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Wildly successful hoops coach Rick Pitino takes a time-out from the rigors of the NBA to outline his approach and techniques for motivating individuals. The paperback edition contains an all-new foreword written since Pitino's departure from the Kentucky Wildcats and the 1997 national championship season. His plan for excellence in all aspects of life, including sports and business, is more than goal achievement; this is the guidebook for goal overachievement! Pitino presents 10 crucial steps for success, drawing examples from his 20-plus years in the basketball trenches to inspire readers.
Book Description
MAKE RICK PITINO YOUR PERSONAL COACH AND ACHIEVE MORE THAN YOU EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE.
For Rick Pitino, the first coach to bring teams from three different schools to the Final Four, success isn’t about shortcuts. Pitino’s secret–and the reason he has become both a great coach and one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in the nation–is his strategy of overachievement. Now, in Success Is a Choice, he takes the same proven methods that have earned him and his teams legendary status and gives you a ten-step plan of attack that will help you become a winner at anything you set your mind to:
·Build your self-esteem
·Set demanding goals
·Always be positive
·Establish good habits
·Master the art of communication
·Learn from good role models
·Thrive on pressure
·Be ferociously persistent
·Learn from adversity
·Survive your own success
An inspiring program that is as fun to read as it is practical, Success Is a Choice can make the difference between achievement and failure in your own life.
“So much more than another Armani suit, Pitino has done a job of psychology and salesmanship that should serve as a how-to manual for his profession.” –Chicago Sun-Times
“Pitino’s track record is extraordinary . . . his personal style is also winning.” –Time
Customer Reviews:
I LOVE IT!!!!.......2007-07-01
I have read this book over and over at tough times. So simple, logical, basic and easy to read. It's very good.
Pitino is a nutcase, but a successful one. .......2007-05-11
Did you know Rick Pitino beat up the starting point guard while he was at UMass in practice? A few weeks later, he got into a fight with the backup point guard and thought, "Now that these two guys are out of the way, I'll be a starter."
His coach suspended him a few moments later.
Such is an example from Pitino's guide to success. He's honest and shows us a glimpse of what exactly goes on in that tenacious mind of his. His methods are similar to most, but his examples and life lessons are quite intriguing, including how he was forced to take a step back after the death of one of his children while he was coaching Providence. Pitino is selling no gimmicks. He's offering a taste of what it was that made him successful, and upon reading this book, you'll see how he scarcely took no for an answer and outworked everyone else while you ask yourself, "Success might be a choice, but it will cost me greatly." Once at the top, he stresses a changing in methodology in an effort to keep ahead of those who would otherwise mimic your success. He also hones in on the importance of communication and the ability to admit failure and move on.
Perhaps more than any other point was the idea of not embracing success. Pitino says this happens to far too many individuals upon realization of their goals, and they then tend to loaf and take it easy.
I enjoyed Pitino's book and have employed a few steps of what he has to say. His views on time management, organization, communication, and decisiveness make for worthwhile reading.
Taking Steps Toward High Achievement.......2006-05-26
Rick Pitino is a coaching legend in basketball. He led the University of Kentucky Wildcats to an NCAA championship in 1996 and he has the distinction of being the only coach in college history to take three different schools to the Final Four in playoff competition: Providence, Kentucky, and Louisville. He has also served as head coach of the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics in the NBA where he helped to rebuild the programs at these two professional basketball franchises.
Pitino wrote this book in 1997, following the national championship season with the University of Kentucky Wildcats. He wrote this as a self- help guide intended to help individuals overachieve and reach levels of success they never thought imaginable. He lays out his plan in a ten step process, emphasizing the fundamentals that must be in place if one has any hope of achieving lofty goals.
Most of what Pitino talks about in this guide is common sense and it's the type of motivational material we have all heard countless times before. We all know, for instance, that a positive attitude and sound communication skills are critical on the path to success. We also know that persistence and learning from mistakes are important components of success and that anyone who fails in these two endeavors isn't likely to make it very far.
