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• Abridged
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Reviews (81)

Solid, mostly objective reporting
I have read several of Woodward's previous works, and found this to be a solid piece of reporting, wrapped and shaped to provide believeable characterizations of the players.I was not particularly surprised by much in the book, since a lot of it was clearly in the public domain press and television.But, Woodward has managed to fill in additional details to provide a soild context for the 10-second sound bites we get from the White House, and others.
I'm a Republican and I liked it
I have read all of Bob Woodward's books going back to the early-80's, The Brethren - which was not very good. I have consistently found him to be fact-based and fair in his reporting and analysis. I read this one twice.
What are we going to do about it?
While reading this book, which is about the fifth one I have read that basically says the same things about Bush and this war, and which I agree with and appreciate having authors tell me about, but when is someone going to write a book with advice about what we can do about it? All this talk just frustrates me. The points made in this book cannot fail to upset any reasonable taxpaying US citizen. I love the way they are presented but to be honest, I couldn't finish the book.It was just making me feel sick and helpless to do anything. What can we do besides read books about it? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction    2. Audiobooks    3. Foreign Policy Formulation    4. Government - Executive Branch    5. Government - U.S. Government    6. History    7. Iraq War, 2003    8. Military    9. Military - General    10. National security    11. Public Affairs & Administration    12. U.S. President    13. United States    14. United States - 21st Century    15. Current Events / General   

Reviews (8)

A college textbook that has crossed over into the nonprofit world as a treatise for "non-students" on strategic planning.
I certainly liked this book a lot, but I didn't love it. Ergo, it gets a 4 star rating. If you want a detailed account regarding strategic planning, then read this book. It is well documented and clearly organized. Unfortunately it is boring!
Strategic Planning
Its a book highly recommended by for any Social Worker trying to stay competitive when funding is getting tighter and evaluation criteria is getting more strict.

A Real Bore
I pity those in strategic planning if this textbook is the best around.I found it to be the most boring text I had ever read.It was hard to get more than two pages read before snoozing.I finally gave up and started reading the summaries, and then going back over the details if I had time.In addition to the boredom, the political correctness had me groaning all the way through.Exploration of Venus? - give me a break!
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Management    5. Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    6. Nonprofit organizations    7. Public Affairs & Administration    8. Public administration    9. Strategic Planning    10. Business & Economics / Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    11. Business & Management   

Subjects:  1. Budget    2. Budget process    3. Budgeting    4. Business & Economics    5. Business/Economics    6. General    7. Governmental Budgeting    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Program budgeting    10. Public Affairs & Administration    11. Public Finance    12. United States    13. Business & Economics / General    14. Economics, Finance, Business and Industry    15. Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects    16. Sociology, Social Studies   

Editorial Review

It began with a simple $27 loan. After witnessing the cycle of poverty that kept many poor women enslaved to high-interest loan sharks in Bangladesh, Dr. Muhammad Yunus lent money to 42 women so they could purchase bamboo to make and sell stools. In a short time, the women were able to repay the loans while continuing to support themselves and their families. With that initial eye-opening success, the seeds of the Grameen Bank, and the concept of microcredit, were planted.Read more

Reviews (20)

Straight from the Founder
If you are interested in microfinance, this book is a prerequisite.Dr. Yunus gives a historical account of the rise of micro-credit and the Grameen Bank.Of course, he is also the biggest advocate of the program.Therefore, most of his arguments are pro-expansion of micro-credit.In spite of this, he manages to show a clear and compelling picture of the micro-finance industry.But, make sure you balance the information with other microfinance books that does not proselytize as much.A good example is "Beyond Micro-Credit" by Thomas Fisher.
Great book!
Yunus tells a great story about his bank and its battle against poverty.Outstanding business model for someone interested in micro lending.

a must read
This was an absolutely amazing book.It has given me renewed hope that poverty can be eliminated from this earth and will redirect my contribution dollars.I am heartened by what one man could accomplish through his own initiatives.A must read for all economists and humanitarians. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1940-    2. Bangladesh    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Business    6. Economics - General    7. Economists    8. Grameen Bank    9. History    10. Microfinance    11. Public Affairs & Administration    12. Rural poor    13. Yunus, Muhammad,    14. Economics    15. Autobiography   

Reviews (3)

A book for the 21st century
Niven is one of the best authors on BSC. If this administration and communications tool has been hailed as one the best new concepts in the business world, in nonprofit and government administration it can have even more impact. It is a great general introduction, but even seasoned experts will find enlightenment and a great very updated bibliography. Works very well as a textbook for nonprofit management with HBS cases.

