The Art of Field Sketching

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Loved the Book Years Ago, Still Love It

The Art of Field Sketching
Clare W. Leslie
Manufacturer: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Drawn to Nature Through the Journals of Clare Walker Leslie

ASIN: 0787205796

Customer Reviews:

Loved the Book Years Ago, Still Love It.......2007-09-14

I checked out this title from a library when I was in my teens. It was the introduction to journaling for me. I took down the name, returned the book when it was due, and I was glad that I did: it took me this long to find a in-print copy of it...and soft cover to boot!

Artist Outdoors: Field Sketching in the American West

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Artist Outdoors: Field Sketching in the American West
R. Richard Gayton
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0130481661

Rapid Field-Sketching And Reconnaissance

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Rapid Field-Sketching And Reconnaissance
Willoughby Verner
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1432553534

Book Description

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

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The Art of Field Sketching
Clare Walker Leslie
Manufacturer: Olympic Marketing Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OIA8Z0

The Art of Field Sketching (Art & Design Series)

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The Art of Field Sketching (Art & Design Series)
Clare Walker Leslie
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OI9VJ4

Book Description

For six decades, Saul Steinberg's covers, cartoons, features, and illustrations were a defining presence at The New Yorker. As the magazine became a standard-bearer of taste and intelligence in American letters, Steinberg's drawings emerged as its visual epitome. This richly illustrated book, featuring Joel Smith's astute text and a captivating introduction by the artist's friend and colleague Ian Frazier, explores the remarkable range and unceasing evolution of a major American modernist-one whose art reached a grateful public not from museum walls but from the pages of the periodical he called "my refuge, patria, and safety net."

All Steinberg's New Yorker covers appear here in full color, along with over 130 examples of inside art, from black-line drawings to elaborate color portfolios. Also included are Steinberg's most beloved, intuitive, and brilliant inspirations, among them a New York populated with stoical cats, precocious children, puzzled couples, and a menagerie of vivid grotesques. A vibrant celebration of one of the most original and engaging artists of the 20th century, Steinberg at The New Yorker brings alive a genius, a magazine, and an era. AUTHOR BIO: Joel Smith has been the Fisher Curator at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College since 1999. He is the author of Edward Steichen: The Early Years. Ian Frazier is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker. His previous books include the national bestseller Great Plains.

Customer Reviews:

Steinbergiana.......2005-11-02

"Steinberg at The New Yorker" makes an important, even indispensable contribution to the understanding of Steinberg's work and life. Not since Harold Rosenberg's discriminating essays on Steinberg has there been such a good source of insight about his procedures and concepts. Ian Frazier's memoir fleshes out this otherwise mysterious character, Joel Smith's commentary offers brief but appropriate insights, the images themselves are wonderful, copious, superbly reproduced--many in full size. A monument to Steinberg and a key historical document at the same time.

Great Art, Weak Writing.......2005-07-17

This book was a disappointment to me. The writing is too removed from the subject. It has a strong chronological structure, however it is very impersonal. Most of the quotes seem to be pulled from interviews. I would prefer more information about Steinberg's life.

What did he like to eat? Write more about his relationship with Abstract Expressionists. Aren't there any stories about him being funny or having funny experiences in his travels? More about his relationship with Hedda Sterne. Did he speak with an accent? Was he fussy or snobby? Would he have a conversation with the newspaper vendor on the street? Did he feud with anyone besides Tina Brown? More about other New Yorker cartoonists and their relationships.

The book lacks insight and a personal feel. It is shallow and superficial account of his life. If this book were a trip to Europe, it would be like a package deal with a strict itinerary.
Every morning, you get on the bus and travel to another city. All meals are timed with great food. It is over planned and comprehensive. All major sights are seen. As apposed to a trip with a friend, who shows you their favorite restaurant, the unknown museums. Renting a car and exploring the countryside in a spontaneous that is open to discovery.

The art is superior. An awesome selection that shows the breadth and facile charm that attracts me to Steinberg's work.

