"Middle management" is a term associated with relentless downsizing, corporate drudgery, and career dead-ends. Bashed by management gurus, dismissed by social...... more

"Middle management" is a term associated with relentless downsizing, corporate drudgery, and career dead-ends. Bashed by management gurus, dismissed by social scientists, and painted as victims by the media, middle managers seem permanently relegated to the sidelines of corporate power. But is this popular picture accurate? Are middle managers really no longer valued by today's performance-driven organizations? The truth is surprising. MIT management scholar Paul Osterman has analyzed over thirty years' worth of employment data, interviewed a wide sample of managers, and uncovered a very different picture of middle managers today. Not only have their numbers increased dramatically, but middle managers are wealthier, more productive, more autonomous and they gain real pleasure from their day-to-day work. But there's another side to the story: while managers have maintained their commitment to their tasks and to their colleagues, they are increasingly cynical and distant from their organizations. They are confused about their future and how to manage their careers. This comes at a time when the value of middle management is much greater than ever before. Organizations must rethink their understanding of this vital workforce segment now. Understand the issues for yourself with The Truth About Middle Managers a refreshing and counterintuitive look at what's really going on.

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When India embraced systematic economic reforms in 1991 and began opening its economy to both domestic and foreign competition, critics argued that they...... more

When India embraced systematic economic reforms in 1991 and began opening its economy to both domestic and foreign competition, critics argued that they had contributed little to the acceleration of economic growth. Their argument had rested on the claim that growth in the 1990s was no faster than in the 1980s. This claim was quickly refuted on the grounds that when properly evaluated, growth had indeed accelerated in the 1990s and, more importantly, while reforms had been made systematic in 1991, they had actually begun much earlier in the late 1970s. Subsequently, the reforms of the late 1990s and early 2000s have led to a jump in the growth rate from six percent in the 1990s to eight to nine percent beginning in 2003. The reforms have also led to a major structural change in the economy: the trade to GDP ratio tripled since 1991, there has been a gigantic expansion of foreign investment in India, and sectors such as telecommunications, airlines, and automobiles have expanded at rates much higher than those observed any time in the past. This dramatic turn-around has led the critics to shift ground. They now argue that opening the economy to trade has hurt the poor; that rapid growth is leaving the socially disadvantaged groups behind; and that the reforms have led to increased inequality. They also argue that people themselves do not feel that their fortunes are improving. The five original essays in this volume, topped by a substantial introductory essay summarizing their findings, take these challenges head on. They use large-scale sample surveys and other data to systematically address each of these arguments. They show that trade openness has indeed helped reduce poverty not just in general but also among the socially disadvantaged groups. The contributors to the volume find no evidence whatsoever in favor of a negative impact of trade openness on poverty on any groups. The essays also show that inequality shows no clear trend and is unrelated to trade openne

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Great cases are those judicial decisions around which the common law develops. This book explores eight exemplary cases from the United Kingdom, the...... more

Great cases are those judicial decisions around which the common law develops. This book explores eight exemplary cases from the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia that show the law as a living, breathing and down-the-street experience. It explores the social circumstances in which the cases arose and the ordinary people whose stories influenced and shaped the law as well as the characters and institutions (lawyers, judges and courts) that did much of the heavy lifting. By examining the consequences and fallout of these decisions, the book depicts the common law as an experimental, dynamic, messy, productive, tantalizing and bottom-up process, thereby revealing the diverse and uncoordinated attempts by the courts to adapt the law to changing conditions and shifting demands. Great cases are one way to glimpse the workings of the common law as an untidy but stimulating exercise in human judgment and social accomplishment.

