The Handbook of Contemporary Hospitality Management Research

Book Description

As hospitality continues to establish itself as a mainstream subject area in universities there is a need to create a research culture within this emergent field. This book provides the definitive handbook on hospitality management research. Included in the volume is a state-of-the-art review of philosophies, approaches and methods of research currently in use in the field. A key feature of the book is the coverage of application of these philosophical issues and alternative research methods and approaches. Beyond this, the book discusses perspectives, practices and problems in hospitality management with chapters ranging from a review of quality management, strategic management, IT management right through to small business management. This handbook is the most comprehensive resource and reference piece for researchers, academics and students in the field of hospitality management. Contributions come from leading thinkers in the field: Michael Baker Gerry Barlow Tom Baum Maureen Brookes Francis Buttle David Edgar Martin Friel Alan Fyall David Gilbert Frank Go Anne Hampton Nigel Hemmington Haydn Ingram Stephanie Jameson Stuart Jauncey Nick Johns Peter Jones Conrad Lashley David Litteljohn Andrew Lockwood Rosemary Lucas Michael Olsen Angela Roper Sylvia Sussmann Stephen Taylor Rhodri Thomas Eliza Ching-Yick Tse Sandra Watson Susan Welch Roy Wood

Book Description

International lawyers dealing with joint ventures face complex legal issues on a daily basis. Practical guidance is a must. In this significantly enhanced second edition of a popular text, an American attorney with over 25 years' experience in a European capital provides the clear, straightforward direction practitioners need to assure smooth deals. Unique features of this work include: + a jurisdictional questionnaire with 77 questions for consultation when counselling an international joint venture. + guidance and practical solutions to the recurring problems joint ventures present between partners, and + over 100 sample clauses presented in understandable, yet technically precise language. This second edition offers, for the first time: + a considerably expanded treatment of all aspects of international joint ventures, including a detailed analysis of 50 critical legal issues which should be considered for incorporation in a joint venture agreement, + an extensive treatment of European Competition Law and International Joint Ventures, and + an unmatched, first-time glossary of international joint venture terms and definitions comprising over 200 items. These features save time, money, and other resources by giving practitioners a starting point in drafting international joint venture documents and by minimising the likelihood that a key issue with potentially significant ramifications will be overlooked. The ultimate no-nonsense handbook, the second edition of A Guide to International Joint Ventures with Sample Forms is a key weapon in the arsenal of the international dealmaker.

Customer Reviews:

A good technical book which aids the practitioner........1999-09-01

With this compendium, Wolf furnishes the necessary technical details for any lawyer involved in joint ventures, giving the precise orientations to fullfill this task with success.

A comprehensive, well-organized useful tool for lawyers........1999-09-01

This book was a pleasant surprise. It is both comprehensive and well organized and can be a useful tool regardless of the level of knowledge or experience that the practitioner might bring to it. Mr. Wolf has presented us with theory that is in service to the practical tasks that we, as lawyers, undertake when advising international joint venture clients.

readable, practical in approach, an excellent guide.......1999-07-13

Dr. Wolf's book is a welcome addition to the library of any law firm or person involved in international joint ventures. Dr. Wolf's well-structured book contains practical advice at oen level/dimension or another. For junior lawyers,the book is a detailed introduction to the area of international joint ventures and the issues associated with it. For senior lawyers, it is useful because it serves as a good checklist and reminder of the difficult or contentious issues.

Book Description

In the great Zen tradition of teaching stories, Marc Lesser relates his own personal and professional trials as he navigates the delicate path of managing a successful business while staying true to his spiritual roots. Struggling through a difficult economic climate, he also faces the usual challenges of running a growing company – meeting payroll, balancing cash flow, hiring and firing employees, and maintaining relationships with vendors and customers. Guiding him through these difficulties while providing strength and insight is the practice of Zen. Utilizing his training as a Zen practitioner, Lesser learns to apply specific teachings such as the eight-fold path directly to work and life. In chapters such as “Work: The Impossible Request,” “Appreciating Uncertainty,” and “Accomplishing More by Doing Less,” Z.B.A. provides readers with intimate, helpful advice, while acknowledging the paradox of applying spiritual practice to the business world.

