Privilege, Power, and Difference

Book Description

This brief book is a groundbreaking tool for students and non-students alike to examine systems of privilege and difference in our society. Written in an accessible, conversational style, Johnson links theory with engaging examples in ways that enable readers to see the underlying nature and consequences of privilege and their connection to it. This extraordinarily successful book has been used across the country, both inside and outside the classroom, to shed light on issues of power and privilege.

Allan Johnson has worked on issues of social inequality since receiving his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Michigan in 1972. He has more than thirty years of teaching experience and is a frequent speaker on college and university campuses. Johnson has earned a reputation for writing that is exceptionally clear and explanations of complex ideas that are accessible to a broad audience.

Customer Reviews:

Best book on these issues!.......2007-07-22

This book is easy to read and gets to the heart of the matter where Privilege, Power, and Difference make a difference in our culture and in our quality of life. Highly recommended reading for anyone!

Great insights.......2006-10-30

This is a great book that will ennable you to see aspects of our culture that are so interwoven in our everyday experience that we're not even aware of them. It helped me see what we take for granted and understand what we can all do to make changes in our society so that it will become a place where people are truly equal. We all need to read this book and become more aware so things can change to become a more compassionate, just society.

Not Happy.......2006-04-19

This book was assigned to me in my Criminal Justice class. It is very easily readable but FULL of mis-represented statistics and mis-quoted quotes.

This book has a major tone of shame directed at white americans. Mr. Johnson even attacks the American capitolist system, insenuating that it is a racist system.

This book is biased and very opinionated but the authors writing style mimics that of facts and statistics.

NOT recommended, especially for easily impressionable. I am very disapointed that this book is being used "unbiased, true, and factual" education tool.

Amazing book!.......2005-09-05

In this book, the author describes how the world works. It can all be summed up by this sentence in his book:

"The trouble that surrounds difference is really about privilege and power - the existence of privilege and the lopsided distribution of power that keeps it going."

Differences include, class, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability...and the list goes on.

If you like to educate yourself; if you crave an understanding of the way things work; if you love to read, get this book. You won't regret it. It's written beautifully; in sort of a conversation tone. I swear I was just going to take a nap, and as I lied in bed and started reading this, I couldn't fall asleep because I didn't want to stop reading. So go out there and get this book! I know you'll love it. I'm falling in love with this amazing sociologist. He's easily becoming a favorite. This book is changing my life already, and I guarantee it will change yours.

Superb, non-threatening and helpful.......2005-07-16

As an instructor working in the Humanities, finding non-threatening ways to talk about privilege, whiteness, and/or racism is very challenging. As I read the negative reviews, I am even more aware of how difficult it is to get these ideas across without being accused of self-hatred, etc. In an effort to encourage positive self reflection on these complex issues, I have read many of the foundation works Dr. Johnson mentions. His recapituation of these ideas is indeed gentle. One of the best things he does is make it possible for individuals to recognize that, while they may have unearned entitlements in one area, they may not have them in another. In this way, it is possible for practically everyone to recognize the feeling of being an outsider and this can lead to a compassion and understanding that has NOTHING TO DO with guilt. This work can create a bridge. As an instructor in the area of cultural studies, I often must challenge individuals who believe feeling guilty is all they can do. It isn't. Dr. Johnson gives us actions that we as individuals can actually engage. BTW the chapter on Capitalism is elegant dynamite.
If you are open to the possibility that things can get better through a personal self-reflective understanding of our socio-economic location, read this book. If not, don't waste your time.

The Women of Windsor: Their Power, Privilege, and Passions

Average customer rating:

A FACILE FOLLY
Windsor "Lite" Indeed
They actually DO like men!!!!!!
Same old history, poorly repackaged. It's Windsor 101 (again).
A Right Royal Good Read

The Women of Windsor: Their Power, Privilege, and Passions
Catherine Whitney
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Life with the Queen
The Firm: The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor
Philip and Elizabeth: Portrait of a Royal Marriage
The Diana Chronicles
After Diana: William, Harry, Charles, and the Royal House of Windsor

ASIN: 0060765852
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Book Description

Who are the women of Windsor?

Queen Elizabeth: Born to duty, adored by her parents, she swore as a teenager to serve her country above all else . . . and she has lived up to her promise, even when her crown has been a burden.

Elizabeth, the Queen Mother: Hitler was afraid of her, the English people adored her. Her kind, sparkling blue eyes and cheerful manner belied a backbone of steel.

Princess Margaret: Beautiful, talented, vivacious, and complex, the Diana of her day. But the promise of her youth was destroyed when she was betrayed by her sister, now the queen, who needlessly forced her to give up the man she loved.

Princess Anne: Hardworking, hard-headed, and hot-tempered, arguably the most intelligent of the queen's four children and her father's favorite—yet she is forever forced to take second place to her older brother, Charles.

Catherine Whitney takes readers behind the palace doors to give us an intimate glimpse into the private lives of the women of the British royal family—four women who have shaped the world, each in her own way. Now, at last, their stories can be told.

Customer Reviews:

A FACILE FOLLY.......2007-06-17

THE WOMEN OF WINDSOR has numerous inaccuracies...to confuse this book with a carefully researched history would be a major mistake for the serious reader. It is not true that Edward VIII "took the name of Edward when he came to the throne", Edward was the first of his given seven names, David being the last and employed by the royal famiy. The author tell us that the Duke of Edinburgh had Michael Parker stand as best man at the wedding...no indeed... the best man was a Mountbatten cousin, David, Marquess of Milford Haven. The Duchy of Cornwall is NOT amongst the Queen's estates...her income derives from the Duchy of Lancaster...Cornwall belongs to The Prince of Wales. Barbara Cartland is not "the step- grandmother of Diana's step- mother, Raine"...Cartland was Raine's mother, thus Diana's step grandmother. The author indulges in a tirade against the eulogy given by Earl Spencer at Diana's funeral, omitting the fact that the congregation and thousands gathered outside the Abbey cheered his words. This poorly researched book was a disappointment. This book is facile, it is a folly.

