Resources Books

This book was more complete from beginning to end that I could have ever imagined. Everything from how to pick out the ring (the diamond guide was excellent), to planning the honeymoon on a budget. A must read for anyone planning a wedding! Geared towards a reader of either sex. Very professionally written and highly recommended!

This is a very comprehensive resource. There is very little info on destination weddings (1-2 pages). If you like to do your own web research you will probably have come across most the info this book provides. But over all, really thorough book.

As an engaged couple who don't have a lot of time nor that much interest in reading too many wedding books, this was a great resource for us! There's no filler in here, every page is jammed packed with practical information and tips. It is straight to the point, offers useful advice and the writing is easy/fun to read. I don't have to read it in chronological order, just skip to the section that you need depending on where you are in the planning process. And it fits perfectly in my bag (even the size/shape of the book is practical)when we go to appointments. I highly recommend this book.

e-Plan Your Wedding: How To Save Time And Money With Today's Best Online Resources by Crystal and Jason Melendez is a creatively practical and innovative guide to finding and securing an inexpensive yet fulfilling wedding ceremony and reception by way of the internet. As the internet continues to mature and expand, ordinary people find more and more of what they wish to accomplish or research can be quickly done on-line -- something past generations never had, and e-Plan Your Wedding is the ultimate "user-friendly" reference for swift and tactful preparation of the big matrimonial day. e-Plan Your Wedding is very strongly recommended instructional resource for wedding planners, especially for aspiring newlyweds anticipating their own do-it-yourself, cost-efficient, wedding planning.

I have only read about half of the book so far and already I have used many of the tips and scripts. All the scripts mentioned in the book are available online so you don't have do all that typing. Many of the hacks are not really hacks, but tips and recommendations on how to do things.
The only minor complain I have is that the book references other chapters, but you have to go back to the Table of Contents to find the page number for the chapter. I think each page should have the current chapter number on it.
Each page does have the hack number on it so it makes it easy to find a hack without going back to the table of contents.

If you use eBay (as a buyer or seller), this is the "user's manual" or best practices guide that should be part of your signup... eBay Hacks by David A. Karp.

Contents: Diplomacy and Feedback; Searching; Bidding; Selling; Working with Photos; Completing Transactions; Running a Business on eBay; The eBay API; Index

Most Hacks titles consist of 100 tips and tricks related to the subject matter being discussed. In eBay Hacks, you get an extra 25 for your money. What a deal! :-) Regardless of whether you're a complete newbie to eBay or you actually run an eBay storefront, you'll find things in here that will save you time and money on a regular basis. Reading the chapter and hacks on feedback, I learned that there are ways to prevent negative feedback even after it's been given. Since so much of who you are on eBay relates directly back to your feedback rating, this can be a critical factor in getting buyers to trust you (or others to sell to you). The chapter on bidding went into the act of "sniping", or bidding at the last second, so that you can stand a much better chance of not being overbid at the last second. I didn't realize there are third-party services that will do this for you automatically. No wonder I've lost some things I really thought I had nailed. Karp even goes into how best to compose photos that will draw people to your auction rather than send them away for something that looks more appealing.

Obviously, you can use eBay without this book and information. I'm sure you'll do fine. But the first time you find an auction miscategorized (because you were looking for that condition) and you launch a bidding strategy that gets you the deal of a lifetime for next to nothing, you'll wonder why you waited so long. Good stuff here...

Author: David A. Karp

Description:
eBay Hacks by David A. Karp
Published by O'Reilly ISBN 059610068X
Reviewed by Jim Lauria-HuNTUG member

From the introduction: "Essentially, you'll find in this book the tools to help you trade smarter and safer, make more money, and have fun doing it."

This second edition-revised and updated to June 2005-provides the eBayer with tips and tools (aka hacks) for successful bidding, buying and selling on the premier online auction web site.

I found the hacks provided by the author to be extremely helpful and informative, easy to use and understand. As a long time eBay seller I had become complacent with the tools and techniques which I had been using for months or even years. This book has given me new ideas and approaches to make my eBay business better.

Karp provides clever shortcuts and powerful tools to do all sorts of neat things like create better titles, listings and descriptions to fancier photographs (Hack 74) and even how to cultivate a good reputation and protect yourself and your $ (Hacks 25 & 85). He also provides warnings about your safety, privacy and money matters.

Included is a chapter on eBay's Application Programming Interface, XML, Perl, PHP and RSS and development of custom software apps that can be worked in to one's own business apps and can also be passed along to others-hey maybe even for a small fee!

The book is well written with plenty of photos, screen shots and lots of code to get you up and buying/selling in quick fashion. 438 pages that read through really quickly and are packed with plenty of good stuff.

I would recommend this title for anyone-novice or pro-who is or would like to make or save some money using eBay or just to have some fun while selling your wares. The book lists for $24.95-less online.

I give this one 5 stars.

One of my favorite activities in my spare time is buying and selling on eBay. It has quickly become the world's largest virtual mall of just about everything you can possibly think of. When I received this book I was eager to learn some of the "tricks of the trade" and found a lot of useful material, albeit some of it is geared towards power sellers and not the average user.

The book itself is packed with 125 "hacks" for eBay, which can range from the basics (leaving feedback) to the more complex (setting up your own online check-out). A lot of the hacks give you tweaks and twists on the normal way of doing things, or take a task and show you a different, sometimes a little more dynamic, way of doing it.

