Encyclopedia of Associations Regional, State & Local: Southern (Encyclopedia of Associations, Regional, State, and Local Organizations Southern and Middle Atlantic States)

Book Description

This book gives a detailed analysis of this ever developing field of Community law. Based primarily on Articles 87 and 88 EC and now supplemented by secondary legislation, in particular Council Regulation (EC) No 659/1999, the European Commission and the Court of Justice have sought to ensure that State aid is directed towards recipients in such a way that the European economy as a whole benefits. This major new work for the first time places State aid law and policy in context with a fully coherent and integrated exposition of the subject.

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Ec State AIDS
Leigh Hancher , Piet Jan Slot , Tom Otterwanger , and Tom Ottervanger
Manufacturer: Carswell Legal Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

General | International Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Financial | English Law | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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Greg Fisher

An excellent snapshot of a real business during the bubble

Amazing Book

An unexpected enjoyable truip

GO GO GO BUY IT-NOW!

The MouseDriver Chronicles: The True-Life Adventures of Two First-Time Entrepreneurs
John Lusk , and Kyle Harrison
Manufacturer: Perseus Books Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Starting Something: An Entrepreneur's Tale of Control, Confrontation & Corporate Culture

My Start-Up Life: What a (Very) Young CEO Learned on His Journey Through Silicon Valley

The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything

Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days

New Venture Creation: Entrepreneurship for the 21st Century

ASIN: 0738208019

Amazon.com

John Lusk and Kyle Harrison seemed slightly out of their minds when, unlike their fellow MBAs, they skipped on flashy, lucrative offers from dot-coms to become entrepreneurs. Specifically, to produce and sell a computer mouse designed to look like a golf-club head (a state-of-the-art titanium driver to be exact). "I wanted to feel the pain of starting a company," Lusk writes in this clear and insightful memoir, "to go into debt, have my ego crushed and experience first-hand the thrill of working like a dog for months without a paycheck." Since he also expected to make a million in two years, it's not surprising that all these come to pass. The duo struggle with the fundamentals of making and selling, run-ins with typhoons, shabby off-shore manufacturing, and soon dot-com envy sets in. But when the dot-coms start going belly-up, this little-retail-product-company-that-could shows that the basics of business still apply--a handy lesson for those wondering what happened after the dot-com crash, as well as any would-be entrepreneurs wanting to make a go of it. --Lesley Reed

Book Description

The remarkable journey of two recent B-school grads who shunned dot-com opportunities for a distinctly different start-up experience.

It all started late one night at The Ginger Man, a popular restaurant in Dallas, Texas. Using the back of a beer coaster and the bartender's pen, Kyle Harrison, in a moment of inspiration, began sketching an unusual computer mouse, shaped like the head of a driver golf club. He took the idea with him to the Wharton School of Business, where he managed to impress his roommate, John Lusk. Upon graduation, they bravely but somewhat naïvely set forth to launch their company, Platinum Concepts, Inc., and its flagship product, MouseDriver™. Settling in San Francisco in an apartment that doubled as home and worldwide business headquarters, they had a front-row seat to the dot-com boom--watching their classmates rake in piles of cash and stock options, while they financed their venture with their own credit cards.

The MouseDriver™ Chronicles is the riveting, one-of-a-kind narrative that chronicles their entrepreneurial journey. It takes us behind the scenes of the authors' tumultuous first two years of business, years marked by endless corporate cold calling, multiple failed attempts to find a distributor, and even a typhoon that derailed their very first shipment of MouseDrivers.

A must-read for anyone who wants to start a business or wonders what it is like to do so, The MouseDriver™ Chronicles will inform, inspire, and renew our faith in the American spirit to succeed against all odds.

Customer Reviews:

Greg Fisher.......2005-03-22

The Mousedriver Chronicles is the story of 2 Wharton MBA's who take a business plan developed on their entrepreneurship course at Wharton and decide to make a go of it. In 1999 they turn away high paying jobs at investment banks and over funded dot.com startups to go it alone.

Their idea: to make and sell a computer mouse that looks like the head of a golf driver.

They fund the venture themselves, find a manufacturer in Hong Kong, move to San Francisco (to be part of all the start up vibe in The Bay area) and run the business from the kitchen of their rented flat.