Clear, informative and highly implementable advice
Although the Balanced Scorecard has taken over performance mangagement thinking in business, its linkages and adaptability to public and non-profit organizations has remained extremely challenging. I currently am resposible for leading planning and strategy development for a large social services provider in Canada.Being a strong proponent of Balanced Scorecard theory, I anxiously waited two months for Paul Niven's latest book to hit the shelves in hope that I could adapt the balanced scorecard approach to evaluate our organization's strategy. Long story short >> Balanced Scorecard for Government and Nonprofit Agencies was an incredible investment, and we are now on the way to better measuring and reporting on our organization's progress with the help of this book's advice, tips and proecess design steps. Good & Practical Book on Balanced Scorecard
I've read most of the literature on the Balanced Scorecard and the previous books by Norton & Kaplan and Paul Niven himself.Being a Management Consultant of 15 years, I worked with numerous for-profit and not-for-profit organizations and have the usual skepticism towards theory books.This latest book on Balanced Scorecardwas easy-to-read with numerous examples from Balanced Scorecard implementations in public sector.I found the step-by-step approach to be practical and quite down-to-earth with numerous take aways for a reader interested in BSC or a performance management practitioner, like myself.The book rightly touches upon the challenges in the scorecard implementations, and offers valuable advice.If you haven't read any previous books on this subject, you can read this book alone for a good idea on what the Balanced Scorecard is all about, and how you go about its implementation. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Administrative agencies    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Evaluation    5. Management    6. Management - General    7. Non-Profit Organizations Management    8. Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    9. Nonprofit organizations    10. Political Science    11. Public Administration    12. Public Affairs & Administration    13. Total quality management in go    14. Total quality management in government    15. Business & Economics / Management    16. Central government    17. Local government    18. Non-profitmaking organizations    19. Quality Assurance (QA) & Total Quality Management (TQM)   

Subjects:  1. General    2. Methodology    3. Political Science    4. Politics / Current Events    5. Politics/International Relations    6. Public Affairs & Administration    7. Public administration    8. Research    9. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    10. Political Science / General   

Editorial Review

According to Robert Baer, the center of the global economy is a "kingdom built on thievery, one that nurtures terrorism, destroys any possibility of a middle class based on property rights, and promotes slavery and prostitution." This kingdom also sits on one quarter of the world's oil reserves, thus ensuring that it receives the full support and protection of the U.S. government. Read more

Reviews (111)

Sleeping with the Devil: How Washington Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude
The book is very factual, but the writing stile is rather boring. Interesting to people who are involved in that region.

When our unquenchable thirst for oil must be satisfied, Washington goes the extra step to acquire it!
Robert Baer's second non-fiction book is another sobering call to the American consumer for rationality. Listen to this: When our unquenchable thirst for oil must be satisfied, Washington goes the extra step to acquire it!
Depressing Reality
This book by Robert Baer, the ex-CIA agent involved in the Syriana movie project w/George Cloony.The book is impassioned, and ultimately very depressing -- all the information in the book about Washington, Egypt & Saudi Arabia that we don't hear/see in the media has the ring of truth.And if the book is accurate, then Iraq and Lebanon are just the warm-up for bad stuff to come in the Middle East. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe    2. Foreign relations    3. History & Theory - General    4. International Relations - Trade & Tariffs    5. Middle East - Saudi Arabia    6. Petroleum industry and trade    7. Political Science    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Public Affairs & Administration    11. Saudi Arabia    12. United States    13. Current Events / General   

Editorial Review

Bill Clinton pledged to run "the most ethical administration in the history of the republic." In Read more

Reviews (148)

You will be glad you read it, even if you disagree.
I will begin with criticisms of High Crimes & Misdemeanors.These are nagging little criticisms I make because the points I'll allude to are the sorts of things that would make me roll my eyes a little, or excuse myself for a couple of minutes for a breather if this were a conversation rather than a book.Ms. Coulter has suffered the fate of all those who seek to insert comic relief or sarcasm into serious material.Witticisms, sarcasm, barbed ironies, sage observations, facts, foregone conclusions, and research don't always blend perfectly to suit all the people all the time.Some of the (perhaps a little mean-spirited) humor at the expense of liberals, I found sophomoric and/or repetitive and/or a little snide.There, I've gone on record with that, and let me say that for me, these irritations accounted for about 12 sentences in the book.Usually they were the kickers to a "call & response", or a wrap-up rhetorical statement or question.I tried to bear in mind that I really didn't buy this book for the comedy.
Throwing up has liquified her neo-con brain
Atheists have a lower divorce rate than born again christians but I guess thats just a fluke hu, Ann. They must be bad people somehow. People like Ann can't be christians because they shame one person for having an affair and then forgive another that is an alcoholic because he's a republican. She speaks to people who want to believe so bad they don't care that she doesn't have a christian bone in her body. True christians don't defame, judge or claime superiority. She doesn't have any idea of what being Jesus-like is. Oh and intelligent design is not science. Science is how Religion is why- They are too different questions.