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Scotland's Radical Exports is about the men and women who took trade unionism and working class politics from Scotland to the main countries that make up the...... more

Scotland's Radical Exports is about the men and women who took trade unionism and working class politics from Scotland to the main countries that make up the Scottish Diaspora. Many of Scotland's industrial workers left home with a formidable combination of trade union conviction and political understanding. Their unrivalled experience made them especially suited to leadership roles. Guided by traditional Scottish models, they formed trade unions wherever they settled, often at a time when membership of a union could mean dismissal, eviction, and deportation. Politically their impact was just as great in the parties of the working class they helped build. Each of the thirteen chapters of the book is a short history of a trade union organisation or a political party, told through the biographies of the Scots who helped shape them. Many of the characters in the book are unknown in Scotland, but their contributions are celebrated by the organisations they helped build. Scotland's Radical Exports records the determination, sacrifices and unqualified heroism of people who passionately believed in the cause for which they fought. It reminds us of their courage and gives them their proper place in Scottish history. "I am exceptionally proud of all of Scotland's achievements and particularly the different ways in which Scots have helped to shape the modern world. Scotland's contribution to the Trades Union movement and enhancing the rights of workers - at home and around the globe - is hugely significant. It is important that these stories are captured and celebrated." -- Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland "Much has been written about Scotland's contribution to the development of the modern world, in science and literature, in trade - good and bad, and of course, in enterprise and philanthropy. This book adds another important chapter to that remarkable history - to the values we shared and the inspirational individuals who spread them far and wide." -- Lord Jack McCo

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For many, the mere word "mathematics" is enough to conjure up memories of incomprehension at school, and fear and loathing ever afterwards. Countless otherwise...... more

For many, the mere word "mathematics" is enough to conjure up memories of incomprehension at school, and fear and loathing ever afterwards. Countless otherwise well-educated people see mathematics as the skeleton in their intellectual cupboard--the one key subject demanding a talent that they so obviously did not possess. Or so it seems to anyone who has felt very much on the outside of the subject. British mathematician Keith Devlin is certainly on the inside--and in The Maths Gene he has wonderful news for everyone: we can all join him there. For Devlin argues that we all possess the ability to cope with mathematics, if only we recognise what's required. While a number of recent books, notably Stanislas Dehaene's The Number Sense, have focused on numerical ability, the scope of Devlin's book is much larger. He examines the evidence that we all possess, if not literally a gene, then at least an inherent ability not just for arithmetic but for real mathematics: algebra, calculus and the rest. Devlin even puts forward a Darwinian explanation for the origin of this ability, based on the idea that being able to handle abstract ideas and relationships confers key evolutionary advantages. Mathematics merely involves a relatively high level of abstraction--but one we can all cope with, if we work at it: "Doing mathematics is very much like running a marathon", says Devlin. "It does not require any special talent, and 'finishing' is largely a matter of wanting to succeed". In its wealth of wonderful examples supporting the central argument, The Maths Gene bears comparison with Steve Pinker's The Language Instinct and its plain common sense about this most misunderstood of subjects is truly inspirational. Thoroughly recommended for anyone seeking to rid their intellectual cupboard of the skeleton of mathematical "incompetence". --Robert Matthews

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Flawed Advice and the Management Trap: How Managers Can Know When They're Getting Good Advice and When They're Not is the first book to...... more

Flawed Advice and the Management Trap: How Managers Can Know When They're Getting Good Advice and When They're Not is the first book to show how and why so much of today's business advice is flawed, and how managers and executives can better evaluate advice given to their firms Practitioners and scholars agree that businesses in the coming millennium will be managed differently than firms of the 20th century. And getting there from here, according to today's best advice, will require creative change. In this pioneering work, Argyris, one of the world's leading organizational thinkers, reviews a wide array of business advice from the best and brightest thinkers and consultants and concludes that as appealing as their ideas may be, most of them are simply not workable. They are too full of abstract claims, logical gaps, and inconsistencies, to be useful. And ironically, even when their recommendations are implemented correctly, the result is often failure. Why do these gaps in logic exist, and how can they be more effectively discovered? Applying a disciplined critique to numerous representative examples of advice about leadership, learning, change, and employee commitment, Argyris shows readers how to be more critical of the advice they are given, how to learn new approaches for appraising employee performance, and how to generate an internal commitment to values and better strategy. In our ever expanding global market, innovative business advice is at a premium, and giving this advice has become a lucrative industry in and of itself. This book provides the critical lens necessary to evaluate which advice is best for your organization.

