education-economics

Competency Models have become a must for an up-to-date HRM system - I have been helping companies to build this kind of models since 1996. These models make great tools for selection, training and development, appraisal and succession planning. Unfortunately, until I came accross this book, I found that most of the reference works to this field are quite unaccessible, not the kind I would put into the hands of a newcomer. This is a practical book, showing why competency models are important and helping the reader to go through the complete process of setting up such a system, including a chapter on how to sell the idea to others in the organisation - I wish some of the people I work with would have read this book before, that would have smoothened the problems that are caused if these steps aren't followed well. The book also shows how to transform your competence model into a 360° feedback questionnaire. It was the first time I came accross a book explaining how to do that! The only area that I found a bit weak is the compentency-interview (both for building the model, als doing behavior-based interviews for recruiting), but maybe that's a bias coming from my own expertise in that domain (my book "7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence" includes a full chapter on how to ask the right questions).

Conclusion - whether you know about Competency Models or not - add this book to your library! And if you are a consultant in the field of competency models, this is a book you might recommend to your customers.

Patrick E. Merlevede -- co-author of "7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence"

This is a perfect choice for the novice reader who is trying to get a basic understanding of the whys and wherefores of compentency models. It's very readable book and not nearly as dry as I might have expected. In particular, the authors' copious use of real-world examples, cases and models is extremely helpful. I even got some great ideas for project management that I'll be able to apply broadly in my work, regardless of whether or not my organization undertakes a competency modeling project.

My only criticism is that the book focuses exclusively on CMs in a HRM context; there is no real discussion of industry-scale models, which was my main reason for reading the book. Nevertheless, a very good resource for a beginner.

Well written. Reader-friendly without sacrificing depth of content. I am not an HR specialist, but I still find this book to be very useful. Provides me with knowledge on competency and how to build a competency model for my own company.

Although I enjoyed reading Ms. Kenig's book, I didn't find much value in the information presented for two reasons: 1) the bulk of the book is a compilation of data that can be easily obtained for free from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and 2)most of the inferences about the Latino labor market are made based on anecdotal information; there was no research done by the author to substantiate her points.
I commend the author for writing a book on the subject, but the content needs much substance and depth.

Kenig's book is filled with solid tips for an important and growing population in our diversity-rich society. Once you zero-in on a career, the next step is to market yourself! If we want people to value the skills we offer - step ONE is to show that we value ourselves - by making sure our skills and accomplishments are visible to targeted audiences. If we want people to hire us, promote us, buy from us or invest in our companies, they have to know who we are, what we have accomplished and why they should do business with us! Self-promotion isn't bragging. It is a valuable business tool that men and women must add to their strategies for success. Following a careful step-by-step process will help even the most timid become comfortable with the concept of self-promotion. (from Marion E. Gold, award-winning author of "The Personal Publicity Planner: A Guide to Marketing YOU")

Finally there is a useful book written for bilinguals. The author helps to better understand the different issues that we encounter in the job market. It begins with the current trends in the Hispanic labor market, cultural strengths, and the basics for a successful career. What I like most is the way that she structured the book: by separating the top 7 industries for bilinguals, you don't have to read the entire book to find out how things are in your field. It does a good job describing specific requirements for each job and it gives average earning information. It will not give you specific names of companies. Instead, it gives you organizations through you can network. I recommend this book for anyone who would like to achieve more by taking advantage of their bilingual skills.

This series of lectures sheds light on the major contributors to Economic thought since Plato and Aristotle. Since the book is made up of transcripts of his lectures, he doesn't manage to cover the figures or the ideas in depth. However he does manage to give some guidelines as to what you should read if you want to be well informed on the history of Economic thought.

I did not find the language in it frustrating, it just made the book seem like a personal lecture with Robbins (minus the questions) which added to my enjoyment. He stops at Fisher, so if you were hoping for ideas and icons after that, you will be disappointed.

The book is split into five sections. The first deals with those philosophers that preceded the formal study of economics; Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas etc... Very interesting stuff, especially if you aren't familiar with the relationship between the ancients and economics.

The second to the fourth sections deal with famous economists, from Adam Smith to Karl Marx. His treatment of Marx is brief so don't expect anything more than a few pages. While he goes into some length about Adam Smith and the other classical economists.

Finally he lectures on Jevons, Menger and others of the "Marginal Revolution", ending his series of lectures with Fisher.

A good read, I would recommend it to undergraduates in Economics or any one else who is interested in the history of economic ideas.

This is a collection of lectures given at the LSE. So DON'T think it is a history. Nevertheless, it is a comprehensive journey from aristotle's economica thru the modern era. Good as a reference. Not bad as a read -- but be aware you are reading a transcribed lecture and adjust your expectations accordingly.

