The Positive No

William Ury is the author of several books on the topic of negotiation and is recognized worldwide for his negotiation and mediation skills. He is currently the director of Harvard’s Global Negotiation Project. His most recent book, The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes, provides a three step process (Yes! No. Yes?) that allows the user to more effectively get what is desired through negotiation.

Step one of a Positive No creates the understanding that saying “No” is actually saying “Yes!” to yourself. The second step of a Positive No conveys the reality that saying “No” states what it is that you do not agree to. The third step of a Positive No bridges to a point of agreement and respect. Ury also explains the process as: the first step expresses your interests, the second step asserts your power, and the third step furthers your relationship.

The effectiveness of a Positive No allows one to stand on ones own two feet, create what is wanted, protect what is valued, and change what does not work. The key to using this technique is respect. Although this may sound like common sense, Ury contends that it is uncommon, as so often the Nos used in negotiation and life do not follow this pattern, and the results are far from productive.

The Power of a Positive No is a fairly quick read and may provide you with an effective life long communication and negation tool. Can you recommend other self-help type books that you have found to be helpful? Posting your thoughts to these blog entries is always appreciated. We invite you to share your thoughts with other blog readers.

Librarian’s Pick: Web 2.0, The Business Model

The book Web 2.0: The Business Model is an edited collection of works discussing the implications and applications offered by the Internet’s second generation of services.  The editors are: Dr. Miltiadis D. Lytras, President and founder of Open Research Society; Professor Ernesto Damiani, Department of Information Technology, University of Milan; and Professor Patricia Ordonez De Pablos, Department of Business Administration and Accountability, University of Oviedo, Spain. The research contained in this book focuses on discussing the state of the art of Web 2.0, analyzing successful cases of Web 2.0 with a business model perspective, and understanding the potential of Web 2.0 for business in different domains.

Various chapters refer to knowledge sharing, marketing free services, social networks, knowledge management, wikis, learning support, open tagging, Enterprise 2.0, and strategies in learning and teaching,

The volume is designed for managers and executives, students in management and IT/CS programs, politicians, government officers and policy makers, and professors in academia. 

Along with the scholarly studies, the editors encourage the reader to be aware of “the 2^nd Athens World Summit on the Knowledge Society” being held September 16-19, 2009.  The conference brings together stakeholders of the Knowledge Society development worldwide “to look at the impact and prospects of the Information Technology, and the knowledge-based era it is creating, on key facets of living, working, learning, innovating and collaborating in today’s hyper-complex world.”

Popular Reading: Wishful Drinking

Anyone who is a Star Wars fan will want to read Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher. It is shelved in the Library’s popular fiction/non-fiction bookcase. Her recollections of working with George Lucas and portraying Princess Leia are hilarious. Carrie Fisher has a comedic way with words that conveys her unique life path complete with its dramatic ups and painful downs. Along with a commendable acting and writing career, Carrie Fisher has the pedigree of a Hollywood elitist. Her mother is Debbie Reynolds; her father is Eddie Fisher. When they divorced, Eddie married Elizabeth Taylor. When they divorced, Eddie married Connie Stevens. Carrie was briefly married to singer-songwriter and musician, Paul Simon. There are many other famous Hollywood names included in the mix of Carrie’s life. Nevertheless, or perhaps because of, she has had to face the challenges of addiction, bipolar illness, and treatment. Her “author’s note” at the end of the book expresses her thoughts on the stigma often attached to mental illness. She offers understanding and encouragement to those struggling with bipolar disorder. At 163 pages, Wishful Drinking is entertaining and insightful, and a worth while quick read.

Carrie Fisher has a lengthy filmography. For a complete list of her career events, go to:  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000402/

Book Highlight: Greentailing and Other Revolutions in Retail

The library has just purchased a new book title: Greentailing and Other Revolutions in Retail. This book examines green trends in the retailing business. “Greentailing” focuses on the growing demand for sustainable, organic, and environmentally conscious products and business practices. For anyone in or planning on going into the retail business, this book is definitely worth checking out!

Greentailing and other revolutions in retail / Neil Z. Stern, Willard N. Ander HF5429 .S734 2008

To find articles on “green” retailing, you can search the database, GreenFiles, on the JWU Library website at: http://library.jwu.edu > Databases >> Scroll to GreenFiles

Popular and Best-selling Books

JWU Popular Book Section

This fall the JWU Library North Miami Campus will offer a rotating collection of popular and best-selling books.  Each month the library will exchange at least 10 books from its collection of 200 for 10 new ones to keep the collection up to date.  Students can find the popular and best-selling books at the front of the library adjacent to the periodical display case.  The same borrowing terms apply.

Book Sale

We are having a book sale!

 Come into the library now and browse the sale cart for books on a variety of topics including those from culinary, criminal justice, business, and hospitality concentrations.

 

Oversized Book Display

We have moved the location of the oversized book collection from the back of the library to a display case next to the reference desk. Check out some of these gorgeous, oversized materials which had previously been tucked away!

You might take a look at some of the oversized books from our culinary collection which offers full-page photos:

France and its cuisine TX719 .F7

Great American food TX715 .P24x 1996

Green mangoes and lemon grass : Southeast Asia’s best recipes from Bangkok to Bali TX724.5.S68 H87 2004

The Taste of desserts TX773 .T377x 1991