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With first-chapter allusions to martial arts, "flow," "mind like water," and other concepts borrowed from the East (and usually mangled), you'd almost think this self-helper from David Allen should have been called Zen and the Art of Schedule Maintenance.
Not quite. Yes, Getting Things Done offers a complete system for downloading all those free-floating gotta-do's clogging your brain into a sophisticated framework of files and action lists--all purportedly to free your mind to focus on whatever you're working on. However, it still operates from the decidedly Western notion that if we could just get really, really organized, we could turn ourselves into 24/7 productivity machines. (To wit, Allen, whom the New Economy bible Fast Company has dubbed "the personal productivity guru," suggests that instead of meditating on crouching tigers and hidden dragons while you wait for a plane, you should unsheathe that high-tech saber known as the cell phone and attack that list of calls you need to return.)
As whole-life-organizing systems go, Allen's is pretty good, even fun and therapeutic. It starts with the exhortation to take every unaccounted-for scrap of paper in your workstation that you can't junk, The next step is to write down every unaccounted-for gotta-do cramming your head onto its own scrap of paper. Finally, throw the whole stew into a giant "in-basket"
That's where the processing and prioritizing begin; in Allen's system, it get a little convoluted at times, rife as it is with fancy terms, subterms, and sub-subterms for even the simplest concepts. Thank goodness the spine of his system is captured on a straightforward, one-page flowchart that you can pin over your desk and repeatedly consult without having to refer back to the book. That alone is worth the purchase price. Also of value is Allen's ingenious Two-Minute Rule: if there's anything you absolutely must do that you can do right now in two minutes or less, then do it now, thus freeing up your time and mind tenfold over the long term. It's commonsense advice so obvious that most of us completely overlook it, much to our detriment; Allen excels at dispensing such wisdom in this useful, if somewhat belabored, self-improver aimed at everyone from CEOs to soccer moms (who we all know are more organized than most CEOs to start with). --Timothy Murphy
Book Description
In today's world, yesterday's methods just don't work. In Getting Things Done, veteran coach and management consultant David Allen shares the breakthrough methods for stress-free performance that he has introduced to tens of thousands of people across the country. Allen's premise is simple: our productivity is directly proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve effective productivity and unleash our creative potential. In Getting Things Done Allen shows how to:
€ Apply the "do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it" rule to get your in-box to empty
€ Reassess goals and stay focused in changing situations
€ Plan projects as well as get them unstuck
€ Overcome feelings of confusion, anxiety, and being overwhelmed
€ Feel fine about what you're not doing
From core principles to proven tricks, Getting Things Done can transform the way you work, showing you how to pick up the pace without wearing yourself down.
Download Description
"""The personal productivity guru"" (Fast Company) delivers powerful methods that vastly increase your efficiency and creative results-at work and in life In today's world, yesterday's methods just don't work. In Getting Things Done, veteran coach and management consultant David Allen shares the breakthrough methods for stress-free performance that he has introduced to tens of thousands of people across the country. Allen's premise is simple: our productivity is directly proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve effective productivity and unleash our creative potential. In Getting Things Done Allen shows how to: Apply the ""do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it"" rule to get your in-box to empty Reassess goals and stay focused in changing situations Plan projects as well as get them unstuck Overcome feelings of confusion, anxiety, and being overwhelmed Feel fine about what you're not doing From core principles to proven tricks, Getting Things Done can transform the way you work, showing you how to pick up the pace without wearing yourself down."
Customer Reviews:
If you have deadlines, you need this book.......2007-10-03
I have an associate who can't meet deadlines. I give him a deadline and set it two weeks before the project is needed. Doesn't matter. He won't make it. So I bought him this book. "No more projects until you read this," I told him.
He read it. He's not missed a project deadline yet.
People who have their own businesses, generally have deadlines and projects. Things have to be done by a certain time. If nothing else, we have to have our income tax in by midnight April 15 in the U.S.
But many people put things off and that creates stress. Stress for the person who procrastinates and stress for those who depend on him or her. We all need a time management system.
This book will help you to clear out your clutter. It will help you to know how to handle a project, to break it up and work at it in a way that's effective for you.
Highly recommended.
