Agreed-upon procedures guide (attestation engagement) : exceptional performance status for Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) at participating ... and lender servicers (SuDoc ED 1.8:AG 8/2)

Agreed-upon procedures guide (attestation engagement) : exceptional performance status for Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) at participating ... and lender servicers (SuDoc ED 1.8:AG 8/2)
Average customer rating:
Agreed-upon procedures guide (attestation engagement) : exceptional performance status for Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) at participating ... and lender servicers (SuDoc ED 1.8:AG 8/2)
U.S. Dept of Education
Manufacturer: U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Inspector General
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00010TG7M

Engagement Performance Manual
Average customer rating:
Engagement Performance Manual
Larry L. Perry
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Auditing | Accounting | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Accounting | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Accounting | Accounting & Finance | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General | Accounting | Business & Finance | New & Used Textbooks | Stores | Books
General | Business & Finance | New & Used Textbooks | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0132771950

Book Description

In this provocative volume, a pioneering organizational psychologist explains that the failure of many human resource programs in business, education, and government is largely due to their mechanistic assumptions. By contrasting the classical human resource paradigm--and its emphasis on consistency and a clock-like structure to organizations-- with the evolutionary paradigm and its focus on variation, conflicting interests and complexity, the author shows how shifting to an evolutionary perspective can make organizations more adaptive, hence human resource programs more attuned to human nature and to organizational realities. Colarelli gives a lively intellectual history of classical human resource management thinking, from Plato through the Renaissance to Marx and Taylor to the present, and shows that much of it is imbued with utopian ethos. This volume explodes the myths that there is one best way to organize, that organizations have goals and that human resource programs operate to further "organizational" goals or the "good of the organization." The author explains the evolutionary logic that views organizations as collections of individuals pursuing their own interests and that human resource activities are inevitably enmeshed in personal and conflicting interests. Evolutionary-based interventions that are workable, innovative, and compassionate are presented for use in hiring and training. Colarelli also offers a novel approach to affirmative action to deal with the problems of fairness and performance.

Customer Reviews:

Out of touch and out of this world.......2005-02-17

This book starts with the nihilistic premise that much of what is done by applied psycholgists in the workplace doesn't work well and has not been widely adopted. Therefore evolutionary psychology is needed. The problem is that in actuality much does work and has been adopted. Where it has not, there are a host of explanations that are much simpler and more probable than evlutionary nonsense contained herein (e.g., unstructured interviews require no special training but developing a test does).

What is worse is that a lot of the prescriptions (e.g., random selection) are contraindicated by over one hundred years of data based on millions of participants. But for Colarelli this is not a problem, as the author clearly either does not understand the research in personnel psychology or ignores it at his convenience.

The book was reviewed in Personnel Psychology by Mark Wilson with the abstract reading: "The central point of the book is that industrial-organizational psychology (I-O) requires decision makers to act in ways that are not in agreement with how they have evolved to behave and make decisions. The discussion of how humans behaved several thousand years ago will remain nothing more than speculation and has no place in a serious science of behavior until someone invents a time machine. We are constantly told that "traditional methods" are preferred to the I-O approach, especially in the private sector. A reasonable alternative hypothesis as to why decision makers do not want to use data-based decision making is because they fear it will reduce their power to control the organization. Authors have every right to speculate on anything they want when they write a book. This author includes a lot of speculation and not much research to illustrate his points. The premise is bad, he does not deliver on what he says he is going to cover, and the book is hard to read without throwing it across the room several times."

STERN'S MANAGEMENT REVIEW FINDS THIS BOOK INSIGHTFUL!.......2003-07-20

This book reflects the author's belief that problems of theoretical coherence, utilization and effectiveness of HRM practices can best be addressed by an evolutionary perspective, including sociocultural evolution and evolutionary psychology. The title reflects the view that successful HRM practices must emerge in the context of the organization and its environment; there is no one best way. The author's aim is to show that the mechanical perspective in HRM, which presumes that expert-designed interventions will produce intended outcomes, has outlived its usefulness and discusses ways an evolutionary approach can be applied, specifically in hiring and training. The work includes extensive notes and references. This is not a how-to book and not for practitioners who are looking for answers, now!. It's a very well researched work that presents penetrating, mind-expanding insights, incorporates an historical perspective, and offers unconventional ideas.

Book Description

Does life exist on other planets? This topical book presents the scientific basis for thinking there may be life elsewhere in the Universe. It is the first to cover the entire breadth of recent exciting discoveries, including the discovery of planets around other stars and the possibility of fossil life in meteorites from Mars. Suitable for the general reader, this authoritative book avoids technical jargon and is well illustrated throughout. It covers all the major topics, including the origin and early history of life on Earth, the environmental conditions necessary for life to exist, the possibility that life might exist elsewhere in our Solar System, the occurrence of planets around other stars and their habitability, and the possibility of intelligent extraterrestrial life. For all those interested in understanding the scientific evidence for and likelihood of extraterrestrial life, this is the most comprehensive and readable book to date.

Customer Reviews:

A Walker's Haute Route review.......2006-08-30

This is an indespensible book for anyone planning on doing this hike.

