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Strategic Human Resource Management (with InfoTrac )

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Strategic Human Resource Management

Strategic Human Resource Management (with InfoTrac )
Jeffrey A. Mello
Manufacturer: South-Western College Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Business Ethics
Human Resource Development
Legal Environment (with InfoTrac )
Applications in Human Resource Management: Cases, Exercises, and Skill Builders
The New Managerial Economics

ASIN: 0324290438

Book Description

Make Human Resources work for you. STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT shows you how through its unique system of concept integration. Most Human Resources textbooks give you the theories without showing you the connections to real life. This textbook lets you see both sides of Human Resources: the theory and the application. That way, you'll not only get a great grade in class, you'll be on your way to success after college as well.

Customer Reviews:

Strategic Human Resource Management.......2006-11-04

The book covered a lot of ground. I believe it offered a lot of insight into the world of human resources, primarily, the challenges faced by HR today. Some highlights were the concept of valuing human assets, the implications of globalization, federal regulations, the importance of well-designed and applicable feedback systems, employee separation and compensation. Overall, it was a fairly easy read. I would recommend this book to professors, students, and entrepreneurs.

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Average customer rating:

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction
Provocative, appealing and controversial
pharaohs lived in the 3rd century AD

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
Discovering the Mysteries of Ancient America: Lost History And Legends, Unearthed And Explored
Before the Pharaohs: Egypt's Mysterious Prehistory
Forbidden History: Prehistoric Technologies, Extraterrestrial Intervention, and the Suppressed Origins of Civilization
They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies

ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Provocative, appealing and controversial.......2006-08-02

Fomenko has succeeded to convincingly demonstrate the misconception about what "history" factually is... It is fiction and -like we can read and judge for ourselves- no science. It indeed is "make belief" only. I "discovered" Fomenko while studying the "old" history of Al Andaluz, Spain. Having found too many contradictions in available data, having seen too many forgeries as to pretend the importance of christianity for its decline, I ventured out to find Fomenko, who convinced me that we know little if anything for sure of the epoch before the XI-century. However, the integration of the Arabic-Islamic cultural history into the heavily distorted Western fails... There are some attempts to fit "the budding new religion" (Islam) into Fomenko's scheme, but they are too weak to be taken seriously and too often focussing on Turkey as the region where things started to influence the West, which is untrue at all.
Islam certainly was no "new religion" in the X-century. That the highly cultivated Al Andaluz ruler Mohammed-I could have been "mirrored" down in time into some myth about the "illiterate" founder of Islam itself is highly speculative. Nevertheless, Fomenko convinces me about the processes that were involved in forging a christian history. Intriguing and controversial as his books are, I recommend them as to rethink our current position in time and space and simply verify what was claimed. It is a "good" book, but not for bedtime reading... Mundus vult decipi, the world wants to be cheated. Fomenko's readers will understand why.

pharaohs lived in the 3rd century AD.......2006-02-16

Traces of white wine were found in Tutankhamen's tomb however there were no record of white wine in Egypt until the 3rd century AD, 1600 years after the young pharaoh died according to the traditional chronology. http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/mg18925395.400
It can be interpreted as a contribution towards New Chronology theory that pharaohs lived in the 3rd century AD.

Hidden Value: How Great Companies Achieve Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People

Average customer rating:

Very practical and useful
The value of being a people-centered organization
Very Interesting
The "Value" of this book is certainly "Hidden" from me......
Detailed case descriptions of high performing companies

Hidden Value: How Great Companies Achieve Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People
Charles A. O'Reilly
Manufacturer: Harvard Business School Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Human Equation: Building Profits by Putting People First
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ASIN: 0875848982

Book Description

Discover How the Best Companies Win Not By Acquiring the Right People--But By Building the Right Organization

The "war for talent" is one battle every company believes it should be waging. But while competitors are busy chasing after the same "hot" individuals, smart companies are doing something infinitely more useful and far more difficult to copy--they're building organizations that make it possible for ordinary people at every desk and cubicle in their companies to perform as if they were stars.

