2000-2001 Downstate Illinois Business Directory

Book Description

A directory of virtually every business in the state! In depth information on each business location. You can use our premier database to find new customers and grow your sales and profits. You can create your own direct mail campaigns. Our information is simply the best for telephone sales or research; we make millions of phone calls every year to verify our information. Our credit rating codes can help you evaluate probable credit worthiness for small trade accounts, qualify prospects, and manage financial risk. You can analyze your competition, plan your next sales and marketing campaign, or establish new sales territories.

Book Description

This book is the first that presents an overview of the main topics involved in the study and implementation of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) from a learning viewpoint. It is also one of the few - or the only one - that does this from a research and practical instructional design perspective. Too many books begin with the medium and/or the environments used for CSCL, as if you would write a book on building a house by focusing almost primarily on hammers, saws and screwdrivers. The main topics are clustered in four sections that are derived from reverse ordering the CSCL acronym, because CSCL is all about learning through collaboration that is supported by computers. Although CSCL is increasingly advocated in higher education, specific CSCL implementations - i.e. something more than providing technology without a well developed educational rationale - are uncommon in higher education. The topics covered in this book, each including a review and several examples of current best practices in higher education, can stimulate 'informed' implementation of CSCL in higher education.

Book Description

Managers, employees, and entrepreneurs, are given practical guidance on focusing the mind for optimum negotiating power in this guide. With more than 20 step-by-step targeted exercises, this negotiating handbook teaches how to make every second of a negotiation dialog positive and constructive, from the opening gambit to the close.

Ofece estrategias tan simples como eficaces para conseguir el éxito en la negociación en cualquier contesto profesional, tanto para negociar la revisión de un contrato como para cerrar un negocio lucrativos. Incluye más de veinte casos prácticos con los que ejercitarse en el desarrollo del potencial negociador.

Book Description

Cutting-edge measurement technology for multidimensional systems
The Mahalanobis-Taguchi Strategy presents methods for developing multidimensional measurement scales that are up to date with the most current trends in multivariate diagnosis/pattern recognition-namely, using measures and procedures that are data analytic and not dependent upon the distribution of the characteristics defining the system. Applications for these measurement scales are also explored across a wide range of disciplines from manufacturing to medicine.
This book presents methods that integrate mathematical and statistical concepts such as Mahalanobis distance and Gram-Schmidt's orthogonalization method with the principles of Taguchi methods. These completely new systems of measurement and analysis move beyond anything Dr. Taguchi has done in the past. Coverage includes the refined Mahalanobis-Taguchi system, the Mahalanobis-Taguchi-Gram-Schmidt method, the Adjoint Matrix method, and other advanced topics, along with a detailed examination of each method. In addition to examining how real-world problems are solved using these methods, critical comparisons are made between the methods covered here and existing multivariate diagnosis/pattern recognition techniques.
The Mahalanobis-Taguchi Strategy: A Pattern Technology System is an essential book for engineers, designers, and statistical quality experts and programmers in the fields of engineering and computer science, as well as researchers in finance, medicine, statistics, and general science.

Customer Reviews:

Finally A Book To Understand MTS & MTGS.......2005-11-23

If you want to learn how to use Mahalanobis Taguchi System (MTS) to solve real case problems and design robust maltivariate systems using orthogonal arrays, buy this book. It is easy to understand to read and to follow the content. The case studies gives a clear idea how to use MTS and Robust Engineering and the potential of both extracting the required information from many variables efficiently. You learn how to use MTS for inspection, diagnosis systems. But you can develop your own ideas e.g. for software testing and screening purposes etc.

Average customer rating:

some interesting cases but hardly a scientific method

The Mahalanobis-Taguchi System
Genichi Taguchi , Subir Chowdhury , and Yuin Wu
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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The Mahalanobis-Taguchi Strategy: A Pattern Technology System

ASIN: 0071362630

Book Description

"Japan's Taguchi is America's new quality hero."
--Fortune magazine, November 25, 1998

"There is no question that the Mahalanobis-Taguchi System is a profoundly important giant step in improving the productivity of evaluating and improving diagnostic and other systems based pattern recognition. Potential applications of this method abound in many industries."
--John King, Ford Motor Company

This resource shows you how to harness the power of an amazing new pattern-recognition and forecasting method from Dr. Genichi Taguchi, a world-renowned quality genius. 15 case studies from the U.S. and Japan show how industry giants used the MTS effectively in their organizations. With this book, the first on the subject, you can achieve the same success.