Customer Reviews:

typical feel-gooder.......2007-09-07

when you think someone has applied zen to business practices you think maybe someone has been able to put the zen into some perspective through the real world not just again put the real world into some perspective through zen. people in the real (or should i say ugly) world need to have a bridge built to get them half-way there with some new and very straight forward practices that can be applied. (so far) this book is just a reminder how everyone should practice zen - even busy business people.

Disappointing.......2007-03-18

This was more about zen practice and ethics than it was about business administration. I was disappointed. You may not be.

Z.B.A.: Zen of Business Administration.......2006-11-10

Marc's book is insightful and full of tips not just for business but for leading a better life. I really think the world would be a better place if everyone practiced his techniques.
Mo Fathelbab, President of Forum Resources Network

We are all Zen students. We are all businesspeople........2005-06-20

"We are all Zen students. We are all businesspeople." This is how the first section of this book opens. As for me, I am a Manager. Also I am a person in search for answers in my spiritual life, and I am seeking into Buddhism for those answers. This combination led me to read by pure accident an ad on Shambhala Sun magazine (highly recommendable, if you are into Buddhism, by the way) that featured Marc Lesser's Z.B.A. I ordered it and it didn't take long for me to get hooked on it.

Walking the reader through means of achieving the Buddhist Eightfold Path while at work, the book offers a refreshing perspective on how to bridge the gap between our "work lives" and our "personal lives", if such a dychotomy makes any sense whatsoever. A good example of how these two things are in essence one and the same is what Lesser makes of the purpose of Zen: "The purpose of Zen and the purpose of business practice is to develop and open, flexible mind, a mind that can deal with a world that is both solid and completely impermanent."

In the end, there are so many fascinating elements proposed by the author, that I cannot avoid but to feel sorry for having finished the book. I almost feel like re-reading it, and I do recommend that you check it out.

At Last!.......2005-02-26

In this book author Marc Lesser has - at last - bridged two worlds that need to meet! Lesser is an ordained zen priest and a CEO of the innovative greeting card company Brushdance. His book demonstrates how to go about weaving the equanimity of zen practice into the stressed out world of work. With great clarity Lesser cites real world examples connected to his dual practices to illustrate key principles in destressing work. It is a refreshing point of view. --L, San Francisco

Average customer rating:

The Food of Australia

The Food of Australia: Contemporary Recipes from Australia's Leading Chefs (Periplus World Food Series)

Manufacturer: Periplus Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 962593393X

Customer Reviews:

The Food of Australia.......2000-05-12

Being an avid Australian cook, I was thrilled to discover a cookbook depicting the originality and produce that these top Aussie chefs demonstrate.A must for any 'serious foodie'!

The Food of Australia: Contemporary Recipes from Australia" Leading Chefs (Food of Series)

Average customer rating:

Who said that Australia does not have its own cuisine?

The Food of Australia: Contemporary Recipes from Australia" Leading Chefs (Food of Series)

Manufacturer: Tuttle Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

International | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 9625930248

Customer Reviews:

Who said that Australia does not have its own cuisine?.......1999-01-12

I would highly recommend this book to anybody who likes original and imaginative food. The recipes come from Australia's leading chefs many of whom are world famous. Cheong Liew (his recipes in the book include Four Dances of the Sea; and Veal Cutlets with Shrimps and Green Tea)is perhaps best known for inventing much of Australia's fusion cuisine. His restaurant, The Grange at the Adelaide Hilton certainly bears his name as much as the restaurant name itself. Just reading the recipes in itself is a temptation to visit Adelaide and make a booking at The Grange.

Easy to follow instructions and wonderful color photographs of the dishes certainly make this one of the better cookbooks. For the adventurous cook, try substituting ingredients, if it is not available in your hometown.

If you are intrigued by the name of the dish, Four Dances of the Sea, I'd recommend taking a look at the book.

Average customer rating:

Great beginner's book

The Magic of Quiltmaking: A Beginners Guide
Margaret Rolfe , and Jenny Bowker
Manufacturer: Martingale and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Applique | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Patchwork | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Quilts & Quilting | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Quilters Ultimate Visual Guide: From A to Z-- Hundreds of Tips and Techniques for Successful Quiltmaking

Quilting 101: A beginners guide to quilting

First-Time Quiltmaking: Learning to Quilt in Six Easy Lessons

Your First Quilt Book (or it should be!)

