education-economics

Jeff Schmidt's thesis is that professionals are needed by
business and are formed by education. Those who don't fit
in are discarded, not necessarily because they aren't smart
enough, but because they're not conservative enough. Liberal,
independent thinkers are weeded out. Professionals
have to be political, and since the rules are made by
the bosses, they aren't in control and hence lead generally
miserable lives.

The process of making professionals is an "intellectual

bootcamp" with "cold-blooded expulsions and creeping
indoctrination" that "systematically grinds down the student's
spirit" and ultimately produces "employees who do their
assigned work without questioning its goals."

Only the stuffy and conservative professionals can
accommodate, as poorly as they do, to the hierarchical
structure of the business-military complex.

Schmidt got a PhD in physics at UC Irvine, and he draws
examples and conclusions from the weeding out experience
there; in particular, the qualifying exam. This is an
"ordeal" that requires much preparation. Schmidt says that
students who do not submit to the requirement to memorize
solutions from previous exams do poorly, even if they
have a good general background. This is because trick
questions and time pressure only allow students to
regurgitate obscure things they remember. Also, faculty
will sometimes pass a student who fails the test if
that student is playing the game, demonstrating compliance
by submitting to demands of the faculty, and working hard
on a research project.

Schmidt's underlying complaint is that students are selected
to "fill a slot in the corporate-governmental complex -- so
well suited to serve the status quo in an institution
of the status quo", not "to work for social change."

Unfortunately, Schmidt's examples and his general position
are so extreme that most people who have gone through
graduate school in technical fields of science or
engineering will simply respond "That's not my experience,
nor is it the experience of anyone I knew in the PhD
program." Contrary to Schmidt's examples of selfish,
preening, secretive, ego-obscessed professors, most faculty
members in physics departments are generous, open,
inquisitive people, who are deeply interested in their
science and care about their students. Ultimately, the
book becomes boring in its repetition of the theme.
As social science, it relies on a small selection of anecdotes
and fails the test of credibility.

I found this work fascinating, though my take is different. Observing the Darwin debate over time as a secular critic I was always struck by the way the Intelligent Design movement (which I don't agree with)was able to simply skewer the standard scientific position, even despite their own confusions, as all the bigwigs in science and education were reduced to reiterated press release stuff from the kneejerk Darwin paradigm. How was it possible, I thought, that the entire cadre of scientific experts could not properly defend their own subject or see the clear problems pointed to?
The answer became clear in interactions with some grad students, nervously retreating in genuine fear, knowing full well they had to bite the bullet and lie.
Baffled, since I know little about the academic context, I found this book hit the spot very well in showing how that could be possible.
Very interesting book, although I think some of the examples the author gives don't quite match his very well laid out thesis at the beginning. That's not surprising, his thesis is very intangible, and it is sometimes hard to put one's finger on the actual way it happens.

It took me three days to read this book. I could not put it down...I took it with me everywhere and have told everyone I know about it. The level of insight into the motivations of professional training schools is right on the mark. I am currently a graduate student as well as an employee at a major university. I can see first hand the professionalization (read indoctrination) of the graduate student. I can also see with more insight the dynamics that go on in an academic office. I now understand why those in charge of forwarding the ideology of the office are not micromanaged, and those not trusted to forward the accurate ideology are micromanaged. Dr. Schmidt also does an excellent job in describing the role industry and the military has in professional training programs. A professional schools is seen as an extention of the profession, not an extention of the educational institution in which it is housed. There are tremendous forces pushing and pulling on professional training programs to produce the "right" kind of student. Unfortunately the force that wins out is the one with the money...private industry and the military. Students have to be aware that their very futures can be determined by what kind of funding a department receives.

He is right to say that if one does not remain connected to one's values and convictions, one can succumb to the whims of those in power. After depressing you with his accurate interpretation of the role professional schools play in society, he gives instructions on how to fight the indoctrination process.

I'm buying extra copies and giving them away as graduation gifts. A MUST READ for anyone who wants to survive professional school with their conscience intact.

I wish I would've read the last review before ordering this product. This is a STUDY GUIDE, which usually comes FREE WITH purchase of the $... TEXT BOOK in book stores. Don't be mislead by thinking you're getting a great deal on a text book. It's not the real thing.

