Events Books

Dr. D. Kim Rossmo has done an excellent job of presenting the theories and practice of criminal profiling in general, and geographic profiling in specific. His book is thoroughly researched and based on empirical studies which demonstrate he is a true pioneer in criminology. It should be noted that geographic profiling can only be tested on solved cases, since it is essential to know where the criminal lives to prove of the validity of any geographic profiling methodology. Dr. Rossmo has proven that geographic profiling is a useful tool to support investigations of serial crimes. Well-written, comprehensive, and innovative--this work could be used as a textbook in any criminology class covering the field of criminal profiling.

For those who don't know the name, Rossmo is the detective / mathematician whose pioneering work on criminal profiling in Canada has helped re-shape the way investigators worldwide track down serial offenders. By mathematically studying the location and distribution of crimes, Rossmo developed a way of pinpointing the most likely location of the offender's home base. This book explains his work.

Written as a textbook, "Geographic Profiling" is clearly organized, packed with well-documented research, and is both theoretical enough to satisfy university researchers and practical enough to inform the rest of us. The book can at times be dense and a little tough to wade through, but it's worth it.

Even though you might gulp when you see the inexplicably high price tag on this book, if you're interested in understanding geographic profiling and the different ways that temporal and spatial crime distribution can assist in investigation, pick up a copy. You'll be glad you did.

This book is a real innovation in the field of crime research. The area of criminal profiling is populated by no shortage of Walter Mittys with no empirical grounding, so is it refreshing to find a text that cements the theories of this complex and fascinating area with empirical analysis of real cases. The text is well written and opens up a new area of criminal behaviour analysis to students and police officers alike. This book will undoubtedly become a key text in the field of criminal profiling and a welcome replacement to the long list of dull criminal psychology books that do not tell you anything useful, because the ivory tower authors have no practical experience.

This book is packed with information and offers a complete summary of pertinent research on serial arson, serial homicide, rape, and crime paths. It is the bible of geographic profiling. You won't find a more informative, well-researched, or complete book anywhere.

I use this book in my Geographic Profiling course and the students read it and keep it(they don't sell it after the final exam). The bibliography alone is worth the price of the book. Rossmo presents an excellent piece of cutting-edge research that is written to effectively communicate with a broad audience.

i bought this book a few years ago thinking of my mother when my grandmother passed but i didn't think she would be open to it and read it so i held onto it. i have had my own hurts and disappointments recently and felt i needed something to help me through it all. i started reading and felt more hopeful and encouraged with each chapter. the book is Christian based but doesn't feel preachy or condemning. it's doesn't overlook the fact that when you're going through a storm you are really hurting and sometimes it's hard to think you'll make it to the other side of your pain.

the book uses biblical examples and has scriptures in the chapters (so you don't need to cross reference your bible as you read through which i appreciated). the author starts with the basics when you're going through a tough time - rest, eat, drink but not in the traditional sense that we think of. she then tells you how to get stronger and truly be better through it all. she encourages you to get closer to God in your disappointment which is sometimes very difficult.

the book will help you through any loss or disappointment you might be going through - the loss of a relationship, a loved one or child, a job. be encouraged...you can make it!

I received this book promptly. It was well-packaged and in excellent condition.

I absolutely loved this book! I read it when I was in the process of a divorce. It helped me so much!! Michelle Hammond is my girl, she really allows the Lord to use her in her writing!

This book is perfect. Whether you're going through something huge or something small. All struggles seem huge to us at the time and this book gives a breath of fresh air and a little break from what you are going through. Michelle (as always) takes a very Biblical perspective on the struggles and hard times that we face in life. The hard times will not stop coming as long as we are living, so we might as well get used to getting back on our feet. She allows time for grief and helps make sense of things that seem senseless. She also gives simple reminders like eating and resting and taking care of your temple during these hard times. God is good and I'm so glad to have authors like Michelle out there who can really offer wisdom. A great book. I'll read it again the next time life knocks me down and do the questions after each section for deeper understanding.

This book is full of excellent advice. I don't usually read this genre and still I found this book very useful it uses the bible to help solve today's problems. This book gave me a new prospective on the way I was looking at certain situations in my life. The author was brief and to the point, always reminding the reader to look for the answer in God's Holy bible all though the men and women who lived in a day when people took a closer walk with God. The author also showed that the men and women in those day went through similar situations as we do today. The book discusses every thing from financial trouble to death, I would recommend this book to anyone who is trying to cope with the everyday stress that life brings.