Blowing up the prevailing wisdom that companies must chase and acquire top talent in order to remain successful, Hidden Value argues instead that the source of sustained competitive advantage already exists within every organization. O'Reilly and Pfeffer, leading experts on organizational behavior and human resources, argue that how a firm creates and uses talent is far more important than how the firm attracts talent. The authors provide vivid, detailed case studies of several organizations in widely disparate industries--including Southwest Airlines, Cisco Systems, The Men's Wearhouse, and NUMMI--to illustrate how long-term success comes from value-driven, interrelated systems that align good people management with corporate strategy.

In a refreshing break from management tomes that force-feed superficial frameworks and trite "rules," the authors instead allow the company stories to take center stage. They guide readers in discovering for themselves how seven different firms maximize talent, why one firm hasn't fully released the hidden value in its work force, and, most importantly, how the winning companies have made it tough for competitors to imitate them. Collectively, the stories reveal a common path to success that places values before strategy, emphasizes implementation over planning, and focuses on getting the best out of all employees, not just individual stars. The authors also explore concerns or questions managers might have about how each company's experience parallels or conflicts with their own.

Providing a rare opportunity for managers to actively participate in an invaluable learning process, Hidden Value offers a customizable template for building high-performance, people-centered organizations.

Customer Reviews:

Very practical and useful.......2006-12-19

Charles O'Reilly puts out an interesting idea of how to get the most out of people with various management strategies. I worked in a human resources department for a little while and his ideas were among the more useful that I applied. The book is very well written and does a good job of holding your interest. Highly recommend.

The value of being a people-centered organization.......2006-01-27

In a McKinsey & Company's study, "The War for Talent," McKinsey found that of 200 executives interviewed 58 responded that values and culture were absolutely essential in their decision to join, stay with, or leave an organization. The authors believe that by establishing the right value system and culture, companies can make all their employees perform as if they were in the top 10% of their field. The authors further state that companies must find new ways to tap the knowledge, experience, energy, and talents of employees.

Studying several companies that the authors believed had successfully leveraged their "hidden talent," the authors summarized these 6 essential practices:
· These companies place values and culture first
· They make those values real
· They hire people that will appreciate and espouse the company's values
· They invest in people
· They share information widely
· They reward and recognize those who adhere to the company's values.

A key way to have an organization tap this hidden talent is to achieve the status of being a people-centered organization. The authors see successful people-centered organizations have 3 basic themes that are common:
· Each has a well-articulated set of values that are widely shared and act as the foundation for its management practices.
· Each has a remarkable degree of alignment and consistency in the people-centered practices that express its core values
· Each has senior management whose primary roles are to ensure that the values are maintained and constantly made real to all employees in the organization.

Very Interesting.......2005-09-21

Only on Chapter 5. Reading about the excellent practices of these companies makes me want to strive for the best for my employees, also!

The "Value" of this book is certainly "Hidden" from me.............2003-01-31

This book is merely a compilation of case studies. There are few -- if any -- check lists, tables, charts, bullet points, or step-by-step methodologies to help you implement the concepts within your own company or organization. In fact, THERE ARE ONLY 21 PAGES not dedicated exclusively to either a case study and/or an analysis of the various case studies presented within the book. Save your money and purchase "The HR Scorecard", "The Talent Solution", or "Aligning Pay and Results" instead. Very disappointing...

Detailed case descriptions of high performing companies.......2001-12-31

This book tells the story of eight extremely successful companies that manage to bring out the best in their people. The stories are detailed descriptions of the company's backgrounds, strategies, systems and management practices. The stories are also larded with quotes from the company's CEO's, HR managers and employees. Following this approach the authors provide the readers the opportunity to form their own hypotheses about the companies' successes. But the authors also present their interpretations of the case studies.

What these studies show is how these high performing companies have achieved their success by aligning their values, strategies and people. This is something which is easy to understand but hard to do. It requires consistent articulation and implementation of the values and vision and a relentless attention to detail in ensuring that all policies and practices support the company's values. In order to be able to show this kind of consistency a real belief and commitment are needed and a willingness to persevere.