Windsor "Lite" Indeed.......2007-03-21

Having said that, and speaking as an Anglophile, I still found the book hard to put down. It doesn't purport to be an in-depth history of any of these women and the only revelation that was new to me was the fact that Princess Margaret could indeed have married Peter Townsend after all by merely giving up her place in the royal line of succession. I did note with dismay, however, that the author stated Prince William's birthday as June 22 when in fact it is June 21. Might that mean there are other, more serious, errors?

If you're looking for juicy bits of gossip, this is not for you but if you want a short walk through the House of Windsor, I would add this to my reading list.

They actually DO like men!!!!!!.......2006-11-08

As an English Expat I thought the book quite well written and all in all quite fair tho I think this author did not do full justice to our hardworking Princess Royal by dragging up the old chestnut about her not being attractive. I saw Princess Anne in her 20,s and she was stunning, not chocolate box pretty like Princess Diana but a truly regal beauty and of course like most of the Windsor Women she does not photograph well.She was and still is very attractive to men. speaking of which I really do think Ms Whitney did a total hatchet job on the Windsor men especially The Prince of Wales whose Princes Trust is one of the best charities in the World, He is a wonderful man.

Same old history, poorly repackaged. It's Windsor 101 (again)........2006-10-18

Don't be deceived by the cover of this book. This is the same old Windsor tale, written in a light and breezy manner. The idea of focusing specifically on these four women is an interesting idea, but the author only seems to remember the point in the last chapter. Instead, what we get is a pretty good portrait of the Queen Mother's early years, and then plow right into Windsor Lite-- standard fare, but certainly nothing new. A good book for starters, but don't be deceived here-- Princess Margaret and Princess Anne are not studied to any degree of depth, nor is Queen Elizabeth II probed and examined as any solid biography would demand.

Interestingly, Diana is in full force throughout the second half of the book because of her obvious impact on the Windsors. Also examined to some degree is Wallis Simpson, and this is important-- although she's an ambiguous character, her impact on the royals was perhaps greater than any other woman in that she literally shifted the course of the accession-- assuming Edward VIII was capable of fathering children, in which case the crown would have fallen to Elizabeth II anyway (as George V well knew).

Nearly invisible in the book is the indomitable Queen Mary, very much a Windsor, and largely responsible for setting the tone of the royal court in the first half of the 20th century-- and for moulding her granddaughter, Elizabeth, into the monarch she is today. This was probably some sort of marketing scheme-- the idea of putting the most well known women on the cover must have been too appealing. And sadly, the intelligent, complex and duty-bound Princess Anne, who truly does deserve a body of work dedicated to her own life, gets little more than superfluous treatment (as does Princess Margaret, who is basically written off as misunderstood, but superfluous in her own right-- haven't we heard all this before?).

Think of this book as Windsor Lite, a current "simple history" starting with Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon's youth and teen years, through her marriage to Bertie and ultimate accession to Queen Consort, through the highs of the coronation and declines of the 80s, ending with the death of Princess Diana. Nothing new here, and disappointing treatment of women who should be examined far more closely, but a decent job for those just getting to know the history of the royal family in the current century. Otherwise, move on.

A Right Royal Good Read.......2006-05-31

The book highlights the Queen, the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret and Princess Anne. And don't worry Diana fans. She is sprinkled in the pages also. Highly recommend this book.

House of Hilton: From Conrad to Paris: A Drama of Wealth, Power, and Privilege

Average customer rating:

14...this is not a kid's review.
A fun read but not all all(ways) about Paris
Not Quite What I Expected.
House of Hilton
House of '2 Kathies and Uncle Nick"

House of Hilton: From Conrad to Paris: A Drama of Wealth, Power, and Privilege
Jerry Oppenheimer
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Paris Hilton: The Naked Truth

ASIN: 0307337227
Release Date: 2006-11-07

Book Description

This intimate, shocking—and thoroughly unauthorized—portrait of the Hiltons chronicles the family’s amazing odyssey from poverty and obscurity to glory and glamour.

From Conrad Hilton, the eccentric “innkeeper to the world” who built a global empire beginning with a fleabag in a dusty Texas backwater, to Paris Hilton, his great-granddaughter, whose fame took off with a sex video, House of Hilton is the unauthorized, eye-popping portrait of one of America’s most outrageous dynasties.

If you want to know how Paris Hilton became who she is, you have to know where she came from. From scores of candid and exclusive interviews, from private documents and public records, New York Times bestselling author Jerry Oppenheimer has dug deeply into her paternal and maternal family roots to reveal the often shocking, tragic, and comic lives that helped shape the world’s most famous and fabulous “celebutante.”

The cast of characters includes Paris’s maternal grandmother, a materialistic “stage mother from hell.” There is Paris’s maternal grandfather, who became an alcoholic housepainter. The life of Paris’s mother, Kathy Hilton, groomed by her mother to be a star and marry rich, is candidly revealed, too, as is that of Paris’s father, Rick, Conrad’s grandson.

Paris’s tabloid antics are truly in the Hilton tradition. Set against a glittery Hollywood backdrop—with appearances by stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Natalie Wood, and Joan Collins—House of Hilton brings to light a cornucopia of closely held Hilton family secrets and sexual peccadilloes, such as the many affairs and the nightclub-brawling, boozing, and pill-popping life of Paris’s great-uncle, Nick Hilton. The story of his hellish marriage to Liz Taylor alone rivals any of today’s Hollywood breakups.

