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New Books, Winter 2006

 

The Art of Scientific Writing: From Student Reports to Professional Publications in Chemistry and Related Fields. Ebel, H.F.; Bliefert, C.; Russey, W.E. 2005. Most scientists live in a "publish or perish" environment, but few would describe themselves as brilliant writers. Coming to the aid of all those wishing to improve the quality of their scientific writing, three experienced authors from differing backgrounds and cultures have worked together to compile this classic guide to scientific writing.

Built to Change: How to Achieve Sustained Organizational Effectiveness. Lawler, Edward E. III; Worley, Christopher G. 2006. Organizational effectiveness experts Edward Lawler and Christopher Worley show how organizations can be “built to change” so they can last and succeed in today’s global economy. Instead of striving to create a highly reliable Swiss watch that consistently produces the same behavior, they argue organizations need to be designed in ways that stimulate and facilitate change. Built to Change focuses on identifying practices and designs that organizations can adopt so that they are able to change. As Lawler and Worley point out, organizations that foster continuous change

* Are closely connected to their environments

 * Reward experimentation

 * Learn about new practices and technologies

 * Commit to continuously improving performance

 * Seek temporary competitive advantages

Business Without Boundaries: An Action Framework for Collaborating Across Time, Distance, Organization, and Culture. Mankin, Don; Cohen, Susan G. 2004. Traditional forms of collaboration are not sufficient for competing effectively in the more complex and dynamic environment of today’s business world. Face-to-face meetings between people of similar backgrounds have given way to increasingly complex working relationships. Organizations must be able to gain rapid access to knowledgeable people to meet constantly changing conditions and demands. More fluid, flexible, and easily reconfigurable collaborative relationships are necessary to produce the innovations that can make or break organizations -- even entire industries -- and provide the opportunities that attract the talented and motivated employees who will make the difference between success and failure. Business Without Boundaries helps managers address these challenges. The authors explore a number of wide-ranging, real-world cases to identify hands-on principles for successful collaboration. They offer managers and executives practical steps and tools for creating, facilitating, and supporting complex collaborations throughout their organizations. And they explain how to “team” across boundaries in the new global economy. The recommendations are specific enough to apply to particular forms of complex collaboration (for example supply chains, global product development teams, interorganizational alliances) but general enough to apply to new forms that have yet to emerge.

Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water. Reisner, Marc. 1993. The story of the American West is the story of a relentless quest for a previous resource: water. It is a tale of rivers diverted and dammed, of political corruption and intrigue, of billion-dollar battles over water rights, of ecologic and economic disaster. In Cadillac Desert Marc Reisner writes of the earliest settlers, lured by the promise of paradise, and of the ruthless tactics employed by Los Angeles politicians and business interests to ensure the city's growth. He documents the bitter rivalry between two government giants, the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in competition to transform the West.

A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives. Winter, Ruth. 2004. This reference gives you all the facts about the relative safety and side effects of more than 12,000 ingredients that end up in your food as a result of processing and curing, such as preservatives, food-tainting pesticides, and animal drugs.

Encounters with the Archdruid. McPhee, John. 1971. The narratives in this book are of journeys made in three wildernesses--on a coastal island, in a Western mountain range, and on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. Four men are involved: Charles Park, a mineral engineer who believes that our economic well-being rests on finding metals and extracting them from the earth wherever they are found; Charles Fraser, a resort developer who regards all conservationists as druids ("religious figures who sacrifice people and worship trees"); Floyd Dominy, a builder of gigantic dams, who grew up in dry Western country and deeply believes in the impoundment of water; and David Brower, the most militant conservationist in the world. In turn, Park, Fraser, and Dominy encounter Brower, whether in rapids, in forests, on mountain trails, on a raft, in a jeep, or on foot--now reserved, now friendly, now fighting hard across a philosophical divide.

Endocrine Disruptors: Effects on Male and Female Reproductive Systems. Naz, Rajesh K.(ed.) 2005. Endocrine Disruptors: Effects on Male and Female Reproductive Systems examines the epidemiology and etiology of environmental toxicants/hormone imposters, many of which act as reproductive toxicants that cause fertility problems and carcinogenic hazards. Thus far, over fifty such hormone imposters/persistent organic pollutants have been identified, the most common of which are organochlorines and dioxins. This book discusses the hazardous effects of endocrine disruptors on gonads, fertility, and sexual and reproductive function, and health hazards leading to the alarming decline in global fertility and rising incidences of breast and prostate cancer.

