Leadership and Laying People Off

First-Hand Account of a Leader Faced with Laying People off:

"I’M vice president for strategy and operations at Accolo, a recruitment outsourcing company near San Francisco. I also run the sales organization and manage our finances, so I have a unique view of our revenue and expenses. I’m the first to notice an imbalance, which means that I’m the one to sound the alarm if we need to lay people off. I had to do that last November. . ."

Statistics: School Enrollment in the U.S. 2006

Statistics: School Enrollment in the U.S. 2006. Note that statistics for previous years are also available.

The National Center for Education Statistics

The National Center for Education Statistics, located within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences, is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education. (Refdesk.com)

The NEA Higher Education Almanac 2008

The NEA Higher Education Almanac 2008. Note that you also can view earlier editions of the almanac from this site.

Zotero

Zotero is a sophisticated free product that works is a somewhat similar way to Ref Works (a $6,000 database). Here is what Zotero says about its product - Zotero "is a free, easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, and cite your research sources. It lives right where you do your work - in the web browser itself."

FedStats

"FedStats provides access to the full range of official statistical information produced by the Federal Government without having to know in advance which Federal agency produces which particular statistic. FedStats is your one location for access to the full breadth of Federal statistical information." (Refdesk.com)

What People Can Learn From How Social Animals Make Collective

"DICTATORS and authoritarians will disagree, but democracies work better. It has long been held that decisions made collectively by large groups of people are more likely to turn out to be accurate than decisions made by individuals. The idea goes back to the “jury theorem” of Nicolas de Condorcet, an 18th-century French philosopher who was one of the first to apply mathematics to the social sciences. Now it is becoming clear that group decisions are also extremely valuable for the success of social animals, such as ants, bees, birds and dolphins. And those animals may have a thing or two to teach people about collective decision-making."

Profile of Pope Benedict XVI

"Pope Benedict XVI came to the papacy with a reputation as a doctrinal hardliner, but since he was elected in 2005, he has turned out to be a less authoritarian leader than many expected. The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - once known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition - from 1981 until his election. His defence of church doctrine led to him be called "the Pope's enforcer" and 'God's rottweiler.' Since his election, the Vatican has been at pains to portray a softer image."

Women Shattering Business Schools' Glass Ceiling

Regarding Women Business School Leaders:

"There are more of them than ever before, according to new data from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), one of the leading business school accreditation agencies. Of the 668 deans at AACSB-member schools in the U.S., nearly 17% are women. Meanwhile, women deans at the 460 AACSB-accredited schools in the U.S. now make up 15.5% of the dean pool, a 35% increase from the start of the decade, according to AACSB. (See our slide show featuring female deans of top U.S. business schools.)"

Gregory the Great Article

"How can I maintain a spiritual life while dealing with people's incessant problems and needs? The question didn't originate with a pastor whose cell phone kept interrupting his prayer life. It goes back at least as far as Gregory, the first practicing monk to be elected, over his own objections, to the papacy. Gregory (540-604) preferred the life of solitude and contemplation, but it was his abilities as a leader as well as his writings on the integration of the inner life with active ministry that that caused him to be called, 'Gregory the Great.'"

High-Paid Officials: It's Not Just College Presidents

"Presidents of a number of colleges vowed in November to take a pay cut or otherwise give back part of their earnings as a way to help buffer their schools against the struggling economy. Now, an analysis of tax filings of more than 4,000 other employees at 600 private colleges shows that presidents' earnings are relatively modest. For example, the head football coach at the University of Southern California and a Columbia University dermatologist each earned more than $4 million in 2007, making them the highest paid employees at private colleges. The presidents, meanwhile, earned about $900,000 and $1.4 million, respectively."

America's Most Admired Companies

"Which companies have the best reputations? Apple tops the list, Google and Berkshire Hathaway move up, and Costco cracks the top 20 this year." Also note that one can search previous years' listings as well.

The Fortune 500 List (Largest American Corporations)

"Our annual ranking of America's largest corporations." Note that one can search previous lists as well.

Fortune: 50 Most Powerful Women

"Talk about drama! Our 11th annual list is dominated by firsts (first woman to run a major U.S. oil company), superlatives (youngest honoree ever) and notable departures (Citi's Sallie Krawcheck steps down as the most watched woman on Wall Street)."

America's Top-Paid Young CEOs

"Young chief executives are becoming an endangered species. Since the height of the tech boom in 2000, the number of CEOs aged 45 or younger at the helm of the 500 largest publicly traded U.S. companies has dropped by more than half, to 28 from 60, and just three haven't yet reached their 40th birthdays."