Their story is brilliantly relayed as they grapple with manufacturing, marketing and distribution hassles. The single product focus of their new company, named Platinum Concepts Inc., makes for a wonderful entrepreneurial story with excellent lessons about what it takes to succeed as a self funded start up. The two founders quickly learn that they need more than the theoretical knowledge acquired on their MBA at Wharton; they need to be street wise. They experiment with different mechanisms to make things happen and end up categorizing their execution strategies as follows:
Plan A: Make use of their business school network and contacts
Plan B: Hit the streets and the shops to find a creative solution
Plan C: Work the Yellow Pages

More often than not, plan B and C worked far better than plan A.

One of the founders, John Lusk, began sharing their entrepreneurial adventure with friends and family via a monthly email called "The Insider". The Insider was a real, often humorous, sometimes highly insightful newsletter about their adventure. The insider subscriber list grew and grew. MBA lecturers began distributing The Insider as prescribed reading. In 2001 Inc. Magazine featured a cover story on the company and its two founders. The Inc. cover story entitled "An American Start-up" focuses on the impact of The Insider e-mail newsletter. The email newsletters were used as the foundation for the book published in 2001 entitled The "Mousedriver Chronicles".
The company has since been shut down but the Mousedriver website still serves as a portal for entrepreneurs and copies of The Insider newsletter can be found in PDF format on the website: www.mousedriver.com

An excellent snapshot of a real business during the bubble.......2004-11-11

There is so much in this book that I can relate to, having started my own company around the same time in Silicon Valley (although in software). John and Kyle made the same mistakes that many entrepreneurs thankfully make - they followed their passion instead of their senses, and didn't buckle under the pressure and the unknown. One other valuable lesson from this book -- document your process. This is a great way to share your successes and your mistakes with others. I wish we had more stories like this when I was working on my MBA - something more than the dry, non-applicable case studies stuck in front of us. And John and Kyle also provided one other important gem: how to save a few bucks a month at the neighborhood gym. Thanks guys.

Amazing Book.......2004-08-25

MouseDriver is about two guys who graduate from Wharton with MBAs in 1999 (the heart of the internet boom) and start a business manufacturing and selling a computer mouse that looks like the head of a driver golf club, turning down high paying jobs at dotcoms, investment banks, consulting firms etc.

As a small business consultant (Transcendence Consulting, LLC tcllc.net) I can tell you right now that if you are looking to start a busines, buy this book TODAY. It is an amazing look at the entire process of starting a business, from the ability to jump head first, manage yourself during
the highs and lows, deal with self doubt and solve an endless supply of problems. It is an easy read that will take you no time at all to complete.

An unexpected enjoyable truip.......2004-06-01

I was in a book store and I was attracted to the title and the cover color. I picked up the book and read the jacket and I was hooked. I hardly ever buy non-technical books -especially non-fiction. But I was hooked after reading the jacket so I bought the book and assiduously read and enjoyed it. Also I am a Wharton alumnus. I also took classes with Len Lodish.

Eric Ericsson

GO GO GO BUY IT-NOW!.......2004-02-24

Having stumbled accross this book amidst the deluge that is my local book store, i soon realised that i had stumbled accross something very inspirational indeed. As a Business school graduate myself, i was entering this game with a somewhat over-confident approach to business startup! Boy oh boy has this read tought me a thing or three! I don't want to rabble on and on about how good the book is, but i would just like to add one thing. The experiences of John and Kyle (the entrepreneurs) have brought me back down to earth and have re-ignited my creative spark as i am now thinking of ways to avoid getting myself in the dificult situations they often found themselves in . Also of ways i could get in similar positive situations they found themselves in. Oh, just go and buy it, steal it, borrow it from your friend or find a way to get your hands on it-entrepreneurs you will not regret it!

The mouse that squeaked--and grew. (Books).(Brief Article) (book review): An article from: Strategic Finance

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The mouse that squeaked--and grew. (Books).(Brief Article) (book review): An article from: Strategic Finance

Manufacturer: Institute of Management Accountants
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Strategic Finance, published by Institute of Management Accountants on March 1, 2002. The length of the article is 2207 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The mouse that squeaked--and grew. (Books).(Brief Article) (book review)
Publication: Strategic Finance (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2002
Publisher: Institute of Management Accountants
Volume: 83 Issue: 9 Page: 21(2)

Article Type: Brief Article, Book Review

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Mousedriver Chronicles: The True Life Adventures of Two First-time Entrepre

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Mousedriver Chronicles: The True Life Adventures of Two First-time Entrepre
John Lusk
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0613917200

The Mousedriver Chronicles: the True Life Adventures of Two First-time Entrepreneurs

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The Mousedriver Chronicles: the True Life Adventures of Two First-time Entrepreneurs
John Lusk
Manufacturer: Perseus Books Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N76U9A

Book Description

Over 300 wholesome, easy-to-prepare recipes include Nantucket scallop chowder, Boston baked beans, apple pan dowdy, mincemeat pie, Parker House rolls, Boston cream pie, lobster, and many more. Arranged according to the seasons and accompanied by charming observations. Final section contains favorite recipes from 41 famous New England inns. 9 illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

New England cooking at its best........2001-06-18

How do you combine traveling and cooking if both are your hobbies? Very simple - after you've savored the local cuisine of the place you have visited in restaurants, you take home a cookbook to try and prepare some of those dishes at home.