This book shows how high performing companies consciously turn a lot of the conventional management wisdom upside down. For instance:

1. Contrary to what many people now think, recruiting, selecting and retaining unique talent is NOT the prime source of competitive advantage. Although these activities are important, the examples of these extraordinary companies show that it is much more important to build a culture and work system that enables all people to use their talents and develop their talents. A byproduct of this will be that your company will also be better at attracting and retaining people.

2. Values first instead of strategies. The conventional view puts competitive strategy on top and derives from that what structure is needed, what competencies and behaviors are needed and so on. The companies described here work differently. Although they do have competitive strategies these are secondary to their set of guiding values and to the alignment of these values with their management practices. In other words: they have a values-based view of strategy.

3. Respectful and trusting way of dealing with people. Many companies monitor, check and try to control employee behavior. The hidden value companies work differently. In the spirit of Douglas McGregor's book The Human Side of Enterprise, they seem to understand that if you begin by designing systems to protect against the small unmotivated minority, you end up alienating the motivated majority. So they put their people first by treating them respectfully, involving them and trusting them.

Book Description

A helpful tool to help us understand the "lenses" through which we view others, in the workplace and society.

 A powerful new resource for leading and unifying culturally diverse organizations and communities

 Author Mark Williams is already in high demand as a speaker and presenter of the groundbreaking live multimedia event based on the Lenses concept.

 United Nations International Day for Tolerance 2001 (November 16) will feature theme song, "One Song, Many Voices" and dialogues based on book with civic, faith, government, business and education leaders broadcast via satellite.

 Includes new Gallup racial-perceptions assessment and national survey on bias and racism in America. Personal assessments available through a code in the book linked to Diversity Channel Web site - an online multimedia educational and training resource for organizations and corporations

 Feature on Diversity Week in Review, a new half-hour Web cast program

How do you view the world and others you work with, live with, pass on the street? Are you an Assimilationist who believes that everyone should just become a regular American? A Culturalcentrist who believes that a person's race or ethnicity is central to their personal and public identity? A Meritocratist who believes that if you have the abilities and work hard enough, you can make your dreams come true regardless of race or culture? Or are you a Victim/Caretaker who believes that because of prejudice, you will never succeed? Are you Colorblind, believing that we are all the same under our skin? These are just five of the ten "lenses" leading business consultant Mark Williams has developed to profile how people "view" race, culture and ethnicity in their world

For corporations, civic institutions, individuals --these ten lenses provide easily accessible and recognizable profiles of people's belief systems that affect how they interact with others in the workplace and in society.

One Song, Many Voices introduces the 11th lens. The 11th lens joins the highest expression of each of the 10 lenses in harmony and strives to govern our community and organizational behavior in accordance with this higher framework. Working from the 11th lens, we can practice responsible life actions that make businesses, communities and societies stronger.

Customer Reviews:

The 10 Lenses: Your Guide to Living & Working in a Multicultural World.......2007-01-04

I first read the 10 Lenses several years ago after meeting author Mark Williams at a Summit on Leading Diversity Conference in Atlanta. I have been using The 10 Lenses in our diversity education programs ever sense. This book has proven to a great conversation starter, without the usual "blame and shame" sometimes associated with diversity training. In fact, we have even established a very successful four-week course around "The 10 Lenses" in our Hampton Diversity Leadership Academy. Mark has advanced the entire discussion of "diversity" with this book. I highly recommend it to any diversity/inclusion professional.

John L. Johnson
Certified Diversity Professional
Executive Director
Hampton Citizens' Unity Commission
22 Lincoln Street, 5th Floor
Hampton, VA 23669

Promising, but in the end Disappointing.......2003-12-04

This is a useful Guide to Living as & Working with Immigrants in a Multicultural USA, not a Multicultural World. It really has little or no street-credibility outside the USA.

I've worked for a US Fortune500 Company for 20 years, and in over 30 Countries.