Rotary Magic: Easy Techniques to Instantly Improve Every Quilt You Make (Rodale Home and Garden Books)

ASIN: 156477502X

Book Description

If you're new to quilting, you simply won't find a more comprehensive resource for starting your creative adventure! With this pair of renowned designers and teachers by your side, you'll find that learning to quilt is easy and fun--and the rewards will last a lifetime.

• Walk step by step through every phase of quiltmaking, from choosing fabric and measuring seam allowances to understanding basic patchwork
• Learn techniques for piecing or applique as you make one of ten beautiful projects
• Create your own quilts with the collection of classic block designs included

Customer Reviews:

Great beginner's book.......2004-09-07

I finished reading the book this morning and am impressed that the authors have covered just about everything anyone needs to know to start the hobby of quilting. Their tips were great and the text is very understandable. In fact, I recommend this book over Quilts! Quilts!! Quilts!!! (McClun & Nownes) and Quilter's Complete Guide (Fons & Porter) as a book for those starting out as well as a refresher for experienced quilters. It doesn't go in to blocking a quilt, but that is a skill beyond what I think is appropriate for a beginner to need to know.

Book Description

Ed Pope tells the real story of what led to his becoming the first American since Gary Powers to be convicted of espionage in Russia. Combining a gripping account of his arrest, trial and imprisonment with a deeply disturbing look at todays Russia, Popes harrowing story reads like a Le Carr novel come to life. With a large dollop of espionage-insider information and secret submarine warfare technology, Ed Popes harrowing memoir will remind readers of the best ofTom Clancy.

Customer Reviews:

Eye opener for civilians-america.......2002-04-26

I met this man in person. The ordeals he went thru, its just insane. But he made the best of his time in purgatory.
This is another example of burachcy.
For those of you who dont have a clue how the world really is
please read this book.

Risky International Business.......2002-02-18

It is apparent from the beginning that Edmond Pope felt he was something special from being retired from the Navy and founding a company which specialized in projects related to propulsion through water. It appeared that he felt with all the Navy top secret clearances, they alone should be sufficient for obtaining information from those in Russia willing to sell. He knew about the danger of obtaining the information and how his room was bugged and, this was a risky international business he was in. It seems through his narration, nothing came as a surprise to him when whe was held over in the beginning. His ordeal in the prison showed that he had undergone suffient Navy training not to break him completely. By all accounts his wife was very instrumental in getting public attention to his captivity. The most obvious thing that came out of this writing, was that no where could he convince anyone until he was captive for nearly three months for help either from Penn State where he was wroking for or from our government representatives. It was expecially evident, our most highly impressive Pennsylvania State Senators Arlen Spector or Rick Santorum, who representated him gave no reponse to his wife when she requested their help. Only after he was well on his way of getting a pardon from the Russian president, did Spector or Santorum get on the bandwagon behind Pope. I guess it shows that they only play when things are in a positive mode. The book was very interesting and written well and held your attention throughout.

If you read only 100 books about Russia...........2002-02-10

An incredibly poorly written book, chock full of inconsistencies and contradictions. I forced myself to finish it, which was not as painful as Pope's prison experience, but....

Mr. Pope makes the point many times that he knew he was dealing on the edge of legality. Indeed, he blames some of his troubles on his associate, Kiely, for having brought into Russia "papers that I had pleaded with him to leave at home" [p 124]. Well, Pope says he knew he was being watched, he tells us he knew his hotel phone was bugged and he made that plea in a phone call from Moscow to Kiely in the US. So why the surprise??

To illustrate his point that Putin is a bum, he accuses him of making cheap election promises [sound familiar?] to reschedule London and Paris Club debt [p. 85]. But Putin can't do that; Russia is the debtor!

He knows some of his cellmates are government stooges and yet cites their statements to support his understandable anger at the Rusian government.

The Pope story tells us something about Russian bureacracy and its vestigial military industrial complex. Let's hope it does not tell us much about our own bureaucracies.

