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The term "power" seems a little missleading. What the book is really about is the origin of Mormon "authority." Specifically, this refers to the concept of Mormon "Priesthood," or the "authority" of Mormon leaders to act in the name of God.
The book addresses how Joseph Smith received this authority, what he did with it, and how it helped to shape early Mormon society and theology.
Joseph's traditional account on how he received this authority from God is addressed, as well as the historical problems and evolution of that account over time.
It also explains how this authority became paramount in his theology. How his belief in this authority gave birth to, "theocratic ethics" (i.e. If God says something is right, it doesn't matter what man says), and to Joseph's being ordained King by his secret council of 50.
The book is well written, heavily annotated (typical of Quinn), and important in pointing out revisions to Mormon scripture as Joseph's traditional account became canonized.
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And i agree with the author that India is going to be a Power in South Asia
As USA and the free World have one thing common with India and that is Democracy and to work hard and live in a civilized world
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Introduction
The concept of Corporate Kinetics (Kinetics meaning movement from the Greek language), is presented in this book as a new business model that evolved from the analysis by the two authors in 1995 of a fundamental shift in pioneering companies, in response to a rapidly changing environment (Fradette & Michaud, 1998). The premise in the author's view is that in order for business to survive in today's age of advanced technology, savvy and demanding customers, and uncertain politics and finance, a business must move at the same pace and be ready to meet the challenge.
Some of the ideas in the book can be identified within well-established motivational theories and organizational models. However, the newness of the model presented in this book is in the potential of "Kinetic" organizations to utilize principles that work such as a clear corporate vision, coupled with worker's passion that grows out of ownership of the vision, translated into immediate actions in response to market changes or customer needs. The old theories are crystallized into a picture of a planned corporate setting that welcomes and encourages change and new opportunities, without loosing sight of why the company exists in the first place.
Book summary
The book is composed of two parts, the first being described as "The Destination", and the second as "The Journey".
Part I - Embrace the power of Corporate Kinetics
Part one of the book begins from the premise that businesses today are faced with unpredictability, changing customer loyalties, and tremendous advances in technology that warrant corporate change to cope, survive, and thrive.
Part II - Follow five concurrent paths to Corporate Kinetics
This section of the book describes the practical steps a company can take to become "Kinetic". The practical steps provide a road map to executives wishing to "convert" their companies into "kinetic" enterprises, or entrepreneurs who are looking to fit in today's business environment.
Commentary
This book caught my eye as I searched for strategic insight, primarily because I am a visual as well as conceptual learner. This book presented more than a total of theories and a plan of action, but a "word picture" that I could "see" with my mind's eye. A Company deeply committed to a vision, with a good strategic plan, but fluid enough to adapt quickly in response to internal or external changes, as identified by a hand-picked workforce, in touch with the real world, and just as committed to the company's vision.
"Kinetic" workers, test their responses to market changes or customer demands by how well they fit the strategic plan, support the vision, and create competitive advantage and corporate health. The motivation for the so called kinetic worker, is a sense of ownership in the company, fueled by a generous reward system and clear understanding of the vision, as well as complete collaboration and access to resources, among all levels in the workforce from the CEO to the front line worker.
It is this worker empowerment and encouragement of innovation that attracted my attention, since they are concepts that I espouse wholeheartedly, the essence of what I find fascinating in this book. Especially impressive were the case histories used that clearly illustrate what a company "in movement" is like, i.e. Kinko's, MTV, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, the US Army, etc. It was evident by the examples that the companies illustrated "fit" the overall picture of the "Kinetic" enterprise as described in the book. The idea is to "step back a minute" to see more clearly what we've missed or where we are going.
Ultimately I feel this type of organization encourages personal growth and societal well being, as well as a healthy corporate structure that can stand the test of time and change.
