Benefits of Books

First, dear reader, let me warn you about the level of difficulty you will discover upon reading this book. While the subject matter is not the most compelling to begin with, reading this book will not help the case. The content is certainly worthwhile if you persevere but it is written in a manner akin to the transformation of a Ph.D thesis into a text book.

Having said that I awarded this text with five stars because it certainly sets out in sometimes a little too much detail the state of pensions from a selected group of countries around the world. The author writes as a certified expert having sat on a commission in his native New Zealand investigating the subject. While New Zealand may be a small, relatively sparsely populated, country it has also been one of the most foward looking and experimental democracies in the world and one of the most ground-breaking nations that others have not been slow to follow.

Littlewood's book follows in a great tradition of work done by that free market pathfinder, Arthur Seldon, at the Institute of Economic Affairs in London. He sets out the history of state provided pensions and the context in which they were developed before setting out the basic principles of pension provision which he believes can be agreed upon by the vast majority of political parties and other interested groups and individuals.

He explores the various schemes and notes their basic similarities of the features of the schemes and the benefits that they provide. He also looks at pension scheme funding and the implications for the public purse, aspects to which he returns throughout the book.

Later on he sets out, again in considerable detail, a set of proposals and implications which he believes will adress the various states of provision in the different countries highlighted. In doing so he attends to the problems and objections thrown up by the various protaganists in the debate and tries to meet each of them head on and within the context and the development of his arguments in the book.

This book, written in 1998, is a very timely and important contribution to the debate on the economic impact of the changing economic and demographic circumstances which we face now and in the years ahead. The author refers at one point in his text to the way in which various reports of his committee's findings were published at certain times during it's lifetime. One feature of these reports were the edited versions produced for the layman. Im my humble opinion this book deserves to reach a wider audience than policy makers and pension professionals but it is a little dense and technical even for an educated generalist. Perhaps the Institute of Economic Affairs could use their good offices to suggest to CIVITAS that they might seek some sponsorship to draw attention to this request.

This work is excellent for anyone seeking to deal with contract
matters between yourself and an employer or purchaser of your
services. The work lists negotiation strategies, trends, your
value, fear of turnover, the benefits component, salary history
and components of salary, why a job opens, performance
measurement, characteristics of successful applicants,
career pathing and a whole host of important employment-related
areas. The section on non-competing agreements details why
you should ask for more salary or severance pay.
This book would be very helpful in focussing your attention
on key areas of inquiry with a perspective employer or
contractor.

An excellent source of invaluable information. I used the information contained therein, and was approved immediately. Could not have done without it!!!!!!!!

"The Incredible Benefits of Knowing God" is an excellent introduction into the biblical teachings by David Blunt. Chapter 3 is a critical one because he outlines the importance of our eternal salvation in accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. Jesus is not A WAY to eternal salvation but Jesus is the ONLY WAY to eternal salvation. This book is not about religion. Religion teaches 'about' God. David Blunt teaches how to 'know' God . . . how to have an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ in our everyday life. His teachings are practical and line up with the uncompromised Word of God that stands the test of time because Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

I really like vinegar and wanted to find a book that would tell me a bit about its history as well as how to cook with it, and I've been very pleased with this work. The author starts by defining vinegar and then discusses its discovery and uses in various parts of the world. After a chapter on the various types of vinegars, there is a chapter on vinegar and health, including old wives' tales as well as scientific research. Practical uses for vinegar are given, and many recipes. The book concludes with information on resources -- vinegar museums, websites, and retail suppliers for vinegar or vinegar-making needs; references; and an index.

I thought this was quite well done. I've learned a lot and have been happy with the recipes I've tried so far. Very nice.

I have read and used the material of this book with a wide variety of organizations. I have found the information clear, very helpful, and most importantly, insightful. It provides both the basic concepts for what makes all forms of reward systems work, as well as how to link them to the strategic direction of a company. There are descriptions of all forms of compensation, recognition and management practices. If you are global company or just competing in local markets, you will find something useful in this book. Its the most complete resource book that we have found available in the market. Buy it, use it, and re-read it because there are more things than one can absorb in a single sitting.

Ray Burnham ... a familiar name to my wife.

To update my status as King Of Designations, I have now earned over 30 designations.

In addition to the CPCU, CLU, CIC, AIS, AIC, AIM, ARM, AU, AAI, ARe, CPIA, and LIA, I have also, since Victoria wrote the article, earned the API, ALCM, APA, ARP, AIAF, AMIM, AAM, AIT, AFSB, ASLI, ARC, ChFC, CASL, RHU, REBC, ARC, ARM-P, CISR, and CRM.

As far as I know, I have earned more insurance designations than any other person in history.

As far as I know, I am the only educator (at least in the field of insurance) who guarantees to his individual patrons/students that each will think me the best in the world at what I do, or their money back.

As far as I know, I am the only educator who guarantees his individual patrons/students that each will pass the national exam, or their money back.

As far as I know, among all professional insurance educators, my patrons/students achieve, by far, the highest pass ratio.

As far as I know, I offer executive summaries for more courses than are available from all my colleagues, combined, with more than a couple dozen courses to boot. It's not close.

If you would like to pass a professional insurance exam, why not call 1-888-BURNHAM (1-888-287-6426) or email Ray@BurnhamSystem.com or visit my website at www.BurnhamSystem.com?

You can't go wrong with The Burnham System.

I wish you every success, always,

Ray Burnham

The CEOs that have given their perspective on running eco-friendly corporations have done a great job at opening the minds of their readers to new methods of preserving the environment. I particularly enjoyed the excerpt from the Princeton Power corporation and will certainly recommend this book to all of my friends.

Robert Hall's book represents an important contribution to the field of health care and medical ethics. Hall lays out an ethical perspective for healthcare organizations by addressing ethical questions as they arise on the business or organizational level. Hall not only examines the process of ethical decision-making, but also specific applied areas such as patient services, marketing, community relations, employee relations, medical records, and so forth. This book is a must read for all healthcare professionals from the healthcare student to the seasoned administrator.

As a legal advisor to a Section 501(c)(3) hospital who is not a dyed-in-the-wool tax expert, I have found this book to be of immense help. It is well-written and the examples are chosen carefully.