This is one of the worst books I have read on any topic recently. It is a bad "me-too" product on CRM. The writer obviously thinks that he invented some "great new" concepts, the main one being the "Relationship-Based Enterprise". But I think this is a terribly hollow concept which is presented in such a "romantic" way in the book. Pages 14 through 95 are about this romantic presentation of the concept. But the point is exactly the same as in pp.1-9. After reading all that nonsense, you end up thinking "why did I have to go through this torture" because the same stuff was already said in pp1-9.

His other great invention is defining CRM as "conversations". Eureka!!!! I suggest he should re-read Peppers&Rogers "1to1 Fieldbook" where he can find both concepts and they are much clearly elaborated there. Oh, I was forgetting, there is another great invention too: The three D's. So, if marketing has four P's why shouldn't CRM have 3D's. There you go, our writer has invented that also. They are Discovery, Dialogue and Discipline. The first two are actually Peppers&Rogers' Identify and Interact. The last one, would you believe, is about management. You may say shouldn't it be an 'M'? Yes, but then you wouldn't have the sexappeal of the 3D's.

This is a me-too book, which, for the sake of being novel, takes up existing ideas and concepts, presents them in such a confusing way so that the reader may think they are so complicated and then goes to use graphs and diagrams to elaborate these normally straightforward but made-confusing points. Just pathetic! I am really furious because of spending my energy and forcing my patience for reading a book I do not still know what is about. Was it Marketing 101, Consumer 101, or CRM '0' ?

Customer Relationship Management is a topic that permeates DMR Consulting, a vision at the core of the company's outlook toward long-term relationships with customers. During the period of time I have been employed with DMR, I have experienced a phenomenon not common with other companies, a concept that is a case in point for the topics of this book, what I call "Employee Relationship Management" (ERM). Whether this term is real or not, CRM is clearly not an acquired trait of DMR, but rather an inherent trait attained through years of hard work. I believe the topics of this book were written from long experience, because I have felt the key points of this subject firsthand as an employee of DMR. DMR obviously considers ERM at least as important as CRM, since profit is not the primary consideration at the bottom line, at fiscal end. This book is about people, first and foremost, seconded only by value. Providing the complete solution, and not just a singular service, is a key aspect of CRM, and of DMR Consulting.

This book not only does an outstanding job of defining CRM (finally) and uncovering the basic concepts involved in CRM but also provides simple, well-organized frameworks for even the uninitiated to pursue. It takes senior management away from the current "IT silver bullet" thinking about CRM and positions it at the business strategy level.

At times, the book seems like a voice crying in the CRM wilderness. However, given the simple and powerful concepts, clearly derived from significant real life exposure, the book will probably provide tomorrow's CRM management gospel.

This book is required reading for marketing and IT executives, and for everyone who wants to be prepared for the new economy - especially for organizations trying to combine "bricks and clicks".

-- Jean-Marc Nantais, Director, Corporate Marketing, Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE)

The subtitle to this volume is: An Introduction to Critical Issues. This would be true is the issues were those of decades past, e.g. the problems of documentary theory. As it is the issues raised are not the current ones. One need look no further than the dirth of footnotes from the 1990's.Or one may note the lack of dialogue with the likes of Lemche, Thompson, Finkelstein, Edelman, etc. One would do better with Knight's _Hebrew Bible and its Modern Interpreters_.

When I first picked up this book, I expected it to be more conservative than it was. But it takes what is termed a "liberal" leaning; that is, for instance, an author will state that a particular prophetic text was written later (after the prophetic fulfillment) because they don't believe in supernatural predictions.

Despite this liberalness, which is why I didn't give the book 5 stars, it does raise some important issues. It is open and honest about the issues and isn't afraid to bring forth the challenge against tradition (which is why I didn't give it less than 4 stars).

Some of the reasoning by certain contributors is in desperate need of challenging because they make statements based on their presuppositions that don't have a basis, at least they don't provide one. Some of the authors speak certain views as "obvious" truth without providing evidence. I must state here that one should NEVER accept what a scholar, or group of scholars, says because he is a scholar. There are just as many scholars on the other side of the fence. So being a scholar does not equate with being right, just with maybe being worthy of a serious ear.