Behind it all was Conrad Hilton, who built his worldwide empire through the Great Depression while others were jumping out of windows. A devout Catholic publicly, his personal life was that of an unrepentant sinner. His first marriage was to Mary Barron Hilton, a sexy, hard-drinking, gambling Kentucky teenager half Conrad’s age. Wife number two was the gorgeous Zsa Zsa, who, like Paris, was famous for being famous. Their tumultuous marriage and headline-making divorce are revealed here in all their juicy glory.

In all, House of Hilton is a gripping American saga, from the fire and passions that built a business empire to the debauchery and amorality passed on from one generation to the next.

Customer Reviews:

14...this is not a kid's review........2007-07-17

This book is about Paris Hilton's grandparents, parents, and aunts. It includes the grandparent's ex-wives and husbands as well.If you want to know the history of the Hiltons then you should definately by this book. It mentions Paris in the book, but it definately isn't just about her. This is a good book.

A fun read but not all all(ways) about Paris.......2007-04-04

The house of hilton does give justice on depicting the characters of Paris' Grandmother and great uncle (Nick Hilton - the one that married Liz Taylor) however it does not shed a lot of light on Paris Hilton and her Parents' life. We see that she gets her "I need to be the center of attention and in the spotlight at all times" demeanor from maternal grandma Big Kathy. All in all, I thought the book was a really easy read. I'm just curious as to how Paris would fill in her occupation on her tax forms. Is there an option for 24/7/365 days party animal socialite. I am fascinated by how she made a marketing brand for herself. The going rates to have Paris make an appearance at your party approx $200K..As to how she got to be so marketable? -- being a victim of a popular sex video that was fuzzy and was a popular download? I'm not sure I'd be proud of that.

Not Quite What I Expected........2007-04-03

When I first picked up HOUSE OF HILTON to read, I thought it was going to be a juicy tell-all about Paris Hilton and her family, especially her parents and the famous lineage back to her great-grandfather who started the whole Hilton Hotel chain. Though some of that is in the book, there is a lot missing and the stories aren't as interesting as I thought they might be.

The book is divided into two major parts. The first section looks at Paris' family on her maternal side while the second section of the book examines the lives of Paris' great-grandfather Conrad and her great-uncle Nick Hilton. The work is bookend by some stories about Paris and a few anecdotes about her sister Nicky. It then follows the life of Paris' mother Kathy Richards and her grandmother "Big" Kathy Dugan Avanzino Richards Catain Fenton. The second half of the book examines how Conrad Hilton built his hotel empire and his very eccentric lifestyle, including his contrary religious devotion and playboy lifestyle. The last part of the book takes an in-depth look at Conrad's son, Nick who lived a lifestyle that parallels Paris'.

I can understand why the book looks at the Paris Hilton's maternal heritage because by examining the lives of her mother and maternal grandmother one can see where Paris learned her sense of entitlement and her gold-digging ways. I realize that much of this information about Paris Hilton's maternal legacy has never been collected together, but I found much of it to be repetitive and not all that interesting. The second half of the book held my attention better. However, as with the first part of the book there is a great deal lacking. The last fourth of the book is all about Nick Conrad, Paris Hilton's great-uncle. Nick was a flagrant playboy and gained fame much the same way that Paris has, simply by using his wealth to become famous. Nick Hilton lived a very wild and interesting life and it makes for a good read and also serves as an example of the heritage that Paris has been given. However, Nick was Paris' great-uncle. The book hardly mentions Paris grandfather Barron, her other great uncle, or even her father. I don't know if it's because their lives were so much more mundane than the other members of the family or what. However, I would have really enjoyed reading something about them because they are more closely related to Paris than Nick was.

The book includes some pictures that help put faces to many of the people the book talks about including several of family member (such as Big Kathy) that most people have never heard of or seen before.

Overall, HOUSE OF HILTON is an okay read. It is filled with facts and tidbits about the Hilton family. It starts off quite slow, but picks up in the second half. Yet, it's not as juicy as I was led to believe. Recommended for people who have a major or invested interest in the Hilton family or anyone who enjoys reading about families of the rich and famous.

House of Hilton.......2007-04-03

House of Hilton
By Jerry Oppenheimer

Do you want to know why Paris is the way she is? Then this
book may be perfect for you because it explain the Hilton history.
However to be honest, House of Hilton was not my favorite book. I got
this book because I wanted to learn more about Paris and since the
cover said from Conrad to Paris, I thought there would be quite a bit
of information about her in it. I was disappointed they spent so much
time on other people in the family. This was an unauthorized biography which talked about all of the Hiltons and it spent more time talking about the rest of the family.

Paris is one of my favorite stars and I wanted to learn more about
her. This book showed that most of her family is wild and it is in her
blood. Conrad Hilton was the businessman who made the Hiltons what
they are today - rich hotel people. Her grandmother was a stage mother
and her grandfather an alcoholic. Her Uncle Nick made Paris look calm
since he had affairs, used drugs, and got drunk and got into fights.
Most of the Hiltons married more than once. The book talked about
other people but it was hard to follow who was who at times.

I did learn Paris went from school to school and was allowed to run
wild a lot. She got into trouble when she was young and she barely
got a degree. However she is a good business person and managed to
make money modeling and singing but she got famous from her sex tape.

Jerry Oppenheimer has written a few biographies about a few famous
people some authorized, some weren't. In this book Jerry Oppenheimer
spoke to many people who knew the Hiltons and used a lot of periodical
resources to research this book.

This book explained a lot about the family but I had wanted to read
more about Paris and her sister. This book really went into everyone
else in the family more then them. I did not care about some of the
extended family and was disappointed because of this.

House of '2 Kathies and Uncle Nick".......2007-01-24

This book is totally mis-named. It gives very little inside about the 'House of Hilton' as the public and hotel professionals would see it. It seems as if the author was indeed influenced by the powers-that-are, and it appears strongly that he changed course on more than one occasion for reasons known/unknown.

