First Principles

First Principles
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First Principles
Herbert Spencer
Manufacturer: University Press of the Pacific
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Education: Intellectual, Moral and Physical

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ASIN: 0898757959

Book Description

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) was an English philosopher, best known for his scientific writings. Together with Charles Darwin and Thomas Huxley he was responsible for the acceptance of the theory of evolution. His well-known essay on Education: Intellectual, Moral and Physical was considered one of the most useful and profound books written on education.

He projected a vast 10-volume work, Synthetic Philosophy, in which all phenomena are interpreted according to the principle of evolutionary progress. Together with Charles Darwin and Thomas Huxley he was responsible for the acceptance of the theory of evolution. In First Principles (originally published in 1862), the first of the projected volumes, Spencer distinguished phenomena from what he called the unknowable - an incomprehensible power or force from which everything derives. He limited knowledge to phenomena, i.e., the manifestations of the unknowable. He maintained that these manifestations proceed from their source according to a process of evolution.

The Economics of Herbert Spencer
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The Economics of Herbert Spencer
W. C. Owen
Manufacturer: University Press of the Pacific
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Theory | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1410200043

Book Description

Herbert Spencer was a major figure in the intellectual life of the Victorian era. He was one of the principal proponents of evolutionary theory in the mid-nineteenth century, and his reputation at the time rivaled that of Charles Darwin. Spencer was initially best known for developing and applying evolutionary theory to philosophy, psychology and the study of society - what he called his "synthetic philosophy".

Today, however, he is usually remembered in philosophical circles for his political thought, primarily for his defense of natural rights and for criticisms of utilitarian positivism, and Spencer's views have been invoked by 'libertarian' thinkers such as Robert Nozick.

Book Description

Men Versus the State is a study both of the political philosophy of Herbert Spencer (considered by many to be the greatest philosopher of Victorian Britain) and of the ideas of the Individualists, a group of political thinkers inspired by him to uphold the policy of laissez-faire during the 1880s and 1890s. Despite their important contribution to nineteenth-century political debate, these thinkers have been neglected by historians, who have concentrated on the advocates of an enhanced role for government in economic and social affairs. The Individualists were forceful critics of this tendency to expand the frontiers of the State. This, the first comprehensive study of their ideas, sheds new light on the nature of late Victorian political argument. The book also provides an original perspective on Spencer's political philosophy, which provided Individualism with much of its intellectual justification. It will be of interest to anyone who wishes to set free-market conservatism in a historical context.

Men versus the State: Herbert Spencer and Late Victorian Individualism. (book reviews): An article from: Southern Economic Journal

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Men versus the State: Herbert Spencer and Late Victorian Individualism. (book reviews): An article from: Southern Economic Journal
Abraham Hirsch
Manufacturer: Southern Economic Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00092O0MI
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Southern Economic Journal, published by Southern Economic Association on July 1, 1993. The length of the article is 983 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Men versus the State: Herbert Spencer and Late Victorian Individualism. (book reviews)
Author: Abraham Hirsch
Publication: Southern Economic Journal (Refereed)
Date: July 1, 1993
Publisher: Southern Economic Association
Volume: v60 Issue: n1 Page: p257(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Mustard Versus Spencer. (twentieth-century Canadian research scientist, Dr. Fraser Mustard's social views differ dramatically with those of Victorian Era ... from: Canada and the World Backgrounder

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Mustard Versus Spencer. (twentieth-century Canadian research scientist, Dr. Fraser Mustard's social views differ dramatically with those of Victorian Era ... from: Canada and the World Backgrounder

Manufacturer: Taylor Publishing Consultants Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00096OGAK
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Canada and the World Backgrounder, published by Taylor Publishing Consultants Ltd. on October 1, 1996. The length of the article is 420 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Mustard Versus Spencer. (twentieth-century Canadian research scientist, Dr. Fraser Mustard's social views differ dramatically with those of Victorian Era British philosopher, Herbert Spencer)
Publication: Canada and the World Backgrounder (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 1996
Publisher: Taylor Publishing Consultants Ltd.
Volume: v62 Issue: n2 Page: p5(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