The book confesses upfront to its limitations : although the information is US-centric, Williams, Clifton & Thomas believe their concepts are universal - but they haven't the experience to back that up. They admit they don't know whether current observations will hold up in different cultures, or whether different cultures have different profiles with respect to the lenses. The initial research has focussed on race, culture, nationality & ethnicity. In practice 90% of its focus is on race & ethnicity. Sexual orientation is ignored, and the word 'gay' doesn't appear until over 80% of the way through the book - and its only for one sentence.

Consider some of the Lenses :

For the Assimilationist they talk about "adapting US business norms appropriately, given global norms and standards" - well I've never met a "Global norm" - and as for being able to adapt US norms, there's the problem - you have to reject US norms in order to get on with the outside world. The Assimilationist must think about "Western cultural arrogance" - woah - what about "US Cultural arrogance" - ask a Canadian or a Mexican or the French how they feel about US hegemony.

The Culturalcentrist talks about the "Irish, Polish & Italian Communities", and in the same breath about the "Asian Community" - I'm sure the "Asians" would argue they had less in common between India, Vietnam, Korea etc than those Europeans, who at least had Catholicism in common.

For the Seclusionist : "Globalisation ... diminishes the authority of the USA" - hmm, I thought everyone was rioting recently complaining that Globalisation meant US hegemony? The Seclusionist "rewards the efforts of the majority group" - oh so Williams has never thought of a Society where the dominant group is itself a Minority, such as in Apartheid-era South Africa, and a number of other inequitable Societies today?

The Transcendant options were just not for me - according to Williams you are either 'Religious' or you are 'Spiritual' - nothing else applies. I am neither, and quite happy thank you. I'm always made to feel uncomfortable with this aspect of US Society, and it would be good if Williams had a section on how to work with 'agnostics'.

The Elitist offered no alternatives - what about Communism or Socialism - the inequalities of US Society would not be tolerated in Scandinavia. As I say to my friends in Minneapolis, it's a pity the wrong shipload of explorers colonised North America.

For all the talk about race, there's no mention of working with people in mixed-race relationships or of mixed-race ethnicity - over 10% of marriages in the UK are mixed-race, even though the ethnic minorities constitute less than 8% of the population. I find mixed-race marriages in the USA to be a tragic rarity - and why aren't they promoted in TV programs?

There were no examples of other diversities which can be just as sensitive in Society, such as no case studies featuring Native Americans, Hindus, Moslems, Lesbians, Vegetarians or people with Physical/Mental disabilities.

The much-promoted mystical Chapter on the Eleventh Lens was a real disappointment - just some new world 'Nirvana' where everyone loved each other and did right by each other (I presume so long as you could still hire & fire at will).

When I looked through the Bibliography, I understood; of the 86 references, only 2 of them weren't published in the USA, and they were published in London (both looking back at the USA). You can't write a book about a Multicultural world if you don't read/travel widely.

Williams continually refers back to Title VII of the (US) Civil Rights Act (pity he didn't include it as an Appendix). It would have been nice to talk about the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights - since so much of US Society doesn't comply with it. I recall when one of our Senior US Executives starting to spout about Affirmative Action etc at a staff meeting in Germany - he had to be told to leave or they'd call the Police - because his US-speak was illegal under anti-Nazi legislation.

I scored myself on the Lenses : I am Colorblind, an Integrationalist, Meritocratist and a Multiculturalist. Williams was (in 2001) inviting Contributors to help them develop the book for a wider audience - I'm going to volunteer to help them, because boy do they need it.

The Eleventh Lens.......2003-03-01

Mark Williams' research outlining 10 human mindset "lenses" addresses the problems of conflicting worldviews both in and out of the workplace. His work is extremely well organized for easy reference; you'll recognize in yourself and/or others the Assimilationist, Colorblind, Culturalcentrist, Elitist, Integrationist, Meritocratist, Multiculturalist, Seclusionist, New Age/Transcendent and/or Victim/Caretaker. With hope, you'll also recognize the real point of the book and the research: that you've been reaching for your inclusive ELEVENTH LENS where paradoxical thinking acknowledges and discerns the strengths and weaknesses each limited lens brings to the whole personally, professionally and socially -- and globally. See also the integrative developmental framework in A Brief History of Everything by Ken Wilber and Spiral Dynamics by Don Beck and Christopher Cowan.