Self- help and motivational guides are usually very dry and ordinary, but while some of Pitino's words certainly fall under this designation, other things he advises are more unique and offer a fresh perspective. I haven't read a large number of self- help guides, but certain parts of Pitino's advice do manage to step outside the box. One thing that stands out the more than any others is Pitino's advice (warning is more like it) not to readily embrace success. When I first read this, I wasn't sure what he was talking about and it seemed very nonsensical. But after reading more, I can understand where Pitino is coming from. What he is talking about is the tendency of successful people to become very lax once they reach a goal. We have seen it happen many times before- both in business and in sports competition- where someone reaches the goal he/she set for himself/herself and then decides to step back, take it easy, and bask in the limelight. Pitino feels that "embracing success" is the greatest poison of all because if one does this, he/she will eventually be trampled over by others who have decided to continuously learn and who are striving to overtake those who are currently on top. This is good advice and it makes sense when you read it. But it is surprising how many people adopt this contented attitude and end up flat on their faces a short time after their goal has been achieved.
Another piece of advice I like in this guide is the importance of continuous improvement. This stems from the advice about embracing success and it takes it a step further by recommending that we constantly strive to better ourselves regardless of what we have currently achieved. Pitino feels that change is inevitable and it must be embraced if one expects to continue to improve and achieve goals. What worked last year likely will not work anymore because the methods that led to previous success are already known and are likely to be emulated by aggressive individuals who want the same taste of victory. Pitino parallels this with his coaching career, showing how other coaches quickly discover what makes another coach successful and proceed to imitate the winning coach's strategy. Thus, to continue to succeed, new methods must be constantly sought after and embraced.
Another thing I like about this book is the way Pitino stresses hard work as the main foundation of success. Like Pitino says, too many people nowadays are looking for that "quick fix" in life. They want to reach the goals they set overnight, without working for them and without any plan of action in place. Rarely does this type of achievement become reality, and Pitino is correct when he emphasizes how critical it is to work hard toward a goal. The one in a million chance of becoming successful in a couple of days or weeks is too rare to worry about. Just work hard, as persistently as possible, and the rewards will follow over time. Pitino's own success in coaching came about this way, and it can work for anyone, regardless of profession.
Speaking of coaching, Pitino makes mention of his coaching success throughout this book, and this is to be expected. Basketball coaching is, after all, where Pitino has achieved his greatest deal of personal success. But Pitino is quick to point out that what works for him on the basketball court can also apply to business and other professions. These steps toward success- sound communication, positive attitude, persistence, adapting to change, etc.- are universal and following them can help lead any person toward greater personal achievement.
Each chapter in this book is easy to read in follow. And each one ends with a quick summary of the key points discussed for easy reference. At the beginning of each chapter is a short piece written by someone who has been influenced by Rick Pitino in one way or another- either through working with him as an assistant coach or by playing under him as a member of one of his teams. Some of the contributors to these intros include Jim O'Brien, Glenn Consor, Bernadette Locke- Mattox, Donnie Brown, and others.
I have read several self- help type books in the past and have found most of them to be rather monotonous and common- sense oriented. Is Pitino's book any different? In many ways, it does contain common sense advice but in other ways, it sheds some new light on the attitudes and practices necessary to reach the highest levels of one's profession. It doesn't get unrealistic like other self- help guides. It maintains an element of practicality and realism as it discusses ways to reach for the stars. And it does this while continuing to emphasize the importance of hard work and taking incremental steps toward the highest goals.
Reaching important goals and overachieving in life are two areas where basketball coach Rick Pitino has excelled beyond the level of most of the competitors in his field. Even if you don't have an interest in coaching sports, the advice given in this guide can come in handy. It can apply to anyone in any profession and while the book may be several years old now, the advice it gives is timeless. It shows how you, the average Joe or Jane, can reach your personal and professional goals and outperform the competition. All it takes is discipline and determination to set you on the path toward greater success.
