education-economics

The day this book arrived I read 6 chapters in 3 hours! This is a very inspirational book about leadership and success and is not just about your children. It would apply to anyone, any age, stay-at-home mom to CEO. I especially liked her personal stories, I felt like she was writing about me. I am living my dream and have never lost sight of my goals. After reading her book I feel like I have been more of a success than I had thought previously. This is a must read book for anyone. M. Craig - Successfull Internet Entrepreneur

I am a Preschool Director and I wish all of our parents would read Susan Collins' book. It's in sync with what we are trying to do in the classroom, letting children be creative thinkers and explorers.

Susan Collins has become a bedtime friend. This doesn't just feel like I'm reading a book, it feels like I know her. I look forward to spending time with her each night. She makes me feel her successes can also be mine.

I've been dealing with a "reputable" contractor for three months who has procrastinated the whole time. With my kitchen unusable and his excuses for non-completion on time, I finally got "shocked, appalled, and dismayed" enough to write a strong letter. I followed Phillips' expert advice and sent copies to everyone she suggests. The upshot of my complaint letter? The attorney general and my county's consumer protection office, among others, has warned him he has one month to complete the job per my satisfaction (and the contract)or else!

Thanks, Ellen Phillips. Your book is my bible from now on.

It never fails to amaze me that people just walk away from problems without trying to solve them. Well, walk away no more. Phillips is a master at clearly showing just how consumers can get results by writing complaint letters about products and services.

It doesn't matter if you're too busy or can't find the right words for complaint correspondence. She takes care of both. Your time is quick and the words are there for you--no matter the situation. She proves that big business does listen to us and that most want to make amends.

No more excuses--unless you just don't care that you throw your money away. Otherwise, Shocked, Appalled, and Dismayed! is the best book you'll ever buy.

Anyone who has made enough transactions with Amazon.com can tell you, Amazon.com has its share of foul-ups. And when mistakes (that are bound to happen from time-to-time) do happen, the biggest errors occur in their customer service department. For me, I know that I have written e-mail after e-mail complaining about RUDE, ERRONEOUS and downright FRAUDULENT communication emanating from the unskilled and unsupervised excuse for a customer service department only to have other unskilled, unsupervised hacks respond. I kept explaining that I was not seeking compensation, I was trying to complain about Amazon.com's customer service, but Amazon.com either doesn't care or doesn't have a mechanism to care. My e-mails which always started, please forward this to so-and-so's supervisor never were. I can't wait for the follow-up to this book. "How To Write Letters Of Complaint to OUTSOURCED INDIANS WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THE AMERICAN CONSUMER WANTS TO BE TREATED!!"

This is the best book to buy if you are an American or a Candian looking to teach English overseas. It covers everything from what to take with you to how the job markets currently look in differing parts of the world. Jeff Mohamed covers everything, there is even a section on how to avoid culture shock when you arrive in a foreign country.

This book is also packed with numerous contacts for everything you could possibly need, from organizations to send resumes to, places to get certified, and on and on.

This book will answer any questions you might have about teaching, for example he covers the pros and cons of the various certification programs, including the Cambridge/RSA TEFL certificate. And if you aren't happy with the book there is even an address in the beginning which you can send for a refund from the publisher.

If you are thinking about teaching English overseas (even if only for a year) this is the first book you should read.

Highly recommended

I've been teaching English as a Second Language in the US for three years and recently decided to go overseas. I bought Mr. Mohamed's book and have found it to be exactly what I needed: clear, informative and detailed. It has already helped me to obtain job offers in the areas where I most want to work, Thailand and China. I'm sure that the book's detailed advice on training, job searching and adapting to life abroad would be as useful to someone just entering TESL as it has been to me.

This book has a lot of excellent information about issues related to finding English teaching jobs overseas, as well as information about necessary training (and where to find it!). It references some other helpful books on teaching, informational websites, and more. I found this book to be a very nice guide for those new to the TEFL profession, as well as TESL/TEFL professionals who might wish to try teaching in a new country. The author obviously put quite a bit of time and research into this volume, and it shows.

Many book are interesting to read, and then you forget all about them. Not "The MsSpent Money Guide," which I refer to over and over again. It is a book that has changed my life. Most of us feel helpless before ubiquitous money problems. Deborah Knuckey's book teaches you that you can be in charge of your financial welfare, that you are the architect of your future, and that you can be as well off moneywise as you want to be. She says, "Why spend so much of your life working if you don't use your earning in a way that makes you ahppy? Even if you love your job, most work is siimply not that much fun that we'd do it purely for the joy of it. So take the payment for your work and put it to your own best use." Knuckey believes that each of us has different life values, and it is foolish to go along with everyone else's. What mattters, she writes, is that your spending fit your own needs and not that of the Joneses. Some people like fine clothes, others could care less what they wear. Some of us enjoy eating in fine restaurants, others prefer cooking at home.Whatever it is that you enjoy, that is what you should be spending your money on. What matters is not how much money you have, but that it is invested in what will make you happy. Deborah Knuckey will teach you haow to do it. Don't miss reading this book, if you want to enjoy life to the fullest.

