Phillips Books

each chapter is well written, not dry to read, easy to understand. although they should probably write a new version using office 2007 excel.

This textbook is the best intermediate to advanced statistics textbook currently available on the market today.The Excel instructions are self explanatory and include every step needed to apply a particular statistical procedure.The instructions for calculating joint probability tables and constructing tree diagrams are excellent and easy to follow.The example problems include all the steps.The notation used is simple,direct and straightforward.It will not cause any confusion for a student.The handling of p-values in hypothesis testing and multiple regression analysis is very well done.Based on my extensive teaching experience at the college and university level,I would highly recommend this book to a student, who is taking a statistics course that emphasizes applications, at the intermediate to advanced level.

This book helps us solve the age old puzzle of love. It arranges those puzzle pieces in a way that make us say, aha! Of course these guys are on to something, because as you read it you will see that the described techniques help both the pursuer and the pursued. Love Tactics has been like a bible to me. And More Love Tactics is a very necessary addendum to the original. I truly hope this convinces you, as I feel these guys are right on.

I've read quite a few books on relationships, seduction, and charisma. Some are poor, some are average, and some are outstanding. More Love Tactics belongs to the latter group. And the reason why is, simply put, that when before you are through reading it you already think "My god, where was this book? Why didn't I find it sooner? It would have made all the difference to me. I don't like the hype I usually see in other readers when they comment on the books they read, but if you really want to dramatically improve your skills at conquering someone, read this, and I guarantee you that if you apply some of the strategies described in the text, you'll understand why I consider this book to be brilliant. And, by the way, read Love Tactics first, it is also outstanding.

A Most Dreadful Earthquake offers personal observations and insight into the quake and its aftermath as well as the people involved -- including the young lady who wrote the letters. You will actually see the aftermath through Sarah Phillip's eyes. It's a fascinating, important and timely book that will bring the great San Francisco earthquake and fire back to life 100 years later. The book is a steal just for the letters alone. Fortunately Dorothy Fowler went way beyond that to describe the history and lives these people.

Additionally, if you're interested, you'll find the book includes great research techniques -- this is a model on how to do serious genealogy and historical research. The third section, Lives of the Letter Writers, provides the research into who these folks were and helps create depth in the characters. The reader truly cares about them. But Ms. Fowler also describes her research path. It held some great tips for me.

A Most Dreadful Earthquake is definitely worth reading.

I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and have never really known the real impact the 1906 Earthquake had on its people. I really enjoyed reading this book. Things and places are so familiar to me. My daughter loves San Francisco and the History surrounding the City. After I bought the book and read it I told her about it and she wanted to Borrow it from me. I decided I would get her her own copy and surprise her with on my visit to the City for Easter. She will love it as I have and I know she will search out the places mentioned. Thank you CGS for all the hard searching you have done to produce a great book.

I am the third of four brothers, was born in New Jersey, 1933, the year of the Archbishop's murder. In my childhood years I remember this atrocity being mentioned, but remember no facts. An older brother born in 1931 has vivid memories of discussions of this event in following years as does Dr Housepian's son, who was baptized at the church and whose father was called to see if the Archbishop could be saved.

The book explains how the Murder was the initial dividing point of the Armenian Church. Presently the mother church's headquarters' are in Etchmiadzin, Armenia. The other division of the church is headquartered in Antilias, Lebanon. The churches are known as a Diocese Church or a Prelacy Church. Recent years have brought cooperation of the clergy of the churches while both keep their separate leadership and identities.

What was of great interest to me, born and raised in the United States, was the author's revelation that the actual murderer was an imported "hit" man from Chicago, a non-Armenian. The time was prohibition and murder amongst gangsters was common. However, the group that surrounded the Archbishop came from a larger group that had hired the "hit" man. Members of the group filtered into the Church, impeded the Archbishop's walk down the isle to the alter, and allowed the "hit" man to knife to death the Archbishop. Those who impeded the Archbishop were a selected cadre of then anti establishment Armenians.

This cadre had a strong irrational view as to the correct allegiance for all Armenians after the 1915 Genocide of over one and a half million Armenians by the then government officials of Turkey. One of these officials was tried and convicted in a world court. An individual murdered a second official as an act of retribution for his perpetration of the Genocide. A German Court absolved his act of the official's murder in Germany.

The Murder of the Archbishop in his Armenian Church is a sad memory and an irremovable stain on the entire Armenian community.

Murder at the Altar

This is a fascinating books on three counts:

1) It tells the little-known but important story of the murder of a church leader in New York in the thirties, a crime that strikes right at the heart of the coming Cold War, and a crime that is as current as tomorrow because it foreshadows today's international battles fueled by church versus state issues.

2) Murder at the Altar is an extraordinary adventure story.

3) The book reminds us how difficult it is for human beings to leave our barbaric past as we search for solutions to religious and political differences.

In the interest of transparency I am pleased to note that Phillips and I are colleagues; as journalists we've both reported from some of the saddest and sorriest datelines in the world. Those experiences fuel Phillips's storytelling in Murder at the Altar and help bring the crime and the trial to page-turning life. As he researched this fine historical novel, Phillips came upon unpublished and previously unknown photographs of the events and characters involved in the crime. These he's cleverly spotted throughout the text, adding a illustrative reality to the novel that neatly enhances its be-here-now tone.

