Book Description
Your customers are going to give you three seconds to make the sale.
Do you know what to say in those three seconds?
The marketing methods of the past are losing effectiveness as consumers are getting smarter and smarter and have less and less time. What is needed is a new way of doing business-a method that is simultaneously socially responsible and far more effective than "old" marketing. This new way is The Irresistible Offer.
"The Irresistible Offer is the missing link in many marketing books."
—Joe Sugarman, Chairman, BluBlocker Corporation
"The Irresistible Offer reveals secret after proven secret guaranteed to pump fresh power into your sales process."
—John Du Cane, CEO, Dragon Door Publications, Inc.
"As the world's fastest reader (Guinness Book certified) I've read just about every business and marketing book in existence. The Irresistible Offer by Mark Joyner is, by far, the easiest and most powerful. If you want to make a profitable business (any business small or large), The Irresistible Offer should be your starting point."
—Howard Berg, "The World's Fastest Reader"
"I've read every book on marketing printed in the last 150 years. This is the first breakthrough in over fifty years."
—Dr. Joe Vitale, author of The Attractor Factor
"If I had to choose one modern marketing genius to learn from, it would be Mark Joyner. The Irresistible Offer belongs in the hands of everyone wanting to wildly succeed in business."
—Randy Gilbert, a.k.a. "Dr. Proactive" host of The Inside Success Show
Download Description
Your customers are going to give you three seconds to make the sale. Do you know what to say in those three seconds? The marketing methods of the past are losing effectiveness as consumers are getting smarter and smarter and have less and less time. What is needed is a new way of doing business-a method that is simultaneously socially responsible and far more effective than ""old"" marketing. This new way is The Irresistible Offer. ""The Irresistible Offer is the missing link in many marketing books."" Joe Sugarman, Chairman, BluBlocker Corporation ""The Irresistible Offer reveals secret after proven secret guaranteed to pump fresh power into your sales process."" John Du Cane, CEO, Dragon Door Publications, Inc. ""As the world's fastest reader (Guinness Book certified) I've read just about every business and marketing book in existence. The Irresistible Offer by Mark Joyner is, by far, the easiest and most powerful. If you want to make a profitable business (any business small or large), The Irresistible Offer should be your starting point.""Howard Berg, ""The World's Fastest Reader"" ""I've read every book on marketing printed in the last 150 years. This is the first breakthrough in over fifty years."" Dr. Joe Vitale, author of The Attractor Factor ""If I had to choose one modern marketing genius to learn from, it would be Mark Joyner. The Irresistible Offer belongs in the hands of everyone wanting to wildly succeed in business."" Randy Gilbert, a.k.a. ""Dr. Proactive"" host of The Inside Success Show
Customer Reviews:
All hype, all fluff, completely worthless.......2007-09-22
I'll save you irreplaceable time and hard-earned money - don't click 'add to cart!'
This "book" could be reduced to a few typed up pages of text - but they spaced it way out (huge margins, small pages, big type) to bulk it up into a waste of space book.
The content is unoriginal, nothing not seen in most other marketing-rich-quick books, and 52 pages of about 200 are dedicated to Domino's Pizza and how wonderful it is. (are we done yet?)
And the $397 worth of surprises? Mostly more get-rich-quick 'e-books' with actual retail values set by the AUTHORS! or MP3s of this wizard pontificating about topics he has little insight about. Yawn.
I'd send it back if I could. AVOID! AVOID! AVOID!
3 seconds or less..........2007-08-15
Well, I'm not one to believe hype and I still don't think it can be done in 3 seconds or less, but I am amazed at the tricks that I did pick up. Worth more than a 3 second perusal.
An excellent addition to any marketer's library.......2007-06-28
I am a professional PR and marketing man. I constantly strive to hone my skills by reading trade articles and books about the subject. If you hope to become adroit at marketing, you must do the same.
The Irresistible Offer is an excellent book that teaches the nuts and bolts of putting together a product and brand message. It explains how you can refine your product's message into a 3-second touchstone that conveys the features and benefits of your product to prospective customers at a glance.
The psychology and theory behind this book is excellent. I would recommend it as an addition to any marketer's library.
-Craig Nybo, author of Total Human: The Complete Strength Training System
Every Marketing Professional Should Own This Book.......2007-06-27
This book is a must read if you are in marketing or advertising. This book not only explains how to create an irresistible offer, but it also shows you how to use intensifyers to get customers to take action. Overall, one of the most useful marketing books I have ever read.
This book is an "Irresistible Offer".......2007-06-21
The title itself is an excellent example of "the irresistible offer." The "3 seconds or less" refers to the amount of time you have with a prospect to get and capture their attention. However, the way the title of the book is written, you could interpret it to mean it will only take you 3 seconds or less to learn how to sell your product. Now that's great copywriting! And for anyone who wants to succeed in business, this book is a great reference. Buy it. Read it. Apply the lessons. And succeed. Even after nearly 30 years in advertising, I learned from this book.
Book Description
What does the atonement mean, practically speaking? How is Christ the answer to a strained relationship with a spouse, child, parent, or sibling? What if I am being mistreated—how can the atonement help me cope with that? How can I discover the desire to repent when I don't feel the need to repent" And how can I invite others to do the same? These are the challenging, difficult questions of daily life, questions to which the gospel must provide answers if it is to have living, cleansing, redeeming power.