LUNACY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HOW COULD ANYONE EVER SUCUMB TO WRITING SUCH AN INSURMOUNTABLE LOAD OF NONSENSE?!?!
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Subjects:  1. Conspiracy & Scandal Investigations    2. Government - U.S. Government    3. Political Science    4. Politics / Current Events    5. Politics/International Relations    6. Public Affairs & Administration    7. United States - 20th Century (1945 to 2000)    8. Political Science / Government / National   

Reviews (4)

great foundation
this book provides a great foundation for those interested in the networking of private, public, and non-profit sectors. great examples are included in the book, and it is relatively easy to use. Great book!

The Public Private Business Connection
The average citizen may not notice it, but government is rapidly changing. Nongovernment workers are now delivering services that the government used to deliver as recently as a decade ago. As public policy specialists, authors Stephen Goldsmith and William Eggers know this area well. Their book is full of dense organizational descriptions, which come to life only when they use real-world examples. Fortunately, they do so often, presenting interesting facts and case studies. Still, this book is intended for serious students of public policy and government. Numerous checklists bog it down and may not be practical to use. We recommend it to public officials, policy-makers and citizens who want to understand trends in government and the ways that governing by network is changing the political scene.

Governing by Network: The New Shape of the Public Sector
Very fast delivery. Wonderful seller. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Contracting out    2. Government - National    3. History & Theory - General    4. Political Science    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Public Affairs & Administration    8. Public administration    9. Public-private sector cooperat    10. Public-private sector cooperation    11. United States    12. Central government    13. Civil service & public sector    14. USA   

Reviews (3)

Introduction to Emergency Management
An excellent introductory book with a good review of the basic components of emergency management

Easy Flowing Read
For a easy flowing read, buy this book.It has plenty of pertinent information mainly from a federal emergency standpoint.

An Excellent Intro to Emergency Management
"Introduction to Emergency Management" is a straight-forward and insightful entre into the world of public emergency management.George Haddow and Jane Bullock are former senior FEMA officials that exerienced it first hand. And it shows.Read more

Subjects:  1. Allied Health Services - Emergency Medical Services    2. Emergency management    3. Government - U.S. Government    4. Medical    5. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Public Affairs & Administration    8. United States    9. Political Science / Government / National    10. Social impact of disasters   

Subjects:  1. Case studies    2. Political Science    3. Politics / Current Events    4. Politics/International Relations    5. Public Affairs & Administration    6. Public administration    7. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    8. Political structure & processes   

Reviews (1)

Excellent supplementary text to accompany a personnel course
Hays and Kearney are well know for their edited readers. This text is a compilation of articles from leading writers in the field of public personnel management. As such, the book serves as a useful discussion textwithin the classroom environment. The subjects treated run the gamut ofpersonnel issues, but most noteworthy are the articles on constitutionallaw, public ethics, and civil service reform. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Civil service    2. Entrepreneurship    3. General    4. Personnel management    5. Political Science    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Politics/International Relations    8. Public Affairs & Administration    9. United States    10. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    11. Political Science / General   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Civil service    4. General    5. Government - State & Provincial    6. Human Resources & Personnel Management    7. Local government    8. Personnel management    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Public Affairs & Administration    11. Sociology    12. United States    13. Business & Economics / Human Resources & Personnel Management    14. Personnel & human resources management   

Reviews (2)

Excelent book
A powerful and clear combination of theoretical and practical analysis of the regulatory work, with useful insights and tools to be used and developed.

re-thinking the role of government
Author Malcolm Sparrow suggests something so simple about the role of government that it's revolutionary -- agencies should be in the business of finding important problems and fixing them.Read more

Subjects:  1. Administrative procedure    2. Compliance    3. Government - U.S. Government    4. Industrial Policy    5. Political Science    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Politics/International Relations    8. Public Affairs & Administration    9. Public Policy - Economic Policy    10. Trade Agreements    11. Trade regulation    12. United States    13. Laws of Other Jurisdictions & General Law    14. USA   

Reviews (2)