As the published product comes across, the author picks mostly on Paris Hilton's grandmother (Big Kathy), which is no longer amongst the living, and then on Conrad's oldest son, Nick, which is also amongst the dead. Other than that Nick would be the great-uncle of the current media 'bore', there is no connection whatsoever between these two (2) main characters of the book.

That Conrad Hilton liked the girls has never been a secret at all. He made his pursuits with humor, charm and much class. That he is made out as a cheapscate, which he was not at all, must have come from the line of 'Big Kathy'; but then again, good, old Connie is dead as well...

Erich E.

Who Really Matters: The Core Group Theory of Power, Privilege, and Success

Average customer rating:

A philosophical approach to power in organizations
THE BOOK on organizational politics
excellent on the craft of intervention
A brilliant confrontation with the realities of power.
weLEAD Book Review from leadingtoday.org

Who Really Matters: The Core Group Theory of Power, Privilege, and Success
Art Kleiner
Manufacturer: Currency
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385484488
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Book Description

In a breakthrough Organization Man for the twenty-first century, bestselling author Art Kleiner reveals that every organization is driven by a desire to satisfy a Core Group of influential individuals and explains why understanding this group’s expectations is the key to success.

When corporate leaders announce, with seeming sincerity, “We make our decisions on behalf of our shareholders,” their words are taken at face value. But as recent news stories prove, this imperative is routinely violated. In Who Really Matters, Art Kleiner argues that the dissonance between a declared mission and actual operation can be seen at organizations large and small. All organizations have one motive in common. Every decision—which projects to back, who to promote, or how to spend money—is affected by the perceived wants and needs of a core group of people “who really matter.”

The composition of the group can differ from organization to organization. Often, the most senior people in the hierarchy are members—but not always. Sometimes, the people who “matter” can extend far down the corporate ladder, or even reach outside the company to include key customers, labor union leaders, and stockholders. Kleiner gives readers clues about how to identify a core group’s real mission by observing its day-to-day actions, listening to the fundamental message it sends employees, examining its management of new members; understanding the ideas that shape its policies about management, money, and the way the world works; and avoiding the taboos governing the way it operates.

Whether you’re a member of the Core Group—or want to be—this deft, engaging blend of argument and observation, anecdotes and advice, is the one guide you’ll need to achieve your career goals and aspirations by navigating the hidden pathways in any organization, large or small.

Customer Reviews:

A philosophical approach to power in organizations.......2007-04-25

I have always enjoyed Kleiner's writing and this book is no exception. Whether his "theory" is thoroughly researched or tightly validated is not the point. The "core group" or "who really matters" in an organization is a reality we all live with at some level. His book is more a commentary about what we may already know but have not been able to verbalize -- Kleiner puts those words out there for us.

This is not a book of instruction with "how-to" steps but more of a book that will spark your thinking and provide you an opportunity to analyze your situation and how it might/could be better. His "diagnostic exercises" are a series of question to help you guide you through a process of uncovering and improveing your core group.

Especially helpful is the admonition not to be a core group enabler, a person who keeps dysfunctional core groups going even though they know it is wrong. A powerful admonition to embrace your freedom to choose in the midst of pressures to conform.

THE BOOK on organizational politics.......2005-08-14

Who really matters is the first practical guide to corporate politics I have read. Sure there are lots of books about corporate politics, complete with Cosmo Magazine style self assessments. But these pale in comparison to Kleiner's systematic review and dissection of the issue.

Many people wonder what is really going on in corporate politics and how some good people can never seem to break into the leadership team. Call it a clique, or a core group, this book shows how and why these groups form and why some success is based on "who you know" rather than "what you know".

I found Kliener's observation that many entreprenuers start their own companies in part to start their own core groups particularly interesting.

What puts this book over the top for me is the diagnostic questions and points it raises on who is in the core group, what it is about, and how you can work with it

This is a must read for anyone starting a new job, transferring, or wanting to break through that glass ceiling.

excellent on the craft of intervention.......2005-03-30

This book offers a great bunch of descriptions of organizational predicaments, and keeps a steady focus on the individual with great expectations - what can that person really accomplish in a large organization without actually getting to run it? By the time I got to chapter 23 I saw that I'd committed almost every one of the mistakes Kleiner lists - bullying the core group, badmouthing them, fleeing into a slapdash Skunk Works, fomenting revolution . . . There's quite a bit to say about what's so valuable about the book, but I especially admire its insight into the ethics and the craft of intervention. Once you read the precise anatomies of organizational situations you've been suffering, I think you'll be especially convinced by Kleiner's explanations of why carefully constructed intervention is the only path that leads anywhere in the world of organizations. The book is full of good ideas about what effective intervention looks like and how it becomes possible. It took me a long time to be in a position to be able to appreciate the depth of what this book is saying, and I am convinced that it will offer readers a short-cut that I wish I'd had.

A brilliant confrontation with the realities of power........2005-02-24

The book is written around a simple but powerful idea. Whatever their public stance, organisations are in fact run by and for the benefit of a core group. At best, this is the source of a dynamic that produces great benefits for all players. At worst, it leads to a primary purpose of extracting wealth from all other constituents for the benefit of members of the core group.

As developed in the author's highly readable style, this deceptively simple idea produces extremely valuable insights into the dynamics that actually drive organisations and the great issues involved in ensuring that these organisations, the society in which they are embedded and the physical environment on which both depend live in reasonable harmony. (It is interesting that, almost in passing, the author deals a deathblow to the outdated notion of Adam Smith's 'invisible hand' on which the neo-conservatives still rest their political and economic philosophy.)