Sorry, Captain Ed, but having lived in Moscow for almost seven years and having read most of the books dealing with Russia since Gorbachov, I have to recommend putting yours at the bottom of anyone's reading list.

Delusions of Grandeur.......2002-02-01

I read books cover-to-cover, good or bad. Good books because I can't stop, bad books because of my morbid fascination that such junk gets published. That being said, I cannot finish this book.

If Ed Pope was not spying, the Russians should have locked him up for profound manifestation of delusions of grandeur. This guy has an extraordinary ego ... . When I get the stomach to finish this book, I want to go back and count the number of times Ed declares himself "right" when everyone else was wrong.

Did our military really approve 126 top-secret clearances for this guy? If so, this issue raises serious questions about our national security. I suspect the navy was as sick of Ed as you will be (if you buy this book), and to pacify his passion for intrigue, declared any trivial tidbit of knowledge Ed possessed as "top secret."

I'll bet most of Ed's 'security clearances' were bestowed in this manner: "Oh, and by the way Ed, divulge to no one the location of your parking spot or the number of pens in your pocket protector ... that's top secret information." Further, I'll bet as soon as Ed obtained these 'clearances' he showed his coworkers where his car was located, and emptied the contents of his geek-badge, just so he could admonish them to take the information to their graves.

On second thought ... go ahead and buy this book. Misery loves company.

it is not true story.......2001-12-28

This book looks like mystery but not like honest and
serious story.Authors described everything too primitive and without
proper proofs.

TORPEDOED An American Businessman's True story of Secrets, Betrayal, Imprisonment in Russia, and the Battle to Set Him Free

Average customer rating:

TORPEDOED An American Businessman's True story of Secrets, Betrayal, Imprisonment in Russia, and the Battle to Set Him Free
Edmond D. and Tom Shachtman Pope
Manufacturer: Little, Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OU08EY

Amazon.com

John O'Brien's scrupulous, exactingly honest memoir opens in 1995 on the day of his father's funeral in Philadelphia, which he will not attend because "eighteen years of silence stand between us [and] my presence would only add to family stress." Instead, he chooses to visit his father's birthplace in Piedmont, West Virginia, and consider the roots of their estrangement in the region that indelibly shaped them both. In a subtle, ruminative text, the author interweaves his memories with a history of Appalachia that debunks many myths. (The Hatfield-McCoy "feud," for example, had more to do with dislocation caused by the coal and timber industries than any native blood lust.) Much of the book limns O'Brien's first few years in Franklin, a small town two hours south of Piedmont where he and his family settled in 1984. A bitter conflict involving the Woodlands Institute, an educational establishment that locals feared was trying to "take over" their school system, becomes a paradigm for O'Brien of the way affluent outsiders have always stereotyped Appalachia as a primitive backwater peopled by hillbillies, while the residents resisted attempts by strangers to "improve" their home ground with a stubborn fatalism about the possibility of (or need for) change. The author's own conflicts with his parents--who were skeptical when he went to college and horrified when he admitted to seeing a psychiatrist--reveal a provincialism and narrow-mindedness he does not deny are common in the region. At the same time, he affirms the joy of living close to nature and honors the "plainspoken, empathetic, and genuine" native character. Because his complex work doesn't trade in stock nostrums or easy sentimentality, the portrait that emerges of a people and a place rings deeply true. --Wendy Smith

Book Description

John O’Brien’s deeply evocative book re- veals a place and a way of life—and the lives of an estranged father and son whose differences rest, ironically, in their own powerful bonds to Appalachia.

John O’Brien was born in Philadelphia, his father having left his beloved home in the West Virginia mountains after an impoverished childhood made all the more painful by family tragedy. Struggling to escape a father defeated by disappointment, displacement, and poverty, John too left home. When John decided to settle near his father’s birthplace in West Virginia, he hoped to comprehend the elder O’Brien’s attachment to the land, as well as the disabling fatalism he had carried north.

What he discovered is hardly the mythic Appalachia most Americans imagine, but a world of extravagant beauty—lush with green mountains, deep forests, ice-cold trout streams, and small hill farms. The people we meet who inhabit this land are for the most part unpretentious, working class, straightforward, open, commonsensical, and easygoing. They tend to look back more than most Americans do, defining themselves by how they fit into an extended family that includes their ancestors. We are in a mountain culture that feels old and deeply rooted, that follows a traditional way of life. It is a world the author would finally love and call his own.

