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Subtitled The Art of Winning Gracefully, here is a volume of worldly philosophy masquerading as a nuts-and-bolts how-to book that also somehow also manages to be a chatty tell-all Broadway autobiography. Whew! Tough to categorize, but rewarding to read from any of those three perspectives. Theater and film attorney Donald C. Farber, author of numerous texts on entertainment law, has distilled his experience, explaining how actors and authors can most successfully bargain for the best possible contract--not just the one that gets the most money, but one that will stick and not cause problems down the line. He shows how to wed dogged self-interest with a larger sense that all parties in such a contract will be part of a collaboration for months to come, and will remain part of the same entertainment community for years to come--so why not do what's best for all? Can this philosophy be applied to life in general? You bet. Best of all, each point in the book is lavishly illustrated with anecdotes from Farber's real-life contract negotiations on behalf of his own starry clients including author Kurt Vonnegut.
Customer Reviews:
Negotiation and American Theater Culture.......2000-03-24
This book is a clear example of where business both American and world wide is going in its short-term employment and flexible contracts. As a company director it is my experience that the regular business world likes clean, rather aggressive and litigious contracts in an inextricably linear logic. These negotiations and contracts often leave residues of anger, some fear and the overriding sense that the product wasn't invented that couldn't be abandoned by its producer, especially if it has a flaw.
Responsibility, pride in product and a willingness to see a project through seems naive and out of date. Art both mirrors and projects the implications of societal forms and attitudes. Just as the movie "All That Jazz" exposed producers who considered the life blood of a great choreographer a simple product to be discarded when they could make more money from the company's insurance, so does the intelligent practice of Entertainment law promise a rescue from such a loss of values. Especially if the lawyer has, like Donald C. Farber, the long view.
In the third most populous nation on the earth, with 75% of the population of European origin, America sits firmly astride an artistic economic depression that has lasted since the last "great" depression of the 1930s. Graduates of America's professional arts schools subsist on part time employment, poor family lives and a gross failure to make a living. It's clear that America's arts business more resembles the poorest third world country or Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota than it does even the local dry cleaning business.
In the Arts the big winners are very big and the losers represent anywhere from 80 to 98% of the total college graduates in the field. Rather than lay this at the foot of education, we blame it on God (talent). Rather than blame the government for not economically stimulating a consciousness raising, educational, non-polluting, self-renewing, pleasurable, team developing profession, we blame it on consumer demand although the arts are regularly used to stimulate consumer demand through advertisement on television. Frankly this logic doesn't compute. Only the law and men like Donald C. Farber stand between this flawed format and total artistic cultural collapse.
Donald C. Farber's "Common Sense Negotiation, The Art of Winning Gracefully" belies a "Tiger" of a book. Complexity expert John N. Warfield states that "Nothing is complex to those who know how to solve the problem." Farber writes with a deft light touch walking amongst the mine fields and the failed careers of America's brightest talents with respect, humanity, compassion and toughness. I'm reminded of Deming's lectures or Senge's five disciplines. Farber has been dealing with and protecting free lance individual entrepreneurs since before the local corporations knew how to spell the word. Farber's sections on who the expert is, the importance of understanding the system, teamwork with your negotiator, clarity of intent, gracefulness under fire, the meaning of the deal and the mastery of it with an awareness of how to work right up until the final curtain, are well written and cleverly expressed. Unlike Senge who speaks more holistically than he writes, Farber writes as he speaks. That can be confusing to some who demand a more linear projection of reality. Such a view is not artistic and Farber has made his living from the beginning with artists. I would also recommend his "From Option to Opening, a Guide to Producing Plays Off-Broadway" as a practical companion to "Common Sense Negotiation."
He makes it clear from the beginning that even existing in the current climate is a success but his goals are higher than mere existence. He has a clear sense of the necessity for flexibility and an attitude that creates serious theatrical work rather than lost time in useless conflict. Like all lawyers Farber is no stranger to conflict but like the late Arthur Goldberg, he keeps things low key and points out that an agreement is only as good as the success of the product it produces. The goal is the project's success but all parties must survive to collaborate another day and that means that the project must be economically successful as well. The system of agreements is "Common Sense" or what anthropologist Clifford Geertz calls "local knowledge" i.e. cultural language that forms the basis for all agreements and is implied but not necessarily written. Farber explains these sub-texts in such a way that the actual document is clear across cultures.