Deborah Knuckey offers a fresh look at personal money management. Deborah challenges her readers to focus on what is really important in life and to align your energy (and your money) on what will make you and your family happy. I would encourage everyone in the "work world" to take a step back from their daily routine and read this book - you'll never view a paycheck the same way again!

I have the hardback edition of this book and love it - it still sits on my desk and I refer to it a fair bit. I like the way the author realizes that the eky to managing spending is more psychological than logical - and she gives easy to follow solid advice about how to get out of your own way and get into good habits.

My advice: if you want to get more for your money - Buy it!

Clark's book not only describes an intriguing process for the development of simulations and the future of e-learning, he does an excellent job describing a leadership model that works.

In fact, Clark's leadership model was studied and utilized by a number of my students in a team-based class. Using Clark's book, they were able to apply the concepts of balancing Power, Ideas and Tension successfully to accomplish work. Just as Clark described.

The story Clark tells is fun to read, interesting and educational. I strongly recommend it to all my students...and they love it. My instructional technology students all relate to interactive computer environments from PS2s to Xbox to Riven to SimCity and Roller Coaster Tycoon and they see no other alternative to what Clark describes in terms of how they want to learn in the future (and now for that matter). My students also appreciate the insight into the development process of a major learning initiative. The story of the success and failure of bringing the product to market.

I completely enjoyed this book because it adeptly foretells the future of learning and where academics and corporate training folks need to go. If you are involved with designing or managing learning within any type of environment, you need to read this book.

Having read this book twice, I'm struck twice by the reality of the "revolutionary" implications for learning and improved business performance. Looking at the problems with current training in the corporate setting, Clark Aldrich (and the team) have created an aperture into the future realities of learning that cannot be rationally be denied. Looking at the implications for business and improved leadership effectiveness, one is left with the distinct impression that corporate profits will ultimately be dependent upon the "true" learning offered by simulations, such as Virtual Leader, in contrast to the boring nothingness offered by most training and development efforts.
How they "did it" is a fascinating tale of creative genius at work, which by itself, would make this book extremely interesting. This tale is similar to the story told by those who discovered the "double helix" of DNA fame. But, they go beyond that.
This is a book that moves the field of "simulations" into the orbit of intense relevance for "learning" with applications to business problems and their solutions.
Don't let the hilarious and high level of humor detract you from the seriousness of the subject and the practical applications to business and learning.

David L. Hanson, Ph.D.
Consulting Psychologist

My exposure and subsequent interest in Mr. Aldrich's book began during the last semester of my graduate work in instructional technology. I was working with a team, which was created arbitrarily by the professor, to respond to a hypothetical Request for Proposal (RFP) to create a leadership curriculum for a large bank. We had to form a hypothetical e-Learning company, write a solution to the problem, and compete in a "showdown" against the other groups from the class in front of approximately 40 e-Learning business professionals to win the business.

My experience with this group was horrendous. We argued bitterly, produced low quality work, and interacted as a team as well as a bunch of five-year-old children playing their first game of AYSO soccer. Fortunately, after seeing a presentation on Virtual Leader during one of the classes, I was able to obtain a draft copy of Mr. Aldrich's book from my professor.

After reading the chapters on "What Would a Leadership Situation Look Like?", "Uncovering the Essence of Leadership", and "The Lure of Linear Content", our group not only began working better together, but we were also producing top-rate work. Our meetings were shorter and more productive, and even though interpersonal differences still existed, we were able to work around them toward our common goal - a sound response to the RFP and a cohesive, outstanding presentation of which we were all very proud.

Why the change? Very simply - Mr. Aldrich synthesized the voluminous materials on leadership into a "Systems Framework for Leadership." In his framework, Aldrich defines leadership as "getting a group of people to complete the right work." Unlike most leadership models which are very specific and try to teach certain skills, this model focuses on the work, not the individual. In addition, Aldrich identifies three forces, which, when used in the correct combination, lead to producing the right work. These three forces include gaining power, generating ideas, and moderating tension.

