Weiss Ratings' Guide to Life, Health and Annuity Insurers: Spring 2000 (Weiss Ratings' Guide to Life, Health, & Annuity Insurers)

Customer Reviews:

NLP Like it Never Was.......2002-12-04

The subtitle to this book - on the front cover but not on the title page - is "A COMPLETE INTRODUCTION AND TRAINING PROGRAMME". But what is a "complete introduction" to NLP? In their book 'Introducing NLP', authors O'Connor and Seymour give what they describe as a 'Three Minute Seminar' on NLP. That might equally qualify as a "complete introduction" to NLP, depending on your interpretation of the words "complete" and "introduction".
And does the word "complete" apply to "introduction" only, or to the rest of the subtitle? In either case I'd seriously question its accuracy.

And what about the claim, in the Foreward, that:

"[the authors] have synthesised the NLP practitioner information and brought a new clarity to the field. ... While Harry and Beryl are not the developers of NLP, they play a critical role in moving NLP to the next level."

It turns out that all this comment means is: "The authors got an NLP book published by a mainstream publisher." Yes they did, but rather a long time (several years) after O'Connor and Seymour, so hardly a "critical role".

This book is, in fact, a rather verbose and not particularly competent introduction to the SOME of the basics of NLP. A "training programme" it is NOT, for the same reason that no book is a training programme - human beings learn very little just by reading about it. Especially in this particular field of activity.

I personally found the writing uninspired, conveying nothing of the 'magic' of NLP. Moreover, having decided to write the whole book in E-Prime (a fad if ever there was one!) the authors trap themselves in the kind of sentence construction that NLP highlights as being the basis of poor communication. For example, what did the authors mean by this statement:

"Our personal mind programmes (sic) constitute the 'map'. They include so-called 'meta programmes' (sic), our higher-level thinking patterns such as our values, beliefs and other personality traits."

Is that supposed to mean that our "personal mind programmes" include meta programs AND our "higher-level thinking patterns"; or does it mean that " 'meta programmes' (sic)" ARE "higher-level thinking patterns"?
And why is 'meta programs' spelt 'meta programmes'? Are the authors not aware that the 'program' in 'meta program' is adopted from computing terminology?

We also need to ask why the authors refer to them as "so-called 'meta programmes'(sic)"? Do they mean that meta programs aren't really meta programs in some sense? And is that why meta programs are almost totally ignored in this allegedly "complete introduction"?

Indeed, the more I read of this book, the more I wondered if the authors really knew what they were writing about. For example, there are several references (more than the 6 referenced in the Index) to left and right brain activity, such as:

"This calls upon natural, 'right brain' intuitive skills ..."

Surely this myth of exclusivity in left and right brain activities was laid to rest years ago?

"Neuro-Linguistic Programming builds on the ideas of the anthropologist Gregory Bateson."

What - the whole of NLP? What about Satir, Erickson, Korzybski, Perls, etc., etc.?

The notion that "Auditory Digital" is a representational system in its own right, but apparently taste (gustatory) and smell (olfactory) no longer qualify. Thus the original list of representational systems - visual, auditory, kinesthetic, Olfactory and Gustatory (VAKOG) - has been transformed, with no explanation, into VAKAd!

Then there is the very confused section on 'Switching Submodalities' where the authors quite rightly observe that:

"Association tends to intensify a feeling. Conversely, recalling a traumatic experience in a dissociated way will typically cause less pain ..."

but only after they have recommended that the reader switch to the associated state when recalling an unhappy memory in order to apply "the 'happiness code' to the content. Such switching may work well under the direction of an experienced guide, but I seriously doubt the wisdom of recommending this course of action to a complete beginner.

And why does the discussion of The Convincer Strategy (day 17) cover convincer modes (what kind of evidence is convincing) but not convincer channels (how frequently or for how long the evidence must be encountered to become convincing)?

Returning to Bateson, on page 197 the authors state that "the anthropologist Gregory Bateson originated a model of neurological levels, later developed by Robert Dilts as shown in figure 14.1."

Not actually true, I'm afraid, for the following reasons:

Bateson invented a model of "logical levels of learning - which had to do with levels of abstraction (learning, learning about learning, learning about learning about learning, and so on) - which has nothing to do with neurological levels.
On the contrary, where Bateson's model is both logical and about "levels", the Dilts model isn't logical, and doesn't feature any true "levels".

Moreover, the illustration in figure 14.1 isn't the Neurological Levels model at all, though the authors keep calling it that. It is, in fact, just the plain Logical Levels model, a fact that is easily verified since the illustration doesn't include a single one of the 'nervous system' labels that are in Dilts' Neurological Levels model.