The Mahalanobis-Taguchi System (MTS) is a groundbreaking new philosophy that has been reshaping Japanese industry since its inception. Developed by award-winning quality engineering expert Dr. Genichi Taguchi - acknowledged as one of the most innovative thinkers in the field, and based on the work of Indian statistics giant Dr. P.C. Mahalanobis the system provides a powerful process for recognizing patterns and forecasting results.MTS goes beyond theory - it shows you exactly how international business giants have successfully put the system to work for them. The book includes 15 fascinating case studies that provide an inside look at how organizations such as Fuji, Nissan, Sharp, Xerox, and others have utilized the system effectively. MTS can be applied in patient monitoring, medical diagnosis, software, manufacturing, weather forecasting, automotive collision prevention and fire detection.Doctors, researchers, engineers, insurance experts, financial analysts, programmers, and anyone else with an interest in pattern recognition and forecasting will find this book a blueprint to improved decision-making.

Customer Reviews:

some interesting cases but hardly a scientific method.......2001-03-13

this is not a pretty book, either visually (ugly typesetting) or content. The biggest merit is it's printed on recycled paper. otherwise, it would be a bigger waste of trees. Mc-Graw's standard seems to have gone downhill.

Some examples are quite intesreting. however, this book should really be called "Case Studies by Mahalanobis-Taguchi System" cause it really does not tell you much about the methodogy, its limitations, and its statistical basis. also it's assumptions has never been clearly stated. that is not a scientic method. my guess is linearity & continuity of the system. (i.e., no singularity of the configuration space of all variables) so the quality control studty can be reduced significantly.

Furthermore, there's no bibliography of good references about the method, except the incestuous self-referencing.

I also do not recommend the other book on Taguchi method by Dr. Taguchi et. al.

The Mahalanobis-Taguchi Strategy - A Pattern Technology System

Average customer rating:

The Mahalanobis-Taguchi Strategy - A Pattern Technology System
TAGUCHI
Manufacturer: JOHN WILEY AND SONS LTD
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N5GNU8

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MAHALANOBIS-TAGUCHI SYSTEM
Genichi Taguchi
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFQ35C

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Mahalanobis-Taguchi System - Ise
Taguchi , Chowdhury , and WU
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Education (ISE Editions)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science & Technology | Teens | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 007120282X

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Grand Corporate Strategy and Critical Functions: Interactive Effects of Organizational Dimensions

Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Systems & Planning | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0030617340

Average customer rating:
Grand corporate strategy and critical functions interactive effects of organizational dimensions
Kyamas A. Palia
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEBZZQ

Amazon.com

It's not often--or maybe ever--that a book steeped in emerging-market economic theory reads like a thriller. But And the Money Kept Rolling In (and Out) has cliffhangers and plot twists equal to a detective's tale, as Paul Blustein chronicles the spectacular rise and fall of Argentina's economy at the turn of the 21st century. The book has its flaws, of course, including the author's insistence on using goofy metaphors from the overripe Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita (from which the book takes its awkward title). But by and large, Blustein, a staff writer at the Washington Post, tells a cynic's tale of greed run amok on a massive scale.

While policy wonks at the International Monetary Fund had much to do with Argentina's implosion, Blustein also holds the country's own government responsible. Conventional wisdom says that the influence of the world's investors keeps everyone in line--a key tenet of the pro-globalization argument--but in practice, Blustein writes, "foreign funds numbed Argentine policymakers into minimizing the perils of their policies. The effect was similar to a dose of steroids, giving the economy a short-term boost while insidiously increasing the risk of a breakdown in the long run." From that point on, only devastation lay ahead for many average Argentineans, who could no longer remove savings from their banks, and for international investors, who saw their returns vanish in a flash. Blustein effectively makes the case that Argentina wasn't a rare example or a perfect storm of problems, but--bearing "striking parallels" to Enron and other financial scandals of the era--a preview of more meltdowns to come. It's a compelling cautionary tale well worth telling. --Jennifer Buckendorff

Book Description

The dramatic, definitive account of the most spectacular economic meltdown of modern times exposes the dangerous flaws of our global financial system.

In the 1990s, few countries were more lionized than Argentina for its efforts to join the club of wealthy nations. Argentina's policies drew enthusiastic applause from the IMF, the World Bank and Wall Street. But the club has a disturbing propensity to turn its back on arrivistes and cast them out. That was what happened in 2001, when Argentina suffered one of the most spectacular crashes in modern history. With it came appalling social and political chaos, a collapse of the peso, and a wrenching downturn that threw millions into poverty and left nearly one quarter of the workforce unemployed.