Read the full version first, use abridged audio for review.......2007-10-01
While the abridged audio CD version of Getting Things Done makes a perfect refresher tool for those who read the full book originally, too much detail and background is missing for this to be someone's first introduction to the GTD method of time management. Unfortunately, the unabridged audio won't be widely available until 2008.
Overall, the GTD system has a lot to offer. It's "open source" and "platform-independent," meaning you can use as much or as little of it as you want and adapt it to whatever organizational system you already like or are forced to use by circumstance--Outlook, FranklinCovey, 3x5s, whatever. Yes, it pretty much comes down to making a to-do list, but GTD's approach adds the subtle differences that make the lists actually effective reminders and trackers, rather than an overwhelming mess o' stuff to get done. If you've ever written something down on a list and then never looked at it again, give GTD a try.
This book will change your life.......2007-10-01
I first bought this book about 6 months ago, and it has improved my life incredibly. Even if you don't follow every one of his suggestions, or choose not to employ David Allen's GTD system, at the very least you'll gain a much greater understanding of stress-free productivity, effective workplaces, and the bottlenecks that prevent people from achieving their full productive potential.
It certainly took longer to set up my system than the "2 days" Allen continuously mentions in the book, but even while you're setting up and fine-tuning your personal system, you begin to get a sense of that "stress-free productivity". Now, my system is running smoothly, and I've been able to control my numerous projects with greater efficiency and effectiveness.
Most importantly, having a system in place will enable you to focus on your greater goals. I work in two startup companies, but I've always had a dream of being involved in local politics; now I'm also helping coordinate a grassroots political campaign in addition to my 9-5 commitments. You may want to spend more time with your family or significant other, go golfing, start a new business venture or take up a new hobby. This book can give you the system and the structure to allow you to pursue whatever life goals you have, and I consider it an invaluable life resource. I've recommended it to many of my friends and family, and they've experienced similar results.
I love David Allen's teachings!.......2007-09-29
I like this book, but I particulary loved his second book, "Ready for Anything," which I consider a potentially life-changing book. Actually, read both...more than once!
Possibly a life changer.......2007-09-23
Allen's methodology works like magic. I finished reading the book a week ago, and I can say it had a great impact on the way I organize my life. This is much more than how to organize your time, It's about a very subtle technique - along with technology support - that helps you manage your ideas or projects and have them executed with much less effort. You would need a PDA and the Microsoft 0utlook add-in for GTD (Getting Things Done) to experience the full benefit.
Book Description
A "textbook with passion", Hardwiring Excellence offers a road map and practical how-to guide for creating and sustaining a culture of service and operational excellence. In this book, author Quint Studer, CEO of Studer Group, draws on his personal experience as a former hospital executive who led two organizations to the top 1% in patient satisfaction and his experience coaching hundreds of healthcare organizations since.
Studer, a nationally acclaimed educator, coach, and thought leader in healthcare today, is a master storyteller, mixing "chicken soup style" stories with personal insight, simple tools, and in-depth recommendations on how good organizations can become great ones.
Based on Studer Group's Nine Principles SM, Quint Studer shows how to retain more employees; ensure better customer service; build strong leadership, align organizational values, goals, and results; increase communication; reward and recognize individual success while also requiring accountability; and move operational performance for better financials, market share, and growth.
At the core of the journey, he says, is a sense of purpose, worthwhile work and making a difference. When organizations learn how to harness this passion in their employees, they create a success spiral with ever increasing momentum.
In fact, Richard L. Clarke, FHFMA, President and CEO of Healthcare Financial Management Association says, "Quint Studer's Nine Principles of service and operational excellence provide the missing link between people power and strong financials. It's about courageous leadership."
Customer Reviews:
A Do-It-Yourself Manual to Leadership.......2007-09-19
Leadership and managment roled into one do-it-yourself manual. There are many books out there about management and leadership theory. Theory is important because creates the mindset that is the foundation for success. We are often then put to task creating our own application. Or we could read and implement the systems laid out in Hardwiring Excellence, the singule best book on HOW TO manage and lead to greatness. Could I be any more clear?
While Quint Studer focuses on what he know best, big healthcare, this book can and is being applied to every industry. (I have applied its systems to hospitality, customer service, and production.) The fact that Quint focused on what he does best is a great example of leadership, and an example of how Quint practices what he preaches.
