Organizations Books

I love cher's concert book becouse i love her and i love her concerts.cher is a GREAT person to be a singer,a acter,and to make her own books. Cher was so luck do be married to Sonny.

The author dispenses a complete and concise guide that can be used by any organization in planning the benefit concert. The arrangement of chapters allows the committee to walk through the process knowing full well what is involved. Hollan's sense of humor is evident throughout the book and it is apparent that he has an uncanny ability to attend to detail without losing sight of the goal. Much of the book can be used by individuals or organizations in planning events other than concerts; his tips for dealing with sponsors and the media are very helpful. A great resource for any event planner!

I'm an aspiring promoter and I found this book simply outstanding. This book gave me a vivid picture on how to put on a fund raising event. It was very easy to read and gives valuable information for organizations to build a fund raising concert. I really don't like to read and I found Mr Hollan's personal experiences very interesting. I was further intrigue by the planning and professionalism outline in each chapter. For anyone wishing to put on a fundraising concert, I highly recommend this book. Thanks Mr. Hollan for writing such a great book!

The concert book is a must read for fund raisers. The author's practical experience and easy to read style will jump start your fund raising campaign to new heights.

The book is well written and presents an organized project plan useful for both the novice and seasoned fund raiser.

Brewer's book has been invaluable to me as a new land trust board member, providing the essential history of the field as well as exploring all facets of what land trusts do. I found it so useful I gave copies to our board and staff. Very well written with just the faintest hint of wit. A keeper, as they say.

I devoured this book just before a job interview with a land trust and referenced it often in my presentation to the hiring committee. The book was amazingly user-friendly. I had a good understanding of ecosystems and conservation but had not been introduced to land trusts.
Brewer gave me the context for the local organization and helped me understand the value proposition of tools like conservation easements.
I did get that job and still use this book often. I intend to buy one for every new volunteer board member so that they can truly understand what our mission is and how to sell it to those who don't yet get it.

This book is a great overview of the land trust movement. It covers everything from the history of land trusts to the tools land trusts use. There are also brief chapters on some of the larger organizations such as the Land Trust Alliance, the Nature Conservancy, and the Trust for Public Lands. Those who have been in the field for a while may not find this book extremely useful but it is exactly what I would recommend to anyone new to land trusts.

I found this book to be an excellent resource for those interested in Land Trusts and what they do. I am presently employed by one of the Land Trusts mentioned in this book and I think that Mr. Brewer is very fair and honest in his descriptions.

I just finished reading the paperback version (considerably less expensive)of Contextual Teaching and Learning. I found it extraordinarly helpful in understanding how to really facilitate learning both in and out of the classroom. Dr. Johnson clarifies CTL (Contextual Teaching and Learning) for all of us, and explains how to put it to use with students. The concept of CTL, because it is based on current brain research and uses biology and physics as well as psychology, carries the potential to revolutionize teaching practices.
Unlike most books on education, this one goes much deeper, getting into universal principles that govern the activities of every living thing on the planet. Nevertheless, it does not bore readers with complex theory or elevated scientific language. The book is accessible and exciting for anyone who is searching for new ways to motivate and excite students. Johnson, a teacher herself, communicates the science in understandable terms and constantly relates them to teaching experience.
A major premise of the book is that all learners learn best in an environment reflecting three foundational, universal principles: 1) interdependence, 2) differentiation, and 3) self-organization. She translates these principles into eight components of a rich learning environment; each one is given a chapter, fully explaining how each works and providing real-life examples.
The book is a gold mine of ideas, presented coherently and with a great deal of love for the process and the people who make it work.

Written for professional educators yet comprehensible and practical in its presentation toward non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject matter, Contextual Teaching And Learning by education and business consultant Elaine B. Johnson (Executive Director of MBM Associates) is a solid, definitive guide to what "Contextual Teaching And Learning" (CTL) is and how it can enable teachers from grade school through university levels help students achieve academic excellence. Filled with examples of CTL's success, strategies to best apply CTL, and a thorough outline of the basics and history of CTL, Contextual Teaching And Learning is a welcome and invaluable addition to professional and academic teacher education supplemental reading lists and reference collections.