Some of the more advanced topics will only be feasible if you are a powerseller. The author covers a lot of third-party tools as well, which can quickly run into the big dollars if you are just selling a few things each week. However, there is a fair amount of material devoted to the mom and pop sellers, like many of us are. One of the shining points of this book is that it does show you how to do a lot of tricks yourself if you are willing to roll up your sleeves and play around with Perl.

However, the book is for more than just sellers. A lot of tips are there for buyers as well. Such things as how to snipe effectively, and how to take advantage of bid increments in the auction to get the item for the lowest price. Even though the author is writing for both parties, the buyer and seller, he does a good job of not taking advantage of one over.

A few of the topics he covers can be a bit controversial, depending on how you look at it. Things such as withholding feedback and sniping can be frowned upon by some -- but it is all perfectly legal in the world of eBay and the author tells you how to take advantage of it.

Overall, a good book for those who want to get more out of eBay than just the casual buyer/seller. If you want to kick-start your eBay selling career, this is one of the books you will want to have to help guide you; Whereas if you want to learn the tricks of the buying game, you couldn't have picked a better reference manual.

I've been waiting for this book for SIX months!

If you read the first book by Brad and Debra Schepp (eBay Power Seller Secrets) You'll love this book, if you didn't read the first book, eBay Powerseller Secrets, I highly advise that you buy both! Brad and Debra Schepp write with an easy to read style. I feel these two books have more value than the other 40 eBay and ecommerce books I have on my shelf. I like the fact that this book delves deeper into the culture of eBay sellers than most other eBay books.

You won't find anything about the SYI form or how to list your item. This book is far more advanced and gives you insight into who the successful PowerSellers are on eBay and why, it may as well be the who's who of eBay PowerSellers. Brad and Debra are associate members of the Professional eBay Seller's Alliance, they seem to have the inside track on everything eBay. They even write for the auction industry news authority Auctionbytes.

Unlike other authors that pretend to be experienced eBay experts, Brad and Debra don't, they bring you the stories and facts from the experts in a far more valuable format that reads more like entertainment than a boring business instruction book. I do advise that when you sit down to read this book to have highlighter or sticky notes handy, the concepts fly at you and you can't put this book down, do yourself a favor and mark the spots when you have those million dollar AHA moments while reading. Instead of getting the perspective of just an author, Brad and Debra bring you the perspectives of many different sellers. Brad and Debra put some soul and personality into the book bringing wisdom from what appears to be over 100 of the top sellers on eBay.

They touch quite a few topics that are near and dear to my heart.

How to find products (the simple and cheap way)

Multi Channel Sales (Our New Mantra)

The future of listing enhancements (Free pictures, audio and even video)

Google Adwords, Froogle and Gbase.

Your eBay community and interaction with it. (Sharing with others produces returns)

Bonus section (Top 500 sellers and the top 200 fastest growing sellers on eBay)

Brad and Deb's first book eBay Powerseller Secrets:Insider Tips from eBay's Most Successful Sellers encouraged me to start my own me page and helped develop processes that I use today. They are solid no bull writers that practice what they preach, I'm sure if they wanted to , with all the information they have gathered, they could be one of the top ten sellers on eBay, but you can definitely tell when reading their books that their passion is writing about eBay and technology, they capture the soul of eBay and bind it for you. If I could only have one eBay book, this would be it.

Authors talk to top eBay PowerSellers and reveal their secrets to success. Useful, actionable advice. Highly recommended.

Brad & Deb Schepp really know how to give eBay sellers what they want! As a long-time eBay PowerSeller and Certified eBay Education Specialist, I know first-hand, what it takes to become successful and all the pitfalls that one must go through to obtain PowerSeller status. eBay PowerSeller Million Dollar Ideas has it all! The information is invaluable and easy to read. I learned so many new ways to save time and money, just in the first few chapters and there are sooooooo many fabulous tips and tricks, that it was hard to figure out which one I wanted to try first!

I really enjoyed reading about all the different ideas of my fellow PowerSellers and felt like I had made a whole new group of friends, after reading all of the "Meet A PowerSeller" profiles. The personal touch was a great addition to all the technical information.

This book is a must-read and well worth the cover price, as the book will pay for itself over and over again. This will be required reading for all of my future eBay students! -- Stephanie Inge aka Stephintexas

Fantastic book! Even better than their first Powerseller book (which was wonderful). If you are looking for creative ways to improve your eBay business, this book will set you off on a running start.

It is full of specific examples from quality eBay sellers and real world examples: search engine optimization ideas, customer relation ideas, marketing and advertising, and even selling beyond eBay. Plenty of screen shots for great visual examples.

It is very well written and easy-to-read. More importantly, it's easy to reference. At the end of every chapter there is also a wonderful "Meet a Powerseller" write-up.

If you are serious about your eBay business (or any online business), this book is a must-read. Have a highlighter ready. You'll need to use it!

Mr. Palms has really done a wonderful service to the person that is interested in effecting their world for Christ through a larger medium such as magazine writing.

He has laid a solid outline that leads a person through each phase, and consideration needed in order to effectively communicate your ideas to both the reader, and your consumer, the editor.

I no longer feel the process is as complex as brain surgery, and can see how to go about being published with what the Lord is laying on my heart.

