Reading this book reminded me of attending a good conference where lots of company executives provide detailed examples of the issues they faced, and how they went about dealing with those issues. Since such conferences usually cost several hundred dollars, this book is a real bargain -- and you don't have to get on an airplane and fly someplace!

One of the strengths of the book is that you receive several perspectives on the context for each case history. The editors describe what each case means, and the conclusions section summarizes general patterns. Also, each case is presented in the same format which makes it easier to understand what is being shared. I was particularly grateful for the exhibits (which exist in electronic form in the CD enclosed in the book). I also appreciated that the cases were primarily written by Human Resources professionals inside the companies, rather than being a consultant's take on what happened.

Having said all those positive things, let me share some concerns. First, I looked in vain for my favorite examples of outstanding work in recruiting, retention, knowledge encouragement, and executive development. If this book is about "best practices" where were GE, Disney, Motorola, Ritz Carlton, and SAS Institute? Second, many of the cases involved companies that are better known for their poor performance than for excellence. If they are developing their people so well, what happened? Third, a lot of these cases involve new initiatives where the long-term consequences are hard to see. Fourth, the profit impact on the organizations was not well documented. That makes it hard to use these cases as examples to encourage your own company to follow suit. Fifth, as change management processes, most of these cases are far behind the curve of what is described in Peter Senge's various books of case histories such as The Dance of Change. Part of the reason seems to be that a number of these cases aren't very new.

Of the cases in the book, I recommend the ServiceMASTER, Westinghouse, Johnson & Johnson, Allstate, and Case Corporation examples as the most helpful to me. I mention that because there's a lot of material in this book. I read a lot and rapidly, and I found this book hard to tackle. By being more selective in what you go after, you can help avoid some of that problem. Naturally, if your own issues are only in a few areas, just look at those cases.

Develop the full potential of everyone, beginning with yourself!

"The principal goal of this book is to provide you with the key ingredients taken from best-companies to help you create and enhance your organization and human resource development (OD/HRD) initiative. Through a case study approach, this book provides practical, easy-to-apply tools, instruments, training, concepts, and competency models that can be used as benchmarks for the successful implementation of your specific OD/HRD initiative (from the Introduction)."

In this context, Louis Carter, David Giber, and Marshall Goldsmith (editors) divide core part of this book -Organization and Human Resources Development Case Studies- into following five OD/HRD topic areas:

I. Organization Development and Change: In this section, W. Warner Burke says, "Seven rich cases (Kraft Foods, Nortel, ServiceMASTER, SmithKline Beecham, Westinghouse, CK Witko, and Xerox) of organization development and change are discussed...The cases cover a wide range of change from how OD occurs every day to deep change in an organization's culture...Without doubt we can learn from these cases. And learn we must. Changing organization is too intricate to be left to novices. We have indeed learned and noted at the outset, but we still have much to learn. As one who has been involved for more than 35 years, helping organizations change is both thrilling and very satisfying. Learning, however, is the most exciting part (pp.6-8)."

II. Leadership Development: In this section, Jay A. Congerwrites that "In the cases that follow, we look at three companies (Boeing, Johnson & Johnson, and Sun Microsystems,Inc.) that have dedicated serious time and resources to leadership development...In addition, all three of the company cases make extended use of competency models, 360-degree feedback, and action learning (p.186)."

III. Recruitment and Retention: In this section of the book, John Sullivan writes, "you'll learn how three diverse companies tackled their retention and recruiting problems. Two of the firms are high tech (AMD and Cellular One), while another (Allstate) is in a more traditional industry. Both AMD and Cellular One focus on solving the hot issue of retention while Allstate takes a new look at the recruiting and selection processes. All three of the case studies use a scientific approach to identify which solutions have the most impact...All three of these case studies are worth examining because of their scientific methodology as well as their results. All are full of powerfull 'lessons learned' for those who are soon to begin a major recruitment or retention effort (pp.303-304)."

IV. Performance Management: This section examines performance management systems of Case Corporation and Sonoco. Edward E. Lawler III says that "the performance management systems in most organizations are contoversial, ineffective, and constantly under construction. They are so problematic that critics argue many organizations would be better off if they simply didn't have a performance management system, particularly one in which performance appraisals are tied to pay actions. But-and it is an important but- if individuals are not appraised, counseled, coached, and rewarded for performance, how can an organization pruduce the organized, coordinated, and motivated behavior that it takes to perform well? The answer most likely is that it can't (p.393)."