I bought the "Old-Time New England Cookbook" during my first visit to the region, and it fast became a staple in my cooking, whether for friends and parties or just for myself. This book, an unabridged republication of 1958's "Rain, Hail, and Baked Beans" (Ives Washburn, Inc., New York), is a wonderful introduction to traditional New England cooking, from classics such as clam and other chowders, lobster and Concord grapes, to bear marinade (a mixture of cider, orange juice and spices) and Governor Bradford's plum pudding. Arranged not by dishes but by seasons, the book introduces the reader, in addition to the flavors of the local cuisine, to those of the region's particular atmosphere and, through numerous little anecdotes, describes the origin and the popularity of individual dishes, and traces their development to the products available at any given time of the year. A particular treat are the recipes from New England inns reproduced at the end of the book - I have found the Bangor House Fish Chowder to be a particular crowd pleaser, but every dish I have tried so far went over very well with my guests. All recipes are well-described and easy to follow, and none contains ingredients that are hard or impossible to come by. If you're looking for a well-done and yet very affordable introduction to New England cooking, written with obvious love for the region's people, nature and seasons as well as for its cuisine, you should definitely give this book a try.

Book Description

This book comprehensively covers the debatable issues regarding the post-September 11th wave of terrorism, the multiple roots of this deadly new form of international violence, and the leading ideas being considered as means for the “war on global terrorism” to be won. Informed and informative interpretations, written by the world's most authoritative scholars especially for this book, present a balanced and accessible set of essays and chapters describing the new international terrain that has emerged in the wake of 9-11. A three-part organization breaks the subject of global terrorism into three categories of analysis, and demonstrates to readers that how terrorism is defined will shape the conclusions that are reached about its causes and remedies. For analyzing present and future acts of terrorism, creating awareness of the obstacles to accurately understanding it, and consideration of the strategies for containing the destructiveness of this deadly phenomena.

Customer Reviews:

Best Terrorism Book.......2006-09-15

I rarely give five stars to anything, but this is quite possibly the best terrorism book ever, at least in terms of the sample of readings. Twenty-one chapters in all, the contributors all being well-known scholars in the political science field mainly. The textbook is very scholarly, divided into three parts, corresponding to the purposes of science: description, explanation, and prescription. Each part is excellent, and the book is well-balanced. Part I (description/characteristics)is a little heavy on the theoretical side, especially where there is some repetitive use of the phrase "post-modern" and exploration of historical side roads, but doesn't devolve into a bunch of navel-gazing over definitions and typologies like so many other books do. One could actually "use" the stuff in Part I, either for further theory development or other grounded purposes. Part II (explanation/causes) is probably what most readers would turn to first. It's nothing more than a collection of writings by all the luminaries in the field: Crenshaw, Wilkinson, Rubenstein, Laqueur, Howell, Juergensmeyer, Lewis, and Gurr. One couldn't ask for a better lineup, and although some of the articles have been previously published, a lot of them look like they were updated and revised for this book. Selection bias is always a possibility with books of this kind, and to be sure, the book is overall critical of mindless understanding approaches to counterterrorism, but not overly concessionistic. Military solutions are discussed, and lesser-known authors like Howell write about darwinistic solutions like letting failed states collapse on their own. However, Part III has counterweighting articles like Falk and Johnson's excellent discussions of why the war on terrorism is a moral war against "evil" (in the non-metaphysical sense). The third part of the book isn't about strategy or grand strategy, as one might expect, but is about tactics and counter-tactics, representing, in short, as good of a primer as any, on the political science approaches to counterterrorism option selection. I highly recommend this little book be read by anyone who wants to quickly become an erudite scholar of terrorism. It's highly educative.