I have the priviliege of living the same city as Quint Studer and interacting with his organization on a regular basis. I can attest that they practice everything they preach and have excelled wilding while doing it.
in anticipation.......2007-09-13
I just re-read this book in anticipation of Quint's new book, Results that Last (I think it's due out in October). The practical recommendations for healthcare leaders found in this book just make sense for leaders in any industry. I am really looking forward to seeing how he builds on these ideas in a book that is aimed at business in general.
Hardwiring Excellence.......2006-11-10
For health care executives who want to see positive, lasting changes in their organizations, a must read. This is a very thorough yet simple guide with explicit instructions and tools for how to get the right people in the right seat and continually doing the right thing for the right reasons. I was pleasantly surprised that the author was able to take such a complex organizational structure and develop simple procedures for achieving excellence. Want safety and quality in healthcare, adopt the principles of this book and you can achieve success. Reads like a novel, well worth the investment in money and time. Our entire management team has read this book and is adopting the principles to ensure all are doing worthwhile work and making a difference each day in someone's life.
Hardwiring Excellence: Purpose, Worthwhile Work, Making a Difference.......2006-11-10
Easy to read and very helpful information for those in the professional realm.
Realistic and Practical.......2006-08-13
This is one of the best "how to" books on management I have read in years. It captures the culture of hospitals (and health care facilities in general) very accurately and the realism lends credibility to the book. He gives authentic scenarios and tells how he and his managers dealt with them. Also, he is realistic in that he includes some tough remedies such as helping someone find opportunities outside the organization when she absolutely poisoned her departmental relationships and refused to change. If you are wanting to change the culture in your organization this book will certainly help you and give you a different perspective. And, although it will be most helpful to health care managers, it will also be applicable to managers in any setting that want to change their culture and become a better, more productive, and more satisfying place to work.
Book Description
Influence: Science and Practice is an examination of the psychology of compliance (i.e. uncovering which factors cause a person to say “yes” to another's request).
Written in a narrative style combined with scholarly research, Cialdini combines evidence from experimental work with the techniques and strategies he gathered while working as a salesperson, fundraiser, advertiser, and in other positions inside organizations that commonly use compliance tactics to get us to say “yes.” Widely used in classes, as well as sold to people operating successfully in the business world, the eagerly awaited revision of Influence reminds the reader of the power of persuasion.
Cialdini organizes compliance techniques into six categories based on psychological principles that direct human behavior: reciprocation, consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity.
Customer Reviews:
A Classic - and for Good Reason!.......2007-09-18
It would be rare to find a social psychologist who does not view Cialdini as the master of persuasion and influence. I'm no exception. Not only is his knowledge comprehensive, but it is presented in an understandable and compelling way. This is why this book is in its Fourth Edition.
Any serious student of persuasion and influence, theoretical or applied, needs this book in their library. Becoming familiar with Cialdini's six principles of influence (reciprocity, consistency, social proof, liking, authority and scarcity) will broaden your world . . . and when applied, increase your bottom line.
You also will want to read Kevin Hogan's books, including "The Psychology of Persuasion" and "The Science of Influence". I'd also recommend, especially for applied sales and influence practitioners, Dave Lakhani's more recent book, "Persuasion: The Art of Getting What You Want".
Mollie Marti, Ph.D., J.D.
Author, Selling: Powerful New Strategies for Sales Success
Automobile.......2007-09-07
Definitely something you want to read before making a major decision, to include buying a new car, buying a new home, joining a new church, or voting for the next world leader.
influence certinly influenced me.......2007-08-26
This was a supplementary text to an MBA Negotiations course (main text was Thompson's, Heart and Mind of a Negotiator)
Influence is a a very insightful book and a very easy read compared to usual academic texts.
I read this into the small hours..........2007-08-07
... because I couldn't put it down.
The theory is clever. In six headings and crisply written. The proof is laid out and it's like Cialdini is talking to you. It's easy to remember.
But the examples are harrowing: Why cult leaders do what they do; why initiation rites are brutal; why normal people do nasty things to each other if the conditions are set; why my daughter always gets what she wants; why there's no safety in crowds ...and why reasonable people like me are the MOST likely to be suckered by conmen.
But it closes well. Cialdini gives us tips and exercises to resist the persuaders and to use the same tactics for our own benefit - ethically. This is a great book. I've thrown others out but this one's staying.