This paperback book is a "must" for all teachers who care about helping every student achieve excellence. It provides a clear, easy to follow explanation of how the brain learns. It offers practical examples from classrooms around the country, of brain-compatible teaching. It shows that the brain weaves patterns and makes connections in its search for meaning. Because the brain learns best when it makes connections to find meaning, teaching needs to place lessons in the context of students' own lives and experiences. When teaching occurs in context-is contextual-students will excel.

This is an excellent book for teachers in K through university. Available in paperback, it is a readable, engaging, well-researched discussion of the practices that make for great teaching.

The book illustrates that learning occurs when we discover meaning and that we discover meaning when we connect new information with things we already know. Aimed at helping ALL student achieve excellence in the classroom, "Contextual Teaching and Learning" explains how the human brain learns. It explains why certain teaching methods are brain-compatible and thus benefit students of all abilities. It explains that used together, these teaching methods constitute a holistic system that links lessons with students' daily lives, filling lessons with meaning.

Parents should read this book to understand the kinds of instruction they should seek for their children. Teachers should read the book to get concrete ideas about classroom practices. Those interested in the history of ideas should read it to find out why "context" matters to the human brain.

I have not read this book, but I listened to an interview on Wall Street Journal This Week (podcast). It is sad that corporate and Wall Street has driven the "front line force/employees" to the ground and view employees as a commodity. However, this corporate greed, arrogance and uncaring attitude has promoted one thing - entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, entrepreneurship takes a good amount of capital, something that many employees do not have. Therefore we are stuck with the mercy of our corporate employers, while we pursue the American Dream - the welfare of our family. But that American Dream could also be that you part of, for example, the Google team.

The author of this book, Dr. Alan Downs, performed corporate downsizings for years and now explains they seldom attain the goals a company wanted.

Dr. Downs explains that, contrary to what we read, life in the workplace is deteriorating for nearly everyone. He explains that greed is the driving force behind company lay-offs and it must be checked. He advocates a new "social contract" between companies and employees.

America's businesses must begin to understand that they are often responsible for the tension in our society that invites the rampant drug use. Top-down, authoritarian, do-it-my way management defies research into human development that has been with us since 1927 when the "halo effect" was discovered. More harmony and less friction is needed between labor and management and this is what Dr. Downs writes about. He states that businesses need "rejuvination, not dismemberment. He is right!!

Many books have been written and studies have been made that show management is not as good as it is cracked up to be and it is time for change. Worker friendly institutions will only be brought about in the 21st Century by managers who know how to inspire workers. Companies who heed this advice, based on sound research will benefit across the board as will communities and the people who work in them.

Dr. Downs book reveals a hidden truth about corporate America that government officials should pay attention to, but they may not as special interest groups are at the very top of these companies that promote this "ugly truth" with large pay checks in the form of political contributions.

If you are a CEO, in high level management, a politician or a union leader, read this book and go to work on correcting this ugly corporate structure sure to play havoc within America sometime in the 21st Century.

Norman Jones, Ed.D author of Performance Management in the 21st Century

In Corporate Executions, Dr. Downs shows how the government and top executives foster top-down management practices that are helping to create unwanted and unneeded tesnion in our country. Years ago it seems that companies had the best interest of communities and employees in mind, but this book dispells that long lost attitude. To his credit, Dr. Down rebukes the downsizing, the re-engineering of companies because he participated in these tragedies and makes recommendations to increase the performance of companies without affecting the morale of people. His book should be read by every politician and every CEO and taken to heart as a measure that would make us a safer, calmer nation. The recommendations of Dr. Downs are even more important than he writes about as I believe he touches upon the attitude of big business that creates tension in our country and delivers a message to young people that the future is going to be a lot rougher on them than the past has been on people in the world of work. Dr. Down's ideas should be put into practice soon, but I fear he is going to be one of many authors who will only be able to set back and say, "See I told you so."