We also come face-to-face with provincialism, intolerance, and—perhaps Appalachia’s defining legacy—the horrors of the coalfields and chemical plants. We see clearly what rapacious greed and exploitation have done for generations to much of
the landscape and to the lives of the people. And we learn of the stream of reformers and missionaries, ever ready to show Appalachia the way, whose real contributions tend to be negligible or absurd.

In this clear-eyed, beautifully rendered telling of his story and his father’s, John O’Brien gives us, as well, the history and true heart of Appalachia.

Customer Reviews:

History.......2007-03-11

This book contains a lot of historical observation about West Virginia from a native son. The author makes the culture of Appalachia come alive, dispeling the stereotypes. I enjoyed the author's personal journey - leaving the area and returning again to address the questions that we all have about how our home towns have influence on our lives. In addressing the issue of "hillbillys" he reminds us that we can all be victims of others' perceptions. He makes me want to add West Virginia, specifically Appalachia to my travel plans.

Closure.......2007-01-22

I hope the John found the closure he was looking for through the writing of this book. May he rest in peace.

A la William Faulkner, but ..........2007-01-10

The author is trying to emulate the stylist Faulkner, but with little success. In architectonics, O'Brien's work is but a poor copy of the fascinating monologues one finds in Faulkner's "Light in August."
He has better watch out his un-English sentences(e.g. pp. 122, 134, 181 of the 2001 Anchor Books edition).

Beautiful, Piognant .......2004-12-16

I love to read, but im not much of a writer. However, i was so moved after reading this book that i had to share my thoughts. For years I have struggled with labels while traveling outside of the my home state of WV. If people even know that the state exists i get comments such as "Are you married to your Uncle? Ha, Ha" I would get so frustrated because these people have absolutely no idea what they are talking about, Where do they get this?!? O'Brian does an excellent job of explaining where the stereotypes of our region origiate and how some people then unknowingly act the part of the stereotype.
I had to read this book for a college course, but i could not put it down. First, it is interesting in that I am from the area his book describes and I can identify with so many of his feelings about his home. Second, unlike many reviews at this site, I believe that his life story is essential to the book. His dads relationship is described to aid in the understanding of the region and the people, and i personally found his introspection honest and refreshing, instead of trying to remove himself from the book he put his soul in it.

West Virginia is more than a depression attempt at writing.......2004-04-28

John O'Brien's At Home in the Heart of Appalachia is neither inspring, uplifting, or well written. His book is filled with overindulgent excuses for his father's racism while perpetuating stereotypes of Appalachia. His writing is aimless. In some areas, he seems too engrossed in self pity, and in others he just seems to be building on an image of a man he obviously created for himself in college. Attempts to strip his ego are shallow and unconvincing. At times, I really saw, or felt I saw, O'Brien trying to get a book out by deadline. If this was a writing that glorified the Appalachian experience or its people, he would have had an excuse. John O'Brien had some fuel to work with, if this was the case. The Woodland's Institute would have been suited for a book of this nature. His returning "home" may also have been a great journey, if it truly was his home. It wasn't. New Jersey was his home and John happened to have relatives in West Virginia.

Appalachia: Eagles for Anna/Afterglow/The Perfect Wife/Come Home to My Heart (Heartsong Novella Collection)

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Appalachia: Eagles for Anna/Afterglow/The Perfect Wife/Come Home to My Heart (Heartsong Novella Collection)
Catherine Runyon , Irene B. Brand , Gina Fields , and JoAnn A. Grote
Manufacturer: Barbour Publishing, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Romance | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

Regency | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Romance Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

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ASIN: 1593106726
Release Date: 2005-06-20

Book Description

The mist-covered mountains are a haven for four women who have been bruised by the pace of the modern world: Hester is drawn to the town of Afterglow to seek answers to her past. Amy hopes a small community will be her refuge from painful mistakes. Ellie has gone home to the mountains in hopes of healing her broken heart. Anna is drawn to her granny's rustic home as a solace from the demands of her career. But, when faith starts to heal their hearts, can these women hide from the reach of romantic love?