Find your own success, read this book by Rick Pitino.......2006-04-29
I think there is a tendancy these days to desire a "quick fix", a "magic potion", or even a "trick" that will allow us to take short cuts to obtain the results we desire.
Several years ago while waiting in the Nashville, Tennessee airport for a plane taking me to Baltimore, Maryland for a new position with my company, I purchased this book authored by Rick Pitino, currently a coach at the University of Louisville and previously a coach for the University of Kentucky and the NBA's Boston Celtics.
It's had a profound on my life.
I've been a competitive person starting at a young age and played baseball, basketball, participated in the cross-country and track field, sang in the school choir, and played in the band. The book is not so much a book about sports as it's a book about life. Although there are parallels drawn to sports relating stories and people that have played basketball for or with Rick Pitino throughout his career, there are other parallels drawn to the general day-to-day things like being a good student, a team player, a good employee, and a good manager.
I urge you to read this book. I think you'll be surprised at the thought provoking basic message that emanates from it's pages. One of my favorite parts of the book are the pages Pitino devotes to a story about Billy Donovan, a former University of Kentucky player and currently reknowned basketball coach at the University of Florida. This average player has become one of the tip-top coaches in NCAA basketball by following the Pitino principles.
In the words of renowned economist, Milton Friedman, "There is no free lunch," and that goes for basketball, for bbq, for work, for family, and for life in general.
Outstanding Book by an Outstanding Coach.......2006-04-02
I have owned this book since it came out in 1998. I just today pulled it off my bookshelf to read again. I have ready many, many self help and self improvement books over the years as I am a fan of the genre but this book by Coach Pitino is a very good choice. If you could only have one self help, motivational book, other than the Bible of course, this would be it.
It's simple, well laid out and well thought out. It's ten steps, which may seem like a cliche in this day and age, are excellent. The book has held up very well over the years. Follow Coach Pitino's simple, disciplined plan for more success in your life.
Average customer rating:
- Great Work on Real World Issues
- Interesting and easy read
- The rigorous brain of a Nobel Prize winning economist
- Unlike any of Schelling's other works..
- How to think
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Choice and Consequence
Thomas C. Schelling
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Armchair Economist: Economics & Everyday Life
ASIN: 0674127714 |
Book Description
Thomas Schelling is a political economist "conspicuous for wandering" an errant economist. In Choice and Consequence, he ventures into the area where rationality is ambiguous in order to look at the tricks people use to try to quit smoking or lose weight. He explores topics as awesome as nuclear terrorism, as sordid as blackmail, as ineffable as daydreaming, as intimidating as euthanasia. He examines ethical issues wrapped up in economics, unwrapping the economics to disclose ethical issues that are misplaced or misidentified.
With an ingenious, often startling approach Schelling brings new perspectives to problems ranging from drug abuse, abortion, and the value people put on their lives to organized crime, airplane hijacking, and automobile safety. One chapter is a clear and elegant exposition of game theory as a framework for analyzing social problems. Another plays with the hypothesis that our minds are not only our problem-solving equipment but also the organ in which much of our consumption takes place.
What binds together the different subjects is the author's belief in the possibility of simultaneously being humane and analytical, of dealing with both the momentous and the familiar. Choice and Consequence was written for the curious, the puzzled, the worried, and all those who appreciate intellectual adventure.
Customer Reviews:
Great Work on Real World Issues.......2006-04-29
This book consists of 15 chapters and Shelling intends to make use of his line of economic reasoning to throw light on a considerable variety of intriguing real world issues such as organised crime, circumstances of dying, policy ethics, vicarious problem-solving, self-command, and mind consumption.
