Amazon.com
Creative Spirituality, an intriguing discussion on the artistic process, zeroes in on the mysterious place where creativity and the sacred meet. As more and more artists admit to seeking and experiencing divine inspiration, author Robert Wuthnow (After Heaven) decided to examine this important link. Relying on his expansive knowledge of spirituality and culture, he offers this groundbreaking book that speaks to the ways morality and spirit influence the modern arts.
Wuthnow profiles artists such as writer Madeleine L'Engle and playwright Tony Kushner to show how creators connect are inspired by the sacred. For instance, artist Nancy Chinn gleans inspiration from the Bible, as many renowned painters have before her. "A biblical character such as Eve, Lot's wife, or the daughter of Jephtha captures her attention, and she creates an image that expresses something about this character," Wuthnow writes of Chinn. Yet Chinn also feels that her art moves beyond interpreting a religious figure. "She believes there is a spiritual and material reality beyond herself, which interacts with her during the creative process," explains Wuthnow. Herein lies an important point: many artists often see themselves as spiritual vessels as well as creators. In other chapters, he profiles artists who have soothed their personal angst or a destructive childhood by creatively expressing their spiritual growth. Moving beyond the cozy, self-help tone of the The Artist's Way, this is an impressive and intelligent manifesto for creators, seekers, and art scholars alike. --Gail Hudson
Book Description
In a provocative book that explores the fascinating link between the creative and the sacred, Robert Wuthnow claims that artists have become the spiritual vanguard of our time. Drawing on in-depth interviews with painters, sculptors, writers, singers, dancers, and actors, Wuthnow includes the spiritual insights of accomplished artists who have gained prominence as Broadway performers, gospel singers, jazz musicians, poets, Native American painters, weavers, dancers, and installation artists. He profiles such national figures as novelist Madeleine L'Engle, playwright Tony Kushner, photographer Andres Serrano, sculptor Greg Wyatt, dancer Carla DeSola, and woodcarver David Ellsworth.
Situating these artists' reflections in the context of wider cultural ferment, Wuthnow argues that spirituality is coming increasingly to focus on the inherently ineffable character of the sacred--what artists refer to as divine mystery. As growing numbers of Americans doubt the adequacy of religious creeds in defining the sacred, they are turning to artists who seek a more intuitive sense of the sacred through symbols and imagery.
These artists provide rich insights into the social and cultural problems of our time. Many have been shaped by the growing ethnic, racial, and religious diversity of the United States. Many are at the cutting edge of new thinking about body, mind, and spirit, and many are seeking ways to integrate their understandings of spirituality with interests in nature and preserving the environment. For readers interested in exploring contemporary spirituality or engaged in spiritual pursuits of their own, this engaging, elegantly written, and erudite book will answer many questions about the changing moral and spiritual role of creativity and the arts.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Theological Studies, published by Theological Studies, Inc. on December 1, 2002. The length of the article is 813 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Creative Spirituality: the Way of the Artist.(Book Review)
Author: John B. Foley
Publication:
Theological Studies (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 2002
Publisher: Theological Studies, Inc.
Volume: 63
Issue: 4
Page: 874(3)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Spectacular in scope yet intimate in detail,
The Way We Live transcends the archetypal style book to reveal global connections and patterns in home decoration. This unique body of detailed design inspiration encompasses the full range of options, from climate, location, and size to surfaces, arrangements, and colors. Whether you’re decorating a beach house in Chile or a loft space in Paris, you’re sure to be inspired by hundreds of images from around the world—a Moroccan house that coolly mixes the modern and traditional in elegant interiors; a dramatic arrangement of shells decorating a tabletop in Mauritius; flowers strewn across bare floorboards for a Christmas feast in Sweden. The enormous range of places here highlight connections and parallels of very different habitats in a way both striking and reassuring. The same attention to detail can clearly inform the layout of a dining room in a modest Mexican home as it does an exclusive club in Buenos Aires. This encyclopedic tome, a sublime visual record of how we construct and adorn our living spaces, celebrates our communal experience of the home.