Conclusion
In my view, rather than finding something entirely new in this book, I found a fresh perspective with a word picture "Kinetics" (stay in movement), to describe in a graspable way the ideal business in today's world. One that moves with the times, focuses on the ever-changing needs of clients, and is willing to change itself, while also acting as an agent of change. It is apparent to the author that all of the elements mentioned in this review are necessary to succeed in creating such an organization. However, the primary elements are servant leadership (leaders and managers rolling up their sleeves and joining workers), and recognition of the front line worker as a mover and innovator (closest to customer needs and market opportunities). Both of these must also be aligned with the primary purpose of customer satisfaction and company well being that is shared by all.
As attractive as this model is however, even these companies must continually renew their efforts to prevent stagnation. Leadership in my opinion is key, since in many organizations denial is still rampant, and corporate change is stifled by hierarchical structures and corporate culture. Personally, I acknowledged as I read this book that as a mini-organization, home life also needs to become "kinetic" to some extent. I.e. we must make time for one child at a time, invest in their changing needs, "get into" their environment (the world as it is rather than as we would have it be), and be committed to the overall success of this enterprise we call family however defined by each. Whether running a large corporation or home life, we do well to heed the signs of the times and focus on adapting and seizing the opportunities presented to us, one at a time.
Bottom line, I recommend this book for it's fresh perspective and insight into a complex and ever changing business environment. Good readings!
Asela M. Calhoun, BS, MAOM Student, Azusa Pacific University
This book was extremely readable and insightful. Fradette and Michaud's anecdotal writing style allowed their assertions to really hit home. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to using many of its lessons in my everyday business life.
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Aside from that, I rather liked "Five Equations That Changed The World" and would generally recommend it to the non-technical reader. Michael Guillen's choice of the five equations combines the obvious (Newton and Einstein) with the interesting, more obscure choices of Michael Faraday and Rudolph Clausius.
I especially like the way author Guillen describes the scientific and philosophical worldview into which each of his five geniuses was born. This is critical - because this is not a book about five men; it is a book about five Earth-shattering ideas that changed the way science (and eventually society) looks at the universe.
Extremely interesting is the chapter about Clausius and his formulation of the concept of entropy.
Less interesting to me was the details of each man's life. The author attributes too much importance to incidents in the lives of his subjects that have little bearing on the ideas they developed. It is evident that author Guillen holds to a strongly Judeo-Christian religious point of view. It is important to note that Guillen's religious views appear to have something to do with his selection of subjects and intrudes often in his telling of their lives. The passionate Protestant religious convictions of Faraday and Clausius is something I did not realize. I also never knew that Einstein was an ardent Zionist.
I highly recommend this book to a high school student who has to write an essay about Newton, Bernoulli, Faraday, Clausius, or Einstein. I also recommend it to adults with an interest in the historical evolution of the modern scientific worldview.
I'm pleased to report that Michael Guillen's "Five Equations that Changed the World" falls into this category with ease. The subject matter may not initially attract those for whom "mathematics" is synonymous with "inferiority complex", but speaking as an "almost pure" non-mathematician, this book will appeal to anyone with an interest in history, in the processes of scientific method, or who simply enjoys an absorbing human drama. Additionally, even the most mathematically challenged may finally have their first experience of truly understanding intricate numerical concepts, as well as the thought, experience and effort which go into their creation.
The book details the lives of five historically prominent individuals, from Sir Issac Newton to Einstein, with the central focus of each story being a mathematical principle (and resulting equation) that proved to be their defining and enduring achievement. Guillen doesn't shy away from presenting the numerical concepts in their pure form, or try to take refuge in "layman's terms", but instead allows you to see some of the thought that went into the development of each equation, and in this way ensures that you will understand the concepts that led to the numbers. This process allows the reader to clearly see mathematics as a language that can be used to elegantly summarize complex ideas.