Andre Auw is a gifted writer and counselor. I found the thematic chapters a mosaic of simple but profound practical wisdom with gentle nudges towards personal healing. The book is easy to read with a great aftertaste. As a counselor of many years, I found the book not only inspiring but delightful - a great gift.

Andre Auw has the rare understanding of what makes excellent therapy. As clinicians we too often rely on the tricks of cognitive behaviior approaches, too scared to really engage with our clients.

Bravo Andre, please write more!

Andre Auw speaks directly to the soul's struggle and it's capacity to triumph. He invites us to turn difficult life situations into challenge: seeking and finding greater resouce within ourselves. And through his stories, he offers us models, those who have found ways to turn suffering into compassion and service to others. The pages of Andre Auw's book are alive with his elder wisdom and presence bringing us home again into our heart.

Buy this book! Why? Because it contains wisdom that touches your life, told in a gentle penetrating way that moves you to action. I have known Andre Auw for 7 years as a client and now as a friend. He has shared his wisdom and energy to bring me through several crisis as: the death of my spouse of 37 years, the death of my mother, the ensuing lawsuits brought about by a powerful political step-brother, two difficult significant other relationships, and others. All through this, his patient and loving presence showed me the way to call forth our inherent resources to face these situations. What surprises me is that he is able to put all of this into a book through well chosen stories and pithy concluding remarks to each. Highly recommended.

Andre Auw was my professor in graduate school (Psychology of Human Relations). I have never forgotten his gentle wisdom. he has left a life long impression on me. Now his latest work, Gift of Wounding, reafirms the notion that Peak experiences need not always be positive. He is a gifted writer, an empathetic and intuitive practitioner. I will certainly require my Humanistic Psychology Classes to read this work.

This is a very effective piece of economic reporting and must be one of the most acute pictures of 'capital in the raw' that I have read, a desmerizing tonic to the endless litany of neoliberal triumphalism. Neither Marxist, nor doctrinaire, it unwittingly scores a bullseye of indirect marxist analysis of the one-and-the-same process that is the invariant of the capitalist system. This isn't even a radical statement. Slogans one way or the other are stopped in their tracks by facts here, and facts that induce momentary helpless shock, quite short of firebrand indignation. We don't live in a global democratic system. Therefore we don't live in a democratic system. Capital has beaten the pants off sentimentalism here. Democracy so-called is a good front, but otherwise an inconvenience to the predators described herein. The author produces one horrendous
statistic about forty thousand people controlling 81 trillion in assets. Capital.
Not much more needs to be said.
Your move, unless you are powerless, a democratic nobody. Checkmate?

A scary must read for those concerned about the country's future. If you feel the uneasy economic chill in the air, this book will explain why! If your city's industrial base is gone this book will explain why! If you are stuck in a minimum wage "temp" society this book will explain why! This book exposes the neo-con globalist fantasy for what it is...Free trade is not free! and Cheap labor is not cheap! Unfortunately this book does not explain why no one seems to care!!!!

I read Global Squeeze when it first came out. It's much more realistic than any others I've read since. (Future Perfect, Maestro, Independently Wealthy) I can see no hope for our middle class due to the job exports in all occupational categories. For the latest real world view read Business Week, Feb. 3, 2003, "The Global Job Shift."

We are in real trouble.

The book would better be titled "The First world squeeze", because if we go by the parameters of this book, what we find is a purely First world crisis.This crisis infact looks like a boon for the labour-cheap thirdworld or developing countries. But, combined with the on going hi-tech revolution, it could mean a elite class in the third world also. This is the sort of reality we find, as we observe the yawninig gap in the developing countries also, between its rich and poor. So, it looks like that the world's poor are being pitted agianst the rich and privileged few of the world more and more as the Globalization advances. Going by the present trend in polarisation of the classess world wide it looks-the day is not far off when the working class of the world would rise in unison, to deliver a death blow to the global capitalist system- as predicted by Karl Marx 150 years back.

As an Economics major in college, I found the book captivating. It shows the ways the emerging global market affects the first world nation's prosperity, stability, and confidence. The book also raises social responsibility and personal justice issues that will directly affect everyone within the next 30 years.

An excellent handbook for the endless challenges encountered in the affordable housing field. Clear,concise and easy to read.
The author has obviously handled these situations in the past and has thankfully provided a tool for housing managers everywhere to use now and for years to come. A must for any property manager's library!