Dear Amazon:

The book you list here is the Student Study Guide to accompany my hardbound textbook BUSINESS COMMUNICATION: PROCESS AND PRODUCT. By listing this "paperback" at $26.95 and by not identifying it as the Student Study Guide, you are misleading readers. They think that a paperbound version of the complete book is available. Not true! Please identify the $26.95 book as Student Study Guide to accompany BC:PP. Thanks!

When I took my first writing class in college, I was pretty sure I knew everything about writing. This book proved me wrong. Yes, it is quite big and there is so much to learn, but the exercises at the end of each chapter are very helpful. I learned how to write all kinds of business letters. Not only was the book helpful for my business relations, it also taught me how to improve my everday writing skills. The author had some great examples as to what we should and should not do. I highly recommend it. Buy the paperback edition. It will be a lot easier to carry.

I have an MBA and I was looking for a basic reference book that would cover some of the information that I had learned. This book does not cover two of the most basic concepts that every student learns during their MBA program: NPV & IRR (net present value and internal rate of return)

I recommend "the complete idiot's guide to MBA basics." That book covers more of the calculations that one learns during an MBA program.

Another thing to note: the above-mentioned books should only be used as a quick reference book. If you really need to understand a concept, then you need to find a subject matter book for that topic. For example, there is no way to truly understand the 5 p's of marketing by reading 3 to 5 pages. You need to grab a marketing textbook and read couple of chapters that cover the 5 p's of marketing. Then, you can use "idiots" or "dummies" books as a reference guide.

As mentioned in other reviews, this is not the reference that will substitute for doing an MBA program. However, for those of us that need a quick reference to a variety of topics, this book fits the bill. We at SmallBizBargains.com often refer to it when giving simple advice for basic business issues. It definitely covers a broad range of topics - from Accounting and Finance to Marketing, and even Negotiation Skills. Again, not for the advanced academic, but a good resource for a lot of basic information.

I suspect that trying to jam everything you ever wanted to know about business but were afraid to ask is a difficult task, even when you've been given 400 or so pages to complete your task. One thing I know for sure, the authors of The Complete MBA for Dummies have done a far better job completing this task than any other business book I've ever read (and I've read a LOT of business books!). Kathleen Allen and Peter Economy really know their stuff, and it shows loud and clear on every page of this extremely well-written and comprehensive book. While the tone is humorous (fun, actually), it never veers onto the thin ice of sillyness that plagues other books of this type.

If it's covered in a typical MBA program, you'll find the topic you're looking for here: dealing with change, information technology, global business, strategic planning, management, leadership, motivating employees, recruiting and retaining high quality employees, building teams, accounting, finance, marketing, negotiation and much, much more. Lots more interesting (and up to date) than any textbook you'd ever buy in an MBA program, and far less cost. This book packs a heck of a bang for the 16 or 17 bucks you'll pay to buy it.

Highly recommended.

The authors seem to walk the line between stating the obvious and dispensing outright bad advice. On more than one occasion, they cross that line with reckless abandon.

First of all, the book is geared towards newly minted Ph.D.'s or ABD (All But Dissertation) graduate students who plan to enter the academic job market. The authors seem completely ignorant of the fact that in many disciplines, particularly the biological and physical sciences, Ph.D.'s first hold postodoctoral research positions for 2 - 5 years before entering the market. I cannot find a single reference to the word "postdoc." Thus, the book completely ignores anyone with a science degree, and all of the advice concerning "timetables for your search" and the advice to "have your degree in hand" is useless.

Secondly, some of the advice in the book is dubious, at best. The section on cv construction states:

"If you worked prior to attending graduate school at jobs you now consider irrelevant, you may summarize them with a statement such as 'Emmployment 1992-1994 included office and restaurant work.'"

To which my response is, "What the hell for?" If the work was "irrelevant," it has no business on a cv. Period. Unless, of course, your goal is to give the hiring committee a good laugh before tossing your cv into the rejection pile.

Don't worry, it gets worse. The section on writing a "Statement of Teaching Philosophy," which almost all liberal arts schools require, is all of one paragraph long. The authors' best advice is to "try to look at statements written by others in your department as well as those written by applicants to your department, if those are available to you."