Cold War at Sea: High-Seas Confrontation Between the United States and the Soviet Union

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An Interesting Read

Cold War at Sea: High-Seas Confrontation Between the United States and the Soviet Union
David F. Winkler
Manufacturer: US Naval Institute Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Russia | History | Subjects | Books

20th Century | World | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1557509557

Book Description

Free to patrol the skies and surface of the high seas under international law, U.S. and Soviet naval and air forces made daily direct contact during the Cold War. Often confrontational and occasionally violent, air-to-air contacts alone killed over one hundred Soviet and American aviators during the Truman and Eisenhower years. Diplomacy to curtail the hostility produced mixed results. In the 1960s the Soviet Navy challenged worldwide U.S. naval dominance, and collisions and charges of harassment became common. In 1972 the two nations signed an Incidents at Sea Agreement (INCSEA) that established navy-to-navy channels to resolve issues. This agreement is the focus of David Winkler's study. He argues that in contrast to conventional diplomatic channels, Soviet and American naval officers, sharing bonds inherent in seamen, could put ideology aside and speak frankly. Working together, they limited incidents that could have had unfortunate consequences. Drawing on previously unavailable State Department files and recently declassified papers held at the Naval Historical Center as well as discussions with former top naval officials, diplomats, and others, Winkler details U.S.-Soviet incidents at sea, analyzes the changes in U.S. policy and naval strategy, and evaluates the effects of various events on U.S.-Soviet maritime relations, helping readers to fully appreciate the agreement's significance in establishing a direct military-to-military contact and as a venue to discuss other issues during the 1970s and 1980s.

Customer Reviews:

An Interesting Read.......2001-04-22

I found this book quite fascinating, as it touches on a facet of the Cold War very rarely mentioned in the mainstream of history -- the practices of limited (though still dangerous) engagement between the U.S. and Soviet high-seas fleets. Furthermore, it details not only the incidents, but the effect that seemingly remote occurences had on both the Soviet and U.S. leadership. That effect, ultimately led to the establishment of a number of agreements, also detailed in this volume. Interestingly enough, Winkler makes it quite apparent that many of the Soviet diplomats and military officials were quite mindful of the impending failure of the Soviet Union, even in the early 1970s. I would definitely reccomend it if you are interested in Naval or Cold War history, or if for some reason, you want a detailed history of collisions at sea, as found in one of the appendixes.

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Prevention of Armed Conflict
Kofi A. Annan
Manufacturer: United Nations Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Statistics | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9211008913

Searching for Peace in Europe and Eurasia: An Overview of Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding Activities (Project of the European Centre for Conflict Prevention)

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Searching for Peace in Europe and Eurasia: An Overview of Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding Activities (Project of the European Centre for Conflict Prevention)

Manufacturer: Lynne Rienner Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

War & Peace | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History & Theory | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1588260798

Civilian-military cooperation in the prevention of deadly conflict: Implementing agreements in Bosnia and beyond

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Civilian-military cooperation in the prevention of deadly conflict: Implementing agreements in Bosnia and beyond
George A Joulwan
Manufacturer: Carnegie Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Bosnia and Herzegovina | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

War & Peace | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

The global partnership for the prevention of armed conflict.: An article from: Ploughshares Monitor

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The global partnership for the prevention of armed conflict.: An article from: Ploughshares Monitor
Larissa Fast
Manufacturer: Project Ploughshares
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Ploughshares Monitor, published by Project Ploughshares on March 22, 2004. The length of the article is 1479 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The global partnership for the prevention of armed conflict.
Author: Larissa Fast
Publication: Ploughshares Monitor (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2004
Publisher: Project Ploughshares
Volume: 25 Issue: 1 Page: 11(2)

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Long-term Conflict Prevention and Industrial Development (Nijhoff Law Specials Nijhoff Law Specials)

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Long-term Conflict Prevention and Industrial Development (Nijhoff Law Specials Nijhoff Law Specials)
Ralf Bredel
Manufacturer: Brill Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Policy & Current Events | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Development & Growth | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Economic Policy & Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

After decades of striving to prevent international conflict, major armed conflicts in the 1990s have taken place within national boundaries. After the series of national independence wars in the 1950s and 1960s and frequent geopolitical wars in the 1970s and 1980s, a category of 'wars of the third kind' prevailed. The aim of this book is to consider the root causes of recent internal conflicts, and to develop long-term conflict prevention strategies from here. New insights suggest the central role of politico-economic inequalities in ethnic, religious and cultural conflict. The United Nations system has just started to adjust to this new reality of conflict and make long-term conflict prevention a priority issue on international agendas. Whereas development practitioners should principally conceive their work through a conflict prevention lens, there is a shift in focus to United Nations agencies that deal with the economic characteristics of conflict. The unbroken significance of a sustainable industrial development process in developing countries, may allow the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) a particular vantage point and role in the long-term prevention of conflict.