All of these forces are necessary. One cannot compensate for a lack in one by placing more emphasis on one or both of the others. In addition, each force is also a skill, which contains a subset of additional skills. For example, power skills include negotiating, writing, and communicating. Therefore, to be an effective leader, one must exercise each of these three forces and its corresponding subset of skills in the right amount, in the right combination, and in the right way to produce the right work. Too much of any one force diminishes rather that enhances leadership ability and the output of work.

In closing, this insight was helpful to me as I worked with the team to accomplish our goals. In addition, I have not only benefited from Mr. Aldrich's book during this time, but I have also grown tremendously by applying this framework of leadership in both my personal and professional experiences.

There are many resources for learning the "how" of doing statistical analysis. Few, however, give a good explanation of the concepts that underlie "why" things are done that way. This book explains the essential concepts that are the foundation of statistical analysis. It is written to appeal to a wide audience, regardless of area of expertise, and will give you the bases to understand statistical analysis. It's a generally easy read, and far better than any other statistics book I've ever seen. If your position requires a general overview of statistical methods, this is the top choice.

This is the ideal entry-level statistics book. It provides you with a conceptual understanding of the field of data analysis, with an overview of the most commonly used statistical analysis techniques; whether univariate, bivariate, or multivariate. It requires no heavy math background. Instead it uses mostly verbal and graphical descriptions, emphasizing the rationales, interpretations, and applications of each technique. After you digest the material in this book, you can then tackle the more typical technical textbooks that abound. Also, this book will prepare you for understanding the statistical techniques in the Excel or 123 spreadsheet programs, as well as the many statistical packages such as SPSS, minitab, SAS, etc. If you are a practicing statistical consultant, this book will help you communicate with your clients in plain language. And the book is a bargain at twice the price.

Excellent! It makes sense out of myriads of mathematical endeavors without being entangled with them. It gives one an introduction of what s/he is about to embark. It gives one an overview of what s/he has managed to learn. It shows one the forest not the trees.

Once read, this book can be set aside for the moment, but a compelling urge requires that you return to it for insight and guidance. Dr. Norman Jones has assembled a work that reflects his knowledge of how we relate to each other within our family unit, in our business, acedemic, and social lives. We can improve our relationships within these units, by using the techniques that he outlines. It is not just our own genetic make-up that determines out actions, but it is how we are treated by the people in our lives that have the most influence on us.

Maybe, just maybe, Dr. Jones' approach to the humanistic values in our relationships, expecially between students, their teachers and parents, could have helped prevented the violence that is currently happening in our schools.

Keep it on your bookshelf for inspiration and guidance, go back to it when you need help in any personal relationship, on the job, in your school, or within your family.

Thanks to Dr. Norman Jones for his insight and for this exceptional publication.

Norman Jones is an author on a mission with a message anyone in management can use right now. Performance Management in the 21st Century (Solutions for Business, Education, and Family) has especially helped me to take a new look at my own choice of words in life situations, particularly giving orders. There are examples of good, bad and insensitive uses of power to examine and improve our performances. What I liked best about the 188 page book is Dr. Jones wrote it and designed it so that it is easy to read in spare moments. I find enjoyment in opening it up anywhere and just begin reading. Furthermore, I get new insights each time I read the passages over again. Quotations from industry leaders are set off to stand out. Important information is bracketed to reinforce my memory. For these reasons and many more, this book will be on my shelf for a long time.

Lin Stone author of How To Buy Land at Tax Sales

There is no wasted verbiage in this book. Counting the index, it is but 205 pages in length. In those 205 pages are jewels of wisdom that most management teams are lacking.

The most prevelant gems are pithy observations set aside by top and bottom border lines. One example:
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"The atmosphere in most American companies is so riddled with fear of expendability that workers are afraid totell a boss what they think of his methods of managing."
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The book is organized in such a way as to point out the shallowness of bottom line neurosis and the strengths of inclusive decision making. Over and over, Dr. Jones identifies "Spirit Killers," i.e., those actions in an organization which diminish productivity and, subsequently, profitability, educational insight, and family harmony.

This book intertwines management schemes in business, education and the family. such integration serves to:
-Expose the fallacies of autocracy.
-Explore the possibilities of democracy in an organization.
-Break up management notions that have been set in stone.
-Propose better methods for bringing about civilized organizations.

The book seems to be intended as a tool in business, a text in academia, or a how to book for families. Personally, I'm inclined to recommend it to business schools and/or corporate trainers, though not to the exclusion of the other two entities.

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Instructional Design Made Easy is a good and useful book. It describes a systematic process for designing instruction and illustrates the steps in the process. In addition, it provides examples of correctly and incorrectly completed steps and checklists for evaluating each step. I recommend it highly for anyone given a training assignment or anyone new to instructional design. It is both readable and sophisticated; experienced instructional designers will find much that is valuable.