Glenn French, the author demonstrates his extensive knowledge of the Property Management process.The multidiciplined functions of property management are clearly defined in a very usable and sequential manner. The content and writing tempo in each chapter are professionally written in such a manner that provides the student/beginning Property Manager with a useful learning tool. The book is also interesting reading for persons who are interested in a better understanding of Professional Property Management.

All residential managers would profit by reading this book. Mr.French obviously has extensive experience that he conveys very effectively.

This is a careful, well written text book outlining the necessary skills, tools and education needed to manage government assisted housing. There are not many books on managing subsidized housing. This one is good because it is clear that Glenn French has had a myriad of hands-on experiences in this field. Glenn French's book is very good for anyone interested in taking on the management of government assisted real estate as a career, or to expand your business opportunities.

I began my career in public housing and ran into many problems. Mr. French's book has provided me with the information I need to grow and solve the complex problems of working in Public Housing.

I first read this book (not completely) just out of high school, for the purpose of a little education prior to declaration of a Political Science major. It was easy to read and concepts were easily understood. This book gives enough information to answer basic questions of Political Science as well as creating deeper more involved questions to be answered elsewhere. This is a great background book. Personally, I love the ancient philosphers and this book does a good job of using their best works.

I have the 3rd Edition from college and recently returned to it to read some parts that were omitted then. The book is great because it is not only a comprehensive anthology of important political thought but it also has well-written introductions that explain what you are about to read. Since some of the writers are not the easiest to read in the original, the introduction plays an important part in understanding what you are reading. And don't worry about the price -- you are buying a lifetime reference book.

I used this book in college, I think maybe an earlier edition, very good readings of different political thinks, put together very well, I must say one of the best political science text books.

I purchased this book in 1975. It is the remaining text from my undergraduate days that I keep on my book shelf... a tremndous resource.

I actually took the class of the same title at UC Santa Barbara from Dr. Ebenstein himself. Back then, he was a giant in the political science field (still is) and we stood in awe of him. At the same time, he was the only professor I had there who would invite us to a brown-bag lunch each week to discuss course work and his personal experience in Europe before and during WWII. I cherish the text as a reminder of my unbelievable good fortune to have known this great scholar as well as a kind and gentle man. He and this book continue to inspire me.

I was required to read this for my intro. to Political Science class, respectfully named Western Political Tradition. I could not think of a more useful and concise book for students to have during their studies, especially for those wanting to have the main arguments of the worlds leading philosophers.Starts with the Greeks on to present thinkers such as Hayek and Rawls, with biographical backgrounds followed by some of the works they are most famous for.

Although published in 2004, this book is a timely read. It makes a compelling case why the recent Supreme Court decision (in June 2008) about Guantanamo prisoner's rights is indeed in line with the United State's Constitution, why the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo has been unconstitutional, and how the denial of their human rights is another example of the Bush administration's war and constitutional crimes.

Anyone who cares about American morals, and the importance of upholding human and Constitutional rights, will appreciate this book.

With the exception of those on the payroll of the United States Government, Michael Ratner (with staff he directs at the Center for Constitutional Rights and volunteer lawyers he assembled) knows more about Guantánamo than anyone.

The book is a quick read at 93 pages of text.

For those who have grown up believing that the rule of law is central to our democracy, it is a chilling read.

Published in mid-2004 it reviews a broad array of the issues which had arisen as of that time and which continue to inform the realities on the ground at Gitmo today. It provides a careful analysis of the ways in which "rule by executive fiat" deviated from the U.S. Constitution, the entirety of the Anglo-American legal tradition, the Geneva Conventions, and international law.

He discusses how a great percentage of persons were selected to be prisoners at Guantánamo, a great many by bounty hunters capturing persons far from any battlefield, the bounties paid for by U.S. tax dollars. He discusses extraordinary rendition of prisoners rendered to countries known to torture, the "outsourcing" of torture.

He recounts the abuse and torture suffered meted out to those interrogated at Guantánamo and links the methods used there to those later made infamous by the exposé of interrogations at Abu Ghraib.

The more serious reader will appreciate the 66-pages of primary source documents collected in the appendix covering a broad range of topics from the original lease of Guantánamo from the Cuba to relevant parts of Geneva Conventions to a series of memoranda issued by various departments of the executive branch which framed some of the major issues that the detentions at Guantánamo present for our country.

