I just feel like this book could have been made much better, with a little more effort. More photos would have been nice! They seem to only have about one photo per chapter, and not a very interesting one, at that.

The half dozen lousy maps are the most irritating aspect of the book. They did not make new maps for this book, but rather, they used copies of old maps, from various sources, all of which are uniformative and of substandard appearance, (one even looks like a photo negative). The maps are usually placed many pages past the text where the locations on them are first discussed in the text. So you are not even aware that there is a map, until you start reading about a different locale, then there's the map that showed what was happening many pages earlier. What is shown on the maps is usually too small of a geographical area (so you can't picture the location on the European continent), and/or the locations are poorly labelled. It would have helped immensely to have a fresh, simple map, every few pages or so, showing the general borders of the territories and troop movements described in the text.

Overall, I'm glad that I read this book, and textwise I got what I was expecting. But now that I know more, I wonder if there is a better overview book available to the newly curious?

This book will help anyone understand World War II, and is a lifesaver to those of us who need fast reference in clear English.

As a Chinese, I assure you that Tao Te Ching would be voted as one of the ten greatest book of our culture. It touches every part of our daily life and so the application of its principles on business/life/love is popular in the eastern world (similar to Sun Tzu's Art of War). Mitchell's translation is the best I read so far (though so little). Autry's intrepretation of it matches those of the mainstream Chinese and Japanese scholars.

So, if you buy in TQM, Theory Y/Z and self actualization kind of stuff, read this book and you will gain something. Otherwise, spend your money and time elsewhere.

With everything considered, you may still want to own this title, as it is the only book under the sun that covers all (well, almost) current distributed programming technologies that interface with Oracle (both J2EE and Windows DNA). It also covers promising Oracle proprietary technologies such as interMedia, BC4J, and Portal (aka WebDB).

When inovation and learning become fundamental for business, rules, standards, and established pieces of knowledge cannot be taken as guides, as they must also be renewed. Mangers ask: "How is it possible for people to cooperate in such an environment?"

Quality management has given an important contribution to improve business, emphasising the importance of customer satisfaction and extending the concept of customer to include internal clients, but we are recognizing that it is not enough. Modern business must satisfy all of its stakeholders: customers, employees, owners, suppliers, community, etc.

Management by Values focuses on the sources that drive the action of people and organizations. It treats business as a social system that emerges from the cooperation of different stakeholders. Management by values is not another program that management must do, but the very essence of management: it is caring about the relationships that keep the business alive.

The book in itself is a beautiful piece of work: succint, clear, pleasant to read. The principles of MBV are presented through the story of an executive who goes through the implementation process. The authors also supply information about real cases.

One limitation of the book is that, very understandably, it presents "Management by Values" as a consulting product. The reader should be aware that, independently of the methodology used, values are always what makes people act and things happen!

In spite of its limitation, this is a very instructive and pleasant book, and I believe readers will find it very valuable!

Gut Reactions: When I initially read the jacket of this book, I thought it would be more of the same old total quality management jargon. I expected to read a lot about statistical process control, just-in-time management and leadership from the bottom up. While several of these topics were mentioned in the book, they were by no means the major thrust of what the authors wanted us to learn. The focus was on leading, managing and working in an environment that focuses on the C-E-O-S of an organization. According to the text, these key constituency groups provide the structure within any successful organization. The foundation on which these organizations conduct business is one of commitment, not only to profit but also to business values like honesty, integrity, fairness, and cooperation, in other words, "managing by values." Written in a story format, the authors easily draw you into the life and problems of a CEO ((Tom Yeomans) who has finally realized that his way of managing may not be the best thing for himself, his family or his organization. Faced with this revelation, Tom makes a commitment to change his own way of managing and ultimately create a more ethical way of doing business within his organization.

Big Ideas: ·There are Three Acts of Life: Act I: Achieve (being-by-doing) Act II: Connect (being-by-being-with) Act III: Integrate (being-by-becoming) ·Fortune 500 Organizations depend on four pillars: C - Customers E - Employees O - Owners (stockholders) S - Significant others (community, creditors, suppliers,

vendors, etc.) ·Managing by Values Process Phase 1: Clarifying the mission/purpose and values - Owners - Top Management - Unit Leaders - Employees - Customers - Other Key Stakeholders Phase 2: Communicating the mission and values - Organization and Unit Events (meetings, celebrations, etc.) - Communication Materials (posters, brochures, etc.) - Formal Communications Mechanisms (newsletters, etc,) - Informal Communications Mechanisms (memos, voicemail, e- mail, etc.)

Phase 3: Aligning the daily practices with the mission and values - Individual practices (self management, problem solving, decision making and leadership practices) - Team practices (effective member practices, group dynamics and processes, stages of building high-performance teams) - Organizational practices (strategic management and development, organizational systems and processes, resource- barrier management, rewards and recognition practices) Continuous Improvement

Implications: - This story has implications beyond the corporate world. It challenges each of us to live our personal lives and conduct our business affairs within the same ethical framework. I now understand why in the past I've found myself at odds with the cultures and practices within an organization and why I ultimately chose to leave those organizations. This book could easily have been written about an elementary school, a college or university, a hospital or an insurance company. - The text also challenges us to integrate our need to achieve with our need to connect with others. It reminds us to keep the humanistic perspective in all that we do.

Questions: After reading Managing by Values, I had the following questions: - Why has it taken so long for us to recognize that ethical behavior is synonymous with customer service? - Can this type of management philosophy truly be successful in the business world? - Are there any organizations that have successfully implemented this philosophy? - Is this type of management philosophy being taught in business schools in the year 2000?

I really did not expect this book to provide me all the details it did about the first President George Bush. That was a pleasant surprise for me. We get a good run down of his overall life and some interesting details about his time as VP and President. I also enjoyed reading how he felt a responsibility and loyalty to Nixon enough to take the RNC post. I actually came away with a better understanding of the father as both a person and a leader. I thought some of the insights also made the Bush handling of the 92 race a little clearer for me.

The fist part of the book makes you think this is a love fest book put out by the GW campaign. To be honest, I really did not get that much out of all the details of him in grade school / high school. The book really started to matter to me when the author got into his time in College and later. Once GW started to move on in life the less then faltering facts started to populate the book. Given that that author gives you so many facts, both good and bad, you get a balanced look and the book, in its totality, comes off as a balanced report. I actually did think the author could have played up some of the questions on the Viet Nam issue and the business failures / bailouts to get a more sensational book.

The one area that I would have liked more detail on was the major successes of GW. The book does a good job of running down his less then stellar business career, but I also wanted more detail on his work on his father's campaign. What the book does say on that point makes GW out to be good at the roll he was a playing - I wanted more detail. I also thought we got shortchanged on his run for the Governor and his service in the office. I wanted more detail on his major accomplishments in office. Basically I felt the author rushed this part through to get to print.

This book will not be the end all be all biography of his years before he became President, it is a bit light for that. What the book is though, is a very readable and interesting look at GW and his relationship with his father. If you are interested in either of these two men then this is a good way to learn some facts and not get bogged down in a heavy work.

The book does provide a good overall view of the American west during the settlement days. The book is well written and is easy to get through. If you have just a general interested in the topic or want a refresher course this is probably the book for you. If you are looking for something more in depth you will probably come away disappointed.