This is a very good start for Org Design consultants. The book correct addresses the key principles in designing an organization (Chap. 3) and explores the key issues that affect the key crucial design issues (Chap. 4). Don't wait for a "how to" book, this is much more a "what" one.

If you are looking for a book devoted to Organizational Design, I recommend this one. To successfully implement Organizational Change (my area of expertise) it is necessary to have the proper organizational design. I recommend this book in addition to my own.

Dr. Michael Beitler
Author of "Strategic Organizational Change"

Competing by design is a great source for for anybody who thinks about organizational design. After having read it, you will never consider "cocktail-napkin" designs again, and you will recognize when you see a design created that way. The book doesn't only explain the basic elements of design, but also the do's and dont's of a design project. The structure of the book is very well-conceived, and the level of detail is just right: Focus on the important steps, best practices and lessons, with enough backup examples, and without boring repetitions or lenghthy explanations. I'm not sure you will sleep better after having read the book, as the size of the design project becomes clear, but you will certainly have the tools to make the process a successful one.

Although the work cites R. J. Rushdoony but twice and Cornelius Van Til not at all, the author is clearly operating within the ambit of a Calvinistic presuppositionalism, including the recognition of the necessity of the cultural mandate to be effected according to explicit Scriptural teaching.

Kelley posits the roots of Western civilization in the Homeric and Platonic world of ancient Greece, but unlike many Christians and previous generations and today will brook no compromise with this Òenlightenment paganismÓ as a valid expression of culture. He shrewdly observes that todayÕs increasing calls for a return to the medieval synthesis of Christian and classical civilization is misdirected: ÒShould we accept the argument of those who wish to restore the displaced ideals represented by the medieval synthesis of Christianity and Humanism? Can such salvage operations succeed? Is it possible to remake Western civilization on the same basis from which it first sprang up? If so, why should one accept that it will turn out better the second time?Ó KelleyÕs answer is unequivocal: ÒThere are but two options available: that which comes from God and His revealed Word, or that which arises from manÕs sin-darkened imaginationÓ (pp. 16-17).

In what is surely one of the most valuable features of the book, Kelley outlines the origin of ecclesiocentrismÑthe notion that the institutional church should govern and dominate all of life. Like others before him, he recognizes that the idea of the church in the West was patterned largely after imperial Rome and that, therefore, its origin is not Biblical but pagan (p. 116). In addition, however, Kelley discloses that this imperial institutionalization of the church is essentially an ideology of power. The architects of patristic and medieval ecclesiocentricism were interested in employing the church as an instrument in giving meaning to life. Not so much God and the Bible, but the institutional church itself, furnished lifeÕs meaning. God and his word were remote and proximate, while the church was near and immediate.

In his chapters dealing successively with the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and Romanticism, Kelley addresses the Ònew paganism,Ó the revival of ancient, pagan Greek ideas. Contrary to a great deal of scholarly opinion, the author correctly observes that the Renaissance was not merely instrumental, that is, it was not merely about the recovery of ancient texts, cogent rhetoric, and new methods of scholarly investigation. Rather, its impulse was deeply pagan, and, in particular, its program was driven by a lust for elitist political power.

After discussing the dangers of medieval scholasticism, Kelley concludes by arguing that each of the following phasesÑancient Greek, medieval monastic, medieval scholastic, medieval ecclesiocentric, Renaissance, Enlightenment, and RomanticismÑconstitutes a decisive deviation from Biblical Christianity, and the only hope for establishing Christian culture lies not in restoring some version of a discredited pagan or synthetic culture of the past, but in building our culture squarely on the written word of God, the Bible. Man is an inherently dominion being, and therefore the dominion commission is inescapable. The only question is whether man will exercise dominion in terms of the Bible, or in terms of his own depraved ideas. Thus far, Òit was possible to conclude that manÕs impulse to power, i. e., the urge to form culture has given shape to a cultural product that bears more the stamp of man, the covenant-breaker, than man, the covenant-keeperÓ (p. 309). ManÕs only hope for cultural reclamation is explicitly Biblical Christian culture.

To Christians interested in restoring Christian culture, this is an invaluable work.

This book is supurb for anyone wondering; how Western Civilization got to where it is, what influence Homer and the Philosphers had, & how the elite use ideology to shape mindsets and protect their absolute power. Bravo! A wonderful read!