From coastal hamlet to urban center, design expert Stafford Cliff compares architectural styles and decorating details from every corner of the world, whether it is a modest adobe dwelling whose contours complement those of the earth or a skyscraper of glass and steel that contrasts the natural terrain. The ingenuity of each culture shines through in the instinctive use of colors and materials, and in the way the spaces are inhabited.
The world tour of interior design elements and accents is lavishly presented in more than 1,000 glorious color photographs by famed lifestyle photographer Gilles de Chabaneix. Humble yet interesting structures, objects, and settings are all viewed with the same eye as the grandest homes, the rarest antiques, or the most exclusive addresses. From an unadorned Vietnamese sitting room to a bustling Neapolitan street market; a modern London flat to a baroque drawing room in Versailles; an Indian palace to a Chilean café, here is a world where old and new, organic and synthetic, happily coexist. And within these interiors, a myriad of choices and inspirations are seen in the contrasts between stark simplicity and sumptuous embellishment, minimal modernism and rococo splendor, the self-consciously urbane and the authentically rustic, the uniform and the eclectic. Fabrics, textures, and ornamental details reflect the complexity of different spaces and lifestyles, spurring countless ideas for personal self-expression. It seems that the way we live is not always defined by where we live.
Commentary on communal open space, which connects us to one another, and a meticulous guide to sources and materials round out this ultimate treasury. Both beautiful and practical,
The Way We Live is much more than a decorating guide—it is a design for living.
Customer Reviews:
terrific book.......2007-05-15
brilliant pictures of landscapes from around the world and homes. I particularly enjoy the pictures of various stairwells together or doorways for example.
Rich, complex, atmospheric.......2006-06-14
I thought this book was exceptional.
This book deals with design in all parts of the world, but much more than this it gives you the feeling of the cultural richness of people who live in these spaces. It is visually beautiful and evocative.
I think the photography is outstanding. The photograper has a real knowledge about light and composition. It is rare, I think, to have so many excellent photos in a single volume. Along with this, the narrative is direct and insightful.
For those interested in design, the book offers many ideas for all types of settings. None of the ones presented are stereotypical or stiff.
The most winning aspect in this book is the realism and beauty that we are able to see around the world. The colorful, serene, and eclectic nature of many settings make this book a delight to read over and over again.
Through the Keyhole.......2006-02-08
Have you ever walked or driven past someone's home and wanted to look inside? Looking through this book is a bit like that on an international scale. The book is a beautiful work of art in itself, the presentation top class, the paper quality excellent, the binding great. It is packed with marvellous photographs of interiors, accompanied by descriptive text. What it isn't is another of those boring interior design books, filled with rooms that are painted offwhite, with large mirrors, potted palms and overstuffed sofas. This book is interior design getting real!
A Comprehensive and Sensitive Survey of Peoples and their Habitats.......2005-12-06
Stafford Cliff has collected images from all around the world and with the help of superb photographer Gilles de Chabaneix has done what few other innovators in design have done - created a book that is, yes, about design, but is equally about how climate, place, ethnicity, tradition, cultural philosophies, and history inform the decisions people make about their living environments.
Not just viewing the gracious homes of the wealthy of the planet (though there are plenty of gorgeous 'palaces' of design to please the most art hungry eye), Cliff views the differences geography makes in dwellings, from spectacular vistas of the sea to the mountains and to the deserts, and how the climates influence the manner in which 'design' is used. As interested in discussing and sharing the most humble abodes with the most lavish mansions, Cliff doesn't miss a beat as he and de Chabaneix journey to places obscure and places of notoriety. The emphasis is always on the manner in which the people of these dwellings adapt and incorporate their living spaces to their environment.
A book that is both sumptuous in design itself and tender in its approach, THE WAY WE LIVE will appeal to both students of design and to those who long to understand the essence of living, wherever they travel. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 05
Great Research Book........2005-10-01
As an interior designer, I often start thinking about new spaces by doing research as to what other people have done in the past in similar situations...this is a great book to have in your library for that purpose. I've referenced it many times to show clients the sort of "mood" I'm looking to create before we sit down to hammer out the nuts and bolts of how that feeling translates into a different space with different furnishings and fabrics...this book won't teach you how to make curtains, but it is well worth the investment as exactly what it says it is..."a global design inspiration".