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Can you remember the world before the iPod? How about the world before chunky tomato sauce or brown mustard? Many of these products came about not...... more

Can you remember the world before the iPod? How about the world before chunky tomato sauce or brown mustard? Many of these products came about not through focus groups and polling, but rather through research and development labs and marketers developing the products they knew customers would want, before customers knew they wanted them. Today your customers can actually help you create your next product. Rule Developing Experimentation (RDE) is a solution-oriented learning experience. RDE is the systematized process of designing, testing and modifying alternative ideas, packages, products, or services in a disciplined way so that the developer and marketer discover what appeals to the customer, even if the customer can't articulate the need, much less the solution. The book begins by presenting best practices in the RDE from some of today's top companies: HP, Prego, Vlasic, and Mastercard. It then goes on to examine RDEs use in innovation and design, and goes on to examine its possible uses in the international, political, bioinformatics, and finance areas. Filled with real-life stories, this book will change the way people think about selling to their present and future customers. "Everyone thinks they need to break rules, but Moskowitz and Gofman skillfully show us how to develop and use the rules to define new perspectives and make better business decisions in virtually any field. An absolute must-read for any businessperson facing fierce competition!" --Sean Bauld, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Marketing, Sales & Trading, Reuters "Over the last 15 years significant shareholder value has been destroyed by 'insightful and creative' marketers resulting in the shocking statistic that more than 90% of launches and re-launches do fail. Moskowitz and Gofman are serious geniuses who have dedicated their work to help all of us increase our chances of success significantly. RDE is a new tool that all marketers should acquire if they love their profession and a

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"Middle management" is a term associated with relentless downsizing, corporate drudgery, and career dead-ends. Bashed by management gurus, dismissed by social...... more

"Middle management" is a term associated with relentless downsizing, corporate drudgery, and career dead-ends. Bashed by management gurus, dismissed by social scientists, and painted as victims by the media, middle managers seem permanently relegated to the sidelines of corporate power. But is this popular picture accurate? Are middle managers really no longer valued by today's performance-driven organizations? The truth is surprising. MIT management scholar Paul Osterman has analyzed over thirty years' worth of employment data, interviewed a wide sample of managers, and uncovered a very different picture of middle managers today. Not only have their numbers increased dramatically, but middle managers are wealthier, more productive, more autonomous and they gain real pleasure from their day-to-day work. But there's another side to the story: while managers have maintained their commitment to their tasks and to their colleagues, they are increasingly cynical and distant from their organizations. They are confused about their future and how to manage their careers. This comes at a time when the value of middle management is much greater than ever before. Organizations must rethink their understanding of this vital workforce segment now. Understand the issues for yourself with The Truth About Middle Managers a refreshing and counterintuitive look at what's really going on.

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When a sprinkler malfunctioned at a Baltimore menswear store, three inches of water sat on the floor and much of the merchandise was wet. The owner, the...... more

When a sprinkler malfunctioned at a Baltimore menswear store, three inches of water sat on the floor and much of the merchandise was wet. The owner, the author of this book, could have done the normal thing and sell the wet merchandise to a Jobber--a business that buys damaged goods in bulk for cheap. Instead, he did the OUTRAGEOUS thing--he advertised in a very OUTRAGEOUS way which resulted in receiving much more than he would have received from the Jobber. It was easy. Here is an OUTRAGEOUS idea--it's easy to make a lot of money from advertising. That's right, easy money! This book, OUTRAGEOUS ADVERTISING THAT'S OUTRAGEOUSLY SUCCESSFUL, explains in certain terms how to advertise and make money. No more guesswork. That's OUTRAGEOUS by itself! Lots of advertising programs claim to want to help you stand out. This one works. This is material you can use immediately. Presented by Advertising Guru Bill Glazer, who has spent years teaching this at seminars, implementing it in the trenches in his own Baltimore menswear business, and providing it to dozens of clients in all industries, OUTRAGEOUS ADVERTISING THAT'S OUTRAGEOUSLY SUCCESSFUL gives you the secrets to succeeding with the most effective advertising of all--OUTRAGEOUS advertising. Rich with examples and stories showing exactly how to implement a successful OUTRAGEOUS program, this book cracks the code on getting a return on your advertising dollars--an OUTRAGEOUS return! Glazer points out that the biggest advertising day of the year, the Super Bowl, became that way because people expect to see OUTRAGEOUS ads. OUTRAGEOUS ads get attention, and this book proves you can do it without the Super Bowl ad. OUTRAGEOUS ADVERTISING THAT'S OUTRAGEOUSLY SUCCESSFUL presents the clear fact that OUTRAGEOUS advertising works because of its ability to get you noticed, and then it offers you specific OUTRAGEOUS marketing principals, and finishes by taking you into the OUTRAGEOUS idea factory. This book is graphically rich with ex