After having had the pleasure of reading Dr. Michael W. Kelley's two previous works, On Stone or Sand, the Ethics of Christianity, Capitalism & Socialism and The Burden of God: Studies in Wisdom and Civilization from the Book of Ecclesiates, I eagerly awaited the publication of this present volume. I was not disappointed. Dr. Kelley has emerged as a scholar par excellence. In this present work, Dr. Kelley demonstrates his comprehensive knowledge of the philosophy and history of Western Civilization. Of noteworthy value is Dr. Kelley's examination of the enormous influence Greek philosophy, particularly Plato's, has had on Western man's view of government: ran by an elite group of philosopher wise-men or experts with its oftentimes accompanying tyranny. His analysis of Christianity's unique contribution to Western Civilization, both positive as a moral force and negative when infused with pagan ideas, is particularly notable. Man has been accurately described as incurably religious, or a religious creature. Consequently, it is not a question of whether mankind will be religious; it is the question of which religion will man follow. Similarly, Dr. Kelley argues "that man has a natural-born 'impulse' to power" (308). In other words, basic to man's created nature, man among other things is destined to be a cultural-creature. It then becomes a conflict between which religion will inspire man's "impulse" to build culture. Will mankind self-consciously attempt to build culture upon his own ideas (humanism) or upon the revelation of God in Scripture? Dr. Kelley in this most excellent elucidation of Western Civilization and its formative ideas challenges the adherents of Christianity to build culture with consistency and faithfulness to its covenantal presuppositions in the areas of epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics with the goal of fulfilling God's ordained purposes in history.

Jack Kettler

Your standard compilation of quotes from the boys. Especially apt for the Manics considering Nicky's big mouth, wee Sean's bitter take on everything and James' frankness. Very few bands merit a collection of "dumb-things-we-said-to-the-press" book, but MSP do.

This book is simply a collection of quotes from the Manics.If you`re a fan you will love reading the toughts and theories of Nicky, James, Richey & Sean at their very best.If you`re not a fan, why not?

the best book you could buy and on the best band in the worl

A very well researched and written book. This is the work of a very promising young scholar.

Doran provides readers with a new outlook on Pan-Arabism, I found his work challenged much of the preconcieved notions in the field and hence is worth much merit. I am looking forward to another book...

Mike Doran is one of the most promising young boxers around and pound for pound should give any of his future competitors in the squared circle a serious run for their money. I give him 5 boxing gloves...Oops. I'm sorry. You meant Mike Doran the writer on middle eastern politics. Um, never heard of him, but I'm sure this is probably a fine book.

I am glad this book is so seldom read.

As a sales manager and professional of 14 years, I regard this as the most potent, career-changing, powerful book on the sales process (interpersonal relationships?) ever produced.

I have recommended this book to my sales people if not utilized for themselves then, for no other reason, to protect themselves from manipulation and control techniques in the marketplace.

This book unveils the secrets of NLP (neuro linguisitc programming) and reveals secrets to establish instant bonding and rapport with others, imbed emotional "anchors" in others, and to control other people in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.

In the wrong hands, I can see these techniques as being devastating and used for evil.

In any salesperson's hands who executes the techniques and learns the methods, it will jump start his/her career or send a sucessful one into overdrive. Handle with care and ethics.

Reading this book, I have gained knowledge in how to connect with people. I have also learned how to read them, even if they don't know what I am doing. And it is one of my most favorite hobbies.

As human beings, we are constantly interacting with others. And it is up to us to decide what is going on, and how we can influence our experiences.

This is not about abandoning who you are. This book is your chance to enhance who you are.

You will learn how someone's breathing, their eye directions, and their gestures tell you more than their words. You will have the opportunity to step into their shoes -- see, feel, and hear their experiences, so that you connect with them, on an appropriate level.

As for selling, be that a product, a service, or an idea, when you relate to the person you are trying to sell to, you sell yourself, your idea, your services, and your product.

Everyone does this some time in their lives. We all have a method to change another's desires to fit our own. This book will help you to do this more often, and on a deeper level.

And if you can't find this book, read "Instant Rapport," which focuses upon relationship communication.

This book should be mandatory reading for MBAs. It's brilliant in that it takes a complex subject and makes it easy to understand. And the technology is incredible. I highly reccommend this book for those in business, management, and for those who sell.

This book proves you don't have to own a machine shop or have lots of experience to build a robot. It shows simple and inexpensive techniques that almost anyone can use. The tough part of building a robot is working out the details. How do you attach a wheel to a motor shaft? Which drive type works best? The book gives the answers in an easy to understand, unintimidating style. The author explains terminology and keeps things simple. If you want to build a robot, but don't know where to begin, this is the book for you.