For anyone concerned about the state of our democracy, this is an important book.

This book provides a really concise, clear and powerful explanation of the American interrogation camp at Guantanamo Bay Cuba. The author who represents some of the detainees and has interviewed them paints a vivid picture of their hideous treamtment. He demonstrates that the camp is not only outside the law, but a threat to the safety of us all. If you want to know why Guantanamo has become iconic in the Muslism world for everything wrong with the US, read this book.

This book consists of interviews of Michael Ratner, President of the Center for Constitutional Rights, by writer Ellen Ray, plus relevant UN and other documents. Ratner was co-counsel in Rasul v Bush, which the New York Times called "the most important civil rights case in half a century" because on 28 June 2004 the Supreme Court ruled against President Bush that the US military could not hold what it called `enemy combatants' indefinitely, without charge and without access to legal representation. The Court ruled that the prisoners had the right to challenge their detentions in civilian courts.

The Bush government then set up `combatant status review tribunals', supposedly to decide whether the detainees had been correctly designated as enemy combatants and therefore were being rightfully detained according to the laws of combat. However, the administration breached the Supreme Court's ruling that the prisoners had the right to challenge their detentions in civilian courts, since all the tribunals' members are military officers.

Guantanamo is `an interrogation camp', which is flatly illegal, under US and international law. It harks back to Stuart Britain's offshore penal colonies which were beyond the reach of law, forms of executive imprisonment which the 1679 Habeas Corpus Act made illegal. The US detention centres in Iraq, Afghanistan and Diego Garcia and on board US aircraft carriers are modern Devil's Islands.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has reported that US forces had inflicted on the 550 prisoners illegally held at Guantanamo Bay psychological and physical coercion that was `tantamount to torture'. It said, "the construction of such a system, whose stated purpose is the production of intelligence, cannot be considered other than an intentional system of cruel, unusual and degrading treatment and a form of torture." At least three children, between 11 and 13, were held at Guantanamo; some are still there today.

The British state is guilty of collaboration and connivance with these illegal US state actions. British courts, like US courts, are using as evidence statements made under duress and torture in these US-run camps, thereby condoning the use of torture.

You need to read this book. Since the suicides of last week, the US government has sealed off Gtmo from the world - no lawyers, no press. It is vitally important that we understand what is going on there and close Gtmo down. Michael Ratner and Ellen Ray have collaborated to produce a highly readable "primer" on this disgraceful period in US history. I used this book in my human rights courses.
Susan Gzesh, Director, Human Rights Program, the University of Chicago

Although dated in some sections, the compilation of articles on the various gun control topics provides a reasoned and fact based discussion.

Everyone will disagree with some recommendations but the authors provide the reasoning behind their recommendations. It will give you something to ponder.

A definite read if you want to be armed with the facts on gun control.

Each chapter in this powerful volume will help the readers cut through the rhetoric and sensationalism that frequently surrounds the gun control debate.

Written by the leading experts in law, criminology and medicine, this volume includes such headings as "Arms and the Woman"; "Doctors and Guns," further rebutting the arguments that guns are a public health menace; and "Children and Guns," dissecting the contentious and timely issue of guns and violence in our schools. It compliments David Kopel's previous masterpiece, The Samurai, the Mountie, and the Cowboy: Should America Adopt the Gun Controls of Other Democracies? honored as the 1993 Book of the Year by the American Society of Criminology's Division of International Criminology.

This expertly written book should occupy a place in the library of all citizens genuinely interested in the topic of gun and violence research and in understanding the fallacies of gun control as a public health issue.

Attorney, scholar and criminologist, David Kopel, should be commended for editing and compiling this comprehensive yet highly readable masterpiece.

Miguel A. Faria, Jr., M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the Medical Sentinel of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) and author of Medical Warrior: Fighting Corporate Socialized Medicine.

After reading John Lotts, "More Guns Less Crime,"(which I highly recommend) I then picked up this one, and found that this book also suggests gun control solutions which at least make some sense. "Guns: Who Should Have Them", struck a chord with me here, because the suggested solutions don't affect law abiding citezens nearly as much as current and proposed legislation, and focuses on the criminals. I would ask anyone on one side or the other of the gun debate to at least be knowlegable about what the effects of waiting periods, and permissions laws really are. This book covers it all.