The Peacegiver is a book about the answers to these questions. Unlike other books about the atonement, The Peacegiver is written as an extended parable. It tells the story of a man struggling, with the help of a loved one, to come unto Christ. IN reading the rich details of his often difficult journey, we find ourselves embarked on a personal journey of our own. His questions are our questions; his problems, our problems; his discoveries, our discoveries. Along the way, the truths of the gospel are unfolded with surprising clarity and power, illuminating aspects of the atonement that few of us have ever heard or considered before. These surprising implications show us the way to deep and lasting peace in our hearts and homes.
"My peace I give unto you," the Savior declared. The Peacegiver explores in a deeply personal way what we must do to receive the peace he stands willing to give.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent analogy of the atonement.......2007-10-05
It started as a story I could relate to. But then it got a little odd, but I pushed through it and it came together and the concept was worth the approach.
I thought I understood the atonement, but not like this. There was an example provided that explained the atonement in a completely new way--it was one of those rare occasions where there was a dramatic paradign shift and my traditional understanding was blown away.
This new understanding takes away some of the pain for being wronged by someone dear to me and makes it easier to forgive that person.
This is a must read! Absolutely amazing. .......2007-07-29
This is a must read for every Christian who really wants to understand the atonement of Jesus Christ. I am not a big book reader, but when I read this I could not put it down. I have it on CD and have listened to it three times since I read the book. The doctrines are ones that most Christians (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are Christian)know but have never thought of in this context. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has not read it.
The Peacegiver: How Christ offers to Heal Hearts and Homes.......2007-05-10
Excellent book to give perspective to your relationships. Helps in the thinking process of "What would Christ do?" I highly recommend the book to everyone.
can't say enough about this book!!!.......2007-05-08
Excellent read. I was pleased with the way the author tied the gospel of Jesus Christ into simple, easy to understand principles. I have recommended this to several friends. Don't hesitate to buy it.
5 stars doesn't do this book justice.......2007-01-30
This is simply one of the very books I've ever read, of any genre. It's been out for quite some time but I recently pulled it from the shelf and re-read it. (I think I've read one or two books more than once in my life.)
Whether you're married or not, whether you're active in your religion or not, this book will force you to evaluate how you interact with those you love. This book was simply a mirror for me. Perhaps that's why I needed to read it twice! There were lessons for me on every page.
The book is a glorious lesson on (and testimony of) the Atonement of Christ. That's the best review I can think to give.
Average customer rating:
- Sensitive and sensual Cinderella story
- Loved every minute of it!
- Wonderful Cinderalla Romance
- Loved it, Loved it, Loved it! 10 stars!!!
- Ohh Benedict!!!!
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Offer From a Gentleman, An (Bridgerton Series, Bk. 3)
Julia Quinn
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0380815583
Release Date: 2001-07-03 |
Amazon.com
Setting: Regency England
Sensuality: 7
Miss Sophie Beckett is the illegitimate daughter of the earl of Penwood. Raised in his home, Sophie has a tolerable existence until the earl marries, when her life takes a distinct turn for the worse. Sophie's new stepmother hates her, and when the earl passes away, she relegates Sophie to the role of servant. Sophie's days are pure drudgery, until one night her fellow servants conspire to help her attend a masquerade ball.
Her life changes irrevocably when she meets handsome Benedict Bridgerton and falls head over heels in love. Benedict is equally smitten, but when the clock strikes midnight his beautiful mystery lady runs from him, leaving only her glove in his hand. He searches London for her, but she seems to have vanished. What Benedict doesn't know is that Sophie's stepmother has discovered her outing and thrown Sophie out of their London townhouse. Sophie leaves London, and it isn't until three years later that Benedict and Sophie's paths cross once again, when he saves her from the unwanted attentions of a drunken lord. Sophie recognizes Benedict immediately, but much to her dismay, he doesn't know her in her maid's dress. Soon, however, Benedict falls in love with Sophie all over again. Believing her to be a servant, he cannot conceive of a way to make her his, as she adamantly refuses to become his mistress. Both struggle with their feelings for each other, their unwillingness to compromise their principles, and the seemingly insurmountable wall separating a member of the nobility and a servant. To add to their difficulties, Sophie's vindictive stepmother discovers her presence in London and sets out to make her life even more miserable. It will take the combined force of the large Bridgerton family to help these two stubborn people realize a happy future together.
Quinn brings a fresh approach to this charming retelling of the Cinderella story, enhancing the tale with a strong Regency setting and the warmth of Benedict Bridgerton's large family. Quinn has a reputation for witty dialogue and endearing characters, and she delivers both in this delightful novel. --Lois Faye Dyer
Book Description
Sophie Beckett never dreamed she'd be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball – or that "Prince Charming" would be waiting there for her! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.
Who was that extraordinary woman? Ever since that magical night, a radiant vision in silver has blinded Benedict to the attractions of any other – except, perhaps, this alluring and oddly familiar beauty dressed in housemaid's garb whom he feels compelled to rescue from a most disagreeable situation. He has sworn to find and wed his mystery miss, but this breathtaking maid makes him weak with wanting her. Yet, if he offers her his heart, will Benedict sacrifice his only chance for a fairy tale love?
Download Description
E-Book Extras: ONE: Behind the Novel: An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn; TWO: The Bridgerton Basics: Ms. Quinn Fills You In
Sophie Beckett never dreamed she'd be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball -- or that "Prince Charming" would be waiting there for her! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.