To him, economists are used to tilt towards the efficacy of money. Compromising between the hard question of efficiency and equity, public policy is always concerned with the distribution of income and wealth to the unfortunate and the disadvantaged and it is used to involve the question of `how much'. The line of economic reasoning helps decision makers to compare identifiable or something better alternatives in order that distributional objectives can be accomplished in a least wasteful way. It also contributes to the clarification of issues that involve misplaced or misidentified ethics.
In discussing on how people think, behave, and act for themselves, Shelling suggests that people do not always adopt the individualist-utilitarian approach and they can have different goals and tastes at different times. It is not surprising that an individual can make a rational choice at a time but he finally does not act accordingly. For instance, an individual knows that smoking is detrimental to health but he cannot keep himself from smoking because an alternate self is in command. Moreover, people loves reasoning their way into a menu of beliefs and disbeliefs they know to be false. Human mind is something of an embarrassment to economists and other social scientists who have believed that people are used to act as rational consumers in making orderly successive comparisons of products. He suggests that the deprivation of `pareto superior' through physical constrains or coercive environment can minimise opportunity abuse and maximise prediction of human behaviour.
In dying, Individual life saving or reducing individual death is viewed by Shelling as a moral judgement instead of an economic consideration because economists cannot completely assign values to it. Children are different from livestock so that it is difficult to assess their costs and benefits as a result of death. Nor does the US have a national policy on human life so that the cost of human death cannot be substantially reflected. The employment of discounted lifetime earnings to estimate how much an individual should pay for death avoidance is not too relevant. Putting morality aside and using the consumer point of view as an analytical framework, Shelling likes the idea of being allowed to die provided that an individual can relieve others of the emotional burden and the expense.
In addressing the issue of organised crime, Shelling believes that organised crime involves huge social costs such as tax evasion and corruption but it is more preferable to disorganised crime because it internalises some of the costs that falls on the underworld itself if criminal activity is decentralised.It thrives because it provides goods and services the public demands. However, organised crime cannot survive when the market mechanism functions well in a highly competitive manner. To him, prohibition of goods and services in the markets can create organised crime.
In this book, Shelling also adopts game theory to identify a variety of alternatives for analysing arms bargaining and inflicting costs. In conclusion, each chapter is witty and erudite and this book provides readers with insightful and competing evaluation of different real world issues that are surrounded by rationality, sentiment, moral consideration, and economic impact.
Interesting and easy read.......2006-04-25
Quite fun book, collection of essays on all kinds of topics. Some repetition occurs, it's not written as one volume, but it's fine, and the repetition is usually pretty limited.
It's relatively easy to grasp what he's saying here, and it's also great fun from time to time, especially one of the essays regarding self-control.
All in all a nice and interesting book, always fun reading the musings of smart people.
The rigorous brain of a Nobel Prize winning economist.......2006-01-12
Thomas Schelling was awarded the 2005 Nobel prize for economics, and readers of this book will be able to tell you why. Choice and Consequence represents a collection of 15 essays written by Schelling between the late 60s and early 80s, covering a broad range of subjects such as governments' social policies, how to deal with death, how game theory applies to weapons treaties, and organized crime.
Schelling is an academic, and it shows in his writing: his ideas are brilliant, his thinking is extremely logical and rigorous, but his prose is sometimes obtuse. It is not the easiest read, but what is lacks in readability it more than makes up for in intellectual interest. I have rarely, if ever, come across a book whose ideas are more clearly articulated, all while being applicable to situations that readers can understand and in many cases identify with.
This is definitely not a book for everyone; if you are looking for an easier book that discusses everyday situations with economic thinking, read Freakonomics. However, if you are looking for something a little more intellectual, this is your book. It will be extremely useful to anyone who wishes to improve their rational thinking.
Unlike any of Schelling's other works.........2003-04-09
Most people reading this review will know Schelling as a renowned game-theorist/economist, and perhaps as a nobel-prize winner. This is bound to lead to an impression that his books must most likely be economic discourses full of the metrics and highfalutin theoretical abstractions that usually pervade the field in academic circles.