Having said all that, its only fair to mention that there are several passages in the text which must stand out as worthwhile in anybody's book (!). I'm particularly thinking of the section entitled 'Soft Front Ends', which gives some very useful advice on how to ask meta model questions with sensitivity; of the exercises at the end of the chapter on metaphors; and of 'ALIGNMENT', a section which demonstrates how to apply the idea of neurological levels to real life situations.

Unfortunately, for the reasons stated above I really wouldn't be happy about recommending this book to a complete novice. And unless you are a complete novice I can't see any reason to read something this basic. Especially when you consider that O'Connor and Seymour's 'Introducing NLP' is more accurate, more complete, and cheaper!
In short, definitely 'Not Recommended'.

Average customer rating:
The Pioneer Lady's Country Christmas: A Gift of Old-Fashioned Recipes and Memories of Christmas Past
Jane Watson Hopping
Manufacturer: Villard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Reference | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Pioneer Lady's Country Kitchen

Pioneer Lady's Hearty Winter Cookbook:, The: A Treasury of Old-Fashioned Foods and Fond Memories

The Lazy Days of Summer Cookbook: A Celebration of Summer's Bounty

Country Mothers Cookbook: A Celebration of Motherhood and Old-Fashioned Cooking

The Many Blessings Cookbook: A Celebration of Harvest, Home, and Country Cooking

ASIN: 039457902X
Release Date: 1989-10-07

Book Description

Sams Teach Yourself e-Trading Today is a comprehensive tutorial of this emerging online trend. Learn the best practices of online trading, including how to compare services and fees, how to determine which online brokerage is right for you, and how to harness the investor information available on the Web in order to make better investment decisions. This book explains the security risks of online trading in clear, friendly terms. It will teach you how to take control of your investments by employing the information available on the Internet. Learn how to become a successful investor, as well as how to take advantage of trading options previously unavailable to the average investor such as 24-hour trading and IPOs.

Customer Reviews:

Teaches you the mechanics of E-Trading.......2000-06-21

This book teaches you the mechanics of E-Trading, from how to select the right broker, how to do research, how to make your trades, how to track your portfolio, even how to complain when things go wrong. There is about a 30 page appendix of useful websites. If you're looking for a book which teaches you how to select stocks via fundamental or technical analysis, keep looking, you're not going to find those topics in this book.

Average customer rating:

Very Repetitive

Invaluable insights into doing business in Asia

The tigers are roaring again

Winning in Asia: Strategies for Competing in the New Millennium
Peter J. Williamson
Manufacturer: Harvard Business School Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Strategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Decision-Making & Problem Solving | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Planning & Forecasting | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Systems & Planning | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
International | Harvard Business School Press | By Publisher | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Winning Strategies for the New Latin Markets

Global Future : The Next Challenge for Asian Business

Big in Asia: 25 Strategies for Business Success, Revised and Updated Paperback Edition

Chindia: How China and India Are Revolutionizing Global Business

Dragons at Your Door: How Chinese Cost Innovation Is Disrupting Global Competition

ASIN: 0875846203

Book Description

The competitive landscape in Asia is undergoing a sea change. Companies are finally breaking the bonds imposed by the 1997 financial crisis. The engine of growth is shifting from exports to Asian market demand. China's rapid development is redrawing the Asian playing field. National fiefdoms are succumbing to cross-border competition. Together, these forces are signaling the emergence of a fundamentally new competitive game-and there will be no going back.

International business expert Peter J. Williamson argues that competing in this rapidly evolving arena will require a very different kind of company. In this book, he identifies the key challenges that will distinguish the winners in tomorrow's Asia and explores the fundamental changes-in business models, mind-sets, organizational structures, and management processes-that will be required to meet those challenges.

Asian companies will need to leverage the strengths of their local heritage into the future by building distinctive, new strategies around them. Western multinationals will need to fundamentally reassess the approaches that have won them a share of Asia's rapid growth over the last two decades.

Laying out strategies for creating a new and distinctive breed of Asian corporation, Winning in Asia provides a blueprint for reshaping the future of Asian competition.

Customer Reviews:

Very Repetitive.......2006-01-26

People who wish to learn more about Asia won't find much in this book. Apart from some banalities on the Asian way of doing business, the book offers no insights on the economic and social forces that came to shape a new breed of multinationals which are changing the competitive game in the region and globally. The analysis is based on only a handful of examples, none of which is analyzed thoroughly. Although the author argues that there are new Asian kids on the block one needs to pay attention to, many of the big Asian groups that drew media's attention on recent cross-border deals are conspicuously absent.