Who was that extraordinary woman? Ever since that magical night, a radiant vision in silver has blinded Benedict to the attractions of any other -- except, perhaps, this alluring and oddly familiar beauty dressed in housemaid's garb whom he feels compelled to rescue from a most disagreeable situation. He has sworn to find and wed his mystery miss, but this breathtaking maid makes him weak with wanting her. Yet, if he offers her his heart, will Benedict sacrifice his only chance for a fairy tale love?
Customer Reviews:
Sensitive and sensual Cinderella story.......2007-09-05
I loved this book. Yes it is like the fairytale cinderella but is way more detailed and has a great plot. The characters are also so real. I loved the way Benedict would chase after and tease Sophie. It reminded me of the typical flirtations that go on in the beginning of every real life relationship. The supporting charcters are also given depth.
I felt that the scenes involving Sophie and Benedict were so steamy yet sweet and heartwarming.
I also found it easy to read because evryone loves Cinderella and the story would make you smirk when you realized what the author was doing to make it different then the original.
I'm going to try out some more of The Bridgerton series books. I love when an author includes re-occurring characters.
Loved every minute of it!.......2007-08-02
I just picked up this book yesterday and stayed up late to finish it... It was that good. This was an enchanting rendition of the Cinderella story, but so much more. There is so much to love about this book. The characters are so well written and the H/H really draw you in. You can't help but to feel for Sophie Beckett's plight. She is a strong heroine with so much spunk and spirit, that you can't help but love her. And Benedict Bridgerton was a marvelous hero. He was charming, caring, sensitive, witty, sexy, noble... All the things that make a wonderful hero. This story really grips you from the beginning and wrings the emotions from your heart. I laughed, I cried and I loved every minute of it. Thier's was a believable love. True soul mates.
This is one of my favorites of Julia Quinn's. It's definitely a keeper that I will read over and over again.
Wonderful Cinderalla Romance.......2007-07-08
Oh my goodness! I you are looking for an easy read, delightful romance, two wonderful characters (and supporting characters), historical type London 1800's romance, this book is for you.
Love the Lady Whisteldown's society papers preceeding each chapter!
I read this in one afternoon. What a nice romantic "romance."
This author has a unique style of writing that I like! I laughed and cried reading this book.
Loved it, Loved it, Loved it! 10 stars!!!.......2007-02-14
Wow! This book took my breath away! When I first started reading it, I had to look at the cover again to make sure I was not reading "Cinderella", but as the book went on, the storyline got deeper and it was a story all it's own. It made me laugh and cry. I felt like I really knew the characters. They were wonderfully developed. I wish Sophie would have held on to her principles and morals until marriage though.....Benedict was just a dream. Caring, sensitive, gentle, charming. The perfect love story. I have read many frustrating books where the main hero is a arrogant, snotty jerk, but Quinn made Benedict the perfect fairytale prince. I could not put the book down except to run to get a tissue to dry my eyes! A MUST READ!!!!!! sigh...
Ohh Benedict!!!!.......2007-02-12
What a great book, what a great hero!!! Benedict ohh Benedict, what a man!!! Just read it and I can't get over it. Love romance and love the Bridertons.Julia Quinn is the romance queen!!!
Customer Reviews:
Artist Communities.......2007-01-12
It was very helpful, I hope that I get to experience these locations.
Book Description
Business executive Scott McKain addresses the biggest obstacle to revenue for businesses in the twenty-first century-the disconnect between what customers seek and what organizations deliver. Drawing from his experience as Vice Chairman of a $100 million organization, McKain reveals how to provide a superior client experience and maintain customer loyalty.
Customer Reviews:
Nothing new, nothing interesting...!.......2007-03-05
Too many non-remarkable examples and most of them adapted and a little forced to what he's trying to explain.
I don't like when the author uses himself in many examples. Should be more humble.
With all your respect Mr. Mckain but I got bored reading your book. Nothing interesting, too simple.
Get Inside the Heads of Your Customers.......2005-09-02
Scott McKain can help your business increase customer loyalty and profitability. In his first book, All Business Is Show Business, he showed us how to "WOW" customers by creating compelling customer experiences.
In his newest book, What the Customer Really Wants, he shows us how to create true value for our products and services by seeing things through the eyes of our customers so we can give them what they need and want, not just what we want to offer them. This is targeted marketing at its finest.
Additionally, Scott McKain's books are a very enjoyable read!
It just keeps getting better.......2005-08-31
Scott McKain showed us how All Business is Show Business in his previous book. Now, after much research and months of work with a variety of organizations nationwide, he brings us insight into What Customers Really Want. This is the core of what drives purchases. When you learn what is wanted, selling is almost automatic! Follow this easy to read guide to find the abundant sales that are waiting for you.
Organization and Layout Serves 3 Key Purposes.......2005-08-30
Our training company has presented 2-day programs on customer service for 25 years--so I'm very familiar with most of the books out there on this subject. McKain's book stands out for three key reasons: 1) The slant or focus of the book is fresh--it focuses on customer experience, not customer service (read that "customer processing." 2) It has a helpful, extensive Executive Summary at the end of each chapter. Not your typical 2-paragraph ending, but a 3-page summary with the guts of the chapters netted out for a quick skim. 3) The "Bridge Building" section at the end of each chapter contains a long list of actionable items--perfect for developing training modules and saying to your customer service or call center manager: "Go thou and do likewise." In short, it's an engaging, impressive book.
Founder Winninger Institute For Market Strategy.......2005-08-27
Scott, you have done it again. Every time I read on of your books there is a new perspective on a subject.