"The Ten Lenses" -- A Breath of Fresh Air!.......2001-11-09

"The Ten Lenses" is a badly needed breath of fresh air -- a sophisticated, intellectually grounded, and constructive framework for thinking about diversity issues. It respects and values all people and all perspectives on diversity. It opens a path to understanding each different perspective, even those dramatically different from one's own. It helps take the emotional charge out of verbal interactions between people whose approaches and reactions to diversity issues are widely divergent. It provides a new framework and a new language through which we can talk about diversity and move towards greater understanding. "The Ten Lenses" was an enormous help to me and I highly recommend it.

"The Ten Lenses" Opens Your Eyes!.......2001-11-08

I live and work in Washington, D.C., one of the most diverse cities in America. My department at work was having a lot of problems due to such a diverse workforce. We could not communicate well and our projects were never completed on time and never completed correctly. My boss brought this book in one day after he stayed up all night reading it. He could not put "The 10 Lenses" down. In a very short time, my department has turned itself around using the premises in this book. If you want to have a successful business, buy "The 10 Lenses."

Natural Capital and Human Economic Survival, Second Edition (Ecological Economics Series (International Society for Ecological Economics).)

Average customer rating:

Natural Capital and Human Economic Survival, Second Edition (Ecological Economics Series (International Society for Ecological Economics).)
Thomas Prugh , Robert Costanza , Herman Daly , Robert Goodland , John H Cumberland , and Richard B Norgaard
Manufacturer: TF-CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1566703980

Book Description

Most people love nature and consider themselves environmentalists, but nature isn't just pretty and lovable, it is indispensable to our survival and economic activity. That is the most compelling reason for environmental protection.The conventional economic wisdom views land (natural capital) as a small part of the economy, along with capital, labor, technology and so on. The authors argue that this is backwards: that the economy nests within the environment (land) and not the other way around. The authors give a brief history of the origins of conventional economic wisdom and critique it from a the standpoint of ecological economics. They explain what natural capital -our life support system - is and does, and describe the severe strains that have been put on it. They conclude with some policy options, such as green taxes and suggestions for personal action that would conserve natural capital and thus make conserve resources for present and future generations.Natural Capital and Human Economic Survival is written for environmentalists, environmental studies majors and anyone concerned about the flaws of mainstream economics - how it has led us into unsustainable ways of living - and who would like to learn about alternatives that are more sustainable.

The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions

Average customer rating:

Helen Prejean at her very best
A Topic always worth thinking about, but not convincing to me
Three Florida cases: Jerry Rogers, Roy Swafford, Peter Ventura
A Devastating Read
Amazing

The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions
Helen Prejean
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679440569
Release Date: 2004-12-28

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Since the 1993 publication of her memoir Dead Man Walking and the 1995 film it inspired, Sister Helen Prejean has become a powerful and articulate presence in the fight against the death penalty in America. In The Death of Innocents, Prejean focuses her argument on the ways in which an unjust system may be killing innocent people. She tells the story of two inmates she came to know as a spiritual adviser. Dobie Williams, a poor black man with an IQ of 65 from rural Louisiana, was executed after being represented by incompetent counsel and found guilty by an all-white jury based mostly on conjecture and speculation. Joseph O'Dell was convicted of murder after the court heard from an inmate who later admitted to giving false testimony for his own benefit. O'Dell received neither an evidentiary hearing nor potentially exculpatory DNA testing and was executed, insisting on his innocence the whole while. Besides exploring the shaky cases against them, Prejean describes in vivid detail the thoughts and feelings of Williams and O'Dell as their bids for clemency fail and they are put to death. The second part of the book details "the machinery of death," the legal process that Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, dismayed at the inequities of the death penalty, cited as his reason for resigning and that current justice Antonin Scalia has boasted of being a part of. Prejean is impassioned as she describes what she sees as an arrogant attitude by both Scalia and the contemporary judicial system. Her chance confrontation with Scalia at an airport is a gripping collision of disparate worlds. In recent years, DNA testing has overturned the convictions of scores of prisoners, including many on death row. As the death penalty is increasingly called into question, Sister Helen Prejean will surely be a force in that debate. --John Moe

Book Description

Sister Helen Prejean was a little-known Roman Catholic nun from Louisiana when in 1993, her first book Dead Man Walking, challenged the way we look at the death penalty in America. It became a #1 New York Times bestseller and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Now in The Death of Innocents, she takes us to the new moral edge of the debate on capital punishment: What if we’re killing the wrong man?