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Boy meets Girl; Boy wonders what in the world Girl is talking about and how he will ever keep up. Girl wonders what is wrong with Boy. Enter, "Waffles...... more

Boy meets Girl; Boy wonders what in the world Girl is talking about and how he will ever keep up. Girl wonders what is wrong with Boy. Enter, "Waffles and Spaghetti"--every teen's guide to figuring out the opposite sex and understanding and valuing our unique differences. In a pivotal time of their development and social lives, teens are left to try and understand one another without much guidance. The purpose of this book is to help better understand themselves as well those from the "alien gender." Guys' brains are like waffles--they keep their lives compartmentalized in boxes. Girls' brains are like spaghetti--everything in their life is connected to everything else. This book for teens includes brain development, social habits, differences in emotions, and relationship building skills for teens to develop early in their life. Loaded with humor and fun examples, this is a great way for teens to learn about healthy relationships with the opposite sex.

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In this hard-hitting book, Dick Morris and Eileen McGann take on the next threat to America: globalism. Increasingly, political and corporate power elite...... more

In this hard-hitting book, Dick Morris and Eileen McGann take on the next threat to America: globalism. Increasingly, political and corporate power elite encourage Americans to view themselves as citizens of the world. Unfortunately, this global imperative routinely supersedes our own domestic needs and has led to economic catastrophe, including the bankrupting of ordinary American families. And more suffering is coming, the authors warn. The globalist elite - experts who are trained in the top academies, their skills weaned on "Wall Street" and honed in government bureaucracy - believe they are destined to rule the new world. They want to tell us what to do, how to live, and how much we should earn. Meanwhile, political leaders won't stand up for their citizens' interests, choosing instead to throw away our prosperity, drive our companies into insolvency, and strangle us with regulations and taxes. Meanwhile, other nations focus on their own self-interest, free from the kind of environmental regulations and labor laws constraining American corporations. They chant anti-American slogans and fund terrorists while raking in our foreign aid. Meanwhile, global institutions encroach on our national sovereignty, usurping our decision-making on our own economy, energy, environment, land, and businesses. In "Screwed!" Morris and McGann examine the ways that nations and international organizations take advantage of us, detail the staggering scale of the great American ripoff, and reveal how our own leaders are complicit in the process.

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'We think we are the lucky country, but what we really have is dumb luck - too much luck, more than we know what to do with.' - Paul ClearyIn...... more

'We think we are the lucky country, but what we really have is dumb luck - too much luck, more than we know what to do with.' - Paul ClearyIn Too Much Luck, Paul Cleary shows how the resource boom, which seems a blessing, could well become a curse.We have never seen a boom quite like this one. Under-taxed and under-regulated, multinational companies are making colossal profits by selling off non-renewable resources. New projects are being rushed through weekly, but who is looking out for the public interest? As the boom accelerates, it will drive the dollar higher and higher, and force up the cost of doing business for everyone else. Industries that involve many jobs, such as tourism and education, will fade away. What happens if commodity prices suddenly collapse, as they have in the past? Or worse, when the resources run out?Many countries before us have been caught by the resource trap: a heady period of boom and growth, followed by a painful bust. Paul Cleary maps out the pitfalls, counts the human and environmental costs, shows what has worked overseas and suggests a better way forward - one which would turn this one-off windfall into a lasting legacy.