I'll dispel that myth and have you know that Schelling's books -- notably this one and his seminal "Strategy of Conflict" (SOC) -- are as close as you'll come to a readable yet gripping compendium of his fascinating economic thinking. His writing is purposefully simple, and his sharp arguments evoke thoughts about matters that can and will appeal to just about any Joe Bloggs.
But this book is different from any of Schelling's other published works.
SOC for instance was a compilation of roughly a dozen essays discussing negotiation, conflict and strategy...the applications of which were international -- diplomacy, deterrence, arms control, foreign aid, environmental policy, nuclear proliferation, organized crime, racial segregation and integration, tobacco and drugs policy, and ethical issues in policy and business.
While most of Schelling's work including SOC has been of a macro-economic bent, the essays in this book extend his theories to a more personal, social level -- things such as how people maneuver in traffic jams, how parents negotiate with their kids (toughest customers in my book), how they behave when confronted with ransom demands, or file suits, or devise agendas for a meeting or their daily lives. I would draw your attention in particular to chapter 6, "Strategic Relationships in Dying" which touches upon some very interesting subjects such as the relationship between a patient and his doctor, especially a terminally ill patient -- where significant human "choices" need to be made to withhold information, to authenticate assertions, and the conflict of interest that arises within small groups. This article truly underscores that apart from being a leading political economist, a métier Schelling has clearly excelled at, he is also at heart a fabulous thinker and writer.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in strategy, or economics, or negotiation, or even a basic thought-provoking intelligent read.
Shashank Tripathi
How to think.......1998-10-14
This book taught me nothing less than how to think correctly about social and political issues - not through instruction, but by example. I was lucky enough to have it assigned to me, and in introduction the professor said, "Schelling is my guru." Count one more acolyte.
Average customer rating:
- DOUG MILLSTIEN IS OUT OF THIS WORLD
- Setting your brand on fire.
- my review
- Not Hype! A System for Reality...and innovation.
- Beyond the Frontiers - A genetic approach to the Brand
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Firebrands: Building Brand Loyalty in the Internet Age
Doug Millison , and
Michael Moon
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
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Book Description
This book explains digital branding and how to implement it in the current marketplace.
Download Description
This book explains digital branding and how to implement it in the current marketplace.
Customer Reviews:
DOUG MILLSTIEN IS OUT OF THIS WORLD .......2007-08-07
This person cant write if his life depended on it, i read it and now used it for a door stop. I wouldnt recommend this to anyone. I might use it if hes lucky for my son to sit on at the dinner table.
Setting your brand on fire........2001-06-09
There are so many books on the market that discuss the concept of 'brand' from so many different points of view, that it's difficult to sort out the good from the bad. This is one of the good ones.
Moon and Millison define the basic concepts around brand. They explain in clear buzzword-light language what influences the growth and positioning of a brand. Finally, they provide ample and well-explained pointers to further reading to help understand some of their basic ideas more clearly.
As a consultant working for a systems integrator, one of the things that impressed me the most was the focus on execution. Many books about branding seem to imply that the technical details are irrelevant to brand success, but _Firebrands_ makes the point that a relationship with a customer only has brand value when supported by appropriate policies, training, and technical infrastructure. This is a message that can't be, IMO, repeated often enough.
Well worth the time to read.
my review.......2001-03-08
I have read Firebrands and found it extremely useful. As a systems integrator in St. Louis, I have used this book to help my clients understand the importance of a technical infrastructure in building a vibrant brand.... Mind you, this is not a 60 second brand manager book.
Not Hype! A System for Reality...and innovation........2001-03-05
Firebr@nds is not a bedside book, it's a cookbook, a tool for being AT CAUSE when it comes to building successful, powerful communications for the internet.
As a Technology Interface Architect , the building of brand into the interaction of the product is vital to it's success.