A well-organized and well-considered series of concise lectures are codified in this book. This is a substantial, but not overwhelming, chronology of the more influential contributors to economic history and thought.

Tuition Rising is serious disappointment. The entire book is a long-winded justification of why college cost so much. Instead of exploring on a few fundamental social or governmental changes affecting college tuition, the author simply discusses in-depth each expense that schools have. For example, there is a whole chapter on parking and transportation, and another chapter just about cooling systems.

While Ehrenberg rambles on about the minutia of college finances, he never really explains why colleges' expenses rise at a much faster rate than other sectors of the economy. Many businesses must pay for transportation, cooling, and everything else that colleges do, do not have skyrocketing prices.

Tuition Rising does not ever mention the possibility that government financial aid programs have given universities the green light to spend excessively, since many students can get loans or grants to cover the cost increases. College costs are no longer subject to free-market economics, which generally causes prices to be low. In fact, Ehrenberg thinks the problem of college affordability can be alleviate with more federal financial aid!

This book is at best a boring compilation of college expenditures. Worse yet, Tuition Rising makes high tuition increases seem unavoidable, or even justified.

Ehrenberg's insight is amazing and the book is full of important and interesting information. As a parent of a college student, I found the book to be very helpful in explaining why tuition continues to increase at an incredible rate, why college administrators make the decisions they do and how tuition relates (or doesn't) to the quality of higher education. It is a wonderful resource for parents, students and educators, anyone who is interested in higher education. Kudos to Ehrenberg on a job well done!

As a high school guidance counselor I can see the immediate value of Mr. Ehrenberg's book. In fact, it is the best book on the subject which I have read. It should also be of tremendous value to parents of college bound children and to college administrators. The language is highly accessible and the author makes his points clearly and succinctly. This book is a welcome addition to the field, and perhaps the very best of its kind.

Lougheed's grasp of English grammar is at best arbitrary. The exercises in the grammar section are therefore replete with mistakes and irrelevancies which test the patience even of an intermediate class.

This book has proven successful in preparing our students for the TOEIC exam as shown in our control exams for measuring language learning progress. I recommend it for intermediate level students. There is also an Introductory Course by the same author for Elementary Students which is as good as this one.

Instructions absolutely clear. Lets students use knowledge of outside world. Wide variety of vocabulary. Allows students to discuss reasons for choices when checking answers. Excellent grammar patterns. Most useful Patterns to Remember sections. Very good reading comprehension questions.

The authors of this book have created a listing of 'Free Things' out of mail-in rebate offers and 1-800 numbers from various manufacturers. This information, in large part, is easily obtainable through web pages and/or on the products themselves. There is no real surprise in this book. Do you really need to spend several dollars to receive a hot-line number to a poultry plant? How about an admonishment to get a FREE pet from your local SPCA? I didn't think so either.

I had a good time with this book. I didn't expect a free car or house but I did get a FREE Wedding Planner (book) which was about 350 pages. I also got a team picture of the Dallas Cowboys, which I framed and gave to my son. This is a nice book for people who like to explore !

I saw this book on t.v. and I heard about it from a friend, I bought it and I want people to know it really is a cool book and there's lot's of great free things in it ! I got a free watch and a free pair of circus tickets, it's cool.

Ruggero's book is an entertaining read and probably manages to catch some of the essence of a service academy. BUT. And it is a BIG but. He doesn't show you the whole picture.

It seems that cadets are mostly on O-courses, leading other cadets, and generally undertaking physical activities. I suspect that somewhere in those grey buildings at West Point there are class rooms. And they are probably used for teaching cadets!!! But none of that in Ruggero's book. Strange.

Therefore, Ruggero does not manage to portray the entire academy experience. Which, by my experience having attended another military college, is spent in huge amounts hunkered over books!

Books about leadership are a publishing fad these days, from the "leadership secrets" of some historical figure to the experiences and opinions of industry bigwigs. In most cases, these books seem to have the common approach of taking questionable insights and reducing them to trite slogans.

This book isn't like that. As an in-depth view of "America's premier leadership school" (if it does say so itself), this book not only contains valuable lessons on leadership, but was also about the best and most comprehensive book I've ever read on any of the federal service academies ... at least until I read David Lipsky's remarkable "Absolutely American" (2003). But "Duty First" is still head and shoulders above most of the rest.

When the Army prepared to write a report on how leaders are developed at the US Military Academy (aka West Point), they discovered that, in fact, there wasn't any formal training doctrine at all. The lessons of leadership, and the means of transmitting them, had developed informally over time.