I can't stress it enough - this book may be one of the most important books for all voting Americans to read today. This slices right through the rhetoric that the news media employ to confuse Americans about gun control and stir up hysteria about guns. This book thoughtfully and thoroughly dismantles every major argument for gun control and reveals the dangerous flaws in all recent federal gun-control legislation. Whether you're a gun lover, gun hater, or something in between, you should read this book!

David Kopel's second major book on the efficacy of gun control laws is an extensive and objective review of research both supporting and denying the basic premises of gun control in preventing crime and accidents involving firearms. Kopel takes an even-handed approach that is greatly missing in most compilations on this subject. Kopel takes great care to examine the merits of the existing research, almost always providing extensive analysis and reference to each work. Just as in his previous award-winning book, "The Samurai, the Mountie, and the Cowboy", Kopel's analyses (in the chapters he writes) are complete, to the point, and well-written. Kopel's writing is clear and effective. The strongest and weakest chapters of the book, however, are contributed by other authors. The chapters on feminist theory (by Mary Zeiss Stange) and race control and guns ( by Robert Cottrol and Raymond Diamond) provide some good background on the subject but fail to deliver the knockout blow that they could. The chapter on doctors and guns, however, delivers not as much the knockout blow as takes a sledgehammer to the medical community, AMA, American Association of Pediatriacs, and Center for Disease Control. Don Kates, Henry Schaffer, John Lattimer, George Murray,and Edward Cassem expose the intellectual dishonesty and horrendous scholarship in the medical literature concering firearms, violence, and safety. All accustations are well-documented and examined. This chapter should be must reading for every single medical school student in the United States. It may make you fear your doctor.

This book should take its place among the other outstanding, intellectually honest works in the literature of the gun control efficacy genre, including Gary Kleck's "Point Blank". the previously mentioned Kopel work, and John R. Lott, Jr.'s "More Guns Less Crime".

An added feature of this book is not only the brilliant analyses and conclusions Kopel makes on the ineffectualness of gun control laws on preventing crime and accidents, but Kopel provides analyses on REAL causes of these social ills and suggests REAL solutions. You should buy four copies of this book: one for you, one for your doctor, and send the other three to your senators and congressman.

GWT in practice covers the Google Web Toolkit at a level few books on this subject matter go into. The book is well written and also approachable for someone who is new to GWT. I particularly found useful the chapter on deployment which also covers deployment using Maven with the GWT-Maven plug-in, and the chapter on CI which covered Hudson. IMHO it is worth buying the book for these chapters alone as this information is hard to find anywhere else.

As a beginner to GWT, I was interested in a book that provided examples and also explained components. This books does exactly both. The examples vary from very simple to complex. They really made it easy for me to understand how to actually us this in practice, no pun intended. I definitely agree with other reviewers that a background in Java will definitely be necessary to easily follow. Overall, this is one of the better technology books I have read.

For starters: I am one of the pilot developers in my company (a large Fortune 100 Financial Institution) doing GWT development. We are about to release our first product to the business. So I've spent the last 18 months or so learning and beating my way through GWT. In the process, I've bought all the GWT books that are out there. Straight to the point: this is the best one out there. Period. Cooper & Collins have produced an excellent book on User Interface development for the next generation....and you get an outstanding understanding of basic and advanced principles in GWT. Plenty of good stuff for the beginner as well as someone who claims to be fairly advanced. GWT in Action by Rob Hanson used to be my favorite...it still has a soft spot for being the first real GWT book, and a great reference book. Collins & Cooper have managed have the same energy that David Geary has in GWT Solutions (which is lofty praise if you've ever seen David speak about GWT!). I really like Dewsbury's GWT Applications, but GWT in Practice is actually better. There are 3 other GWT books (can't remember their names because they're at home), the 2 black and yellow ones and the flower book...I really like GWT in Action better. I've used gwittir, which is a binding framework from Cooper & Collins, so when I saw that they had written a book, I was psyched. In this day and age when book sales gotta be tough because of all the info on the internet, I was glad to see a book that I didn't think was just a rehashing of what's out there online. Good stuff guys...crank out a new version when GWT 1.5 is fully baked and I'll buy it!

I have only read the first two chapters of this book thus far (I will update this review when I have finished the book), but based upon what I have read this is an excellent book. I have been playing with GWT for a couple of weeks and, as another reviewer has stated, I wish that I had read this book earlier. I have one other GWT book that I purchased on Amazon, and it was very disappointing.