Paul Blustein, whose book about the IMF, The Chastening, was called "gripping, often frightening" by The Economist and lauded by the Wall Street Journal as "a superbly reported and skillfully woven story," now gets right inside Argentina's rise and fall in a dramatic account based on hundreds of interviews with top policymakers and financial market players as well as reams of internal documents. He shows how the IMF turned a blind eye to the vulnerabilities of its star pupil, and exposes the conduct of global financial market players in Argentina as redolent of the scandals-like those at Enron, WorldCom and Global Crossing- that rocked Wall Street in recent years. By going behind the scenes of Argentina's debacle, Blustein shows with unmistakable clarity how sadly elusive the path of hope and progress remains to the great bulk of humanity still mired in poverty and underdevelopment.

Customer Reviews:

Superb book - reads like a fiction, hits like reality!.......2007-10-10

This is a short book, easy to read and boy, does it deliver! An account of Argentina during it's economy's heyday and the fall, this book is a fascinating read. It starts off with a brief review of Argentina during the late 1800s and early 1900s but jumps right on the main topic after that. The author explains in extremely lucid prose (no finance knowledge required whatsoever) how the economy was fueled by international funds and how it went bust. Excellent examples, and written like a thriller ... 5 stars all the way!

A wonderful look at how an economy collapsed.......2007-07-09

This book seeks to understand how and why Argentina sank into financial chaos in the early 2000's. The book looks at the role of the IMF, US treasury, private markets, and the Argentinean government in the overall downfall of the country. The author writes very well about his subject and has a good understanding of international economics. The IMF is not completely vilified as it is in many of the current financial crisis's and although it shares a large amount of the blame the book hands it out equally. There is quite a bit of conspiracy theory and engaging in theories behind the IMF and Wall Street as well as the Bush administration. The author acknowledges in most cases that these are conspiracies but they did not really need to be discussed. The most interesting part of the story has to do with the role that the markets played in Argentina. It is an interesting foreshadow for the future of emerging markets and looking at the self fulfilling prophecies of debt and equity. This book deserves its credit for focusing on real issues without engaging in much ideology or theory. If you want to understand how financial markets are impacting areas overseas this is a great book to start with.

Objective chronicle of a nation's collapse.......2007-06-10

This book examines the economic history of Argentina from the early 20th century to 2004, with an emphasis on the time period from 1989 to 2002. The focus is on the financial sector of the economy, and how actions by the government and international financial institutions first ballooned Argentina's economy over a decade, and then collapsed it in just under 2 years. The point of view is from the top, as the book follows multiple important figures throughout this time, including officials at the IMF, officials in Argentina's government, and financial bigwigs in the US and Europe, both public and private.

The author is quite objective and impartial, and lays blame all around. The IMF gets some blame for not being more forceful in getting Argentina to change its ways. International banks and lenders get blame for contributing willingly to the financial bubble of the country. And the Argentinan government gets blame for refusing to consider floating its currency, devaluing it, or restructuring its debt before it was too late. Unfortunately, it was the citizens, mainly poor and middle class, of Argentina who took it in the pocketbooks. All in all a great book, with equal emphasis on economics, public policy, and historical analysis. I highly recommend this book.

Another Winner from Blustein.......2006-10-15

Paul Blustein may have have created a new genre: the real-life financial crisis thriller. Having dissected the Asian financial crisis in "The Chastening," he now turns to Argentina in "And the Money Kept Rolling in (and Out)." The book tells the fascinating story of how Argentina, after being lionized as the poster child of free market reform in the early 1990s, became hooked on foreign debt that ballooned far faster than its ability to service it. The outcome was default and financial ruin in 2001-02, with vast economic hardship for the Argentine population.

As in "The Chasterning," Blustein's narrative is clearly-written and based on in-depth interviews with decision-makers in government, the IMF, and the financial community. He takes aim at perverse institutional incentives and herd-behavior among investors who poured money into Argentina long after it was clear that the country couldn't pay its bills. This profligacy encouraged an attitude of policy-complacency in Buenos Aires that made the final reckoning all the more painful for foreign bond-holders and Argentines alike. Highly recommended.

Economics of Debt.......2006-09-18

This was a very interesting book about the IMF and its dealing with Argentina. Argentina has had a colorful past of financial blunders including one in 1890 which almost brought down Barings Bank when it defaulted on its bond payments. So it was not surprising when Argentina bankrupted again.