I would fully recommend this book to any writer that would like to understand the process and the kind of questions you need to be asking yourself as you write. There are also some great tips on researching your magazines and editors; tips that should save you lots of time and effort, let alone tears from rejection letters. He can't promise you won't get rejection letters, in fact he guarantees it, but he will help you cut down on those rejections and how to learn from them to make you a better writer.

I hope God uses this book to help us change the world, maybe one last time...

Palms offers the budding writer loads of helpful advice for how to get started and how to spread good news through articles. Aimed at people who especially want to write about their spiritual experience, Palms's book is a practical help from a man who seems to have loads of experience.

I have had the distinct pleasure to hear Mr. Palms speak on several occasions and I can tell you his speaking voice comes through in his writing one. In this book he is professional, approachable and convinces you that if you've the determination to learn the writing craft, it can be done. He provides the means through the book's twelve chapters.

In Effective Magazine Writing, Palms uses a format that is user-friendly, down to reminding you to put fresh batteries in your recorder before an interview. There aren't so many rules in this book as there are suggestive ways to write. He encourages the writer to listen to their voice when crafting an article.

My favorite chapter, page really, is Chapter Seven, God's Word In Your Words. On page 80, Palms reminds the writer by quoting Scripture, Hebrews 4:12, "For the Word of God is living and active." He talks about God's power and His Word not returning void, ending with "we want people to internalize what is true, we want people to think about truth...and to act on that truth."

Powerful words and an excellent reminder of what our writing should be about. As Christian writers we are about the business of God. He lives and breathes through us. It is our mission, no, our command, to honor and glorify Him in each word we write. I also liked the sidebars at the end of each chapter, offering a gentle reminder to make your writing crisp and clean.

This is a book you'll want in your office bookshelf to refer to again and again. It will make you a better writer. Guaranteed.

Geared toward the new freelance writer hoping to be published in evangelical periodicals, Roger Palms' "Effective Magazine Writing: Let Your Words Reach the World" can help you learn to write and sell your work.

Palms', whose vast experience includes editing "Decision" magazine, challenges writers to think like an editor, and to meet the needs of the marketplace. Rather than write something and then see who will buy it, he suggests to turn that around. Who is buying what, and can I write it? This kind of critical thinking will produce more focused, stronger writing, and can enable you to sell your work.

As he has been the editor of a magazine read by almost two millions readers each month, he knows what editors want and what makes good writing. He presents this in a very well-organized, succinct text. Covering legal and ethic issues, and how to consider rejections, and what the life of a discplined writer is all about, Palms' book will encourage and push the Christian writer to move forward in a sensible way.

A perfect companion book would be "Christian Writers' Market Guide 2002: The Reference Tool for the Christian Writer (Christian Writers' Market Guide)" by Sally Stuart, an annual directory of Christian publications.

I fully recommend "Effective Magazine Writing: Let Your Words Reach the World" by Roger C. Palms.

Anthony Trendl

I just finished a class on English Structure using this as our textbook. The authors bring you through reasoning about grammar principles/rules/nuances via examples and short exercises. I found it to be an extremely useful review of basic to advanced grammar points, with helpful hints on activities and common gotchas for ESL/EFL students. I give this 5 stars for the native english speaking teacher (However, I would give 4 stars as a resource for teachers who have english as a second language themselves, as much of the book's exercises assume you inductively learned many of the rules, and I could see this being lost on the non native speaker. However, they do explain the subtle nuances in most cases, so it is still a good guide).

This book should not only be used by ESL/ESOL/VESOL teachers, but by anyone who teaches grammar. Every detail is explained, the exercises and are easy to follow.

Teachers will never use another book once they see how complex material is made easy to explain.

First of all, do not be put off by the title. This is not a traditional, dry grammar book, filled with every rule of correct English usage. Those of you who know Richard Firsten's publications, such as "Troublesome English" and the "Real Life Grammar" series, will not be surprised that "The ELT Grammar Book" is really a teacher's guide to the most common, and most difficult to explain, points of English grammar.
The book devotes a chapter to 20 of the most common areas of grammatical difficulty, such as word order, articles, subjunctives, and direct object companions. Each area is dealt with in the following three ways:
The Socratic Approach - whereby readers are encouraged to observe, think about, and make conclusions about the point. This technique enables exploration of the grammar in a way which is much more meaningful in the long run. Instead of committing rules to memory without really understanding why they exist, this method helps you understand the point so that you can more easily explain it to your students.
"Troubleshooters" - These are helpful insights that occur in most chapters, which focus on the points which are likely to cause problems for students because of language interference or other reasons.
"Teaching Tips" - These are activities, exercises, and games designed to help teachers make the teaching of grammar more enjoyable.
Towards the end of the book there are a couple of interesting chapters which you would not expect to find in a grammar book. The first of these deals with "ELT Waifs," words or phrases or phenomena which occur in casual language usage, but are not usually explained or codified, such as the use of words like "over," "that," and "quite." Even more surprising is the final chapter, which attempts to predict how we might expect English grammar to develop in the future based on its past development. I may not happen to agree with some of the predictions, but their inclusion displays the Mr. Firsten's obvious interest in the life of languages.
In addition to the chapters, there are very useful appendices that explain points in more depth and even cover helpful rules for spelling and pronunciation.
Although I have been teaching English for over 15 years, I discovered a new way of understanding complex grammatical points in nearly every chapter, and more importantly, I found ways of explaining these points in simple terms without having to resort to academic language. If, like me, you dread being asked why English grammar adheres to its own peculiarities, and have been searching for simple explanations, you will love this book.