Environmental Management and Decision Making for Business. Staib, Robert. 2005. Great change is necessary in our society and in business organizations if we and the natural world are to live sustainably. We have started to change but it is slow and intermittent. Can we continue to sustain growth in sales and profits and not significantly impinge on the natural environment when world population is heading toward twelve billion and developed countries are maintaining their materialistic bent and developing countries are striving to catch up? If we are to change, we need to educate our young people in new ways of thinking about and seeing the natural world. This book seeks to be part of the education of future managers of business organizations.

The Environmental Science of Drinking Water. Sullivan, Patrick J.; Agardy, Franklin J.; Clark, James J. J. 2005. In today's chemically dependent society, environmental studies demonstrate that drinking water in developed countries contains numerous industrial chemicals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and chemicals from water treatment processes. This poses a real threat. As a result of the ever-expanding list of chemical and biochemical products industry, current drinking water standards that serve to preserve our drinking water quality are grossly out of date. Environmental Science of Drinking Water demonstrates why we need to make a fundamental change in our approach toward protecting our drinking water. Factual and circumstantial evidence showing the failure of current drinking water standards to adequately protect human health is presented along with analysis of the extent of pollution in our water resources and drinking water. The authors also present detail of the currently available state-of-the-art technologies which, if fully employed, can move us toward a healthier future.

Environmental Technologies Handbook. Cheremisinoff, Nicholas P. 2005. An international array of experts explain emerging and proven technologies for multimedia pollution and how they work. This book focuses on recent technology successes, including gasification, pyrolysis, electrochemical processes, photocatalysis, and advanced wastewater treatment technologies.

Face-to-Face Communications for Clarity and Impact. Harvard Business School Press. 2004. As e-mail, instant messaging, and teleconferencing have become ubiquitous in the workplace, the opportunities afforded by face-to-face communication have never been more important. Face-to-Face Communications for Clarity and Impact helps managers hone their communication skills -- both verbal and non-verbal -- and achieve astonishing outcomes that benefit themselves and their companies. Learn to speak directly and confidently; assert yourself in uncomfortable situations; offer constructive criticism; and use the spoken word more effectively.

Getting People on Board. Harvard Business School Press. 2005. Even the most respected leaders struggle to develop the right blend of leadership styles to overcome resistance to change. Getting People on Board provides critical strategies and tools for managers to effectively implement change initiatives. Learn to stay focused on the goal; avoid being marginalized; energize your team; and communicate a sense of purpose.

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Allen, David. 2001. In today's world, yesterday's methods just don't work. Veteran coach and management consultatn David Allen shares his methods for stress-free performance that he has introduced to tens of thousands of people across the country. Allen's premise is simple: our productivity is directly proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve results and unleash our creative potential.

The Green Multiplier. Preuss, Lutz. 2005. What contribution can industry make to environmental protection? One corporate function has so far remained outside academic limelight, namely purchasing and supply chain management. This book seeks to redress the balance by putting forward a theory that places environmental responsibility firmly in the hands of supply chain managers - the green multiplier. By influencing purchasing decisions up and down the supply chains, managers can make a difference to the world's natural environment.

Implications of Nanotechnology for Environmental Health Research. Goldman, Lynn; Coussens, Christine (eds.) 2005. In recent years, nanotechnology has received considerable attention from both science and industry as new information emerges about its uses and potential societal benefits. The term nanotechnology broadly describes the processes and technologies used to produce materials which are purposely engineered through the manipulation of atoms. The central tenet of nanotechnology is that almost any chemically stable structure that does not violate existing physical law can be built. In the next decade, we will have an onslaught of nanotechnology products that hold great promise for revolutionizing how we manufacture products, communicate with each other, and treat disease. With this new technology come a number of uncertainties. In the twelfth meeting of the Institute of Medicine's Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine, the Roundtable held a workshop to examine the environmental health issues surrounding the emergence of technology. The workshop summary, titled Implications of Nanotechnology for Environmental Health Research, captures the discussions and presentations by the speakers and participants, who identified the areas in which additional research was needed, the processes by which changes could occur, and the gaps in our knowledge. Additionally, the workshop summarizes presentations on the benefits and potential negative impacts of nanotechnology, U.S. governmental involvement in ensuring safety, and policy implications of the emerging technology.

Managing Yourself for the Career You Want. Harvard Business School Press. 2004. Achieving a rewarding career is a challenge for managers at all levels. Managing Yourself for the Career You Want provides the critical information managers need to take control of their careers. Whether you are seeking to fine-tune an existing role or position yourself for a dramatically different one, you will find vital tips for making smart decisions. Learn to create and capitalize on new opportunities; find mentors and boost networking skills; evaluate future job prospects; and stay on a rewarding career track.