The Heart of Confederate Appalachia: Western North Carolina in the Civil War (Civil War America)

Average customer rating:

Insightful but dry
"Balanced View" of Confederate Appalachia
Good Exploration of Civil War Western North Carolina

The Heart of Confederate Appalachia: Western North Carolina in the Civil War (Civil War America)
John C. Inscoe
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0807825441

Book Description

In the mountains of western North Carolina, the Civil War was fought on different terms than those found throughout most of the South. Though relatively minor strategically, incursions by both Confederate and Union troops disrupted life and threatened the social stability of many communities. Even more disruptive were the internal divisions among western Carolinians themselves. Differing ideologies turned into opposing loyalties, and the resulting strife proved as traumatic as anything imposed by outside armies. As the mountains became hiding places for deserters, draft dodgers, fugitive slaves, and escaped prisoners of war, the conflict became a more localized and internalized guerrilla war, less rational and more brutal, mean-spirited, and personal—and ultimately more demoralizing and destructive.

From the valleys of the French Broad and Catawba Rivers to the peaks of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains, the people of western North Carolina responded to the war in dramatically different ways. Men and women, masters and slaves, planters and yeoman, soldiers and civilians, Confederates and Unionists, bushwhackers and home guardsmen, Democrats and Whigs—all their stories are told here.

Customer Reviews:

Insightful but dry.......2007-03-21

A few pages into this book it occurred to me that it must be written by a college professor since it was text-book dry. Sure enough, not one, but two of them.
Having said that, it is loaded with an insightful peek into a specific region of our country during a very specific time. A good read for anybody interested in the history of the mountains of North Caroilina.

"Balanced View" of Confederate Appalachia.......2005-12-08

If one is looking for a detailed study of the skirmishes and battles of western North Carolina in the American Civil War, this is not the research. Inscoe and McKinney may only reflect on the skirmishes and battles, however, they skillfully present the detailed sociopolitical and geopolitical "tone" of western North Carolina and the American Civil War. To embrace western North Carolina's entry and struggle during the Civil War, East Tennessee and western North Carolina must be studied. One can't separate the influences of East Tennessee from western North Carolina; hence, equal examination allows a "balanced view."

Moreover, as a border state with North Carolina, East Tennessee was predominately pro-Unionist by a margin of two-to-one. Tennessee and North Carolina were the last two states to secede. With several western North Carolina regiments fighting numerous Civil War skirmishes and battles in East Tennessee, both states are discussed.

The Heart of Confederate Appalachia: Western North Carolina in the Civil War justly provides the reader with the "prelude to the aftermath" of western North Carolina in the Civil War. There are 368 pages, with 67 pages dedicated to accurate and detailed primary and secondary sources.

It is considered a "must have" addition for the student and scholar of western North Carolina and East Tennessee during the American Civil War.

Matthew D. Parker

Good Exploration of Civil War Western North Carolina.......2000-08-02

Progressing from his study of slaveholding in Western North Carolina (Mountain Masters) and other explorations of Southern Appalachian History, John Inscoe has teamed up with Gordon B. McKinney, the editor of the microfilm version of the Zebulon B. Vance Papers and author of Southern Mountain Republicans to produce the first scholarly synthesis of the Civil War in Western North Carolina. The book breaks new ground in relying on the scholarship of the past twenty years to revise the portrait of a part of North Carolina that was considered to be staunchly Unionist. It explores mountaineers attitudes toward slavery, secession, and the war in general in very broad strokes; these insights are fleshed out with details from specific locales. From the historian's point of view, the authors have not met the rigorous burden of proof in many cases, choosing to base their conclusions on just one or two primary sources; in some cases, they are forced to draw from examples outside of the region (such as Tennessee) which would fail to satisfy the most demanding of those who want conclusive evidence. However, the book is a wonderful tale and in many cases shows the myriad of responses to what has been described as the most influential historical event in United States History.

Average customer rating:

Appalachia: Eagles for Anna/Afterglow/The Perfect Wife/Come Home to My Heart (Heartsong Novella Collection)
Catherine Runyon , Irene B. Brand , Gina Fields , and JoAnn A. Grote
Manufacturer: Barbour Publishing, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K1RIX6

Average customer rating:

At Home in the Heart of the Appalachia
John O'Brien
Manufacturer: Ulverscroft Large Print
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0753198193

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AT HOME IN THE HEART OF APPALACHIA

Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HTUEP0

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Smart Questions: Learn to ask the right questions for powerful results

A bulletproof process

Why write another book?