V. Coaching and Mentoring: Introduction of this section, Beverly Kaye writes, "the last 5 years have seen a groundswell in both arenas. And it's not just been more of the same; organizations have begun to use mentoring and coaching more purposefully. HR and OD practitioners have worked to utilize both interventions to meet pressing business problems having to do with the development and retention of talent, as well as the growth of future leaders. These interventions have been more systemic, more thoughtful, and more innovative than ever before. The case studies (Dow Corning, and MediaOne Group-AT&T) illustrate this trend. Both were motivated by specific business drivers, both were preceded by intensive research, both were implemented over time, and both were evaluated seriously. Readers will find them instructive, detailed, and engaging (p.438)."

Finally, Louis Carter (editor) says that "contributors were asked to indicate where they envision their organization is heading with its initiative within the next 5 to 10 years. Responses indicate that the contributors want to keep the organization on a track to continuously learn and develop its capabilities. Comments from some contributors indicate that they want to leverage lessons learned from this experience. Some contributors commented that they want to firmly ingrain the initiative into the organization to the point that it is almost invisible to the user, making it an accepted part of life at the company. Other contributors will continue to refine the present initiative in place, while others will expand their efforts into other business lines. Survey results clearly indicate that the present state of the initiatives represented in this book represent snapshots of moving targets. Further growth and innovation is inevitable for these best practice organizations, as they work to stay ahead of their competitors by embracing change and continuously learning and improving (pp.531-532)."

Strongly recommended.

Here in a single volume is about all that is needed to design, implement, and then monitor a program through which to achieve organizational transformation. Moreover, the editors have selected both information and wisdom which can help to ensure that such a program is comprehensive, cohesive, and cost-effective. The phrase "best practices" is apt but should not be misconstrued to mean that strategies and tactics which have been highly successful in some organizations are necessary going to be successful in all others. Moreover, I urge the reader to keep in mind that, although the organizations featured (e.g. Boeing, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft Foods, Nortel Networks, ServiceMASTER, SmithKline Beecham, and Sun Microsystems) are among the largest in their respective industries, much of the material in this book is also relevant to small-to-midsize organizations. My own rather extensive past experience with all manner of organizations (including non-profits) has convinced me that most people do not fear change; rather, they fear the unfamiliar. Hence the importance of three on-going initiatives: communicate, communicate, and communicate.

Part One consists of Acknowledgments, About This Book, How to Use This Book, and an excellent Foreword by Richard Beckhard. Carter, Giber, and Goldsmith then shift their attention in Part Two of "Organization & Human Resources Development Case Studies." The individual case studies are distributed within this thematic structure:

Organizational Development & Change

Leadership Development

Recruitment & Retention

Performance Management

Coaching & Mentoring

Part Three: Conclusion consists of Research (OD/HRD Trends and Findings), Endnotes, About Linkage, Inc., About the Editors, Index, and How to Use the CD-ROM, terrific value-added benefit.

Back to Beckhard's Foreword for a moment. In it, he identifies six (6) "elements" which are basic to each case study; all are central to and sequential within the change process associated with organizational development/human resource development (OD/HRD). They are: Business Diagnosis, Assessment, Program Design, Implementation, On-the-Job Support, and Evaluation. It is helpful to keep these six "elements" clearly in mind while working your way through the abundance of information which the editors provide. Fortunately, they have organized the (sometimes daunting) material with meticulous care and write exceptionally well. I also urge you to use the same six "elements" as guidelines when determining what the design of your own program for organizational change should be, and, when selecting those strategies and tactics discussed in the book which are most appropriate to the implementation and evaluation of that program. This is especially true of decision-makers in small-to-midsize organizations.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out O'Toole's Leading Change, Katzenbach's Real Change Leaders as well as his Peak Performance , Kaplan and Norton's The Balanced Scorecard and The Strategy-Focused Organization, Quinn's Deep Change, O'Dell and Grayson's If Only We Knew What We Know, Isaacs' Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together, and Senge's The Dance of Change. Those especially interested in Six Sigma are encouraged to check out (and read in this order) Pande's The Six Sigma Way, Breyfogle's Implementing Six Sigma, and Eckes's Making Six Sigma Last.

I think that Deitz is a wonderful writer, but I just didn't get into this book. I wanted to see a little more action. It seemed to me that part of the time the characters just sat around and talked instead of doing anything. I have to admit that the end hooked me and I was upset because I want to know what is going to happen! When the next book comes out I'm going to read it. I hope that Mr. Deitz hurries.