American Theater Culture.......2000-03-24
This book is a clear example of where American and world business is going in its short term employment and flexible contracts. The business world likes clear linear lines to their contracts. Don Farber does as well but with a clear sense of the necessity for flexibility and an attitude that creates serious theatrical work rather than lost time in useless conflict. Hard feelings in the theater and film world simply cost money. Intrigue is not productive given the high levels of expertise and labor costs as well as the rental costs of shooting a movie. Humanity and a downplayed aggressiveness, leaving that for the product, is essential when the product is based upon human attitude. I have worked cross culturally on many occassions and have experienced the loss of a great deal of money based upon beliefs about the product not consonant with the market. Happily for myself and sadly for those who wouldn't listen to people like Don Farber, I wasn't the one losing the money.
Useless at best.......1999-09-07
I am the Business Development Manager for a large electronics company, and always looking to improve my business skills. I found the book was written without a market in mind. It is some how written for a person with no experience, or education in business, who is dealing with mutli-million dollar contract in the play business. I think that rules out pretty much every person. It goes in to the basics of negotiations like "you might need a contract", or "some things might be important", and then addresses these issues in terms of a person who would need to be the best in their field to approach such situation. Badly written, no focus market, probably paid to get it published.
Book Description
This is probably the most comprehensive guide available to the full range of Lean tools and concepts. It serves as a stand-alone guide or a supplement to Womack and Jones' classic Lean Thinking.
The book is written in a no-waffle style relevant to everyone (CEO to shop floor, design to customer) in any Lean-aspiring organization requiring basic instruction, inspiration or review.
The first and second editions sold in large numbers, almost entirely by word of mouth, and hundreds of unsolicited commendations were received. Large multiple orders were placed by, among others, the Welsh Development Agency, Ford, Delphi, Corus, Rolls Royce and BNFL. The second edition was used by The Manufacturing Institute, The Institute of Operations Management, and the universities of Ashridge, Cambridge, Cardiff, Cranfield and Warwick. The UK Manufacturing Advisory Service reprinted 5000 copies with their own logos.
The third edition, re-titled The New Lean Toolbox, represents a considerable upgrade, reflecting the huge progress made in the Lean body of knowledge over the past three years. The book will help extend Lean beyond manufacturing - hence The New-Lean.
Customer Reviews:
Best Quality tools book for recommended readings in training.......2006-10-29
This is one of the best books I have ever reviewed. It is so easy to know the quality tools but understanding the tools is the key to effective implementation. The book provides a comprehensive review of all the tools in the quality profession with indexed case studies and applications. I use the quality tools while training Meirc participants on Total quality, six sigma, simplification of work processes and procedures in Dubai seminars and it is certainly has gained our participants lots of benefits on applying these tools. I would highly recommend this book for all quality professionals in the quality management and training.
As useful as it gets.......2006-05-28
This is just about the most relevant and useful quality book I have come across. It provides a comprehensive library of tools to use to solve different kinds of problems. Many of the tools covered in this book are covered elsewhere, but in this case the author has a knack for guiding the reader through a set-by-step process in a way that it was very easy for me to instantly apply the tools to my job.
I also welcomed the fact that the book covers the overall history of the different quality methodologies. This is important because there are many choices to be made when it comes to choosing a quality methodology, so knowing where a tool came from helps you determine whether it applies to your particular problem.
If your job relates to quality, this is money well spent.
A choice of a variety tools for quality.......2005-07-26
In updating this book, Tague has added more than 30 tools and several variations. This book gives easy to follow step by step instructions for the tools to be used. Second edition uses icons with each tool description which makes easy to identify the tool and the applications for the reader.
A book for the real world of problem solving !.......1999-05-06
This book is for the people that want to solve quality problems. For those of you that want to know the theory and never do anything with it but teach, would not want to read this book (no big words or long formulas). For the rest of us that are in the real world and need some structure to resolve quality problems (in the real world) GET THIS BOOK! It is a cookbook of how to USE these tools and when to use them. Best front line quality tool source I have ever seen (and I have 4 book shelves full of them).