The main idea of the book is that "winning in Asia tomorrow will require Asian companies to combine their traditional strengths with the best practices from around the world to create new and distinctive Asian multinational companies," and that Western multinational firms, in turn, will have to respond to this challenge. I have no problem with that. But this point is argued again and again in such a repetitive manner that after a while, you wish that the author would have something more to say. Unfortunately he hasn't. Much of the book is only a repetition of this basic tenet.

The book may thus be of limited interest to the general reader and to the Asia specialist. However, it may be of some practical use to the people involved in the drafting of regional strategies for multinational firms operating in Asia. Two lessons particularly stand out. First, as companies in every industry and in different locations tend to exchange differentiated products and services in a process of co-specialization, one winning strategy is to be one piece of this giant jigsaw by focusing on a key resource or activity within the overall supply chain. The caveat is that if you are going to be a specialist piece of a network, you will have to be the world's best because companies won't settle for a second best supplier. The second lesson is to look beyond low-cost manufacturing and to focus on the productivity black spots, such as distribution, logistics and sales systems or administrative services, which are much less efficient than their equivalents in Europe or the US.

I hope that other readers can glean other practical ideas out of reading this book. But don't turn to it if you want to know where Asia is heading, or how it got there.

Invaluable insights into doing business in Asia.......2004-10-29

Winning in Asia is an extremely successful hybrid of academic study and managerial handbook. The author's arguments are backed by strong use of data analysis together with the lighter touch of anecdotal evidence - all written in a style which is highly accessible. The result is a book which stands out from the sea of `Asia management' titles, as having foundation, credibility, originality and a practical purpose!

While the book speaks strongly to managers of Asian companies, it contains equally as thoughtful advice to foreign companies operating in the region (both in terms of what they can expect from local players and how they might start thinking about strategy for the future.). Throughout, the author warns against the commonly held presumption that Asia should and will evolve into something that mimics US-style market capitalism and he paints a convincing picture to back his assertion.

Williamson begins by taking the reader on a brief journey to explore the Asian boom, subsequent crisis and current drivers of change across the region. He then identifies what he sees as the five key challenges for the future: increasing total productivity, innovation, building brands, internationalisation and consolidation.

But before dedicating a chapter to each of the challenges he introduces the reader to Asia as he sees it. And this is as a complex patchwork made up of seven distinct groups - some which are country specific, while others span the region. The characteristics (both good and bad) of these groups are then seamlessly woven into the following chapters in which Williamson first defines the `problem' of each challenge before going on to outline a range of strategies to overcome these.

One of the very appealing aspects of this book is that far from delivering the strategic options in a condescending, prescriptive tone, Williamson discusses the merits and potential drawbacks of each approach, gently prompting the reader to explore new territory.

All-in-all, Winning in Asia is an invaluable book. It's well thought out, well researched and well delivered.

The tigers are roaring again.......2004-10-25

Asia is the happening place in the twenty first century and no business can afford to miss this opportunity. The rapid growth witnessed in the region during the 1990's was suddenly halted by the Asian financial crisis of 1997. Now that the storm is over, a new game has started. This book is about winning this round of the game.

Asia has her own distinctive culture and business traditions, inherent strengths and weaknesses. Till 1997, most of the national economies operated in isolation and local companies enjoyed this protection. Companies resorted to opportunistic diversification, often into unrelated businesses, and profited through rent collection, asset inflation and arbitrage opportunities. The focus of operations was on commoditization and manufacturing efficiencies. Meanwhile one should also recognize the traditional strengths of Asian businesses in terms of building local networks through relationships, speed of response to grab opportunities and adaptation to change.

In the new game post the crisis of 1997, new strategies need to be adopted for success in Asia. This applies to both Asian companies, multinationals operating in Asia and the new alliances that emerge between Asian companies and the big players from outside.

Firstly the national fiefdoms have been broken and Asian countries while attracting foreign investments are also simultaneously encouraging national companies to invest abroad. The Asian customer is also becoming more demanding in terms of variety and quality of goods and services.