The ELT Grammar Book is a reference guide for
teachers of English to speakers of other languages.
Readers may recognize the author's name as the
columnist of "Grammatically Speaking" in TESOL
Matters and "The Grammar Guy" in ESL Magazine.
Richard Firsten has taken his grammatical expertise
and produced a reference tool that focuses on topics
both difficult to understand and explain. The style is
casual and relaxed, which is a pleasant deviation
from typical pedantic grammar reference materials.
Though extensive and in-depth (22 chapters
and 8 appendices totaling over 550 pages), the text is
not intended to be exhaustive. Topics were restricted
to include only high frequency areas typically most
troublesome to teachers and L2 learners alike.
Eighteen of the chapters focus on grammar-exclusive
themes that include such topics as adjectives, articles,
modal auxiliaries, passives, prepositions,
subjunctives, verb tenses, and word order. Three
chapters are primarily discourse related.
Autosegmentals are analyzed in chapters 15 and 18;
the former chapter covers word and phrase stress
while the latter focuses on sentence-level intonation.
Chapter 21 is entitled "ELT 'Waifs'" and deals with
relaxed pronunciation, intensifiers, and common
phrases seldom included in instructional texts.
Phrases that add so much to the flow of conversational
English such as "a great deal of" or the frequent use
of the suffix "-ish" (childish, pinkish, late-ish, around
eight-ish) can assist the L2 student in understanding
common discourse. In the final chapter, the author
notes the changing nature of the English language
and predicts upcoming transformations that are likely
to occur.
Each of the 21 instructional chapters
concludes with "Teaching Tips," which supply
instructors with resources that allow students to
flesh out the content material through numerous
activities designed for pairwork and/or small groups.

These activities alone make the text a valuable
resource. Scattered throughout many of the chapters
is an aside called "Troubleshooter." This
informational box interrupts instructional sections
with pertinent explanations in anticipation of
students' questions. Another strength of the text is
the salient feature of the inductive method of
instruction. For example, situations are often
presented in the form of dialogs so that readers can
observe the grammar point contextually. By

highlighting selected portions of the dialog and
through provocative questioning, the writer models
a lesson requiring the reader to elicit a rule or to
figure out why a certain construction is used.
Employing this critical thinking strategy leads to
discovery, and ideally, to student ownership of that
specific grammar point. At a minimum, adding this
method to one's teaching repertoire will supply
diversity to classroom instruction.
Finally, the eight appendices cover a range
of subject matter that includes strategies, games,
pronunciation, spelling, and further elaboration on
previously covered material. For instance, the author
has provided an excellent outline in the second
appendix that uses the mechanical, meaningful/
manipulative, and communication approach in
relaying content material. Examples abound using
cloze procedures, slot substitutions, and incomplete
dialogs.
Many ESL professionals rely upon college
composition reference manuals for consultation.
Often these tools provide ESL-specific material only
in the form of an appendix or sub-section. The
detailed instruction found in The ELT Grammar Book,
however, is designed exclusively with the L2 learner
in mind. Its primary limitation is found in the
authors' intentionally selective subject matter which
may leave instructors searching elsewhere for
particular topics not addressed. Regardless, whether
an instructor's method of infusing grammar is
comprised primarily of explicit discrete-point
instruction or incidentally through a more
communicative approach, the information, activities,
and strategies offered in this text will provide a
handy reference tool for teachers of L2 students in
various levels and contexts.

Tom Bellomo taught EFL in Spain for five years,
ESOL in New York for five years, and has been
teaching EAP coursework in Florida since 1997. He
presently teaches at the English Language Institute,
Daytona Beach Community

ADR experts Lipsky, Seeber and Fincher have provided a comprehensive and practically written account of the evolution of corporate alternative dispute resolution ("ADR")processes from the early days of collective action in the 1930's to the present-day use of conflict management programs to enhance the productivity and overall satisfaction of workers in companies seeking to compete in global markets. The book places today's corporate ADR programs in the context of labor history and the increasingly complex federal, state and local legislative scheme, thus providing an important frame of reference to those interested in introducing, designing, and implementing internal ADR systems. The authors' premise is that corporations that consider managing workplace conflict as a significant organizational goal have moved from a "dispute resolution" perspective to a "conflict management" paradigm. Whether a corporation will adopt any such system depends on a myriad of factors both internal (corporate culture and mission) and external (markets, regulations, litigation exposure). The authors note that the field of dispute resolution has depended on almost allegorical accounts of the cost-savings, efficiencies, and high satisfaction rate reported by participants in ADR systems. The field has not generated the empirical support for these oft-repeated benefits of dispute resolution processes, leaving corporations without the metric economic evidence needed to support new corporate initiatives. Recognizing the challenge of providing "hard evidence that corporations actually do save time and money by using ADR, however" (p.313), the authors "conclude that the vast majority of corporations favor dispute management over conflict management." (id.)The authors use the building blocks of hundreds of interviews of corporate executives, human resources, employee relations and legal department officials throughout the country as well as government representatives to make their case that corporations that approach conflict management systematically and with a long-range perspective will ultimately embrace and benefit from successful systems. One of the most useful contributions made by the book is the extensive discussion in Part Two: The Extablishment of Conflict Management Systems, which provides -- excuse the expression-- a "road-map" for individuals within corporations seeking to introduce, design and implement a complete workplace conflict resolution system. The authors provide templates for deciding such important questions as composition of the design committee, eliciting support from various corporate constituencies, determining the scope of the process, common design features, and methods for evaluating success. The authors conclude the book with a clear-eyed discussion of the future of workplace conflict management systems, in a society still grappling with litigation prevention and reduction strategies. As a practitioner in the field, I highly recommend this to others interested in promoting alternative dispute resolution in the workplace.

