Monday, January 5, 2009

Running Steel Running America or Foodservice Organizations

Running Steel, Running America: Race, Economic Policy, and the Decline of Liberalism

Author: Judith Stein

The history of modern liberalism has been hotly debated in contemporary politics and the academy. Here, Judith Stein uses the steel industry—long considered fundamental to the U.S. economy—to examine liberal policies and priorities after World War II. In a provocative revision of postwar American history, she argues that it was the primacy of foreign commitments and the outdated economic policies of the state, more than the nation's racial conflicts, that transformed American liberalism from the powerful progressivism of the New Deal to the feeble policies of the 1990s.

Stein skillfully integrates a number of narratives usually treated in isolation—labor, civil rights, politics, business, and foreign policy—while underscoring the state's focus on the steel industry and its workers. By showing how those who intervened in the industry treated such economic issues as free trade and the globalization of steel production in isolation from the social issues of the day—most notably civil rights and the implementation of affirmative action—Stein advances a larger argument about postwar liberalism. Liberal attempts to address social inequalities without reference to the fundamental and changing workings of the economy, she says, have led to the foundering of the New Deal state.

Library Journal

According to Stein, the American steel companies and their workers were at the center of the New Deal compact between capital and labor, as well as of the racial changes of the '50s and '60s and of the economic crises of the '70s and 1980. Furthermore, government policies during the Cold War encouraged the construction of steel mills in friendly countries, even at the expense of the domestic industry. Consequently, it was global markets that largely laid down the terms of settlement of the problems of U.S. mills. Years of labor-management conflict followed. This is a detailed study with a highly ambitious premise -- to show, among other things, the long-term impact of the steel industry on postwar American liberalism -- but the book is marred by turgid writing and loose organization. -- Harry Frumerman, formerly with Hunter College, New York

What People Are Saying

David Brody
[This] important book explores one of the great riddles of our time -- why it was that a civil rights revolution dedicated to equal economic opportunity should have been followed by the disappearance of decent jobs for so many African-Americans. . . .[It] is a triumph of heroic research and clear thinking, and essential reading for anyone who cares about this country's festering race problems. -- Author of In Labor's Cause




Book review: Healing Touch or The Man Who Tasted Shapes

Foodservice Organizations: A Managerial and Systems Approach

Author: Marian C C Spears

Presents a comprehensive portrait of how to manage commercial and on-site foodservice operations effectively and efficiently in the 21st century. Using the foodservice systems model as a guide, it shows managers how to transform the human, material, facility, and operational inputs of the system into outputs of meals, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and financial accountability. This edition continues its legacy of sound theory and real-world focus, and offers new insights on food safety, the Food Code 2005, foodservice layout and design, process improvement and leadership techniques that will lead to managerial success. New Topics: Includes the latest topics impacting foodservice managers such as: Process improvement and measurement of quality, Foodservice layout and design, HACCP, food safety, and the Food Code 2005, Current theories in management and leadership, Diversity in the workforce and cross-cultural communication, Management of financial resources. Offers the latest techniques for measuring and improving quality within the foodservice system. Demonstrates how layout and design impacts food preparation and output. Extensive and up-to-date information on food safety. Managers of foodservice.

Booknews

Provides a thorough picture of commercial and noncommercial foodservice, emphasizing practical application of theory. Weaving case studies from the Marriott Corporation throughout, the volume's 21 chapters are divided into six sections: an introduction to the industry and systems; designing the food service organization, from food safety to the menu; procurement; production; distribution, service, sanitation, and maintenance; and overall management issues ranging from organizational design to financial management. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)



Table of Contents:
1Systems approach to a foodservice organization1
2Managing quality33
3The menu53
4Food product flow and kitchen design85
5Procurement119
6Food production201
7Distribution and service281
8Safety, sanitation, and maintenance305
9Management principles373
10Leadership and organizational change419
11Decision making, communication, and balance459
12Management of human resources497
13Management of financial resources571
14Marketing foodservice601
15Meals, satisfaction, and accountability625

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