The book highlights five major areas that need to be addressed by companies in Asian markets :

1. Step change in productivity - The focus here is on total productivity and not just manufacturing costs, and the need to improve supply chain efficiencies and administrative processes.
2. Innovation - Asia suffers from innovation deficit as shown by the very low investments as percentage of corporate revenues spent on innovation. Asia has traditionally valued investments in tangible assets and not on building intangible assets.
3. Branding - Of the top 60 global brands, only 4 are from Asia - 3 from Japan (Sony, Toyota and Honda) and one from Korea (Samsung). Value creation and capture is the core concept of branding.
4. Creating a new breed of Asian Multinationals - Ability to work across borders as Pan-Asian companies with integrated operations and not just investments abroad.
5. Consolidating the Asian playing field - Ability to shape rather than to be dictated by changes in the new game.

A chapter each is devoted to the topics listed above and the issues are discussed in detail. Excellent examples of some business cases aid the understanding of concepts.

The book is unbiased, objective, well researched and presented in logical steps resulting in a model for strategy formulation for winning in the new Asian game. The scope of this book is largely limited to ASEAN + 3 (China, Japan and Korea). The rest of Asia, India in particular, deserves another book.

While Asia is a new and big opportunity of this century, the author aptly concludes that there will be a sharper divide between winners and losers. This book will certainly help us to be on the better side of this divide.

Customer Reviews:

triumph over adversity.......2003-09-16

The is a heart warming story of a person who started life in an orphanage in Ireland. Unlike Angela's ashes, this book has no ill feelings towards the events and people that caused the hardships. Only gratitude for those who helped ease the pain and assisted on the path to 'things that could never be'.
I grew up in Ireland and feel this book more accurately reflects the atmosphere and spirit of those times.
It is refreshing to share the life of someone whose life has been dedicated to the betterment of mankind without regards for personal benefit.
If you want to read a book that will leave you feeling better than you did before - this is the book for you.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Introductory Text .......2007-04-08

Patricia Aalseth sets example for how to present complex material in a simple and understandable way. If you need to learn major definitions and abbreviations of coding and billing, e.g., ICD-9, CPT, LMRP, CCI, HCFA, modifiers, and other issues quickly, Codebusters helps you the fastest.

Trash!! The worst book you can ever buy for money........2004-11-18

This is the most worthless book i ever bought in my life. The book is a 48 pages leaflet with apparently no information. And it costs $32. Thats ridiculous.
Strongly NOT recommended!!

CODE Busters - Quick Guide to Coding and Billing Compliance.......2000-06-03

This book is great! It is very clear and to the point, explaining the basics of CPT, ICD-9 assignments. It is a very good tool for any coder to have on her desk to help clear up the issues that come up every day! It would be a very good training manual for employees new to a medical office.

Book Description

Step-by-step guide for 16 projects shows how to turn inexpensive materials into a wide range of attractive, functional objects. Instructions are provided for creating table lamps, a dining room dome, a lantern, the shade for a drop light, newel post lamps, an electric candle sconce, and more.

Customer Reviews:

Way over my head!.......2007-09-04

This book didn't peak my interest in Shade making.....I was hoping to find a simple wood plan and all the ones I liked seemed way over my skill level.

What a wonderful surprise!.......2007-08-24

I work in both wood and metals and was expecting a basic volume of metalsmithing techniques. To my surprise, this book can be used in metalsmithing (example: dimensional layout drawings awayla), but it focuses on the use of colored paper (instead of mica or stained glass) and cardboard (instead of metals) Although it explores a medium I ordinarily use to design and make mock-ups, the drawings can easily be used in the metal shop using solder or riviting as a fastener instead of glue and tape and mica or glass in the place of paper.

Please note: These are vintage lighting designs put together by Popular Mechanics during the Arts & Crafts era and I would recommend it to anyone interested in this period of design and technique. Although some of the designs are a little 'dumpy', it would take little time or effort to change them to your liking. This book is a steal!

good book if you have a base in wood working.......2006-02-01

I like this book as reference for lamps in the arts and craft style however if you are looking for lots of step by step instructions you are out of luck. if you are looking for a good reference book and can visualise a project based on a few black and white drawing and some instruction then this book is for you.

468-964 (James Madison to John Quincy Adams) (A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents, Volume II)

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468-964 (James Madison to John Quincy Adams) (A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents, Volume II)

Manufacturer: Bureau of National Literature, New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000I55C7I

965-1465 - John Quincy Adams to Andrew Jackson (A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents, Volume III)

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965-1465 - John Quincy Adams to Andrew Jackson (A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents, Volume III)

Manufacturer: Bureau of National Literature, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000HHXJKY

The Adams Papers - Diary & Autobiography of John Adams - 4 Volume Set

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The Adams Papers - Diary & Autobiography of John Adams - 4 Volume Set
John Adams
Manufacturer: Atheneum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