Here's an idea: instead of using the last 19 pages of the book as appendices (also known as "filler"), why not actually give some EXAMPLES of teaching statements? I didn't spend money on a book just so I could ask other Ph.D.'s for samples from their application packages!

The section on research interests is equally inane.

The bottom line: If you're a liberal arts major, then maybe you'll get something useful from this book. If you're a science major, then buy "Tomorrow's Professor" by Richard Reis. It's three times as long, and about a hundred times as useful.

It is a must-read book for any academic job applicants. Make sure you read it before you prepare your application materials. It will surelly save you a lot of time. It is really helpful in my job searching.

The earlier in your graduate career you obtain this book the better, since the section on planning your job search gives great advice about positioning yourself as an attractive candidate well before you start applying for jobs. I found the guide an invaluable companion over the seven month period that comprised my job search. The sample vitas, cover letters, and statements of teaching philosophy were especially useful, as was the extensive section on interviewing at conferences, on campus, and by phone. The tone was reassuring but realistic, and the advice was helpful both in conceptualizing aspects of the search (e.g., think of the interview as a conversation in which the evaluative aspect is made overt) and as a series of friendly, pragmatic tips (e.g., don't check luggage when flying to an interview; bring an escapist novel to read at the hotel). The book also contains sensible discussion of how to negotiate an offer, how to handle illegal or simply bizarre interview questions, what to wear, issues surrounding dual-career marriages, and after you've gotten a position, how to handle your new academic responsibilites and secure tenure. I recommend this book to everyone who aims at an academic position, and in the future, I will recommend it to my students!

I found this book to be an interesting book to read, but challenging at first. I suggest that one starts with the appendix and then reads the book front to back. The first 72 pages "provides valuable sound bites," as David A. Wilson comments on the back cover, however previous knowledge of learning theory and organizational learning is required to understand these bites of information. "Theories examined in this section of the literature review include: double loop learning theory (Argyris, 1977, 1992, 1994)..." (pg. 21), the theories he discusses are many, and relayed so quickly to provide the foundation for the study that it may take awhile to engage your interest. If you need to find other reference material about organizational learning, this is a good resource, since he references so many in the first few pages. I also found value in the way he walks methodically through the research and case study process, specifically as it relates to Lotus notes and other collaborative database technologies. His discussion of the case was interesting to me from a process standpoint, however as a businessperson it was a bit too academic. It isn't until the last two chapters that the meat or content of the study is revealed.

Too much time is spent on giving the reader an understanding of the case study process, as a businessperson I want to know how did it work, right away. Therefore I found the "Summary: The 'Top Ten' practice prescription" (pg. 109) steps in the last chapters were great! I also enjoyed the section that discussed the "relationship between prior training and intellectual material contribution rates, Myers-Briggs-Type Indicators (MBTI)." (pg.86) The correlations by personality types and learning styles are fascinating.

I found no new ideas here, however the way he brings together several areas of organizational learning and collaborative technology combined with a methodical approach are worth the effort to read this book.

Dr. Neilson's contention that technologies should and can be used as force multipliers is a positive message to the workforce of the future. As students and employees are expecteded to learn more,learn faster, and apply newfound knowledge to increasingly complex problem-solving situations, realistic and practical guidelines are needed for managers and learning specialists within organizations to facilitate effective applications of chosen technologies. First, technologies must be selected that are helpful to the user, then personnel have to be able to use those technologies to effectively address their job requirements. This book introduces strategies for technology insertion, reviews succinctly the various theories on learning organization and knowledge management principles, and uses a case study approach to show how these strategies can be utilized to successfully implement new technologies within an organization. Most importantly the book re-emphasizes that the human interface is the most critical component of successful technology application. Dr. Neilson's theories and guidelines have practical applications across any organization that is considering new technology solutions--because the focus is on the end-user, the learner; and although Lotus Notes is the case study technology in this book, the concepts discussed here and the recommendations for successful implementation are pertinent to any technology insertion program. I have already shared this book with my clients and intend to list it as recommended reading for executives and learning specialists alike. The straightforward approach, the easy to read format, and the concise summaries of multiple areas of research make this an excellent introduction to the fields of knowledge management, learning organization principles,and collaborative technologies.

