Knowledge Network: Thunderbird Bookshelf

Managing Projects: A Team-Based Approach

jamesd — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:03:46 +0000

Students today are likely to be assigned to project teams or to be project managers almost immediately in their first job. “Managing Projects: A Team-Based Approach” was written for a wide range of stakeholders, including project managers, project team members, support personnel, functional mangers who provide resources for projects, project customers (and customer representatives), project sponsors, project subcontractors, and anyone who plays a role in the project delivery process. The need for project management is on the rise as product life cycles compress, demand for IT systems increases, and business takes on an increasingly global character. This book adds to the project management knowledge base in a way that fills an unmet need—it shows how teams can apply many of the standard project management tools, as well as several tools that are relatively new to the field. Managing Projects: A Team-Based Approach offers the academic rigor found in most textbooks along with the practical attributes often found more often in trade/professional publications.

Title: Managing Projects: A Team-Based Approach
Authors: Thunderbird Professor Karen A. Brown, Ph.D., co-authored “Managing Projects” with Professor Nancy Lea Hyer, Ph.D., of Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management.
Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Irwin (2010)
Price: $149.69
Description: Hardcover, 416 pages
ISBN: 978-0077356453
Information: www.amazon.com

Senator’s Son: An Iraq War Novel

jamesd — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:00:25 +0000

“The Senate would vote in a few days on a joint resolution that could launch the country into a major military action that would either secure peace or be the igniter of the next world war. The House was overwhelmingly in support of the President’s joint resolution and the Senate favored it but would need the only undecided senator’s vote to secure the majority needed.” Author Luke Larson, a former Marine infantry officer, begins his novel fifty years into the future with an aging senator casting the deciding vote on whether to send the nation to war. The senator flashes back to his Iraq combat experience and labors in weighing the country’s interests against his personal convictions. Three warriors plunged into the urban chaos of the Iraq war. They went in naïve, not knowing what awaited them. John was a legacy. Bama wanted to prove he could out do his doctor father. Cash wanted a way out of the blue-collar world. Nothing could have prepared them for the moral dilemmas they would face. Baptized by fire, the three men are born again with new identities. They soon realize to win a counterinsurgency they must not focus on the enemy, but focus on the people.

Title: Senator’s Son: An Iraq War Novel
Author: Luke S. Larson, a Thunderbird student scheduled to graduate in 2010, was born and raised in Washington State and grew up on the Olympic Peninsula. He attended University of Arizona on an NROTC scholarship and graduated with honors with a degree in journalism. He served as a Marine infantry officer and saw action in two tours to Ar Ramadi, Iraq in 2005 and then again in 2007. He was awarded the Bronze Star with V for valor on his first tour. He studied nonlethal weapons, policies and procedures at Penn State’s continuing education program. He lives in Phoenix with his wife and daughter.
Publisher: Key Edition Incorporated (February 6, 2010)
Price: $19.95 (also available in Kindle edition for $9.95)
Description: Paperback, 284 pages
ISBN: 978-0615353791
Information: www.lukeslarson.com

Beyond the Forested Ridge

jamesd — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:32:43 +0000

An emeritus academic describes other times in the rural West, educational plateaus, years of involvement around the world, dynamics of university life, search for faith and social justice and challenges of aging.

Title: Beyond the Forested Ridge
Author: Born in Dakota, David Youmans was raised and educated in Idaho, with further studies in Arizona and South Africa where he received his doctorate at the University of the Free State. His work life included foreign trade and voluntary agency duties overseas prior to nearly three decades as an academic, a journey embracing five continents. Now emeritus and member of a cross-cultural family, he travels and writes. He is a 1959 graduate of Thunderbird.
Publisher: Infinity Publishing (January 29, 2010)
Price: 13.95
ISBN: 978-0741458278
Information: Paperback, 207 pages
Information: www.amazon.com or www.buybooksontheweb.com.

jamesd — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:50:30 +0000

An itinerant academic describes earlier times in the rural West.