The Meeting Spectrum: An Advanced Guide for Meeting Professionals. Wright, Rudy R. 2005. Whether you are a meeting professional or new to event planning...a corporate or association executive or independent consultant... this book synthesizes what you need to know to achieve professionalism in the management of conferences, exhibitions and conventions.

Nanotechnology: Environmental Implications and Solutions. Theodore, Louis; Kunz, Robert G. 2005. Nanomaterials interact differently with the body and environment than do larger materials, and nanomaterials may turn out to be harmful, or benign, to the environment. However, the study of nanotechnology's environmental consequences is still in the initial stages. How the environmental risks are dealt with will ultimately determine the future of nanotechnology. This book begins to address these concerns, serving as a tool for both students and professional engineers who will need to be aware of these.

Natural Assets: Democratizing Environmental Ownership. Boyce, James K.; Shelley, Barry G.(eds.) 2003. Low-income communities frequently suffer from a lack of access to, or lack of control over, the natural resources that surround them. In many cases, their local environment has been degraded by years of resource extraction and pollution by distant corporations or government agencies. In such settings, initiatives that build natural assets in the hands of the poor can play and important role in poverty fighting efforts. Drawing on evidence from across the United States, Natural Assets demonstrates that safeguarding the environment and improving the well-being of the poor can be mutually reinforcing goals.

Six Sigma Demystified: A Self-Teaching Guide. Keller, Paul. 2005. One of the most useful and powerful improvement methodologies in the business world today, Six Sigma offers smart leaders invaluable strategies and techniques for achieving corporate goals...with an astonishing success rate. But the concepts behind Six Sigma, based on data-driven decision making, can be difficult to grasp -- and even harder to implement in real-life situations. Six Sigma Demystified explains this proven science of success in clear and simple terms that can help any manager, anticipate customer needs, and meet the demands of the most challenging markets.

A Small Dose of Toxicology: The Health Effects of Common Chemicals. Gilbert, Steven G. 2004. Everyday we come into contact with countless substances that could be toxic. This applies not only to the obvious candidates such as asbestos, lead, and sulphur dioxide, but also to compounds such as caffeine and headache tablets. A Small Dose of Toxicology explores the subject by placing toxicology in a human context and discusses current toxicology concerns without assuming a prior background in science. Ideal for students requiring a basic foundation in toxicology or public/environmental health, or for anyone who needs a primer to the subject, this engaging and wider-ranging text illustrates important toxicological principles using examples that readers can readily identify with.

Stress Management: A Comprehensive Guide to Wellness. Charlesworth, Edward A.; Nathan, Ronald G. 2004. Are you among the 95 million Americans who suffer from stress during these trying times? This guide helps you identify the specific areas of stress in your life -- familial, work-related, social, emotional -- and offers proven techniques for dealing with every one of them.

The Sustainability Revolution. Edwards, Andres R. 2005. Sustainability has become a buzzword in the last decade, but its full meaning is complex, emerging from a range of different sectors. In practice, it has become the springboard for millions of individuals throughout the world who are forging the fastest and most profound social transformation of our time - the Sustainability Revolution. This book paints a picture of this largely unrecognized phenomenon from the point of view of five major sectors of society, concluding that the values emerging from sustainability work define a major paradigm shift. The first book of its kind, it will appeal to business and government policy makers, academics, and all interested in sustainability.

Transportation & Sustainable Campus Communities. Toor, Will; Havlick, Spenser W. 2004. Colleges and universities across North America are facing difficult questions about automobile use and transportation. Lack of land for new parking lots and the desire to preserve air quality are but a few of the factors leading institutions toward a new vision based upon expanded transit access, better bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and incentives that encourage less driving. "Transportation and Sustainable Campus Communities presents a comprehensive examination of techniques available to manage transportation in campus communities. It gives readers the understanding they need to develop alternatives to single-occupancy vehicles, and sets forth a series of case studies that show how transportation demand management programs have worked in a variety of campus communities, ranging from small towns to large cities. The case studies highlight what works and what doesn't, as well as describing the programmatic and financial aspects involved.

Working With Difficult People. Solomon, Muriel. 2002. Are you stressed and aggravated by troublesome bosses? Co-workers? Subordinates? Then you need this book! Here you will find all the successful techniques and strategies to use when dealing with people who make your life miserable. Working With Difficult People shows you how to get in complete control of even the most difficult office relationships.

 

 

This page updated Tuesday June 19 2007