Interestingly, the fact that the idea appears 'new' and yields a genuinely useful and sometimes surprising perspective on these great issues is itself a product of the evolution of organizations. If the same theory had been put forward when family businesses were dominant, it would have been too obvious to merit comment, (and each small enterprise would also have been governed, however imperfectly, by the 'invisible hand'). Kleiner has chosen to study organisations which:
* have become so large that they are political entities rivalling many governments, and in which the study of power and its exercise has all the complexities of wider political theory
* operate within a wider system of societal governance, but are able to treat with the wider government almost as independent sovereign powers - and are often large enough to challenge, change or ignore it to their own benefit
* overtly reject (with a very few, very interesting exceptions) the notion of democracy within the organisation. Real power (as distinct from the often purely formal power of a Board member) is obtained and exercised through processes that are seldom transparent, not always legitimate, and therefore only very imperfectly accountable. (The parallels to a medieval court are startling, and it is a bit surprising that Machiavelli is not cited in the bibliography.)

These are the organizations that dominate our global economy. Most of them are American, so it is valuable that that the study is by an author with an intimate knowledge of American business culture.

The book explores three broad themes:
* the nature, structure and dynamics of core groups
* at the micro level, relations within the organisation - the 'ins', the 'outs' and the 'wannabes' and how they interact
* at the macro level, the relationship between the organisation and wider society

Most of book is an exploration of the structure and dynamics of core groups, their virtues and defects and the consequences for success and even survival of the various strengths and pathologies encountered among them. There is an interesting 'bestiary' of core group types, such as the distinction between an 'extended core group' (attempts at moderate or radical inclusiveness) and 'Welchism' (overt pursuit of a tight-knit inner circle, hopefully a meritocracy, but often degenerating into cronyism or worse.) There is also, towards the end (Chapter 23), what could be called a guide to revolutionaries - some advice on how an outer group might work to transform - or infiltrate - a core group.

At the micro level it goes into detail on who makes up the core, how does a core group emerge, how does one get in, and the appropriate behaviour (in their own self-interest) of 'ins', 'outs' and 'wannabes'.

A sub-theme of the book, based on recognition that the vast majority of employees are and will remain 'outs', is the notion of the 'employee of mutual consent' with sage advice on what such employees can do either to remain happily with the organization or to ensure that, on parting, they take with them suitably marketable or protective wealth, skills and reputation. The central message is to reinforce the need to take an independent view of your own career. (Kleiner, whether consciously or not, focuses on what can best be called the 'managerial class'. It is interesting to compare his advice with the harsher view of the reality of present-day employment in Beynon: Managing Employment Change: The New Realities of Work, which has a somewhat stronger focus on 'blue collar' and supervisory staff).

At the macro level, the book touches on the the great issues of how one ensures that the interests of the core group are and remain consonant with those of society at large. Essentially this has two elements: corporate governance and the formal relationship between private organizations and government (as manifest in regulatory bodies and regulation). This is covered mainly in two short chapters, 24 on corporate governance and 26 on the body politic, but is also mentioned in chapter 19 on government agencies.

These are subjects of great importance - perhaps of the greatest importance, and hopefully the author will return to them. One of the really interesting questions is what it is that causes one core group to ignore or ride roughshod over these wider issues, while another embraces the issue of sustainability thoroughly, effectively - and profitably. Kleiner discusses this briefly in his chapter 25 The Cycle of Noble Purpose, and the business case for sustainability is developed in some detail in Holliday et al: Walking the Talk: The Business Case for Sustainable Development.

Those who want to pursue the issue of corporate governance further would do well to look at Cadbury, Adrian: Corporate Governance and Chairmanship, A Personal View. Sir Adrian Cadbury chaired the UK government review of corporate governance and his book compares European, UK and American governance requirements and traditions. One of the problems that he and Kleiner both highlight is the fact that, in the USA, the CEO is often also Chairman and Board members may be little more than a cheer squad for the Chairman/CEO. Cadbury's views on sound governance and the distinctive role of independent board members are very relevant to Kleiner's concerns on governance.

Similarly, any view of the relationship between organizations and government needs to reach beyond the USA, to compare the very different 'flavours' of capitalism in, say, Germany, France, Singapore, Sweden and the UK. Of them all, American capitalism is the most hostile to the role of government, a fact that is probably not unrelated to the spate of high profile scandals that have beset it. Having said that, the ideas of American authors such as Hawken: (The Ecology of Commerce. and Natural Capitalism.), Harman: (The New Business of Business.), and, more radically, Korten: (When Corporations Rule the World. and The Post-Corporate World: Life after Capitalism.) provide pointers toward a more constructive relationship.

weLEAD Book Review from leadingtoday.org.......2004-12-22

Jim Collins, author of Good to Great and co-author of Built To Last, says, "Art Kleiner has uncovered a central truth about the way organizations work." Every decision, such as who gets the promotion or how to spend money, is affected by the perceived wants and needs of a group of people who are the genuine heart of an organization. This group, called the Core Group, is usually made up of most, but not all, of the people at the top of the organization chart. It may also include others. A Core Group might be huge, or it might be small. But be sure, if you have an organization, you will have a Core Group.

A Core Group guides and controls the organization. Core Groups are informal networks of key people who set the direction of the organization. Only rarely will a secretary or aide rise to the level of Core Group member. Usually they stand as gatekeepers to the real Core Group members.

The vast majority of employees are outside the Core Group. They make up "employees of mutual consent." These are people who feel their jobs require them to protect the position and status of the Core Group. The Core Group may consist of tenured faculty, established executives, or whoever the bureaucracy might be. The needs and wants of the Core Group actually come first, despite lip service that "the student comes first" or "the customer comes first."

In fluid organizations membership in the Core Group shifts from year to year, while in other types of organizations, such as family firms, membership of the Core Group is fixed enough to last for generations. When times get tough, sometimes a Core Group is streamlined, as in the case of "Welchism." Jack Welch was brought in as CEO of GE in 1981 to turn the organization around. He redefined the Core Group at GE-from a large body of employees with lifelong membership to a very small group of people whose membership is permanently insecure. Those in the new Core Group were expected to have the same brash, hard-driving, energetic personality that Welch himself has.