My customers will be better off because we have read your book on what clients crave.
There are Three reasons to read your book...
It has a new perspective.
Customers satisfaction is the key to revenue increase.
You offer really usable suggestions.
Book Description
Essay-writing can account for fifty per cent or more of your bar exam score, yet even the best bar review courses often don't teach how to write lawyer-like essays. Now, at last, you will find the step-by-step instruction you need in this unique reference. Packed with expert essay-writing systems and confidence-building practice, it features: Quick Key Outlining system for hitting the issues, focusing on the law, and scoring high with less writing Model Paragraph system for "writing like a lawyer"--even though you don't know your conclusion when you start writing 80 actual bar exam practice questions on the most frequently tested areas of law, including crucial state law subjects, with sample answers A review of how state bar examiners have graded actual essays--and real examples of the best and worst ways to respond to essay questions
Customer Reviews:
Good as a companion piece.......2007-07-31
This will not get you through the bar exam alone, but it's a really good companion piece to other study materials I've found. You may not agree with everything in the book, but the more information the merrier. If you're looking for a cure-all, this is not it; but I do recommend it. There are a couple of other bar related tools that I think are worthy as well:A Lawyer Walks Into A Bar. Also: Barman: Ping-Pong, Pathos, and Passing the Bar
Bar Candidates: This book & CD is a MUST HAVE!.......2007-05-15
Dr. Gallagher uses a "unique" style to help us understand where our writing is going astray. The Bar Examiners can be your friends, if you practice writing like a lawyer. Her method is made easy to understand, unlike other techniques which must be read and practiced without any support. Her CD gives helpful advice in general and helps you through the writing process.
If you can afford to spend thousands of dollars on additional Bar Prep, consider an alternative. Otherwise, try Dr. Gallagher's techniques and you WILL become a better legal thinker and writer.
Good purchase.......2007-01-10
I have used the book but have not outlined all the essays--it was good in terms of getting me to know why I failed the bar exam the first time. For me my weaknesses for the bar was essay-writing--I had a high MBE score. Essay writing is crucial and she taught me the proper way to outline. However, in the end you must do the leg work.
Very helpful if you practice the techniques.......2006-11-16
Six suggestions when using this insightful approach to the bar exam by Dr. Gallagher:
1. Listen to her tapes
2. Read her book and essays
3. Read old exam answers from your jurisdiction
4. Use Dr. Gallagher's strategy to answer any subject essay question
5. Read her book again and sample essays
6. Read her book again and sample essays
You have now passed the Bar exam!
Not helpful........2006-06-03
I found this book to be incredibly unhelpful. The author does not offer good strategies for approaching the exam, and includes essays from a range of jurisdictions, which can be confusing at worst and just unhelpful at best. i thought the Adachi books were much better.
Book Description
We are thirteen indigenous grandmothers. . . . We are deeply concerned with the unprecedented destruction of our Mother Earth, the atrocities of war, the global scourge of poverty, the prevailing culture of materialism, the epidemics that threaten the health of the Earth’s peoples, and with the destruction of indigenous ways of life.
We, the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, believe that our ancestral ways of prayer, peacemaking, and healing are vitally needed today. . . . We believe that the teachings of our ancestors will light our way through an uncertain future.
In some Native American societies, tribal leaders consulted a council of grandmothers before making any major decisions that would affect the whole community. What if we consulted our wise women elders about the problems facing our global community today? This book presents the insights and guidance of thirteen indigenous grandmothers from five continents, many of whom are living legends among their own peoples. The Grandmothers offer wisdom on such timely issues as nurturing our families; cultivating physical and mental health; and confronting violence, war, and poverty. Also included are the reflections of Western women elders, including Alice Walker, Gloria Steinem, Helena Norberg-Hodge, and Carol Moseley Brown.
Customer Reviews:
Wisdom long overdo.......2007-09-17
I loved this book. We are in such need of these teachings at this critical time. In our culture many of us no longer live in community and we have been separated from our family elders and deprived of their wisdom.
These women have important information to share. Please listen and learn.
Indigenous Grandmothers carry hope for humanity.......2007-09-01
This is a quick read due to the intriguing spiritual connections and prophecy found in the various corners of the world through the stories of the Grandmothers. Their wisdom is so grounded and exhibits Universal Truths. They have deep understandings of what is needed to evolve and mature humankind. They also speak forthrightly of what changes are required IF we are to survive our own mishaps. The book highlights the importance of awakening and acknowledging the Oneness of All. It is a call to step forward with courage and endeavor to bring healing to our world.
A Must Read Book!.......2007-08-23
I am purchasing this book as a gift for all my friends. If you care about the planet, please read this book and then pass it onto others. I had the priviledge of meeting the Grandmothers and their message must be heard by everyone!
So much wisdom.......2007-07-30
Beautiful book filled with traditional guides for human beings living together in peace. Contains thought provoking wisdom for the reader looking for personal growth, traditional parenting or a better community.
This is a book worth reading again and again, but more importantly sharing with others.
Wonderful, inspiring, and IMPORTANT!.......2007-05-25
This is a lovely book, with in depth looks at some very formidable and interesting ladies! I had the pleasure (blessing, really) of meeting Agnes Baker-Pilgrim and Flordemayo this month, and they are truly awe inspiring. I can only imagine all 13 of them together! The book is well written, inspiring (especially to women), and carries an important message. The traditional ways are slipping away from the majority of the people on Mother Earth, and materialism is taking hold. People who hold spirituality and a connection to Mother Earth sacred are becoming rare jewels. The Grandmothers encourage each of us to stop and listen to the world, to open our eyes and SEE rather than just look. Don't just speak... walk your talk, as Grandmother Agnes would say!