ADR experts Lipsky, Seeber and Fincher have provided a comprehensive and practically written account of the evolution of corporate alternative dispute resolution ("ADR")processes from the early days of collective action in the 1930's to the present-day use of conflict management programs to enhance the productivity and overall satisfaction of workers in companies seeking to compete in global markets. The book places today's corporate ADR programs in the context of labor history and the increasingly complex federal, state and local legislative scheme, thus providing an important frame of reference to those interested in introducing, designing, and implementing internal ADR systems. The authors' premise is that corporations that consider managing workplace conflict as a significant organizational goal have moved from a "dispute resolution" perspective to a "conflict management" paradigm. Whether a corporation will adopt any such system depends on a myriad of factors both internal (corporate culture and mission) and external (markets, regulations, litigation exposure). The authors note that the field of dispute resolution has depended on almost allegorical accounts of the cost-savings, efficiencies, and high satisfaction rate reported by participants in ADR systems. The field has not generated the empirical support for these oft-repeated benefits of dispute resolution processes, leaving corporations without the metric economic evidence needed to support new corporate initiatives. Recognizing the challenge of providing "hard evidence that corporations actually do save time and money by using ADR, however" (p.313), the authors "conclude that the vast majority of corporations favor dispute management over conflict management." (id.)The authors use the building blocks of hundreds of interviews of corporate executives, human resources, employee relations and legal department officials throughout the country as well as government representatives to make their case that corporations that approach conflict management systematically and with a long-range perspective will ultimately embrace and benefit from successful systems. One of the most useful contributions made by the book is the extensive discussion in Part Two: The Extablishment of Conflict Management Systems, which provides -- excuse the expression-- a "road-map" for individuals within corporations seeking to introduce, design and implement a complete workplace conflict resolution system. The authors provide templates for deciding such important questions as composition of the design committee, eliciting support from various corporate constituencies, determining the scope of the process, common design features, and methods for evaluating success. The authors conclude the book with a clear-eyed discussion of the future of workplace conflict management systems, in a society still grappling with litigation prevention and reduction strategies. As a practitioner in the field, I highly recommend this to others interested in promoting alternative dispute resolution in the workplace.

For many years, scholars and academics have focused on the importance of conflict resolution in the workplace. This tradition goes back to studies that were done in the 1940s-50s. In more recent years, conflict in the workplace has become a major issue. No longer are workplaces those socially integrative, sometimes paternalistic, havens for lifetime security. They are now arenas for multiple conflicts. The issue therefore becomes how to deal with these conflicts in a non-ad hoc manner--how to put in place systems for managing conflict. American corporations have much to teach the world in this regard. The problem is that before this book, no one has systemized these lessons. Before this book, there was no central location where the tools, the methodologies, and the processes necessary for putting quality conflict resolution was readily available. Lipsky, Seeber, and Fincher have provided a critical service in having completed this volume. They have written the definitive reference volume on the specific issue of alternative dispute resolution techniques in American business. In this context, they have served the practitioner community well. Yet not only is this a well-written book for the practitioner, it is an informative book for the academic. The combined research record of these authors is impressive and it serves them well in putting this material together. Anyone interested in alternative dispute resolution in the workplace must have this well-written volume as a reference.

Emerging Systems for Managing Workplace Conflict is a rich compendium of research, insightful analysis and practical advice that will be invaluable for any individual interested in the field of workplace conflict management. Written by three authors who each bring an average of between 25 and 35 years of background experience in labor relations and human resources management, supplemented by extensive work as mediators, arbitrators and consultants to public and private sector organizations, it is a "must read" in its field.

The work is based on more than six years of research into conflict management systems in the United States. The authors draw upon surveys of general counsel of Fortune 1000 corporations, onsite interviews with over 700 executives, managers and attorneys in sixty firms and extensive interviews with individuals operating as neutral parties in the settlement of conflicts and disputes.

Based upon their research, the authors conclude that "... there is a sea change in U.S. organizations that reflects an emergence of systems of conflict management and a new paradigm for organizations" (p.5). Their finding, they note, is independently confirmed in research conducted in 1999 by Bingham and Chachere who found that "about half of [U.S.] `large' private employers ha[d] established some sort of formal dispute resolution procedure for their nonunion employees"(p. 81).

With this major movement established, the authors proceed to explain the reasons for the shift to conflict management systems, the processes that have emerged to service that demand, how those systems were created and implemented and the challenges that lie ahead in the field.

Importantly, the authors immediately focus on the corporate interests that drive the development and implementation of alternative systems for conflict management. Overwhelmingly, the primary driver in developing alternative systems to replace litigation procedures is the belief that dispute resolution can be accomplished at less cost in dollars and time." (p.6).