Title: Wherever Home Is
Author: Born in Dakota, David Youmans was raised and educated in Idaho, with further studies in Arizona and South Africa where he received his doctorate at the University of the Free State. His work life included foreign trade and voluntary agency duties overseas prior to nearly three decades as an academic, a journey embracing five continents. Now emeritus and member of a cross-cultural family, he travels and writes. He is a 1959 graduate of Thunderbird.
Publisher: Infinity Publishing (July 20, 2007)
Price: 13.95
ISBN: 978-0741441089
Information: Paperback, 191 pages
Information: www.amazon.com or www.buybooksontheweb.com.

Abandoned on Everest

jamesd — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:58:51 +0000

“Abandoned on Everest,” written by tabloid reporter Quentin Stern, is the prequel to “Murder on Everest.” Stern reveals the inside story of the Mount Everest expedition, including sexual misdeeds, sabotage and media manipulation, all of which leads to Derek Sodoc’s tragic death. When Derek Sodoc, only son of the world’s richest and most powerful man dies attempting to climb Mount Everest, questions are raised. Was it the mountain? Or perhaps something more sinister? After reading “Abandoned on Everest” that details Derek Sodoc’s untimely death, Sodoc’s father persuades the surviving expedition members to return to Everest — presumably to recover Derek’s body. With billions at stake and a relentless father searching for someone to blame, everyone is a suspect.

Title: Abandoned on Everest
Authors: Charles G. Irion and Ronald J. Watkins. Irion is a 1975 Thunderbird graduate. In a maverick literary quirk, Irion and Watkins give the main character, Quentin Stern, author credit on the cover of Abandoned on Everest (the prequel to Murder on Everest). Stern appears in the first book as a tabloid writer who takes liberties with the facts.
Series: The Summit Murder Series is a unique set of mystery novels. Join authors Charles G. Irion and Ronald J. Watkins for this extraordinary journey of exciting exploits and murder atop each of the seven major continental summits, beginning with “Murder on Everest.”
Price: $12.95
Publisher: Charles G. Irion, Irion Books (2010)
Description: Paperback, 6 x 9, 160 pages
ISBN: 978-0984161812
Information: www.SummitMurders.com

Divorce Hell

jamesd — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:48:24 +0000

“Divorce Hell” is Charles Irion’s cautionary tale about the wild ride of divorce, together with his advice on how to get off the marriage-divorce-marriage merry-go-round. It’s all here: a history of odd divorce rituals, Irion’s descriptions of his own divorces, other people’s horror stories, lurid celebrity break-ups, offbeat prenuptial agreements, all topped off by Irion’s Salvation Guide to jumpstart your efforts to avoid divorce and achieve a strong marriage.

Title: Divorce Hell
Author: Charles G. Irion is a 1975 Thunderbird graduate. He owns U.S. Park Investments, a leading owner/management company of 19 manufactured home and RV communities in the United States. He is donating all of the net proceeds of his Hell book series to victims of fraud.
Price: $19.95
Publisher: Charles G. Irion, Irion Books (2009)
Description: Paperback, 7 x 10, 200 pages
ISBN: 978-0984161898
Information: www.DivorceHellTheBook.com

Murder on Everest

jamesd — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:41:23 +0000

When Derek Sodoc, only son of the world’s richest and most powerful man, dies attempting to climb Mount Everest, questions are raised. Was it the mountain? Or perhaps something more sinister? After reading the book “Abandoned on Everest” that details Derek Sodoc’s untimely death, Sodoc’s father persuades the surviving expedition members to return to Everest — presumably to recover Derek’s body. With billions at stake and a relentless father searching for someone to blame, everyone is a suspect. Set against the backdrop of the world’s highest and deadliest mountain, Murder on Everest is filled with intrigue, sex, betrayal and mystery. It is unlike any murder mystery you’ve ever read. “Abandoned on Everest” is the companion prequel to this exciting debut novel.

