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Unleashing Change: A
Study of Organizational Renewal in Government
by Steven Kelman, Brookings
Institution Press, 2005, 308 pages, $29.95 (paperback), ISBN-13:
978-0-8157-4899-1, ISBN-10: 0-8157-4899-X |
Using acquisition reform as a test case, Kelman—the
Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy from
1994 to 1997 and the leader of that era’s acquisition reform
movement—marshals survey data and multiple regression analysis
to show that organizational change is a political process. He
argues that there is a "change vanguard" in every organization
which is discontented with the status quo and that leaders can
use them to recruit others and to form a movement large enough
to overcome organizational inertia and opposition.
Reviewed by
Vernon J. Edwards.
Please
see review inside.
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The Complete
Idiot’s Guide to Project Management, 2d ed.
by Sunny Baker, Ph.D. and Kim E. Baker;
Alpha Books, 2000; 404 pages, $18.95 (paperback); ISBN 0-02-863920-0
Project Management for Dummies,
by Stanley E. Portny; Wiley Publishing,
Inc., 2001; 350 pages, $21.99 (paperback); ISBN 0-7645-5283-X |
One of the big management
developments of the last decade was the growing interest in
project management. Acquisition professionals have much to
gain by learning at least the rudiments of project management, and
these two books are a good place to start the learning process.
Contracting officers as business managers? Here’s a good place to
start.
Reviewed by
Vernon J. Edwards.
Please
see review inside.
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Protecting Your Company’s Intellectual Property: A Practical Guide
to Trademarks, Copyrights, Patents & Trademarks
Deborah E. Bouchoux; AMACOM, 2001; 261 pages, $29.95 (hardcover);
ISBN 0-8144-0601-7
Patent,
Copyright & Trademark: An Intellectual Property Desk Reference,
4th ed. Stephen
Elias and Richard Stim; Nolo, 2001; 496 pages, $34.95 (paper);
ISBN 0-87337-601-3
Web & Software
Development: A Legal Guide, 3d ed.
Stephen Fishman; Nolo, 2002; 400+
pages, $44.95 (paper); ISBN 0-87337-645-5
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Most acquisition practitioners have
neither the time nor the wherewithal to become steeped in
intellectual property law or in government policies about patent
rights, data rights and copyrights. Practitioners should
understand certain basic concepts of intellectual property law so
that they can grasp the issues, ask the right questions, and
understand the answers. What they need is an affordable primer
about intellectual property, and here are three books that fit
that bill.
Reviewed by
Vernon J. Edwards.
Please
see review inside.
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Business: The Ultimate
Resource Perseus Publishing, 2002;
2,172 pages, $59.95;
ISBN 0-7382-0242-8
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A comprehensive
one-volume business
reference of information and advice written by more than 200
contributors who are practitioners, consultants, or academics.
Reviewed by
Vernon J. Edwards.
Please
see review inside.
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