For those concerned about Armenia, the Armenian diaspora, and the legacy of the Soviet era on Armenian affairs, this book is, of course, a must read. Nothing else is available that so completely explains the tragedies surrounding the murder of Archbishop Tourian, and how they continue to infect the survivors. But the book is no less valuable for those seeking an understanding of how good men can do bad things, or those just seeking a damn good story.

I have been a big mushroom entusiast for some time now and I have at least 14 different field guides to mushrooms, this book is my all time favourate. Everything you have ever wanted in a field guide, pictures pictures and more pictures. Every mushroom is photographed and represented clearly from all angles, even cross sections showing the flesh. Good descriptions for every one, maybe not the longest description but detailed enough. If more information is needed on a mushroom I look it up else where. The photos make identifying mushrooms a breeze. I would recommend this book to any one interested in Mushrooms, I for one could not do without it!!

I bought this book when it came out in the early 1980s for identifying British fungi. At the time it was revolutionary as the use of photographs allowed the author to depict mushrooms much more accurately than the paintings of earlier guides. It is still one of the top field guides to this region (also check Courtecuisse & Duhem and Jordan). I still use this volume a lot for identifying American fungi, both in the tropics and North America. Although I have over 200 field guides of different sorts on my shelves this remains one of my all time favourites. If you're interested in fungi, don't hesitate.

This book was a great inspiration to me. Not only did it include Biblical interpretations of its many lesson, but I did so in a very simplistic way. I just love the catchy sayings that go with every chapter, such as "Never lick a moving blender," and "Don't wrestle with a pig in the mud...." This book was and still is a great tool for my daily life and I come back to it many times over for inspiration and for teaching!

...I didn't think the middle section, with the photospreads of survivors of kitchen accidents was in good taste. I was eating while I leafed through it, and almost got sick! Sliced off fingers, stab wounds, bruises, compound fractures, and so much blood - was that all really necessary?

Next time, try it without the photographs.

After reading the entire series of the Corrie Belle Hollister Journals, I was so excited to see that Michael Phillips continued with her married life. I felt like I was part of the Hollister family. Another GREAT set of sequels! Can't wait for more.

I Loved the book. It is one of the best books I've read.I couldn't put it down so I read it in 1 day. I loved all of the challenges Christopher put in his sermons. I want my marrige to be like Corrie and Christopher's. I'm 12 and I even loved it.

I actually have had the honor of meeting the editor and some of the film makers highlighted in this book. It's a fabulous account of the how and why behind German film makers.

I actually have had the honor of meeting the editor and some of the film makers highlighted in this book. It's a fabulous account of the how and why behind German film makers.

Turgay gets it right.

A few other observations...

It is very well written. Terse, no padding, well structured. You can get through it in an hour, cover to cover.

It is actionable. Everything discussed is straightforward to execute.

It is realistic. Fritz-Heinz and Phillips embrace HR politics.

It is ambitious. If you're taking care of ordinary HR administrivia without a sweat, this is your roadmap, a framework for getting you to the next level.

I like their ten measures of effectiveness:

10. Healthcare cost per employee.

9. Pay and benefits as a percentage of operating expense.

8. Cost per hire.

7. Return on training.

6. Turnover rate.

5. Turnover cost.

4. Time to fill jobs.

3. Return on human capital invested.

2. Human value added.

1. The one that means the most to your boss.

It's a pearl.

"In business we've stopped talking about personnel administration or even human resources management. Now we are dealing with the management of human capital...and human resources is right in the middle of it. It is no longer a cliche to say that people are the most important asset of an organization. People are the only dynamic asset. People are the causal force. Nothing happens without people. The human resources department's role is to help people be more effective in their work, as well as more satisfied. This effectiveness imperative is not measured in a flurry of programs. It is found in business results" (pp.1-2).

In this context, in Chapter VII, Jac Fitz-enz and Jack Phillips write that "As companies adjust to the new forces of the twenty-first century, HR has to find a basic model for staying in alignment with its customers. In times of great flux and uncertainty, the best approach is usually the simplest and closest to bedrock management. Basically, the human resources function has five responsibilities: planning, staffing, paying, developing and retaining human capital." Thus, in order to reveal interdependence among these functions, they introduce the HR Star model as following:

1. Workforce Planning- WFP is making a comeback. No matter what size your organization is, you have to look ahead to your future skills profile. If you devote a reasonable amount of time to planning, you will have it returned in reduced hiring time and cost, lower training costs of new employees, and probably higher productivity through a more stable and motivated workforce.

2. Staffing- Hiring during periods of sustained high growth becomes an all-consuming task. The only thing that will make it easier is having good data on the results of your current practices. Doesn't it make sense that if you know how much it costs, how long it takes, and the quality and availability of each of your major sources, you can do a better job?

3. Paying- Pay covers wages, salaries and benefits-the total cash investment in human assets. We can do a better job of managing that investment if we look at it from a resource viewpoint.

4. Developing- Employee development is no longer an option. Basic skills, management competencies and executive development are all priorities. If we don't develop effective leaders, we won't have to worry about basic skills because we will be out of business.

5. Retaining- When the supply is limited, a wise strategy is to pay attention to keeping what you have. Consider what it costs to lose a skilled employee: the direct cost of termination, hiring a replacement, vacancy costs and learning curve loss. These add up to more than one year's pay and benefits for an exempt person. Add to that the external costs in unhappy and lost customers, and the number goes out of sight. One study claims that the cost of losing an effective salesperson can take up to three years to recover.

Highly recommended.