Book Description
What could an elephant and a giraffe teach people about working together? Some very important lessons, it seems, about the complex--and critically important--issues of dealing with diversity in the workforce.
Building a House for Diversity begins with a short fable about how a friendship between the two animals is threatened when the house built for a tall, skinny giraffe cannot accommodate his invited guest, a broad, bulky elephant. Using this story as a vivid metaphor for the difficult issues inherent in diversity, the book goes on to demonstrate how managing diversity can be seen as a set of skills that anyone can learn--and use.
In a way that makes diversity management "up close and personal," Building a House for Diversity offers compelling, real-life stories of individual experiences at work. It includes:
* the perspective of both "insiders" (usually white males) and "outsiders" (usually minorities or women) * insightful commentary illuminating what these experiences tell us about the challenges and opportunities of diversity * a particularly interesting segment on Phil Jackson, legendary Chicago Bulls coach, and how he dealt with diversity issues in his relationships to Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippin, and others * hands-on guidance to help readers become "diversity mature" and take personal responsibility for their attitudes and actions.
Throughout, the book reflects the seminal thinking of R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., a pioneer in articulating the concepts of managing diversity. In this book, he has produced his most creative and practical approach to this continuing challenge.
Customer Reviews:
Good intro to diversity in organizations.......2003-11-14
I have used this as a supplement to a textbook in a class on industrial organization psychology. Just about every student finds it helpful and sees it as a fresh perspective on diversity. It sets a tone for thoughtful discussions on diversity through the semester.
Finally a book that pulls it all together.......2003-06-27
Cheers to Dr. Thomas for providing a book that is one of the first -- in my opinion -- to present a clear picture of the need to address workforce, workplace and marketplace diversity. I came away understanding that to address one or two of these components without addressing the third is like commissioning a two to three mile dig, when all the geological reports tell you that oil is six miles down. Half and quarter steps will not lead to success. In the most simple straight-forward way, starting with a powerful parable, Dr. Thomas drives home the point that for true strategic benefits organizations need to make a balance commitment to the all three components.
Another great take-away from this book is Dr. Thomas's model for identifying and differentiating between business requirements and preferences.
All in all this is an extremely powerful book that should be in every manager's library. Thank you Dr. Thomas.
Joe Santana
Co-author of Manage I.T.
A Disappointing Reflection of Limits on Diversity-Thinking.......2002-01-20
I anxiously looked forward to reading this book. Given the titles of Thomas's previous books, Redefining Diversity and Beyond Race and Gender, and the title of this one I expected more than passing reference to the disability community. I was disappointed.
We are told (p.84) that "I'm becoming more aware of sexual preference and physical ability diversity as well." Although I'm not one to get hung up on word choice, others are, and those locutions aren't popular in gay, lesbian, or disability-preference communities. In the latter are millions of people with ADHD and psychiatric disabilities, and for these millions to be excluded from a "house for diversity" would make it a "house divided against itself."
A tipoff for readers is the Personal Diversity Maturity Index. The reader is asked "What is the most important reason to respond to diversity?" The preferred answer has nothing to do with justice and social change, or even with building a house that will include your neighbors, your parents, your kids, and possibly you. It's "The diversity-mature manager recognizes that diversity is good for business."
INTRODUCES THE IDEA OF DIVERSITY MATURITY & EFFECTIVENESS........1999-04-09
Using a short fable as metaphor and a springboard, shows how managing diversity relies upon building skills and changing mindsets. Most of the book presents case studies of how people who face diversity challenges on the job address them. Closing chapters provide some general guidelines for individuals and organizations for achieving diversity maturity-knowledge about and comfort with the dynamics of diversity-and diversity effectiveness-the ability to deal with people distinctly diverse from you. An interesting work that is nearly on a par with the author's most outstanding contribution, "Beyond Race and Gender." Reviewed by Yvette Borcia, co-founder, Stern & Associates, co-author of Stern's Sourcefinder: The Master Directory to HR and Business Management Information & Resources, Stern's CyberSpace SourceFinder, and Stern's Compensation and Benefits SourceFinder.
Book Description
Since the 1940s Americans and Britons have come to enjoy an era of rising material abundance. Yet this has been accompanied by a range of social and personal disorders, including family breakdown, addiction, mental instability, crime, obesity, inequality, economic insecurity, and declining trust. Avner Offer argues that well-being has lagged behind affluence in these societies, because they present an environment in which consistent choices are difficult to achieve over different time ranges and in which the capacity for personal and social commitment is undermined by the flow of novelty. His approach draws on economics and social science, makes use of the latest cognitive research, and provides a detailed and reasoned critique of modern consumer society, especially the assumption that freedom of choice necessarily maximizes individual and social well-being. The book falls into three parts. Part one analyses the ways in which economic resources map on to human welfare, why choice is so intractable, and how commitment to people and institutions is sustained. It argues that choice is constrained by prior obligation and reciprocity. The second section then applies these conceptual arguments to comparative empirical studies of advertising, of eating and obesity, and of the production and acquisition of appliances and automobiles. Finally, in part three, Offer investigates social and personal relations in the USA and Britain, including inter-personal regard, the rewards and reversals of status, the social and psychological costs of inequality, and the challenges posed to heterosexual love and to parenthood by the rise of affluence.