A must have.......2005-06-05

Magnificent. Beautifully reproduced artwork of my favorite cartoonist/illustrator of all time. From pen and ink drawings you've never seen before to full-size New Yorker covers, this book is an amazing resource. I also like the fact that Steinberg's New Yorker covers are reproduced in miniature at the end, in chronological order. But this book is more than an art portfolio. Joel Smith's contributions, which range from the biographical to the curatorial, bring a new level of appreciation to Steinberg's work.

The Comic Worlds of Peter Arno, William Steig, Charles Addams, and Saul Steinberg

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Ups and Downs

The Comic Worlds of Peter Arno, William Steig, Charles Addams, and Saul Steinberg
Iain Topliss
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0801880440

Book Description

For many aficionados of the New Yorker magazine, the drawings of Peter Arno, William Steig, Charles Addams, and Saul Steinberg epitomize its sophisticated wit and disarming humor. In The Comic Worlds of Peter Arno, William Steig, Charles Addams, and Saul Steinberg, the first full-scale scholarly study of the subject, Iain Topliss considers the work of each artist, traces the development of his art, and recalls the cultural and social context in which it was created.

Topliss delves into the nature of humor and the elements that make successful cartoons funny, paying special attention to matters of style and technique. He draws particular attention to the ways in which these four artists mocked the status quo without alienating the magazine's readers. Indeed, argues Topliss, the New Yorker's cartoons helped define American consciousness in the mid-twentieth century.

Illustrated with more than fifty drawings from the artists published in the magazine between 1925 and 1975, The Comic Worlds of Peter Arno, William Steig, Charles Addams, and Saul Steinberg recognizes the achievements of these talented artists and their distinctive contribution to American culture.

Customer Reviews:

Ups and Downs.......2007-03-08

Somehow I always wind up first whenever I get a book that I'm sure dozens of other reviewers would be all over, like white on rice! This book, a serious and academic study of four New Yorker cartoonists, I would have thought would be a natural. Maybe people got turned off by the cover, a particularly grisly Charles Addams sketch in a drab, battleship gray color. And yet, the sketch itself, a crowded movie theater packed with weeping, intensely uncomfortable viewers, in the middle of which you see one of Addams' trademark characters watching whatever is happening on the screen (a death?) and chuckling happily--yes, the sketch itself encapsulates some of Topliss' thoughts about the position of spectatorship vis-a-vis the New Yorker artists he covers.

We see ourselves in Uncle Fester's grin, for we feel we too are different than the rest of the crowd, and that we have a privileged and superior position to what is being displayed on the screen. How these four artists managed to animate their own, very different sense of the "unique," is Topliss' subject.

He won't make you want to read much more about Peter Arno, the aristocratic playboy for whom comics were decidedly slumming. Of William Steig, Topliss shows us how first Karen Horney and then Wilhelm Reich animated his thinking about creativity and the act of drawing. His was a fascinating life, but again, I'm not so sure he was so utterly a genius at his art. Addams and Steinberg come off the best, although Topliss' "fame" angle on Steinberg made him sound a little like those celebrities who complain about the paparazzi even when they're courting press attention.

Topliss sees US culture, New Yorker division, through the distant, cold eyes of an Australian. Sometimes the onlooker sees more of the game, and there's a sense in which one of our better academics might be the best candidate to write about the classic Australian cartoonists of the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and 50s. Turnabout is fair play, and in the writing game, objectivity is nearly everything. He has a rousing salute to Melbourne at the end of his introduction, in which he also explains why he seems to ignore the contributions of two other excellent cartoonists from the same period and venue, namely, Thurber and Hokinson. His salute to his hometown is worth the price of the book, though it's a little odd. Perhaps he could write another book about the "tall poppy syndrome" and why people in Melbourne are both proud of, and dismissive of, their celebrated comic muse, the one and only Kylie Minogue.