Alan Downs knows whereof he speaks when he details the rationale, strategies, and methodology of corporate downsizing in the 90's. His spellbinding expose is written from the standpoint of a converted "corporate reconstructionist," and he pulls no punches. He takes you behind the scenes, into boardrooms, managerial conferences, and strategy meetings, in which employees are little more than pieces of play on a game board, manipulated by corporate henchmen in an attempt to drain every last drop of profit from an undervalued workforce. Mr. Downs' insightful, caring treatment of the workers' modern day employment dillemma both comforts and informs. If nothing else, the reader leaves with a greater understanding of why he or she has been buffeted about in the economic storm that has characterized the greedy 90's. Such understanding allows the victim of a layoff to salvage an othewrwise devistated sense of self worth, knowing that they are not alone -- that the fruits of "profits before people" ideology are widespread. Corporate Executions is also recommended to the thoughtful exec who realizes that short-term profits derived from a decimated workforce are over-shadowed by negative factors engendered by trimming the sinew with the fat. Low worker morale, lost job knowledge, confusion as to job responsibilities, a general lowering of work accuracy, etc. plague workers to the detriment of the stated corporate mission and precious bottom line. Alan Downs' suggestions on how to structure a kinder, gentler, and, yes, more profitable company are well worth the read

This book provides an up-to date review of the structures and characteristics of the various financial and corporate governance systems that exist in eleven industrialized countries around the globe. It also informs the reader as to why and how some companies take advantage of these differences, while others fail, in the finance and management of their long-term investment decisions such as Research and Development.

IT IS A PERFECT GUIDE TO FIND OUT INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL PROBLEMS

This is an excellent review of international corporate governance practice and short-termism Essential reading for Internatioanl Business

Previous work on Corporate Governance has often produced a rough view of Corporate Governance practices and their influnce on investment decisions. This book examines different national models of Corproate Governance,how they operate, and how they affect investment decisions in Research and Development. The implications of differing Coporate Governance practices for other intangible investment decisions, company policies, and for Financial Reporting is also examined.

Curt Weeden tells corporations that social investing through charitable contributions can help society, and can be good business. Then he explains why, and how. This detailed guide explains ways to get the most out of each philanthropic investment, benefiting the non-profit organization and the company's reputation, employee motivation and bottom line. Weeden provides only a few examples of companies that have engaged in corporate social investing, but the introductions by Paul Newman and Peter Lynch are more hands-on because both are active in philanthropy. The book focuses on instructions for setting up your firm's social investing system. Suggestions cover choosing a non-profit recipient, figuring tax benefits, and other nuts-and-bolts issues. The book is oriented to CEOs and top corporate managers, though we at getAbstract also recommend it to academics, stockholders and fundraisers. If you are considering social investing, this is a good guide. And if you're not, it'll explain why you should. (Note: Tax matters discussed are

Today corporate America has joined the sanctimonious trend in our society under the "giving back" theme. I imagine what a breath of fresh air it would be to hear the following candid statement from a corporate CEO or Board Chairman after refusing to kowtow to political correctness:

"We sell a quality product that our customers value. We have provided our employees with the means of supporting themselves with dignity, good wages, benefits, and a good working environment. We have worked hard to create wealth for our investors who after all are people with varying needs and means - and not all of them fantastically wealthy. We pay our share of taxes. In summary we already gave back to the community! As for giving to charity - any of our investors has the right to give in any way or amount (time or money) to any organization he or she sees fit. They don't need us to make that decision for them."

The "giving back to the community" phoniness implies that while running a business you are obviously taking from others - you are a drag on society at large and need to give back to equalize things - Karl Marx couldn't have come up with a better slogan.

Nonprofit organizations, particularly grassroots agencies, would do well to absorb the lessons in Corporate Social Investing which demystify and challenge corporate giving policies. We've found it much more enjoyable than most business texts, and we found ourselves laughing at some of Curt Weeden's analogies on more than one occasion.

This book lays out an easy to use approach for corporations and nonprofits who work together to get the most out of corporate contribution programs.

Working in a national nonprofit heading up the communications department with our corporate members, I have seen first hand the need for a road map in uncharted territory. This book provides just that to anyone interested in the field.

This is NOT just a business book -- it is a book that every nonprofit leader should be reading. This book could really make a difference in the way businesses and nonprofits work together.

I am a Consultant charged with setting up a corporate university for a 100 person company. The workbook provided me with the structure of a university and things to think about in creating a university. I didn't use the CD yet, but did love the book!

If you are involved in setting up or work for a corporate university, run, don't walk to your nearest book seller and purchase this workbook. Long overdue, The Corporate University Workbook, written in plan, easy to understand English, walks the reader through eleven chapters packed with business oriented explanations, strategies, checklists, exercises, case studies and rationales for designing, building and maintaining a world class corporate university. Destined to become a classic in the field, The Corporate University Workbook should be required reading and within arms reach of anyone responsible for establishing or fine tuning their organization's corporate university.