America's Highest-Paid Female CEOs

"Top-dog pay at America's 500 largest companies collectively decreased last year for the first time since 2002, although the 13 female chief executives in that club are feeling rather flush."

The 400 Richest Americans

"The rich haven't gotten richer--or poorer--this year. For the second year in a row, the price of admission to The Forbes 400 is $1.3 billion. In this, the 27th edition of the list, the assembled net worth of America's wealthiest rose by $30 billion--only 2%--to $1.57 trillion."

The World's Billionaires

"After 13 years on top, Bill Gates is no longer the richest man in the world. That honor now belongs to his friend and sometimes bridge partner Warren Buffett."

The Best-Paid CEOs

"After a 38% collective pay raise in 2006, chief executives of the 500 biggest companies in the U.S. (as measured by a composite ranking of sales, profits, assets and market value) took a pay cut of 15% last year. The last time the big bosses took a pay hit was in 2002."

The World's 100 Most Powerful Women

"Our annual ranking of the most powerful women in the world measures "power" as a composite of public profile--calculated using press mentions--and financial heft. The economic component of the ranking considers job title and past career accomplishments, as well as the amount of money the woman controls."

Harriet Beecher Stowe Article

"When President Lincoln met Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1863, he is reported to have said, 'So you're the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war!'"

World's Best Colleges and Universities

"U.S. News & World Report is proud to publish our first ever World's Best Colleges and Universities rankings. These rankings are based on data from the THE-QS World University Rankings, which were produced in association with QS Quacquarelli Symonds. QS Quacquarelli Symonds, one of the world's leading networks for careers and education, has been publishing world rankings since 2004. These rankings have obtained increasing influence among academics worldwide and have a growing impact among prospective students and government policymakers."

Article on George Washington

"Before the concept of a "first 100 days" entered the popular imagination, there was George Washington, the original precedent setter for the American presidency. He took over the reins of government as the nation's first chief executive in an atmosphere of enormous uncertainty because many Americans wondered if the new nation could survive."

The 10 Worst U.S. Presidents

"U.S. News has averaged the results of five polls to make a gallery of the worst chief executives. The years before the Civil War produced an era of failure: Six of seven presidents who served from 1841 to 1861 made the list."

Obama Tops Jesus in Heroes Poll

"U.S. President Barack Obama succeeded Jesus Christ on a Harris Poll that asked American adults whom would they call heroes, poll data indicated Friday. In the first such survey, in 2001, Jesus was first, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., was second and former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell was third. Obama wasn't mentioned."

Leadership and Communication Article

"It is never a good sign when the market drops 380 points on the day you give your first major policy address as Treasury Secretary. But that is exactly what happened to Timothy Geithner when he sketched the Obama administration's plans for revitalizing the financial services sector. Whatever the merits of the plan, Secretary Geithner did not help himself during the delivery of his speech. While earnest and focused, he did not connect with his audience. And he as soon as he finished, he left the stage without taking questions. [He did do TV interviews off stage, however.] While Geithner was criticized for lack of detail, that is beside the point. Details are not for public presentations; they are for policy papers which should be distributed immediately after the presentation. In reality, what critics are saying is that Geithner, already under a cloud for failing to pay a portion of his taxes, failed to convince them. Failure to persuade is the real issue."

Web sites for ESL/Foreign Language

I. General ( Big Sites )
CENTER
English Day
ESL RESOURCE Ohio University
Using English
ESLgold
ESLTower.com

Writing
The Purdue Online Writing Lab
Guide to grammar and writing
Writing Handouts
Thesaurus

Reading
ESL/EFL Teaching/Learning Resources Reading
Ohio University Writing Center
Online Newspaper
Newspaper Voyager
Online Public Library

Grammar
Grammar Central
Grammar Bytes

Listening
Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab
History and Politics Out Loud

Interactive quizzes and exercises
Interesting things for ESL students
English exercises online
Self-Study Quizzes for ESL Students

II. Language helps
Dictionary

III. Language Tests
SAT Preparation
TOEFL

ESL Test

IV. English Radios
National Public Radio

VI. Journal
Language Learning & Technology
The Internet TESL Journal

ESL Resources for Teachers
ESLTower.com
ESL Curriculum and Activities

Leadership Journals on the Internet

AASA Bulletin (School Administrators)

Academic Leadership

Academic Open Internet Journal

Advancing Women in Leadership Online Journal

African Journal of Business Management

American School and University

American School Board Journal

Association of Leadership Educators

Australian Journal of Management

Business Leader

Business Performance Management

California Management Review

Calvin Theological Seminary Quarterly

Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences

Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy. CJEAP

Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning
(Some Articles are Free)

Chief Executives

Education Next

Education Policy Analysis Archives

Education Statistics Quarterly

Educause Quarterly Online

Educause Review

Educational Leadership

E-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership

Electronic Journal of Business Ethics and Organization Studies

Getting Results…For the Hands-On Manager

International Electronic Journal for Educational Policy and Leadership

The International Electronic Journal for Leadership in Learning

International Journal of Business Science and Applied Management

International Journal of Electronic Business Management

Journal for Leadership Education

Journal of behavioral and applied management.