I liked the book, not so much for its evaluation of Lotus Notes, but rather for the perspective it brings to evaluation of information sharing. As a practical instantiation of qualitative research, Neilson has written an excellent style manual for research study design and reporting. Using "Collaborative Technologies" as a reference, and a model, makes the evaluation of other knowledge based tools or organizational learning situation much easier. I recommend it to students studying collaborative learning as a starting point for research. I also recommend it to company information managers as practical information as to the state of the art and expected return on investment from collaborative tools.

This is a decent guide about how to select a realtor and prioritize what you are looking for in a home. However, most of the book is a dissertaion on the home real estate industry and why realtors are so important. They are essential in the process, but there are many more varialbles in the equation. Mortgages, offers, and inspections are some of these variables, which are barely glossed over in this tome.

I found Kiplinger's "Buying and Selling a Home" much more comprehensive and useful.

"Buyer Beware" is, ironically, aptly named.

I bought this book after beginning the home buying process and have realized a few mistakes I have already made, according to the author. This book's greatest help and heaviest emphasis is on choosing a good, qualified agent which is the info I was searching for, in an easy-to-read format. I recommend this book as a place to start for first-time home buyers.

This is a book written by someone who HAS "been there and done that." Carla's experience is based upon years in the trenches actually doing deals and thus it is much more useful than a book written by someone who has only talked with agents.

I think that she comes closer to what real people experience in the homebuying process and thus her advice and counsel is much more useful both to first-time homebuyers as well as more experienced homeowners.

I strongly recommend this very practical book as an ideal companion to my best-selling book on mortgages HOW TO SAVE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON YOUR HOME MORTGAGE.

So armed, you will be much better prepared carve out the best deal on the right home.

I confess to being a professor at one of the schools mentioned in this book as the "Best". Business schools have developed a love/hate relationship with this book because although it contains a lot of good, thoughtful information, some people use it for the wrong reasons.

Make a distinction between the RANKINGS and the extended essay-type descriptions contained on the top scools. The RANKINGS tell you (possibly) two things: they tell you (maybe, sometimes) about the quality of the results the graduates get, and they tell you....well they tell you whether you will get bragging rights to your friends. In other words, the rankings have developed their own prestige which is SEPARATE from the issue of whether they have anything to do with quality.

So consider the rankings with caution...do you need the reassurance of a very high ranking....or do you really care about quality of program? This book actually tells you a great deal about the quality of the program, including everything from details about the curriculum, what they are looking for in admissions, which teachers are held in highest esteem, and general comments from recent students. THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE NUMBER. It's related to the number, but it's not the same thing.

Remember, however, not to stop with this book: the information given in any edition will start to get inaccurate before it hits the bookstore. I can think of 5 or 6 top schools with new deans within the past year or two. Perusing through the book I see a good number of "top faculty" that either have already gone on to another institution, or are non-tenured faculty on short-term contracts, who may be gone by the time you get there. Even the curricula change pretty quickly. Back up your reading of this book with school's web sites, visits, talks with alumns, etc.

After all, the question you really want the answer to is not "do grads of School W make more money and have better careers than graduates of School Y?", it's "Will I MYSELF have a better career at School W than School Y." Rather than worry about the ranking of the school you get into, find the school that works for YOU. Finally, I see other reviewers saying "this book got me into the BigBucks school." I think that reviewer's intelligence, personality, and experience got him in. If he hadn't gotten in to BigBucks, he would still be smart and hardworking, and the school that got him would have been lucky. And (for the record), the number at our school is just great!

This guide has been called "The bible for prospective students" by the London Times for good reason. If you are considering applying to the top programs, this guide will help you narrow your focus and apply to the schools that are the best fits for your profile. (Yes, your chances really are the greatest at the schools where you are best suited.)

BusinessWeek provides a good overview and some keen insight into the top 25 MBA programs as well as the 25 runner up programs. The guide also contains good information on its b-school ranking process. A word of caution though. This book does not contain highly detailed information on the profiled schools and if you do decide to apply to any of these schools, you will want to conduct some additional research for your "Why I want to attend your business school" essay.