Smart Questions: Learn to Ask the Right Questions for Powerful Results
Gerald Nadler , and William Chandon
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Decision-Making & Problem Solving | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books
Business & Investing | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books
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Leading with Questions: How Leaders Find the Right Solutions By Knowing What To Ask

Ask The Right Question

The 7 Powers of Questions: Secrets to Successful Communication in Life and at Work

Smart Questions: The Essential Strategy for Successful Managers

Change Your Questions, Change Your Life: 7 Powerful Tools for Life and Work

ASIN: 0787971375

Book Description

Smart Questions offers an entirely new framework for creating solutions. Drawn from the authors' many years of research and field experience, the Smart Questions Approach reveals how the leading creators of solutions in almost every profession and walk of life—including business, government, education, and even in families—think and approach their assignments. The author’s holistic thinking approach shows how to use three “foundation” questions—focusing on uniqueness, purposeful information, and systems—which must be explored for every problem. These three questions, an essential starting point for exploring problems, in turn lead to other key questions that will ultimately create effective solutions.

Download Description

Customer Reviews:

Smart Questions: Learn to ask the right questions for powerful results.......2006-06-29

This is more an academic work than a practical guide. The authors take an incredible amount of words to make their points. I am sure there is some good stuff in the book, however you will need a lot of time and patience to find it.

A bulletproof process.......2005-05-10

This book is very well written yet it requires a certain amount of commitment and effort to read and absorb it. In my opinion, it is worth every second of time spent by anyone who wants to improve the quality and effectiveness of their thinking.

Smart Questions is process-centric rather than principle-centric. It builds on the Breakthrough Thinking principles and 'flow of reasoning' and has three major components:
- Three foundation questions interweave the uniqueness, information, and systems principles into the fabric of a compelling process.
- Four phases of the SQA process are solidly based on the people, purposes, solutions, and time betterment principles.
- The three-step LOD (List, Organize, Decide) sub process for applying smart questions incorporates divergent and convergent thinking as naturally as breathing as you work through the phases of the process.

In particular, the process is smoother and the steps flow into each other in a way that should make it easier to achieve more momentum faster on projects. I will definitely use it.

There is an updated and expanded portfolio of really useful tools. Developing a purposes hierarchy is much easier whether you are using the couplet test in conjunction with a structured approach or using basic categories with an intuitive method. The authors also provide a powerful list of verbs that really do stimulate thinking about purposes. New additions also include
- The Smart Questions Decision Worksheet
- The Smart Questions People Involvement Worksheet
- Twelve core questions that apply the three foundation questions to each of the four phases of the process
- Hundreds of indicative smart question to stimulate and inspire and keep the process moving.

If you are willing to invest some time and effort, this book really has the potential to improve your life

Why write another book?.......2004-08-04

Smart Questions elaborates on the work of one of the author's previous works ("Breakthrough Thinking") by focusing our attention on a smaller number of the steps that are outlined in their previous work.
And that, to me, is where the problem lies.
Rather than provide a comprehensive approach to solving problems, I found this publication to be lacking in providing an over-arching framework that could be applied in the same was a 'Breakthrough Thinking'.
What I found instead was greater detail on a smaller number of actions that left me with the not so smart question - why did the authors write this book? Between "Breakthrough Thinking" and "Creative Solution Finding" most of the material in this newer publicatioin has been covered and, if you've not read Nadler & Hibino's previous works then I could only suggest you start there and arrive at this publication only if you still feel you're missing something.
On occasions, the work feels elusive - we are left short of understanding the key processes and key criteria for how the level at which decisions are made are arrived at. I found that a recurring problem and one difficult to overlook.
As with all the publications that come within this 'series', you can't go wrong in buying and learning from what is written. I just feel this is one of the weaker additions to their efforts as it adds very little that I could describe as new to what they have already covered. Maybe in more detail but detail is not the wisdom of which they obviously aim for.

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