The authors of GWT In Practice are clearly seasoned Java programmers, and even in the second chapter they have introduced patterns that are appropriate for GWT solutions. They explain how GWT meshes with the MVC pattern, as well as other relevant patterns. Also, even in the first example, they introduce user-defined classes that extend widgets ... a very promising example of their direction through the rest of the book.

One caveat: I am not certain that this book would be easy to comprehend for someone who is a beginner. But I think this is generally true for GWT itself, and that anyone who wants to use GWT should have some training in Java.

One gripe: This is an unfair gripe, because there is no way that the authors could have achieved what I would have liked to see, specifically, a book based upon the 1.5 version of GWT (the book is based upon the 1.4 version). I haven't used GWT 1.4, but I get the impression that there are enough changes in 1.5 to make the information significant. But I'll get over it, if the book is as good as the first two chapters promise!

I don't often say this as fervently, but here's my recommendation: buy this book if you are learning GWT (and probably even if you already know GWT)! :)

My first thought upon reading the first few chapeters of this book was "Where was this thing when I started to use GWT a few months ago?" The authors have done an excellent job really showing how to use the Google Web Toolkit. My eternal fear when I read these books is that there won't be any content outside of what the product already ships with. Not so in this case at all.

The authors cover the GWT basics, to be sure, but more importantly, they demonstrate a way to really use GWT. They hit upon one of my thoughts when first trying to get my head around GWT: GWT is not a framework; it is a platform at best. They recognize this and help you work with the power and around the limitations of GWT.
The authors demonstrate common patterns and practices in the "language" of GWT. It was extremely satisfying to finally, with the help of this book, be able to articulate and execute all the patterns that I've been using in other systems, (e.g. MVC, PropertyListeners, etc.)

The authors also demonstrate how to use GWT in a variety of environments and build system. These concepts were useful, but I found myself skimming over pages at a time to get back to the "good stuff." (This was my primary knock in not giving it five stars.)

All in all, I highly recommend and I'll be ensuring that my team each learn the concepts presented.

Alain Paul Martin gives us a new, non-traditional, and thought-provoking guide to intelligence gathering and strategic planning. This book is must reading for decision makers. Its incisive analyses, practical framework, and real-world examples provide valuable lessons that can be immediately put to use as we cope with our ever-changing world. Mr. Martin deserves our congratulations and our gratitude for this masterful work.

Alain Paul Martin's "Harnessing the Power of Intelligence, Counterintelligence & Surprise Events" is a great pleasure to read. This practical book is clearly based on extensive research and fieldwork in competitive intelligence in America, Europe and Japan. For over a decade, Japan has been shifting from large-scale manufacturing to a knowledge-based economy, and moving production facilities to Asian countries. The competitive-intelligence method and road maps described in this book can help managers fast-track projects and new-product development, and succeed in this new environment.

As a scientist who has made the transition from managing R&D in a global company to educating graduate students in management, I recommend Martin's book to entrepreneurs, scientists and fellow educators. I also agree with Harvard Professor Mark Thompson who states: "Alain martin has deftly incorporated, adapted, challenged, and complemented the insights of Fuld, Porter, Sun Tzu, and others to achieve a superb practical guide to the strategic and tactical management of institutional information."

Professor S. Ohara, Chiba Institute of Technology, Japan

I have read countless publications on strategy and competitive intelligence. Since I was often disappointed, I was hesitant to buy the new book "Harnessing the Power of Intelligence" and commit precious hours to study its content. But I quickly changed my mind after glancing over the long list of testimonials from well-respected intelligence experts and executives who highly recommend the book. It is now clear to me that author Alain Paul Martin has distilled the lessons of his extensive field experience to craft a practical framework that has been successfully applied in the private and public sectors.
Apart from the first Chapter, which I skipped, here is my impression about the rest of the book.

Chapter 2 "Building A High-Performing Organization" offers tips on the role of chief intelligence officers, issue managers, intelligence collectors and other scanning resources in an intelligence-centric organization. The section on intelligence culture deserves a greater coverage.

Chapter 3 "Building Intelligence Capital" starts with a brief discussion on scanning but the competitive-intelligence road map is a real gem.

Chapters 4 and 5 on intelligence platforms, search engines and the invisible Web are relevant to a wide range of occupations and activities beyond competitive intelligence. Just by applying the tips in the Brain Stem-Cell Case Study, I got my money and time worth within a week of reading Chapter 4.

Chapter 6 "Intelligence Security in Business and Government" does not provide new material to intelligence experts but is a good primer, filled with examples, for managers.