Journal of cases in educational leadership.

Journal of College and Character

Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership

Journal of research for educational leaders

Leadership

Leadership: A Practical Journal for Religious Leaders

Leadership Advance Online

Leadership in Action

Leader to Leader (Some FT Articles)

McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry

Presidency

Principal Magazine

Public Administration and Management

Public Personnel Management

Research and Practice in Human Management

School Administrator

University Business

Wharton Leadership Digest

Searching Beyond the DBU Databases

Free Article Databases

Directory of Open Access Journals - This site provides an advanced search for finding articles among the 1,224 journals searchable in this way. Various academic topics are included among those journals.

FindArticles.com - The site now provides both basic and advanced search options and provides access to thousands of publications and over 10 million articles.

Open J-Gate - Searchable collection of 4,732 Open Access Journals. The site states that "Open J-Gate is an electronic gateway to global journal literature in open access domain."

Free Dissertation/Thesis Search Sites

Australian Digital Theses Program - this site provides both citation and full-text access to a few thousand theses and dissertations published in Australia.

The British Library - The British Library provides access to citations of theses from British universities (most doctoral theses from the early 1970s onward), from the United States (475,000 doctoral theses), and from Canada (several hundred doctoral theses from 1980 forward).

Center for Research Libraries - Twenty thousand doctoral dissertations from outside of the United States and Canada are searchable from this site. Items can be ordered through ILL by students, faculty, and staff.

Digital Library and Archives - Digital Library and Archives allows searching for citations and abstracts of over 6,700 theses and dissertations. Free full-text access is provided for over 4,500 of these items.

NDLTD – Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations - NDLTD provides access to citations from thousands of digital dissertations and theses that are in PDF format. A significant number of these resources are freely available in full-text and can be viewed online.

RIM: Research in Ministry Online - “RIM® Online is a freely available database that indexes DMin and DMiss projects from reporting schools of theology accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. Indexing began in 1981.”

Theses Canada Portal -
Theses Canada provides access to bibliographic citations for all the theses in the National Library of Canada Theses Collection. Access to full-text theses is available for all items published between January 1, 1998 to August 31, 2002.

TREN: Theological Research Exchange Network - TREN provides citations to 6,800 theological theses/dissertations and conference papers. Items can then be purchased through this site. The opening page actually states that they have 10,000 theses/dissertations, but the search page allows searching of 6,800 items.

Citation Databases (No Full Text)

ERIC - ERIC is a large citation database related to the field of education. It also addresses many other topics related to education, such as leadership, psychology, motivation, etc. When you find articles cited here, you can then get the full articles through the DBU databases or through DBU’s Interlibrary Loan service.

IngentaConnect - IntentaCollect allows you to search through over 25 million articles, chapters, reports, etc. They provide you will a full bibliographical citation for each item, and you then can order the article through DBU’s Interlibrary Loan service or find it on DBU’s online databases.

Google – You can locate full-text reports, studies, and dissertations related to leadership by searching via Google. For instance, when searching Transformational Leadership Dissertation, the second item listed is a full-text Ed.D. dissertation. One likewise could search Transformational Leadership Survey or Transformational Leadership Report and find results.

Locating Information On Authors

Literature Resource Center - This online resource provides author information on over 200,000 people. Access by going to the "Find Articles" page at place your cursor over "Literature" and clicking on the first item, "Literature Resource Center." Enter author's name in the upper left search square.

Academic Search Complete (Book Reviews) - Book Reviews frequently include author information, so locating reviews in Academic Search Premier can be helpful. Go to "Find Articles" - and click on "Academic Search Premier," and do a "title" search by book title.

Academic OneFile (Book Reviews) - Academic OneFile also has many book reviews. Go to "Find Articles" and click on "InfoTrac OneFile," and do a "title" search by book title

WorldCat - A WorldCat search on an author provides a list of all the books they have written. Go to the "Find Articles" and place your cursor over "Graduate Research" and click on "FirstSearch Collections." Click on WorldCat (third from bottom) and search by "Author."