Instructional Design Made Easy provides an insightful look into instructional design. After careful consideration of the material in this book, I considered using the concepts in an educational setting. A better use of this book would be in a business related setting, in which I have had some experience. The Efficient Design Checklists in each section is a great help in keeping users on track toward their objectives. I particularly like Exercise 2 which helps one to identify measureable results. The Performance Objective Template on page 53 of section 1 really helps translate ideas into action. This book is valuable to those who prefer a step by step approach, yet it is flexible enough to be useful to those who have experience in the fild of instructional design.

This book is a good example of a text that actually helps the reader get something done- namely, create and refine an instructional program for any setting or audience. Dr Bruce takes you from a blank page to a well designed, efficient training course in a step-by-step manner. What impressed me most was the skill with which Dr Bruce not only presents the critical ID concepts, but also shows in great detail how they can be applied.

In March of 2001, I "just happened" to be listening to a radio station to which I normally do not listen at that time of day. I heard Ellie Kay being interviewed about how she saves money on groceries. My ears perked up, because up to that time, I had been struggling to stay within my food budget. I am a mother of six children (ages ranging from 2-20). After hearing Ellie on the radio, I purchased Shop, Save, and Share. This book has been very instrumental in helping me save money on my grocery bill. Since I have been using Ellie's suggested methods of saving, I have had enough to occasionally share with two single moms, as well as sending a variety of items to a children's home. I am very thankful for being led to hear about Shop, Save, and Share.

We are a family who has always had hard times financially. My husband barely makes enough to keep us fed and some weeks we panicked because we didn't have enough money for food. Then I heard this seminar and read the book called "Shop, Save and Share." Ellie showed my, step by step, how to cut my food bill and save money in other areas, too. Within the first two months, I cut my food bill in half and have a ton of extra food! Now I can afford health insurance for the first time in many years. I have a medical condition that we couldn't afford to get medication and tests to treat. We didn't feel that morally we could go on government assistance. But now, we have health insurance and can pay our own way thanks to Ellie Kay. She is really a God send. Last week, we had no money for food (again) but we didn't panic. because of this book, I had extra groceries in my stock. God used this book to improve our lives, get me the medical help I need and maybe even save my life. Thank you, Ellie Kaye.

When you're facing financial difficulty, the last thing you should be doing is buying consumer products like books, right? Except maybe this one and one by Mary Hunt on managing money. I remember my mom cutting coupons but I never exactly studied the science of it. Ellie Kay breaks it all down for you. you get taught about ways to save money I had no idea existed. It's a quick, easy read that you can gain skills from and immediately apply. It is the kind of lesson where you can use the tools you gain slowly then apply on a larger scale after you master some steps. It is definitely worth owning, reviewing, and referring to. I actually was directed to this book by another of Ellie's books I received upon becoming engaged--The New Bride Guide. That was a surprisingly refreshing, honest, and useful book--and believe me I read dozens of them! That one was not cliche either. Anyways, definitely pick up Shop,Save,and Share. It is worth your money and time--I promise whether you plan on cutting brand buying out of your habits or not. The beauty of learning the actual science is that you can apply it to your lifestyle at a level of stringency that is comfortable for you and your family.

I enjoyed reading this book. Ellie Kay has a unique sense of humor. Wacky, might be a good word. (She calls herself the Coupon Queen and even has a nice tiara to wear.) She stresses coupons highly, so if you live in a rural area or hate coupons, then you might want another book. She tells A LOT of humorous type stories, mostly about her family. Her lovey nicknames for her husband Bob might be irritating if you're single or just want a less nonsense- more tips type approach. She does have a lot of references towards Christianity, although I didn't find it objectionable. I was impressed with the gardening section, and the holiday section. (Christmas is about Christ anyway, so the religious overtone feels like it "belongs" there.)The book was entertaining, and could be helpful, particularly if you need help with coupons and meal planning. The last self-serving chapter, (fan letters) was odd I thought. Overall it was a good read.

With four children 10 and under, I am always trying to find ways to save money. I have just recently bought both of Ellie Kay's books and enjoy both of them tremendously! I can't wait to share what I've learned with my family and friends. I am going to recommend to everyone I know to go out and get these books. These suggestions will help out so much, especially with only one income( my husband is a SGT in the US Army) and seven people in our house. Ellie, thank you so much for sharing with others what you know about saving money!

Once again, Ellie Kay helps us learn the art of saving money. She is a
master at it! Thankfully, she helps us thru the tricks of saving money and
having fun at the same time! Her tried and true cost saving methods make
saving cash fun for all involved. You'll want to ready this book again and
again--and share it with your family and friends alike!