A great hike, and a reasonably good guide book........2005-09-28

My son and I completed this hike, with Kev's book, a compass and two topo maps, during the first two weeks of July in 2005.

Here are our comments:

1: The book itself was light and compact (easy to carry), and stood up well in the rain and light snow that we encountered (Important: as other paper maps, etc. did not stand up to the weather well.)
2: The travel times listed in the book were much shorter than we encountered most days, as were the times on the hiking signs that we encountered along the way.
3: We found that once we had a gauge of our times vs. Kev's times, and/or the times on the hiking signs, we were able to make a reasonable estimate of what our time would be for that stage. Our speed, relative to Kev's, and/or the hiking signs, took a few days to figure out though. Kev did mention this technique in his book, and we found it worked well.
4: We experienced a couple of instances when the book was not clear on which path to take, which caused us some additional time during a stage. However, the weather caused us more concerns than anything in the book. We experienced weather related slowness especially during the stage from the Col de Louvie to the Cabane de Prafleuri, in the heavy clouds and fog, where route finding skills were required.
5: The only real snow that we had to traverse was at the Col de Louvie and down the back side. It was slippery at times, but no special equipment was required.
6: The path did have a few sections that required extreme caution, and a deep breath. We feel that Kev did not describe the difficulty of some sections adequately, but the vast majority of the trek was not particularly difficult, or dangerous.
7: There were NO glaciers on the path at all, as stated in the book. In fact, there were very few glaciers even near the path. Perhaps in really bad weather an inexperience hiker could get into trouble if not careful though.
8: Some of the sections of the hike, especially in the rock fall areas, were both long and tiring, and not well described in the book.
9: If you only take this book, and the weather gets bad, you may be very sorry. If not familiar with route finding in bad weather, a guided trip may be prudent.
10: The sections, "Paths and Waymarks" and "Safety in the Mountains" should be read carefully and the cautions taken to heart.

In summary, this is a truly wonderful hike, Kev's book is a decent guide book for pre hike planning purposes, and also during most of the hike in reasonable good conditions. It is not always sufficient during difficult conditions though, which I believe Kev mentions. We would certainly purchase another book by Kev as a result of our experience with this one.

Some corrections required..........2005-09-23

I just returned from Switzerland yesterday, only 3 days removed from completing the walk in this book. I'll try to provide some constructive feedback on this book, as well as correct some statements in the other reviews. Corrections to other reviews first. Regarding D. Duvall's review from 9/02. On his #1, yes, the walk is quite difficult on some stages, but I suspect that the dramatic difference between Mr. Reynolds' assessment and one's personal experience is that Europeans are a culture of walkers and Americans are not. I ended up walking with 2 middle aged (actually somewhat older) British couples who completed the walk too; not without difficulty of course, but they completed it nonetheless. You do need to be in good shape, however, or else the hard stages will prompt one to consider giving up. I'm almost 30, a former high school distance runner, backpacked in Alaska for 4 weeks 2 years ago, and worked out diligently for about 2 months before doing this walk. Some stages were still VERY tiring, but you just have to keep going (grin...). If you want a taste of Alp trekking, but with less physical strain, try the Tour de Mont Blanc, as it's a little easier (not to mention shorter). The Haute Route is hard, plain and simple, but the scenery is fantastic and rewarding. On #2, Mr. Reynolds explicitly states that his times include no breaks whatsoever - pure travel time. I cannot speculate on Mr. Duvall's physical condition or reading ability, but it would be unfair to strongly criticize Mr. Reynold's time assessments. The route does involve several miles a day through mountains, so variation in daily hiking time would be expected. On #3, "treacherous" is somewhat subjective, and while I agree that I was sometimes amazed where the path would run (i.e. extremely steep, along cascade edges, or significant exposure where a fall could be fatal), there wasn't a single area where I thought the route was irresponsible in its path. Due care is mandatory on some sections, where a lapse in attention could have serious consequences, but these sections are VERY limited. You're at FAR greater risk to sprain an ankle (the terrain can be challenging sometimes) on this trip than plummet to your death. Basic care will enable most people to manage the squirrely sections with only moderate worry. In fact, one could argue that the occasionally perilous nature of the route is what makes it such a classic, exciting, European trekking route in the first place. Also, the vast majority of the path is waymarked very well. There were 2 or 3 occasions where I had to drop my pack, check my map, and take a compass bearing, but 2 or 3 times over 12-13 days is pretty good. The book and waymarking are good enough for the entire trek, with only occasional exceptions. Mr. Reynolds also states (and this is just common sense), that in poor weather and/or visibility, route following could be more difficult in some stages. It's simply unfair to criticize the author on this point, since anyone with reasonable exposure to mountainous terrain knows that capricious weather is a given. I would agree with the reviewer from Houston, in having no idea how Mr. Duvall's wife ended up not only ON a glacier, but in a crevasse. Visibility would have to be either zero, or very bad combined with somewhat negligent wandering, to end up on a glacier here. Glaciers are big, linger in fairly standard terrain, and you absolutely "know when they're coming". I actually suspect that Mr. Duvall's wife just fell in some snow, which can linger on the route well into the hiking season. If she and he actually ended up on a glacier and she went waist deep into a bona fide crevasse, then, I'm sorry, that's just negligence. Contrary to his statement, while you are NEAR glaciers (perhaps within a 1/4 mile) on the Haute Route, glaciers are never ON the route, and it is simple slander to state that travel over a glacier is on one of Mr. Reynolds "recommended routes". That is patently false. Where I agree with Mr. Duvall is on #4. Mr. Reynolds elevation profiles for each stage can be very misleading. I (along with the others I walked with) concluded that he simply takes point elevations periodically. While the "total gain" and "total loss" numbers, along with elevation profile, provide some indication of the nature on the stage, they are by no means definitive, since footing, terrain, and specific areas are steepness are unknown until being walked. It's even hard to criticize here, since the difficulty of any particular section will vary widely based on the fitness of the walker. There are times where Mr. Reynolds is very detailed in his guide notes, but other occasions where he is quite vague (often later in each stage, when you're really hoping to find your evening destination - grin), mentioning one fork to take, but not the second one you encounter 200 meters down the trail. Waymarking is sometimes so abundant, that you can easily see where you should go, but on the occasions where the waymarking is only nomimal, Mr. Reynolds' vagueness (perhaps incompleteness is a better term) becomes problematic, and for that he loses a star. The book is both very comprehensive and very helpful, consequently, lapses in detail are all the more inexcusable. Overall, a good book. Not at all the ONLY thing you need, but the obvious place to start, and the source for most of the information you need. Get the maps, a compass, and get in shape. While this is not a route for novice walkers or for a first time in legitimate mountains, those with decent experience and sound preparation will do just fine. It'll still hurt sometimes, but it's a good hurt.