A Perplexed Philosopher: An Examination of Mr. Herbert Spencer's Various Utterances on the Land Question, With Some Incidental Reference to His Synthetic Philosophy

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A Perplexed Philosopher: An Examination of Mr. Herbert Spencer's Various Utterances on the Land Question, With Some Incidental Reference to His Synthetic Philosophy
Henry George
Manufacturer: University Press of the Pacific
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1410225534

Herbert Spencer on the Americans: And the Americans on Herbert Spencer (Big Business Economic Power in a Free Society)

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Herbert Spencer on the Americans: And the Americans on Herbert Spencer (Big Business Economic Power in a Free Society)
Edward Livingston Youmans
Manufacturer: Ayer Co Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Liberty and law: Being an attempt at the refutation of the individualism of Mr. Herbert Spencer and the political economists; an exposition of natural ... the youth of Great Britain and the colonies

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Liberty and law: Being an attempt at the refutation of the individualism of Mr. Herbert Spencer and the political economists; an exposition of natural ... the youth of Great Britain and the colonies
George Lacy
Manufacturer: S. Sonnenschein, Lowery & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Municipal origins;: An account of English private bill legislation relating to local government, 1740-1835; with a chapter on private bill procedure, (Studies in economics and political science)

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Municipal origins;: An account of English private bill legislation relating to local government, 1740-1835; with a chapter on private bill procedure, (Studies in economics and political science)
Frederick Herbert Spencer
Manufacturer: Constable & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Sociology and education;: An analysis of the theories of Spencer and Ward (Studies in history, economics, and public law, no. 369)

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Sociology and education;: An analysis of the theories of Spencer and Ward (Studies in history, economics, and public law, no. 369)
Elsa Peverly Kimball
Manufacturer: AMS Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0006BWYU2

Book Description

The subject of General Cost Structure Analysis is the quantitative analysis of cost structures with a minimum of a priori assumptions on firm technology and on firm behaviour.
The study develops an innovative line of attack building on the primal characterisation of the firm's generalised shadow cost minimisation program. The resulting Flexible Cost Model (FCM) is highly conducive to modern panel data techniques and allows for a flexible specification not only of firm technology but also of firm behaviour, as shadow prices can be made input-, time- and firm-specific.
FCM is applied to a panel dataset on several hundred of the largest banking institutions in the G-5 (France, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, United States) in the 1989-1996 period. The main empirical results are summarised. In particular, FCM provides new insights into the existence of scale economies in banking and an assessment of the extent of excess labour in the G-5 banking industries, particularly as a consequence of labour market rigidities in a context of rapidly declining technology prices. FCM also provides an evaluation of the sources of the cost advantage of American and British banks in comparison to Continental European banks.

Customer Reviews:

Thoughtful.......1999-11-09

Clear, sharp approach to econometric cost analysis in a general setting. Displays considerable ingenuity and thoughtfulness. Some more discussion of DEA would have been welcome.

EXCELLENT........1999-10-23

Highly insightful in many ways: in its assumption-free approach to the analysis of cost and production, in its brilliant way of using econometrics/calculus/data analysis to re-inforce each other, in its handling of the measurement issues found in the service sector. The mathematical and econometric material is however somewhat complicated and cannot be understood without a very good technical background and access to adequate reference books (Two that I found useful are Greene's Econometrics and a graduate math. econ. text).

Must read........1999-10-23

This important book will reshape micro as we know it. Too bad the author focused the empirical part of his work on the banking industry and not on more well known areas.

Awesome. An intellectual tour de force........1999-10-23

A must read for academic economists. Blows away duality theory as we know it and provides a powerful framework which NESTS not only DT but also the other usual approaches.