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New Yorker Visits The Guggenheim, The
Charles Addams , Roz Chast , Art Spiegelman , and Saul Steinberg
Manufacturer: Guggenheim Museum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0892073187
Release Date: 2005-04-15

Book Description

From mid-century masters Charles Addams and Saul Steinberg, through contemporary cartoonists Art Spiegelman and Roz Chast, New Yorker artists have depicted The Guggenheim with wit and insight. This book brings together five decades worth of cartoons and cover illustrations that feature the iconic museum, along with period photographs that reveal the artists' inspirations. According to Robert Mankoff, "The cartoonists of The New Yorker brilliantly and hilariously illuminate both the reality of New York and the city of our imaginations."

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Steinberg at the New Yorker

Manufacturer: ABRAMS HARRY N (THAM
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GTG784

Book Description

When he launched Non Sequitur a decade ago, Wiley Miller knew he didn't want a running joke. So he took the name of his strip from the Latin phrase for "it does not follow" and created a comic that features no central character or theme, no setting or time frame, just a Twilight Zone of cartoon moments. Day after day, Non Sequitur hilariously jabs at the feats and foibles of life, skewering everyone from doctors to politicians. Wiley's irreverent, satirical wit, combined with his superbly crafted illustrations, confirms once and for all that the universe is one big joke at humanity's expense.In Wiley's world, no one is a better target than lawyers. That's why The Legal Lampoon, a collection of the cream of Non Sequitur's legal cartoon crop, will be one of the Wiley's most popular books.Consider the poor panhandler standing next to a signboard that reads, "Stood on principle. Won my lawsuit. Went bankrupt." Or the Master of Spin, responding to his client's lost appeal to the parole board: "Congratulations! You've been held over by popular demand . . ." Or a fund-raiser who can't get any donations until she edits her sign to read: "Donations to spay and neuter stray pets and lawyers." Throughout the pages of The Legal Lampoon, lawyers get a royal roasting. It's a hilarious collection that will appeal to everyone who both reviles and respects lawyers. Yes, it's true: Many lawyers let Wiley know how much they appreciate his attorney humor. It's a book made in legal heaven.

Customer Reviews:

Hilarious.......2006-01-27

What can I say; as a lawyer in training, its good to get the perspective of how I am going to be viewed in society. My personal favorite strip from the book involves Ernie the Sociopath, but you will have to buy it to figure out what he does. This book is hilarious, and is perfect if you have regular dealings with those in the law profession. I would not recommend giving this as a gift to an attorney; after all, we know how sensitive they are.
Overall, Wiley is one of the best comic strip artists today. The art is crisp and clear, and more importantly, the strips are not dominated by dialogue. Many of the strips in this collection involve a small caption and then just art. As I am currently in law school, I feel I have the privilege to paraphrase his introduction, which is to the effect that so long as we have ambitionless kids, whose only desire is to make money, our law schools will always be full. This sentiment is expressed clearly throughout this collection, and will leave anyone rolling on the floor in laughter at the "legalities" attorney's are there to protect.

This explains a lot.......2004-05-26

Lawyers, and the law as it's actually practiced, are baffling, convoluted, and impossible for the layman to understand.

Thank you, Wiley, for giving the clearest, most understandable interpretation to date!

If you don't already love Wiley's outrageous, piercing humor, treat yourself. The only thing wrong with this book is that it ends - I finished the last page ready for more.

Three Necessary Preconditions.......2003-07-06

You will like this book if you
a) appreciate the humor and superb drawing-style of Wiley
b) really, really hate lawyers
c) you are a kind of lawyer yourself.

If all of the above applies, I can guarantee that you will love this book. I do.

How can you not laugh?!.......2003-06-27

First there was Larson, and then, there was Wiley... When Larson stopped making cartoons, the world groaned - and I found Non Sequitur! If you love dry humour in cartoons and an 'outside in looking out' type of outlook on life, then you'll love just about anything concerning Non Sequitur. Unlike Larson, Wiley is more diverse in what he pokes fun at, and this book is a special collection of the fun he pokes at the humourless legal profession. It plays on stereotypes, it probably preys on reality, but the end result is a hilarious collection of books aimed at gently lampooning the legal profession.