If you're into robotics you have probably read the great general texts on the subject. Mobile Robots, Robot Builder's Bonanza, and others. There are enough books out there that cover the topic in general. It seems that the time has come for more specific texts. Building Robot Drivetrains takes on this task with aplomb and unmasked enthusiasm.

The authors have clearly taken great care not only in selecting the approaches to solving the problems of drivetrains, but they took just as much care in planning their delivery. The text flows nicely, with a touch of humor to bring the topic back down to Earth, where humans live and make mistakes, and sometimes need an "obvious" term or concept explained. It is full of tabular data and quick "rules of thumb" for getting on with a design. The authors also took care to present solutions that anyone can implement with just standard tools like a drill, vise and hacksaw wherever possible.

If you want to build your own mobile robot platform, this is a great book to have both for research and general reference.

Building a robot from the ground up means that the drive train is first. This book provides everything that you need to know but is also inspiring and fun to read. I built most of the circuits in the book and all worked the first time and exhibited the discussed operation. I also built my first Robot drive train and ran into many of the issues that the authors anticipated and for which they provided excellent solutions. I read the book from front to back and it inspired me to build a robot, then as I was building it, from the ground up, I continued to find helpful information using the book as a reference. If you are even thinking about building robots start by reading this book.

Simcity 2000 P.P.P. is mainly stuff of the game, no help realy.

With the information, pictures, charts, and interviews in this book, I have learned so much about SImCity 200 that I probably would have broken the SC2k population record if my computer didn't have a bug that disabled this (no, it's not the old DOS version one). This is the best book I can suggest for SimCity 2000. It can take a no-experience "Gosh, what does that button do?"-level player through the basics and into the victory sector of the city-simulating game. This book is the leader for every leader!!!"

This book is a must-get for any fan of the popular Maxis computer game/city simulator SimCity 2000. It covers just about everything but the kitchen sink...from how to play the game to strategies to help you become a better player to hidden cheat codes and other wacky stuff. Whether you are a novice or an expert at the game you'll find this book useful. You can also read about how the game was created (including interviews with the people who developed it), tips on conquering disasters and beating the scenarios, and four sample cities along with interviews with the people who created them. It even offers rather sinister tips like hacking city files to give you billions more dollars. :) The book is written in simple, everyday language that is easy to understand, and is very well illustrated (even includes an 8-page color section). Its format is very upbeat and at times even humorous. Definitely a must-have for anyone who loves SimCity 2000 and wants to become a better player.

While continuing the Powers series with good art and writing, this is a somewhat uneventful edition. It doesn't really extend the characters, and once again involves the mysterious death of a superhero, however this time it really doesn't lend any great revelation. A large part of the book is taken up by a humerous but lightweight childrens coloring book. Really not as much bang for your buck as the prior volumes, but still a decent read.

The third volume of the Powers saga continues the high quality story from the first two, and ends with a cliffhanger that will leave you dying for volume 4. While the main story is pretty short, there are a lot of fun extras. If you have not read Powers, you should.