As a result, West Point cadets are not spoon-fed maxims and "principles." Instead, they're put in positions where they can draw conclusions and learn lessons via their own experiences. Ed Ruggero follows the same course: In telling us the stories of a handful of cadets during their journey through the Academy, he doesn't bludgeon us with "The point of that was..." We learn as the cadets do -- and if we, or they, don't pick up some insights about leadership from this, maybe we, like they, aren't paying close enough attention.

As I said, this book isn't just about leadership. It's also an extremely good guide to the life of a cadet at the USMA.

Having not long before read Catherine Manegold's "In Glory's Shadow" about The Citadel, I was struck by the vast difference between that school's "adversarial" approach to cadet training, and West Point's team-based, but still rigorous, method. Of course, West Point used to be "adversarial" too. But, as Ruggero explains, that approach has been abandoned, in part because it was judged a failure in preparing cadets for the "real world" of commanding soldiers in the field. This book doesn't settle the Old Way Versus New Way debate by any means, but is a strong argument in favor of a training regime based on a desire to succeed, instead of fear of failure and (what some would call) abuse.

I would strongly encourage any young person interested in attending a service academy, or any parent of a current or prospective cadet, to buy this book and read it closely. MBA students and business leaders looking for leadership lessons from a school that has been training leaders for two centuries will find a lot to profit from too.

This book takes the reader on a tour of West Point over the course of one year. It starts on Reception day and ends at Graduation. The author introduces you to a handfull of cadets and follows them through their expieriences of the year. A great book, I reccommend it to any one interested in the United States Military Academy of today.

Monthly it seems I run into someone telling me, "You know, if we could only find someone to write a grant for us..." Grant writing is hard work. It demands some expertise in communication, relationship building and technical writing. When you are not sure where to start, this is the book for you. We have used this to develop several grant proposals.

It is not a guide for starting small businesses, it is for the organization or non-profit that needs an infusion of cash to make their dreams happen. The truth is, funds are out there waiting for someone that can present their case lucidly, with creativity and intelligence.

This volume includes sections such as: proposal ideas, selecting a funding source, writing the proposal (with each section outlined). It additionally includes a large number of helpful forms, checklists and evaluation materials.

As mentioned by other reviewers, the greatest need is now for a new edition. The Internet does offer a whole new world of funding opportunities and methods. Still, with this book and some simple search engine tools, you would be able to utilize the latest technologies with the basics of this book to develop your funding proposals.

I have been a K-12 education grantwriter for ten years, and have read a number of books on the subject of writing grants. In fact, I used to write reviews for a column in a national fundraising magazine. Mary Hall's book is by far and away THE BEST I have ever come across. I use it as my personal bible, and recommend it to anyone who wants to write a solid proposal.

This book is a must for anyone involved in writing grant proposals. It is very popular at our library, and the copies we own are in almost constant use. I would like to see an updated edition released with web information included, but until then, this book is one of the best on the market.

Do not expect some key information about Harvard, Wharton or NYU. This book just lists about 200 MBA with a quick overview (2 pages) on each. If you want to apply to an MBA in Australia or in China, this book can give you all the basic information you need to know.

This book is a godsend to anyone contemplating one of the many top-notch MBA programs outside of the US. Bickerstaffe doesn't attempt to "rank" the schools, which seems to be the only way anymore that the US programs are described in the guidebooks. Instead, he provides factual information often difficult to locate anywhere else. I was surprised to find a book like this existed. Great find.

The best book I have seen in one year searching and investigating about MBAs,GMAT, European vs American programs,etc. If you are planning to buy this book, wait for the 2001 edition which should have recent data.

Don't waste your time looking up for another book, this is THE MBA BOOK.

This book was the text for an adult learning course, and all 300+ students judged the book to be incomprehensible. So many complaints were received that the instructor apologized, saying it was the only book the school could find. There is good information in this book, but you need dynamite to unearth it. I have a better than average vocabulary, but I had to keep a dictionary by my side as I read, and even then I found words from the text for which I could find no definition. Some chapters had to be read 4 times before I understood the authors' message. Reading this book was a guarantee for a nap or a headache. Please, somebody stop this book before it kills again!

This book is like a one-stop shopping guide to Adult education. It is so comprehensive that I doubt it leaves out one development in the history of adult education. My only warning is that the opening chapters which basically trace many theories of learning (both adult and traditional) are hard to get through -- it reads more like a research paper that summarizes every major educational theory since the beginning of time. But, if you don't want to know that much, you can simply skip these chapters and get right to the meat of the adult learning theories which are more appropos. For those who need a quick primer on learning theories, you'll love the first few chapters for their abundance of quick summary information. A useful guide to adult education.

Malcolm Knowles is known as the "Grandfather of Adult Education" in many circles, and this update of his original book does him justice. I recommend the book as a primary resource for people looking for information about how adults learn (adult learning theory), as well as what works and how to make it work in different situations.