"In our survey of the Fortune 1000," the authors write, "about 80 percent of the respondents told us that saving time or saving money was the primary reason the corporation had used ADR" (p.313). The implications of this finding are clear and reflected, as the authors point out, in the fact that "... the vast majority of corporations favor dispute management over conflict management" (p.313).

Having presented us with the primary drivers as well as several other contributing factors, the authors move into a discussion of alternative management systems and their components. Readers will learn the pros and cons of the main features of these systems. It is truly a handbook of elements for both the decision-maker and the designer.

The book explores who is eligible in most systems, the essential elements for judging the fairness of a system, the issues of who pays the costs, training requirements, the use of outside "neutral" parties and a host of other common design features in considerable detail. You will find the most common element, the Open Door, explored with its drawbacks and its contributions. Additionally, you will find a careful discussion of other features such as "hotlines," ombudspersons, resolution facilitators, internal peer mediation and external "neutral" ad hoc personnel. Always, the authors present the pros and cons of each of the possible components.

Professors Lipsky, Seeber and Fincher then lead the reader through the process of system design and implementation, citing key steps along the way. Always, their work is based on findings from major U.S. organizations that have engaged in the process.

As they examine the process, the authors provide the reader with another very valuable part of their work by confronting the issues inherent in evaluating the systems. Their findings will be either a comfort or a source of devastation for the planner.

The authors put the matter succinctly and critically. The frame for evaluation is necessarily couched in the key question: "As compared to what?" (p.269).

Indeed, the answer is far from easy. Rather, it may be astonishingly elusive.

The challenge of evaluation is one the authors explore in detail, showing various evaluation schemes in practice in American corporations today. Results, alas, yield data far from business case standards. "Leaders of organizations, even if they believe in conflict management," they conclude, "are often faced with going forward in the absence of any hard evidence about the benefits of the system" (p.308).
"There is in fact very little hard evidence that corporations actually do save time and money by using ADR ...," they conclude (p. 313). "Furthermore," they assert, "it is not clear to us that many corporations are even gathering the information necessary to make a cost benefit analysis" (p.313).

As befits a work of this breadth and depth, the authors do not disappoint us as they turn their attention at the close of their work to the future of conflict management systems. Their work is insightful and thorough.

"Contrary to much of the popular literature and perceptions regarding ADR and somewhat surprising to us," the authors conclude "we do not believe that the ADR movement has achieved the critical mass necessary to institutionalize it within most large businesses and organizations" (p.315). And yet, the authors are confident that the future trend is toward the expansion of alternative dispute resolution procedures, but far less certain about the broad expansion of conflict management systems. It is an area with unresolved issues and significant promises. Readers will find thought provoking and useful discussion of these issues as the conclusion to the work.

There is far more in this book than this review touches upon. Additionally, readers will find an extensive bibliography, current research statistics, informative footnotes and an eminently useable glossary.

Highly recommended.

John Baker, Ph.D.
Editor, The Negotiator Magazine

Our medical practice wanted to implement a comprehensive employee survey, and previous surveys done by practice management consultants seemed to create more bad than good. The survey book and guidebook by Connolly and Connolly provided good advice and a ton of sample questions. I was able to prepare a 100 question survey from scratch in about six hours. The Connollys' advice about pre-screening the survey with employees was also helpful; it helped me weed out some poor questions, add some better ones, and created a starting point for employee support of the survey. We will launch the survey in a few weeks to our 110 employees. If you don't have thousands of dollars to spend on a survey firm and want to make a first try in-house, this seems like the resource you need to have.

The guidebook is written in user friendly language and is very comprehensive. It gives you all the tools you need to conduct an employee opinion survey.

PPI's employee survey package is excellent! Period. First and foremost, it provided what was most important to us.. a reliable and valid instrument. The rest is pure gravy. It's easy to use, easy to follow, and has useful real-life examples. Our team confidently put together a 24 question survey,in a relatively short period of time, and used the feedback method recommended to deliver results. We'll use it again for our follow-up survey. I highly recommend it.

The guidebook is written in user friendly language and is very comprehensive. It gives you all the tools you need to conduct an employee opinion survey.

For those of you who are concerned about the state of our fisheries and declining fish populations worldwide, I would suggest a newly published book, "The End of the Line," by Charles Clover. As The Independent suggests, his book is "the maritime equivalent of Silent Spring." Clover takes the reader on an unbiased tour of many of the most important fisheries throughout the world from Africa to Iceland, offshore to nearshore. His appraisal and commentary of fishery management is candid and insightful. I highly recommend this book to anyone who finds themselves trying to contemplate the disequilibrium between fishery management and sustainability. The book ends with some positive examples of fishery management of which there are sadly too few, and he has some helpful tips for all of us to do our part to ensure fish stocks for the next generation.

"The End of the Line" is a well-written, highly informative book which addresses a serious global issue.

"Imagine what people would say if a band of hunters strung a mile of net between two immense all-terrain vehicles and dragged it at speed across the plains of Africa.... left behind is a strangely bedraggled landscape resembling a harrowed field... this efficient but highly unselective way of killing animals is known as trawling... it is practiced the world over every day, from the Barents Sea in the Arctic to the shores of Antarctica and from the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean and the central Pacific to the temperate waters off Cape Cod."