Not only does this book have the inner workings of the IMF with regard to Argentina but it also contains some short stories of average people and the catastrophies that befell them because of Argentina's currency devaluation. I found it interesting that because Argentina guaranteed an exchange rate between its currency and the dollar that a lot of people had taken out loans in dollars which proved to be disasterous when the peso was devalued.

All the information about the behind the scenes action of the IMF was very insightful as to the inner workings of global financing of emerging nations. The author did a good job bringing home the facts and helping the reader get to know the players in both the IMF and the Argentine government. In summary this was a good lesson on the economics of what debt can do to a country.

Down Argentine way: how the wild bulls of the Pampas got into debt.(And the Money Kept Rolling In (and Out): Wall Street, the IMF, and the Bankrupting ... An article from: The Weekly Standard

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Down Argentine way: how the wild bulls of the Pampas got into debt.(And the Money Kept Rolling In (and Out): Wall Street, the IMF, and the Bankrupting ... An article from: The Weekly Standard
Robert Whitcomb
Manufacturer: News America Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000ALR7KA
Release Date: 2006-07-14

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Weekly Standard, published by News America Incorporated on May 16, 2005. The length of the article is 910 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: Down Argentine way: how the wild bulls of the Pampas got into debt.(And the Money Kept Rolling In (and Out): Wall Street, the IMF, and the Bankrupting of Argentina)(Book Review)
Author: Robert Whitcomb
Publication: The Weekly Standard (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 16, 2005
Publisher: News America Incorporated
Volume: 10 Issue: 33 Page: 34(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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And the Money Kept Rolling in (and Out)
Paul Blustein
Manufacturer: Perseus Books Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K6J8JS

Book Description

Children represent a valuable target audience for advertisers, with over $200 billion in direct purchases and influenced spending. However, questions exist about both the effectiveness of marketing to children as well as the impact this advertising has on the children themselves. Current debates over smoking and alcohol consumption highlight this issue from all perspectives: marketers, parents, and policymakers. Advertising to Children presents cutting-edge research designed to stimulate and inform this debate. Well-known authors contribute their perspectives, with chapters organized in sections to address what children know and think about advertising, how advertising works with children, and what issues are at the forefront of societal and public-policy thinking. Editors M. Carole Macklin and Les Carlson have lead research in this field and lend their expertise. More than just a litany of hot topics, this book provides a wide-angle lens on the field, with insights from advertising, marketing, communication, and psychology.

Advertising to Children: Concepts and Controversies.(Review): An article from: Journal of Consumer Affairs

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Advertising to Children: Concepts and Controversies.(Review): An article from: Journal of Consumer Affairs
Sue McGregor
Manufacturer: American Council on Consumer Interests
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Consumer Affairs, published by American Council on Consumer Interests on December 22, 2000. The length of the article is 1741 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: Advertising to Children: Concepts and Controversies.(Review)
Author: Sue McGregor
Publication: Journal of Consumer Affairs (Refereed)
Date: December 22, 2000
Publisher: American Council on Consumer Interests
Volume: 34 Issue: 2 Page: 364

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

"Success is often the culmination of a series of lesser known accomplishments." -Stephen A. Ruffa and Michael J. Perozziello

In the Muroc, California desert over fifty years ago, a team of contractors and government engineers along with a daring young test pilot named Chuck Yeager achieved the seemingly impossible and broke the sound barrier. It was a brilliant, selfless team effort; one that opened the doors for limitless advances in aviation.

Yet, once again, this industry is faced with an apparently insurmountable barrier; not one of performance, but of cost. To break this barrier, a team of manufacturing professionals led by the Department of Defense's Stephen Ruffa-was given unprecedented access by the giants of military and commercial aircraft engines and avionics production. Their mission? Go beyond the age old focus on flying farther, faster, and higher to discover how to effectively and permanently slash the cost of producing aircraft to allow this industry to continue its rapid pace of advancement.

The results of their study set the stage for a new approach that will again change the face of this industry. These findings lauded by leaders across the industry and comprehensively explored in Breaking the Cost Barrier prove that production variation, as opposed to more common targets like labor utilization and inventory levels, is the chief cause of escalating production costs.

More importantly, they reveal how companies can control spiraling production costs by first controlling the variability that has for too long been considered a necessary evil in manufacturing circles.

