The CRB Commodity Yearbook 1998

Book Description

The essential commodity reference for analysts, traders, and portfolio managers

Dubbed the "bible" by market analysts and traders since 1939, The CRB Commodity Yearbook provides financial professionals with indispensable information on 105 domestic and international commodities, from alcohol to zinc. It includes seasonal patterns and historical data from the past ten years, as well as pricing and trading patterns on a monthly and annual basis. It also features more than 1,000 charts, tables, and graphs covering crucial data on production/consumption, supply and demand patterns, and trading highlights.

BRIDGE Information Systems America (Chicago, IL) is North America's largest resource for financial statistics, trends, and charting services.

Book Description

Designed for students not receiving an adequate foundation in fundamental concepts of agency via the "pervasive method" of teaching these concepts in contracts, torts, corporations, and other courses. Noteworthy features include special emphasis on the law of partnership and limited partnership, in recognition of the increasing significance of the partnership since passage of the Tax Reform Act of 1986; separate sections include dealing with partnership civil procedure and bankruptcy. Extensive discussion of significant changes made by the Revised Uniform Partnership Act, as amended in August 1993.

Cases and Materials on Agency and Partnership and Other Forms of Business Associations (American Casebook Series)

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Cases and Materials on Agency and Partnership and Other Forms of Business Associations (American Casebook Series)
William A. Gregory Thomas R. Hurst
Manufacturer: West Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

American Casebook | Series | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OTP8TU

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The Value of Design

Review Part One - the first 6 chapters

Unleashing Creativity

highly recommended

A great sampling of design, business, and creativity

The Creative Priority : Putting Innovation to Work in Your Business
Jerry Hirshberg
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Advertising | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Creativity | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0887309607

Book Description

How does your company define creativity? Or doescreativity define your company? In this remarkable book, Jerry Hirshberg, founder and president of Nissan Design International (NDI), distills his experience as leader of the world's hotbed of automotive innovation and reveals his strategy for designing an organization around creativity.

In The Creative Priority Hirshberg weaves together enlightening real-world anecdotes with the story of NDI's genesis to illustrate eleven interlocking strategies that came to define NDI's creative priority. Richly illustrated with NDI's elegant designs and sketched, The Creative Priority is at once a compelling narrative, a rich store of hands-on experience, and a grab bag of breakthrough insights that can help your business perform its most vital function.

Customer Reviews:

The Value of Design.......2006-03-14

Looking at several of the reviews already posted, the real value of this book is being missed. To see this book as being about automotive design misses the point altogether. This is a book to celebrate the largely untapped potential of focusing on design 'outside' of a particular market. The fact that the charter of the group specifically had to allow for the design of things 'other' than cars/vehicles, was to keep the problem-solving perspectives of the designers 'fresh' and 'exercised'.

Design is a fundamental principle that applies to the most critical aspects of the success of ANY business: optimizing relationships (the lifeblood of an enterprise's existence). The touchpoints at which any individual interacts with a business (whether customer, employee, supplier...) can all be optimized with thoughtful design considerations (it's not just about products).

Read Hirshberg and look 'beyond' the immediate problem. The principles are fundamental. Hirshberg does a great job of illustrating the principles within the context of his own experiences.

Review Part One - the first 6 chapters.......2006-03-04

The main take home messages from the first six chapters of `The Creative Priority' can be summarized as:

Creative Abrasion

In most cultures conflict is associated with negative emotions, which are usually considered counterproductive. Harmony and teamwork is very important supposedly for an organization to function effectively. However, when everyone thinks and acts alike no innovation can occur. All great thinkers, creative geniuses challenged the status quo. This is basically the root cause in every large company for the inability to innovate or to be creative, because the culture in most large companies is to conform rather than to stick out. That creativity goes along with a fair amount of conflict or friction is not a new idea. Most teams consisting of representatives from different functional areas will go through the phase of "storming" during the formation of the team. During this phase the team experiences a lot of conflict between the team members and will learn to deal with conflict in a constructive way - leading to creative abrasion.
It should be made clear that you shouldn't just dive into conflict head on, as it fosters creativity. Conflict for conflict sake does not assist in creative abrasion; it will lead to real abrasion, and probably more. Creative abrasion is difficult to implement as it needs to be nurtured, meaning that this would only work in a certain "culture", which has accepted a certain amount of conflict as "normal" and productive. Besides the right "culture" you need also to hire divergent pairs.