Book Description

Through his own and other people's stories, Steve Rizzo reveals how humor can affect our perceptions of challenging circumstances and life's tragedies. He shows how humor can short circuit negative thoughts and emotions-before emotional and physical havoc can set in.

Customer Reviews:

Now I want to become a humor being!.......2000-01-14

Everyone will benefit from this book. Steve Rizzo shows the reader how to laugh off fear, find humor in change and take a stressful situation and make it easier to deal with. This book would be especially beneficial to people who need to overcome some obstacle in their lives. Steve Rizzo shows us how to use humor to help with the most serious of topics. I especially like the personal story style of the book. It really helps the reader find a connection between the author's life and their own. Like I said in my title, Now I want to become a humor being!

Book Description

Sherlock Holmes has appeared on screen more times than any other fictional character. Created just before the birth of cinema, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective has drawn movie-goers across the world. Sherlock Holmes on Screen includes all of Holmes’ 300-plus film appearances, making it the most complete filmography ever published. This includes films from the silent era through the Basil Rathbone movies of the forties; films from France, Japan, Russia, Germany, and Italy; the films of Hammer Studios in the UK and Roger Corman in America; Billy Wilder’s 1970 film, Private Life of Sherlock Holmes , and many more. There are also television versions of Sherlock Holmes, including one directed by Steven Spielberg. Complete with 120 photos and a guide to the original stories, Sherlock Holmes on Screen is a testament to the enduring power of Conan Doyle’s celebrated creation.

Customer Reviews:

Doesn't take Holmesian intellect to know this is a must-buy.......2004-08-13

There are no words which seem to adequately describe just how good SHERLOCK HOLMES ON SCREEN: THE COMPLETE FILM AND TV HISTORY by Alan Barnes is: The word "comprehensive," while accurate, just doesn't seem to go far enough.
A lifelong Sherlockian I purchased this handsome 288 page hardback updated edition with high hopes and I was not disappointed. Barnes decision to take an A to Z organizational approach may not be everyone's ideal, but he does provide a film and television chronology towards the end of the book to appease those of us who prefer that type of listing.
As the title indicates every film and television appearance by the Sherlock Holmes character including a number of which I was previously unaware. Barnes gives more behind the scenes production notes, details of the mysteries and the solutions and in some cases these are quite extensive. For example I found the details behind the Peter Cushing television series of Holmes adventures fascinating and entertaining and his notes on what it took to bring SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE DEADLY NECKLACE to the screen, entertaining and revealing. Who knew that the movie had been intended to be the start of a franchise - with the script for the second planned movie eventually being filmed as A STUDY IN TERROR with John Neville in the Holmes role.
Barnes even includes movies and television episodes with more questionable ties to Sherlock Holmes. He gives high praise to Disney's animated THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE but the Spielberg produced YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES fares less well. In addition there are entries for the two STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION episodes that featured Prof. Moriarty and even THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN gets a mention for its Holmesian references.
With listings that include not only alternate titles for the movies, but also surprisingly in depth cast listings, running times and some very rare photo's, this volume is a must-own for any self respecting Sherlock Holmes fan, and anyone with even a mild curiosity about the character.

Great reference book.......2003-07-18

If you are a fan of more than the Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes episodes, this is a great item for your bookshelf. Barnes has written the most comprehensive guide to Holmes in film and on television. The amount of information is amazing. Boookend this with David Stuart Davies' graphically gorgeous Starring Sherlock Holmes and you'll have a fantastic reference library on Holmes on screen.

Bob Byrne
Sherlock Holmes on Oxford Lane

Essential reading for film buffs and Sherlock Holmes fans.......2003-07-18

This book has yet to leave my bedside table since I purchased it a few months ago. It's not only an extremely well researched book but a very entertaining read as well, packed with information that is revealing (eg, how Jeremy Brett's personal problems impacted upon the Granada tv series) and sometimes surprising (eg, Peter O'Toole and Peter Sellers were the original choices for Holmes and Watson for Billy Wilder's 'The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes').