Customer Reviews:
Wealth of information and insightful interpretation.......2007-03-08
The great American vaudeville singer Sophie Tucker remarked, "I've been rich and I've been poor---and believe me, rich is better." This book, which documents in great detail and insight the vast growth in per capita income in the United States and Britain (with some attention to other countries) over the past century, contrasts Sophie Tucker's widely shared sentiment with the carefully researched fact that people are getting richer, but they are not getting happier. What, asks Offer, accounts for this curious situation?
An earlier generation answered this question by noting that being richer involves both having more than before, and having more than others. If relative status is important but absolute wealth is not, argued Robert Frank (1985), then when everyone becomes richer, average well-being will not increase. Indeed, this had been the common view (although with numerous dissenters), since James Duesenbury's famous "ratchet effect" explanation of the macroeconomic consumption to income ratio (Duesenberry, 1949) and the similar view of Modigliani (1949). While relative status is clearly important for some individuals, there is no convincing evidence that it of great importance to most individuals. Certainly many individuals are eager to become a smaller frog in a larger pond by moving to a richer community, and the rate of migration from poor to rich countries is hardly favorable to the relative status hypothesis. Moreover this "hedonic treadmill" explanation ran afoul of the data in a brilliant study by Brickman et al. (1978). They found that large exogenously-generated changes in material circumstances, such as winning the lottery or becoming handicapped through accident exhibit little difference in subjective well-being even several months thereafter. The general implication of this line of research is that some people are happy and some are unhappy, and changes in wealth position has little long run effect on their subjective well-being.
Offer appears basically to accept this position (although he is quick to stress that insightfully interpreting the Modern Condition is not his forté9), updating it using information from several recent studies that find that poverty, divorce and unemployment have major negative impact on personal well-being, and there is a small but significant positive slope to the income and well-being relationship even above the poverty line, both within and across countries, especially when objective measures of well-being are used (mortality, morbidity, life expectancy, major incidence of mental illness, infant mortality, and the like).
Many environmentalists and progressive egalitarians accept this view on the basis of personal observation, using it to suggest alternatives to GDP growth and redistribution towards the poor. But, the hedonic treadmill is deeply counter-intuitive. People make great sacrifices to achieve financial security and to assure their children with the fruits of material progress, and upon serious introspection, few will affirm that the benefits are either relative or short-lived. Personally, I have been poor and did not like it, and I am now comfortably well-off, and I like it quite a bit---every day and every little luxury (such as sitting here overlooking the Danube writing this book review on a first-class laptop, every keystroke of which gives me great pleasure, and which plays whatever enchanting music happens to be my current whim, over an Internet connection, using a music service that I---and millions of others---can afford a subscription). Moreover, subjective well-being is very important, but the fact is that neither I nor my wife, nor my son, would be alive today if it were not for modern amenities (in this case, medical services).
Offer explains the hedonic treadmill (the term is due to Brickman and Campbell (1971), and is not used by Offer) using modern behavioral economics. Because of the common tendency to prefer small short-term rewards to large long-term rewards, we do not know how to turn the vast increases in material wealth that has come to us into real well-being (Ainslie, 1975, Elster, 1979, Loewenstein and Hoch, 1991, Laibson, 1997, Oswald, 1997, O'Donoghue and Rabin, 1999). The "challenge of affluence" is, according to Offer, the problem of learning to dealing with affluence in a manner that turns material comfort into human self-actualization. Observing the antics of (a highly visible but unknown fraction of) the newly rich, with their obscene displays of opulence, their vulgar tastes, their substance addictions and broken families, and their corrupted children does indeed remind one of the prejudices of "old wealth" that has had a few generations to adjust to material comforts against the base aspirations and untutored behavior of"new wealth." Perhaps, then, there is a hope for the affluent societies after all.
Unfortunately, there is no known science of self-actualization, so my remarks on the topic must perforce flow from observation and introspection (it is little solice to be reminded that Hume, Locke, Shakespeare, Voltaire, and their like, relied almost exclusively on such forms of knowledge). I recall my concern for such issues in writing my Ph.D. dissertation some forty years ago, the head quote of which was from the jazz pianist Mose Allison, who wrote "things are getting better and better. It's people I'm worried about." I took my inspiration from the Karl Marx of the Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844, which precede his development of historical materialism, and reflect the Zeitgeist of Hegel and Feuerbach (Marx, 1959). My interpretation of Marx's argument was that human nature (Marx used the term Gattungswesen---species-being) consists in several capacities, physical, psychomotor, cognitive, affective, aesthetic, and spiritual, and well-being consisted in the full development of these personal capacities. While a high level of material affluence is not an absolute prerequisite to such personal development, for those of use lacking an innately saintly character, it surely helps. Goods, services, and leisure, in this view, are merely instruments that facilitate the growth of personal capacities, and the cardinal sin of life in the affluent society is to "fetishize" commodities in the vain belief that they represent a direct route to self-fulfillment: what you cannot be, your money can buy for you. The correct position, I believe, is that what you are not, your money can help you become---a far more engaging, yet optimistic, take on the challenge of affluence. I developed this theme in several articles (Gintis 1972a,b 1974). The theme has been developed in an extremely powerful manner by Nobel prize economist Amartya Sen (1985).