This book ends leaving the reader hanging. Ahhhh! Help Mister Deitz. We are all waiting now over a year for the sequel! Needless to say the whole series is well worth the read. The characters are absolutely memorable! Hilarious! A laught a minute. I love David Sullivan. I wish he were my son and I'd explore all those things in Faerie with him without second though. Afterall, no matter what the tangle he always seems to come out on top! Great book! EVen better series!

Just when you thought the love of Alex's life stuck in enfield form for good...OOPS, don't want to spoil! What I do want to know is WHEN THE HECK IS THE NEXT BOOK COMING OUT?

I usually don't write reviews, but I really likes this book. I've read it twice now and the information contained in "Saturn in Transit" explained so much of what I have experienced, mostly in 7 year cycles (when Saturn adversly affected a 4 planet stellium I have). I've studied astrology off and on for a few years and knew there had to be a reason for the drastic changes, but until I read this book, I didn't connect what or how to deal with it..So now I am prepared for 2006! LOL. The book shed light not only on my craziness, but on the actions and feelings of lots of my friends too!

In Saturn In Transit: Boundaries Of Mind, Body And Soul, Erin Sullivan draws upon astrology, mythology, and psychology to reveal Saturn's useful and developmental influence in our daily lives as a source of divine discontent. During its transit around the zodiac, Saturn assists the modern hero and heroine by destroying the old and outmoded within, and throwing us periodically into chaos, thereby invariably generating creative transformations of purpose in our lives. Saturn In Transit is an impressive and highly recommended addition to personal astrological reference collections and metaphysical studies reading lists.

Every so often one comes across a quality astrological book that really stands out from the crowd and stands the test of repeated reading over time. "Saturn in Transit" is one such book. I have continued to read and re-read this over the last few years. In the best possible sense, it is a Saturnian treatment of the transits of Saturn. There is also a great deal of other high quality non-Saturn astrology here.

In addition to her obvious extensive experience as a practising astrologer, Erin Sullivan draws extensively on depth psychology and classical mythology to portray Saturn's developmental influence on our lives. The fourth section of the book, "The Personal Heroic Journey" stands out for me. Here the journey of Saturn around the birth chart is illuminated profoundly and accessibly. Sullivan begins the cycle at the midheaven and tenth house stage, "The Call To Adventure" as she terms it, in contrast to the more conventional viewpoint that places the ascendant and first house at the beginning of the cycle. From there on she comments on Saturn's movement round the chart and the various inner and outer lessons it has to teach us.

Countless practical examples are referred to throughout, with two contrasting case histories at the end showing how different but essentially similar each individual's "heroic quest for meaning" can be. As befits a book on Saturn it does all get a bit heavy going at times but is well worth the effort!

Despite rumors that Pronzini's Nameless detective may be no more, Spook proves this wonderful character still has a lot of life in him. In fact, this story, written in a new style, opens the door for the series, thankfully, to go on and on and on.
Pronzini is a master, no, a grand master of the genre and certainly deserves a lot more recognition than he has received.
Spook is a taut story with excellent character development, and takes a serious look at issues in today's social environment.

Definitely a don't-put-it-down read.

What better way to start 2003 off than with a brand new Nameless Detective novel, especially since we all thought his last book was the end of the series. In "Spook", Nameless, along with his soon-to-be partner Tamara and new field operative Jake Runyon, are trying to track down the identity of a murdered homeless man. Interspersed throughout the story are personal episodes of all three main characters. Nameless, one of the world's most socially shy butterflies, is persuaded to attend a Christmas charity event with of all people his old friend Sharon McCone and in the bargain saves her from losing a case. Tamara is faced with a huge decision: her boyfriend is pressuring her to marry him and move back east but she isn't sure she wants to give up a job she loves. Jake is still brooding over the death of his wife and the antagonism of his son. All this gives a new and warm twist to the usual Nameless books. To further add to the twist, Nameless's real name is slipped into the story several times! "Spook" is one of Pronzini's best!