Alan Barnes and his fellow contributors go into great detail about the films and television shows they cover, and give their personal opinions about each entry. You may not agree with all of the views expressed, but they are well written and certainly give the reader food for thought.

The book is well illustrated with black and white photographs. This is important as it's likely that many people will never get to see the films they are taken from, particularly some of the early silent films that are lost or older and more obscure films and television shows that have yet to get a video or DVD release.

This book has proven invaluable to me as it has introduced me to tv series and films that I previously knew little or nothing about like the Arthur Wontner films and the Douglas Wilmer and Peter Cushing BBC tv series. I also gained an insight into the little known Ronald Howard tv series from the 1950s. It was also great to read of the BBC 4-part presentation of The Hound Of The Baskervilles starring former Doctor Who star Tom Baker as Sherlock Holmes. I saw this when it was first shown on tv in Australia and it hasn't been screened again, so it was quite nostalgic to read about it and see a photo of Baker in his Holmes costume.

This book is an essential addition to the library of any Sherlock Holmes fan or film buff. You won't find another book that covers Sherlock Holmes history in film and television so thoroughly.

It's elementary, dear reader...........2002-07-12

Being a Sherlock Holmes fanatic induced me into purchasing this for my collection in the hopes of obtaining some new images of Rathbone, Richardson, and other Holmes actors. I also had an interest in learning the up-to-date status of each Holmes film ever produced. In that, this is a wonderful book, filled with pages upon pages of information, cast listing, and comments, as well as some rare images of aforementioned actors.

The personal bias of the writer is the only thing that dampens a wonderful experience... namely because I tend to disagree with his assessments of certain Holmes films, particularly those of Basil Rathbone in his later career. I wished there were more images of Ian Richardson and Nicholas Rowe, but all together it's a wonderul purchase to add to any true Sherlockian collection.

An excellent companion for any avid fan.......2002-06-03

Sherlock Holmes was the first pop icon of modern times, and Sherlock Holmes On Screen provides the most comprehensive filmography of his career, analyzing the Holmes movies and television shows, and including 60 photos as well as a guide to Doyle's original stories. An excellent companion for any avid fan.

Book Description

Born in poverty in the 1930s, Don Black quickly grew accustomed to "wrestling with elephants" — doing the hard work necessary to survive, or to write a good lyric. Black should know. An acclaimed songwriter responsible for "Born Free" and a trio of James Bond title songs, among hundreds, he has won every possible award and worked with the top talent, from Andrew Lloyd Webber to Michael Jackson. Dozens of photographs are included in this book on the life of a master lyricist whose successes include the musicals Bombay Dreams, Romeo and Juliet, and Tell Me on a Sunday.

Customer Reviews:

An interesting, intimate portrait of a great artist you sing along with........2005-09-25

Whether lyricizing for Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest musical or giving words to John Barry's musica as Shirley Bassey belts out the latest James Bond theme, Don Black, a shy kid from a working class London Jewish neighborhood, has lived a magical showbiz life as a lyricist whose songs the whole world sings and enjoys. The book is both a personal story and an examination of exactly what the craft of lyric writing is--when it's good and when it's not--and how Black has added to the artform. From London to Hollywood and back again, his story is one of humility and, it seems, genuine niceness in a realm where sometimes venality and harshness rule the day. A subtitle might be "why GOOD things happen to GOOD people once in a while" and the author, a music writer who knows Black well, really gets inside this talented man's skin. Whether you are an aspiring lyricist or songwriter yourself or just a fan of the music of the past 40 years of popular songs and musicals, you'll find this a satisfying read.

Customer Reviews:

Chez Geek2:Slack Attack.......2006-03-24

This game is so much fun and so funny. My older brother and his friends play it too.