Overall, this is a good book for a serious student of the Bible. There are points within the book that are not refutable, and there are many more that are. But the book causes one to think, something much needed with the once important fundamentalist movement now gone fundamentally unthinking. Today, most lay people have a blind faith concerning the Bible, and fear a critical approach. In the end, their refusal to face realities only leaves them in sometimes rediculous ignorance and embarrasment, except among themselves.

On the other hand, this book, and any other on realistic and honest biblical criticism, should not be read or thrown in the face of those who are not strong in their faith. These issues can do more than simply open one's mind and provide a challenge; rather, for many, such issues would destroy their faith in God completely. Teaching believers in God requires more than just blatant truth; it requires shepherding, and many sheep aren't ready for this type of reality. This book will never make a good gift for someone else!

Thus, this book is a good text for criticism and opens one's eyes to both liberal thought and to realistic, less liberal thought. And, of course, it is not all that could be said on either side of the issues.

In the end, the book is very wrong about most everything, but I challenge thinking Christians to face the issues presented.

I was disappointed that so little of this book is actually about growing orchids. A large portion of the book is dedicated to a species guide. While the guide has stunning photos and detailed descriptions, only some of the flowers have cultivation information. The photos concentrate primarily on the flowers (they are gorgeous!) and do not give a clear view of foliage.

The book does have a 22 page Culture and Care section, but it suffers from a lack of visuals. The dense and detailed text has only a few diagrams and no photos. A more experienced grower might find it useful, but this book is not a great investment for a beginner.

"Orchid Growing" is an excellent manual for selection and cultivation of orchids for the beginner and advanced grower alike. An easy reading book that covers plant anatomy, care and feeding, propagation, and preferred habitats and climates. Excellent graphics and details on many varieties rounds out the functionality of this volume. A must have for the library of the window ledge grower.

If you are into biblical references, this book is for you. It does not present a realistic view of the challenges female leaders face in today's society.

Buy this book for Chapter Three alone, but be sure to read the other words of wisdom. Yes, as the previous reviewer said, it is chocked full of Biblical references but it is not just written for religious leaders. It can be applied to all aspects of leadership and inspires-in the words of the author-"leaders who happen to be women" to stand strong against the stigma of "stepping out of place" into positions of power and authority. And while the focus is on women's leadership, the fellas can get a few shots of leadership adrenaline from this work also. I have had the honor and pleasure of hearing Bishop Mackenzie speak. Her writing is as powerful as her oratory skills. She has written the spiritual pep talk we all need. She could have easily called the book Strength FOR The Struggle.

Where do I begin? The High Queen is a moving and powerful sequel to the awesome book The Child Queen. I am an avid reader of fantasy books, especially those based on Arthurian legend, and these have to be not only among the best, but probably the most emotionally-charged. Both books are the basic Arthurian legend as told by Guinevere, but be warned, there are a few twists, (not giving anything away), Nancy McKenzie presents her own Mordred, one who is much different from the evil bastard son most may expect. I adore Ms. McKenzie's Arthur, he is portrayed here as the great man of legend, a man who will truly bring peace and justice to the world, while at the same time the reader is forced to fall in love with Lancelot, just as Guinevere does. The true beauty of this book is that as Guinevere struggles with her love for both Arthur and Lancelot, the reader does too. WARNING: The ending of this book is so powerful, I finished it at 4 in the morning and just sat and cried my eyes out. This is the first and really the only book to really make me CRY. At the end I really cared for each of the characters and almost couldn't bear to have it all end. Even knowing the legend and what happens could not prepare me for the ending Ms. McKenzie created. I was truly moved. Please read this book and it's companion, The Child Queen. If you like novels based on Arthurian legend, fantasy books, or would like to try something new, try these. You won't be sorry, I promise!