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20.5.10"A Book for Grandad" is the perfect way to show a grandad just how much they are treasured and adored. Full of...... more

20.5.10"A Book for Grandad" is the perfect way to show a grandad just how much they are treasured and adored. Full of real-life stories, quips and sound advice to amuse and entertain, including: famous quotes and anecdotes on grandfatherhood; top-ten ways to get the most out of quality time with the grandchildren; exciting things to make and do; examples of grandfatherly wisdom that might raise a smile; and, heartwarming stories that remind us all why our grandads are so important.

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Why is medical care in the United States so expensive? For decades, Americans have taken it as a matter of faith that we spend more because we have the best...... more

Why is medical care in the United States so expensive? For decades, Americans have taken it as a matter of faith that we spend more because we have the best health care system in the world. But as costs levitate, that argument becomes more difficult to make. Today, we spend twice as much as Japan on health care--yet few would argue that our health care system is twice as good. Instead, startling new evidence suggests that one out of every three of our health care dollars is squandered on unnecessary or redundant tests; unproven, sometimes unwanted procedures; and overpriced drugs and devices that, too often, are no better than the less expensive products they have replaced. How did this happen? In "Money-Driven Medicine," Maggie Mahar takes the reader behind the scenes of a $2 trillion industry to witness how billions of dollars are wasted in a Hobbesian marketplace that pits the industry's players against each other. In remarkably candid interviews, doctors, hospital administrators, patients, health care economists, corporate executives, and Wall Street analysts describe a war of "all against all" that can turn physicians, hospitals, insurers, drugmakers, and device makers into blood rivals. Rather than collaborating, doctors and hospitals compete. Rather than sharing knowledge, drugmakers and device makers divide value. Rather than thinking about long-term collective goals, the imperatives of an impatient marketplace force health care providers to focus on short-term fiscal imperatives. And so investments in untested bleeding-edge medical technologies crowd out investments in information technology that might, in the long run, not only reduce errors but contain costs. In theory, free market competition should tame health care inflation. In fact, Mahar demonstrates, when it comes to medicine, the traditional laws of supply and demand do not apply. Normally, when supply expands, prices fall. But in the health care industry, as the number and variety of drugs, device

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Little Nutbrown Hare asks Big Nutbrown Hare the titular question, "Guess how much I love you?", They are the two central...... more

Little Nutbrown Hare asks Big Nutbrown Hare the titular question, "Guess how much I love you?", They are the two central characters in the award winning book "Guess How Much I Love You?" The story is simple, but effectively shows the love the two share for each other. Brought to three dimensional life by the John Beswick Studio this figure features Little Hare between Big Hare's Ears. Height: 11.5cm.

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Little Nutbrown Hare asks Big Nutbrown Hare the titular question, "Guess how much I love you?", They are the two central...... more

Little Nutbrown Hare asks Big Nutbrown Hare the titular question, "Guess how much I love you?", They are the two central characters in the award winning book "Guess How Much I Love You?" The story is simple, but effectively shows the love the two share for each other. This Money Box decorated with a scene from the book is a great gift. Height: 11.5cm.

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5.5 oz., 100% combed ringspun cotton jersey; topstitched, ribbed V-neck collar and armholes; taped neck; double-needle hemmed bottom with side vents; softly...... more

5.5 oz., 100% combed ringspun cotton jersey; topstitched, ribbed V-neck collar and armholes; taped neck; double-needle hemmed bottom with side vents; softly shaped for a classic, feminine fit; White is sewn with 100% cotton thread. Printed on Front of T-Shirt. Very vibrant print. Won't peel or crack in washer/dryer. Sizes are as follows, W=Shirt Width, L=Shirt Length. All Measurements are in inches: (SMALL 17.5W 23.5L), (MEDIUM 18.5W 24.5L), (LARGE 20.5W 25.5L), (XLARGE 22.5W 26.5L), (2XL 24.5W 27.5L).

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