MODERN GERMANY is a recommended pick for any library strong in modern Western history in general and German history and culture in particular. Both college-level and general-interest lending collections will appreciate the fine reproductions of paintings, maps and photos which go into a survey linking culture, politic and environmental issues in German history to modern times. It's a key component of any comprehensive collection on German issues and background.

There are many fine environmental histories of North America but seemingly very few of Europe. Following a brief description of how the end of the Ice Age produced the sodden, water-filled plains of central and northern Germany, this book explores how man created the modern German landscape by straightening the Rhine River and "reclaiming" the southern coast of the North Sea and other watery regions. The maps are useful. Great stuff, I wish there were more books on the transformation of the European environment over the past 12,000 years.

This is quite a book.

There are a number of books on how the he U.S. Army Corp of Engineers has modified rivers like the Mississippi in the United States (with more or less success, witness Katrina). This is the first one I've seen on what was done in Northern Europe. The projects in Germany were monumental in scale, taking some 250 years to accomplish. This is part of what made Germany into a nation.

It is quite interesting as it talks not only about what was done but about other aspects such as the health, econonic, cultural, and political aspects. The Nazi's for instance looked at the work done as proof of the natural superiority of the German people.

With all of the success of the projects, the book at the end turns to the problems the efforts have caused: flooding, fish habitat destroyed. In essence all of the problems we are having with these same areas in the United States.

The book fills an important void by asking whether the Internet and might affect land use in the United States-particularly whether it could have dramatic and largely negative consequences on large habitats in previously rural areas.

At first glance, this connection is not obvious. But, as Levitt notes, virtually every significant innovation in transportation and communications technologies (such as highways, telephones, and electricity) have spurred decentralization.

Starting from this premise, the various contributors offer readable, in-depth analyses of whether the Internet is having such impacts and, in an interesting twist, how organizations concerned about habitat preservation can tap the power of the Internet to further their goals.

The result is a volume that should be read by anyone interested in the intertwined fate of rural communities and the natural habitats that surround them.

The book fills an important void by asking whether the Internet and might affect land use in the United States-particularly whether it could have dramatic and largely negative consequences on large habitats in previously rural areas.

At first glance, this connection is not obvious. But, as Levitt and his collaborators notes, virtually every significant innovation in transportation and communications technologies (such as highways, telephones, and electricity) have spurred decentralization.

Starting from this premise, the various contributors offer readable, in-depth analyses of whether the Internet is having such impacts and, in an interesting twist, how organizations concerned about habitat preservation can tap the power of the Internet to further their goals. The result is a volume that should be read by anyone interested in the intertwined fate of rural communities and the natural habitats that surround them.

I am interested in both new networks, American history and conservation, so I was not surprised that the content of this book was so strong. I WAS surprised that it was so well-written and that the connections between the past and the future were so thoughtfully drawn. I really enjoyed this book.

A very valuable and thought-provoking read, both personally and professionally. The book's historical sweep is impressive. Its range of contributors is also very broad and impressive - while I follow a good bit in the environment and conservation, this book offers many perspectives that I had not considered previously. A good book for those who love the dynamics of history, are fascinated by technology and its leaps, who protect and manage natural resources.

The book takes on the vexing questions of "When does change realize progress? And when does it not?" By juxtaposing nature and man's interaction with it, with the rapidly changing world of high technology, the book requires consideration of these questions. CONSERVATION IN THE INTERNET AGE makes one inclined to believe that people serious about the directions of land use and conservation need to be thinking about what Leviit calls "new networks." (I certainly didn't know what this meant before reading the book!) Overall, the book provides hope that new analysis and communications technologies will advance prudent long-term protection of land, water, and other natural resources.

I have a house under construction and I need information on windows types, heating and cooling appliance options as well as insulations. This book is over 5 stars. I borrowed a copy from a library and am planning to buy one for reference collections.

If you want to replace your appliances in your home this is your book to find the most energy efficient products on the market. It rates the products as well as explaining how they work. Tons of information for the everyday consumer. We have used it to help us decide upon which kind of washer & dryer to buy as well as the installation of a heat pump, which replaced the 30 year old forced air furnace. It covers all the types of heating systems as well as cooling systems.
For the washer it compares vertical axis with horizonal axis right down to cost per load, electric and gas, wash and rinse cycle options and even laundry tips.
There is a whole chapter on lighting, both incandescent and compact florescent bulbs.
Hot water heaters are covered: gas or electric, storage types, demand, water pump, tankless, indirect and even solar. It discusses replacing & sizing water heaters for your home and how you use hot water, insulation and how to lower the water temperture. We went as far as to put a timer on our hot water heater so that it only heats water when we need it most, early morning for showers and evening for cooking and dishes.
It even covers windows, home insulation, energy audits and how to read the Energy Guide labels on all products.
We have found this book both informative and a keeper. We have had friends borrow it and some have even gone and purchased their own. This is our 2nd one, we almost wore out the first one which was the 7th edition. The new 8th edition brings us up to date. We gave the old one to friends who were happy to have it.

This book covers both the house itself (insulation, windows, etc.) as well as appliances, furnaces, and lightbulbs. Written in 1999, it lists major appliances, windows, furnaces, boilers, and air conditioners by brand name and model number in table format showing the energy ratings of each one. This saves you the time of running around town or making dozens of phone calls to collect this info.

It also explains all the information contained on energy labels when you go shopping. In particular, I found the section on windows most beneficial. It details what tests are done to obtain the ratings, which tests are most relevant and which ratings you should pay particular attention to, as there are several ratings on each window.

It also was bold enough to say which things you should be spending your money on and which things are nice to have but not absolutely necessary.

I bought this book from amazon for research into healthy houses and I skimmed it for my deadline. I'm reading it closely now. Well written, easy to read, detailed, comprehensive. Even if you haven't a speck of money for new appliances, much less a new heating system, you can save money on energy. It's small--you can fit in your bag to take to the appliance store, but it's packed with stuff. Well worth the price.

I have always loved the Adirondacks, but after reading this astonishingly well-written book I have a new appreciation for this remarkable region. If you're a fellow Adirondacks-lover I HIGHLY recommend this book. Also, if you have time to read only one history of the Adirondacks, then this is the one to read.

This is truly fine work. The relatively new genre of environmental history has produced the usual amount of academic turgidity, but many of these young historyians clearly love the land that they write abot, and have the skills to make discussions of the history of human interacton with natural systems into literature. If you enjoy Terrie, you should also pick up Bullough's Pond by Diana Muir.

This wasn't the most exciting history book I've ever read but it was an informative and concise history of the region. The region known as the Adirondacks is a huge tract of wilderness in northern New York that, as Terrie describes it, is "an unintended mix of private land, villages, and state-owned wilderness." In the opinion of this lifelong frequenter of "The Dacks," it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Terrie thoroughly explains the conflicting intentions for the region that have plagued it since it was first explored and settled in the 18th century. The conflict was between those who recognized it's unique natural beauty and wanted to preserve it as such, and those who saw it as just another land to be exploited for it's natural resources. More recently, the struggle continues as everyday residents of the region battle the bureaucratic Adirondack Park Agency for the right to grow economically, something which has been consistently denied to them, due to the stringent restrictions on any kind of development. Originally published in 1997, it is a bit dated, but for any fellow Adirondack lovers, I would say it's definitely worth checking out.

The book introduces concepts and ideas that you will have thought of before, but never had actually examined in real images and arguements.

Has some great historical facts and stories.

Tells New Yorkers about what has happened in their state.