Average customer rating:
- Great yaoi
- Flimsy and Disgusting
- the best yaoi in the world
- I like boys...who like other boys
- ah the ending
|
Selfish Love: Book 1 (Yaoi)
Naduki Koujima
Manufacturer: Central Park Media - Be Beautiful
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Graphic Novels
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Manga
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Yaoi
| Manga
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Classics
| Comic
| Contemporary
| Literary
Adult Fiction
| Erotica
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Erotica
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Skyscapers Of Oz (1)
-
But I'm Your Teacher
-
Brother
-
Desire (Yaoi) (Yaoi Series)
-
Yellow, Volume 2
ASIN: 1586649590 |
Book Description
The unexpected ending! Will come shrink-wrapped and carries an 18+ age advisory.
Customer Reviews:
Great yaoi.......2007-04-29
I've just finished to read this manga... I really liked it! Character design is very fine and detailed, the plot is the kind one that makes you smile. Those images I loved the most where just one of the main characters was drawn in his full beauty; you can find a lot of these throughout the manga. If you love school boys and their innocent way of looking at love, don't miss this yaoi!
Flimsy and Disgusting.......2006-04-25
The first volume of "Selfish Love," while still kind of repetitive and poorly characterized, wasn't as bad as the second one. In this volume, thankfully the last one in the series, the main characters continue to fight outwardly while inwardly "loving" each other. The lowest point in the already low plot is when Orita ("the bigger one") rapes Ryuya ("the smaller one") because, of course, Ryuya "really wanted it." Other than that, the story is boring, nothing really happens except that the characters are "in love" and some something or other having to do with school kind of barely figures in. Basically, this title made me sick.
the best yaoi in the world.......2006-03-26
This is by far the best yaoi I have ever read. I've read it over and over again, and I just love it! I just can't say enough good about it. Too bad it's only two books...
I like boys...who like other boys.......2006-01-02
I enjoyed reading Orito and Ryuya's story almost as much as I enjoyed looking at them. The whole idea of someone falling in love with their "tormentor" is just angsty enough to overshadow the silly sides that occur. The silliness thrown in doesn't take away from the main story too much. I think fans of this genre will enjoy both books in this series. There are a couple of nice side stories too(completely unrelated).
ah the ending.......2005-09-08
This concluding volume is not bad at all but I wished there was more resistance in the end to make the you know what more special, otherwise the story /plot developed nicely.
Book Description
REHAB IS FOR QUITTERS
Let’s face it, there are thousands of books out there to help you avoid self-destructive behavior—but what fun is that? Welcome to the first book designed to help you not help yourself. Here you’ll find unsound advice on everything from engineering a revenge affair to picking the gateway drug that’s best for you.
Chapters include:
• 12 Steps to a Drinking “Problem”
• Condoms Are for Suckers
• How to Lose Way Too Much Weight in 90 Days
• And more!
As you travel down the road to self-destruction, let this hedonistic handbook be your guide. It may steer you wrong—in fact, it’s sure to do so—but when being wrong is this much fun, who wants to be right?
Customer Reviews:
I've Been Destroyed...And I love it!.......2006-09-28
Finally a self-no-help book that I can relate to. If you're tired of cliches and platitudes that try to make you believe that you can actually better yourself when all you want to do is take a high-speed pass to decadence and debauchery than buy this book. I laughed out loud a bunch of times and will be getting copies of it for friends in need.
Entertaining but can be boring sometimes.......2005-08-23
This book can be very entertaining at times. However, I found myself falling asleep at certain times while reading this book.