Overfishing is a serious problem that must be addressed. The statistics are staggering. As journalist Charles Clover shows in his global exploration of the destruction caused by overfishing, we have inflicted a crisis on the oceans in a single human lifetime greater than any yet caused by pollution.

This is one of the most important books I've read. I have purchased several copies of this book to give away. It speaks up on behalf of those denizens of the oceans that we think should belong in cans and sandwiches or pies or curries, or pet food - yielding their flavoursome goodness of Omega 3 oils - with plenty more replenishing themselves without end. I did know in the back of my head that something was wrong when we put faceless tuna into cat food and no one discusses byecatch on a can except for a "Dolphin Friendly" logo. The appalling horror of millions of tonnes of these things being hoovered up with up to 50 to even 90% of the take being discarded back to the ocean because they are not the target species is spelled out in this book along with the moribund state of just how little we as a species care for the oceans or engage in managing its most vital food resources.

As usual much of the blame falls flatly at the feet of politicians and fishing interests as well as the consumers abject ignorance that advertisers and chefs have been milking and continue to milk. When the oceans belong to us all, to enjoy recreationally - they have become the preserve of fishing interests that continue to suppress so much biodiversity. This is a story of greed gone mad with absolutely no safeguards in place by the very people who are in charge of doing anything about it.

Japan and the EEC come out as some of the most environmentally tarnished political units - the madness of the EEC fishing policy is revealed in all its glorious folly.

Tuna and swordfish, the most magnificient bony fish in the sea get a special mention along with the poor critically endgangered mega sharks that are often bycatch in tuna catches.

This is such a powerful book speaking up for dumb fish that I will try and do everything in my power to at least highlight the problem to others. So well written in this with Chapter 14 showing us some fine solutions from New Zealand - that you ought to buy this book now and share it with any of your concerned friends.

Charles Clover from the London Daily Telegraph has done a fantastic job of highlighting our superpredatory theft from the seas.

It is a fascinating, very well written book on a subject most people forget about in spite of how important it is: the food resources of the sea. When I first saw the book I wondered how the author could make an interesting topic out of it...when I started to browse it, I discovered a great amount of information about the wonderful world of the seas, about what so many companies are doing to our resources, about the repercusions hardly anyone is aware of.
I bought it and read it immediately.
One of the best non-fiction books I have read in the last few years.

The Environment, Our Natural Resources, and Modern Technology is a holistic expose of the hypocrisy of the major planks of the stereotypical leftist agenda: namely the three mentioned in the title.

Dr. DeGregori contrasts "green consumerism" with another plank of the leftist agenda: income disparity, and shows, through a variety of examples, what the results of such national policies would be: increased prices and scarcity for all. In short, the green movement is for guilt-ridden rich folk, and not for the masses.

Addressing natural resources, DeGregori shows that the best way to preserve them would be to allow free trade and property rights. I particularly enjoyed the applications to developing economies around the world, although I found it painful to learn of the way in which developed economic powers (U.S. and Britain in particular) egotistically deprive indigenous cultures of even the chance to utilize their natural resources to increase their income (thereby increasing education, access to life-saving consumer products, and increasing general standards of living). Cases from India, Africa, and Southeast Asia are used to vividly illustrate the consequences of leftist, socialist moves to keep indigenous cultures in developing countries at a stunted level of economic and cultural development.

DeGregori's examination of modern technology is superb, as well. He exposes the fanatacism of anti-technology individuals-e.g. those who decry "cold pasteurization" as harmful, even though empirical evidence shows that there has not been a single incident of an individual consumer becoming ill as a result. His evaluation of techno-phobes' concerns is invaluable, and reaches beyond contemporary quibbles to address the fundamental philosophy driving their zeal. He addresses some of the most important issues of today, such as debates surrounding genetically modified food vs. organic and those regarding the use of DDT and fertilizers.

DeGregori also addresses the demand for technological improvements by cultures in developing countries, and the benefits to be gained: increased income, increased competitiveness in the global economy, increased life-expectancies, and decreased environmental degredation.

I was surprised to find that such a scholarly book was such an easy read; the information was logically presented, and easily digestible. DeGregori's information is heavily footnoted, but since the footnotes aren't the crux of the book, you can simply read around them. If you are looking for more information, the footnotes may well prove invaluable, as DeGregori cites pro and con sources to many of his arguments.

This book was required for a university course that I am taking from DeGregori. In person, and not just on books, DeGregori is a professor with a firm grasp on the latest economic information from developing and developed economies around the world. Degregori encourages you to look on the positive side of things-all the progress we've made, and potential solutions to some of the problems.

Little more than a year after he published the opus Agriculture and Modern Technology: a Defense,* Thomas R. DeGregori has returned with another work of similar scope and perhaps even greater depth: The Environment, Our Natural Resources, and Modern Technology.** The book examines in detail many preconceptions and cultural myths about the environment, natural resources and technology, and shows that many are so badly distorted that they contribute to the commission of countless wrongs.

DeGregori's deft handling of these preconceptions and cultural myths invites a comparison to Dawkins' work with memes, or Campbell's syncretistic work with folklore, but as an economist of strikingly pragmatic bent, DeGregori prefers to deal with historical fact.