"Spook" is a very special novel to me. I had thought that Pronzini's last novel, "Bleeders", might have been his last "Nameless Detective" novel. Bill Pronzini is my favorite mystery writer working today, and I rejoiced when I found out that this wonderful series is continuing. Some changes have occcured in Nameless' agency. He has made his assistant, Tamara Corbin, his partner, and they have hired former Seattle cop Jake Runyon to do much of the leg work for the agency. Most of the novel is told by Nameless in the first person as always, but several chapters in which Tamara or Jake Runyon are featured are told in the third person. Pronzini makes this style work wonderfully. Steve Taradash hires the agency to find out the identity of a homeless man who was murdered outside his business. This man is known on the street as Spook, and he "talks" to people named Dot, Luke, and Mr. Snow. Jake Runyon does most of the leg work in Mono County, and finds out some very interesting facts. The reader learns about the private lives on both Tamara and Jake Runyon. I also enjoyed reading about Emily, the adopted daughter of Nameless and his wife Kerry. Sharon McCone, Marcia Muller's character, makes an appearance. Marcia Muller is Bill Pronzini's wife. "Spook" is highly recommended!

In this work, Ms. Sullivan provides descriptions of a wide range of lying, lies, and deceptions for our consideration and then selects many of these for additional analysis. The author's examples illustrate the complexities associated with truths and untruths and suggest new ways for the reader to consider and reconsider past behaviors. She examines some accepted societal conventions in a more rigorous light, which should be enjoyable to skeptics. She also reviews a range of technologies and practices which have been used to distinguish between truth and falsehood (and between guilt and innocence) over the years and dismisses them as ineffective. Comparisons of the effectiveness of lie detectors and ordeals as applied during the middle ages (i.e. trial by fire, etc.) were written in a lighter and less philosophical style that provided a break from the more academic style that pervades this book.

The author does not write from a moral point of view that is apparent and she allows the reader to draw his or her own conculsions. Some portions of the book are slow going and anything but concise (but the deception is acceptable since the very title and subject matter should provide the reader with ample warning) but on balance it is engaging and worthwhile.

This is an amusing and thoughtful journey through the tangled and ambiguous world of lies
and deception. Sullivan wears her learning lightly. Highly recommended!

Concise Book Of Lying provides a cross-cultural survey of deception and the role which lying has played throughout history, using early stories modern accounts to draw connections between lying trends and why individuals lie. Social and psychological issues are both considered in this survey of lying.

While I think this was a good book I also think that there was a lot of information presented that had little to do with the Lusitania or the sinking. I concede that you must persent background information but the entire first half of this book dealth with the rules of the Sea at the time, The British Empire's instructions to merchant ships, Churchill's directives, etc. I think that this is great information but felt that it might have taken the space of more information that could have been presented on the ships story itself.

Missing also, is the German U-Boat side. What did they think, why did they do it? There has to be information in German records on this, why were they not consulted when presenting the information in this book?

I did enjoy the analystic view of the cargo and if it actually contributed to the sinking. The clues that were traced in the sipping manifests. The book also explores the theory that the sinking was actually caused by Churchill's directives to ships at sea, making them enemy combatants in a time of war.

This is a decent book but I think it should be read as one of many on the subject and not taken as the sole source of information.

The Lusitania was the ship that was simply loved by a Nation. State-of-the-art when launched and the very first passenger liner to be equipped with steam turbines, she became the fastest Liner on the North Atlantic passenger routes. She was popular with passengers and a resounding commercial success. This was a ship that had everything.

Suddenly, all that came to an end on 7 May 1915 when she was torpedoed and sunk. The reaction - both at home and abroad was simply incredible. Although the loss of the Titanic - just 3 years earlier, was still very fresh in peoples minds, this was different. That had been an accident and those bodies had been buried in far-away Canada. This time they were buried in Ireland and the photographs of the day said it all. This was viewed as one of the most diabolical and savage acts of all time - and even helped bring America into the War.

The Lusitania - Unravelling the Mysteries is hardback measuring 12 in x 8½ in and contains over 130 pages of solid information, facts, maps, paintings, photographs and even cartoons - all reproduced from the time in question. The Author commences with his own background and reveals how he is well-qualified to write a book such as this. In a skilfully planned book, he provides all the relevant information and paints an excellent scene with his various descriptions of the Lusitania and other, similar ships - with their Peacetime and Wartime roles. He then moves on to the German submarine menace, British Intelligence and the code-breaking of the day as he carefully and deliberately provides a fully detailed prelude to the sinking with details of other submarine incidents off Ireland - that were never relayed to the Lusitania.

Then we have the tragedy itself and, of course, the aftermath. There are distressing photographs of dead children and heartbreaking stories of those who survived - having lost all other members of their family. There is the grief that overwhelmed Ireland and photographs of both the Memorial in Cobh and one or two of the more dramatic headstones - "Foully Murdered by Germany" and "Victim of the Lusitania Crime." The Sham tribunals and the way in which blame was wrongly laid at the feet of the ship's master - Captain Bill Turner, in a bid to deflect public opinion away from government ineptitude are covered in great detail as is the fact that the ship was carrying munitions (as was common practise) and therefore, a justified target of War!