Dobie Gillis Williams, an indigent black man from rural Louisiana with an IQ of 65, was accused of a brutal rape and murder. Williams’s inept defense counsel, later disbarred for unethical practice for unrelated cases, allowed the prosecution’s incredibly contrived scenario of the crime to go unchallenged. Less than two years after Williams’s execution in January 1999, the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to kill a man so mentally disabled.

In 1986, Joseph Roger O’Dell was convicted of murder in Virginia despite highly circumstantial evidence from a jailhouse snitch. For twelve years, O’Dell sought DNA testing on the forensic evidence, which he claimed would exonerate him, but the courts refused. After his execution on July 23, 1997, the state destroyed the evidence. As a result, its conviction of O’Dell could never be scrutinized.

“The reader of this book will be the first ‘jury’ with access to all the evidence the trial juries never saw,” says Prejean, who accompanied both men to their executions. By using the withheld evidence to reconstruct the crimes for which these two men were convicted, Prejean shows how race, prosecutorial ambition, poverty, election cycles, and publicity play far too great a role in determining who dies and who lives.

Prejean traces the historical underpinnings of executions in this country, demonstrating that it is no accident that over 80 percent of executions in the past twenty-five years have been carried out in the former slave states. She also raises profound constitutional questions about an appeals system that decides most death cases on procedural grounds without ever examining their merits.

To date, 113 wrongfully convicted persons have been freed from death row. If constitutional protections–due process, assistance of counsel, and equal justice under law–are truly being respected, how is it possible that these people were convicted in the first place? And how can we accept a system so rife with error?

Sister Helen Prejean takes us with her on her spiritual journey as she accompanies two possibly innocent human beings to their deaths at the hands of the state. Prejean implores us to reflect on what is perhaps the core moral issue of the death penalty debate: Honorable people disagree about the justice of executing the guilty, but can anyone argue about the injustice of executing the innocent?

Customer Reviews:

Helen Prejean at her very best.......2006-11-15

All those who support "lawful" executions must read this book. It should give even the most ardent supporters pause to think. This may be especially true for those public officials still in office today.

A Topic always worth thinking about, but not convincing to me.......2006-08-15

The facts of Prejean's first book have been disputed by victims and others. The truth isn't always obvious, but putting together Prejean's remarks in her book about Robert Lee Willie; the interviews that they both gave; Debbie Morris's account in Forgiving the Dead Man Walking: Only One Woman Can Tell the Entire Story, of what Prejean told her; the testimony of other witnesses, I'd have to say that she was lying when she described him as remorseful, and her credibility is compromised. Prejean is also willfully gullible when it comes to her advisees; she isn't so trusting with everyone. The first part of this book deals with the cases of two executed men whom Prejean claims were innocent. I don't know whether to believe her or not.

I also found this book considerably less moving since it does not include the soul-searching that made her first book so profound. Prejean is now apparently much more confident of her own righteousness, or at least less inclined to acknowledge other points of view.

The second part is arguments against the death penalty. Here Prejean is talking particularly, though not exclusively, to fellow Catholics, pointing out the changes in the Church's teachings. As an atheist, I will only say that I agree with Walter Berns in For Capital Punishment: the Christian model of redemption, presided over by an all-knowing god, is not a suitable model for a human legal system.