Proquest Dissertations and Theses - Searching on the Proquest Dissertations database can help discover whether your author has written a dissertation (also where, when, and by what title). Go to "Find Articles" and place your cursor over "Graduate Research" and click on "Proquest Dissertations." Do an "Advanced Search" by "Author" without limiting to Full Text.

Book Review Index - REF Z 1035 .A1 B6 (1965-present) - For books that have been published a significant time ago, or that otherwise have no online reviews, the Book Review Index can be helpful. It is an annual publication that lists books and the book reviews published on them.

Book Review Digest - REF Z 5301 .B5 (1928-1968) - Book Review Digest is a helpful resource that provides excerpts from reviews.

Google - When all else fails, search for the author on Google. Frequently, author information is online because of his/her publications, university affiliations, or obituary information.

Free Dissertation and Theses Sites on the Internet

Abes: Agence Bibliographique de l’Enseignement Superieur Citations to French dissertations.

Australian Digital Theses Program this site provides both citation and full-text access to a few thousand theses and dissertations published in Australia.

The British Library The British Library provides access to citations of theses from British universities (most doctoral theses from the early 1970s onward), from the United States (475,000 doctoral theses), and from Canada (several hundred doctoral theses from 1980 forward).

Center for Research Libraries Twenty thousand doctoral dissertations from outside of the United States and Canada are searchable from this site. Items can be ordered through ILL by students, faculty, and staff.

Digital Library and Archives Digital Library and Archives allows searching for citations and abstracts of over 6,700 theses and dissertations. Free full-text access is provided for over 4,500 of these items.

Directory of Dissertations in Progress “The Directory contains 3,804 dissertations in progress at 170 academic departments in Canada and the U.S.” This is a citation database of dissertations in progress in the area of history.

Dissertation.com Dissertation.com has just a few hundred dissertations and theses in its collection, but the site allows free, full-text access to the first twenty-five pages of each item.

Doctoral Dissertations in Musicology This is an international database of citations for dissertations in musicology that contains over 12,000 records. Dissertations are from approximately 1950 to the present.

NDLTD – Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations NDLTD provides access to citations from thousands of digital dissertations and theses that are in PDF format. A significant number of these resources are freely available in full-text and can be viewed online.

PhdData: The Universal Index of Dissertations in Progress PhdData has citations from several thousand dissertations in progress from various parts of the world.

Proquest Digital Dissertations Proquest provides the past two years of citations and abstracts in their Digital Dissertations database at no cost.

RIM: Research in Ministry Online “RIM® Online is a freely available database that indexes DMin and DMiss projects from reporting schools of theology accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. Indexing began in 1981.”

Theses Canada Portal
Theses Canada provides access to bibliographic citations for all the theses in the National Library of Canada Theses Collection. Access to full-text theses is available for all items published between January 1, 1998 to August 31, 2002.

TREN: Theological Research Exchange Network TREN provides citations to 6,800 theological theses/dissertations and conference papers. Items can then be purchased through this site. The opening page actually states that they have 10,000 theses/dissertations, but the search page allows searching of 6,800 items

Polls, Surveys, and Research Report Sites

I. Major Public Opinion Polls

ABC News Polls (2005-Present) (Archives back to 1999)
Associated Press/Ipsos Polls (2003-Present)
CBS News Polls
Fox News Polls (2005-Present)
Gallop Polls
Harris Polls (2004-Present)
LA Times Polls (1996-Present)
National Opinion Research Center
NY Times Polls (2002-Present)
NPR/Kaiser/Kennedy School Polls (1999-Present)
PollingReport.com
Public Agenda
Public Opinion Poll Question Database
Time Magazine/SRBI Polls (2004-Present)
Washington Post Polls (1997-Present)

II. Public Opinion Polls for Foreign Countries

Afrobarameter: African Public Opinion Research
Canada Opinion Research Archive
European Public Opinion Analysis
Iranian Student Polling Agency
Japanese Data Archive (Free Registration Required)
LAPOP-Latin American Public Opinion Project
Latin American Database
Palestinian Center for Public Opinion
Public Opinion Foundation (Russia)
UK Data Archive
World Public Opinion.org
World Values Survey

III. Research Sites By Topic

Education

ACT Research Reports
American Association of State Colleges and Universities
American Association of University Women
Consortium for Policy Research in Education
Distance Education Research Reports
Education Matters
ETS Policy and Research Reports
Higher Education Research Institute
International Archive of Educational Data
Library of Educational Research
National Academies Press
National Education Association: Research Center
The Sloan Consortium
Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research