Instructions for Your Future.......2005-08-04
A lot of people can achieve success on their own but many people just need that little bit of guidance. The Self-Destruction Handbook is definitely not that guidance. What it is a humorous parody of those millions of annoying self help books and an extremely entertaining read. This book will teach you the 12 steps to a drinking problem, and all the techniques to a successful smoking habit. You'll be convinced why you should do drugs as well as learn all the inside secrets on dating and obtaining or becoming a mistress. You'll get helpful bedroom advice, learn how to release your inner child body and you'll be convinced why you should go out and get that tattoo, body piercing or other self mutilating accessory. A great read that will have you laughing out loud, so read it in a public place!
Decent Satire, But Not Recommended For The Faint-Hearted.......2005-01-18
My wife and I picked up this book based on the title alone. The clerk, reading the title as we paid for it, noted that "no home should be without this." I've always wondered if he'd actually read the book or was just riffing on the title.
First off -- this book is satire. It's a joke. Some of the jokes are tasteless, many are crude, a couple are just plain wrong. But they're jokes. All of them. I can image that this book is misunderstood and reviled by many who take it at face value. But any issue that I, or anyone, should have with this book is about the humour and nothing else. It's not that "you either get it or you don't" -- I get it, but that doesn't mean that I'm obligated to find everything in it funny, either. Bone-dry, satire-with-a-side-of-detached-irony isn't everyone's cup of tea.
Nor is that brand of satire a carte blanche to get away with whatever insult/offensive remark/slur that you can think of. A lot of bad writing gets published in the name of satire, and while this book isn't bad writing, it has it's moments. Like I said, some of this book is pretty rough going, even for a seasoned satirist and humourist such as myself. There are some very deadpan jokes in here about such obvious targets as eating disorders, STDs, the obese, children, the elderly, smokers, non-smokers...etc. Not all of them are as funny as you'd hope. It's a dark little book. Some of the jokes are so dark, in fact, that it seems a little cruel even reading them. It's not that they're offensive; it's just that they're not funny. They're outrageous, they're mean-spirited and, even though they're clearly not meant to be taken seriously, they can be tough to read.
That said, the book can also be witty and clever, especially when the authors are going for something more sophisticated then pure shock value. It's a funny book, and I like it, but thoughts of buying one for my sister upon her graduation from medical school quickly evaporated after I'd read about 3 pages. This book, like all satire, isn't for everyone.
Taken from the handbook's "How To Lose Way Too Much Weight In 90 Days" chapter: "Fun Fact: Joining a soritity increases your chance of developing and maintaining an eating disorder by 130%." If you're offended already, you might want to pass on this one. If, on the other hand, you're always wishing that "The Daily Show" would finally take the gloves off and start really making fun of people, you might like The Self-Destruction Handbook.
..........2004-11-18
The problem with this kind of book is that it's joke is limited. After the novelty wears off, it all becomes a bit stale.. but then, don't most REAL self-help books?!
Some of the sections are quite funny... for instance, the part on how to start smoking (you start of by building up your nicotine addiction by wearing the patch or chewing nicotine gum!)... also quite funny was the self mutilation section (everything from enlargement of "certain reproductive features" to cutting).
The greatest flaw of the book, perhaps, is how it never quite goes as far or gets as outrageous as it should. They should have called this "The Practical Self-Destruction Handbook."
Pick this book up cheap (used, or in the bargain section) for an amusing read. Or get it as a creative gift. But don't pay full price for yourself and expect to get a lot of milage out of it.
Amazon.com
What could top the charm, the outlandishness, the wit, the loveliness of classic Hollywood romantic comedy? The triumph of James Harvey's book is its ability to convey the delights of the genre when it was at its best, during the 1930s and '40s. Though he devotes chapters to major filmmakers such as Frank Capra and Howard Hawks, and stars like Cary Grant, Claudette Colbert, Fred Astaire, and Ginger Rogers, Harvey's focus is on two of the finest directors of the period: Ernst Lubitsch and Preston Sturges. Harvey describes the joys of watching their movies as he offers many intriguing insights into their cinematic styles and comic techniques. One of the best things about this book is its author's willingness to discuss obscure, hard-to-find films. Of course, he covers popular entertainments such as Lubitsch's Ninotchka, Capra's It Happened One Night, and Sturges's The Lady Eve, but he also devotes equal time to little-known, fascinating works like Sturges's The Great Moment and Lubitsch's Angel. This is an invaluable companion for anyone interested in learning more about two of Hollywood's most wonderful auteurs or about romantic comedy in general. --Raphael Shargel
Customer Reviews:
Harvey's sharp wit meets comedies' humor.......2006-05-29
A natural wit and storyteller himself, Harvey can mine the field for twists and turns that you might miss without his helpful guide. This is the best film criticism book ever. If you never saw the films, you could easily imagine them by reading this book. I wish he had time to write more books on film. Nobody writes with such a masterful voice, perfectly suited to this subject.