Prejean would argue that our lack of omniscience is a chief reason why we should not condemn anyone to death; life-without-parole is an adequate substitute. In my opinon, if we release a person we have good reason to believe is dangerous, we are an accessory to further violence. Not as guilt as if we executed an innocent person, but still guilty. If we didn't have the death penalty, I don't believe that we would have life without parole. I can remember the 1960s and 1970s: Karl Menninger's book The Crime of Punishment sums it up: "men of science" would "cure" criminals. Prejean's argument that we cannot predict future behavior is thus deeply ironic. Many of the people now arguing for life-without-parole used to argue for short sentences, employing the same basic arguments presented here. Hugo Bedau argued that surely ten years was enough for any crime, however heinous. If the death penalty is eliminated, I assume that many abolitionists will revert to their earlier, more sincere beliefs and campaign for quick parole. Having a death penalty is a very crude solution, but I don't know of any other.

In Dead Man Walking, Prejean quotes Susan Jacoby's brilliant book, Wild justice: The evolution of revenge. Jacoby argues that state justice exists partly to restrain excessive vengeance, like blood feuds, but "`... law exists not only to restrain retribution but to mete it out ... A society that is unable to convince individuals of its ability to exact atonement for injury ... runs a constant risk of having its members revert to wilder forms of [vigilante] justice.'" [brackets Prejean's] I think that our society lost its faith not so much in the ability as the will of the legal system to exact atonement.

I have discussed this at length with a friend who is a pre-sentencing investigator, who thus talks to everyone involved in a case and sees the final outcome. While our politicians may strut about talking about getting tough, existing laws may be unenforced and people get out the back door. In some states, parole agreements are unenforceable; probation is piled upon probation; parole is granted simply for time, not behavior. We are told that it is the public's fault: we refuse to pay for an adequate legal system. But since the "get tough" is considerably more public than the loopholes, I think this is doubtful. It's like maintaining any infrastructure: the temptation is always to shave here and shave there to finance more visible projects, knowing that it will take awhile for the neglect to become obvious.

Prejean also brings up a number of my least favorite arguments:
1. "The legal system is unfair to the poor and minorities". Eliminating capital punishment only solves this if unfairness only affects capital cases, or if you think a wrongful lengthy prison sentence is a trifle. I attended a debate on the death penalty: someone suggested that the solution is to provide a better defense. I thought this was a brilliant idea, benefitting all indigent defendants, not just the tiny fraction up on capital charges. The opponents of the death penalty said that it is impossible to improve the quality of the defense. There are at least three different systems for providing counsel to the poor - surely they can't all work the same. And the justice (or injustice) meted out to the wealthy shows that a defense can be much more effective. I also don't see how it would help the victims of crimes that the legal system more or less ignores. Do they want others to be treated as badly as they are, or do they want to be taken seriously?

2. "It is unfair that different jurisdictions hand down different penalties". No, we deliberately set up a system that allows these differences. Anyone who doesn't like it can certainly campaign to change the constitution, but that's the system now. It is also inappropriate to judge individual states by nationwide statistics. Further, if we require uniformity, more states have the death penalty than don't - a scale can be balanced from both sides.

3. "If something is wrong for an individual, it is wrong for the government". In that case, the government has no right to imprison people, either, let alone collect taxes, enforce public health laws, etc.

Prejean's statistics leave a lot to be desired. They are incomplete or inappropriately applied, e.g., taking statistics from "The Death Belt" and applying them to the entire country. Prejean also uses an "any weapon that comes to hand" approach that means that she talks out of both sides of her mouth: the death penalty is unconstitutional in Texas because they use it too much, and unconstitutional because most of the states only rarely apply it. I'm rather incredulous that Prejean says that human beings can't make distinctions: I think I can see the difference between killing someone because one's car skidded on ice and being a serial killer.

Three Florida cases: Jerry Rogers, Roy Swafford, Peter Ventura.......2006-07-01

Jerry Layne Rogers, Sr. -- wrongfully convicted and innocent. From 1989 - 1992, I was his investigator at CCR [The Office of Capital Collateral Representative, a state agency representing death-sentenced persons].

Mr. Rogers' case consisted in 1992 of at least 80 boxes of documents, from court files, prosecutor and law enforcement files, trial and evidentiary hearing transcripts, etc. Mr. Rogers's case was the largest and most complicated that CCR has ever represented that I am aware of.