General

American Factfinder
Carnegie Corporation Reports
Census Bureau: Research Reports
Consumer Reports
National Opinion Research Center
Public Agenda
Rand Corporation Also go to
USESCO Institute for Statistics
The World Bank: Data and Research

Leadership

Center for Creative Leadership
DTI: Management and Leadership Research
Leadership for a Changing World

Library/Information Science

Council on Library and Information Resources Reports
Digital Library Federation Reports and Publications
Economic Development Administration

Politics

American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
The CATO Institute
Congressional Research Service
OpenCRS: Congressional Research Reports for the People
The Heritage Foundation
Pew Research Center
Zogby

Public Opinion

Pew Global Attitudes Project
Public Opinion Poll Question Database

Religion

American Religion Data Archive
The Barna Group
Baylor Surveys of Religion
Hartford Institute for Religious Research
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
The Pluralism Project Research Reports
Pulpit and Pew: Research on Pastoral Leadership
U.S. Congregations: Research Reports

Research Tools

Free Random Numbers Generator
Free Survey and Poll Generator (Free Registration Required)
Free Web Survey Generator
Sample Size Calculator

Locating Book Reviews

A. Article Databases

Academic Search Complete / Business Source Complete

Go to the Find Articles page
Click on "Academic Search Complete"
Click on the "Choose Databases" button
Click on the box at left of "Business Source Complete"
Click on the "Continue" button - at top of page
Check off the box to the right of "Full Text"
Put the title of the book on the first search square.
At right of search square, arrow down to "TI Title"
Do search

Note: Only put title (not subtitle) in the search square

Academic OneFile

Go to the Find Articles page
Click on "Academic Onefile"
Click on the box to the left of "Documents with Full Text"
Put the title of the book in the first search square.
At left of search square, arrow down to "Document Title (ti)"
Do search

Note: Only put title (not subtitle) in the search square

Book Review Citations in the Two Databases Above

If you do not find any book reviews when searching in full text, you can take the "full text" option off and see if there are citations to book reviews.

Then you would search to see if our library had those journal issues in bound or microfiche format (Folder at the reference computers provides this information)

Also, you can search for it these bound/microfiche journals in the Online Catalog:

a. Go to
b. Click on "Basic Search"
c. Put the journal title in the search box
d. Select "Title" at left for "Select a Search Type.
e. Click on the arrow by "Limit Your Search" (below search square) and select "Serials in English"
f. Do search

If you find that DBU has the book review, request it be sent to you

B. Reference Resources

(The following resources are particularly helpful for books written before 1990)

Book Review Index - Call Number REF Z1035 .A1 B6

Book Review Index provides citations to book reviews from 1965-2006

Book Review Digest - Call Number REF Z 1219 .C95 1928

Book Review Digests provides excerpts from several reviews from 1928-1998

C. Internet

By Searching with Google, one can sometimes find book reviews from journals in full text. One also can sometimes find citations to book reviews.

Additionally, some of the Amazon.com reviews have excerpts from book reviews, and the publisher's site sometimes advertises their books by providing excerpts or entire reviews that show them in a favorable light.

Statistical Resources on the Internet General and Subject-Specific

General Resources

Census Bureau The Census Bureau gives statistical information on a broad range of topics, including population and business. Their A-Z list The site gives an alphabetical list of numerous topics.

FedStats FedStats is a directory to statistics from over 100 U.S. Federal Agencies dealing with a wide range of topical areas (crime, health, etc.).

Statistics - Penn State Penn State's large site offers statistical information on social science subjects such as agriculture, economics, health, and women.

Statistical Abstracts of the U.S. This site is the free online version of Statistical Abstracts of the United States, and it covers all areas of information. There are also links to state and county information.

Statistical Resources on the Web This may well be the largest and best of all the general statistics sites. There is a large list of general topics from which to choose, and then there are subtopics under them.

Targeted Resources

Adherents.com "Adherents.com is a growing collection of over 43,870 adherent statistics and religious geography citations: references to published membership/adherent statistics and congregation statistics for over 4,200 religions, churches, denominations, etc."

American Religion Data Archive ARDA gives detailed maps and reports from each state in the U.S.

Business Statistics This site provides "instant access to useful financial ratios, business statistics & benchmarks, effective and understandable online analysis of businesses & industries."

Business Statistics - Penn St. "This guide is designed to offer starting points for those seeking information such as company or industry data; marketing or demographic data; data related to finance or investments; economic data; and international data."

Business Statistics (Additional Resources) The site gives additional information for economic resources, international business data and commercial data.

City and County Data Book The City and County Data Book gives a significant amount of statistical information for cities and counties throughout the United States.