Ultimately though, what is truly astonishing about the book doesn't lie in the five equations, but in the details of the lives of these remarkable men. Each story is filled with the passion, competition, family drama, ill feelings, jealousy, hard work and sheer will that underlies most human endeavours, science not the least. On finishing the book, I found myself wondering for days where people like these are today, people for whom "genius" seems a small and confining definition. There obviously is not space here to provide any details, so I will can only encourage anyone who finds this even mildly intriguing to do themselves a favour and go to the source as soon as possible.
Guillen manages to find that extremely rare balance where, even as you're reading the book, you're marvelling at his ability to maintain an almost perfect mixture of enlightenment and entertainment. This book is one of those rare items (fiction or non-fiction) that is so absorbing that I found myself checking the number of the last page, not because (as so often happens) I wanted to know how much more I had to wade through, but because I just didn't want it to end too quickly. Be warned, though: this book will almost certainly disrupt your life for whatever time period it takes to finish it! Mr. Guillen, I thank you.
Robert Haaf
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Another reviewer said that Dr. Quinn's extensive use of quotes was somehow not a good thing, that it was distracting (?). I found his use of quotes to be extremely useful. Above all, it showed that his research was well founded in the Church's own records.
This is a tremenduous work and I'd highly recommend it to anyone seeking to understand how the Mormon Church really works.
Extensions of Power is actually several books. It is topically arranged to consider more or less controversial aspects of the church leadership-violence, involvement in politics, etc. It also includes, as the earlier companion volume did, hundreds of pages of notes and a detailed chronology of church activities from 1848 to 1996. We are afforded a glimpse into the complex personalities, power factions, and challenges of maintaining, growing and adapting a religious movement to a constantly changing and evolving U. S. and world culture. I was by turns frustrated with church leadership and empathetic with them in their struggle to understand and accommodate 'the world' without losing their unique identity. I was also able to see how present problems have their roots in the past, and the futile efforts of those leaders--such as Gordon B. Hinckley and Boyd K. Packer--who would like to bury the past.
Mormonism is a religion which was established and grew during historical, literate times, and leaders and members must come to terms with the difficulties of their history. Despite Correlation committees, Strengthening the Members Committees and million dollar public relations and marketing campaigns, and particularly since the advent of the internet, historical problems will not go away. For the questioning believer or the student of religions and U. S. history, Dr. Quinn's book is a very useful tool in understanding how the present Mormon church came to be.
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The information provided by another reader is true--the information about George Washington is completely in Error in "The Occult Conspiracy." I have posted the same information in clubs, but I forgot to return to this review and Update my findings.
"A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry," by A.E. Waite & other sources discount much of the material in "The Occult Conspiracy."
However, this books is useful as a reference book/bibliography.
The viewpoint of this book is rather vague, and is not easy to pick up right away. There is an apparent conflict between traditional religion, especially Christianity and its largest sect, Catholicism, and secret, esoteric teachings as propounded by different groups linked together through the millenia with similar beliefs and objectives: Gnosticism, Manicheanism, Knights Templar, Rosicrucians, Freemasons, the Illuminati and radical leftism in the 1800s and 1900s. These secret societies have different doctrines, but they are all opposed to traditional Christianity, especially in their endorsement of a universal religion, one world government, the "feminine principle" of God, and the abolition of traditional religious, cultural and ethnic ties. "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity" is their catchphrase. The great events of the past 250 years have their roots in secret society intrigue and have adopted occult symbolism: the American Revoloution, French Revoloution, rise of the British Empire, German Nationalism, Marxism, Russian Revoloution, Nazism, formation of the UN, New Age movement, 1960's radicalism, and the rise of today's "post-Christian" society. All the tumult, it is supposed, is caused by the advent of the Age of Aquarius (supposedly to take place in 2025) which will, in the mind of occultists, usher in a humanist utopia on earth.
There are a lot of flaws with this book. The author fails to give the book any real sort of context, except for its mystical pinko-liberalism. It rather posists a "conspiracy against the vast right-wing conspiracy" and claims that the secret society members are crusaders for human freedom against the oppression of Christianity and the old world order.