Concluding with a chapter on "The Mysteries Unravel, the author brings a semblance of sense to what happened almost 100 years ago and includes two photographs taken by Scuba Divers in order to bring the story of this great ship right up to date. The book ends with the a cartoon depicting the Mother of "Civilisation" kneeling on the beach and weeping for those lost on the Lusitania.

A poignant and thought-provoking account and one that is expertly crafted - this is simply a first-rate book. How sad that the wreck itself has never been designated a "War Grave."

NM

Maritime disaster buffs will enjoy the new theories and fresh opinions on the tale of the ill fated Lusitania. For those readers who may not be familiar with her story, it is a well told and interesting look at her sailing career and tragic end.

Thanks to this book I could finally put a face on some names. Some were totally unknown to me.My favorite? Jennie Lee! I `ve read articles about her before but this book helped me to find out more about her.She`s plump BUT so sexy. All the ladies are not especially charming for me.If you are a fan of the 50`s glamour girls this book is for you.

Though I bought a copy of this tantalizing book sometime ago, I still relish it as a tremendous job by Sullivan, whose Glamour Girls Then and Now is also proof of the man's excellent work in the field of covering glamour goddesses.

I thoroughly enjoyed Steve Sullivan's book on some forgotten glamour gals of the 50's and 60's.I particularly enjoyed reading about Joy Harmon and Cynthia Myers.Joy Harmon was an adolescent fantasy of mine ever since she popped out of her clothes in "Village of the Giants."Myers may have been beautiful,but she proves she's no brain surgeon when she states that she went to the Democratic convention in Chicago in 1968 and met Adlai Stevenson.He'd been dead 3 years by then!Oh,well.All in all,an excellent book!

Pokemon and Digimon aren't as big anymore, but even my 4 year old likes to trace these with tracing paper. Older kids can learn a lot about drawing basics by practicing something they like. Wish they had more examples and different angles on the different critters though.

MY SON HAS THIS ONE AS WELL AS DRAGONBALL Z & POKEMON , AND HE LIKES THEM ALOT......HE LIKES DRAWING HIS FAVORITE CHARACTERS.....AND THEY'RE EASY TO DO!!!

I could be one of the digi destined. My digimon could be blackwargreymon for my courage or angewoman for the light part of me and /or angelmon for my hopes and/or wormmon for my kindness part of me. Me and Kari could dna digivolve into the ultimate digimon that has Lots of light.

This is a great book to have. But the binding is no good. Mine got loose and separated.

The content of the book is fantastic but the only problem with it is that as you use it the pages start to fall apart which is very frustrating considerating the fact of how much it costs and that it's a book you would frequantly use.

Apart from being very thorough and comprehensive, this book is also a great thing to have around. The format makes it an easy and quick reference for the PT student or begining physical therapist. It's easy-to-locate style makes it perfect for a fast question, and pictures throughout are more than helpful!

Very fluently written, but Rockford, the PI who got bad knees, is a really pathetic character. The law couldn't do nothing and has to let the rich doctor go away with the triple murders is just another bad laugh after the OJ Simpson's trial. A pathetic, small-time PI struggled to make a miserable living in LA after so many years is another hopeless irony that we could do without. The story itself wrapped up roughly in the end after a too-long and tiresome merry-go-around plot that also going nowhere.

I have watched Rockford since the age of 6. We are reading about Rockford some 20 odd years later. Still living in Paradise cove, and taking his lumps! He is now morning the death of his fatherand STILL having to deal with Angel Martian! True to characters personalities! Good to read again and again...

Stuart Kaminsky has written an enjoyable and satisfying novel based on the characters from the television series, "The Rockford Files." Jim, Beth, Dennis, Angel, and the Firebird are all here in form true to the original characters.

Jim Rockford is older now; mourning the loss of his father, Rocky; battling bad knees; trying to elude Angel's ubiquitous scams; and reflecting on his relationship with Beth and what might have been. Despite the passing of the years, Jim retains his wry wit and keen observations of the human condition. Mr. Kaminsky provides additional insight into the character of Jim Rockford, particularly the formative years and the time in prison.

The story is well-paced and intriguing. I enjoyed this book more than many of the recent 2-hour "Rockford Files" movies presented on television in recent years. If you enjoyed the original "Rockford Files" series from 1974-1980, you will enjoy this book.