Occasionally one finds an organization where the chief executive is barely a member of the Core Group. For instance, Art Kleiner points out that in some universities nothing happens without the approval of long-standing tenured faculty members in critical departments. The president or dean has a limited term or limited power, and if he or she tries to change the organization, people simply say yes but ignore the changes. A dean may ask, "What is the difference between a tenured faculty member and a terrorist? You can negotiate with a terrorist."

In rare cases, such as Southwest Airlines, Scientific Applications (SAIG), Toyota, or St. Lukes Advertising Agency in London, an organization may have an expanded Core Group, where everyone's welfare and development is one of the entire organization's priorities. However, an "Expanded-Core Group" organization is difficult to create and maintain. This is because it must continually refine and expand the financial and learning-and-development structures, trying to make them more transparent and inclusive.

The author explains why more organizations don't follow the model of Toyota or Southwest Airlines. It is "because it would require most Core Group members to fundamentally change-not just what they say, but how they think, how they are paid, how they carry themselves, and how they build relationships." He then points out that most Core Group members have an unconscious vested interest in keeping themselves and their organization going in the same pattern of basic management. They have invested their careers, their habits, their thinking, and their feeling in an organization that maintains its current Core Group form.

Art Kleiner is a talented and seasoned writer. He worked as a collaborator with MIT lecturer Peter Senge, helping him conceive and edit his best seller, The Fifth Discipline. He later collaborated with Senge to produce the follow-up Fifth Discipline Fieldbook series which included The Dance of Change and Schools That Learn. He is a contributing editor at strategy+business magazine and the author of The Age of Heretics, which was a runner-up for the Edgar G. Booz Award for the most innovative business book of 1996. Who Really Matters is destined to be another significant contribution to this body of knowledge!

Review By Dr. J. Howard Baker

Truth and Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power

Average customer rating:

Dan Rather haters should be forced to read this.
Excellent expose. Factual and filled with detailed insight.
Funny Title
A riveting, well-written and revealing look at a news industry more influenced by profit and politics than principle and truth.
All hail, Queen of journalism standards

Truth and Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power
Mary Mapes
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 031235195X
Release Date: 2005-11-08

Book Description

For twenty-five years, Mary Mapes has been an award-winning television producer and reporterthe last fifteen of them for CBS News, principally for The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and 60 Minutes. She had the bedrock respect of her peersin the last year alone, she broke the story of the Abu Ghraib prison tortures (which won CBS The Peabody Award) and the existence of Strom Thurmonds illegitimate bi-racial daughter Essie Mae Washington. But it was Dan Rathers lightning rod of a story on George W. Bushs National Guard Service that brought Mapes into an unwanted limelight. The firestorm that followed the broadcast led not only to Mapes being fired and Rathers stepping down from his anchor chair a year early, but to an unprecedented internal inquiry into the storychaired by former Reagan Attorney General Richard Thornburgh. But this, it turns out, is only part of the story. In this book, Mapes talks for the first time about the riveting behind-the-scenes action at CBS, as well as exposing: Groundbreaking new details on Bushs Guard career Information from the independent internal review The connection between a controversial news story and a corporation under fire from the federal government An emergence of digital McCarthysim as conservative bloggers manipulate the Internet How news organizations are collapsing under politicaland commercialpressures. Peopled with a historic and colorful cast of charactersfrom Karl Rove to Sumner Redstone to John Kerry to Col. Bobby Hodgesthis groundbreaking book about how the news is made (and unmade) will be making news this fall. My story of George W. Bushs Guard service had run on 60 Minutes the night before, and I felt it had been a solid piece. We had worked under tremendous pressure because of the short timeframe and the explosive content, but wed made our deadline and more importantly, wed made newsI got congratulatory emails, phone calls, and pats on the back. Other reporters called repeatedly as they worked to catch up to my story. I was thrilled. All that changed about 11 AM, when I first got word that a handful of conservative web sites were saying that the documents had been forged. I was incredulous. That couldnt be possible. Even the White House hadnt attempted to deny the truth of the documents. In fact, the Presidents spokesman Dan Bartlett had claimed that the documents supported their version of events: then-Lieutenant Bush had asked for permission to leave the unit. Within a few minutes, I was online visiting web sites I had never heard of before: Free Republic, Little Green Footballs, Powerline.

Customer Reviews:

Dan Rather haters should be forced to read this........2007-02-16

There was absolutely nothing wrong that Dan Rather did in this episode.
The ultra right wing media of which CBS is a part of totally distorted this
episode.
Finally the truth is told by the woman who produced the National Guard
Story of 2004.
Most people know now what a disgraceful person President Bush is.

Excellent expose. Factual and filled with detailed insight........2006-11-06

I didn't know what to expect when I first read this book. After reading it and cross checking several verifiable facts I was astounded at the sheer arrogance that the priviliged wealthy families displayed by circumventing their citizens duty to serve in our military in a time of war. Nothing surprises me anymore as far as the total corrupt, treasonous behaviour of this family and their ilk.

Great book. Buy it, read it and tell all your friends about it.

Amen.

Funny Title.......2006-09-08

Shouldn't this book be called "I was wrong, and I'm sorry?"
What arrogance.

A riveting, well-written and revealing look at a news industry more influenced by profit and politics than principle and truth........2006-09-02

Ms. Mapes is an excellent writer. I couldn't put the book down. Of course, I would expect nothing less from a successful television news producer/reporter with over 25 years of award-winning experience under her belt. A career that includes the breaking of the history-changing story of the Abu Ghraib prison torture for which she won a Peabody Award.

The book is witty and amusing, yet also completely honest. Something President Bush has never been with regard to his truncated National Guard service.

I am a graduate of the United States Naval Academy. Upon graduation I was committed to serve my country for five long years as a nuclear submarine officer. Five years. Six deterrent nuclear submarine patrols. 1,826.21099 days of dedicated service. Not one day, not one hour less. I did not have the option to skip town a year or two early with the excuse that I needed to work on some political campaign. I would have been punished for going AWOL. I was completely accountable for my military service commitment. Mr. Bush was not held accountable. He somehow served his country significantly less than required.