Masterful !.......1999-10-23

Penetrating general approach to the analysis of cost and production. Requires serious technical skills (in particular, in the areas of quasi-concave programming and econometrics) as the exposition is somewhat terse. The best microeconomics book I have read in quite some time.

The Professional Secretary's Handbook: Communication Skills
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Great Starting Place

The Professional Secretary's Handbook: Communication Skills
John Spencer , and Adrian Pruss
Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0764100238

Customer Reviews:

Great Starting Place.......2000-05-09

For those who are looking for a good place to start to be able to effectively communicate in an administrative position, this is it! It is very down to earth with great ideas, as well as things to think about that few would consider. Places emphasis in how you come across in business situations, helps you see your strengths as well as weaknesses. This is a must have for beginners.

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The Office Management Manual: A Guide for Secretaries, Administrative Assistants, and Other Office Professionals (Self-Counsel Business Series)
Anne Morton
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The Professional Secretary's Handbook: Management Skills (Professional Secretary's Handbooks)

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The Professional Secretary's Handbook: Management Skills (Professional Secretary's Handbooks)
John Spencer , and Adrian Pruss
Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Amazon.com

Secretaries and administrative assistants are, undeniably, responsible for making the wheels of commerce and industry spin smoothly. The Professional Secretary's Handbook: Management Skills by John Spencer and Adrian Pruss, is the rare manual that actually understands their role and is focused on ways to help them develop a repertoire of administrative talents necessary to perform these critical functions even more effectively. A companion volume on communication skills, from the same authors, also is available.

Book Description

How corporate greed and mismanagement ate the American dream. In the 1990s, before the bubble of the "miracle economy" burst, corporate America grew fat on the miseries of the American worker. Media attention has focused on dot-com disasters, massive layoffs, and explosions of corporate violence. But for those millions of Americans who have neither been laid off nor "gone postal," life at the office has become a nightmare: seven-day-a-week workloads; reduced salaries, pensions, and benefits; virtual enslavement to technology; and a pervasive fear about job security. With facts, figures, and telling case histories, the author chronicles this catastrophic sea change in industry after industry. Her book is essential reading for anyone concerned with the future of the American economy...or worried about his or her own job.

Customer Reviews:

The triumph of economic power over individual independence.......2007-04-03

Ms. Fraser chronicles many real-life Dilbertesque stories of overbearing employer demands based on the insecurity of white collar employees.

The book does not say much about the reasons for this profound change in American society.

Traditional American freedoms rested on a bedrock of economic independence: family farms and businesses, economic growth that makes employers eager to attract and reward good performers, and low entry barriers for individuals to many businesses. As these protections have eroded, American employees are increasingly hostage to unlimited demands of overwork and conformity because of the uncertainty that they can find alternative employment on equal or better terms.

Disturbing and Informative!.......2006-10-03

I found this book to be very insightful but also very disturbing as I'll soon be graduating from college and will surely encounter some of the topics Fraser discusses in her book. I think the biggest lesson I've gotten out of this book and all the other "business" books is to minimize your expenses and save whenever possible because you never know what is going to happen amidst your 40+ year working career.

Specific to this book, I connected most with chapter 8's discussion on downsizing and layoffs from mergers etc. As a kid I watched my father nearly drive himself insane with stress from three mergers Public Service of Colorado, New Century Engergies and Xcel Energy engaged in. I remember it being a frightening time as a kid, but can only imagine what it felt like from the perspective of having to provide for a family.

Overall, great book but quite depressing we live in such a society.

Thanks for writing the book.

LC
Colorado

Thorough description with little diagnosis.......2006-06-02

Jill Fraser sympathizes: Cubes suck. Hours are long. Disruptions all through the day. Stupid teamwork seminars. Coworkers remain annoying. Raise is tiny and stock is small although you can read of the millions more your CEO got this year than last, even though your company's performance worsened. Welcome to modern corporate America.