Hiring in Divergent Pairs

In order to create an environment for "creative abrasion" you cannot, must not, hire the same people - all mirror images of yourself. Again, in such a situation they would probably all think and act alike, therefore avoiding creative abrasion. However, you need to be careful in just hiring "difficult" people for the sake of it. The individual expertise of the pair has to match the job or project, in order to get to a synergetic relationship. My comparison of the divergent pair and creative abrasion would be Felix and Oscar in "The Odd Couple", who drove each other crazy, but not enough to split up.

As a chemist, Watson and Crick, the discoverer of the DNA Double Helix, come to my mind as an example of a divergent pair - a physicist leaving physics for chemistry and biology (Crick), and a former ornithologist changing towards research on viruses (Watson). From their different perspectives divergent pairs will have a better chance to solve any kind of complex problem.

Embracing the Dragon

Another integral part of the previous two points - Creative Abrasion and Hiring in Divergent Pairs - is the metaphor of embracing the dragon. The dragon is used as a symbol for a foreign or even threatening concept, standpoint, and even a hostile counterpart. By embracing the dragon you will assume the position of the "dragon" to see the situation from his side. However, there is a distinct difference between the two concepts of creative abrasion and embracing the dragon. Creative abrasion addresses the interaction between separate parties to form a new idea by combining their different viewpoints. However, embracing the dragon is focusing on the ability of a person to adopt a different or even threatening viewpoint to gain better insights into a particular problem. Or in other words, the ability to hold two divergent opinions in one's head. The connection between these two concepts is that they both threaten the status quo.

Creative Questions before Creative Answers

This concept addresses the issue of first defining the problem correctly, which requires that you might have to question previously formed believes and known standpoints - another form of the status quo. The main problem is to not define the problem with the already preconceived answer in mind. In my job at Abbott, I have experienced too many times that we defined the problem with a too narrow of a focus, which then lead subsequently that we did not identify the root cause of the problem. We would not fix the problem by the first time, but would apply "band aids" to the issue and had to come back later to give another try. My two sons, five and seven, taught me the concept of questioning so called "known" items, by asking me repeatedly what, how, and why on subjects, which are so clear to adults. However, I have a hard time explaining it to my kids.

Stepping Back from the Canvas

Stepping back from the canvas is another name for the fact that you are too close to the problem during the problem solving session. It is necessary to build in steps during the process where you deliberately do not focus on work. Sometimes this will led to insights into the problem, because you had not thought every second about your problem, but led the mind wander off. Specially, when you get stuck in your work, it is helpful to take some time off (step back from the canvas).

Failure, Cheating, and Play

Celebrate failures as a team instead of generating a culture where failure is not allowed. This quickly leads to risk adverse behavior, which is counterproductive in a creative environment. Learn from the mistakes, however.

Cheating has usually a negative connotation in most cultures. However, it is important to work together and build on each other's ideas, as it is done routinely in brainstorming. Again, the culture in the organization is very important. You do not want to create an environment where people have their ideas "stolen" from them.

Last not least, play around with your ideas. That way you may become more "creative" .

My biggest concern is the fact that Jerry Hirschberg had a "white canvas" or blank sheet of paper in front of him when he started to assemble his new design studio for Nissan. The concept listed above are very useful, but they may not work, when you have to turn around a major company.

Unleashing Creativity.......2005-12-17

This is a very good book. In it Jerry Hirshberg shares his experiences as founder and president of Nissan Design International. In so doing he characterizes the leadership, organization, and group dynamics that foster breakthrough innovation. Here is a sampling of the kind of thinking he unpacks...

* Bureaucratic "structure" with its need for predictability, linear logic, conformance to accepted norms, and the dictates of the most recent "long range" vision statement, is a nearly perfect idea killing machine.

* The atmosphere that follows out of the creative priority, while challenging and stimulating, also becomes supportive and humane, since a workplace safe for ideas is a workplace safe for people.

* Creative expression is a bipolar event; it requires both a sender and a receiver.

* There is a vital connection between abrasiveness and original thinking.

* Creativity and destructiveness are at the same time polar opposites and closely related cousins.

* The very idea of a "balanced person" as some kind of ideal is somehow troubling.

* New truths are often in plain sight, but are rendered invisible or menacing by an associated language, or a stubborn set of assumptions.

* Nothing can so effectively move work forward at times as not working.

* Work tends to be a convergent activity, focusing on the task at hand. Play is a divergent activity. It opens out and is not easy to contain.

* Creative people can't be boxed up in an ivory tower. They need direct contact with real world information to develop new ideas.

* In the quest for creative thinking, research should never be left to someone else, as nothing stimulates the imagination as the impact of direct experience.