Still one of the greatest works of all time........2007-08-07
This is one of the first and still one of the best books on the practical applications of social psychology out there. It is hard to put this book down. Cialdini organizes his main points simply and understandably using several examples from both his personal observations and psychological research. I believe everyone should read this book; it is a stellar example of how psychology can improve the human condition and give us great insight into who we are.
Book Description
Health Economics and Policy is a basic introduction to the microeconomics of health, health care, and health policy. This edition demonstrates how economic principles apply to health-related issues. It explains the social, political, and economic contexts of health care delivery and explores the changing nature of health care. Students learn to analyze public policy from an economic perspective. While the text was written for non-economics majors, it includes enough economic content to challenge majors.
Customer Reviews:
EXCELLENT.......2005-03-22
I had the pleasure of taking this class from the author of this class. Dr. Henderson is not only absolutely excellent teacher, he is an equally good writer. I was not an economics major, and was somewhat fearful about taking "Economics of Medicine" as a class, but this book is thorough, organized, and easy to understand. It is an excellent book for economics majors as well as those majoring in other health care related professions who have an interest in learning more about the current health care system and related policies.
Book Description
The number of hours in a day is fixed, but the quantity and
quality of energy available to us is not. This fundamental insight has the power to revolutionize the way you live.
As Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz demonstrate in their groundbreaking New York Times bestseller, managing energy, not time, is the key to enduring high performance as well as to health, happiness, and life balance. Their Full Engagement Training System is grounded in twenty-five years of working with great athletes -- tennis champ Monica Seles and speed-skating gold medalist Dan Jansen, to name just two -- to help them perform more effectively under brutal competitive pressures. Now this powerful, step-by-step program will help you to:
· Mobilize four key sources of energy
· Balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal
· Expand capacity in the same systematic way that elite athletes do
· Create highly specific, positive energy management rituals
The Power of Full Engagement is a highly practical, scientifically based approach to managing your energy more skillfully. It provides a clear road map to becoming more physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aligned -- both on and off the job.
Download Description
"We live in digital time. Our pace is rushed, rapid-fire, and relentless. Facing crushing workloads, we try to cram as much as possible into every day. We're wired up, but we're melting down. Time management is no longer a viable solution. As bestselling authors Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz demonstrate in this groundbreaking book, managing energy, not time, is the key to enduring high performance as well as to health, happiness, and life balance. The number of hours in a day is fixed, but the quantity and quality of energy available to us is not. This fundamental insight has the power to revolutionize the way you live your life. The Power of Full Engagement is a highly practical, scientifically based approach to managing your energy more skillfully both on and off the job. During the past decade, dozens of Fortune 500 companies have paid thousands of dollars to learn the Corporate Athlete training system. So have FBI swat teams, critical care physicians and nurses, salesmen, and stay-at-home moms. The Power of Full Engagement lays out the key training principles and provides a powerful, step-by-step program that will help you to: . Mobilize four key sources of energy . Balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal . Expand capacity in the same systematic way that elite athletes do . Create highly specific, positive energy management rituals Above all, this book provides a life-changing road map to becoming more fully engaged on and off the job, meaning physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aligned. "
Customer Reviews:
Manage Energy - great insight........2007-08-23
We need to manage our energy to perform the most important things. We often take our energy for granted and are not aware of our ebbs and flows.
We need to do the most important things when we have the most energy. We need to eat and sleep to have more energy. It originally comes from a sports performance model, but has been adapted for executives. It is also important as we grow older. Truely a new insight for me that unified a few things I ahve been learning.
Push Past Your Limit To Grow.......2007-06-04
I felt this book's main premise was a useful idea, but nothing novel. Expanding past one's limit, followed by a rest period resulting in growth whether physical or psychological. I liked the informational nature of the book, however, I didn't care much for the examples of actual people written about in it. I understand it is used to help prove the points, but it appeared to be fluff to me and I would have liked more information to drill the point home and more sources to back up the info.
Those opinions aside, it is worthwhile, to the point and contains enough information to satisfy reading it once, but I don't expect to re-read it.