My clients over the past 12 years have been besieged by what appears to them this mysterious thing out there that will grow over some process, that we will somehow invoke, and it will be successful if the powers that be are on our side.
This book makes it all very clear, while eliciting sympathy for all of us who have built brands. A genuine appreciation for its complexity is gained as you read a systemization of brandbuilding in Firebr@ands.
Moon has given us a thorough and deep taxonomy for building the brand from many different pragmatic angles. The dramatic distinctions in language make it easy to use the language as a tool in any company when it comes to educating organizations in building brand.
This is a book that I will return to over and over again as I help my clients grow their products into the future. It was a very brave, and necessary book to write. BRAVO!!!!
Beyond the Frontiers - A genetic approach to the Brand.......2001-03-01
As the Chief Technical Officer of a Texas based e-services and print communication firm, I live in this interactive brandspace on a daily basis. The problem with this brave new world of pixels is simply that much is said and much is written but little intelligent communication occurs. I find the innovative and far reaching approach taken by Michael Moon to be the de facto foundation for the next "big thing".
The approach that one must take to these new media spaces and channels is not readily discernible from the clearly defined trails blazed in the more traditional areas of branding. This new territory is as different as the Earth is from the Moon [no pun intended]. The book travels beyond the areas marked as "unknown - there be dragons here" and opens a clear and understandable path into formerly mysterious areas.
What we need out here in the field is less hype and more substance. Firebrands is a rational, ground breaking treatise on the evolution of Branding. This is a pivotal work that serves as a wonderful deskside companion, as indispensible to me as my spell checker or my browser.
Michaels' best practices mental evolution from the time of the Jeff Martin led Digital Brand Building Seminars of the mid-90's to this opus show an extraordinary depth and breadth of thought and research . The Firebrands book is the Gray's Anatomy of Brand "science".
As my company moves forward with ground breaking, market defining services in the area of brand guaranty we will continue to consult the Firebrands roadmap. We anxiously await any follow-up materials that might come from this mind trust.
Be warned - this is not a shallow pop-business, executive book of the hour read. This is a genetic level approach to a new mindset. It must be read slowly, deliberately, and with a totally open mind. The graphics are not simply illustrative they are literally a book unto themselves. Read this brandspace atlas one chapter at a time, review the graphics, and with time and reflection you will understand.
Book Description
An ideal supplement in any introductory course, American Politics: Strategy and Choiceanalyzes American politics through the lens of individuals making rational choices within a set of rules and institutions. This book introduces students to the core areas of interest to rational-choice scholars, including rule-making, collective-action problems, decision making, strategic behavior, and the role of institutions. Written in cleat prose and filled with numerous concrete examples, american Politics: Strategy and Choiceprovides readers with a thorough understanding of the basic principles of the rational-choice approach and its many applications to American politics.
Book Description
The same elements that are necessary in any great adventure--a deep appreciation of the terrain, an intuitive sense of direction, and the courage to carry through--are also essential to the resolution of complex issues in organization and society, says McWhinney. In Paths of Change, Will McWhinney outlines a new foundation for theories of change, initiating a discipline of praxis using concepts from psychology, sociology, anthropology and new methods of working with ontological and narrative concepts to produce intentional changes in society. The components of his theory include: a map of four alternative realities, a guidance theory based on two great myths that have been used in many cultures over the past millennia, and the qualities required to deal courageously with the paradoxes of change and resolution efforts. He indicates the critical role of leaders and followers, and of the coevolution of cultures that must accompany efforts to resolve major issues. McWhinney builds on the proposition that the most frequently encountered sources of conflict are the very changes we make in attempts to resolve related issues. The illustrative cases used are mostly derived from organizational life--a rich variety of examples drawn from history, politics, and technology indicate the broad relevance and practicality of the ideas. The theoretical developments provide a base for exploring topics as different as selection of tools for problem solving, formation of cultures, and new logics of transformative processes. As the theory emerges, it incorporates elements of action research, management and community development work, future studies, and aspects of system thinking that borrow from the human sciences. This synthesis is a new vessel within which to develop a positive human science of action for the 21st century.