Philip McGee, Ed.D., THRD, Clemson University

From strategic visioning through measuring success, this practical workbook provides tools, guidelines and even a dozen templates in the enclosed CD. Mr. Wheeler shares best practices, from years of experience and research. With the lead from product advances shrinking, human talent will become a major competitive differentiator. I highly recommend for anyone challenged to support your organization's success through talent development.

Kevin Wheeler makes it clear early on in his book that successful corporate universities must go beyond traditional training. Learning goes far beyond training, incorporating a wide range of informal learning processes and activities. This differentiates this book from much of what has been written in the past about corporate universities--focusing on mostly course-oriented training. Wheeler takes the reality of broad-based learning in organizations into account and provides a very detailed and practical guide for building a successful and flexbible corporate university. The book contains lots of templates and practical lists with questions and issues that must be addressed by someone building a corporate university. Each chapter begins with a review of an unsuccessful and a successful example of corporate universities, making it clear that success is by no means guaranteed. But the probability of success will no doubt be much higher for those who do their homework and not only read this book but complete the numerous exercises that Wheeler has carefully prepared to assist those ready to build a corporate university meant to transform an organization into a 21st century learning organization.

I liked the information given and how it was presented. IT gives examples of things that have actually happen and this one will really make you think.

It has always been the case that those with excess power are likely to overuse it, at the expense of those who have little power. In the corporate world, the hand of companies can get overbearing when there's a lot at stake. Unions have always experienced tough tactics. Legislatures are wooed with money, contributions, influence and political pressure. Whistle blowers often find themselves harassed, threatened, and intimidated. All of these excesses are documented with recent examples in this thoughtful book.

If you love your relationship with your HMO, the way your credit card company charges you, what your credit report has to say, and how your privacy is protected, then you have no need for this book. If, on the other hand, you are concerned about scandals like Enron, WorldCom, and have problems with corporate marketing to children at school, your HMO, credit card companies or credit reports, you need to read this book.

Mr. Court makes a persuasive case for corporations having gained too much power, and that the time has come to redress that balance in favor of individual citizens. He also provides lots of advice about what you can do to make matters better . . . both for yourself and others. The book's main flaw is that the section on how to fix matters is the briefest.

I hope that during the elections in 2004 that these issues will receive the attention they deserve.

After you finish this excellent book, find something to do to exercise your rights from the lists that begin in Part Three.

This book will shock you with how much information on you is floating around and more importantly, who has access to it. A must read in todays world.

I heard Mr. Court speak at a breakfast in San Francisco last week and purchased a copy of the book. Excellent expose of how corporations are curtailing our freedom and ending any idea of privacy. A lot of interesting things to think about.

Don McNay
President
McNay Settlement Group
Richmond, Ky. 40475

As a first year graduate student I am beginning to pursue my Masters in Communication, and until found Creating a Mentoring Culture, I was not enjoying my graduate experience. For the past year I have been working in the communication field of broadcasting, but all of my graduate classes are geared towards students eventually going into a teaching profession within a university and involve lots of theory, discussion, hypothesis and questioning but never give me any information that I can directly apply to my future career in a communication industry outside of teaching. I'm interested in how to apply it to my real life office. Creating a Mentoring Culture was a light in the dark room of grad school theory. It gives tangible examples that I can follow and put into practice. Lois Zachary has developed exercises, rules and activities that have been tested and will actually work in a real life setting. Creating a Mentoring Culture gave me something that I will be able to use in a real world, business office setting!

Dr. Zachary's book plots the entire process for creating a mentoring culture in the organization. Her book offers clear steps to identify all the issues that need to be addressed prior to a program design and implementation. The book provides insight into the levels of buy-in and commitment needed for mentoring to be successful and imbedded in an organization. Mentoring is a powerful way to engage leadership in their personal growth and development and the advancement of the organization.
This is an easy to read and use guide. The CD is a great gift offering the forms for the exercises.