Not a silly self-help book.......2007-05-17
At first look, the subtitle "Managing Energy, Not Time" smells of another 'just do this and your life will be great' self-help book. However, this book avoids most of the simplistic approaches other books take. Outlined is excellent, yet straightforward guidance on how to bring into balance a work life that is out of control or at least a bit out of whack. The simple advice given (which regretfully requires some basic self discipline - I prefer to avoid self discipline) is both helpful and if followed, effective. The book is relatively careful not to imply that applying its principles or introducing self discipline is easy. It is, however, unapologetic when suggesting that making a set of changes in how one manages one's life will make a difference. The book also lays out a very helpful distinction between one's energy and one's time - and it is a very helpful distinction - describing a truth that I had not before carefully considered. The book includes numerous case studies of actual people with which the authors have worked. I think you will be able to identify with a number of these case studies. If you feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and/or lack balance in how your work life, home life, and downtime function, take a look at this book.
Disappointing.......2007-03-21
Nothing new here. Eat right, get plenty of sleep and drink your water and you too can have more energy. I have to agree with other reviewers that state that this book is poorly written. Instead of providing a method for creating your own energy plan, the authors give simple hazy case examples.
WOW! Awakened to New Way of Looking At Work.......2007-03-06
This book really helped me to discover how to manage my energy and not my time. It gave me skill sets to use for daily life processes.
I have recommended to over 50 people since reading the book and everyone has loved it. Great Book!
Book Description
The second edition of this thorough reference is an invaluable tool for assessing cosmetic products, addressing both the quality of the product and the effect it has on the skin. Since a product's ultimate purpose is to benefit the skin, it is crucial to have an understanding of how the skin works, how and why a product may or may not penetrate it, and what care individual skin types and conditions may require. It is difficult to discuss product ingredients without correlating product performance to skin function. An expanded section on skin physiology and chemical concepts enables the reader to better understand product performance through a thorough explanation of how chemicals and ingredients interact. The various skin types, conditions, and appropriate ingredients for treatments provide a quick reference to address clients' needs. This enlarged second edition contains over 2,000 ingredients including 200 new and updated entries. Expanded information on antioxidants and their stability, new discussion on aging and sensitive skin, and function of SPF and new sunblock ingredients offering full spectrum sunscreen and sunblock for both UVA and UVB rays has been added.
Customer Reviews:
Overpriced .......2007-09-18
There was very little that I found in this book that I didn't find in other resources on the subject. It's way overpriced for what it delivers.
Milady's Cosmetic Ingredients Dictionary.......2007-06-27
In addition to listing many standard ingredients, this book also lists botanicals which are listed by their English name with other common names listed right after. And they are cross-referenced. A very good brief review of skin physiology, function, components, structures and layers along with product penetration and testing and skin types and conditions enhance the book. Great for newbies or experienced skin care professionals.
Terrific Resource.......2005-10-17
The beauty business is wonderful, really it is. There are only a very few players that are truely dishonest when it comes to ingredients, for instance, "renaming" common ingredients. This book will help everyone keep it straight. As a beauty and lifestyle reporter, I keep it on my desk.
FANTASTIC REFERENCE.......2005-10-10
I am currently studying beauty therapy and this book is my lifesaver! it is great for reference, general knowledge etc!
Not to bad.......2005-09-13
The first few chapters I would call "Skin physiology for dummies", the science is much simplified, so don't expect to learn much here. However, the glossary of cosmetic ingredients is very decent, I would definatelly buy this book as a great reference.
Book Description
The definitive history of the cigarette, the product that shaped twentieth-century America--from modern advertising to science, from regulatory politics to our sense of glamour and style.
The industrial manufacture of cigarettes began in the late nineteenth century, but it wasn't until the invention of the modern consumer, advertising campaign--pioneered by cigarette brands--that the product really took off at the turn of the century. The cigarette became an indispensable accessory of glamour and sex appeal: from Marlene Dietrich to Humphrey Bogart to Anne Bancroft, we have imagined stars with cigarettes in their mouths, and imitated them.
The cigarette--the ultimate icon of our consumer culture--serves as a vehicle for historian Allan Brandt to explore critical aspects of American life. From agriculture to big business, from medicine to politics, The Cigarette Century shows how smoking came to be so deeply implicated in our culture, science, policy, and law. In this magisterial book, Brandt demonstrates how the cigarette reflects the most powerful debates of our time about risk, responsibility, and human health. The Cigarette Century reaches across many disciplines to form a broad and compelling synthesis, showing how one humble (and largely useless) product came to play such a dominant role in our lives and deaths.