The Adams Papers Diary and Autobiography of John Adams Volume 2

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The Adams Papers Diary and Autobiography of John Adams Volume 2

Manufacturer: The Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WE1M0Q

The Adams Papers Diary and Autobiography of John Adams Volume 4

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The Adams Papers Diary and Autobiography of John Adams Volume 4

Manufacturer: The Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WE1G7A

The Adams Papers Diary and Autobiography of John Adams Volume I

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The Adams Papers Diary and Autobiography of John Adams Volume I

Manufacturer: The Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WE0J0U

The Adams Papers June 1776-March 1778 (Adams Family Correspondence June 1776-March 1, 1778, Volume 2)

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The Adams Papers June 1776-March 1778 (Adams Family Correspondence June 1776-March 1, 1778, Volume 2)

Manufacturer: Anthenum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H2ASP8

Product Description

Second volume of Adams family correspondence. John kept Abigail's letters, she kept his, and they both kept their children's. Great unedited primary source document with good index and footnotes; covers June 1776-March 1778. Originally published by Harvard University Press.

The Adams papers, Series III. General correspondence and other papers of the Adams statesmen

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The Adams papers, Series III. General correspondence and other papers of the Adams statesmen
John Adams
Manufacturer: Atheneum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007DUSSE

Adams Papers, The: The Legal Papers of John Adams Volumes 1-3

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Adams Papers, The: The Legal Papers of John Adams Volumes 1-3

Manufacturer: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HVVU92

Book Description

Why, despite decades of high levels of foreign aid, has development been so disappointing in most of Sub-Saharan Africa, leading to rising numbers of poor and fueling political instabilities? While not ignoring the culpability of Africans in these problems, Carol Lancaster finds that much of the responsibility is in the hands of the governments and international aid agencies that provide assistance to the region. The first examination of its kind, Aid to Africa investigates the impact of bureaucratic politics, special interest groups, and public opinion in aid-giving countries and agencies. She finds that aid agencies in Africa often misdiagnosed problems, had difficulty designing appropriate programs that addressed the local political environment, and failed to coordinate their efforts effectively.

This balanced but tough-minded analysis does not reject the potential usefulness of foreign aid but does offer recommendations for fundamental changes in how governments and multilateral aid agencies can operate more effectively.

Customer Reviews:

Hit and Miss.......2002-11-22

Like so many pieces of work about the effectiveness of aid, this piece by Lancaster has its strengths as well as its obvious blind spots. Lancaster does a relatively good job of analyzing the bureaucratic strengths and weaknesses of many of the larger national and multinational aid agencies. It is in this respect that the book shines. On the other hand, it is obvious that Lancaster is strongly wedded to neo-classical economic theory and this bias runs throughout the book and leads her to condemn many aid practices based almost solely on these fundamentalist beliefs. Even more damning, though, is her near absolute ignorance of the international economic and political realities that have destabilized Africa and that have been almost completely uncontrollable by the aid agencies that she so easily critiques. She even goes so far as to give her greatest praise to one of the few agencies that can be directly credited with much of the economic instability plaguing the continent, the World Bank. She is honest in her critique of USAID and DFID being partly handcuffed by their country's larger foreign policy goals, but fails to place blame at the feet of these agencies' mother nations for their roles in producing or at least aiding in the creation of political instability of the region. Still, with these very serious critiques aside, Lancaster does do a very good job in providing valuable organizational critiques of several very important aid agencies. In this respect, this is a valuable piece of scholarship. I just wish she had the ability to be more honest (as she is a former government employee and recipient of significant US government funding, it may not be realistic to expect this of her) or less blind.

Aid to Africa So Much to Do, So Little Done.

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Aid to Africa So Much to Do, So Little Done.
Carol Lancaster
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OPCHN4

Customer Reviews:

A magical trip to the 1950s, through the eyes of a young boy.......1998-11-09

"The Silent Stars Go By" is a Christmas story we all wish we could tell, but don't have a childhood like Williams' to reflect on. Throughout the work, Williams is able to recall the era of the late 1950s and how the fall and early winter of 1959 in particular impacted he and his family. Madison, Georgia at that time was a northeast Georgia village in love with its football team (the local high school won 3-of-4 state championship and many regional titles in and around the late 50s and early 60s)and Williams masterfully gives readers a clear depiction of what the town was like. In a style similar to his "Heart of the Distant Forest," Williams also creates a sense of his love for all things natural and devotion to family. The fact that the story is true, and based on his family's own struggle, is something many should treasure. An additional pleasant aspect of the story is that there is no "angry child syndrome." This is a joyous tale, I love the book and have read it twice.

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