"Creating a Mentoring Culture" goes well beyond traditional guides for designing and implementing mentoring programs by touching the core of an organization's capacity to embed learning and leadership development throughout its structures and processes. Dr. Zachary's strategies and tools for bringing people together to have deeper conversations about organizational learning will not only help sustain its mentoring efforts; they will help an organization revitalize its values and its focus on human development.

In an increasingly competitive business world, the need for having what Peter Senge describes as a "total learning environment" is greater now than ever before. With all due respect to formal training programs, my own experience has convinced me that on-the-job training (especially cross-functional training) remains the most effective means by which to create and then sustain such an environment. Hence the importance of mentoring relationships which, Zachary correctly points out, "offer an opportunity for individuals to nurture seeds in others so they might become blossoms, and blossoms might become fruit, which then nourishes others." Moreover, "When mentoring relationships are rooted in the fertile soil of a mentoring culture, they also enrich the quality of organizational life."

Zachary carefully organizes her material within two Parts. First, she explains what effective mentoring involves, how to embed it in a culture, how to integrate mentoring within that culture, and then how to implement mentoring initiatives. In Part 2, after identifying the hallmarks of effective mentoring, she focuses on key components: infrastructure, alignment, accountability, communication, value and visibility, demand, multiple mentoring opportunities, education and training, and "safety nets. " What we have in this single volume is a cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective system rather than a kaleidoscope of data, anecdotes, personal experiences, bromides, simplistic observations, and all manner of disjointed recommendations. That said, it would be a fool's errand to try to implement all of Zachary's system as is. As she would be the first to point out, all organizational cultures are different and many of them consist of several sub-cultures. Therefore, it remains for each reader to read and then re-read this book, complete the "Mentoring Culture Audit" (Appendix A), and (if possible) check out at least some of the resources recommended (Appendix B).

Regrettably, formal education often fails to help students to "learn how to learn." As a result, many people either do not realize what they don't know or, worse yet, think they fully understand what in fact they do not. My own experience suggests that, in general, people do not fear change; rather, they fear the unknown. That same experience also supports Derek Bok's observation that "If you think education is experience, try ignorance." Effective mentoring, therefore, requires humility and patience as well as knowledge and competence. The best mentors sincerely care about serving the best interests of those with whom they are privileged to be associated. They are passionate life-long learners themselves. Their enthusiasm is often contagious.

Obviously, I think very highly of this book. Zachary combines all of the skills of a cultural anthropologist with those of a clear thinker and eloquent writer. I also appreciate the CD-ROM which the publisher provides with it. Those who read the book can then review its key points while completing interactive exercises. The multiple templates can then assist the necessary modifications of the core concepts when applying them.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Zachary's The Mentor's Guide as well as Senge's The Fifth Discipline and then The Dance of Change, Carla O'Dell's If Only We Knew What We know, David Maister's Practice What You Preach, and Gary Harpst's Six Disciplines For Excellence.

Excellent job, delivered prior to expected delivery date. In condition stated. Would definitely utilize again

A great great book to give to your existing Private Foundation clients, as well as those considering their options. The book hits on several key points among many others - which are the reason to formalize your investment policy statement(IPS) and donor intent issues. The author is correct that too often good intentions fail to result in effective results. It deals with other vehicles like charitable lead trusts (CLTs) and charitable remainder trusts (CRTs) as well as donor advised and support organizations. It is a big picture book not a technical how to for the attorney!

Unwitting new philantrophists sometimes end up with bureaucratic creatures that do exactly what the donor did not want. This book is full of practical advice on how to avoid unpleasant surprises if you set up a foundation of your own, such as finding out that you have no control over its activities.

It also gives a succinct review of investment problems. Foundations can potentially last for many generations. But they can easily mismanage themselves into oblivion in short order. The authors identify seven deadly investment sins.

For example, foundations don't need to frequently redeem their investments, but some mistakenly invest in liquid assets and lose returns as a result. They would be better off with non-traditional investments like private-equity, income producing real estate, hedge funds, and timber.

Many foundations fail to diversify, unwittingly taking on risk. THey start with stock from the founder's company and continue to hold a concentrated position, exposing themselves to the vagaries of that business. In 2002 the David and Lucille Packard Foundation was forced to cut its donations drastically when Hewlett-Packard stock fell.

IN short, an easy-to-read, useful guide.

The book is more for donors than advisors. I does not provide enough of the necessary essential legally technical information.