Book Description
What sets this book apart from others that explain individual improvement tools is the sequential organization and the integrated explanation for applying the tools. Using an overall process improvement framework the author groups the tools into a total approach, thereby helping you know when to use each tool and for what purpose. Every single tool includes an example of its use along with ready-to-use templates for matrices, forms, and charts so you can start using the tools right away. Business Process Improvement Toolbox starts by explaining all overall process improvement framework, presents the tools in sequence for this framework, and then concludes with one over-arching case demonstrating the use of all the tools in a concerted effort. As a result, you'll learn how tools fit together and how they can be used in a coherent process improvement system. The author focuses on providing clear, step-by-step instructions and describes an improvement process that can be used in real life.
Customer Reviews:
Succinct description of simple/powerful tools & methods.......2001-06-20
This is a small, information-packed book that contains a collection of tools and techniques, and an overreaching method.
The tools are standard TQM and process improvement implements, and are augmented by forms and templates that anyone who is tackling process improvement can quickly put to good use. These tools are classified by use: problem identification, analysis, brainstorming and consensus, etc. The author shows not only when, but how to effectively use the tools, and gives clear examples.
The overreaching method that is communicated in this book is: (1) when possible perform improvement activities in parallel, (2) activities that are sequenced can often be improved by examining the sequence and determining if it can be changed to promote greater efficiency (and reduce cycle time), and (3) pay attention to process flow and look for barriers and interruptions that need to be removed.
I like this book because it is short and to the point, is densely packed with information (even if a lot of it has been published elsewhere), and the author's approach which is to pay attention to seemingly minor details and perform rigorous analysis using the easy-to-use tools he provides in this book.
Quick review.......2000-05-03
Very interesting book, I think needs more practical cases.
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A Practical Guide to Statistical Quality Improvement: Opening Up the Statistical Toolbox
Michael R. Beauregard ,
Raymond J. Mikulak , and
Barbara A. Olson
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Quality Control
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ASIN: 0442234392 |
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Business Process Improvement Toolbox, Second Edition
Bjorn Andersen
Manufacturer: ASQ Quality Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Quality Toolbox
ASIN: 0873897196 |
Product Description
This best-seller is fully revised and updated! Its goal is still to give readers practical insight into how they can create a coherent business process improvement system. The author works from the premise that consistently working on improving various aspects of how things are done, large and small, is the key to success for any organization. The first half presents an overall business process improvement model, with the ensuing chapters dealing with topics of understanding and modeling your current business processes, using performance measurement in improvement work, creating a business process improvement roadmap, and organizing for improvement work. The second half of the book presents the overall toolbox, followed by one chapter for each phase of the overall improvement model. For each of these phases, a selection of suitable tools is presented with background, steps to use them, and an example of their use. The final two chapters contain two more extensive case studies illustrating the use of the full methodology. And finally, a number of templates can be found at the very end of the book, templates that support most of the tools presented. This book is suitable for employees and managers at any organizational level in any type of industry, including service, manufacturing, and the public sector. It should also be useful as a textbook for students in courses relating to quality management and continuous improvement.
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- solid advice for people new to the MRP paradigm
- Solid Materials Management Basics
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MRP and Beyond: A Toolbox for Integrating People and Systems
Carol A. Ptak
Manufacturer: Irwin Professional Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Orlicky's Material Requirements Planning
ASIN: 0786305541 |
Book Description
Understanding customer needs and providing a quality product at a profit should be the ultimate goal of any small business, but limited resources can be stifling. Written for small businesses new to the idea of Materials Requirements Planning (MRP), MRP and Beyond shows how implementation of an integrated management system is key to optimizing the use of critical financial resources, which can mean the difference between success and bankruptcy for many small businesses. MRP and Beyond details how the process works using actual case examples and illustrates how this planning tool and other planning tools, including CRP, MRP II, JIT and TQM can fit into the development of a strategic manufacturing excellence plan for a small business. Topics include: Improved customer service; Better on-time delivery; Reduced inventory and higher productivity; Revenue growth and improved profits.