This is the crux of Ms. Mapes story on CBS. Yet, instead of focusing on THIS story, the right-wing bloggers and conservative spin doctors spent HUGE amounts of time and money discussing typewriters and fonts.

Such diversionary tactics make me disheartened and angry.

Ms. Mapes also does an excellent job of describing the way she was completely abused by her employers, put on some ridiculous mock trial facilitated by an inappropriate, biased investigation team comprised of people with absolutely no television news experience. She was then very publicly fired such that she was basically the sole scapegoat for this entire debacle. As if Ms. Mapes single-handedly wrote, produced and aired this National Guard story completely by herself...without any supervision, CBS news organization/team, or leadership.

In my books, Ms. Mapes is the hero when it comes to seeking the truth and doing her duty. And the current President Bush and his minions are ever the cover-up artists. Covering up the truth and side-stepping their duty. This has been proven time and time again to be the case. So sad.

I know Ms. Mapes will land on her feet and may she continue to seek the truth and hold our government leaders accountable for their words and actions.

All hail, Queen of journalism standards.......2006-07-03

scene 1: a filandering sociopath running for President is about to become a blip on the political landscape, because the nightclub dancer who he claims he doesn't know, captured a phone conversation between the pair on tape. Forced to face his lie, and his lie about his lie, he seems to be a dead politician walking. But fear not slicky Willy, CBS TO THE RESCUE, with a scripted post-Superbowl interview where he begs for forgiveness and admits his 'mistakes.' His web of lies is all but ignored, nor is he asked to account for his actions or promise this is the last we'll see of his 'mistake' laden behavior. Gee, I forget how this story eventually ends...

Scene 2: 12 later, another man is running for President, yet this man is ALREADY President. He foolishly believes the campaign should be based on the issues and the differences he holds with his flip-flopping opponent on matters such as taxes, fighting terrorism, and being scored as the most liberal senator out of 100. What a dork! Doesn't he realize that elections are based on what CBS and the other networks decide they will be based on? Doesn't he realize that the media are ultimately going to blame and punish him for the actions of over 5 dozen decorated veterans' condemnation of the lies and cowardice of his opponent?

No, Mary Mapes should be not be blamed, nor should she have been fired. After all, she was just upholding the long tradition of doing what CBS does best - propogate the views and selective facts of America's liberal democrats. After all, it was producer Leslie Midgely, in his book "How Many Words Do You Want" that bragged about how he and Walter Cronkite ended the Vietnam War through their news coverage.

So Mary Mapes, you deserve a medal, or at least a promotion and pay raise, because you did what CBS has always done best; twist the facts to support liberal democrats and do it with impeccable timing to cause just the right effect during an election. So what if this one backfired because you - as the producer of a "news" organization - posted and relied on documents that from their very face are clearly unauthentic. Dammit you tried, and doesn't that count for something in America today?

The Power of Privilege: Yale and America's Elite Colleges

Average customer rating:

A Look Behind the Admissions Curtain

The Power of Privilege: Yale and America's Elite Colleges
Joseph Soares
Manufacturer: Stanford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0804756376
Release Date: 2007-04-02

Book Description

It is widely assumed that admission to elite U.S. universities is based solely on academic merit—the best and brightest are admitted to Harvard, Yale, and their peer institutions as determined by test scores and GPA, and not by lineage or family income. But does reality support those expectations? Or are admissions governed by a logic that rewards socioeconomic status while disguising it as personal merit?

The Power of Privilege examines the nexus between social class and admissions at America’s top colleges from the vantage point of Yale University, a key actor in the history of higher education. It is a documented history of the institutional gatekeepers, confident of the validity of socially biased measures of merit, seeking to select tomorrow’s leadership class from among their economically privileged clientele. Acceptance in prestigious colleges still remains beyond the reach of most students except those from high-income professional families. Ultimately, the author suggests reforms that would move America’s top schools toward becoming genuine academic meritocracies.

Customer Reviews:

A Look Behind the Admissions Curtain.......2007-05-25

In recent years, fewer than ten percent of the applicants to Yale University are admitted. Amongst those rejected are applicants with perfect SAT's and stellar grades. These accomplishments are not necessarily determinative as to whether an applicant is admitted. Yale's stated goal is to choose the applicants who are most likely to become the nation's future leaders. This is a lofty proposition and for the most part, Yale has been very successful in achieving its goal.

Joseph Soares' "The Privilege of Power" chronicles Yale's changing admission policies from the 1920's to the present. From the very beginning, Yale has had more qualified applicants than it has spaces for new students. As an institution, it has had to maintain its high standards while balancing competing demands from its faculty and alumni. As much history as sociology, this well written book covers such important events as Yale's Jewish quota, the advent of needs blind admissions, the recruitment of minority students and the arrival of women on Yale's campus in the early 1970's.

Of special interest is Soares' description of the economic model which drives the admission's process. In order to remain financially healthy, Yale needs sixty percent of its admits to be able to pay the full tuition price. Although while Yale has a needs blind admission policy, it understands that high SAT scores are directly linked to high socioeconomic status. Yale has the ability to seek out the nation's future leaders because it knows it has a core constituency of elite parents that are willing to spend over $40,000 a year to send their children to a prestigious college.

"The Power of Privilege" is a must read for anyone interested in the history of Yale University. This book also provides invaluable insights into the economic drivers that shape the admission's policies of our nation's elite universities. Highly recommended.