ZERMATT TO CHAMONIX: WALKER'S LOW ROUTE !!!.......2003-12-02

Dear Trekkers, As hard as it is to follow guidebooks in reverse, I highly recommend this 8-12 day adventure in reverse,
so that you can see Mont Blanc in all it's glory at the end & walk with the counter-clockwise trending masses on the TMB or Tour of Mt. Blanc which you encounter on the last few days.
However, you will then have to climb down a steep ladder rather than up it, along a steep cliff. We managed to see tiny wild edelweiss along the trail, as well as giant domestic edelweiss destined for ricola cough drops. A short hail storm assaulted us on a pass, after which we were invited into a small hut for dinner. I don't know how anyone would fall into a crevasse on this route, as there was very little snowfield on this route in late summer (though you could slide into an icy lake)... even hiking up to the Arpette glacier was on dry trail. This guide was excellent, & small enough to carry in a pocket. Towns are numerous for resupply & huts are plentiful. Camping is cheap, especially compared to Italy where it's ridiculous. The trail goes from German speaking Zermatt to the French west side of Switzerland where it enters France, where huts are called refuges. I highly recommend joining one of the hiking associations for the insurance.... the Great Britain section of the 'Austrian Alpenverein' provides great hiker's insurance for about $50, or you can join the Swiss 'SAC', though Swiss huts don't give huge discounts to members, as is the custom in Austria. In August, reservations in popular huts are recommended, so plan carefully. Also, carry a filter as some huts don't have potable water. Enjoy & bon courage !
PS. Both Zermatt & Chamonix have municipal camping near: centrum/zentrum/downtown for a very reasonable price, as well as hostels, hotels & refuge/huts. Wherever you stay in Chamonix valley, ask for the free valley transportation pass, if it is still in effect this year; you can take buses & trains.
Also recommended, the train from Cham to castle studded Martigny
on the Swiss side (sit on the South side of train for canyon view.

A Guide Only. Be Prepared........2002-09-22

This book is in the hands of almost everyone making the Haute Route journey, however, be forewarned as have others who relied on it: 1) Mr. Reynolds does not adequately prepare the reader for how extraordinarily physically demanding a number of the legs on this world-class trek really are; 2) the times he sites for his daily legs are 25% to 40% faster than what we (and others who have made the journey at the same we did) could make good, meaning one's day can easily be misplanned; 3) some of the legs that should be described as treacherous, aren't. (My wife, for instance, went up to her waist into a glacier crevass on one of his recommended routes, a badly marked, and at times (in the rain) terrifying leg which never should have included without proper warning;) 4) his elevation graphics do not correspond to what one actually encounters, leaving one with a false notion of the day's efforts.

By all means use this book as a guide - it is most useful as a benchmark - but do additional homework to understand the nature, demands and alternatives to the legs of this extraordinary, albeit strenuous to strenuous-plus hike.

Book Description

If Josie Moon could have a horse, it would be a shiny black stallion. They would go galloping through fields of tall grass together. But there's no place for a horse on Little Pickle Island where Josie lives. There's barely enough room for her family's house, the boathouse and a few blueberry bushes.

Josie knows her dream of having a horse may never come true. That's why she can hardly believe her eyes when she spots some horses in the bush near town. She doesn't tell Kiff and Odie, who would only tease her. But when a huge forest fire threatens the town and the horses, Josie has to trust Kiff with her secret. They must do something.

A Horse for Josie Moon is the story of one girl's dreams, and of the courage they give her.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books