Digest of Education Statistics The Digest of Education Statistics contains detailed tables providing national statistics on various aspects of education from elementary through higher education. Dates of coverage are from 1995 to 2004.

Historical Census Browser The site gives information from 1790 to 1960. Population, education and agriculture are a few of the topics included.

Library Statistics "The Library Research Service generates library statistics and research for library and education professionals, public officials, and the media. LRS reports and analyzes statistics on school, public, and academic libraries…"

National Center for Education Statistics NCES gives a broad range of statistical information on schools all across the U.S., as well as on standardized tests and other related topics.

Occupational Employment Statistics The site gives information on occupations throughout the United States.

SBA Small Business Statistics The SBA site has a wealth of information on various aspects of small businesses as well as economics on this site.

Statistics of U.S. Businesses The Census Bureau provides a good deal of helpful information on businesses over a range of years at this site.

Internet Newsletters Related To Leadership

Church-Related Newsletters

Building Adult Ministries

Building Church Leaders

Church Law and Tax Updates

Leader's Edge

Leadership Weekly

Small Groups

Your Church


Education-Related Newsletters

AASA New Superintendents

Leadership Insider (NASB)

Spirituality in Higher Education


General or Business-Related Newsletters

Leadership Network Advance E-Newsletter

Leadership Wired

Leading Effectively

Mannaz Leadership

Leadership-Related

The Enlightened Manager Blog

The Equipping Ministry Blog

Great Leadership

The Intelligent Leader

The Leader's Journey

The Leadership Blog

Leading Blog: Building a Community of Leaders

Leading Effectively Blog (Center for Creative Leadership)

Management Wisdom

Mission Minded Management

Daniel Goleman Blog

Performance and Talent Management Blog (SuccessFactors Research)

Quantum Thinking

Servant Leadership Blog

Searching Tools for Dissertation Work

I. Dallas Baptist University Databases

Academic Search Complete - Fulltext and Citation Journal Database
ArticleFirst (FirstSearch) - Citations from 12,000+ Journals
ATLA Religion with Serials - Fulltext and Citation Journal Database
Business Source Complete - Fulltext and Citation Journal Database
Dissertation Abstracts (FirstSearch) - Citations to Dissertations/Theses
ERIC - Citations to ERIC Journals and Fulltext Eric Documents
Academic Onefile - Fulltext and Citation Journal Database
LexisNexis Academic - Fulltext Newspaper and Journal Database
NetLibrary eBooks - Fulltext Electronic Books (49,000 Total)
Proquest Dissertations - Fulltext and Citation Dissertations/Theses Database
WilsonSelect Plus - Fulltext and Citation Journal Database
WorldCat (FirstSearch) - Searching Books (and Journals) Worldwide


II. Free Full-Text Article Databases

Directory of Open Access Journals
FindArticles
OpenDOAR
Open J-Gate
Highwire Press (some Full Text)


III. Free Citation Article Database

IngentaConnect


IV. Free Dissertation Databases

Center for Research Libraries
Dissertations.Com
Electronic Theses/Dissertations
RIM: DMin and DMiss Citations
Scirus ETD Search
Theses Canada Portal
TREN: Theological Dissertations
Virginia Tech ETDs

Thinking on your Feet Humor

A wealthy older lady decides to go on a photo safari in Africa, taking her faithful, aged poodle named Cuddles along for the company. One day the poodle starts chasing butterflies and before long Cuddles discovers that she's lost. Wandering about, she notices a leopard heading rapidly in her direction with the intention of having lunch. The old poodle thinks, "Oh, oh! I'm in trouble now!"

Noticing some bones on the ground close by, she immediately settles down to chew on the bones with her back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about to leap, the old poodle exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder if there are any more around here?"

Hearing this, the young leopard halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. "Whew!" says the leopard, "That was close! That old poodle nearly had me!"

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So off he goes, but the old poodle sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up.

The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard. The young leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here, monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!"

The old poodle sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, "What am I going to do now?", but instead of running, the dog sits down with her back to her attackers, pretending she hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old poodle says: "Where's that monkey? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!"

Frederick Douglass Article

"Slave-turned-abolitionist Frederick Douglass crusaded against the 'soul-destroying religion' of the slaveholders."

Lincoln Tops Among U.S. Historians in New C-SPAN Survey

"Abraham Lincoln ranks first in leadership skills among the 42 former White House occupants, according a C-SPAN survey of 65 presidential historians released on the eve of the Presidents Day holiday."