Look no further. This book has EVERYTHING one could ask for when applying to schools.

Overly generous interline spacing has made a large book out of what is a effectively a small book. Much of the material in the book struck me as on the edge of redundant and out of touch with emerging developments. Many of the references are very dated (seventies and eighties material) and some are simply obscure. The book just isn't convincingly up to date.

The emphasis on form filling will appeal to all those types who like to run software projects by form filling. There is no creative thrust to this book and the complimentary technology angles are weak. The CD contained nothing that I hadn't been aware of in other modes or hadn't created with MS Office components. It is largely an irrelevancy.

For corporate types who want to roll out loads of flannel about elearning project management, this book may be a gem. For developers however, I would recommend Allessi and Trollip as a much superior text. Personally speaking, this book was not a good value purchase by me.

This book appears to have been written by academics. It contains a great planning strategies but very little in the way of practical information about how to actually design multimedia instructional materials. The accompanying CD is weak, mostly text and a bunch of supplemental forms and planing document templates. It isn't worth the money if your looking for a "nuts and bolts" guide to design.

This is a great book. It presents the instructional design methodology clearly and concisely and links these to e-learning development. It is obvious that the authors do this for a living and write from first hand experience.

I read this book on the recommendation of a friend who lived abroad. Unfortunately, it did not apply in most cases to the 20 countries in which I traveled and tried to find work.

It is true that Americans have a more difficult time finding work simply because of EU citizenship requirments, though it is also true that English taught with an American accent is more desirable. The latter, however, does not mean Americans will be better paid or even employed.

Many times, schools fill positions with natives who studied English abroad, even if their command of the language is not excellent. Americans, at best, can find tutoring jobs through placing an ad in local newspapers written in a foreign tongue (and it helps often to write the ad in the local language to attract students) and will not be paid as well...in fact, half the rate in many cases of a native speaking substandard English.

This book also does not stress enough the need for several years teaching experience, credentials and certificates--most always, all three of these are required in order to be considered for a position. All of this, in addition to some knowledge of the local language.

Standards have changed in the world, and those wishing to find a job simply because they know English is not enough. Buying and reading this book, however helpful it is in small ways, is also not enough.

Take a TEFL course, get a copy of Living Abroad Magazine and have an agency place you. That's more practical and realistic.

I always recommend this book to people who tell me they are thinking of getting into teaching English as a foreign language. I think it provides a fabulous overview of the industry, and the pros and cons of teaching abroad. The book helped me to narrow down what was most important to me in an overseas teaching position. I found the personal anecdotes to be illuminating, and they were one of many factors that eventually steered me away from teaching in Asia or the Middle East. ...

Although the book does have a slant towards a British audience, this book is NOT only useful to Brits. I am an American, and it helped me to get my first job teaching in Europe. It also helped me decide where to get my TESL certificate. I sent away for more information from many of the TESL certification schools listed in this book, and eventually decided to do a Trinity College certification course in London rather than an equally expensive but non-Trinity, non-Cambridge course in the US. I have never regretted this decision for a minute, and in fact it led to an excellent job with excellent perks in Bratislava, Slovakia. (Yes, like most of us unlucky Americans, I eventually had to face reality and give up the dream of working in an EU country!)

It is true that Griffith could spend more time focusing on job opportunities in non-EU countries, especially Latin America. Hence, only 4 stars out of 5. However, this book is an excellent starting point for those considering teaching English abroad. Naturally, no single book can cover all bases. It goes without saying that your experiences in a foreign country will be as unique as you are, and may differ wildly from the teachers quoted in the book. But for my money, this is the best introduction to teaching abroad in one single publication. Read and enjoy, and if you end up in a scrape in some dicey teaching position abroad, don't say that Susan didn't warn you!

Clearly set out

Up to date contacts

Crisp, clear writing

Excellent for getting a job teaching english abroad!

Derek Bok, a professor and formerly president of Harvard, writes about the pressures for commercialization that institutions of higher education face and are likely to face in the future. (Commercialization is defined as "efforts within the university to make profit from teaching, research and other campus activities.") In particular, Professor Bok has taken on three major themes: commercialization of athletics, research and education (online teaching, extension programs, etc.)