Customer Reviews:
solid advice for people new to the MRP paradigm.......1999-06-12
This book is a great place to start for anyone that wants to learn the basics of manufacturing resource planning. It is not the definative textbook on the subject, but it offers many good solid examples of how to implement MRP in a manufacturing organization. Worth every penny.
Solid Materials Management Basics.......1998-10-07
Ms. Ptak manages to cover all of the basics of MRP in a single, well written, yet small book. Easily read this is a good primer for anyone who is teachning or training entrants to the field of Materials Management and Inventory Control.
It is not the "be all and end all" of the topic but sufficient to getting people started and understanding this essential tool of Materials Management. If you are a teacher or manager in the field (I'm both as well as a consultant) this is one book to have at the ready for the new employee, student, or client starting the journey.
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Rapid Prototyping and Engineering Applications: A Toolbox for Prototype Development (Dekker Mechanical Engineering)
Frank W. Liou
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Manufacturing
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ASIN: 0849334098 |
Book Description
The key to success of product development is cost, quality, and time to market. These three factors should be properly defined, designed, and assessed in the initial stages of development. Rapid Prototyping and Engineering Applications explores the engineering procedures and practice of applying modern prototyping technologies, such as Rapid Prototyping (RP) and Virtual Prototyping (VP), to quickly deliver new products with lower costs and higher quality. Readers will gain a thorough understanding of using prototyping with modern technologies and tools. This unique text will greatly benefit product development engineers, managers, and students who wish to define and design a successful product.
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Stormwater Effects Handbook: A Toolbox for Watershed Managers, Scientists, and Engineers
Jr., G. Allen Burton , and
Robert Pitt
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0873719247 |
Book Description
A stand-alone working document, Stormwater Effects Handbook: A Toolbox for Watershed Managers, Scientists, and Engineers assists scientists and regulators in determining when stormwater runoff causes adverse effects in receiving waters. This complicated task requires an integrated assessment approach that focuses on sampling before, during, and after storms. The Handbook supplies assessment strategies, sample testing and collection methods, and includes illustrative figures and tables. The authors introduce an innovative design that can be tailored to address a wide range of environmental concerns, such as: ecological and human health risk assessments, water quality or biological criteria exceedences, use impairment, source identification, trend analysis, determination of best management practices, stormwater quality monitoring for NPDES Phase I and II permits and applications, and total maximum daily load assessments. They provide case studies to illustrate the effectiveness of this approach and the data that can be compiled. Containing reviews of emerging technologies that hold promise for more effective receiving water evaluations, this book gives you detailed information on selecting methods and carrying out comprehensive evaluations. It includes guidance for the experimental design measurements, as well as standard and advanced statistical methods for data evaluations. Despite the complexity of stormwater management, successful and accurate assessments of their impact are possible by following the integrated approaches described in Stormwater Effects Handbook: A Toolbox for Watershed Managers, Scientists, and Engineers.
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The Toolbox for the Mind
D. Keith Denton , and
Rebecca A. Denton
Manufacturer: ASQ Quality Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0873894480 |
Book Description
Fresh, innovative approaches to on-the-job creativity utilize physics, history, biology, and chaos theory to help readers find new organizational structures for improved processes and products. Tips include how to design work areas for maximum creativity, and strategies for implementing innovative ideas.
Books:
- Competitive Strategy Dynamics
- Computer Confluence Introductory (7th Edition)
- Contagious Success: Spreading High Performance Throughout Your Organization
- Corporate Partnering: Structuring & Negotiating Domestic & International Strategic Alliances
- Creating Collaborative Advantage
- Crisis Management: Planning and Media Relations for the Design and Construction Industry
- Deal Terms - The Finer Points of Venture Capital Deal Structures, Valuations, Term Sheets, Stock Options and Getting VC Deals Done (Inside the Minds)
- Dealing with the New Russia: Management Cultures in Collision
- Deliberate Success: Realize Your Vision with Purpose, Passion and Performance
- Discover True North : A Program to Ignite Your Passion and Activate Your Potential
Books Index
Books Home
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Producing Theatre : A Comprehensive and Legal Business Guide
From Option to Opening : aguide to Producing Plays Off Broadway - Revised and Updated