Why Good Managers Make Bad Decisions

"Why do smart people make bad decisions? With Congress grilling bank CEOs Wednesday, it's a timely question. Regulators and business leaders continue to try to figure out how decision-makers' missteps may have triggered the economic meltdown. Sydney Finkelstein, a professor at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business, has studied decision-making, and tried to track down some answers in a new book he's co-authored called 'Think Again: Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions and How to Keep it From Happening to You."

CEO of the People

"There's a lot of resentment these days against executive compensation and all the perks taken by corporate heads. When the Big Three automakers' CEOs came to Congress begging for a bailout, they got a lecture for arriving in their private jets. CBS News correspondent Barry Petersen says maybe they could learn something from the boss of Japan Airlines, Haruka Nishimatsu, who takes the bus to work."

The Puzzling Faith of Abraham Lincoln

"Article by renouned scholar Mark A Noll - Where was God in this brutal national war? An unbaptized non-churchgoer came up with a profound answer."

Historians See Parallels Between Lincoln and Obama

"Acclaimed presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin says she believes Mr. Obama feels a genuine connection to Abraham Lincoln. 'There does seem to be this connection, certainly in Obama's heart and mind, between the mentor that he would like to believe Lincoln is; and you cannot have a better mentor,' Goodwin said."

The Top Market Movers of 2009

U.S. News and World Report item.

Study Suggests Why Gut Instincts Work

"Sometimes when you think you're guessing, your brain may actually know better. After conducting some unique memory and recognition tests, while also recording subjects' brain waves, scientists conclude that some gut feelings are not just guesswork after all. Rather, we access memories we aren't even aware we have. 'We may actually know more than we think we know in everyday situations, too,' said Ken Paller, professor of psychology at Northwestern University and co-researcher on the study. 'Unconscious memory may come into play, for example, in recognizing the face of a perpetrator of a crime or the correct answer on a test. Or the choice from a horde of consumer products may be driven by memories that are quite alive on an unconscious level.' The findings were published online Sunday in the journal Nature Neuroscience."

H. Lee Scott and the Transformation of Walmart (Podcast)

"I heard the NPR Radio broadcast and found it very interesting. The podcast is that broadcast that appeared a couple of weeks ago."

Astronaut's Video Satirizes NASA Bureaucracy

"A short, satirical video produced by an astronaut and posted on YouTube is generating a lot of discussion within NASA and the space community. The video focuses on making sure the agency's bureaucracy doesn't crush innovative ideas and dissenting opinions."

Obama Admission of Mistake Rare for Presidents

"Presidents do not like to admit mistakes. They see it as a sign of weakness. That is why it was noteworthy that Barack Obama publicly admitted making a mistake only two weeks after taking power. . . .The last president, George W. Bush, struggled to identify a mistake when given an opportunity to list some at a 2004 news conference. It was only when he was exiting the White House after eight years that he was comfortable naming several."

2008 Time 100 Most Influential People

"Our fifth annual list of the world's most influential people: leaders, thinkers, heroes, artists, scientists and more."

America's Best Leaders 2008

"America's Best Leaders is a collaboration between U.S.News & World Report and the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government."

Eight Questions for New Ministries

"In most cases it takes the starting of new ministries to attract new people and give them an opportunity for the love of Christ to be shown. But what ministry should you start? Here are eight questions to answer."

Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia

"Trustworthy information on Thomas Jefferson and his world by Monticello researchers and respected Jefferson scholars."

The site seems quite thorough and helpful, but one must also be aware that it is a Wiki site--ordinary people can also submit and edit articles.

Captain Bligh and Leadership: A Case Study

"Captain William Bligh micromanag[ed] the HMS Bounty crew and wanted everyone to know he was the boss, which was more important to him than efficiency. To compound the problem, he considered maximum control as a means to achieve efficiency. As a result, everything went wrong. The crew finally had enough, mutinied, and cast Captain Bligh and eighteen crewmembers adrift in a lifeboat. Without charts or navigation interments, they sailed the open boat 3,600 miles to the Dutch colony, Timor, near Java. This outstanding achievement is only possible with a team united behind a common goal and the use of comfort zone navigation, the art of using intuitive forces where facts are not available. . . .Aboard the Bounty, Captain Bligh's priority was total control. In the lifeboat things were different, priority was survival, or get the job done. Survival automatically unites people into a team where team members are willing to listen to others opinions, free of social prejudice."

Study on Women and Higher Education

"With many colleges seeing their undergraduate enrollments becoming overwhelmingly female, and women leading half of the Ivy League universities, it would be easy to make a case that women are in a good position compared to men in higher education, having persisted despite many generations of discrimination. . . ."