Customer Reviews:
A briljant meta-model.......2006-02-25
This book contains a meta-model that is applicable to almost everything. It gives the reader an opportunity to check if he has looked at all points of view that are possible.
"...profoundly influenced my professional practice...".......1999-11-29
This book breaks new ground and will impact many organization development theory and practice areas, such as cognitive styles, change management, and leadership for many years to come. McWhinney begins by introducing the reader to a model of "reality archetypes" that he claims underlie all individual and collective thinking processes in Western society. The four realities remind one of Jungian types, but differ in that these are more like worldviews than personalities.
On one level, by using an instrument called "The Reality Inventory," one can learn how his/her personal worldview maps over McWhinney's model. This is useful for understanding how interpersonal conflicts are often, in essence, not as much fueled by divergent issues and interests, but by different mental models that influence how people define issues and communicate their interests. How often have we intervened in a conflict, only to discover that what appears to be a "real" difference over a substantive issues, turns out to be a battle over semantics? However, lest we be tempted to jump to "Men are from Mars..." pop psychological conclusions, it's important to note that McWhinney's approach goes any beyond any static "styles" theory.
The reality model serves as a basis for new insight into the dynamic nature of change. Most of us know that when a major organizational change conflicts with existing organizational culture, the culture most often prevails and the change effort dies. This happens when change agents and their sponsors fail to understand that most planned change interventions require an organization to move into a new collective reality (or mental model, worldview, frame of reference, etc.). The symptom we call "resistance" develops as underlying conflicts between old and new worldviews surface. McWhinney describes six modes of change to help organizations traverse the "territory" of the reality map. Interestingly, these also connote six leadership styles.
A short review doesn't do McWhinney's ideas justice. Repeated readings will yield new insights. I also highly recommend the companion volume, "Creating Paths of Change," especially for practitioners. Suffice it to say that this material has profoundly influenced my professional practice, as well as my personal life.
Book Description
The public environment in which companies operate has changed significantly since the 1970s. Communities, in response to elected officials and community groups, are demanding that companies observe new norms of behavior. They expect companies to respect the environment, respond to the concerns of the community residents, and contribute to the support of community institutions. As Burke illustrates, a company's community reputation also affects the behavior of consumers and employees. Consumers prefer to buy products from companies that are involved in the community. Employees are attracted to companies that have a good community reputation. Just as successful companies need to be a supplier of choice, an employer of choice, and an investor of choice, they now have to become a neighbor of choice. They have to behave in ways that build a legacy of trust in order to be positioned positively in the community. As Burke shows, to be a neighbor of choice a company has to pursue three strategies: build sustainable and ongoing relationships with key community individuals, groups, and organizations; institute procedures that anticipate and respond to community expectations, concerns, needs, and issues; and focus the company's community programs on ways that promote and strengthen the community's quality of life and which also support the business goals of the company. The strategies developed by Burke will be of great use to community and public affairs managers and general managers of corporations as well as CEOs and other executive officers. Students in courses on corporate strategy and general management will find the book of value, as will students in courses on non-profit management.
Customer Reviews:
Great tool for PR professionals.......2001-10-19
This is an excellent book that will help companies focus there business on strong relationship with the community they live in. The one weakness I see is an over emphasis on philanthropy. I am not so sure that throwing money at the community will really buy a good relationship. This book should be read by anyone who is involved in the management of a manufacturing facility.