While much has been written about what "lean production" techniques are, Breaking the Cost Barrier is the first book to explain how to effectively put lean techniques into place. It presents the big picture on how you can understand and adopt the industry proven techniques used in the lean production environment and coordinate the best into one powerhouse variation management program. Case studies and examples showcase how these techniques can be applied to control production variability across industries and requirements.

Breaking the Cost Barrier provides far more than just another plug-and-play technique for increasing efficiency. Instead, it tells the step-by-step story of how one team of professionals, guided by the belief that an answer was closer than anyone realized, broke the code on production variability problems and introduced exciting, profitable, and easily adaptable variation management methods to one of the world's most important and noteworthy industries.

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS is the nation's largest broad-based industrial trade association. The NAM is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has regional offices across the country. For more information on the NAM, call David W. Walker, Vice President, Marketing and Member Services, at (202) 637-3186.

The dramatic account of how a team of aerospace professionals attacked production variation to slash costs by 25%

Variation Management the identification and control of variation in production processes-is critical to today's cost-conscious aerospace industry. Now, the story of how its underlying framework was discovered by a team of professionals in a cooperative effort with a range of organizations, from McDonnell Douglas and Pratt & Whitney to Westinghouse and even the U.S. government, is chronicled in the innovative and technique-packed Breaking the Cost Barrier.

This fast-paced, highly entertaining book gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how you can design and implement a system to successfully control production variability and leverage the power of that system for your own organization. It describes what many of the components of a variability control system are and what goals they should achieve, then demonstrates from the inside out why each comprises an important part in the puzzle.

Customer Reviews:

The Key to Sustained Lean.......2002-01-03

The authors have clearly explained the key to successful, sustainable, implementation of Lean via their research and analysis. Even though the focus of the study is the aircraft industry, their Variation Management emphasis and methods are relevant to all industries and companies of all sizes. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants their organization to excel in today's highly competitive marketplace. The past 2 decades have been filled with too many Lean implementations that have not resulted in significant, long term results; I believe, this book clearly shows why this has often happened, and conclusions are supported by the authors' detailed, rigorous, analysis approach. Therefore, you will begin to understand the difference between the "pseudo"-lean companies and the real-lean, successful companies.

Book Description

Management Information Systems for the Information Age, 3rd edition maintains the unique overall approach of the successful second edition: the right mix of traditional and leading edge topical coverage along with LOTS of hands-on, problem-solving projects. Haag works well for professors (and students) who want a very interactive, engaging experience, and for those who want to see a strong tie to the latest and greatest on the Internet and corresponding textbook website. Haag is equally appropriate for both business and non-business majors. This revision now clearly distinguishes between technical and managerial topics key to MIS by organizing the technology coverage into Modules and the managerial material into Chapters. In response to feedback from both users and non-users, the chapters have been slightly reorganized to incorporate increased coverage of E-Commerce and E-Business (now a full chapter 5). Pedagogical features have been retained but fine-tuned and the vibrant design has been toned down to reflect fewer features on a page.

Customer Reviews:

management information systems for the information Age.......2007-03-09

Great service by the seller. Book arrived earlier than I expected.. Product was in the condition mentioned by the seller... Very happy with the purchase. I'll buy again in the future form this seller.

Good condition.......2005-09-24

It was in the condition the seller had said. It arrived on time.

No Communication.......2005-09-19

I was not pleased with the service. My book arrive within the time alloted, 7-14 days it arrived the 13th day without the cd's. By then class had started. Emailed the seller about the issue, I never got a reply. Good thing my instructor had extra's.
Overall poor communication made this an unpleasurable transaction.

Best web support.......2003-12-23

I wish all my books were from McGraw Hill - the support is awesome! A full glossary online and sample tests and key study points all ready to copy and paste into your own study notes!!! Really wonderful company.

Warning...........2002-08-07

Be forthwarned.... I ordered the 3rd ed. of this book and received the 2nd ed. instead. The seller was misleading under the comments section of the book he sold me..... a new listing shows that he's selling the 2nd ed. and not the 3rd ed. He changed this comment once he received an email from me stating otherwise. He wouldn't offer me a refund for the book and now I'm stuck with this one for a class which begins in a week.

MP: Haag MIS with Simnet MIS (V.2), PowerWeb and CD

Average customer rating:

MP: Haag MIS with Simnet MIS (V.2), PowerWeb and CD
Maeve Cummings, Donald J. McCubbrey, Donald McCubbrey Stephen Haag
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OGT79K

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