Chapters 7 and 8 examine the process of opportunity and threat incubation through the lenses of Martin's powerful paradigm. The illustrations suggest that the instrument is already used to capture new markets, and anticipate and manage various risks. The appendix on the Mad-Cow issue in Britain supports the framework and adds credibility to it. It is written by Dr. Brian Morrissey, a veterinary scientist who led government R&D on a host of complex national and global issues related to food and health protection.

The ideas and tools described in both Chapters 9 and 10 are the most advanced I have ever came across on stakeholders' analysis. Chapter 9 offers novel tips to identify the players who can make a difference in managing projects or reaching deals. It also sheds a new light on the role and power dynamics between these players. Chapter 10 helps readers map the positions and perceptions of the stakeholders, a pre-requisite for strategy formulation. Chapter 11 is a basic introduction to psychographics and VALS. Chapter 12 completes the book with concluding remarks about the application of intelligence to our personal lives.

The book is highly recommended to managers and students in military colleges, business and public administration. Chapters 7 through 10 will be of great interest to intelligence analysts who are constantly in search of new ways to connect the dots. I hesitate between a rating of 4 out of 5 stars for expert readers and 5/5 for managers. Actually, the framework alone is worth 5/5 and is without match in the world of competitive intelligence.

The stories featured in A. P. Martin's Harnessing the Power of Intelligence are fun to read and talk about, at work and at home. I have used some of them to alert my customer-service team about hidden risks and untapped opportunities. We have been applying the ideas of the first six chapters (Part I) for about three months. Our interactions with customers are yielding better results. We are now moving aggressively to prevent tampering with our information assets as noted in the section titled "How Good Organizations Lose Intelligence".
Four of my high-school educated supervisors, who read the book, found Part I a down-to-earth eye-opener, and right on target, for making wiser choices and avoiding costly errors. They, however, thought Part II would be more applicable to middle and senior management. A drawback: the cases in the chapter on Psychographics lack the detail necessary to be useful.
I have also read C. S. Fleisher's Strategic and Competitive Intelligence. Both books represent, in my opinion, two different, credible and complementary approaches to intelligence-based decision-making. Except for some references, there is virtually no duplication of content. A big bonus!

"Ninety percent of the information used in organizations is internally focused and only ten percent about the outside environment. This is exactly backwards." -- Peter Drucker

As usual, in one pithy phrase, management sage Peter Drucker captured the central problem facing organizations in uncertain environments -- they look in the wrong place. In volatile times, humans tend to hunker down in the cocoon of the controllable. Effective leaders embrace such times as an opportunity for greatness, when the prepared organization can jump ahead of ostrich-like competition.

Yet, few management advisors opine on how to combat these human tendencies and systematically scan, analyze and act in uncertain environments. Michael Porter's classic works on Competitive Strategy and Competitive Advantage did dispense advice on competitive intelligence gathering, but did not attend to the conversion of intelligence into commercial advantage. Alain Martin's new book "Harnessing the Power of Intelligence" compiles tested processes which create such value.

Martin's frameworks are based on research at American Express, Boeing, Dell, DuPont, GlaxoSmithKline, and Microsoft as well as application of his ideas in businesses, government, and the military. The book has the most up to date, and complete list of intelligence sources. For example, Martin cites the University of California at Berkeley "invisible web" project, which has shown that search engines only document about 15% of the business intelligence available publicly, because the vast majority of it is either not in a standard hypertext format or not linked to a public domain name (the silent campers). His framework on issue incubation, shows that large scale issues go through a relatively predictable process of incubation and development. Many leaders make the mistake of getting on an issue too early or too late. The issue incubation process delineates ways to recognize the progression of topics, and provides advice on if, when and how to intervene. Martin also has a tool called, Factional Analysis that helps a manager analyze who is likely to influence a volatile situation (from allies to adversaries). This tool is much richer than the traditional stakeholder analysis for it includes roles that do not fit in the normal economic calculus. For example, he includes "fanatics" in the analysis -- people whose sole purpose is to disrupt.

A leader can take the advice in this book and use it to guide outward looking intelligence, assess the current state of issues (or do a triage on a surprise event), and then take concerted action.

At points, the book does suffer from the same weakness of Porter's books in that its desire for completeness, the text often has a "list-like" feel. But, on balance this book provides a framework full of tested tools to turn uncertainty into value.