Executive Privilege: Presidential Power, Secrecy, and Accountability (Studies in Government and Public Policy)

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Executive Privilege: Presidential Power, Secrecy, and Accountability (Studies in Government and Public Policy)
Mark J. Rozell
Manufacturer: University Press of Kansas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Constitutions | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0700612106

Book Description

With the ghost of Watergate still haunting our political conscience, one might expect American presidents to hesitate before invoking executive privilege. But in the wake of the Clinton impeachment and with the onset of the Bush years, we are again confronted with the questionable exercise of presidential prerogatives.

Mark Rozell's Executive Privilege has provided for the past decade an in-depth review of the historical exercise of executive privilege and an analysis of the proper scope and limits of presidential power. Now Rozell has updated this important work to cover two new presidents and show how both have revived the national debate over executive privilege.

Rozell takes a balanced approach to a subject mired in controversy, providing both a historical overview of the doctrine and an explanation of its importance in the American political process. Exercised as far back as George Washington, executive privilege caught modern America's attention with Nixon's abuses of power. Although it is viewed by many as undemocratic-—or even a "constitutional myth"—-Rozell argues that executive privilege not only derives from the Constitution but, if prudently used, even supports the president's efforts in constructing and implementing policy.

This new edition features a substantial new chapter on the Clinton and Bush presidencies, as well as textual revisions throughout that reflect the author's latest analysis of the proper scope of executive privilege, given the numerous secrecy controversies of the past decade. Rozell reviews Bill Clinton's resistance to numerous congressional and grand jury investigations and he assesses George W. Bush's proclivity for secrecy. Rozell explains how each of these presidents has sparked controversy over attempts to revive executive privilege—-in the process doing significant damage to this constitutional principle. He also addresses the potential roles and influence of both the judiciary and Congress regarding executive privilege.

Rozell continues to stress the legitimate role of executive privilege and looks to the day when a president can use it without embarrassment. His book remains the most balanced treatment available of this concept, and allows readers to better understand the impact of the Clinton years and also assess the Bush administration in action.

Book Description

Reuniting the top scholars in psychology, sociology, education, women's studies, and ethnic studies, Off White is again breaking new ground in analyses of race and privilege. This thoroughly revised collection provides an extended examination of the material conditions of whiteness and contemporary racial formations by considering such areas as class, gender, sexuality, geography, and media as sites for studying racism. With a fascinating new introduction on the proliferation and development of the field of whiteness studies and updated essays throughout, this much-anticipated Second Edition continues to redefine our understanding of race and society. Also inlcludes three maps.

Customer Reviews:

and one wonders why race remains such a reoccuring subject.......2007-08-15

I had to read this book for a class on racial problems in education. I expected something, I don't know...maybe an even handed approach to race problems in what passes for our education system. Instead I got the stereotypical black versus white story with this book as chief evidence. No other minorities were touched on as they did not have 'enough racial idenity yet to realise the depths of their oppression'.

Among other major ideas in the book;

The evilness of being colorblind in dealing with students; how white teachers fail their minority students by treating them the same instead of recognizing they are different

Private schools exist because of white racists fleeing the government school systems.

All problems in our education system stem from racism and lack of funding in government schools, especially those with a majority of minority students.

Hispanics and Asians as they become more racially aware will support affirmative action more and more instead of the current apathy they have towards the "good" accomplished by this program.

Affirmative action benefits everyone including white males.

On the other hand, the book did bring to light some honestly nasty things going on in the name of supposed equality (schools against interracial dating and lining students up by color for "appropriate" classes. It aslo brought up the increasingly bad effects of the Kennedy sponsored "No Child Left Behind" Law and how schools were quietly dropping out kids who were borderline or failing rather than working with them (and harming the school's academic scores)

Overall, unless you are stuck on the black versus white issue rather than how individuals work in the system or HAVE to read it, stay away. Listening to holier than thou types lecture on America's failings in race gets old.

Playing the Race Card: Exposing White Power and Privilege (Counterpoints (New York, N.Y.).)

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Playing the Race Card: Exposing White Power and Privilege (Counterpoints (New York, N.Y.).)
George J. Sefa Dei , Nisha Karumanchery-Luik , and Leeno Luke Karumanchery
Manufacturer: Peter Lang Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Discrimination & Racism | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Playing the Race Card reflects and engages the dynamic nature of racialized experience in Western contexts. It examines today's anti-racism project to discern how it might benefit from integrating strategies that work toward the development of critical consciousness as its main goal. So that the privileged and the oppressed alike may reflexively examine their own subject positions, this book identifies and addresses the need to develop a working model for anti-racism strategies. Given the need to understand and move beyond static conceptions of race and racism, Playing the Race Card offers both a critique of mainstream/privileged perceptions of racial oppression, as well as a direction forward within a more "organic"approach to social reform.

Negotiating Space: Power, Restraint, and Privileges of Immunity in Early Medieval Europe

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Negotiating Space: Power, Restraint, and Privileges of Immunity in Early Medieval Europe
Barbara H. Rosenwein
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0801485215

Book Description

Why did early medieval kings declare certain properties to be immune from the judicial and fiscal encroachments of their own agents? Did weakness compel them to prohibit their agents from entering these properties, as historians have traditionally believed? In a richly detailed book that will be greeted as a landmark addition to the literature on the Middle Ages, Barbara H. Rosenwein argues that immunities were markers of power. By placing restraints on themselves and their agents, kings demonstrated their authority, affirmed their status, and manipulated the boundaries of sacred space.

Rosenwein transforms our understanding of an institution central to the political and social dynamics of medieval Europe. She reveals how immunities were used by kings and other leaders to forge alliances with the noble families and monastic centers that were central to their power. Generally viewed as unchanging juridical instruments, immunities as they appear here are as fluid and diverse as the disparate social and political conflicts that they at once embody and seek to defuse. Their legacy reverberates in the modern world, where liberal institutions, with their emphasis on state restraint, clash with others that encourage governmental intrusion. The protections against unreasonable searches and seizures provided by English common law and the U.S. Constitution developed in part out of the medieval experience of immunities and the institutions that were elaborated to breach them.

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