Customer Reviews:
An Ominous Precursor.......2007-09-08
Given the size of the book, I was sure I was going to be perusing it only. However, the similarity to what I have seen with the wireless industry made me go back and read it in detail...disturbingly familiar detail. Read this to get a preview of its inevitable sequel...The Cell Phone Century.
death by smoking.......2007-08-19
This is the story of how smoking, once a socially acceptable, pleasurable behavior, became a disgusting habit for the smoker, a danger to non-smokers, a crime for cigarette makers and a financial windfall for some smokers, lawyers, and state governments. The book is well written, well documented and very readable but we know where the author stands. He tells us that 400,000 or 500,000 people are "killed" every year from smoking. Death by gunshot is instant and violent. This happens to about 30,000 people a year and no manufacturer is criminally responsible. Death by smoking can occur 20 to 45 years after smoking begins during which time the smoker could have abused his body in other ways but if not, aging and genetics contribute to death. Even though smokers choose cigarettes for pleasure with full knowledge of long term health consequences, the author concludes that abusive smoking that leads to disease is the criminal responsibility of tobacco companies.
A consequence of education, litigation, and the high cost of cigarettes is that fewer people smoke today. However, there has been a surge in obesity and obesity related health costs and shortened life spans. Mr. Brandt, if people are addicted to fatty foods and feed fatty foods to their children should Krispe Kreme and McDonalds be held criminally responsible as more and more people are diagnosed with diabetes and other diseases related to abusive eating? I wonder how many people are "killed" every year from abusive eating?
Completely unbiased masterpiece! Five stars.......2007-08-08
This book provided a completely unbiased look at this demon weed that has been plaguing this evil nation from its advent! Tobacco! This may seem strange to hear a liberal bashing a narcotic and crying for it to be made illegal, especially since they are so desperately pushing for legalization of marijuana, the products evil twin, but trust me it all makes sense when Mr. Brandt breaks it down for us.
Brandt begins with the first use of tobacco by our pilgrim ancestors. Brandt informs us that they got the Indians hooked on tobacco as kind of a way to enslave them and get land from them. They got them addicted so they would have to keep buying it.
How did America get those huge land grabs, like the Louisiana purchase, at such little money? They offered this deadly hallucinogenic tobacco weed to them and had them sign the papers under the influence!
They tried to get the hippies to smoke it, but the hippies had the very pure and healthy marijuana weed which made them smarter so they knew not to smoke it.
In short, I now realize that we have to, I mean it is imperative, that we get tobacco illegal and marijuana legal.
Excellent, readable, and more widely applicable beyond tobacco.......2007-06-20
This is an excellent book, and not just about cigarettes. As evidence of the "persistence" part of the title, candy-flavored cigarettes have a clear target market (
<18 year-old). RJ Reynolds agreed in 2006 *not* to call them luscious names like "Twista Lime", "Mandarin Mint" ... but they can still *sell* them.
So, 40+ years after "The Surgeon General has determined..." in 1964, this is still an issue. SG Luther Terry's political skillfulness in getting that report to happen added him to my list of heroes.
This book is much more widely applicable, because it ably chronicles distortion and obfuscation of science by economic and political interests.
Some kinds of scientific proof depend on long efforts to accumulate evidence, need good statistical analysis. Such are not amenable to simple lab experiments, and even when they are, may well not be ethical. ("Here: try this: we want to see if you get cancer" is properly not done.) Topics whose science is of this sort can be prone to long, drawn-out fights, especially when the scientific results threaten strong interests whose best approach is controversy and confusion.
The conflicts over sulfates:acid rain and CFCs:ozone depletion resemble smoking:disease, but the clearest parallel with the latter is the battle over CO2: human-induced global warming.
In both cases, there were:
A) people who believed something (and sometimes exaggerated) well in advance of the science (anti-tobacco moralists, global warming alarmists), and sometimes irritated others by their stridency.
B) people who had economic interests (tobacco companies, oil companies), who took very strong (but opposing) positions. These were sometimes joined by people with ideological reasons for minimizing government regulation.
C) Scientists, who take years to collect good evidence, are careful in their conclusions, but who struggle to be heard though masses of disinformation generated by B), and sometimes wince at exaggerations from A), even as scientific results starts to approach A)'s views.