Title: Murder on Everest
Authors: Charles G. Irion and Ronald J. Watkins. Irion is a 1975 Thunderbird graduate. He was inspired to pen Murder on Everest after his own 1987 expedition to Everest.
Price: $25.95
Publisher: Charles G. Irion, Irion Books (2010)
Series: The Summit Murder Series is a set of mystery novels. Join authors Charles G. Irion and Ronald J. Watkins for this extraordinary journey of exciting exploits and murder atop each of the seven major continental summits, beginning with “Murder on Everest.”
Description: Paperback, 6 x 9, 328 pages
ISBN: 978-0984161805
Information: www.SummitMurders.com

Natural Born Manager

jamesd — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:41:14 +0000

Great managers are not produced by years of job experience and management degree programs. Instead, they are born to lead. Starting from this bold idea, author Ed Parr sets out to address two critical challenges businesses and governments face: How to improve enterprise competitiveness and how to improve managerial effectiveness. Natural Born Manager outlines how managers – and those hoping to become managers – can capitalize on human aptitudes, put best practices into place and achieve remarkable success. If you’ve ever wrestled with complex social and organizational problems, clarifying and pursuing your life’s passion or learning to manage effectively, this book is for you.

Title: Natural Born Manager: A Handbook for Accountability Management
Author: Ed Parr, a 1977 Thunderbird graduate, is a 35-year veteran of organizational leadership. He is a Certified Management Accountant (C.M.A.) who has worked in management positions ranging from team leader to senior executive. He has managed as many as 1,000 employees deployed in multisite facilities and consulted with or managed for both large and small organizations including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, E.D.S., PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Sprint Corporation.
Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing (Nov. 4, 2009)
Price: $24.95
Description: Paperback, 308 pages
ISBN: 978-1608440346
Information: www.nbmworld.net

Rules of Engagement

jamesd — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:34:55 +0000

A passionate summer romance between a Parisian debutante and a University of Colorado graduate ends in heartbreak, until they meet 22 years later for a final chance to reignite an unforgettable love. In the summer of 1964, two college graduates meet in a London club. While their attraction is palpable, Nicole, a Parisian aristocrat, is already engaged, but she can’t help but fall headfirst for Alec, a Colorado native who is a little rough around the edges. As they decide the course of their affair, Nicole comes up with the “Rules of Engagement,” and over the next nine days they agree not to fall in love or reveal their true identities. Reunited by chance over two decades later, they discover that the magic is still there.

Title: Rules of Engagement
Author: C. Michael Bennis, a toy and advertising industry executive, is a 1966 Thunderbird graduate. He attended Universidad Complutense in Madrid and later graduated from the University of Colorado. At the University of Colorado, Bennis was a member of the 1961 Big 8 Champion football team, the 1962 Orange Bowl squad and the Alumni C Club. He is bilingual in English and Spanish and lives in Arizona. Rules of Engagement is his first book. “The story is pure imagination based on an unforgettable memory,” Bennis says. “Similar to the novel, I met a special young woman when I was in London to pick up my car in June 1964. That recollection provided the inspiration for the story, although the real life romance never progressed beyond London.”
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (Oct. 16, 2009)
Price: $18.99
Description: Paperback, 258 pages
ISBN: 978-1439245835
Information: www.Amazon.com or www.cmichaelbennis.com

Avantika’s Garden

jamesd — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:10:37 +0000

Avantika’s Garden is a simple, delightful tale for children about the adventures of a sprightly menagerie of animals that live in and around a house in suburban Pune. The cast includes Sheru the dog, Shanti the peacemaker cat, Krishnamachari Yellaguri Iyengar a.k.a Krrish the loquacious lizard, Titli the Miss Poona Butterfly aspirant, Gun Gun the queen bee, Birbal the brainy spider, and Eddie the Anglophile squirrel. Like children anywhere, they too have their little everyday fights and flights of fancy, dare to dream and try to make sense of their worlds.

Title: Avantika’s Garden
Author: Prashant Pinge is a 2006 Thunderbird graduate based in Bombay, India. He can be contacted at prash2175@gmail.com.
Publisher: Virgin Leaf Books (Nov. 1, 2009)
Price: $12
Description: Paperback, 96 pages
ISBN: 978-9380154077
Information: A1Books in India. www.Amazon.com elsewhere.