The Rise of American Airpower by Michael Sherry represents the new breed of military history. This book is about the physical, organizational and technological advances which affected the United States armed forces in peace and in war. It is not a record of the battles and campaigns of World War Two. This is a cultural history which seeks to explain the rise of strategic air war. Sherry set before himself the massive task of understanding how humans could delude themselves to the point where they could seriously consider the horrors of conventional mass bombardment and later nuclear warfare as an abstract idea.
Sherry identifies three related developments which his study should address. These are the creation of the apocalyptic mentality, the creation of an apparatus for realizing that danger, and the creation of the modern nuclear dilemma. Sherry decided to limit his dealings with nuclear warfare and deal with that last issue primarily in comparison to the first two issues. What Sherry is after is an understanding of the bomber in the imagination of the American public before and during World War Two. He believes that to understand wartime developments one needs to know the story of the rise of American airpower and perception of bombers and bombing in the popular imagination. He suggests that after WWI aircraft became inextricably linked to civilian uses. Airplanes were immediately familiar in their civilian role and had practical peacetime applications. Sherry suggests that these factors resulted in the imagined use of the bomber often outpacing the practical realities of actual bombing. According to Sherry, "the warplane was created in imagination before it was invented as a practical weapon." In this way Sherry focused his study of the social and cultural history to explain the rise of American airpower.
Sherry arranged this book in a generally chronological format with ten chapters. The chapter titles almost tell the story themselves, they are "The Age of Fantasy", "The Age of Prophecy", "The Decline of Danger", "The Attractions of Intimidation", "From Intimidation to Annihilation", "The Dynamics of Escalation", " The Sociology of Air War", "The Sources of Technological Fanaticism", "The Triumphs of Technological Fanaticism", "The Persistence of Apocalyptic Fantasy". Although he occasionally deviates from a strict chronology, the primary diversion from the format is the chapter on "The Sociology of Air War". In this chapter he looks at the actors, the generals, civilian expert advocates and aircrews of the bomber forces.
In his opening chapter, "The Age of Fantasy", Sherry starts not with a direct examination of the airplane, but an examination of the popular civilian perceptions regarding technological advances in warfare during the nineteenth century. This is the base upon which his later arguments rest, and I believe that it is a solid base. Sherry notes that the airplane was "like a host of other weapons invented or imagined in the nineteenth century and celebrated for their capacity to diminish the 'evils of war'." Sherry points to the writings of such well known people as Jack London and Victor Hugo as evidence of this social phenomena. In fact, as early as 1864 Hugo stated that airplanes would make armies "vanish, and with them the whole business of war, exploitation and subjugation". Others made similar claims for Tri-Nitro Tolulene (TNT), the machine-gun, and the large caliber artillery piece.
These claims and perceptions did not end with the nineteenth century, rather they accelerated prior to the First World War. Civilian theorists exaggerated the destructiveness of new weapons so that they might inflate their power to keep the peace. Sherry also draws a link between the nature of nineteenth century war and the popular perceptions. In the civilian imagination wars were short, and although bloody for a few days, relatively cheap. (The American Civil War was generally overlooked or seen as an aberration.) They took this as substantive evidence that their theories were correct. These two factors combined to lay the groundwork for consideration of air bombardment of civilian population centers. Their logic suggested that if war was inevitable, then a short war is best. The best way to have a short war is to use terrible weapons quickly and be done with the matter. With these thoughts in mind the world entered WWI.
Sherry deals only briefly with World War One, but the treatment is important. It is important not for what was learned, but for what the world did not learn from the first war involving significant numbers of aircraft. During World War One both Germany and Great Britain experimented with the first strategic bombing raids. These raids were not the result of military theories regarding civilian production and demoralization. They occurred as a series of raids then reprisals motivated by popular civilian demand for vengeance on both sides. No specific targets beyond "the enemy" were sought or targeted, hatred was the primary motive in a Europe locked in a stalemated war. The lesson that was missed was that bombing civilian population centers does not necessarily result in panic, chaos and surrender.
During the 1920's America and Europe underwent what Sherry calls "The Age of Prophecy" with regard to military aviation theory. The two most significant events of this period were the 1921 sinking of a battleship by Colonel Billy Mitchell and the 1927 solo trans-Atlantic flight by Charles Lindbergh. Sherry sees these two events as uniting to form, in the American national psyche, a positive opinion towards aircraft as expressions of individualism in the wake of mass warfare. Americans, a people that had never been bombed from the air, saw aircraft as marvelous inventions. They tied grand prophecies to the powers of these machines. Together, the effects of cultural imagination and prophecy formed in the American mind a benign image of the airplane. From that image Americans began to see the bomber in a similar light, powerful yet somehow detached from the actual horror that they could potentially inflict. Sherry claims that in this way the military theories and forces required to actually conduct a bombing campaign advanced faster than any debate on the legality or morality of doing so.

Michael Sherry is the first author to seriously examine strategic air warfare and how it is influenced by politics, military tactics, the formulation of a coherent air strategy, popular culture, morality, racism, and the media to name just a few factors. Sherry describes how the U.S. Air Force never formulated an effective air strategy to compel the unconditional of its enemies during World War II. The primary reason cited by Sherry was the false perception of air power being able to completely overwhelm its enemies through the Douhet concept of bombers striking a decisive blow, thereby forcing a countries enemies to capitulate. This resulted in the formulation of U.S. air strategy to become stagnate. This book should be required reading for military pilots and aviators attending the Air War College at Maxwell AFB.

I thought this was a really good book. It explained a lot of things that I had not understood from previous books that I had read. It tells you how to make certain infusions, candles, among other natural magic spells. It offered really good tables, although they are not complete. He offers an excellent bibliography for you to pursue more info to fill in the gaps that he admits leaving. I got a little lost in the last chapter on alchemy. I felt that he could have explained that a little better (I admit that I don't know very much about it). A very good book on the subject.

It's a lovely encyclopeadia that contains archain knowledge of herbs, crystals and other materials atc... Excellent for begginers.

This is defenitly a companion to Scott Cunninghams encyclodida of magical herbs. John Michael Greer not only describes the power of herbs he also goes into other things like the elements, precious stons, crystals, and animals. Remember this is just an encyclopedia but its a really good one.