A brainy, articulate romp through Hollywood's golden age ..........2005-05-22
... Harvey's book brims with the kind of keen, enthusiastic observations that lovers of the screwball genre will embrace with glee. He casts a thoroughly knowing and intelligent eye on the films, the actors, the directors and the millieu that define what, for many film buffs, was Hollywood's real golden age.
For my money, this is THE de facto handbook to that great twenty years' worth of cinematic Americana. I have loved these old movies for a long time, but Harvey deconstructs why it is that these movies worked well and continue to entertain and draw admirers some seventy and eighty years on. Harvey's engaging prose is steeped not only in an obvious love of these movies, but is remarkably fine in and of itself; this man can write, really write, adroitly sidestepping a swathe of cliches in favor of original thinking and insights that will get and keep you reading, hoping the chapter -- and the book -- will never end.
Reading this book is nearly as much fun as watching the films he writes about with such affection and insight. Rare is the book of film study that affords a measure of tangible pleasure anywhere near that of watching the films themselves. The best of film criticism gets readers to re-thinking films seen perhaps dozens of times; Harvey's Romantic Comedy accomplishes not only that, but provides an irresistible impetus to revisit the entire canon of films post haste. And not a moment too soon.
Justly lauded, and terrific stuff. A five star-plus recommendation for this terrific tome!!!
One of the best books on film art.......2002-11-21
Not only is this a comprehensive survey of the genre of romantic comedy (and its profound sub-genre, screwball comedy), but Harvey's digressions offer many wise comments on pre-1950 films in general. I came away convinced that comedy is more profound than tragedy. A good editor won't spoil "Hamlet" by cutting some of its dialogue, but it would be infinitely harder to cut dialogue from any of the great comedies written and directed by Preston Sturges. As a bonus, Harvey provides a glowing appreciation of the comic artistry of Irene Dunne, along with a wonderful interview with her.
A book for the lover of the screwball comedy.......2002-02-17
Sturges, Lubitsch, Hawks, all the directors of the golden age of the comedy are here. The book we are looking for. It was easy to find books about the film noir or the western but it wasn't so easy to find the same about comedy. This is the book.
A Curate's Egg.......2001-06-19
This book is interesting in spite of the theories it contains rather than because of them. Maybe those who have given this book a good rating are just happy that the author spends a lot of time talking about so many wonderful films. But, whilst much of the analysis of the films is interesting, a lot of it is rather hamfisted. In many cases the author seems to be praising the actor for doing what the writer or the director told him to do. In fact I would say that in this book the role of the scriptwriter is completely misunderstood. This severely weakens Harvey's attempts at textual analysis
In addition, Harvey's literary judgements are rather curious to say the least. For example, he completely underates the genius of Noel Coward and claims that the movies of the 30s as an American artifact whilst ignoring the obvious influence of the British comedy of manners in forming the backbone of Hollywood comedy.
The silly left wing social theories expressed in this book are laughable, as is the author's hankering for 'subversion' in comedy films, at the expense of just plain laughter. This book is far too long and repetitious. The services of a good editor would have been worthwhile.