The true peacebuilders: the importance of cooperation to the prevention of armed conflict. : An article from: UN Chronicle

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The true peacebuilders: the importance of cooperation to the prevention of armed conflict. : An article from: UN Chronicle
Vandy, Jr. Kanyako
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from UN Chronicle, published by Thomson Gale on June 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1512 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The true peacebuilders: the importance of cooperation to the prevention of armed conflict.
Author: Vandy, Jr. Kanyako
Publication: UN Chronicle (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 42 Issue: 2 Page: 51(2)

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A Rwandan retrospective: Developing an intervention option : a report to the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict (Strategy research project)

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A Rwandan retrospective: Developing an intervention option : a report to the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict (Strategy research project)
Scott R Feil
Manufacturer: Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, School of Foreign Service
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006QR8SA

Book Description

“A foolproof guide.”—Vogue Patterns. “This book by one of the world’s top doll designers provides detailed information, patterns and ideas to make several different 18-inch cloth dolls....Loaded with valuable information for the fabric doll maker.”—Doll Castle News.

Book Description

Historian and biographer James Srodes argues that without Ben Franklin we would still be British subjects. In this book, Srodes tells Franklin's incredible life story making full use of the previously neglected Franklin papers to provide the most riveting account yet of the journalist, scientist, politician, and unlikely adventurer. From London, Paris, Philadelphia to his numerous sexual affairs, Franklin's life becomes a panorama of dramatic history.

Customer Reviews:

Perplexing .......2007-01-16

This book, while well written and at times very engaging, leaves this reader with more questions than answers. Usually that is a good thing, but in this case the questions revolve around source material. Srodes made some rather important points, if they were true. For example, there is little evidence to suggest that Franklin and Lord Dartmouth were in cahoots during the Hutchinson letters affair, there is also no evidence that Franklin wrote Pennsylvania's 1776 Constitution, nor is there evidence that Franklin is the sole reason, because of his gift of persuasion, that the Pennsylvania delegates switched their votes in favor of independence or abstained from voting on July 2nd 1776, but Srodes unequivocally makes these exact arguments. In all of these cases he is able to do this because he does not footnote or endnote any significant point. By the end of this book, I felt exhausted from writing "evidence?" in the margins. If you have read this book, I only ask that you compare his interpretation of Franklin with a few other historians' interpretations. You will find that Srodes has a very different spin on Franklin, but a dubious one at best. I would suggest skipping this book for something that is a little better researched and cited. Not to pour abuse upon Srodes, but this book is filled with inaccuracies, most of which lend nothing to the argument, but do make one question his ability.

The Fur Hatted Superstar.......2006-03-02

Franklin accomplished more in his lifetime than most people could in two. Thorough and warmly written Srodes shows Franklin's tireless tenacity, ability to finesse, explore, and intellect as nothing short of brilliant. A wonderfully self-made, successful man in the truly American sense; meaning by his boostraps rather than by birth. I loved it.

Get this book........2003-01-06

Certainly not the most balanced look at the popular founder, but a great read, nonetheless. Srodes is definitely a fan of Franklin and is most hesitant to cast Franklin in any bad light. You'll find no references to Franklin's dark side. Srodes attributes strategery and document creation as Franklin's finest attributes.

I believe the author overlooked the obvious on this point. For it was Franklin's ability to adapt to his environment that made his successes so broad based. (That's not a pun, by the way).
The author is able to accurately dispel many of the myths written about Franklin over the years, and does so quite admirably. Srodes takes you on the journey of Franklin from his youth as a struggling printer's apprentice to his success as a diplomat.

Over the years, there have been enormous masses of material written about Franklin. The author here does a fine job of compacting that material and makes this a fine resource addition on Franklin. Terrific compilations of factual writings, mixed with the literary prose of one of today's finest writers make this a welcome addition to any library.

The Essential Father is an excellent book!.......2002-12-29

An enjoyable, informative book that doesn't spend time trying to find a cause to disagree with. Srodes is a masterful story teller who reports information without judgement, a refreshing concept these days.
Very pleasant book to re-read. Makes one wonder if this quality of leader will ever emerge again.