A Card Game for "Mature" Adults.......2005-04-02

This is a great card game to play. It's addictivem and completely humorous. The whole point of this wonderful card game is do things and buy things (slack) that relieve you from the stress of your job. The cards range from wholesome things, like a cat, and cup-of-noodles to more wild things like nookie, beers, and "significant others". This game is a laugh riot to play with a group of friends, I prefer to play it by spouting out the hilarious quotes from each card as I play them. This game is a must for people in their late teens through their twenties, a complete blast!

Customer Reviews:

What makes strategy really work ?.......2007-04-10

Considering the high ranking and the established name of Warton School, I bought this book. Whether you like this book or not, depends mainly on what you are looking for.

The author says, making strategy work is more difficult, than finding a suitable strategy for the business you are in. Following my own experiences I doubt this. How many companies do we really know, that have a sound strategy that can be simply expressed and proofed right by many years of succes? Go to the shopfloor and ask your employees simple things as e.g. why your customers buy from you and what your business is or should be about. Although the author does not focus on how to build a strategy and covers the aspects of strategy implementation, a good strategy will first of all decide, whether any implementation has a chance for success.

A good strategy gives you answers on:

1.) Who are we and where are we actually (not only internal view) ?
2.) Where do we go ?
3.) Why will we be succesfull ?

Answering this questions will cope with the core question of strategic marketing as positioning and differentiation as well. Implementing any longterm strategy is mainly dedicated to leadership, preliminary people development around core competencies and step by step project management by having easy and consistant measures defined.

There are to many basic statemants in this book and definitions - just common sense. Focus on analysing your current external position and the internal view, the strategy definition and the strategy implementation will be much easier. Change has mostly to do with communication and telling the story as it is, the rest relays on your leadership and how convincing the need for change is. Eliminate the "jerks" and develop the "right" people and your strategy will move forward. The question about the "right" people is linked to change management and leadership, but non of this books will provide you the answer of this question.

Even though softfactors are important, any book about making strategy work should first of all rise a few questions what preliminary answers on important questions need to be on hand?

Best Regards,
Oliver

Superb.......2006-07-31

"Making Strategy" contains tons of topics, case studies, and specific methods to improve the implementation aspect, after planning and, how to make change and then manage the change. Each chapter has several detailed related sub-chapters.

Chapters:

1. Strategy Execution is the Key
2. Overview and Model: Making Strategy Work
3. The Path to Successful Execution: Good Strategy Comes First
4. Organizational Structure and Execution
5. Managing Integration: Effective Coordination
and Information Sharing
6. Incentives and Controls: Supporting and Reinforcing Execution
7. Managing Change
8. Managing Culture and Culture Change
9. Power, Influence, and Execution
10 Summary and Application: Making Mergers and Acquisitions Work

Hrebiniak first notes the education system where minds are molded. MBA programs focus on the formulation of strategy and functional planning: competitive strategy, marketing strategy, financial strategies, and so on. Execution gets little attention. Most managers delegate the implementation of plans to the employers under them. A key point in this book is that planning and execution are interdependent. Execution is a process, and it involves more people than just strategic planning does.

Many factors influencing who and how things get done emanate from the organizational power structure, the leadership climate, style of approach, and centralization vs. decentralization.

Some of the companies and examples listed are Johnson & Johnson, Citibank, South West Airlines, Phillip Morris, 7-up, ABB, GM, Dell, Kraft, and more. Case studies and Hrebiniak's personal experiences add relevant points and examples.

When certain companies such as Microsoft interviews applicants they are generally not concerned with academic achievements (grades) or professional accomplishments but instead focus on how the applicant, if hired, would fit in and jell with the team he/she would be joining. This is called "cultural due diligence." And Hrebiniak emphasizes that within companies culture is not homogeneous. Even moreso when M&As occur. Or, when a company has different and autonomous decentralized Strategic Business Units (SBUs) producing vastly different products in different markets (e.g. Johnson & Johnson).