In both cases, industry funded think-tanks, lobbyists, and a tiny handful of scientists to cast doubt on the science, using similar tactics, and often, employed by the same organizations and people.
As a result Brandt's book is a dandy case study on the twisty interactions of science, economics, and politics, and its lessons may help us analyze other contentious issues as well.
One of the best books of the year.......2007-06-17
Allan Brandt's new book, "The Cigarette Century", is as comprehensive a study on one subject as I've seen in a long time. Written crisply and authoritatively, Brandt covers the tobacco industry from the end of the nineteenth century through today with cigarettes as his main focus. What he has researched, uncovered and passed onto the reader in an expansive (yet truly condensed) form is terrific. His book is a blockbuster.
Cigarettes have been around for a long while in the United States but not until James Bonsack's rolling machine came into play in 1881 (churning out 200 cigarettes per minute) could they be distributed on a wide-scale basis. It wasn't until World War I, however, that the national demand for the product really took off, and did it ever! Brandt's book is a parallel study of American sociological history of the twentieth century as cigarettes have been at the center of so much of our cultural life. Women began smoking in earnest in the 1920s and Hollywood added its own weight with countless movie stars puffing away in countless films to remind the public of the "joys" of smoking. Advertisements abounded and cigarettes were here to stay.
Along came the 1950s and things began to change. This is where Brandt's book really takes off as he begins to shape the "controversy" between the industry and those determined to warn Americans of the risks of smoking. The Surgeon General's report of 1964 declaring smoking to be hazardous to one's health (later packaging warnings reminded the smoker of the same) was a big first step as the public was beginning to question the safety of cigarettes. While more and more research on the dangers of cigarette smoking was made public, the tobacco companies fought tooth and nail to assure Americans that all was well. Lawsuits began to be filed on an increasing level yet the industry was always one step ahead of its detractors. Tobacco companies insisted that safety was a primary concern, but being "remarkably effective in resisting serious health initiatives", they were not. Brandt concludes "we now know a good deal about how this goal was achieved: a careful mixture of reassurance, half-truths, innovative public relations, disinformation, and deception." Calling their actions "the crime of the century", (the title of his epilogue) the author has, by this point, made a careful and compelling argument for that chapter's title.
In my lifetime there have been three major social changes that I've noticed, one being that there are many fewer smokers today in the United States than when I was being raised. Yet, as Brandt points out, tobacco companies learned that if they can't sell as many cigarettes at home they'll export them...with no regard to the health of other nations' citizens. The industry seems to be winning again at the expense of those whose health fails after using their product, creating a pandemic just under the radar screen.
I highly recommend Allan Brandt's "The Cigarette Century". It's an eye-opener, extremely well-written and well-paced, and will either give you a new angle at which to look at cigarettes or reinforce the thoughts you may have had already. I think it is one of the best books of the year.
Average customer rating:
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Health Care Economics (Delmar Series in Health Services Administration)
Paul J. Feldstein
Manufacturer: Cengage Delmar Learning
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
| Agricultural
| Commercial Policy
| Comparative
| Consolidation & Merger
| Cooperatives
| Debt & Deficits
| Development & Growth
| Econometrics
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Financial Management in Health Care Organizations (Delmar Series in Health Services Administration)
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Problems in Health Care Law
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Health Care Market Strategy, Third Edition: From Planning to Action
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Accessories:
-
Introduction to Health Services
ASIN: 1401859798 |
Book Description
This much anticipated new edition of Health Care Economics continues its legacy as a leader in its field. Written by a distinguished economist and educator, the sixth edition maintains the book's analytical approach in its treatment of political economics. Through comprehensive discussions, appendices, tables and figures, the author consistently illustrates the value of economics in understanding public policy issues that affect the medical services sector. Both veterans in the field of economics and readers who are new to this area of study will appreciate the book's in-depth and straightforward treatment of important topics.
Book Description
Read the Preface, Introduction, and Chapter 1 at thewellnessrevolution.paulzanepilzer.com.
Five years ago, Paul Zane Pilzer outlined the future of an industry he called “wellness” and showed readers how they could get in on the profitable bottom floor. The New Wellness Revolution, Second Edition includes more guidance and business advice for entrepreneurs, product distributors, physicians, and other wellness professionals. It’s an industry that will only grow, so get in while you can.
Customer Reviews:
Wellness is worth it!.......2007-08-07
Paul educates the reader about how to take part in the next trillion dollar industry by getting into health and wellness.