Those who cherish any illusions about the environment, natural resources or technology will find this a painful book to read. In chapter 1, we learn that "green consumerism" is still consumerism, barely green, and sometimes outright dangerous. In chapter 2, we learn how wildlife conservation efforts in Africa have destroyed cultures, forcing natives from their lands and depriving them of traditional foods. These natives are then denied access to modern technologies, with a view to ensure that they somehow remain "authentic" after such irreversible intrusions, enduring an enforced primitivism at the hands of their conquerors.

The theme repeats itself in chapter 5, where the notion of the American Indian as the "original ecologist" is exposed as the typical aftermath of subjugation. Primitive peoples in their wild, "natural" state (notions of what is "natural" are scathingly debunked as well) are viewed as savages, akin to animals and therefore not landowners, justifying their subjugation and the theft of their land. Once subjugated, nostalgia usurps memory and they are viewed as having lived "sustainably" in a pristine pre-technological utopia and an elaborate parody of their past is concocted to mesh with other mythical views we wish to entertain in the present. If these peoples rebel by refusing to act as expected, they are once again referred to as savages and often treated accordingly.

Much of the book deals with skewed notions of what is "natural," and they are mainly exposed in chapter 6. There, we learn that life "in harmony with the environment" for most of human history has had little in common with its idyllic portrayals, being instead nasty, brutish and short. As it turns out, the only thing able to protect us from the uncaring ravages of nature is, and always has been, technology.

"Here [in this book] the focus is on the consumption practices that reflect the phobias and beliefs that deny and/or reject the technological and scientific transformations that have given us longer, healthier lives," DeGregori states in his introduction. The book achieves this ambition, and a good deal more.
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* Iowa State University Press, Ames, 2001. 268 pp., [money]. Reviewed in AgBiotech Reporter, July 2001.
** Iowa State Press, Ames, 2002. 224 pp., [money]

This is a book that will challenge much conventional wisdom about the impact of modern technology on our environment. No matter how much you think you know about the topic, you will learn something new by reading it.

The author, an economist of the old-fashion institutionalist school (unlike the current institutionalist crowd, he believes in material progress) begins the book with a simple question: If modern science and technology are killing us, why are we so healthy and living so long? In short, his answer is that human beings have evolved into problem-solving (i.e. technological) creatures, and that no one should deny that this is a good thing in light of the available historical record.

The topics discussed in the book go much beyond what its title suggests and range from the living conditions of early Pacific Islanders to the Nazis' love of all things natural - with the exception, of course, of other human beings who didn't fit their idea of the master race. Indeed, the book is as much a study of the cultural divide between technological optimists and pessimists as it is a study of the impact of technology on humans and the environment.

One warning, though. The author is an academic and writes like one. The titles listed in his 45 page bibliography are thus methodically referenced in the main text in a way that will probably distract some readers unfamiliar with this writing style. In the end, though, the book is well worth the effort.

The Environment, Our Natural Resources, And Modern Technology by Thomas R. Degregori (Professor of Economics, University of Houston, Texas), is a 256-page, scholarly volume whose reasoning and language is accessible enough to make it appropriate for any non-specialist general reader concerned about the environmental degradation and human overpopulation problems that are significantly effecting planet Earth. The intent of The Environment, Our Natural Resources, And Modern Technology is not to flatly denounce conservation efforts, but rather to closely scrutinize them (including the myths surrounding them), and to take a cold, hard look at whether such things as "ecotourism" are truly beneficial to the ecologies or the people who live in them. From revealing how some African game wardens are empowered to legally shoot to kill anyone suspected of poaching; to debunking the myth of the "untamed West" which ignored the profound impact Native American cultures and settlements had on the land, The Environment, Our Natural Resources, And Modern Technology is a thoughtful and thought-provoking extended essay that strives to uncover facts beneath layers of propaganda on all sides of thorny environmental and technology issues. No academic library's Environmental Studies collection can be considered comprehensive without the inclusion of Professor Degregori's The Environment, Our Natural Resources And Modern Technology.

This is an excellent book for churches who want to improve their ability to develop a volunteer (servant) program. But, it will take work, commitment and time. Sue Mallory offers many perceptive Bible based concepts - not a quick fix.

The Equipping Church is one of the best books I have ever read on what it means to use our God given gifts as members of the body of Christ. Sue Mallory doesn't sugar coat the time, effort and faith that is involved in building the kind of community many churches long for, but are unsure how to create. Ms. Mallory lays out the path her church followed in the process of moving toward and becoming a faithful place in which they could be God's people. The stories she shares are personal, sometimes heart wrenching, but always authentically filled with grace. Ms. Mallory makes me want to dig in and do the work to which I am called.

Sue Mallory, one of the nation's leading experts on lay ministries has written the definitive text. This book, along with the companion guidebook, show churches how to recruit, train, and support volunteers. She gives the vision for an alive, involved church and tells you how to get there. I could not recommend it more highly.

Sue Mallory, one of the nation's leading experts on lay ministry has written the definitive text on the subject. This book along with the companion guidebook, give a step by step process for empowering and enabling a church's members to engage in meaningful ministry.Topics include how to recruit volunteers, how to discern people's talents and gifts, how to train people to serve in ministry and how to support and nurture those people.Up until now most of this material has been available only in workshops or on tapes. It is great to have the complete plans for a lay ministries program in one book. (Actually, two with the guidebook).