I read The High Queen after having read The Child Queen (it's prequel) and I could not put either book down. I am normally a very slow reader, but I got through these books faster than I have any others. I admit that McKenzie's books are not "high art," but as someone who is enthralled by the Arthurian legend, I found them immensley enjoyable. McKenzie writes so that the reader often feels as though she were in the novel. I certainly found this to be true. McKenzie's descriptions of the characters and events stayed mostly true to the traditional legend while still "humanizing" Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and all the rest. The characters became people rather than just bits and pieces of the legend. Again, I have read plenty of other books with more symbolism, meaning, and "depth," but I have enjoyed no others to the extent of The Child Queen and The High Queen. I really wish McKenzie would publish another book; I would love to read it.

I recently read the combination of Nancy McKenzie's two books, The Child Queen and The High Queen, and until recently the stories by Persia Woolley were my all-time favorites. This book is incredible. I have read this book 3 times, because it is always a wonder to me how the characters grow and the times change. The first time I finished it, I cried and was melancholy for days. This book so completely depicts all of the characters, I easily and immediately felt a part of Camelot and a part of this story. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

The beginning of the book literally gave me a headache. In six pages, you are introduced to no less than seven characters (and a dog) with very little background. Sort of like walking into a room of strangers, being given their names over the course of a few minutes and later asked to remember who they are.

The book finally levels out and turns out to be a decent mystery, but the rocky start stayed with me.

Summer in Maine with all the delights of coastal living, spiced up by two murders involving visitors, artists, and native Mainers who worry about the invasion of people from "away." Humor, action, and well rounded characters add to the reading pleasure.

I AM one of those guys who owns more than 5 buckets! This book has some useful, some funny, some dumb, and some down right stupid uses for 5 gallon buckets. Use your own imagination and necessity. Check out the Duluth Trading Co. catalogue and Bucket Boss items on Amazon to see the hundreds of practical uses others have come up with.

I got this book for my husband as sort of a joke. Do you know a guy who has more than 5 5-gallon buckets? This book is for him! It's both hysterically funny & practical. Unfortunately, he now thinks that he needs MORE buckets...

This book is not a very good book on shuffleboard. Top shuflers ignore it. The book by Haslam is much beter.

Great little book, Good diagrams. Rules well stated. I bought several and gave to my friends...

McKenzie plays the part of the little boy who puts his finger in the dam, trying to stop the leak.

Christianity simply cannot honestly be reconciled with history. This is an inconvenient reality for many who either depend on the Christian myth for their world view or depend on a loyal flock for their livlihood. Nobody considers historical the stories of Attis, Mithras, Horus, Dionysis, Aesclepius or others the Jesus myth depends on for source material, yet McKenzie attempts to dignify them as such to the extent that he thinks it will lend his derived mythology some historicity.

McKenzie, a retired prof. of religion, tackles here the difficult question of resurrection myths in relation to Christ's resurrection. He analyzes all the literature produced on the subject, and comes to a balanced view. Coming to a conclusion similar to Nash's book on the subject (The Gospels and the Greeks: Did the New Testament borrow from Pagan Thought, which I also recommend), he show that their a major discontinuity between Jesus resurrection account and pagan myths. More than the differences in the stories, the major difference lies in that the pagan stories (Tammuz, Adonis, Aastarte, Attis, Marsyas, Hyacinth, Osiris, Dionysus and Demeter) are ahistorical, truly mythical which cannot be said of the accounts about Jesus. BTW, what the previous reviewer says, that McKenzie considers the myths as historical, is simply false and only shows he even did not have the books in hands. But whereas Nash (whose book is more detailed on the topic of mystery religions and Gnosticism) takes a fundamentalist turn, rejecting the pagan myths as delusion, McKenzie offers a response to the problem of the frequency of resurrection stories. Introducing Jung's theory of archetypes, he brings a rationale for the pagan resurrection myths which can then be seen as a preparation for the Christian gospel - I found this is the most original contribution of the book. Finally McKenzie criticizes modernism and postmodernism, and makes a defense of the bodily resurrection of Jesus that is not as good as the one defended in William L. Craig's books and debates.

I did find this book gave alot of good information dispelling some fears I have about the safety of flying in an airplane. I found it a little sore on the eyes though, due to its unusual print.