Question about something.......2007-07-30
I have read some of this book in the bookstore because it looked rather interesting - and is. And maybe I'm stretching things, but I was 'confused' by some things in it, and here is one example. He talks about Dr. Mercola's website, which I had previously learned about and registered on. Then later in the book, he touts how GREAT soy is. Well anyone that follows Mercola's website knows that Dr. M does not promote soy and actually has articles detailing the adverse effects that regular consumption of soy can produce. And with Pilzer writing about Mercola and later about how good soy is, well those two items are in conflict to me. I suppose I should see this book more along the lines of reference material as well as a promotion of how trends will tend toward pro-health activities and lifestyles, not forgetting to mention the potentially profitable opportunities that exist. I guess when I read a book, I expect topics and information to run along similar lines. It would be like say a democrat writing a book about his liberal views, with a chapter detailing how Roe vs. Wade should have been thrown out altogether. It just wouldn't be the expected fit for me. I welcome any comments to help me see things more accurately. Feel free to write to me at purpleshake on gmail if so inclined. Thank you.
The New Wellness Revolution - Rocks`.......2007-07-03
Being in the Health and Wellness industry i found this book to be state of the art. A definite read for everyone.
Brian Brown.......2007-04-11
This book was amazing. Paul is dead on the money. As the owner of a fast growing Health & Wellness company, it is affirming to hear that I am doing the right things. It also gave me a lot of new ideas for my current projects. If anyone is considering being involved in this trillion dollar industry, this book is a must read!
A must read for anyone concerned about their health and the future!!.......2007-03-22
This is a great book to open your eyes about health and your responsibility in being responsible for yourself. I was amazed to read about milk!!
Take charge of your life and read this book!
Average customer rating:
- Highly recommended
- Right to the point!
- Financial Management of Healthcare Organizations
|
Financial Management of Health Care Organizations: An Introduction to Fundamental Tools, Concepts, and Applications
William N. Zelman ,
Michael McCue ,
Alan Millikan , and
Noah Glick
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Essentials of Health Care Finance
-
Strategic Management of Health Care Organizations (5th Edition)
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Cases in Healthcare Finance, Third Edition
-
The Financial Management of Hospitals and Healthcare Organizations
-
Health Care Management: Organization Design and Behavior
ASIN: 063123098X |
Book Description
This new edition of Financial Management of Health Care Organizations offers an introduction to the most-used tools and techniques of health care financial management, including health care accounting and financial statements; managing cash, billings and collections; making major capital investments; determining cost and using cost information in decision-making; budgeting and performance measurement; and pricing.Avoiding complicated formulas and using numerous spreadsheet examples, its pedagogy includes: more advanced information in chapter appendices for those who want to go beyond the basics; a detailed outline beginning each chapter; a summary concluding each chapter; and 'perspectives', real-world situations and events which illustrate concepts discussed in the chapters. Now completely updated, this book provides students with the practical, up-to-date tools they need to succeed in this dynamic field.New to the Second Edition:Key terms and key equations listed at the end of each chapter; each set of key terms now becomes the first question for each chapterExpanded use of marginal definitions and key pointsAdditional questions and problems for the chapters; where possible, problems are provided in pairs so that the first can be used as an example, and the second can become part of an assignmentUpdated perspectives throughout the textInstructor's Manual available on CD-ROM including all exhibits in PowerPoint and Excel, answers to all problems in PowerPoint and Excel, and working spreadsheet models of exhibits and selected problems for classroom use
Customer Reviews:
Highly recommended.......2005-03-28
A very comprehensive and informative book, even though the examples are for the US it can be used and applied to other countries and systems. Gives a good grounding for financial understanding of healthcare entities. Highly recommend it to anyone looking interested in financial managment of health care organizations
Right to the point!.......2004-03-28
I found it very consice, and at the same time understandable with lots of examples, and practical. It is very well customized for health care organizations. It's worth your time and your money!
Financial Management of Healthcare Organizations.......2003-05-16
This text proved an invaluable guide to the subject of hospital finances. This was a subject I was not particularly interested in, and the book surprised me. It is readable and clear. The logic flows smoothly. There are plenty of examples, illustrating assorted principles. After reading several books on the topic of hospital finances, this one stands out for its clarity.
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