If you've been on an island, this book will be an excellent way for you to catch up on what's going on. It is thorough and readable. It is also largely superfluous if you haven't been on that island.

Fraser's arguments that the sweatshop tactics aren't effective are not that compelling (although I agree with her). There does seem to be a frenzy brought on by sales type executives who want to see everyone revved up. But that's just my opinion. Fraser's opinion has more to it but not enough to wow me.

She devotes less than 3 pages to the final section "Is Improvement In Sight?" I'd wished she'd spent 3 opening pages on how everything sucked at work and then the remaining 226 pages to "Is Improvment In Sight?". Even if she found little or even nothing, I'd have appreciated her sense of where it was useful to spend her time.

Good Analysis, Weak (and Dated) Solutions.......2003-05-03

Fraser hits the nail on the head with her hard-hitting stories and analysis of the current state of "corporate America." Hard-working employees are not reaping the rewards they really earn, and create wealth without getting any in return. What employees do get is less time off, longer workdays, more broken homes, more job insecurity, and less satisfaction out of life -- and most corporate executives are just fine with harming the ones they depend upon as long as it's profitable.

While Fraser accurately diagnoses the problems of overwork, she offers little in the way of a viable solution aside from "pick up your things and leave", especially in the current weak economy.

If you want some solutions, this book is not what you're looking for. If you do want some great writing about quality of life issues that affect all of us, especially in the corporate environment, this book is insightful and thought-provoking.

Compelling, Thought-Provoking, Unsettling.......2002-12-02

The author of this book is a professional journalist, with experience covering business for the New York Times, The New York Observer, and Forbes. She's served as an editor for Inc. Magazine and Bloomberg Personal Finance. She knows how to write in a style that grabs and holds a reader's attention. I went straight through cover-to-cover with this book, turning pages and turning down pages.

After several years of research, this book was assembled to tell the story of the nightmare that has been the life of the white collar worker in America in recent decades. Using an enticing mixture of facts and figures and real-life stories collected from people in the trenches, Fraser documents a story that cries for exposure. White collar employees from large companies will recognize-painfully-the picture that's painted, with personal histories and company names and practices illuminating the text. Page after page reveals the details of an embarrassingly destructive period in our country's corporate history. Sadly, the story continues, with complications and far-reaching implications, far beyond what's presented in White Collar Sweatshop.

You'll experience a wide range of emotions as you move through this factual report. Those emotions will range from pity to sympathy, from empathy to rage. Using the internet, Fraser found a wide range of people to open their hearts, share their experiences, and expose the questionable, unfeeling, almost inhumane acts of corporate executives. You'll read about people who invested their lives, at the expense of their families and themselves, to help build companies that later chewed them up and spit them out.

The research for this book was conducted during the late 1990s and into 2000. These were the years of the hot economy where opportunities to change jobs were plentiful. Many of the people who worked for large corporations, where this book is centered, did not leave for greener pastures; they were trapped in a never-ending cycle of working, working, working for companies-emotional and professional handcuffs that held them in a no-alternatives, no-win rut.

Since this book was written, the economy has shifted. During the slowdown of 2000-2002, employers became even more ruthless. With fewer jobs to jump to, workers had their escape routes blocked. The current reality is probably even worse than the deterioration described in Fraser's documentary. As the economy picks up, we'll see some cataclysmic changes in the relationship between employers and employees. The historical period recorded in this book will be a foundation for a major upheaval.

To understand what's coming, read this book to understand what's happened. Special note to senior corporate executives: If you want to attract, inspire, and optimize top talent, read this book to comprehend how your employees feel. Even if you're not the size of the major companies cited in the case histories, know that your future or even current employees-directly or indirectly-are influenced by the experiences described.

This book will be a catalyst for change if corporate leaders apply the knowledge they'll gain to assure that sweatshop practices are terminated.

Extra benefits: strong notes section with a number of valuable book references, as well as a comprehensive index.

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