The second largest and most complicated was that of Mr. Gerald Stano, whose lead attorney during most of the development of his case was Mark E. Olive.

In 1995, Mr. Rogers began receiving pro bono representation from the Washington, D.C. law firm Covington and Burling. The result was an unanimous Florida Supreme Court (FSC) 26 page opinion ordering a new trial in Mr. Rogers' case due primarily to prosecutorial misconduct, in particular Brady v. Maryland violations.

To read the opinion, go to the FSC website, then at "Public Information", to the recent opinions, to the year 2001, then toward the bottom at February 15, 2001, one will find the FSC opinion.

During the summer of 2002, Mr. Rogers was re-convicted, however sentenced to life upon the jury recommendation. Now twice Mr. Rogers has been wrongfully convicted.

In 2004, the Florida 5th District Court of Appeal denied relief. The FSC declined to accept jurisdiction and thus denied the petition for review.

Mr. Rogers' case is pending Federal review.

For those interested in reading the narrowly decided by four to three vote Florida Supreme Court opinions regarding two more death sentenced persons whose innocence is an authentic issue, please go to the FSC website, then go to the recent opinions, then chose the correct year and scroll down to the following two cases:

Roy Swafford: April 18, 2002

Peter Ventura: May 24, 2001

Additionally, the issue in the below cases is DNA testing that proves that Roy Swafford did not rape Brenda Rucker:

Roy Swafford: March 26, 2004 Case Nos. SC03.931 and SC03.1153

Please also read other books about Florida's death row by David von Drehle and Michael Mello - also availabe at Amazon.

A Devastating Read.......2006-05-02

For those of us who like to think that the justice system of the USA is the best in the world, the contents of this book will be nothing less than devastating. Sr. Helen details how two men, both probably innocent, were executed in spite of the purported "safeguards" in the death penalty process. Revealed for all to see is a "justice" system that has become corrupt, populated with judges and prosecutors whose passion for justice has been expropriated by a passion for the law, with The Law the end, instead of merely a servant of justice. As an example, an appeal submitted by one of these two men's attorneys was titled "Notice of Appeal" instead of "Petition for Appeal" and so the Virginia Supreme Court refused to review the case--then and forever, in spite of strong new DNA evidence that showed this man was probably innocent. This was a very powerful argument against the death penalty, and against the legalism that has almost entirely taken over our courts.

Amazing.......2006-04-18

This book is absolutely amazing. Very in-depth and quite simply incredible. I love it.

Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis, with Special Reference to Education

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Great resource
The principal book about Human Capital Theory.

Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis, with Special Reference to Education
Gary S. Becker
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0226041204

Book Description

Human Capital is Becker's classic study of how investment in an individual's education and training is similar to business investments in equipment. Recipient of the 1992 Nobel Prize in Economic Science, Gary S. Becker is a pioneer of applying economic analysis to human behavior in such areas as discrimination, marriage, family relations, and education. Becker's research on human capital was considered by the Nobel committee to be his most noteworthy contribution to economics.

This expanded edition includes four new chapters, covering recent ideas about human capital, fertility and economic growth, the division of labor, economic considerations within the family, and inequality in earnings.

"Critics have charged that Mr. Becker's style of thinking reduces humans to economic entities. Nothing could be further from the truth. Mr. Becker gives people credit for having the power to reason and seek out their own best destiny."--Wall Street Journal

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Great resource.......2007-01-10

This book is very technical in nature and not "a light read." However, it is an essential resource for anyone interested in labor economics and human capital. Dr. Becker is brilliant. Highly recommend!

The principal book about Human Capital Theory........2001-03-23

Recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic Science, Becker has pioneered the aplication of economic analysis to human behavior in such areas as dicrimination, married, family, etc. This book is a classic study of the consequences of investing in a person's knowledge and skills. According to his theory, investing in an individual's education and training is similar to business investments in equipment.

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Capitalism, Democracy, and Welfare (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics)

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Capitalism, Democracy, and Welfare (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics)
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