An Excellent Biography of Benjamin Franklin.......2002-12-28

This is an excellently researched and written book. Recently discovered documents, unseen for centuries, allow the author to more fully describe Franklin's critical role as a diplomat. This is a thorough biography that shows us the many sides of Franklin: as politician, as Scientist, as inventor, and as a most important figure in the creation of our nation.
Franklin was an early proponent of unifying the colonies, even advocating such before others considered uniting for purposes of independence from England. Franklin advocated creating a Governor General for all British colonies who could lead a unified colonial defense and attack against the French colonial army. Yet, the idea was rejected.
The book explores the many aspects of Franklin's life: such as his notable experiments with electricity that won him much respect and gratitude for publishing only facts he had proven and for describing how his results could be duplicated. We see Franklin as one who purposely did not care if high society saw him with his illegitimate son as a fellow diplomat. We further see his private torment as his son is imprisoned as a British loyalist, yet Franklin chose not to intercede on his son's behalf.
Ben Franklin is one of the great Americans of all time. This is a great biography of a great man. It is highly recommended.

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Who's Who in the East 2003: Including Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, ... Vermont, Washington (Who's Who in the East)

Manufacturer: Marquis Who's Who
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Reference & Collections | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Mid Atlantic | Regional U.S. | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0837906342

Book Description

Business successes and failures can almost always be traced to the quality of their fundamental ideas and how they are used in the company. Ideas are always fresh when a business starts, but when they become stale, when they fail to reflect the changes in the world, then the business withers and eventually dies.

This is a practical book about business, ideas, and "complexity." Complexity is a new science that shows how interactions among individuals, environments, chance events, and evolution produce the variety and unpredictable outcomes of the world. In a sense, it is the science of real-world, "messy" systems. Human organizations, and businesses, are the messiest systems. Traditionally, to manage them we've been able to make them less messy and more predictable. But today the world no longer cooperates. Now cultures, markets, and technologies change so fast that businesses must be more adaptive than they had to be in more predictable times.

Human organizations are different from all other adaptive systems because they have, at their cores, ideas, not DNA. They are driven by explicit goals and intentions, not just survival and reproduction, and the organization is the way they pursue the goals. Unique ideas give each human complex system a unique identity, and those ideas are the "glue" that holds it together.

The book includes a set of "diagnostics for emergent strategies" that enable any organization to assess and improve the quality and use of its ideas. These diagnostics, along with over 100 examples, show how to rethink business purposes, to identify sources of confusion or poor performance, to consider options that older mindsets have closed off, to make decisions, and, most importantly, to alter the perspective of your company for markedly better results.

Customer Reviews:

Strategic implications of complexity.......2003-02-18

The author is a founder of the strategy and consulting firm associated with the well-known research center The Santa Fe Institute (for a description of its work on complexity see Waldrop: Complexity). The book is therefore framed within an explanation of the implications of complexity theory for non-human and human systems. The book starts with a brief overview of the development of scientific thought, emergence of the theory of 'complex adaptive systems' and its application to business. The overview includes a useful explanation of the important distinction between non human and human (purposive) systems and the implications for a view of business based on complexity. Businesses, at least those that offer a physical product, necessarily contain both kinds of system, as well as containing both linear and complex systems, and strategy has to recognize this explicitly.

The author then discusses the implications of this fact for the structure and strategy processes of a business, including the distinction between what he calls 'doing' or 'instrumental' processes and 'knowing' or 'strategic' processes, which must be harmonized continuously and adaptively to produce strategies. He argues that strategic processes are concerned with principles and models, while instrumental processes are concerned with rules and behaviors, all of which interact.

From this starting point, the balance of the book is concerned with explaining, developing and applying (through examples) a structure of diagnostics - essentially strategic questions - that a business needs to work through in order to develop strategies and strategic processes that not only meet current competitive needs, but adapt to unpredictably changing circumstances and take advantages of opportunities arising from continually reconceptualising the business within a clear understanding of business purpose.

If you are familiar with any of the business literature that rests on systems thinking, complexity or the primacy of knowledge management in contemporary strategy, do not expect to find dramatically new ideas in this book. It is a well structured presentation of reasonably familiar precepts, laced with relevant examples and good common sense advice on some of the balances required and the pitfalls to be avoided. The questions proposed as diagnostics appear to be thorough and comprehensive, although I would have preferred to see a more user-friendly form of presentation than the largely narrative style that is used.

As ever, the step from knowing what ought to be done and why it is being done to successful implementation is a large one, and the author does not go in any depth into the human issues of bringing plans to fruition. He does however stress the importance of clear purpose, shared understanding and a culture that encourages learning and draws forth the creativity of all participants within the business and across the stakeholder chain.

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