* Imaginative thinking cannot be constrained by preconception or prior intentions. Creativity does not play by the rules; it plays with the rules.

I would recommend this book for both leaders and members of creative groups as well those with whom they interact.

highly recommended.......2005-11-10

The Creative Priority is an excellent book that I recommend to absolutely everyone. The book is of particular interest to managers and executives of businesses, but it could prove useful for anyone interested in creativity in business. The book is particularly interesting to anyone interested in automotive design or industrial design in general. The book has many interesting designs and sketches throughout to help illustrate many of the design stories. Rather than simply stating and explaining techniques for fostering creativity in the workplace, Jerry uses real-life experiences as a leader of automotive innovation to illustrate the ideas behind creating a workplace organized around the principle of creativity. He claims that all the strategies must be taken together as a whole. The essence of the situation, he insists, is a necessity of recognizing creative thought as the paramount organizing principle of the business. It is recognizing the distinction between an innovative business and one that has creativity as its prime goal. Rather than simply applying techniques in an attempt to promote creative progress, creativity must be given priority. The ideas contained within the book are the result of experience and observation gained by Jerry over his nearly twenty year career in the business of creativity. The book progresses in an almost story-like fashion, narrating the account of Jerry

A great sampling of design, business, and creativity.......2000-06-08

This is a great book for designers and auto enthusiasts. It's really a quick read with good writing and editing. Hirshberg really talks about the nuances of design and the management of creativity in a saturated product market. There is a nice balance of design decision details and macro level organizational management described through the book. Hirshberg's mini-stories from one project to the people responsible for the ideas really get you thinking about all car designs. He touches on a range of production and concept cars - everything from the Nissan Pathfinder, Pulsar NX, Infiniti J30 and a few which never made to our asphalt ecosystem. There are also humorous multi-cultural experiences with his Japanese counterparts - which are great lessons for those uninitiated to other ethnicities and particular business etiquette. The best of all are the hand sketches of the Infiniti J30, Gobi concept vehicle, boat designs and other early development stages. I wish there were more pictures for us right-brainers. A big part of his later chapters deal with how to create an environment that is naturally stimulating for creativity -and some of his methods are not in the studio.

If you can remember car lines and wonder why a Nissan and Infiniti grill (or any car for that matter) looks the way it does - this book is for you. FYI - you can probably get essentially the same book in hardback at a used place for the paperback.

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Easiest Bartener's guide to use for work or at home

great drink recipes, interesting background info

The Bartender's Companion: The Original Guide to American Cocktails and Drinks (4th ed.)
Robert Plotkin
Manufacturer: Barmedia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Bartending | Drinks & Beverages | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Spirits | Drinks & Beverages | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0945562233

Book Description

This is the 4th edition of our creative drink recipe guide that includes over 2,600 delicious drink recipes, alphabetically listed and indexed by drink type and main ingredient. Also included are reviews of 126 of the hottest liquors and liqueurs on the market today. The four color cover and four color interior are beautifully designed.

Customer Reviews:

Easiest Bartener's guide to use for work or at home.......2006-02-22

This is my second copy of Robert's Bartenders Guide. My original copy of Revision 1 was used while I was a bartender 8 years ago and
helped me out of a few embarassing situations. It shows you the glass by name and picture, how you prepare the drink and the garnish options.

This copy has more drinks then I could ever get a chance to try, and will make a great addition to my home bar.

great drink recipes, interesting background info.......2004-08-20

This is a great book for those getting started in mixing drinks, or for the more advanced. Procedures for making the drinks are nicely spelled out, as well as information on glassware and tools, etc. Alternate recipes are shown for several drinks, showing that there is not just ONE WAY to make certain drinks. This lack of arrogance shows through in a number of ways, including in the sidebars on the pages that highlight particular spirits. Lots of interesting background there. I especially enjoyed the features on the Dekuyper's cordials. They may offend the snobs, but they're fun! Another great feature is an index by ingredient. You get a new bottle of something and can look it up to see what new drinks you can make with what you have on hand. In general, this book is fun and informative and is a must-have for any drink mixer.

Book Description

Robert Barnes teaches you the ten most effective, profitable trading methods ever devised to challenge, and to beat, the commodity futures market.

Book Description

Multiply your money!

During a five-year period Stefan Bechtel achieved a cumulative return for his investments of over 1,250 percent with an average annual return for the same period of more than 68 percent. This charming, wise book imparts to the reader the simple, reliable, time-tested plan he used to dramatically multiplying his money.