Article on Unethical Leadership

"John Thain Allegedly Rushed Out Billions In Bonuses As Company Pleaded For Federal Bailout Cash."

The Seedbed of Martin Luther King Jr.'s, Greatest Speech

"'I have a dream … .' This simple collocation of four words has become one of the most instantly recognized quotations of all time. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s trademark refrain is frequently borrowed the world over by journalists, preachers, politicians, screenwriters, and other communicators seeking to convey to their readers and listeners certain visions to be actualized. It marked the high point of a grand and powerful speech delivered in the heart of his country's capital, at a time of wrenching national soul-searching. . . ."

Confessional Humor

A local priest was being honored at his retirement dinner after 25 years in the parish.

A leading local politician and member of the congregation was chosen to make the presentation and to give a little speech at the dinner.

However, he was delayed so the priest decided to say his own few words while they waited:

"I got my first impression of the parish from the first confession I heard here. I thought I had been assigned to a terrible place. The very first person who entered my confessional told me he had stolen a television set and, when questioned by the police, was able to lie his way out of it. He had also stolen money from his parents, embezzled from his employer, had an affair with his best friend's wife, and taken illicit drugs. I was appalled.

"But as the days went on I learned that my people were not all like that and I had, indeed, come to a fine parish full of good and loving people."

Just as the priest finished his talk, the politician arrived full of apologies for being late. He immediately began to make the presentation and said: "I'll never forget the first day our parish priest arrived. In fact, I had the honor of being the first person to go to him for confession."

Moral: Never, never, NEVER-EVER be late.

F.D.R’s Example Offers Lessons for Obama

In 1933, as today, a new president stepped into the White House, vowing change and decisive action at a time when a banking crisis posed a grave threat to the nation’s economy." New Yorkers waited for food in 1934. In the ’30s, total government spending as a share of the economy was less than 20 percent and the unemployment rate averaged more than 17 percent. The economic morass that confronted Franklin D. Roosevelt 76 years ago was undeniably deeper and more ominous than the trouble President Obama is facing. Yet, according to economists and historians, there are also some telling similarities and cautionary lessons to be drawn from the experience of the Roosevelt years in the 1930s."

Obama's Leadership Challenge

"There's no doubt our charismatic new President can inspire us as a nation. But he must create a team that can do so as well. . . ."

How to Inspire Workers in Tough Times

"Despite living through possibly the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, some offices may still be filled with truly motivated people—energetic, driven, ambitious, hard-working, competitive. These are just the sort of traits needed to turn a company around. But most CEOs these days are struggling to figure out how to deal with downsized workforces populated with employees who suffer from a long list of a very different variety of social characteristics. Among them: dread, apathy, passivity, carelessness, and possibly even resentment. . . ."

Leadership Article on Coach Mike Tomlin (Steelers)

. . .There is serious brainwashing at work. Like advertising executives on Madison Avenue whose memorable jingles are hammered home on a campaign, Tomlin embraces verbal repetition. A wide swath of material is fair game. He quotes from books, movies and even Robert Frost poems. He sprinkles in pop-culture buzzwords and clichés alike when speaking in team meetings and on the practice field. . . ."

Leadership and Layoffs

"I’M vice president for strategy and operations at Accolo, a recruitment outsourcing company near San Francisco. I also run the sales organization and manage our finances, so I have a unique view of our revenue and expenses. I’m the first to notice an imbalance, which means that I’m the one to sound the alarm if we need to lay people off. I had to do that last November. . . ."

For CEOs, thirst for bonuses may be in their DNA

"Why do CEOs need extravagant perks even when they are firing staff and pleading for taxpayer bailouts? It may just be in their makeup, experts say."

Abraham Lincoln Article

"The American Civil War and the enigmatic man whose election in 1860 precipitated it hold an inexhaustible interest for us. Thousands of volumes on both subjects have streamed out of publishing houses in the past century and a half, covering every conceivable topic and vantage point, from arcana of military operations to probing, and occasionally preposterous, efforts to explore Lincoln’s psyche. . . ."

CEO Humor

A large company, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hired a new CEO. The new
boss was determined to rid the company of all slackers.

On a tour of the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning on a wall. The
room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant
business.

He walked up to the guy leaning against the wall and asked, "How much money
do you make a week?"

A little surprised, the young man looked at him and replied, "I make $400 a
week. Why?"

The new CEO then handed the guy $1,600 in cash and screamed, "Here's four
weeks pay, now GET OUT and don't come back!"

Feeling pretty good about himself, the CEO looked around the room and asked,
"Does anyone want to tell me what that goof-ball did here?"

From across the room came a voice, "Pizza delivery guy."