Does affluence lead to the demand for the development of personal capacities, or to the deepening of commodity fetishism? The picture is not uniform. While there is no doubt but that American and British workers trade off income for job quality and leisure, they appear to do so at a lesser rate than their European counterparts. Indeed as Offer notes (p. 324), family work hours have reversed their long-term downward trend in the United States and has been increasing in recent years, in large part due to increase female labor market participation. Of course, both work hours and leisure have increased for American families due to the prevalence of labor-saving technology in the home and the movement of health care, food preparation, and education from the home to the market. Moreover, the quality of jobs has doubtless improved with the shift from unskilled manual labor to skilled white collar labor, and many individuals consider their work experience as a positive contribution to their well-being, much as our hunter-gatherer forebears did, with a joy that perhaps was confined to a small minority in the long diaspora between life in the Pleistocene and life in modern, technologically advanced, society. On the other hand, there is nothing quite as revolting as a statistic reported in The Economist several months back that 80% of French college students aspire to a career of lifetime security as functionaries in the French government bureaucracy. Such a career may be self-actualizing for a fraction of French youth, but my insight into human nature judges 80% as an order of magnitude too high.
Offer's analysis makes it clear that economic research and proactive social policy may play an important role in meeting the challenge of affluence. The American public, for instance, voraciously consumes advice on living the good life, the news being full of the latest studies on proper diet, health maintenance practices, spiritual life, and management of interpersonal relations. It is likely that future improvements in the treatment of mental and physical illness will somewhat level the playing field in the capacity of individuals to live fulfilled lives, liberating the self-help books from the realm of self-survival to that of self-actualization. There has been a notable increase in research in this area (Frey and Stutzer, 2005), including the impressively thorough work of Daniel Kahneman and his co-workers (Kahneman and Krueger, 2006).
Throughout most of its history, economic theory has followed Jeremy Bentham's utilitarianism. It was Bentham who opined "Prejudice apart, the game of push-pin is of equal value with the arts and sciences of music and poetry. If the game of push-pin furnish more pleasure, it is more valuable than either. Everybody can play at push-pin: poetry and music are relished only by a few." Bentham's egalitarianism is laudable, but the alternative is that Pushkin is better than pushpin, and the uneducated are cut off from fruitful paths of self-realization by not being capable of appreciating Pushkin. Indeed, my early publications took the position that not all preferences are equal, a position advocated before me by John Stuart Mill in his opposition to Bentham's utilitarianism. Happiness, I argued in support of Mill, is as much the development of preferences as their satisfaction. What are more developed preferences? They are ones that draw more heavily on our innate capacities, physical, psychomotor, affective, cognitive, aesthetic, and spiritual. My viewpoint was considered virtually heretical at the time. I still remember the embarrassed chuckles of my fellow graduate students in Robert Dorfman's Microeconomic I class when I suggested that some tastes are better than others. I analyzed the welfare implications of preference change in a less off-hand manner in my Ph.D. dissertation (Harvard University, 1969). To my surprise (and delight) in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 1970, Paul Samuelson pointedly criticized my writings on the grounds that economists should not impose their personal tastes and moral choices on others. "Just recently, says Samuelson, I was reading an article... written in blank verse...The writer was scathing on the notion of Pareto-optimality. Yet...it seemed to me that precisely in a society grown affluent...there arises an especial importance to the notion of giving people what they want." My foray into blank verse may not have panned out, but as evidence of progress in economic theory, there are probably few economists alive today that do not believe that an important contribution of the economy to well-being is the improvement of moral character and personal capacities to enjoy what life has to offer.
Offer's book covers consumption and leisure as source of personal well being, but there is strong evidence that social conditions are also important source of happiness and unhappiness. For instance, Frey and Stutzer (2000) exhibit a strong correlation between the level of political democracy and individual well-being, correcting for the effects of democracy on material wealth. However, there is some evidence that the correlation is bidirectional. There is also evidence that some minority groups who are victims of social prejudice suffer attenuated well-being. These phenomena should be included in an overall assessment of the causes of well-being.
The major innovation in Offer's analysis is his deployment of the results of behavioral research in economics and psychology towards understanding the relationship between economic growth and individual well-being. By well-being, Offer almost always means subjective well-being, and despite an excellent treatment of the relationship between health, status, and income, I would have liked and expanded treatment of the objective aspects of well-being, such as mortality and infant mortality. I suspect that Offer will be the start of a trend in economic growth research that uses behavioral measures and experiments to assess the success of various policies, and to suggest ways of transcending the human weaknesses that prevent the translation of material comforts into happiness and self-actualization.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book on how to WIN the job, NOT nail the interview.......2007-09-28
This is a book that teaches you how to find the right job for you! Not just taking any job that comes along for the sake of "getting a job". Details how to find more information on the company(ies) you are interested in working at, and how to use that information to your advantage. This is NOT the typical interview book - it's about getting the job and setting yourself apart from everyone else. Nice section on negotiating the offer as well. Quick read, definitely worth the time!
At last original content when it comes to job interviews.......2007-01-19
I must say I really found Nick Corcodilos' take on job interviewing refreshing. He clearly states that we spend far too much time trying to answer specific questions. We should take control of the job interview and show the hiring person that we can do the job. I find much of his information very valid and very worthwhile. Is is always practical, maybe not.
I like that he emphasizes you must do more than post your resume online on a few job boards and hope for the best. This honestly is a frustrating and almost pointless way to search for a job considering less and 2% of people who post resumes find jobs via this search method. He really stresses that you shouldn't be spending all of your time applying to these jobs, but find the hiring person at the company you want to work for and present yourself there.