Average customer rating:
|
The Schubert Thematic Catalogue
Otto Erich Deutsch
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Schubert, Franz
| Composers
| Classical
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Reference
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0486286851 |
Amazon.com
This is a useful reference for musicologists and dedicated Schubertians; anyone else may find it a bit more than they really need. The text is minimal, but the content is impressive: there are entries (with musical samples) for a total of 1,515 works known to have come from Schubert's pen or attributed to him. Schubert helped out by dating virtually all of his manuscripts, and the listings are in chronological order. The musical themes are printed with information on when they were written, where the original manuscript is today, and, where applicable, how a work differs from earlier versions. It's an impressive piece of work.
Book Description
A specialist in Schubertian biography and bibliography definitively catalogs the 1,515 known and traceable Schubert works in their chronological order. Entries include title, catalog number, date and place of composition, location of original manuscript, statistics of first performance and first edition, historical notes and more. Includes 5 appendixes and 3 indexes.
Product Description
There is no date of copyright or publication; ca. 1952. A complete catalog of Schubert's works, published, unpublished, and lost, with the theme of every number or movement. The themes, about 2250 in number, are given on a single-stave system. These are as short as possible, yet are precise enough to permit positive identification. Arranged in chronological sequence. 8.75 inches tall, 566 pages, indices, appendices.
Average customer rating:
|
Northwest bastion: The U.S. Army barracks at Vancouver, 1849-1916
Ted Van Arsdol
Manufacturer: Heritage Trust of Clark County
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
General
| Native American
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Washington
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Pacific Northwest
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0963074105 |
Book Description
A world-renowned innovation guru explains practices that result in breakthrough innovations
"Ulwick's outcome-driven programs bring discipline and predictability to the often random process of innovation."
-Clayton Christensen
For years, companies have accepted the underlying principles that define the customer-driven paradigm--that is, using customer "requirements" to guide growth and innovation. But twenty years into this movement, breakthrough innovations are still rare, and most companies find that 50 to 90 percent of their innovation initiatives flop. The cost of these failures to U.S. companies alone is estimated to be well over $100 billion annually.
In a book that challenges everything you have learned about being customer driven, internationally acclaimed innovation leader Anthony Ulwick reveals the secret weapon behind some of the most successful companies of recent years. Known as "outcome-driven" innovation, this revolutionary approach to new product and service creation transforms innovation from a nebulous art into a rigorous science from which randomness and uncertainty are eliminated.
Based on more than 200 studies spanning more than seventy companies and twenty-five industries, Ulwick contends that, when it comes to innovation, the traditional methods companies use to communicate with customers are the root cause of chronic waste and missed opportunity. In What Customers Want, Ulwick demonstrates that all popular qualitative research methods yield well-intentioned but unfitting and dreadfully misleading information that serves to derail the innovation process. Rather than accepting customer inputs such as "needs," "benefits," "specifications," and "solutions," Ulwick argues that researchers should silence the literal "voice of the customer" and focus on the "metrics that customers use to measure success when executing the jobs, tasks or activities they are trying to get done." Using these customer desired outcomes as inputs into the innovation process eliminates much of the chaos and variability that typically derails innovation initiatives.
With the same profound insight, simplicity, and uncommon sense that propelled The Innovator's Solution to worldwide acclaim, this paradigm-changing book details an eight-step approach that uses outcome-driven thinking to dramatically improve every aspect of the innovation process--from segmenting markets and identifying opportunities to creating, evaluating, and positioning breakthrough concepts. Using case studies from Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, AIG, Pfizer, and other leading companies, What Customers Want shows companies how to:
- Obtain unique customer inputs that make predictable innovation possible
- Recognize opportunities for disruption, new market creation, and core market growth--well before competitors do
- Identify which ideas, technologies, and acquisitions have the greatest potential for creating customer value
- Systematically define breakthrough products and services concepts
Innovation is fundamental to success and business growth. Offering a proven alternative to failed customer-driven thinking, this landmark book arms you with the tools to unleash innovation, lower costs, and reduce failure rates--and create the products and services customers really want.