For one, this book is a useful reality check. Through scores of studies, Professor Bok dispels the myth that these three activities are profitable. Save few exceptions, these endeavors prove financially disastrous. More than that, there are the hidden dangers of compromising a university's academic standards and standing in the community. The call for a candid evaluation of the costs of commercialization is half of the book's theme.

The other half outlines prescriptions and guidelines for university presidents about how to handle these increased pressures. Professor Bok suggests revision to NCAA rules, and university oversight and care to limit the influence of corporate sponsors over research or the curriculum taught in schools.

In the end, "Universities in the Marketplace" is a reminder that universities are built around values: "the larger message of a liberal arts education [is] that there is more to life than making money." These values and the collaborative spirit, on which universities thrive, are threatened by the mistaken perception that there is money to be made by exploiting a school's name. The adherence to high standards is an old prescription for new pressures, and the one that Professor Bok suggests as the ultimate guideline for dealing with the threats of the future.

Active university presidents, wary of saying anything untoward for fear of losing potential donors, are non-stop cheerleaders for higher education. Former presidents have the opportunity for candor but rarely take advantage of it. To some degree, Derek Bok is an exception to the rule. In this measured book, he sometimes reveals the warts in the current state of higher ed. Far from a screed, this book's criticisms are tempered, laced with some humor, and carry with them a sense of optimism.

Bok is far too kind and makes repeated excuses for the shortcomings in contemporary leadership in higher education. In a revealing segment, he opines that if R.M. Hutchins was a university president today, he would not have the ability to strongly influence decisions concerning university athletics. Baloney. Hutchins had conviction and courage, qualities that allow leaders to create positive change today as well as they did in the previous century.

That said, Bok is not shy to point out some shortcomings in universities today: a neglect of undergraduates, corruption in athletics, and a tendency for money to derail educational and research missions. Many others have made similar criticisms. But most have lacked the credibility and visibility of Bok.

Reading between the lines one can sense that Bok sees little value in faculty governance and views the professorate as inherently myopic. Change must, in Bok's view, come from the top.

This book is designed as a gentle warning. It's in some ways a watered down version of a book from the 1990s by another former college president - Killing the Spirit by Page Smith. Smith's book contained more vitriol and was read widely, but had no impact on changing the system. Bok's book isn't having any impact either. It is being ignored because it tells a story that university leaders don't want to hear. This is a well-meaning book and it's a shame it isn't getting the attention it deserves.

Unfortunately, political and industrial interests are putting pressure (although not always willfully) on academia, to serve narrow business interests. The medical schools are already tainted by the funding power and controlling interests of the pharmaceutical industry as well as misguided university administrators (who think they can accept money and influence without getting over involved).

Just as many colleges have been compromised by how they run their athletic endeavors (e.g., admissions policies, lower admission standards, substandard courses such as "physics for football players") so to are universities endangered by selling off their scientific research as well as labeling nonscientific and trivial research as equivalent, nay superior to scholarly research. The main message of this book is (except for medical schools) it is not to late to say for universities and college administrats to say no to seemingly limited (but in the long run devastating) business and financial propositions that will debase the precious knowledge that has for two hundred years been the hallmark of a truly HIGHER EDUCATION--not EDUCATION for HIRE with great educational and social harm.

Bok's book (Bok is a former president of HARVARD) does explain that there are legitimate business partnerships and ventures for the modern university, but that they must be on guard so as not to throw out the baby ("scientific knowledge and the liberal arts") with the bath water ("the need for funding during bad economic times such as is the present case and reduced goverment funding").

If you are a professor, college administrator, or student, please buy and read this book. We don't want to see the great universities of the USA erode any further. Examples of this erosion are many poor quality courses delivered on the Internet, faculty who are not first rate scientific minds being given tenure, acceptance of commercial sponsorship for textbooks, advertisements in the classroom and even in urinals, etc.

In most cases it is probably not too late to stop the destructive short term relationships that many universities have misguidedly entered into. But if the fundamental problems are not addressed, the precious knowledge that has traditionally been the product of American universities will be replaced by pseudo-knowledge without social or individually enhancing knowledge that will contribute to the welfare and progress of the USA and the rest of the world.