Good Graduate Level Text
This was a required text book for one of the classes in my master of public administration program (MPA).I found it to be extremely useful for understanding both the historical evolution of public administration and the current practice. The emphasis on the (sometimes conflicting) managerial, legal, and political perspectives of each aspect of public administration works nicely if you are also learning the Hamiltonian, Madisonian, and Jeffersonian perspectives on the founding of the government.I always find it useful to understand and remember how things work if I get a good explanation of why it is so--this book does a good job of balancing the how/why.
Public Administration
Public Administration: Understanding Management, Politics, and Law in the Public Sector is a textbook that explicitly examines and explains the three major issues of public administration: management, politics, and law.Itis an excellent text for advanced undergraduate or graduate students.Inaddition, this book identifies the differences in roles involved in publicadministration.For example, it describes the difference between themanagerial and leadership roles in delivering public services.Itdiscusses the traditional management style versus the New Public Managementstyle in dealing with accountability on the part of administration, as wellas the public. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Political Science    2. Politics / Current Events    3. Politics and government    4. Politics/International Relations    5. Public Administration    6. Public Affairs & Administration    7. United States    8. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    9. Political Science / Public Affairs & Administration   

Subjects:  1. Citizen participation    2. Evaluation    3. General    4. Policy sciences    5. Political Science    6. Political planning    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Public Affairs & Administration    10. United States    11. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Measurement    5. Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    6. Nonprofit organizations    7. Organizational effectiveness    8. Performance    9. Public Affairs & Administration    10. Public administration    11. Business & Economics / Nonprofit Organizations & Charities    12. Civil service & public sector    13. Non-profitmaking organizations    14. Personnel & human resources management    15. USA   

Reviews (17)

No ordinary nightmare, just current reality!
This book is a dousing of icy liquid that will wake-up many a sleep at the wheel. One only needs to glean a wee-bit-of truth from its well written pages. Overall it's crisp, clear, and hard-hitting. . . in a twisted sort of way. I had a hard time putting "Hope of the Wicked" down.I found myself drawn at all hours of the night reading it's pages, inspite of the revelations. Have you wondered how the plans of the global elite will affect you and your family? See what the role of endless war and chaos will play in ushering a New World Order. What is the power behind the CFR, TC and FEMA? Find out how the Constitution and national sovereignty are regularly being subverted. (Do a search for Executive Orders) What is the Federal Reserve and who owns it? Is our education system playing a wicked role to destroy our Nation? Find out this and more. Is there really a conspiracy to rule the world? Unfortunately, the pieces of the puzzle fall neatly into place as you read the plethora of history and the well-documented, horrifying quotes. Although published in 2000, you will see the impact of the Internationalists, up to that point in time. Much has happened since then and the hour is late. Is the time of liberty and prosperity coming to a close? For those who want to further your education, may I suggest you seek Aaron Russo's, America:Freedom to Fascism on the web and in theaters soon.Finally, the information in this book is relevant whether you're an American, Canadian, European or where ever you call home.Your life is really about to change, if the global elite continue to get their way. . .
Well Documented, Dated, Overly Long, and Yet Worthwhile
Ted Flynn's "Hope of the Wicked" is one of the most often cited works in the genre of conspiritorial history.Long had I considered ordering and reading it and long had I avoided so doing.It seemed to me that there was so much emphasis on the United Nations, an organization which seems to be more irrevelant as time goes on, as to make the whole less than worthy of the time necessary to read a book of such length.Finally, I was moved to order, if only because it is a title also carried by "Catholic Treasures", a largely undiscovered source of awesome wisdom and truth.
Understanding the occult political realities.......
This is the most complete historical research and present dayanalysis of the US and world political reality. Indispensable to understand in depth what is happening and why, and who our real enemies are behind the scenes. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Theology - Anthropology    2. Conspiracy & Scandal Investigations    3. Current Events / Political    4. Fiction    5. Political Science / Public Affairs & Administration    6. Religion - Socialissues    7. Current Events    8. Political    9. Political Science    10. Public Affairs & Administration   

Reviews (1)

A focused, well-written and interesting book to help public sector folks meet their mission more effectively through marketing
One of the biggest misconceptions people have about marketing is that it is synonymous with advertising or selling.That is like saying cooking is synonymous with plating your dish.Yes, it is a part of the subject, an important part, but it is only a small portion of the entire matter of the subject.Marketing, as all business students soon learn, is the whole of deciding what products to make (taking into consideration all factors related to the marketplace success of those products), how to position them, how to sell them, their "life", brand, communications, programs, and so much more.It is a big and complex subject than many happily devote a life to practicing and others a lifetime to researching.
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Subjects:  1. Administrative agencies    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Citizen participation    6. Government productivity    7. Management    8. Marketing - General    9. Public Affairs & Administration    10. Public administration    11. Strategic Planning    12. Business & Economics / Systems & Planning    13. Sales & marketing   

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Civil service    3. General    4. Human Resources & Personnel Management    5. Personnel management    6. Political Science    7. Politics/International Relations    8. Public Affairs & Administration    9. Civil service & public sector    10. Personnel & human resources management    11. Political Science / General