Unlike most job interview books he really stresses you are on a marketing campaign, and you should do your best to market yourself to people who really do the hiring. While some people view the information as redundant, I think he has valid points. He is passionate about his message. He really feels your job search should not be a passive act, but you are out there for yourself.
I would highly recommend reading this book, and adapting some of his suggestions to your job search. While the material can be redundant, it is worthwhile, and really serves to emphasize a very solid message of you need to participate actively in your job search. You must also shine above the other canidates when your interview comes.
Some compelling points, but not entirely useful.......2006-08-24
Overall, I appreciated Nick Corcodilos's book. He analyzes with wit what exactly is wrong with America's employment system and provides innovative advice about how to revolutionalize the typical interview process by "doing the job" instead of answering typecasted questions that have nothing to do with the actual work or the person's ability to do the job.
However, this book is impractical for many reasons. One reason I did not like this book is that it is obviously addressed to a highly educated audience that want to work solely in the private sector. It gives no practical advice to those who want to work in government or non-profit, where the ultimate goal is not necessarily to "make the company more profitable", as Corcodilos repeatedly posits. In the government sector, you are NOT going to be considered for employment unless you fill out the required pre-employment screening forms, no matter what. Corcodilos also tacitly implies throughout his book the assumption that all employers are benign by continually asserting that "the employer wants to hire you". Most of us know that this is simply not true. Many employers size up potential employees based on factors irrelevant to the job, such as their race, ethnicity, age, sex, weight, height, personality, attractiveness, and whether they think this person would be a threat to their job or position in the future.
Another reason I do not like this book is that it does not give practical advice about how to sell one's self when the position they are interviewing for or seeking is new, or when the person is trying to break into an industry that they don't have much experience in. These people are not going to be able to convince a hiring manager to let them "do the job" if they don't know what that "job" is going to be like in the first place because it is new and experimental, or if they don't have much ground to stand on because of a lack of industry-specific experience. I would have liked to see a section on how people can convince employers to give them a chance based on their current skills and potential, but that is not addressed in this book.
I agree with another person's review that there are definitely many managers out there who would not allow a candidate to "take control of the interview". Many employers are not even competent enough at conducting the typical interview, much less for allowing the candidate to take control of it - this requires a certain level of imagination and open-mindedness on the part of the employer, something a lot of employers and/or their hiring processes unfortunately do not have. More practical advice could be given about how to maneuver during typical interviews and to demonstrate how much the job applicant really knows or is capable of.
In short, this book contains a lot of truths and creative ideas, but important ones were left out, and they are not altogether entirely practical.
Good Advice, but is it practical?.......2006-03-26
I picked this book up thinking it might be about new approaches to hiring the right people. When I quickly saw that it was about job hunting, I started to put it down but something about it intrigued me. Nick Corcodilos, author of ASK THE HEADHUNTER: REINVENTING THE INTERVIEEW TO WIN THE JOB had been in the headhunting business for 18 years when he wrote this book. Its premise is rather simplistic, but there is some useful information here for job seekers.
The first thing you learn in this book is to forget everything you know about the traditional methods of securing a position. IN summary, the book tells you, rather than send out countless resumes hoping for a few interviews, focus more on a few companies you wish to work for and be more diligent in your approach. In other words, instead of hunting with a shotgun and hoping a few pellets land your prey, use a rifle with a few well placed shots.
I won't say the book is without merit, but some of the advice does seem rather impractical. I can see how the techniques offered by Corcodilos could be very effective, I don't see many hiring managers allowing a job candidate to "control the interview" and "do the job" in the manner prescribed in many instances. If you can find a hiring manager tolerant enough to allow doing these things, you should be a shoe-in, but that's a big "if".
My biggest complaint about this book is, it is very repetitive. Though smallish at just over 200 pages, what is said here could easily have been reduced to a 50 page booklet with the same effectiveness. Job seekers will learn from this book, but be prepared to read basically the same information, over and over.
Be different, get hired faster.......2005-10-27
Instead of memorizing canned answers to questions like, "Tell me about yourself," Nick shows you how to completely take over the interview and conduct it on your terms.
The book's thesis is this: Do the job in the interview. It's a revolutionary concept and deceptively simple. If the book is at all repetitive, as some reviewers have complained, it's only to make sure that you really get the concept.
Once you do "get it" and follow Nick's advice, you will literally have no competition for the job you're interviewing for.
I know this to be true for 3 reasons:
1) Nick is an experienced headhunter, not some "ivory tower" type with no concept of how the hiring game is played.
2) I used his techniques myself (without knowing them, because it was 15 years ago) when I used to work for other people. And I was able to get hired rather easily by "doing the job" right there, in the interview.
3) In my book, "51 Ways to Find a Job Fast -- Guaranteed," I write about similar proven techniques, such as, "How to start work before the interview."
Nick's book is really worth your while. I recommend it to all my clients and friends.
Books:
- The Killing Zone: How & Why Pilots Die
- The Remains of the Day
- The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Reader's Edition)
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- The Spy Wore Red: My Adventures as as Undercover Agent in World War II
- The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next
- Three Plays: Desire Under The Elms, Strange Interlude, Mourning Becomes Electra
- Treks Not Taken: What If Stephen King, Anne Rice, Kurt Vonnegut, and Other Literary Greats Had Written Episodes of Star Trek : The Next Generation?
- Undressed: The Naked Truth about Love, Sex, and Dating
- Up Close and Dangerous: A Novel
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