It does not matter whether you have ten dollars or ten million dollars to invest. Each of the twelve chapters begins with a single, one-sentence lesson explaining a down-to-earth principle. Along the way the book shares a few thoughts about gardening, spirituality and life. Examples are:
Spend a lot of time preparing the soil. Successful investors spend time thoroughly researching a stock before they buy it.
Put a chair in your garden. Like gardeners, investors fuss and over-water and over-fertilize and just can't stop doing something. Instead, they should put a chair in their garden and calmly do absolutely nothing.
Don't eat your seed corn. Wise, long-term investors never spend their principle because that is what makes their "money garden" grow.

Customer Reviews:

Highly Recommended.......2002-04-19

This fascinating, well-written little volume is investing made easy for those of us who aren't Warren Buffet, and may even be "investing-challenged." With excellent analogies and anecdotes drawn from his puttering around the garden, the author makes the seemingly daunting task of what to do with one's - and one's family's - cherished and hard-earned savings seem not only less paralyzing, but even fun. And since the author writes informatively not only about finances but about gardening, it's a terrific "two-fer." Quite simply, it's the best investment I ever made.

Wise, simple, incredibly useful.......2002-04-15

I loved this little book!
I tend to be rather daunted by numbers in general and financial statements in particular, but this book discusses the basics of investing in terms of gardening -- tending the soil, planting the seed, waiting for the harvest -- rather than in terms of things that make my eyes glaze over. I've never heard investing described in this way, but it really helped me understand so much!

Book Description

Bioethics: Asian Perspectives: A Quest for Moral Diversity: - is the first volume on bioethics all contributors of which are exclusively non-western scholars; - unfolds a rich and colourful picture; - addresses thorny bioethical issues from comprehensive Asian perspectives and different from the western paradigm of bioethics; - covers many topics including the intellectual foundation of Asian bioethics, bioethics and Asian culture, life and death, euthanasia and end-of-life care in Asia; - shows in its discussions moral diversity in Asia; - sheds light on the debate about universal ethics, global ethics and moral diversity. The book is intended for senior undergraduate and graduate students interested in bioethics as well as for bioethicists, philosophers, physicians, scholars of Asian and culture studies, geneticists, sinologists, medical anthropologists, health administrators, health officials for relations with Asia, foundation officers for health programs in Asia, western journalists in Asia and officers of international organizations for Asia.

Book Description

Ultimate guide on Italian taxation system and regulations

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Italy Tax Guide
International Business Publications USA
Manufacturer: Lightning Source Inc 01/1//2002
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N5QHA4

Book Description

1926. This is a fascinating account of a Virginian who became one of the greatest and most beloved leader's of American history. This volume covers his earlier years. Partial Contents: Ancestry, His Childhood; First and Last Sea Voyage; First Victory and First Defeat; Charged with Assassination, Resignation, Sally Fairfax, Braddock, First Election, He Wins a Rich Widow;The New War. Illustrations.

George Washington: the human being and the hero: 1732-1762

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George Washington: the human being and the hero: 1732-1762
Rupert Hughes
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00085GENE

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George Washington the Human Being and the Hero 1732-1762
Robert Hughes
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LRLRXQ

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GEORGE WASHINGTON, THE HUMAN BEING AND THE HERO 1732-1762
Rupert Hughes
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VGD9HO

Book Description

Shattered: True Story of an American Teenager is about Holly Slack, the most popular girl in school, and how her life changes after a tragic car accident in her junior year.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent for Youth and Adults.......2005-09-23

I felt like I was just watching a movie on TV while I read this book. I would especially recommend this to all youth nearing driving age or those that may have just received their license.

As an adult, I can remember that in my teenage years ... I felt like nothing I did could harm me. Yet this is just one of many examples that in less than a second, a tragedy can happen that changes your life and the life of everyone around you forever. This book helps us all understand how fragile we all are and how blessed we are to have the burdens in our lives that are so small in comparison.

Amazing book!.......2004-09-01

This is a great story. I had a chance to meet Holly after reading her book, and she was such a wonderful person when we met. She has an incredible wit and a terrific sense of humor.

a must read for every parent.......2001-03-09

I enjoyed the book, I had to finish the book the same day I started it. When my children, ages 9 and 11, are older I plan to have them read it. I hope that they will realize that every action had a consquence. I wish that every teen would understand that.

Compelling.......2001-02-10

I couldn't put this book down. One I started it I had to finish this true story of a young girl whose life was turned upside down. A must read for every teenager every parent of a teenager and for anyone who realizes that life is so precious and our lives can change in a matter of minutes.

Shattered True Story of an American Teenager

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Shattered True Story of an American Teenager
Patricia Huston-Holm
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7EGPK

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