Customer Reviews:
Simple and Disciplined Approach to Obtaining Customers' Wants.......2007-07-21
This is an excellent book that lays out a simple but disciplined approach to capturing what customers' want. With all the sources out there communicating how to do the voice of the customer, this book starts off by challenging that approach as being ineffective and then lays out what the author proposes as a better approach through the understanding of the customers' jobs that they are trying to perform, the outcomes (or key metrics that they use to measure how well a product or service completes a job) and the opportunities or those outcomes that are either underserved or overserved. The opportunities are the areas that a company should focus on to be successful in innovation. The author does this by sharing examples from different organizations that resulted in success. All in all a very refreshing approach to focusing on the customer and worth the read for all the innovators out there.
Purpose for Gathering Voice of the Customer (VOC) Data.......2007-06-08
Proposes a different purpose for gathering VOC -- that is, focusing on the customer's desired "outcome" of the job to be accomplished. I was very delighted to read about this approach since it allows more objectivity in designing final solutions. However, it appears the author fails to capture that this is infact VOC data collection. Students of Six Sigma know that VOC data collection is not about writing down what the customer "says". It is about uncovering true "needs" (or whatever term you want to use) directly from the customer and not some secondary party ill-equiped to articulate those "needs".
Good but not great.......2007-01-18
If you are new to market research or product innovation, this book is practical and easy to read and I recommend it. No need to read further in my comment.
For the more experienced reader: As a businessperson, I was disappointed in this book. At first I was carried away; Ulwick is a good writer. I was so excited, I restared the book and took notes. That is when I realized that this is essentially a marketing tool for his company. Ulwich doesn't give insight into how to find the "50-150" criteria he mentions beyond saying that good marketing researchers are important. Furthermore his comments about customer-driven innovation are incorrect. While I agree with him that many companies behave as he describes, this is because, as with other business tools/concepts, customer-driven innovation is misunderstand and misused. Most of what he talks about is identical to what I tell employees during training. What I got out of this book was a handful of sentences about focusing on the job your customer needs done, the constraints and the criteria by which customers will measure your "solution".
Most Practical Approach.......2006-11-11
This book offers the most practical approach to developing an innovation strategy of the many I have read.
It is one of the few that offers tools and ideas that can be put immediately to work in a business.
Cutomer Service Training.......2006-10-07
Innovation is primal to success and business growth. Offering a proven alternative to failed customer driven initiatives, this wonderful book offers you the tools and strategies to unleash innovation, lower costs, and reduce failure rates and create the products and services customers really want.
Books:
- Cut & Assemble a Nutcracker Ballet Toy Theater: A Complete Production in Full Color (Models & Toys)
- Design Through Discovery: The Elements and Principles
- Digesting the Child Within: And Other Cartoons to Live by
- Disappearing Witness: Change in Twentieth-Century American Photography
- Edmund C. Tarbell: Poet of Domesticity
- Empathic Vision: Affect, Trauma, and Contemporary Art (Cultural Memory in the Present)
- Eyewitness: Perspective
- Fantastic Metamorphoses, Other Worlds: Ways of Telling the Self (Clarendon Lectures in English Literature)
- Fashinonable Clothing From the Sears Catalogs Early 1960s
- Frank Auerbach: Paintings and Drawings 1954-2001
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- How to Be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life
- Lady of Ch'iao Kuo: Warrior of the South, Southern China, A.D. 531
- Kinetic Peculiarities of Solid Phase Reactions
- Memories of Underdevelopment
- Let's Draw Manga: Bodies And Emotions
- Mammal Species of the World : A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, 2-volume set
- Mistress Bradstreet: The Untold Life of America's First Poet
- Mutch About Horses
- Monsters Under the Bed and Other Childhood Fears: Helping Your Child Overcome Anxieties, Fears, and
- Murder Can Botch Up Your Birthday
Image and Spirit: Finding Meaning in Visual Art
All in Sync: How Music and Art Are Revitalizing American Religion
Chapters into Verse: A Selection of Poetry in English Inspired by the Bible from Genesis through Revelation
The Soul Tells A Story: Engaging Creativity With Spirituality In The Writing Life
Van Gogh and God: A Creative Spiritual Quest (Campion Book)