Book Description
This resource delivers admissions advice from the mouths of those who have been there. Reporters for The Harvard Crimson interviewed scores of successful Harvard applicants to put together this collection of 50 applicant profiles. Through each concise account of a single students resume and application process, the reader picks up lessons and strategies that he or she can apply to his or her own approach. In all, several key strategies are addressed, including: How to identify and present your key talent How to submit the perfect application package How to forge and use connections to your advantage And many more. The students profiled in this book were not all valedictorians, star athletes, or Harvard legacies. Many were simply strong all-around applicants who beat the odds and got into one of the countrys most selective institutions. Through their experience, students and their parents see what it takes to get into Harvard and other competitive colleges.
Customer Reviews:
College Student Group Project.......2005-09-06
This title is well structured and packaged in layout to attract potential applicants of Harvard and the other Ivy League schools. However, precisely because of its narrow focus, it lacks the substance about the core reason behind college application -- the pursuit of a good education where teachers and students share the space of knowledge making and devotion to the promotion of the knowledge which drives the growth and development of any society. This is particularly evident in the depth of each interview, the unit of the argument for the 8 strategies identified by the Crimson staff, as they claimed. A simple word count, the number of pieces of information "packed" under one heading and the absent of insightful analyses support the observation. The selection of interviewees poses a major question of concern: Exactly what is the mission of the project? Even though one is provided in the front of the work, but the information contained makes one wonder why this book was conceived at all if not for the sole purpose of self fulfillment only. It is obvious that all students at Harvard were once successful college applicants, but then why the 50 profiled and not the others? The explanation given in the mission statement is simply too feeble. It appears as though the book is yet another window-dressing of the chosen ones rather than a comprehensive look at the admissions process at Harvard.
The student writers claimed that their "goal [was] to show how students used tried and true strategies to get themselves noticed and show off their individual talents," But as another reviewer noted, and I echo, that there need not be a classification of 8 categories of successful applicants. The main "sales pitch" of the book is only a gimmick -- solid academic records, high standards of personal development outside of school and good essay writing are the basics of what it takes to succeed in anything in life after school and especially in the context of college application. This is common knowledge to all of us who are still studying in college/university. In other words, another format focusing on the reader rather than the presenters can make a world of difference and render the book truly helpful, if not educational. If another similar project is to be prepared, then the focus should be on analyses of interviews and the potential application of such results and not the presentation of raw application information only. The reader simply is expected to do too much work to gleaned relevant information for his/her own knowledge.
Originally I purchased the product with the intent to gain access to what some accomplished students such as the ones who possess the "right" application materials to "get into Harvard" do in their lives, which sounded worthy of the time and investment at the time of acquiring the work based on the nature of the book and the standard content expected of such a project. However, it turned out to be a disappointment and a waste of resources, whether it be mine or the ones involved in the publication process. Another manifestation of excessive materialism and social degradation it seems.
Creating Perspective.......2005-09-06
This book is very helpful in applying to Harvard. It helps to dispell the myths that all Harvard students are inhumanly brilliant and shows the variety of students that Harvard admits. I would suggest that any student considering applying to Harvard or similar institutions should read this book, or at least take it out from the local library and browse through a few of the profiles.
Interesting, But Not Enough.......2005-08-14
This book is filled with very remarkable biographies of fifty successful applicants and what they thought got them into Harvard. However, there is nothing brilliantly original about their strategies; the students followed standard procedures such as good essay writing skills, extracurricular activites, the norm. "How They Got Into Harvard" makes for a good read, but there is no real emotion in it.
Book Description
Almost a decade has passed since the end of the Cold War, but the United States has yet to reach a consensus on a coherent approach to the international use of American power. The essays in this volume present contending perspectives on the future of US strategy. Options for US policy include primacy, cooperative security, selective engagement, and retrenchment. The volume includes the Clinton administration's National Security Strategy of Engagement and Enlargement so readers can compare proposed strategies with the official US government position.
Product Description
Designed to help nurses gain independence, professional respect, and earn a higher income. Divided into sections that include: What business is right for you? How to get the business started. How to keep the business successful. Independent contractors contract. Continued planning and building your business. Thirty actions steps to start your self-employment venture. Resources and IRS rules.
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