This is a helpful book on how to do things more efficiently and effectively. One quote I recall from the first page of this book is, "The problem with poor performance typically is not with planning, but with doing." And this goes for about everything. The questionnaire in the back is a survey and is helpful to those who conduct it and those who respond. "Making Strategy Work" is highly recommended.

Does Make Strategy Work!.......2006-07-07

I have been somewhat confused by complicated strategy map like approaches. I love the simplified and common-sense approach to making strategy work presented by Dr. Hrebiniak. One can use it in developing strategy for execution, and improving success rate of strategies from 10%. I plan to use it in making strategies for business intelligence and innovation work!

Probably the best and clearest book on the subject I've read.......2006-02-05

Lawrence Hbrebiniak's "Making Strategy Work" is billed as a comprehensive roadmap and process model for executing strategy. This is absolutely what this book contains. Giving excellent examples from top firms like GE and Dell, the author lists the processes to use in simple to complex business situations where the executive manager can lay out a plan to execute their business strategy.

Executing strategy is by no means easy. This is why good managers get the top bucks. Along the way from plan to accomplishment are a number of difficult roadblocks. Not the least of these is communication. The chapter on coordination and communication follows the chapter on organizational structure. This is not by accident. A proper structure allows the flow of vital information down and up.

First and foremost, however, is having the right strategy in place. A decision to fund a feeble project is not going to have a happy outcome, no matter how efficient the organization and clever the execution. Corporate culture is another important factor, and Professor Hrebiniak doesn't neglect to discuss in a very clear way how a corporate culture must be managed to effect a good strategic plan. If you look at some of the notable failures in the last 10 years in some Fortune 100 firms where change in strategy was vital, not a few of the lapses were due to a failure to assess and manage changes in the prevailing culture. The author links culture and behavior: shared values and norms--"The way we do things"; A common vision /Credo--"How we compete" "How we treat each other"; common goals and incentives-- and "Risk Taking and Innovation." The author points out how mergers and acquisitions are strongly affected by corporate culture and gives models for changing and reinforcing behavior. A start-to-finish case study of a merger/acquisition is included, a tremendous resource.

I cannot think of another book that is more direct and to the point about this subject. This should be on the bookshelf of every manager in every organization, whether for profit or not-for-profit. Absolutely essential reading. Highly recommended.

Joanna Daneman

Unexpectedly Comprehensive .......2006-02-05

The most elaborate corporate strategy is worthless if it can't be implemented. The key to success is not the planning of strategy, but the execution. Dreams are empty without action and results. Agreed?

The problem in today's organization is the inability to implement a disciplined process for making strategy work in the real world. If corporate leaders were able to execute as well as they can plan, tremendous results could be realized. That's the secret. How can it be done? That's the teaching you'll find in this book. You'll learn lessons that will let you enjoy running circles around your competition-while they're still mired in those beautifully-drawn plans that sit proudly on executive desks waiting for someone to do something.

The author does not suggest that the planning and development of strategy is wrong or a waste of time. Quite the contrary; he's all in favor of it and even devotes a chapter of his book to the wisdom and technique of effective strategic planning. Good planning is the foundation of good execution. Attempted execution of a bad plan will also waste resources and increase risks.

Hrebiniak marches through the strategic execution process like Sherman through Georgia. He gives us the big picture, but delivers detail in process explanations and case studies. The reader will quickly grasp that this author has considerable experiences in the trenches of Corporate America, practicing what he preaches.

Importantly, this book includes valuable-and one might argue, essential-content that is not found in similar volumes. It would be easy to stay on point with all the chapters focused on the message and methods of strategy execution. However, other factors influence how successful companies will be. So, Hrebiniak and Wharton bring us bonus chapters on managing change, managing culture and culture change, and another on power, influence, and execution. Capping the book is an application chapter: Making Mergers and Acquisitions Work.

Consider this publication to be more of a textbook than a read-through management book. It will be highly instructive for your first read, then serve as a keep-on-the-shelf reference book for years to come. Learn its lessons, practice them, and you'll be miles ahead of the competition. Not only can you plan, you can actually get the job done!

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